Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

Goodness, time sure can fly between blog posts. I've had a pretty busy Dec/Jan so far with our holiday and renovating etc. Our holiday was...pretty average actually. The weather wasn't great at all. It rained pretty much everyday and my plans to take the kids to the beach everyday didn't eventuate. We spent loads of time indoors, visited the Holy Land (aka Ikea) and spent time with the family. Unexpectedly, we were happy to come home to Tasmania. Still very homesick for Queensland though and we are planning our move back home, just not sure exactly where yet. Perhaps Cairns, although Noosa is looking good...

Stormy skies over Surfers Paradise

The renovations are going well. We've ripped out the fireplace, painted, put in a new laundry and a few other bits and pieces. It's a tiny little house that we live in so it's a pretty small scale reno. Funny how you get used to builders with a jackhammer in your lounge room at 7am...



We took out the old fireplace and replaced it with French doors,

letting loads of light in and brightening up the tiny lounge room.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and lots of love and laughter for 2011.
See you all next year x

Just a quick note to say I'm having a little down time to recover from a recent operation. All ok for now, but I'm supposed to be resting and taking it easy. Which is easier said than done.
Back soon...x

Things have been crazy busy around here lately. Our renovations have officially begun and I've surrended my home to tradesmen. I've spent hours looking at bathtubs, tiles, paint etc. I've done all of this before for other people but this is the first time I've actually done it for my own home. So far, so good. Some of our plans have changed along the way, which was to be expected.
Our new fence is nearly finished and I'm hoping to get the new garden planted soon so it has time to flourish before we put the house on the market. Still not sure what I should plant, but I have a friend who has offered to guide me in the right direction, bless her. Better go get my tool belt back on...

Our new fence...looks nothing like this. (Though I wish it did.)

My all time favourite architectural style is tropical minimal.

When we return to our tropical homeland, we'll be searching for some land to build something...hopefully just like this! Pretty spectacular, yes? I can just see all the kids lined up eating their breakfast at that bench...x

How cool is this aerial photo of a garden in Paris?

We're re-doing the gardens as part of our renovation, though I'm not really sure where to start. Gardening has never really been my thing. I can appreciate a nice garden but have never really felt the urge to create or maintain one. There's a first time for everything, right?

x

The time has finally come...we are beginning our renovations :) Inspired by The Brick House , we have lots to do. A new bathroom, fence, carpets, paint, laundry etc will all be happening, I wonder how much we'll achieve before Christmas? Thankfully The Husband is super handy, there is pretty much nothing he can't fix, build or make. So now the fun begins of choosing paint, tiles and everything else. After 4 weeks at sea, our first date will be at Bunnings. Joy.

All of these photos are from The Brick House, I'll be posting some before, during and after photos of our renovation soon. Wish me luck!

x

It's Sunday afternoon. Get your folk on people. x

Inspired by the cool tones and clean lines of these images, I'm having a spring clean today and changing things around. Kids, get off the x-box, Mum's got jobs for you...

and today is 10/10/10. What a perfectly symmetrical date :)

x

Today, I'm feeling particularly homesick for the warmth and sunshine of Far North Queensland. All of these photos were taken in Port Douglas and Palm Cove, which was just a 15 minute coastal drive away from our old home. Even though you can't even put your little toe in the water due to stingers, it's still pretty spectacular. In the meantime, we have a two week Gold Coast holiday coming up, but it's not quite the same as the magic of FNQ. x

This song is not new, but I never get sick of listening to it. x

Recently, we had some family photos taken by Michelle Dupont. It was something I've always wanted to do but never have. The kids aren't getting any smaller and I really wanted to capture them while they were still young. We went down to City Park, which is right in the middle of Launceston and has been there since 1863. It was a windy, chilly day but we had loads of fun. I'm thrilled with what Michelle has captured and we will treasure these photos forever. Here are just some of them...

Have a look at Michelle's blog. This mother of six (!) is one super talented person.

After our photo session, she drove off into the sunset in her kombi loaded with her kids, all waving at us - which cemented her status as 'awesome' according to my kids. I'm so glad we crossed paths.

x

How amazing are these male and female bust vases? I love the succulents growing out of their heads, imagine what other spectacular floral creations they could wear...

The Husband sent me this photo of the sunrise this morning as he sailed back out to sea. Hope it stays this calm for him. x

God, how I love this x

Don't you think?

x

Spring has finally, properly arrived in chilly Tasmania. It actually got over 20 degrees today..and it's glorious. Earlier today the boys and I were barefoot in the backyard.

A simple thing but something that we haven't done for such a long time because of the cold and frost. Daylight savings started today, meaning summer is just around the corner.