Growing Spaces

The kitchen begins to take shape

Heather — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:58:45 +0000

It still takes a little imagination, but it’s starting to come together…

Sudden progress in the ensuite

Heather — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:56:44 +0000

It was way back in September that I blogged about the state of my shower, and about a week after that, Ben ripped out the ensuite.

But what’s five months between friends? Ben has struggled to find the time between work and family to get the ensuite finished, and as our last house only had one bathroom, we haven’t really missed having an ensuite. But we have missed having a shower, as the family bathroom doesn’t have one. I’m aware that I’m over-using the word ‘exciting’ at the moment, but it’s the best way to describe what’s happening in the ensuite today….

Goodbye back door

Heather — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:19:45 +0000

New window and doors in

Heather — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:12:27 +0000

It’s absolutely amazing what a difference the extra light has made to the whole space…

Ready and waiting for the doors and windows

Heather — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:54:08 +0000

There has been a little bit of a delay while the builders waited for the delivery of the new patio doors. They were finally delivered yesterday at 4.45pm, so today should be an exciting day.

Holes in exterior walls ready for the arrival of the new doors and window

The only way to get the new door in was over the neighbour's wall

Ez is only interested in the sand

Kitchen makeover: progress so far

Heather — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:54:13 +0000

Day 3: goodbye decorative arch

Heather — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:16:05 +0000

Day 1: goodbye wall

Heather — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:45:10 +0000

The twins and I have decamped to my mum and dad’s for the rest of the week, but the husband is sending me regular photographic updates from home to satisfy my control-freak instincts. Here’s the kitchen wall at the end of day one (yesterday)…

The builders are about to arrive…

Heather — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:36:59 +0000

No more forgotten birthdays

Heather — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:36:54 +0000

This year, one of my resolutions is simple: stop forgetting birthdays. Since the twins were born, I have pretty much failed to send a single birthday card on time, and mostly I forget to send a card altogether. And as many of you will know, having children can already make you feel isolated from a lot of your friends, and I don’t think forgetting everyone’s birthdays helps matters much.

This week I worked out that I had already missed eight friends’ birthdays. And my mother-in-law’s. Urgent action was required.

I have everyone’s birthdays written in a birthday book, but that doesn’t help me buy the cards and remember to pick up stamps in time. For a while I had a stockpile of cards, and that helped a bit, but then it ran out and I failed to restock it. So when I came across a birthday card organiser on Pinterest (you can follow my boards here), I immediately liked the idea.

This week, the twins were at nursery and I was supposed to be working at home, but thanks to a week’s bout of sinusitis, my brain was unable to manage any kind of work-related productivity. So I decided to make my own birthday card organiser instead. And not only that, as 2012 is my year to tattoo FRUGAL onto my forehead, I have vowed to make all the cards as well.

I used a children’s Clark’s shoe box, and covered it with paper. Then I made 12 dividers – one for each month of the year. Behind each divider I’ve popped a cue card with all that month’s birthdays written on it. I was pretty pleased with the card organiser but it was useless until it contained cards.

So that afternoon I treated the twins to a trip to our local craft village to price up how much it would cost me to buy pre-folded cards. And at £8.95 for a box of 100 pre-folded cards and envelopes, I was sold. All fired up, that evening I made belated cards for all the missed January birthdays, and cards for upcoming January and February birthdays. I’ve stamped and addressed the envelopes, and written the day of the month in the top corner so I know when it needs to go in the post.

So I’m all set. Well, until the end of February at least. Now I just need to remember where I put my car keys…