Bedroom Makeover

I promised to post a little more regularly so just before my head hits the pillow I will ensure I post something....anything!!! lol

So I begin with this picture....my dining room table. I decided after numerous episodes of "The Block" that it is time to renovate the kids bedroom. My hubby looked at me and said "Honey do you really understand what a big task that is?" Sure I do.

I've seen it on TV. One hour episode then the room reveal!!! HAHAHHAHAHA

My husband just shook his head and walked away!

The fact is that it was time to mix it up a bit. My eldest needed his own room which left my youngest two to share. Not ideal circumstances but when you get lemons...make lemonade!!!!

I used my blog stalking skills to research exactly what I wanted! I was a little depressed to find that most 'shared' rooms where bigger than my lounge room!! So what is a girl to do? Head off to Ikea!!! The kings of storage ideas, trendy looks all in a shoe box sized room!!!

My husband and I took off one Saturday afternoon to be plesantly suprised that it was open till 7 pm. No need to rush!!! Just enjoy !!! I can see my husbands face sink....it was going to be a long night!

We found cheap and affordable beds, shelves and doona covers. It was so exciting I could hardly breathe! We also left the kids home as Ikea and my kids don't mix. We also needed the car space to lug everything home. Thanks Nanny and Grandad for the free babysitting!!! Did I mention how blessed I am to have in -laws and parents so close?

So the short story is...it didn't take only one hour to renovate a room. We couldn't even manage it in one week!!!! My house looked like this for 2 WEEKS!! We couldn't see the table, Ruby slept on a mattress next to us and the others had a small PJ party each night as they lived up their last moments together. 

Enough to do my head in!!!

reminding myself ..all for the greater cause!!! Can you see the boys playing 'shops' on the heater? Not safe I'm sure but at least it wasn't on!!!!

I think Ruby still managed to find a quiet place to put her feet up

So I decide to chill, relax and focus on the bigger picture in sight. This will end. I did keep thinking the whole time..."How do people do a whole house?" I though one room was a challenge!!!

So I put Hubby to work. Well actually...I really would have done it myself but he has one of those annoying yet handy attitudes of .."No one can do it as well as me". So lets choose our battles and this is not one!!! A clever wife agrees and lets him go!!!!

Yep I stood back and snapped the pictures.

He was such a machine!!!

So I guess you want the big reveal?

Insert add here and a trailer to watch next week!!!! hahahaha

I won't make you wait until then but maybe one night!!! lol

Stay Tunned... 

I'm Back!!!

Big Kisses to all my followers who have hung in there even when I haven't been posting!!!

I promise to share a bit about what I got up to in June! Photos are loaded and I'm ready to go!!!

Some pictures to please your heart

Oh my!!! I have been slack at posting in the last month!! It is a wonder if I have any followers left! I am slightly addicted to instagram and have not been sitting down on the PC for a while!
I will take time to upload the lastest pics and give you a run down of what we have been up too!!!
stay tuned!!!!!
Love Emma xx

How to hang a few pictures

Loving the inspiration from these pictures on how to hang pictures randomly yet perfectly!!!! Wouldn't you just love that craft room, sewing room or just space for yourself and all your things!! Totally jealous!!!!

A New Hat!

I really love this picture!!! I bought a new hat for my Ruby and my husband thought he would give it a whirl! Um I think we should leave it for Ruby!!!

Comparison

I was thinking about this quote while I stalk all these beautiful blogs!

I must remember that bloggers only put their most beautiful foot forward and have the ability to create a make believe world full of pretty pictures, happy family snaps and gorgeous homes.

It is true, I know it because I am guilty of it!

I only put the pretty pictures up and the ones that make me feel like escaping to. I create a blog that looks amazing to the outside world!

The fact is my life is far from that at times and I bet that most bloggers would agree. (if we are honest!)

I yell at the kids and have washing piled up on beds in baskets! I give my kids lunch orders when I can't be bothered in the morning, I have a dirty toilet ( I have boys..they are messy) and I sit on my bottom and night and struggle with the guilt of not getting up and doing something constructive!

In all the time spent blogging and looking at other bloggers pages, remember to be thankful for the things you have and don't spend your time wishing for something else!!!

what to do on a friday night?

Ok so the football is on and the kids are "kind of" in bed so what am I to do? Jump online to my favourite blogs and share with you beautiful people!

So where has it taken me tonight you ask? of course to my regulars and so newys!

House of Turquoise  never dissapoints EVER!!!

Then I go and get inspired by my Pinoneer Woman

Try my luck at The Hand Made Home

a bit of Ada & Darcy

a little bit more eye candy at Mondo Cherry 

and of course finish up at Pinterest

well football is finished and I am going to bed!! night night!!!



fruit loop treats

So I've been stealing recipes left right and centre this week!! I'm not sure if I'm on a sugar hit / high but I seem to be focused on sweet treats! I was blog stalking as usual and Harry my eldest loves to sit on my lap and watch the pictures as they fly by.

Harry yelled " Stop !! that looks awesome!!!" so I decided to post it. The trouble is I totally forgot where I got this from!! I'm soooo sorry to the amazing person who did this awesome post!

Lunch  box treats will be good this week!!!!

 

They take 5 minutes to make, in your microwave (or you can use a saucepan on the stove).

NOTE: I doubled the recipe to fill one large jelly roll pan (cookie sheet).

FRUIT LOOP TREATS

1/4 cup butter (1/2 a cube)
1 package small marshmallow (or about 6 cups)
8 cups of cereal
 Microwave the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl for 2 minutes till melted and stir it up.  Some of the butter may not mix-in all the way.  No worries.
• Pour in the cereal and mix
• Spread it on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or butter.  Spray a little on your hands to help spread it around without getting sticky goo all over you.
• Refrigerate till ready to serve

Move over Caramel Slice!!!

ok ok I haven't posted but I felt compelled to post after I had so many requests for a recipe of a slice I posted on Instagram.

It is my new challenge. I want to make it and make it look like this

Can it get any better than this?

OK so I stole the recipe from Some Girls Recipes.

So here you are my friends. I'd love to know if you made it and how it turned out! Drop me a little comment!!!

Makes one 9×13 pan 

 Choc Caramel Nougat Slice

Bottom Chocolate Layer 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Line your pan with aluminum foil and leave an overhang. Thoroughly grease foil. Melt ingredients together in the microwave for 30 seconds and then 10 second intervals until completely melted, careful not to burn. Pour into the baking dish and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.
Nougat Layer 1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer. Let cool completely.
Caramel layer 1 14-ounce bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth – this took about 10 minutes for me. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.
Top Chocolate Layer 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients together in microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. I like them refrigerated best!

Pass it on

I've been busy lately and haven't found time for me favourite thing which is to write on my blog. I still occassionally stalk others and today I stumbled on this amazing list! It was called how to uncomplicate your life but I think many of these points are fantastic to remember as you live your busy days....a big thankyou to Bella Mumma for inspiring me!!!

 

Things I want to pass onto my children....

 

 

1. Believe that everything will turn out just fine in the end, because it usually does

2. Learn the basics of investing, so that you’re able to grow your wealth

3. Say exactly what you mean with kindness

4. Believe in something bigger than yourself

5. File your taxes promptly

6. Be a peacemaker, not a warmonger

7. Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

8. Don’t confuse love with sex

9. Before making any major decision, sleep on it

10. Pray, meditate or reflect every day

11. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all

12. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you

13. Find a reason to laugh every day

14. Teach your children about art, music, and literature

15. Teach your children how to save, invest and manage money

16. Don’t blame others for your situation

17. Accept that you can’t change anyone’s nature, including your own

18. Don’t be sad in order to make someone else happy

19. Don’t be less than you are to make someone else more comfortable

20. When you move to a new city or town, make friends quickly

21. Don’t harbour ill will towards authority for no valid reason

22. Don’t complain unless you have a solution

23. Make peace with your parents

24. Tell your young children “no” when necessary

25. All things in moderation

26. Buy white dishes that never go out of style

27. Take good care of yourself so that you’ll be able to do more for others

28. Understand that no one was put on this earth to make you happy

29. Allow others to make themselves happy

30. Be tolerant of other cultures, lifestyles, and religions

31. Don’t be defensive. Listen calmly to constructive criticism, act if it’s accurate, disagree politely if it isn’t.

32. Tell yourself the truth

33. Stop making negative comments about your body, your mind, or your beauty

34. Work harder on making the inside pretty, and less on making the outside pretty

35. Make due with what you have

36. Work to live, and live to eat

37. Fall madly, deeply, crazy in love, and don’t hold anything back

38. Take people at their word, until you’ve been shown that you can’t

39. Have your teeth cleaned every six months

40. Floss

41. Have a weekly date night with your partner

42. Don’t let your children become the center of your family; they need to begin their own life someday

43. Don’t make your children feel guilty for beginning their own life

44. Smile at others as often as possible

45. Be too busy to care what others think, but not too busy to care for others

46. Take the 100 Thing Challenge

47. Live by the phrase “vive le difference”

48. Be monogamous

49. Cry when you need to

50. Tell your children that you believe in them, and be their number one fan

51. Agree to disagree

52. Don’t try to control others, accept them instead

53. Don’t try to control the situation, accept it instead

54. Don’t let pride stand between you and something you want

55. Let your silly side out more often

56. Sit up straight

57. Stand up straight

58. Stay home and rest when you’re sick

59. Don’t pretend to be sick

60. Don’t drive when you’re tired

61. Do your best to make others feel comfortable

62. Don’t keep guns in your home

63. Set healthy boundaries with others

64. Be careful not to say something in anger that cannot be taken back

65. Learn to like yourself

66. Take responsibility for your actions, even if it’s embarassing

67. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so

68. Learn how to find the answers to things you don’t know

69. Stop smoking

70. Break your addiction to your iPhone or Blackberry

71. Create a basic wardrobe of quality classics, and only buy what you need to replace what has worn out

72. Have your pets checked regularly by their vet, including their immunization records

73. Stop waiting

74. Start living

75. Write thank you notes

76. Don’t compare yourself to others

77. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem

78. Read more

79. Skip more

80. Remove the television from your bedroom

81. Be present more often

82. Be a human being, not a human doing

83. Don’t wait until it’s too late to tell someone that you love them

84. Laugh at yourself

85. Stay in touch with people that remind you where you came from

86. Don’t be ashamed of your upbringing

87. Stop thinking the world owes you something

88. Realise that you owe the world your best self

89. Honour your elders

90. Be careful not to become self-absorbed

91. Give up the belief that great wealth, great beauty, or great fame will make you happy. It won’t.

92. Learn what does make you truly, utterly, undeniably happy on a lasting basis

93. Give more than you get

94. Stop making excuses

95. Stop being angry at the world

96. Throw out the self help books and get on with it

97. Don’t over analyze

98. Realize that no one in your life is perfect, and neither are you

99. Let out a huge sigh of relief at that realization

100. See change as a lovely ending to a book you’ve just finished reading, and go out and find the next book

 

What I want for Mother's Day

From the archives!!!

I was doing my traditional nightly blog stalk when I stumbled across this post by Fat Mum Slim. 

What do we really want for Mother's Day? This poster says all the things I was thinking!! 

I love having time as a family on Mother's Day. It gets a little tricky as we grow up and have families of our own! So I decided that it is a Mother's Day Weekend! I do my mum on the Saturday, Hubby does his Mum too and we have a great day together on the Sunday after church! 

A flower for my hair given to me by my Jules. He picked it from outside and gave it to me while I was cooking dinner. Time to stop cooking and embrace the photo shoot!! Memories like this last a lifetime.....the dinner can wait!!

Can you see I'm a little excited!!! hahahahaha

The funny thing about Mother's Day is that as the childrn get older they are able to express themselves  about why they love you!! My last card from my Harry said.."you are a great encourager!!!' It made me laugh..what a word to use!!! Harry has stashed his mother's day present from the Mother's Day stall at school somewhere and is itching to give it to me!! He even asked if he could give it to me tonight! Knowing my husband I better leave it to Sunday as it may be all I get!!!

I joked on radio today about how much a love the material things that I get on Mother's Day but the truth is I'm just feel happy and blessed that I have three people who call me Mum each and everyday! They make me laugh, cry, smile, shake my head and shrug my shoulders!! The emotions and gratefulness that I feel towards them can never amount to ANY present brought from the shops!!!

I hope your day is filled with a kiss, a hug and a little prayer of thanks to the big man upstairs!!!

Have a great weekend!!

Happy Mothers Day Mum!!!

where does time go?

Let's put it out there....this was not me today!!!

I felt a bit more like this...juggling..!

It looked a bit like this!!!!

and ended like this!!!!

Today a sat down to 'try' and begin the task of my husbands book work! What a job with little children? How do women stay at home and work out of there homes?!!

I was distracted by the children to no end..." can I have a drink?" " My movie finished!" " I'm hungry" and the occasional bust up of the sibling fighting! I was exhusted before I even opened Myob!

Hats off to all the Mummies that try to make a living at home! You are amazing! I have no idea how you do it day in and out!

I am however not a work at home chick. I stumbled across a few terrible habits that emerged as I began to type away on the computer. My posture is terrible at the computer. I didn't realise this because a quick blog post is nothing to a full day at the computer desk! I am sore!!!

I also found that I consumed far too many cups of coffee and tea! shocking!

I have to admit that the TV became my babysitter and i think I yelled a few more times than usual.

So all up it was a terrible attempt to juggle work and kids. All I can say is that preschool is a great place for parents that need to get stuff done. Not only do the kids get a rich and fulfilled day of social interactions and educational development.....Mummies get their work done!! When Mummy is happy, the house is happy!!

So off to preschool the kids go tomorrow...Pity my work won't get done though.

I'M THE PRESCHOOL TEACHER!!! aahhhh!!!

Today I am searching for inspiration to tackle my kids bedrooms. I had grand dreams of moving house and getting a room each for them. Unfortunately things haven't yet worked out that way so I'm making lemonade out of lemons!

I have decided to re decorate using what I have. ! The biggest problem is that I am getting my youngest kids to share and they are boy and girl! Making this room look organised, neat and acceptable for both genders will be a challenge. So here the journey begins. I would love to do a day make over (I've been watching too much TV!) but it will progress over time....a LONG time! I'm pretty busy so it may be a long task but I am committed!

So i'm starting with blog stalking and ideas brainstorming.....

This is my favourite!! Just not sure of the cost!! eeek!!!

Crazy Dayz.....

My friends I have missed you!!! I have been so busy I don't know where to start!!! First here is a picture of my babies.....

It feels like they have all grown up, it has been so long!!! hahahaha

My motto over the past week!!!

Hubby is back in Hospital with an infection after surgery on his leg...what's new eh?

Kids have been upset and I don't have my wing man for the next 7 days!!! To all the single parents out there...How do you do it?!!! I am blessed to have amazing friends and family but my goodness....I'M TIRED!!!

a quick coffee with my sweetheart!!!

loving cards with my friends...before the hospital took my man....

the photo we look at and say...Remember the good old days when Dad could walk!!??

I will have a few lonely night ahead so I'm guessing I will fit in a post or two. Hope you have been having better luck than my family!!!!

Love Emmax