2013: It's a wrap (and linky)

Friday, December 27, 2013

Wow, what a year. For us, this year has been HUGE. But finally today I feel like I can let out a big sigh of relief, relax a little, Christmas is over, the sun is shining and although completely exhausted, I feel really blessed and excited about what is to come in 2014. Joel is off work for a while, so now we can have some much needed quality family time. In the beginning of the new year we are heading off for a couple of weeks on a camping holiday, then when we come back we will be in full on house preparation and moving mode, its so exciting, but all the things that have to be done are a little overwhelming. But, until then, I just want to take it easy! Enjoy these Summer days and reflect on what a year it has been.

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas!! One of my favourite times of the year! This is just a quick stop by to say I hope you all have a lovely Christmas, filled with family, friends and lots of laughter! Oh and food, lots of food!! We are busy making another Turkey in our weber babyq and Joel made a cherry and an apple pie last night! YUM! Preparing for a family Christmas Eve feast!

So, I'll be back before the new year, but until then I'll be switching off most technology and focusing on hanging out with some of my favourite people! Although, I'll probably still be hanging out on Instagram, so you can join in the festivities there, come find me: @yellowdandy

Thank you all so much for hanging out with me this year! It's been a great year!

 

Karen x

 

 

House Update: Walls, Roof, Windows, Doors, Cabinets OH YEAH!

Saturday, December 21, 2013
So, I know I haven't done a house update in AGES!!!! And as you can imagine a lot has changed since my last one HERE. I feel like we are on the home stretch (ha) now. The walls are up, the roof is tiled, the walls are rendered and plastered, the ceiling is done and this week the windows and doors went in, and finally the bathroom bench tops and cabinets and kitchen cabinets are in. We just had another walk around admiring everything and I am so happy with our colour choices. You know how sometimes you only see the colours on little swatches and you have to use your imagination (or search thoroughly on Pinterest) to see what it will actually look like.


The rest of the building process hasn't been without its hiccups. Our builder emailed to tell us the gutter colours we had picked had been discontinued, the black/brown colour that matched the roof. We had a limited selection, because of our proximity to the ocean we opted to go with Colourbond Ultra, otherwise we would have NO warranty!

Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 Review & GIVEAWAY

Thursday, December 19, 2013



*The Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 was given to me for the purpose of a review, but all opinions, as always are my own.

Well, it's not really a secret that I am a big advocate for the awesome products made by Love To Dream, I've already written rave reviews for their Love To Swaddle UP Organic and their Love To Dream inVENTA Sleep Bag. So once again I jumped at the chance to try this one too!

Willow is a great sleeper, and I honestly think it has a lot to do with the Love To Swaddle UP, and of course the love she has for her dummy. But, to get her to sleep she ALWAYS has to have her hands covered up, if those little fingers are free, she immediately pops that dummy out, throws it across the room, plays with whatever she can and then screams bloody murder. So, usually either I put her in the love to Swaddle UP or I put her in a sleep bag with a wonder suit on with the bits that fold over her hands. But, with the warmer weather the long sleeve suit isn't really an option, and now that she is rolling she should be transitioning out of the Swaddle. I've been avoiding it though, because I really don't want to loose my great sleeper, and I am not prepared for bedtime battles!

Spinach & Pinenut Stuffed Mushrooms

Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Stuffed-mushroom-spinach

I love a good mushie, in fact, cooked mushrooms would be right up the top of my favourite food list! They just make everything taste better, especially breakfast. I love stuffed mushrooms too, but often I forget about making them, so we don't have them that often. I have no idea why, I even have a toddler that scrambles to steal all the chopped mushrooms before I cook them!

Earlier this week Joel put together a little BBQ stuffed mushroom recipe and then graciously allowed me to steal it to put on here and pretend that I am really good at cooking and stuff! Thanks honey!

Oh Monday, I love you

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I know I'm going against the trend, but I actually love Mondays. But, probably because I don't have work to go to, and we aren't in the school-run stage yet.Monday is our down day, our day at home to rest and recover from generally pretty busy weekends. The kids miss naps, or go to bed late on the weekend, so on Monday they are moving pretty slow.

 So we stay at home, we enjoy the quiet and we just catch up.Often we will watch a movie, go for a walk on the beach or head to a nearby playground for a short play and get some fresh air and then head back home for lunch and the kids nap time. I catch up on the housework that I didn't get time for over the weekend. Or, I just laze about, or write a blog post and feel guilty about not doing housework, but not guilty enough to actually get up and do it.

On Mondays we restore a bit of order, I don't push the kids too hard, they are already exhausted, and exhausted kids can easily turn into disaster.I'm so grateful for these quiet days, when we have nowhere we have to be and we can just move at our own pace. 

Today, we walked down the beach, its hard to beat the sweet salty air and the cool breeze, a baby in the Ergo and a toddler running up and down the sand throwing rocks into the water. Everyone was well behaved it was a little slice of perfection, with days like this, I can deal with the chaos that is to come, I feel a little recharged, inspired and energised. My heart feels full and I reflect on how extremely blessed I am to have these amazing little people in my life. Yep, Mondays are good. I feel sorry for Joel, he's so tired from the weekend too, but he has to go to work, he doesn't get the catch up day. He just has to keep powering on, oh bring on the Christmas break!!

So, how do you recharge for the week?

(and because it is actually Tuesday by the time I got this posted, I'm linking with Jess for #IBOT)

DIY Pom Pom Garland

Monday, December 9, 2013
DIY Pom Pom Garland
I know it is drawing a little too near to Christmas, but I have an easy Christmas (or even not so Christmas) D.I.Y to share. Seeing most of my Christmas decorations and Christmas tree is still in storage I wanted to do something, that didn't take too much time and effort, to make the house feel a little more festive. So, what better than a pom-pom garland DIY.

What I learnt about Fondant with Appliances Online

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Last week I had my first proper daytime outing since having Willow, on my own! I know, it's taken me long enough. I've had times where I had ducked down to the shops, or gone out at night, but this is the first time in 5 whole months that I left both my kids with their Nan for half a day. And, it was glorious. Just to get the chance to do something fun and not have to worry about changing nappies, hungry babies or finding dummies. I could carry a small purse and I was free to do as I pleased! That alone made for a great morning.

So, with my little taste of freedom, what did I do?

When Do I Find The Time To Blog?

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

One question that I get asked a lot lately, especially now that I am a Mum of two instead of one, is 'when do I find the time to blog?' Good question, and I often ask myself the same thing.

Teaching Kids to Swim: SwimFin Review

Monday, December 2, 2013


*The SwimFin was given to me for the purpose of a review, but all opinions, as always are my own.

It was my goal leading up to this Summer (which is now finally here), to start to teach Ezra how to swim, and arm him with some much needed water safety skills. With everything that has been going on, pregnancy then, new baby, moving, building and everything else,  I actually hadn't taken him to the swimming pool since last summer, and for a two year old, thats almost half his lifespan ago. So it is safe to say that his swimming skills and water confidence were severely lacking. This was a constant worry to me considering how close we live to the water!! I would have nightmares about him falling in and him having no idea what to do.

So, a few weeks ago I embarked on this swimming challenge. And I am utterly amazed at the results. The second time we went to the pool, Ezra swam EIGHT laps of the 25 metre pool ON HIS OWN! WHATTT!!! And even though I'm a qualified swimming teacher, I mean, I'm a pretty good swimming teacher, but I'm not that good!

Me & You Keepsake book Winner Announced

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Oh my goodness, picking a winner was so hard. Thank you so much everyone for sharing your beautiful memories, I loved reading through them, they made me all teary and mushy! Aren't daughters and mothers amazing! I finally have a winner (sorry it is a little late). But, I loved Caoimhe's entry about surprising her Mam! Beautiful. Made me want to do something similar for my own.

Caoimhe, can you please email me at yellowdandydreams@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can get the Me & You Keepsake book posted out to you. I hope you really love it, it is such a fabulous book!

Thank you again everyone, and I'm so sad that not everyone can win. But, remember you can get your hands on a book at www.meandyoubook.com

Podcast Episode 4: Cross Cultural Marriage and Living in Another Country

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The forth episode of our podcast (Joel's and mine, our combined effort) is now live on iTunes. Yay!!


In this instalment we are talking about what it is like to be in a cross-cultural marriage  (he's the American, I'm an Aussie) and how no matter where you live, one, or both of you is always living in a different country to their homeland. Joel gives one or maybe more, it is hard to tell, tips on how to deal with living in a country that you didn't grow up in. We share some of our stories of our own experiences and have a good laugh while we are at it.

That is what this podcast is all about, just getting together and having a laugh at our expense!!

Like I have said before, you don't just have to sit at your computer and listen, the best way, is to get the Podcasts app on your iPhone (or equivalent for other types of phones) and download the episodes so you can listen to them when you are scrubbing the shower, or driving in the car, or going for a walk or while you are enjoying a nice glass of wine when the kids go to bed!!

If you SUBSCRIBE on iTunes then it will automatically download the new episodes onto your phone, so you wont miss any!

If you don't have iTunes, you can listen here too.

And of course if you want to, we would love for you to give us a quick review or rating on iTunes!

& Linking with Jess for #IBOT today too!


Have A Handmade Christmas

Monday, November 25, 2013
I love things that are handmade. I just think of the time and effort that has gone into making it so special. I know the many loving hours that it can take crocheting a blanket, designing jewellery or painting a picture. This weekend a friend and I ventured up to the big smoke (Perth), to visit a handmade market in Forrest Chase, Made On The Left. I like the name.. a lot! I love to try and support local, handmade artisans when I can. There are just so many talented people who are working really hard to make gorgeous hand crafted treasures, its really quite inspiring.

I picked up a couple of Christmas presents, and loved admiring the amazing work! Some that I will revisit when our house is finished, because I have nowhere to put too many lovely things yet, so I keep the in the back of my mind for later.

For now, I just oooh and ahh over these beautiful items, and (of course) share some of them with you!!


Taking Stock

Sunday, November 24, 2013


Again, as always I am inspired by the lovely Pip at Meet Me At Mikes she is leading the way in taking stock, and so I decided to join in. I love the idea of taking stock! Of taking the time just to sit and reflect about where I am right now, so this week I am playing along. Taking some time out.. and tacking stock. I've had a busy day in the city, it was fun, but I'm exhausted. It is nice just to do something a bit different though. 
Making : Pom Poms, lots of them
Cooking :Only the basics, I've lost my cooking mojo
Drinking :  Fifth Leg, wine.
Reading: Nothing, I feel like I have no time to read
Wanting: Our house to hurry up and get finished
Looking: At Pinterest, inspiration for the house coming out of my ears.
Playing: The National.
Deciding:  Christmas presents, so glad we are doing Secret Santa again this year
Wishing:  I had unlimited time and funds to decorate our new house
Enjoying:  The summery nights and days
Waiting: To see how many people listen to our Podcast! Please listen!
Liking:Having a fun little venture to do with my husband (podcast)
Wondering: If my baby girl's cough is just a cough, or something more serious
Loving: My new necklace from Made on The Left, by Miscii
Pondering: How to make it onto the iTunes New and Noteworthy feature page
Considering: Cutting my hair short (like shoulder length) and going red again
Watching: Just watched 'The Way Way Back' movie. Love it, so much
Hoping:For more than 4 hours sleep at a time.
Marvelling: How well Willow is taking to solid food, she is loving it
Needing: Someone to come and clean my house, I just never seem to get it all done
Smelling: The sweet salty sea air.
Wearing: My maternity shorts still, hopefully not for much longer
Following: My classmates from Blog With Pip's great blogs! So many new ones to discover.
Noticing: Ezra's language skills improving every day, its amazing to listen to him!
Knowing: That I need to make the effort to get to bed earlier, but it never seems to happen.
Thinking: I need to go to bed
Feeling: Tired, but happy for a really great day. I love weekends
Admiring: All the pretty baby nurseries on Pinterest, makes me want the perfect one.
Buying: Toys, duplo and Octonauts related items
Getting:Excited about Joel having a month off over Christmas.
Bookmarking: Canva, I am using it almost every day for my blog.
Opening: A fresh tube of Natio moisturiser, the young one, the only one I like.
Giggling: Joel's story on our latest podcast about the crazy petrol station! Still makes me chuckle.
Feeling: Pretty lucky that these are my biggest worries and concerns in life. Its a good life, it really is. 
Do you like to take stock too? 

5 Easy Toddler Lunch Ideas: That don't involve sandwiches

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Some days I really struggle with ideas to make toddler lunches more exciting! If you are like me, sometimes the easiest meal for toddlers for lunch are sandwiches. We love our toasties in this house, a good old cheese, ham and avocado toastie (jaffle) is always a winner. But, on the fifth day in a row of having a toastie, I'm starting to feel that this lunchtime thing is getting a little redundant!!

So, I decided to put together this little post, and share some of the toddler recipes and ideas I already have in one nice little easy to find place!

Change is as good as a holiday

Thursday, November 14, 2013
So, you might notice that things look a little different around here. I felt that it was time for a bit of a change! I made a nice new little header, which personally I really like, to toot my own horn just a little bit! I was getting so sick of looking at my old header, although Joel told me immediately that he misses the car, probably because it holds all those memories of our dear old Dandy. Maybe I'll incorporate it again some how, we will see.

In the process of updating I had to deal with major glitchy blogger and not being able to change any fonts or do anything with my new template, so I had to strip everything back to the bare bones. It was probably a bad idea to try to rush through it during the kids nap time, but I'm not sure when else I would have gotten the chance! Life is too busy sometimes.

can you believe she fell asleep here? Who is this girl!

Anyway, I made it this far. It's feeling better to me, but you'll probably continue to notice some changes as I keep getting little pockets of time to work on things make it cleaner and freshen it all up! It is just a bit fun to learn how to change things around and create something new!!

I hope you like it!!! x

Me & You, the Keepsake Book & Giveaway

Tuesday, November 12, 2013
{Firstly, wow what a great response to our first podcast episode, my nerves have been (somewhat) relieved, so Thank You to everyone who listened and gave us such great feedback! It really is appreciated so much}

Today, I have such a lovely book to share with you. When I first saw this book I really was taken aback at how gorgeous it was, and how many loving hours must have gone into creating something that is so beautiful and so personal.



In the kitchen with toddlers: Cheese & Vegemite Roll Ups

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

So, every time I go into the kitchen at the moment it is quickly followed by a little squeaky 2 year old voice demanding 'me help, me help' followed then by the screeching sound of a chair being slowly dragged over the tiles towards the kitchen bench. So, he like many toddlers loves to help in the kitchen, which is awesome (sometimes) and he wants to participate, which I love (sometimes), and I really don't want to make him feel disheartened and squash his love for helping me or making things in the kitchen.  So, in the limited time I have, I've been trying to make some really simple recipes with him, that mean he can actually help, we can have some good quality time and he can learn some simple skills as well! 

There's something so great about a great Nanna

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

This photo makes me smile everytime I look at it and I couldn't help but want to share it. The silliness, the laughter, and the love, it captures the moment so well. It's so nice to see my Nanna smile like this, the past four months haven't been the easiest for her, she wasn't well and then she followed that with a broken hip, thankfully she is on the mend now. She seems to be her normal chatty self once again, I remember as a kid whenever I would call my Nanna on the phone, I could only manage to get one or two words in, because, she, like me, is a talker!

I love that my kids get the opportunity to spend time with their great-Nanna. It must be an amazing thing, playing with your great grandchildren and seeing your family tree expand and grow, I wonder if I'll ever get the chance? I surely hope so.

It's all about the lifestyle

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

One of the big deciding factors in our move down south of Mandurah was the lifestyle. We wanted to have wide open spaces and places to explore and adventures to be had without the hustle and bustle of the city, but still being close enough not to feel completely cut off. I love the beach, you can call me picky but I hate the overcrowded ones that you can hardly swim without accidentally touching another swimmer, how awkward is it when you kick someone in the face by mistake when you are showing off your breast stroke skills! Our desire to move down here was driven by a need to get outdoors more, have fun as a family and just relax and enjoy our surroundings. With age (all 30 years of it), I care less about going to cool cafés and fancy restaurants, maybe because the enjoyment factor of going to those places with young kids is severely decreased and makes the thought of overpaying for food that is quickly wolfed down whilst trying to keep kids entertained makes me cringe! One day, I'm sure I'll have the desire to go back and often, maybe when the kids are in school, but maybe I'll just pocket the extra money and buy some new shoes instead!

This weekend re-comfirmed to us that we made the right decision moving down here, it was kind of the epitome of the Mandurah lifestyle weekend that we have been chasing. Saturday consisted of heading out on the estuary on Pop's boat, where Ezra got to see dolphins close up as they raced the boat and jumped out in front of us, he was so excited and kept asking me for more (you can see my video on Instagram @yellowdandy), then a classic fish and chip lunch at Dolphin Quay. Sunday we had a friends birthday breakfast cookup on the beach, a beach that can only be accessed by 4wd, which our Ford Escape only just classifies as. A beach that is fairly empty and secluded. We were sun soaked and exhausted after our weekend, but that good kind of exhausted where you feel satisfied and relaxed and you sleep so well (apart from babies waking you up for milk).

I'm so excited for my kids to grow up here. I'm so excited for this summer! This is the life for me.


Linking with the wonderful Jess for #IBOT 

A new wetsuit, and no more excuses

Monday, October 28, 2013
So, I bought myself a wetsuit last week. It was on sale, and then another 30% off the sale, so it was a bargain that I couldn't refuse. I have a surfboard, we live across the road from the beach, and now with this wetty purchase I have eliminated all of my excuses for not getting back out surfing again. It feels like a long time since I've surfed. I spent a lot of my childhood on the beach, I've been around the ocean for as long as I can remember and I feel like it's such a big part of who I am. Sunday mornings growing up were often family surf days that finished with us begging Dad to buy us pies and sausage rolls from the local shop. I was never a great surfer by any means, but I could stand up and kind of bottom turn, ride the wave and that was about it. I'm sure now though that most of that basic skill has been lost, I'll be lucky if I can even paddle out with these jelly arms, and if I stand up at all it will be a slow clamber rather than a 'pop up'. But I have to start back somewhere right. I miss sitting out in the ocean and just bobbing around waiting for the waves (and scanning for sharks eeeek), I miss that exhilarating feeling when the strength of the wave propels you forward, the feeling of the waves crashing over you when you duck dive and the sense of relief when you actually make it down the face without wiping out.

The Best Darn Iron I have ever owned: Review Philips PerfectCare Aqua Steam Iron

Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Phlips Perfectcare Aqua Iron

I am officially an ironer, I never thought that I would ever be able to say that, but, turns out that one crazy, awesome iron can do that to a person. Its hard to believe I actually like to iron now. I've always liked the look of ironed clothes, but the whole process of getting everything out, waiting for the iron to heat up and tediously trying to free my garments from wrinkles whilst inadvertently putting more wrinkles in it, was just something that I could not motivate myself to do. I was more than happy to look like a wrinkly slob to avoid doing the ironing! Although in the spirit of honesty, I still don't iron Joel's work shirts, because he is skilled in the art of ironing, he loves the new iron too and I'm a firm believer that a man can iron his own shirts!!

On The Hunt For Great Beach Shade

Thursday, October 17, 2013

As Summer is quickly approaching and as we are planning on spending A LOT of time at the beach seeing we live so close now, we are in desperate need of a great beach umbrella or tent!! With both a toddler and baby I don't want them getting fried by the sun, but I also don't want to feel like I'm stuck indoors all Summer. There are some really gorgeous options out there that I am so keen on, I love the idea that the umbrellas aren't just functional, but that they look really great too! Most importantly for me, I need something that is easy to carry and set up. Juggling two kids and all their gear, fiddling around with something that is really difficult is not an option for me! We had one of those auto pop up ones, but then I could never get it folded right into the bag, and when the wind blew, it bent over so bad it was about 10 cms off the ground.. NOT PRACTICAL! 

So, here is what I have found! 


This Basil Bangs Calypso Umbrella. So cute, they have so many gorgeous umbrella designs, I would buy them all if I could! This one retails for $249


This is the Indigo Pyramid Beach Tent by Ginger and Gillian, from Byron Bay.
I love the idea of having a little Teepee on the beach, plus is gives some protection from the wind and is great to stop sleepy babies getting wind blown. It retails for $350


Next is one that is a little more in my price range. This is the Married in Mustique Umbrella by Suboo, so gorgeous and only $149. yay!! 


The Sombrilla from Hollie & Harrie is a pretty great looking shade! I think you may need two people to set this one up though, and by two people I don't mean me and a two year old!  This retails for $180


This last one isn't quite as cute as the others, but in terms of functionality it seems pretty good to me! The ease of an umbrella with the side flaps and protection of a tent! It is the Sport-Brella  and is the cheapest of the lot retailing for $99.99

Well, I'm still undecided about what to get, but I NEED to get something! If  you have any other great suggestions for beach shade, I'd love to hear it!

Karen xx

If you are getting ready for summer you might want to check out my tips for teaching your kids to swim:
 5 TIPS TO TEACH YOUR KIDS TO SWIM




The problem with being Two

Friday, October 11, 2013
You see the problem with being two is that you are very sure of what you do or don't want, but you don't quite have a full grasp on the world around you. When you are two, the words wait, patience and settle down mean very little. What you want, and how you feel reigns supreme. When you are two emotions can erupt and come bubbling out in every which way, sometimes it is amazing, and you laugh and giggle and get so excited, sometimes it is not so amazing. Sometimes you don't know how to deal with the emotions you feel and you react in the only way you know how, it usually involves some kinds of grand display!


When you are two, the world is focused on you, so you believe. You are learning so much, you are changing and developing and you are pushing every limit and boundary just to see what happens. When you are two understanding and then acting appropriately is really hard, things are just too tempting. Little sisters are just too cute, and you have to hug and squeeze and clamber all over. Saying sorry is easy when you are two and you've learnt it can get you want you want. Cuddles come quickly, but then remembering why you were sorry and not doing it again is really, really hard.
You see when you are two the world is an amazing place there is so much to see and discover. You think that because you can communicate better, that means you will just get everything you want or ask for. But, there is so much I need to teach you, so much you still don't understand yet and we need to hone in on those great qualities you already possess and we need to teach you right from wrong. The little things can be overwhelming when you are two, but don't worry, we are here to help you, to guide you. Oh, when you are two, you think you know everything, but my dear there is so much still to learn.
That is the problem with being two.
Oh my two year old, I love you and you push and challenge me everyday, I hope I can teach you the tools that you need for life.


Why I love babywearing

Thursday, October 10, 2013
I bought my boba wrap (a stretch jersey material baby wrap/carrier) when Ezra was only 6 weeks old. My arms and my back were tired and sore, I felt like I had no time to get anything done, and those afternoons or witching hour when I couldn't get him to sleep no matter what I tried was driving me a little insane. The books said to put the baby to sleep when they were awake but drowsy and teach them to self settle. Well this didn't always work, the mornings he was pretty good, but in the afternoons my dear little baby just stared at the ceiling with a zoned out overtired glare, which then made afternoons and evenings a huge battle! I dubbed him 'baby no sleep'. Then my boba wrap arrived in the mail. The first time I put it on, he was asleep within mere minutes. Ahhhmazing.

Almond Coated Fish Bites and Sweet Potato Chips

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Almond fish bites

This is our healthier version of a family favourite and another easy meal that even the toddler loves to eat. I love fish and chips, but whenever I eat it I come away feeling so greasy and gross, so we tend to avoid it. Ezra also loves fish, he doesn't like a lot of meat, but fish is something he cannot get enough of. When he has fish and chips at a restaurant he always takes all the batter off first, clever kid! So this is a perfect family meal for our fish loving, batter hating toddler, and anything that is cut in a chip shape can fool him into thinking he is eating regular potato chips. He inherited his love of chips from his mother!!

The fish:

You can use whatever fish you like, and you just need to make sure it is de-boned and then cut it into bite size pieces then just cover completely in the almond meal mixture and shallow fry in oil in a frypan.

Almond meal fish crust

The 'batter' or crust on the fish is:

1 cup of almonds (ground or almond meal)

1 tablespoon white flour

Heaped tablespoon of dried parsley

Cracked pepper

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

The sweet potato is peeled and sliced into chip shape.

I then microwaved them until they were mostly soft and fried them in a pan with some olive oil.

In hindsight I should have just microwaved them and then baked them in the oven, drizzled with a bit of oil. It takes a little longer, but less effort required, they turn out crispier and healthier too!

My unhealthy last minute tartare sauce is just dill pickles chopped finely mixed with whole egg mayonnaise because the toddler loves 'dip'.

Yummmm...

Check out my recipe page for more easy meals that our whole family enjoys and some toddler specific lunches and snacks!

Karen xx

 

We're Building A House: We have WALLS!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Our brickwork is finished! Our house has all its exterior and interior walls! And, as you can see all of our roof timber has been delivered. I am so excited to see it coming along so fast. It's so great to walk through and just imagine the rooms when its finished and how I want to decorate! It also reminds me of how much I need to sort out and organise, but I cannot wait. I've been pinning like crazy on Pinterest, if you want to follow along on Pinterest you can follow me HERE. I'm trying to come up with decorating and design ideas, ones that are creative and fit within our budget. I like a mix of old and new andI'm a huge fan of retro (and retro style) furniture, mint green and neons at the moment. I sourced a lot of our furniture from our old house on Ebay, like my mismatched retro dining chairs and my recently repainted mint green kitchenette (that needs a little tlc, like fixed hinges and new handles). So, I am starting the Ebay, Gumtree and Opshop hunt again for some bargain pieces that suit our new house!



 
Above is my old dining room in our little 40's cottage. The dining table is one of my favourite pieces of furniture, it is super 60's and it was Joel's grandma's and we shipped it, and a number of other things over from the USA when we moved back to Perth.
 

Anyway, the bricks look great, although we discovered a few chipped bricks in our alfresco area so we will be insisting that they are changed out, there are a couple of other queries we have as well, but I won't bore you with the details!

It's such a shame that there will be another house behind us, blocking out the ocean views. But, I love that we will be able to walk to the beach!
Karen xx