tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37441198148315794682024-02-07T22:13:47.405+10:00Kookaburras and SnakesA Coral Homes Marcoola Build near Brisbanelaurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-60917169379055491022015-04-03T17:41:00.002+10:002015-04-03T17:41:38.567+10:00Mr & MrsWe're married!! We're currently over 6 months into wedded bliss and celebrated 9 years together a little while ago.<br />
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On Saturday the 6th of September 2014 Daniel and I were married at our home in Samford with our family and friends as witnesses.<br />
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It was absolutely amazing, and it was the most fun day of my life! What they say is true, it went by so fast. We're so happy that almost everything went off without a hitch thanks to some very thorough planning on our part.<br />
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We had a fairly short engagement of almost 11 months to the day, so the past year has been extremely busy for us as we transformed our house into a home and prepared for the wedding.<br />
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Our home has always been a sacred place for us, we feel so lucky to now have such beautiful memories of getting married in our home which will stay with us forever.<br />
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-6913699865025117192014-06-09T17:52:00.004+10:002014-06-10T22:53:45.837+10:00Landscaping at lastAfter a year long delay, we finally got an excavator in to shape the land around our house in early January. For us, step one was excavating, there wasn't much point doing anything until that was done. We had a local guy come, we'd had some work done by him in the past too. He shaped our land really well and ended up making large mounds/levies beside our gully, which means we don't even have to build retaining walls like we expected. Originally we were expecting we would have a sharp cut which would definitely need reinforcing. It was well worth the wait, even the work (and money) he has saved us in not having to build 25 metres (or more) of retaining walls is so unbelievably worth it. Just ask our backs! So if anyone is looking for a recommendation for a good excavator or machine operator around Samford, let us know!<br />
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Here's a comparison of before and after excavating:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF-gUL6lR0-CQUwRAxYphpOOQczKY00cyT2FN2f6f_Nt7MVurjiXBEAumYZx4EWNDLvjN5Q3zGwQjDsnv83gd66YDiyGW7YPoVVsi4ufANGf1CTcwusk1wPap5xNxGqx-YxothmTUid0/s1600/P9270002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF-gUL6lR0-CQUwRAxYphpOOQczKY00cyT2FN2f6f_Nt7MVurjiXBEAumYZx4EWNDLvjN5Q3zGwQjDsnv83gd66YDiyGW7YPoVVsi4ufANGf1CTcwusk1wPap5xNxGqx-YxothmTUid0/s1600/P9270002.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before excavation, note the very<br />
close cut down the right<br />
side of the house</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydR_aQ8IbvNrVE75dYzDBJ-aattiblIrc4meGQG08yEb0lRgjAvfqhDfmVxdRJDbdPjAriwmgkBheIHVlyAYQ8GB0n82UTq5via8ihgsXJ31q9HGrQtd8hm0eeja6Zun2KKg7IPQA2y4/s1600/P1090003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydR_aQ8IbvNrVE75dYzDBJ-aattiblIrc4meGQG08yEb0lRgjAvfqhDfmVxdRJDbdPjAriwmgkBheIHVlyAYQ8GB0n82UTq5via8ihgsXJ31q9HGrQtd8hm0eeja6Zun2KKg7IPQA2y4/s1600/P1090003.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After excavation, note the large<br />
area down the right side, we can even<br />
fit several parked cars in.</td></tr>
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Seriously, it doesn't come off well in the photos, but we have so much more space! When I came home and saw it the first time, I honestly felt like they had moved the gully further away somehow. Insane! We started imagining all of the areas we have where we could have swing sets and trampolines in the future. Flat space is hard to come by around here, so this is really exciting. Our excavating guy found tons of HUGE (I'm talking 1-2 metres) rocks which we slowly gave away on Gumtree to a few different people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqlDnTascprbKKvXZcF3Le7ZaHjJZYWHxCSoSsxRYAz4D4gz5a2n4d_nQww9qzP3uflCsq9MeP_tyGu-B0MASe1DMXAHqLxxDdiottYby2U7-5o2dYqdl6SrY1Lmfa0m60y_vm1Lb3yw/s1600/P1020026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqlDnTascprbKKvXZcF3Le7ZaHjJZYWHxCSoSsxRYAz4D4gz5a2n4d_nQww9qzP3uflCsq9MeP_tyGu-B0MASe1DMXAHqLxxDdiottYby2U7-5o2dYqdl6SrY1Lmfa0m60y_vm1Lb3yw/s1600/P1020026.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looked like, mid excavation, it had to get ugly before it got pretty. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis29r8i7MrvdVO5hgnmJ1cpYl0W6o46MT5U21rMyVDNgIqR4Nn-HCzMqFcyrJBOjtAbzcPM8VmmynlaFO0B6VWs-Jll6Kc_93r_RXtQXwK6CJLkMwmxhNJt3Wabfxa_6T3NS8gvtRRXZk/s1600/WP_20140103_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis29r8i7MrvdVO5hgnmJ1cpYl0W6o46MT5U21rMyVDNgIqR4Nn-HCzMqFcyrJBOjtAbzcPM8VmmynlaFO0B6VWs-Jll6Kc_93r_RXtQXwK6CJLkMwmxhNJt3Wabfxa_6T3NS8gvtRRXZk/s1600/WP_20140103_001.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what it looked like when the excavating was getting closer to the finish line.</td></tr>
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Since the excavating, we've had a lot on our plate. I've never been so busy in all my life. We've been simultaneously wedding planing and gardening on an almost daily basis since December last year. It's amazing how you can feel so incredibly busy when you are just at home every day. Other than going to Bunnings, we barely get to go anywhere these days. Although we have fit in a few fun things lately like a trip to the Dayboro Day fair, and a night away at the Gold Coast. Our days mostly consist of going to work, racing to get some yard work done each afternoon before it gets dark (we were able to stay out until about 7pm right in the middle of summer, now it's starting to get dark by 5:00pm). Then nights are spent doing wedding craft and planning. Every weekend we spend about 10 to 12 hours outside gardening. I would say we are at a point now though where we're starting to slow down a bit.<br />
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Just this weekend we hired a Kanga mini loader, which Daniel operated so that we could move mulch more easily. Carting mulch up our steep driveway in a wheelbarrow is backbreaking and incredibly slow going. We managed to move 20 metres of mulch in just a few hours. Unfortunately, the Kanga absolutely ripped up our grass which we had just finally got growing well from seed. Oh well, we've laid more seed yesterday and today, and it will hopefully grow back quickly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj7rCKy1d0Xb_Ne9_vyQdIDShZYB_TqkeHI0P7dMqM-xfrG31sFQK9P-R8iVik5HCb0fKxTcRKkuK0pFgsVgVUZtY-wD_2zMFe7aUB9qPIO1QlbAp8432pN_bbAy98XtCN6FWDouMnWY/s1600/P6070018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj7rCKy1d0Xb_Ne9_vyQdIDShZYB_TqkeHI0P7dMqM-xfrG31sFQK9P-R8iVik5HCb0fKxTcRKkuK0pFgsVgVUZtY-wD_2zMFe7aUB9qPIO1QlbAp8432pN_bbAy98XtCN6FWDouMnWY/s1600/P6070018.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel on the Kanga mini loader.</td></tr>
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So what have we been doing outside?<br />
We laid 60 square metres of turf in the front yard in 3 sections. We did this ourselves, we spent a week preparing the area with top soil after work. The actual turfing we did in about 4 hours all up. We were pretty impressed with how easy it was. We purchased a lawn roller on gumtree for $30, which is only $10 more than the cost of hiring one for 24 hours. We've used the lawn roller heaps since then. We started off watering the turf twice daily, then once daily, and then every second afternoon. We treated it like our precious little baby, and it's really paying off now. We chose Empire Zoysia turf, we are so impressed with it. We chose it because it's extremely drought tolerant (it will grow roots up to 4 metres down in search of water), it stays green in the winter, it's very soft to walk on, and it looks lovely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top soil prep and pavers which we changed our mind on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMEHnVKmH2hVg5XoPxu_xJRL9GyDF6AruJG7FMRuqWLEG5pUGJTeadadZli0f0X0or4PzoXaJbSO3SgR11t-tBNBqq339_WsAYPTXv2qG6sa_NmSQSRAo-gYXkeqoWKTA2rVmakT6UeI/s1600/P2090024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMEHnVKmH2hVg5XoPxu_xJRL9GyDF6AruJG7FMRuqWLEG5pUGJTeadadZli0f0X0or4PzoXaJbSO3SgR11t-tBNBqq339_WsAYPTXv2qG6sa_NmSQSRAo-gYXkeqoWKTA2rVmakT6UeI/s1600/P2090024.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila, instant grass! Plus an additional stepping stone project which I fill you in on a few paragraphs down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL03jFCjdEgl4NbjA-DcijOFHc8PNh5B1KI7ike_0ghlyVSb59hkczZ7mj5D6vPXNmSzocgDg-hx7NMGADnj_3kwxgVqkOGzMIxrrlDJ9xTi0Rsp3yZwBk9VodTL-CKoF9G9gqud0epSI/s1600/WP_20140117_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL03jFCjdEgl4NbjA-DcijOFHc8PNh5B1KI7ike_0ghlyVSb59hkczZ7mj5D6vPXNmSzocgDg-hx7NMGADnj_3kwxgVqkOGzMIxrrlDJ9xTi0Rsp3yZwBk9VodTL-CKoF9G9gqud0epSI/s1600/WP_20140117_002.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did our best to cordon off an area, as you can see there are some skid marks riiiiight on the edge, grr.</td></tr>
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We even ended up going back for a second round of turf to extend an area we didn't finish. So we have about 85sqm of turf in total now. Since the turfing we've tilled and prepared the area all around our house for seed. Daniel got the seed down one afternoon just before it was due to rain. It grew in fairly well, so it's shame that the Kanga ripped it up so much with it's 'skid steer' 'technology'. One day we plan to turf that area too, but for now seed will have to do.<br />
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We also planted New Zealand Cabbage Trees alongside our gully, the idea being that when they grow their stalk they will act as a barricade so that people don't drive into our gully. I live in fear that this could happen one day! People seem to become absolute idiots when it comes to parking/driving in our yard, and the amount of times people have driven on our turf already, even with orange tape around it! OMG!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQdLPazrdJBAHB22N5cQ_TVpn1bZUbP4FKw5DxBJobX3MRPq1gygKbk-qsM4jdM3yMX2Rsf7_fCb_DsSgizpm20C_hhxGNO1bie8TiK8msNAIjtzd1VBou456V8BrcHN-Qe0BQvRA1O0/s1600/P2080012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQdLPazrdJBAHB22N5cQ_TVpn1bZUbP4FKw5DxBJobX3MRPq1gygKbk-qsM4jdM3yMX2Rsf7_fCb_DsSgizpm20C_hhxGNO1bie8TiK8msNAIjtzd1VBou456V8BrcHN-Qe0BQvRA1O0/s1600/P2080012.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Zealand Cabbage Trees planted alongside the gully to act as a barricade. <br />
There are 12 in total, and they're going strong. They're short now, but eventually they will grow a large stalk.</td></tr>
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We've made several new garden beds. We've got some Agapanthus planted in our bay window garden, They've been in for at least a month or so now. We also have a small skinny garden leading up to the front door, we haven't figured out what to plant there yet- something small that doesn't spread would be good. We've also built a little garden bed outside of the guest bedroom. We've planted some Liriope's and a Blechnum Camfieldi (fern) there, I think it will be great having a garden there, as the window in the guest room is floor to ceiling, so it should grow in and look lovely.<br />
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We purchased a few different types of ferns, they continually looked like they were going to die, but when winter came along that seemed to give them a bit of a boost. Here are 2 ferns which popped up on their own. Amazing! We have them everywhere, to the point where they often get mowed over.<br />
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We have several other areas we've planted up too. On our big mound along the gully, we've planted about 25 plants including Coppertops, Alcantarea brasiliana and Alcantarea Vinicolour (Bromeliades), several Alocasia, more than enough Lomandra, several Evovulus, several Gardenia, a few Philodendron and some bunches of Tradescantia. I mulched a lot of the mound by hand using the wheelbarrow. We've just finished it off with the dingo thank goodness! We've been getting our mulch from local tree loppers, which is a much cheaper way to buy mulch. I've had a number of people at work say they wouldn't be happy with the quality of the mulch buying it this way, but seriously, it's fine, and it's just mulch, it all dries out and looks the same eventually anyway. At least this looks natural.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQu_oUiEuN-4VeYHUYmo2Pw9K1y1ooVbPcETIK50E-Kngfm_nVTCOQFAK1KtglZdrqx2uWqIeFHwDfon5AX1l5J9CPfnAR6my0Y1QX8UKgwbRPE08cYBsR9tOdyDkceEHK9qDVeyQhIM/s1600/P6090009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQu_oUiEuN-4VeYHUYmo2Pw9K1y1ooVbPcETIK50E-Kngfm_nVTCOQFAK1KtglZdrqx2uWqIeFHwDfon5AX1l5J9CPfnAR6my0Y1QX8UKgwbRPE08cYBsR9tOdyDkceEHK9qDVeyQhIM/s1600/P6090009.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alocasia Brisbanesis</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HKWmFNryLyMVI5Ix_YyuwHgyOmKKN4JNJgZt4mnMFVABkE-X6i8nOY3UnFYxvjGhWQlt-83-oRiveJbZvhek0pyfGs8vVwRTO3Fv5SoHW5JcJEE7e6dPBqKQJkTL-X7fcvP6HDI0ZmI/s1600/P6090010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HKWmFNryLyMVI5Ix_YyuwHgyOmKKN4JNJgZt4mnMFVABkE-X6i8nOY3UnFYxvjGhWQlt-83-oRiveJbZvhek0pyfGs8vVwRTO3Fv5SoHW5JcJEE7e6dPBqKQJkTL-X7fcvP6HDI0ZmI/s1600/P6090010.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lomandra</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavdn27l6jqKq2XVrnLR7ISA2EfvpXAYs9huG7nsmUE5XwUKEP_Zlry67FUZwZ_OApXhmENqPzv6_e_55FZ33lrjypEwJeVzm18PBd-WirwIk9X1oqEbGV6Uzi0CvEbVcMjfn-MvE6I-U/s1600/P6090016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavdn27l6jqKq2XVrnLR7ISA2EfvpXAYs9huG7nsmUE5XwUKEP_Zlry67FUZwZ_OApXhmENqPzv6_e_55FZ33lrjypEwJeVzm18PBd-WirwIk9X1oqEbGV6Uzi0CvEbVcMjfn-MvE6I-U/s1600/P6090016.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evolvulus (Blue Eyes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIh2T__eSwP7qGgou-RT6DvSNbOoFHMNrHOwMIAwGXvVtG3wE3k1PbR4bS3lqypGtCrq9WJxz7mK3n-SCmJPNeQvaqusP2tqr2yTQm_jtvRA6MLJoXULD_zbikqUV5m9fboQmUwLAGccs/s1600/P6090017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIh2T__eSwP7qGgou-RT6DvSNbOoFHMNrHOwMIAwGXvVtG3wE3k1PbR4bS3lqypGtCrq9WJxz7mK3n-SCmJPNeQvaqusP2tqr2yTQm_jtvRA6MLJoXULD_zbikqUV5m9fboQmUwLAGccs/s1600/P6090017.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tradescantia Discolor (Moses in the Cradle). We have SUCH a hard time keeping these alive, for a plant which is apparently non fuss, they just keep up and dying on us. This our last bunch alive, and they aren't looking great. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIiy0-91OzyL3ZQ1hyiSVo9xGjaoFGCLsVxO1NHYEq2Z8w-Qa3GyOlFNMg-Pju64-2tKHmJte9857OGLkuMH2fah3L752Mht56eeHh_IF59bOA4wjqkeMjjPIBQkGt_TFL2H3d2NV1rE/s1600/P6090018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIiy0-91OzyL3ZQ1hyiSVo9xGjaoFGCLsVxO1NHYEq2Z8w-Qa3GyOlFNMg-Pju64-2tKHmJte9857OGLkuMH2fah3L752Mht56eeHh_IF59bOA4wjqkeMjjPIBQkGt_TFL2H3d2NV1rE/s1600/P6090018.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alacantarea Vinicolor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ_3T9tv4hSrcXCj4kz9VazB3uTiIbIFGzvjgTR8lVliVs0iqwYtsB0GEWhDdF4LuFmNOUvLTilTIB29lNvU_cASsm646vFTZlm5CYOanSVZ7YQBBGwWEIMxqSiby7TBsfrVzEZJb3Tw/s1600/P6090020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ_3T9tv4hSrcXCj4kz9VazB3uTiIbIFGzvjgTR8lVliVs0iqwYtsB0GEWhDdF4LuFmNOUvLTilTIB29lNvU_cASsm646vFTZlm5CYOanSVZ7YQBBGwWEIMxqSiby7TBsfrVzEZJb3Tw/s1600/P6090020.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alacantarea Brasiliana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GScEdR21LLafpv_O-np3upyXbUf9hlSHXxVgJMPLywBBkpZtG7NsVGUa0EqUAPKvzAkyhU1biIGBDnP_FZrWnJewq9PPvsPkbL4pebvjSP4i6MEc3lYXi7yMtLdF-evPEG28Y6eN1ec/s1600/P6090022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GScEdR21LLafpv_O-np3upyXbUf9hlSHXxVgJMPLywBBkpZtG7NsVGUa0EqUAPKvzAkyhU1biIGBDnP_FZrWnJewq9PPvsPkbL4pebvjSP4i6MEc3lYXi7yMtLdF-evPEG28Y6eN1ec/s1600/P6090022.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lavendar, we've got two lots of this, both planted at the same time, <br />
but this one is double the size of the other already. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi4ITb_YG1R5fyXAcvgcMCyo0BWq90JPVGliD0769Tn4M8-vO3W7rAWNB0IjTbknGD2q5c4ayeD_sjzsjoWNXmSEUKWsGj6cAANr0yxxCAz7BYe18YzknqOhLfZM71kSWPLO00sNYM4g/s1600/P6090061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi4ITb_YG1R5fyXAcvgcMCyo0BWq90JPVGliD0769Tn4M8-vO3W7rAWNB0IjTbknGD2q5c4ayeD_sjzsjoWNXmSEUKWsGj6cAANr0yxxCAz7BYe18YzknqOhLfZM71kSWPLO00sNYM4g/s1600/P6090061.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little gem is another Alocasia, which popped up on its own! <br />
It's already so much stronger and bigger than the ones we purchased.</td></tr>
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<br />
My Mum just brought down a heap of cuttings which she took from my Aunt's garden, so in the next few weeks I will get around to planting them too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4zz2pK4ltb2V9nQzgKyzwm_jcqtuWA9GbtmgFa_O5Jejh2Qx1CzaWEr_7dbx9ImYdfTu_7YYyn4BS5VajBcZOedzSCVZelme4UD9zAnh1CRtBl-An6N45qlwE9AMGlJ27-LBw5arYCg/s1600/P6090062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4zz2pK4ltb2V9nQzgKyzwm_jcqtuWA9GbtmgFa_O5Jejh2Qx1CzaWEr_7dbx9ImYdfTu_7YYyn4BS5VajBcZOedzSCVZelme4UD9zAnh1CRtBl-An6N45qlwE9AMGlJ27-LBw5arYCg/s1600/P6090062.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are 18 plants here, and we only know about 5 of them, the rest are mystery plants.</td></tr>
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Additionally, we've got a few more manicured looking areas. At the front of the house we've added some lovely concrete sleepers as stepping stones leading up to the front door. They're surrounded by gravel. We're also using the gravel around the entire house. Anywhere that has garden beds up against the house, we've put about 30cm of gravel between the garden and the edge of our termite barrier. This should help to prevent any issues with termites, as you are not supposed to put gardens/garden mulch up against a house.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IQYEweA6cm8p_llp6HA3pcnVAmGIKP8yQyJJSnCcFMtEKIl0gJHK6l2zX6LkKuhcker1fcxpnsZ6NIgxM8YQHtAMBZe21NS3CW6_8xTFh-5kOJUh1n3zPK9Z-67hc9dsojupOR_4v9M/s1600/P2090024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IQYEweA6cm8p_llp6HA3pcnVAmGIKP8yQyJJSnCcFMtEKIl0gJHK6l2zX6LkKuhcker1fcxpnsZ6NIgxM8YQHtAMBZe21NS3CW6_8xTFh-5kOJUh1n3zPK9Z-67hc9dsojupOR_4v9M/s1600/P2090024.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concrete sleepers with gravel and a small garden. Doesn't that grass look green!</td></tr>
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Last week we brought in a load of road base and spread this across an area of our driveway which was previously just dirt. It makes a clearer road for people, it goes across to the bridge for the gully, and also bends around the house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6LDMvvcrCVTA02VMFWhQqoGJA4Lj5yq70Uy4QYagTl6pIpFoQKfCmG_hWoDpM5XMaaBqJ06JCfrLFPR00LqKV9dydL_SNDtehy6jE0HnmpczUI5PJdZWFEp6B4iYO8vrub_wxd42pxU/s1600/P6090025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6LDMvvcrCVTA02VMFWhQqoGJA4Lj5yq70Uy4QYagTl6pIpFoQKfCmG_hWoDpM5XMaaBqJ06JCfrLFPR00LqKV9dydL_SNDtehy6jE0HnmpczUI5PJdZWFEp6B4iYO8vrub_wxd42pxU/s1600/P6090025.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadbase driveway extension. Previously this was just dirt.</td></tr>
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Aside from the pretty landscaped areas we've been able to create. We've also had to do some things which don't necessarily leave visible results, but still took a lot of time and energy. Daniel had to make a french drain (or an agriculture drain) as there was an area which continually held water in the yard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0HP1nvM-aCdrUHzhtEdqxO9xTEktTaM3ANrG-oVV41bRpBMzR5La-bcahB59wQ4ach-JrK8_4Xsn4fUH9hEhdnxT7L32TN3vjxo_fxz5T5zp519bNgvDmZiGWlNdu7ZB2FtOmArv6Xg/s1600/P5060012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0HP1nvM-aCdrUHzhtEdqxO9xTEktTaM3ANrG-oVV41bRpBMzR5La-bcahB59wQ4ach-JrK8_4Xsn4fUH9hEhdnxT7L32TN3vjxo_fxz5T5zp519bNgvDmZiGWlNdu7ZB2FtOmArv6Xg/s1600/P5060012.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's hard to explain to people how much work we've done. Across such a big area, it can seem as if we haven't done much. But trust me, this is months and months of hard effort to get it to this point. Daniel and I think it is a massive improvement from where things were only 6 months ago. Especially considering we lived with absolutely no landscaping for more than a year when we moved in.<br />
Here's some general progress pictures to give you an idea:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJo1ddNVqv62ySW7Uz_I-rrkdFvCinZtLnEDXoqpE8433XfInZANGLCZVtE4yPR6-BDATV92hGJtoVJitvtDcFGxp8Yf58got5ei1B3Reg8G76RNX7Q786DKjFJf5QHgRmh9IEoRhDKnk/s1600/WP_20140511_018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJo1ddNVqv62ySW7Uz_I-rrkdFvCinZtLnEDXoqpE8433XfInZANGLCZVtE4yPR6-BDATV92hGJtoVJitvtDcFGxp8Yf58got5ei1B3Reg8G76RNX7Q786DKjFJf5QHgRmh9IEoRhDKnk/s1600/WP_20140511_018.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel designed this area, it has a little escape stairway at the back, doesn't it look like a fun spot to explore!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DBhfVFwENNMSwuU-m1VLWH6PNBvW-IcvYxByAhyphenhyphenxDx1HphtfxqCW3oEI2h7o4P5GzheBdFXM-3dJfPvqXOv2pR0QbWbEquTrdokMrLsx38Q4UhhLKvz3JAG9iZNF04kv1lRLmv4cgsA/s1600/P6090005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DBhfVFwENNMSwuU-m1VLWH6PNBvW-IcvYxByAhyphenhyphenxDx1HphtfxqCW3oEI2h7o4P5GzheBdFXM-3dJfPvqXOv2pR0QbWbEquTrdokMrLsx38Q4UhhLKvz3JAG9iZNF04kv1lRLmv4cgsA/s1600/P6090005.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is near our back patio, this cute path leads you up to the top of the gully.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3PwwYS-tr_E8tq1swf9i55Zf2BWxEfmfelWzX3FDLanzjsmwjbJDXy7xhbFHES_mY0CoOVGKsqzQCJU5UoFalvy-KrGW5-2Sb0Ck8_O1snutkPmxGJGgJssgpMDIHuj4WPYKk2w06bQ/s1600/P6090038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3PwwYS-tr_E8tq1swf9i55Zf2BWxEfmfelWzX3FDLanzjsmwjbJDXy7xhbFHES_mY0CoOVGKsqzQCJU5UoFalvy-KrGW5-2Sb0Ck8_O1snutkPmxGJGgJssgpMDIHuj4WPYKk2w06bQ/s1600/P6090038.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This gives you a good idea of what it looks like driving up. Gully is in the right of the picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnAwypuBtT-A4GX2hMXiIdx4w_kUWA7BzDL0BMRe7hGLJdddVJBwaAjQCIj6J-E3pAGWvOcETVFKwrB8qEmPBS4ZUwTMMGq3gFRW5jjigIMNmlsH2fOBMaTIlpvnI_YSHmuQaIQvT4H0/s1600/P6090042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnAwypuBtT-A4GX2hMXiIdx4w_kUWA7BzDL0BMRe7hGLJdddVJBwaAjQCIj6J-E3pAGWvOcETVFKwrB8qEmPBS4ZUwTMMGq3gFRW5jjigIMNmlsH2fOBMaTIlpvnI_YSHmuQaIQvT4H0/s1600/P6090042.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you see when you first drive in our entrance. The area near the watertanks will hopefully one day have a massive garden around it (with access for water trucks etc)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BFC9NKLEnaxo19u7BkpXa-3_PIyCA11R1tNlwrVV5ei1v18zBP9LCEIwH1p_j1klt7KBujWj4wS3IauMFfmITWDROftr3JL-osMPLkm5sGlSomTD0iXYkOzRjOB9g4QZ0xxgsUMe2s/s1600/P6090060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BFC9NKLEnaxo19u7BkpXa-3_PIyCA11R1tNlwrVV5ei1v18zBP9LCEIwH1p_j1klt7KBujWj4wS3IauMFfmITWDROftr3JL-osMPLkm5sGlSomTD0iXYkOzRjOB9g4QZ0xxgsUMe2s/s1600/P6090060.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from up on the hill. Really all we need now is for the grass that got ripped up down the side of the house to grow in again and we'll be going pretty well. </td></tr>
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On the long term to do list, we have a lot to do around our water tanks to get the area looking more presentable. We also have an embankment down the side of the house, which is one of the first things people see when they drive in, we need to extend the retaining wall at the bottom of it, we need to backfill with more dirt, we need to mulch it, and get it looking like a garden eventually. We'd really like to get more gardens happening along our driveway so that it feels very inviting when people drive in. We of course need to keep planting up our gardens. We also want to level an area of our hill in the next few years so that we can build a shed. In the meantime we hope to build a little tool shed. We also need to invest in gutter guard- I'm excited about that one. We also wouldn't mind turfing the backyard too. Long, long term, maybe a fantasy even, includes building boardwalks over the top of our gully. Adding a hot tub up in the bush. Building a hidden outdoor area up in the bush. Adding wooden steps from up where the house is down to the bottom level. If you ask Daniel there'll be an aquatic centre somewhere too. There's sooooo much potential to work with the beautiful bushland and rainforest here in our very own backyard. We are well on our way, and we've done a huge amount in a very short time. We just have to pace ourselves, as you could really keep going forever.<br />
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laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-91581926183303229192013-11-13T22:49:00.003+10:002013-11-13T23:11:15.409+10:00WoodIt has gotten a little girly on this blog with Lauren's posts about engagements and pumpkins, though I admit I'm to blame for both.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd share some of the woodwork I've done since moving in. This might turn into a little hobby of mine. Since doing this stuff I've gotten better tools and bigger ideas.<br />
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Firstly, when we were building the house our neighbours led us to believe they never need to use the air-con in this area, so we didn't plan for that. It was a particularly hot summer, but we're also particularly wimpy when it comes to the heat. At about christmas time we caved and bought an in-window air con. We weren't going to splash out on central air, which we would love, but we also didn't want to install a split system if we would eventually want central air. <br />
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An in-window air con is cheap and non-destructive... just pop it in the window and switch it on, right? WRONG!<br />
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It seems the people who make air-conditioners assume you will cut an air-con sized hole in the side of your house... i.e... the "window". It doesn't come with any kind of bracket or anything that would enable you to put it into an actual window.<br />
<br />
Well I would have to come up with something, so out of necessity I spent a few days on the floor of the garage, in my underwear, dripping with sweat as I rushed to build a frame we could use to mount the air-con into our en-suite window.<br />
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It's quite elaborate and uses a lot of timber, but I never took any good photos of it. It fits into the window frame on the inside, and holds the air-conditioner in a hole as well as having bars out the back that take the weight of the air-conditioner and cantilever it into place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIMaSwu7MLapqiq-F8JPxteMdlpBNPDVFC1KXJuAt_EZutGjjNQk-xZBOjQBMcgmeWmZ-TdchCIFU3oXU6-w4HPJESWIx_hQk6ominhwj1oPrfx4DTggk1sEbc_EmIMvAZjRe38iZWASV/s1600/aircon-frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIMaSwu7MLapqiq-F8JPxteMdlpBNPDVFC1KXJuAt_EZutGjjNQk-xZBOjQBMcgmeWmZ-TdchCIFU3oXU6-w4HPJESWIx_hQk6ominhwj1oPrfx4DTggk1sEbc_EmIMvAZjRe38iZWASV/s640/aircon-frame.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Air-con frame in en-suite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That is literally the first woodworking DIY project I've ever done, and I only did it because I was so uncomfortable in summer. However the sense of accomplishment has got me thinking about more things we can do ourselves, maybe some more permanent things...<br />
<br />
The big project we've been working on is retaining walls, which is something we might be doing for a few years here and there. We started by building small walls around a tree, ultimately when we fill the area around the tree, it will help the tree survive by allowing it to keep it's original soil level around the base of the tree.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEm_R7p72Ih38vIZN5C8GC4C0ulL5E4sl-44hj9hQSUYsbXtd2YMPBtN0o55TjOPbUcxXQbyFFISbFeGXBXJBV87LcmYNyXIXI4yC9fN-1kOgmUheitEAvEjr6iq5HVRCp-iDmhvIfNgk/s1600/P7070012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEm_R7p72Ih38vIZN5C8GC4C0ulL5E4sl-44hj9hQSUYsbXtd2YMPBtN0o55TjOPbUcxXQbyFFISbFeGXBXJBV87LcmYNyXIXI4yC9fN-1kOgmUheitEAvEjr6iq5HVRCp-iDmhvIfNgk/s400/P7070012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retaining walls always start with heaps of digging and measuring.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7KtL_WmU0FrF2LqiazhhqSBsk0-Zywm04qUcAbQhgFL_NnSPt-E9CIcHIqYvCFfXM7HWcpUz8l4ZbGMl87lU1rNrEQtzXXfcihzEyAB7QoL1lYk56KLncUy4BHkrWArXkwFOf6KVt1Xq/s1600/P7070015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7KtL_WmU0FrF2LqiazhhqSBsk0-Zywm04qUcAbQhgFL_NnSPt-E9CIcHIqYvCFfXM7HWcpUz8l4ZbGMl87lU1rNrEQtzXXfcihzEyAB7QoL1lYk56KLncUy4BHkrWArXkwFOf6KVt1Xq/s400/P7070015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kookaburras freaking love you when you're gardening. You constantly dig up worms or overturn rocks and reveal a centipede... I always try to signal my approval to them for finding the snack, but they do scare you when they almost land on you to get at a bug.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIuNWuB63rgYPrPwp7POtBuTYgCwFyRYr_DG__sdE_wQPq4yeF0r83KprLujD6gojZXlRSWKX-vKcYm0dXEbZpiV62ekghkhmqJHJMIkDUayvgu3IliJvNZEAKMzESCQAW3nBOn7mSWDT8/s1600/P7070023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIuNWuB63rgYPrPwp7POtBuTYgCwFyRYr_DG__sdE_wQPq4yeF0r83KprLujD6gojZXlRSWKX-vKcYm0dXEbZpiV62ekghkhmqJHJMIkDUayvgu3IliJvNZEAKMzESCQAW3nBOn7mSWDT8/s400/P7070023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wet the holes before concreting. Also please understand that I'm using a hose in this picture.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfu-8kIGBEMGTSYpsgBH02rd9mqUP2oV9CnyZCDUNjz7gFyMR2qbdKjg8cG5hbduUHmAMP_XxGYYBLTMkjfufqTfFcoiQ1zSIc1W2K0mRGasDlDY3bjSaMaGH_lOJU8MiN8Z8C_nkFMTu/s1600/P7070024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfu-8kIGBEMGTSYpsgBH02rd9mqUP2oV9CnyZCDUNjz7gFyMR2qbdKjg8cG5hbduUHmAMP_XxGYYBLTMkjfufqTfFcoiQ1zSIc1W2K0mRGasDlDY3bjSaMaGH_lOJU8MiN8Z8C_nkFMTu/s400/P7070024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first foray into constructing walls used the technique of putting the upright supports in first....</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8WML7WBOvzKklR6yM7KtnvZpgEnAfBkoGXc8NmGZLP9Wf5Y5LVZhFVLII9TDbhCh7QAYfHWiINdN10ibPem7BeR_xfkqMrA2QMIS_llleSVVzhKSHuK1cn4-eEbqHfxFruGElzNLGcV3/s1600/P7070026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8WML7WBOvzKklR6yM7KtnvZpgEnAfBkoGXc8NmGZLP9Wf5Y5LVZhFVLII9TDbhCh7QAYfHWiINdN10ibPem7BeR_xfkqMrA2QMIS_llleSVVzhKSHuK1cn4-eEbqHfxFruGElzNLGcV3/s400/P7070026.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...trying to keep everything aligned with some string as a guide...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1T_QX1UfGqRFgwOhzS8ZrZGUyUJrFZ5Yx9ZzuK-gwYkhvTVsjhv9bDm8FlSMgio3VbfFpXBoC1VrX4fV1-mErTFHKE4zMGJoksQaLbH36_CZjHS-S10tdxc6ezstUyNk0eme7MFWABXz/s1600/P7150043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1T_QX1UfGqRFgwOhzS8ZrZGUyUJrFZ5Yx9ZzuK-gwYkhvTVsjhv9bDm8FlSMgio3VbfFpXBoC1VrX4fV1-mErTFHKE4zMGJoksQaLbH36_CZjHS-S10tdxc6ezstUyNk0eme7MFWABXz/s400/P7150043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and then adding the sleepers that go across.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvf4NK5z8VsI2tpib7zGibEX4Z8bSeNFRE6mwfoMINyIGWdy_Gmcaqv7g2ZwSGatN3Z1D3ZdGqsMj6F2Wvykx_ebswwygIbbP2IKYDjqjEKEklYtUY5KXEfCSBciLtgVBkwgUl7Gsr9g_/s1600/P7210052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvf4NK5z8VsI2tpib7zGibEX4Z8bSeNFRE6mwfoMINyIGWdy_Gmcaqv7g2ZwSGatN3Z1D3ZdGqsMj6F2Wvykx_ebswwygIbbP2IKYDjqjEKEklYtUY5KXEfCSBciLtgVBkwgUl7Gsr9g_/s400/P7210052.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also use some geofabric and drainage gravel to take some pressure off the wall. Not much is needed here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our main reason for getting into retaining walls is to stop erosion on our ridiculously scary embankment. I'd like to eventually do levels so we can have several garden wall sections. Lauren's brothers helped us get started one day, showing us a different technique of screwing timber together prior to concreting - it helps to get the level of the top horizontal piece perfect, which is the most obvious thing you'll see if there is a problem with levels.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PpNiPdXomK28QhZmDxdSHjDBMVqyWXXjVshYld6qsp1brk0ZqavEgsY80OnFtTMLdM81nm6H4LLqg338utUtINLCjUYRwxLitlsUaAJAB_UYitAcSbcVRyZw-3dN_vmPZJHCE594_gUT/s1600/P7210056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PpNiPdXomK28QhZmDxdSHjDBMVqyWXXjVshYld6qsp1brk0ZqavEgsY80OnFtTMLdM81nm6H4LLqg338utUtINLCjUYRwxLitlsUaAJAB_UYitAcSbcVRyZw-3dN_vmPZJHCE594_gUT/s400/P7210056.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the embankment between our tanks and house.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb4A3IYlkkbVE_84TPo7RcrAlmUrIzJvYV2H6idpQYmJ7gC3Pdl3mIsYCQbdYSz5c6leaNA9b2d9npAsoGfNyEQ_94uL5_pQvd0dBYSbW4LscvSVWedpDpieRyssJPM8E9ULa0w0JYYUu/s1600/P7210058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb4A3IYlkkbVE_84TPo7RcrAlmUrIzJvYV2H6idpQYmJ7gC3Pdl3mIsYCQbdYSz5c6leaNA9b2d9npAsoGfNyEQ_94uL5_pQvd0dBYSbW4LscvSVWedpDpieRyssJPM8E9ULa0w0JYYUu/s400/P7210058.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Things got a little carried away here and too much timber was screwed together before being concreted, that made it very hard to push the wall into place. (I just cringed because I remembered the back pain)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKSC41cpnUS94eDqSwYIXw_bqSdLZV7raPpwdZ32_RsVOwFZzzrh8TD5KqnVNSeAYaZLrLepWBWu_DLAyVZ8A4owDVO9BraigImEEUBQM2ezp-SBryRftcwRrBjNS8H2_9TUKppS8G1t4/s1600/P7210069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKSC41cpnUS94eDqSwYIXw_bqSdLZV7raPpwdZ32_RsVOwFZzzrh8TD5KqnVNSeAYaZLrLepWBWu_DLAyVZ8A4owDVO9BraigImEEUBQM2ezp-SBryRftcwRrBjNS8H2_9TUKppS8G1t4/s400/P7210069.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the time was spent on digging out large rocks. This particular one is so big it couldn't be lifted or levered out of the hole. I wound up digging another hole next to it and shoving it over. I crushed my hand a few times on this one too.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSDuU8AqzhUDLsry-XeyNB8k1LdORt1bjE6oHgOPfRqUbVW0bId1om_rmMsZWLPmKAVF3x1qs9YyfcBtJj5tnxU4eq9AH2g73YzRRd3sSZvnus-z_F2zHXMErrSfjYTYksK0oIkFAX8MN/s1600/Rock-before-and-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSDuU8AqzhUDLsry-XeyNB8k1LdORt1bjE6oHgOPfRqUbVW0bId1om_rmMsZWLPmKAVF3x1qs9YyfcBtJj5tnxU4eq9AH2g73YzRRd3sSZvnus-z_F2zHXMErrSfjYTYksK0oIkFAX8MN/s400/Rock-before-and-after.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before and after photos of a rock I angle grinded out of the way bit by bit like a mango.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTDZr-mgs25OLcUR4ql03I8r1a81YwAGpRap5uF18hTLo52ePktEE7952N09vJ9EafB89lJ20ur6UbJ8kQWckgJT1AYoDaPTc6NT8qsx_QrM3HqmmwpdGfGnSanGxFxySbQ3dOULh0NeH/s1600/Rock-close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTDZr-mgs25OLcUR4ql03I8r1a81YwAGpRap5uF18hTLo52ePktEE7952N09vJ9EafB89lJ20ur6UbJ8kQWckgJT1AYoDaPTc6NT8qsx_QrM3HqmmwpdGfGnSanGxFxySbQ3dOULh0NeH/s400/Rock-close-up.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took 2 diamond blades and 8 hours (over 2 weeks), and a lot of vigilant supervising by Lauren in case the blade shattered and broke my face.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZzahSIEjniLgqPPSKT2ENuugWwoATwlMQh0f9V4uSWzjhAdUjd9f2P0pzFBDk4ud89Q6YmQ8vkH7AEVCyMiIaBFUMmDQIhW8OcdLXTrVivxCHLzQqTlHF3V4AEY3CKJsVoXQ_qh0ml9D/s1600/P7210073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZzahSIEjniLgqPPSKT2ENuugWwoATwlMQh0f9V4uSWzjhAdUjd9f2P0pzFBDk4ud89Q6YmQ8vkH7AEVCyMiIaBFUMmDQIhW8OcdLXTrVivxCHLzQqTlHF3V4AEY3CKJsVoXQ_qh0ml9D/s400/P7210073.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down from the house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUryvBFheCep3Wb4uLGS40L8Qo-y_7jmBVVBInsqQjAumaQTnQDtCep1IbnqTavhlABoC0GnF1ko_lVxk20sK8HBu4i9W6CIpsRLczDJxpSkVHFzAthriSbVAnZ5JFsz98p_fwjxwuBNl8/s1600/P7270081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUryvBFheCep3Wb4uLGS40L8Qo-y_7jmBVVBInsqQjAumaQTnQDtCep1IbnqTavhlABoC0GnF1ko_lVxk20sK8HBu4i9W6CIpsRLczDJxpSkVHFzAthriSbVAnZ5JFsz98p_fwjxwuBNl8/s400/P7270081.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mixed the concrete by hand in a wheelbarrow. *cringe* more backpain...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFwYN6k08Q_azVYnUxq0-54VEUw086-DQcdU-Kskq3jN3PGW3QgFqNnslmJGF8qnvh1UizqGCf4GTgMN2BL0HXS9DOpldJQYBXfPZH6pQOefvVtJ_ReyyhmHrfZgegxFovCKF8uL3xwaZ/s1600/PA060003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFwYN6k08Q_azVYnUxq0-54VEUw086-DQcdU-Kskq3jN3PGW3QgFqNnslmJGF8qnvh1UizqGCf4GTgMN2BL0HXS9DOpldJQYBXfPZH6pQOefvVtJ_ReyyhmHrfZgegxFovCKF8uL3xwaZ/s400/PA060003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty retaining wall needs a pretty dress. Not really.. this is geofabric to allow water to pass through but not let the dirt rest directly on the wall. It takes a lot of pressure off the wall and helps the timber last longer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yOU8b7hSA2yCpUkVI8TL88WLSMzlN3wrfukYXqxixC-d3TPx5tGN-5fJpWh1i9qDc_5jf6OX_C-9MqaE7b3dNGDjyCdyYJex0bmc108BFHCJUjCJYo6RsJVrejs8Gy9EX2_mG0V4Khoc/s1600/PA060009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yOU8b7hSA2yCpUkVI8TL88WLSMzlN3wrfukYXqxixC-d3TPx5tGN-5fJpWh1i9qDc_5jf6OX_C-9MqaE7b3dNGDjyCdyYJex0bmc108BFHCJUjCJYo6RsJVrejs8Gy9EX2_mG0V4Khoc/s400/PA060009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've also partially backfilled with gravel for drainage. Once more soil is in there I'll do a bit more gravel up higher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc92YSTCy52twvH4nAfqleERk-nwCkoJFYSmbGBe9ij4zk5ag2kQ8w071e4LS04fZS3k7GKGNK01eYG4w2vFACF-sTJECBlbTdlN-RqaVHH0gUUvfSUgphOHqnhCA3HiIbGzkKlDSU-YZ/s1600/PA060010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc92YSTCy52twvH4nAfqleERk-nwCkoJFYSmbGBe9ij4zk5ag2kQ8w071e4LS04fZS3k7GKGNK01eYG4w2vFACF-sTJECBlbTdlN-RqaVHH0gUUvfSUgphOHqnhCA3HiIbGzkKlDSU-YZ/s400/PA060010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A section of completed wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NM4_9tTFBB1PQaoKYYlTw9ciNh2C_p8gjdbjDX7ywNjlWo33wZJqDZD976lz4gWvUCb0cASdYXJ4bOhL895qiY-LwP8f5jU1nKQH624V0TJq3YTDPCFmkW4_Lp5lTuQTiefFZyRcv6m5/s1600/PA060012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NM4_9tTFBB1PQaoKYYlTw9ciNh2C_p8gjdbjDX7ywNjlWo33wZJqDZD976lz4gWvUCb0cASdYXJ4bOhL895qiY-LwP8f5jU1nKQH624V0TJq3YTDPCFmkW4_Lp5lTuQTiefFZyRcv6m5/s400/PA060012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture shows the slotted agpipe wrapped in the bottom of the geofabric, for better drainage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zeVS1em0KfTSQaoXyd2BMOo97Ba_IKsxpDipqZUCbL9XmIoHs4k56V8zYuLK4yBIO9-eLV8BE6q8qB2zIqeo7oK2dnPJY5VJ4Baa-ScfJ_wJH2aYIM-8Qv-3LA5vbZqRDBxghwlbW8-B/s1600/PA060019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zeVS1em0KfTSQaoXyd2BMOo97Ba_IKsxpDipqZUCbL9XmIoHs4k56V8zYuLK4yBIO9-eLV8BE6q8qB2zIqeo7oK2dnPJY5VJ4Baa-ScfJ_wJH2aYIM-8Qv-3LA5vbZqRDBxghwlbW8-B/s400/PA060019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those kookaburras can't get enough of my work.</td></tr>
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And finally, when we moved in I put up a cheap shelf in the store room for the network equipment. I had a contractor in fixing a bad connection a couple months ago and he must have pulled his fat arse up using that shelf because after he left all the screws had popped out and that thing was barely hanging on. I needed a final solution that nobody could pull down. I reckon you could climb onto this and sit on it, but I don't think I'll try.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9CgHFmfLHAMR3r3Hyio40qCCmyEBES32F8qZmYxRNdu7np2_rzewf1XlwdjxDDltph55PmvGKp3pcLGJoGAfToTUovf0n51ikmWWto8cMP5FkOkEFChMvWGsmDqgMXPXCsHUd_WFjsBc/s1600/PA040003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9CgHFmfLHAMR3r3Hyio40qCCmyEBES32F8qZmYxRNdu7np2_rzewf1XlwdjxDDltph55PmvGKp3pcLGJoGAfToTUovf0n51ikmWWto8cMP5FkOkEFChMvWGsmDqgMXPXCsHUd_WFjsBc/s400/PA040003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stole the style of design from the way our pantry is built. However I used much larger and stronger timber.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-JS8rxCrIBrwDnU3a_NhmDSwLi53ZzNYoJcfxqxLwIvti84Jk2bf41XsOUBLZt4dH9PV5gmVsIbhsbOPmbYC2cW9pNi5xS3CZG9Yr44Zfhe8PB3WQ24j7SamanalMsEbhnaftewq2ZCf/s1600/PA040004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-JS8rxCrIBrwDnU3a_NhmDSwLi53ZzNYoJcfxqxLwIvti84Jk2bf41XsOUBLZt4dH9PV5gmVsIbhsbOPmbYC2cW9pNi5xS3CZG9Yr44Zfhe8PB3WQ24j7SamanalMsEbhnaftewq2ZCf/s400/PA040004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This thing is anchored into the studs on 3 sides in several places, some using 100mm screws. It is mostly butt-joined but there was one lap join necessary which makes me very proud. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2Y8rZJ62m2TKSbzd-_8QUwUQNgIA8FJ2vppp333_7k3AAQtJGqI6QgOHEELt0ksILuwSL87cHNV1OpkthcDQ1h_Ikzpj2XLftJZLjtsR-CEaiZKkXuRg89TA2GuvarDs8KGQntPkvQD5/s1600/PA040005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2Y8rZJ62m2TKSbzd-_8QUwUQNgIA8FJ2vppp333_7k3AAQtJGqI6QgOHEELt0ksILuwSL87cHNV1OpkthcDQ1h_Ikzpj2XLftJZLjtsR-CEaiZKkXuRg89TA2GuvarDs8KGQntPkvQD5/s400/PA040005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shelf is now big and strong enough for me to add a big meaty UPS and a server.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrzP69l6vRSKeCEBWf-adZXewzpyW1yfTw_jwpGCTC0KjBIPd8-xqNgdB70JKyziDjDX0UREDvzMbclB6gFP72ivtV7djSONpjh2DGTyIhGpjmv4OHf3abG-r-rvn_gEWeC4bdVRdufg1/s1600/PA040006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrzP69l6vRSKeCEBWf-adZXewzpyW1yfTw_jwpGCTC0KjBIPd8-xqNgdB70JKyziDjDX0UREDvzMbclB6gFP72ivtV7djSONpjh2DGTyIhGpjmv4OHf3abG-r-rvn_gEWeC4bdVRdufg1/s400/PA040006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this all lives up in the end of the store room.</td></tr>
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I'll try to do more DIY posts in the future!</div>
danielbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01091566339234772364noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-9754572539144757322013-10-23T22:40:00.001+10:002013-10-23T22:40:34.991+10:00Pumpkin carving attempt number 1!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here is our first pumpkin carving attempt! For $3 at Woolies, this was some serious and fun entertainment!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-70h_A8hzXDL7pgf8IjgbywNK9s6MGiSKSYc0hszHF-J0XoCB4RV6sgKj4WWBdsGpOxX__lmoVsT2zsEFoI7Gnez2cVuJBZS2VUgZPclDI3mx_6IGCEWirTiP0txL3OzcIZiTkinUuQ/s1600/PA230078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-70h_A8hzXDL7pgf8IjgbywNK9s6MGiSKSYc0hszHF-J0XoCB4RV6sgKj4WWBdsGpOxX__lmoVsT2zsEFoI7Gnez2cVuJBZS2VUgZPclDI3mx_6IGCEWirTiP0txL3OzcIZiTkinUuQ/s320/PA230078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgxWslguFW_9CRk1YFfgGiZBWwK-bWIp3QWKrsEpIEy_qft9pdEwJeW7RQeghFzk_Y0FpFhAK3siCppOT4EvtbiaRqwDKycR8WGAg6YZ-l_24Wjh91sFEYNfIwI_WjCZKDcyb6lO-57k/s1600/PA230081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgxWslguFW_9CRk1YFfgGiZBWwK-bWIp3QWKrsEpIEy_qft9pdEwJeW7RQeghFzk_Y0FpFhAK3siCppOT4EvtbiaRqwDKycR8WGAg6YZ-l_24Wjh91sFEYNfIwI_WjCZKDcyb6lO-57k/s320/PA230081.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Oa12aqEpMvl2XiosCxSxLHvWHmDq1VVC1nKUPeU12EqJMIXBQA8qHHd04QrElMobmvb57tls9jyUiltVXVcE10kz-0PjPnukKCSdu88pwtiGmi6UO186T9T8vSXEEKSljGXvFEF3v84/s1600/PA230088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Oa12aqEpMvl2XiosCxSxLHvWHmDq1VVC1nKUPeU12EqJMIXBQA8qHHd04QrElMobmvb57tls9jyUiltVXVcE10kz-0PjPnukKCSdu88pwtiGmi6UO186T9T8vSXEEKSljGXvFEF3v84/s320/PA230088.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-10318514999628767902013-10-07T22:42:00.000+10:002013-10-07T22:51:50.101+10:00Is it the look in your eyes? No it's just my happy tears!<div style="text-align: center;">
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We have some exciting news to share. On Saturday, we went for a drive to our favourite creek, for a swim. Well, at least, I thought that's what we were doing. I was excited to be going to the creek, it was such a hot morning, and we'd been keen to go for a swim ever since winter went away.</div>
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This particular creek leads to an amazing water hole if you trek far enough. Many people don't know this and stop to swim in the much smaller, often murkier holes. We walked up the creek for quite a while, clambering over rocks. It was heaps of fun. Daniel took me there in our first year of dating, and I was blown away that a place like it could exist so close to Brisbane. We stopped a few times for breaks along the way, and to take a few selfies on Daniel's phone.<br />
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We were almost at the best part when we had to climb a huge rock which is taller than both of us, it's pretty much vertical, so you have to find little spots to pull yourself up on. In my haste, I accidentally scraped my back on another rock when I went to stand up at the top. Ouch!<br />
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Not to worry though, once we were both up and over the rock, we'd made it to the water hole. It looked absolutely pristine. Nobody else was there. I've never seen it unadulterated by people before. It was quite exciting to see it like that. This also gave us the opportunity to pick a good spot to setup. We claimed the spot right beside the waterfall which is up on it's own little rock platform.<br />
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My back was stinging so I asked Daniel to take a look for me, luckily it was just a little scrape. I turned back around to find the most amazing sight I have ever seen!!<br />
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There was Daniel, down on one knee as I turned around, with a little white box in his hands. I am sketchy on the details of exactly what happened during this time. I just remember saying yes and nodding as Daniel said my full name and asked 'will you marry me'? I was crying the happiest tears I've ever cried! It's such an excitable hazy blur. There was a lot of hugging. It was an amazing feeling, Daniel even told me later that it was a similar feeling to having a first kiss. In one moment I even thought my brain had played an elaborate prank on me and that it was just a dream. Daniel assured me it was real.<br />
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There was lots of hugging and kissing before the ring ended up on my finger. Daniel had brought along his phone and after I said yes he turned on the Bruno Mars song, 'Marry You'. It was all just absolutely perfect. The whole thing was so 'us', the spot was beautiful and was already very special to us. For there to have been no other people there was an absolute miracle. There was not one cloud in the sky. Just perfect. We took a few pictures together, a few of them are of me crying while also smiling. This boy knows me well, he really planned everything perfectly, and it suited who we are so well.<br />
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I was so surprised. I knew it was going to happen at some stage in the future, but did not suspect a single thing in the weeks, days and hours leading up to this. Daniel says he was feeling very nervous that morning and was very quiet. I wasn't suspicious in the slightest. I still can't believe I was lucky enough to have this man propose to me on what seemed like a very casual and normal visit to the creek. Simply amazing!!<br />
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A few other people turned up at the water hole a little while later, we stayed for a little longer just enjoying the moment together, taking more pictures and talking. I wasn't sure that I would be able to focus on swimming after that, so we made our way back to the car to return home.<br />
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We spent some time at home just ringing family and being generally excited (this takes way longer than I would have expected). We went out for lunch in Samford Village. It was nice being out in public as a newly engaged couple. I felt as if everyone in the world probably must have known what was going on just by the permanent smile on my face.<br />
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Later that night we went to the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil. It was absolutely fantastic and just followed on from the amazing tone that had been set earlier in the day. I spent most of the day beaming, and occasionally tearing up as I remembered seeing Daniel down on one knee and realising what was happening.<br />
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Daniel is the most thoughtful, caring, loving, clever, gorgeous, creative man I have ever known. I feel so lucky to have him. We've been through both good and challenging times during our 7 years together and we're so excited to start the next chapter in our lives!!<br />
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Might have to give it another attempt to go for an actual swim soon...<br />
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<i>Is it the look in your eyes?</i></div>
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<i>Or is it this dancing juice?</i></div>
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<i>Who cares, baby</i></div>
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<i>I think I wanna marry you!</i></div>
laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-80030626059460545042013-06-02T22:22:00.000+10:002013-06-02T22:30:07.253+10:00Life since we moved into our new houseI was inspired by Ash at <a href="http://mashbuild.blogspot.com.au/">Mick and Ash's Build</a> to give an update on what life has been like since we got the keys to our house. Things have turned out a little differently to what we expected.<br />
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We moved into the house in early October 2012. It was a bit of a frenzy getting ourselves in and sorted with only 1 week of leave from work (That included cleaning up the old place). Slowly but surely we got ourselves more furniture. This included an awesome couch for the media room, which we freaking LOVE! We excitedly bought a rug for the media room too. We ordered some couches for the lounge room. We didn't really go all that crazy with purchases though, as we still knew we needed to put a lot of cash toward landscaping.<br />
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In November Daniel was the first to have his birthday in the new house, which was fantastic. Shortly after this we got some crushing news that Daniel would have to take a 20% pay cut. This absolutely changed the excitable flow of progress we were on. Luckily we had savings, and the only debt we have is the mortgage, so we were able to budget and work out that we could continue to survive. But basically, everything came to a massive, grinding halt...<br />
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We had already planned with Daniel's Brother to get him over to concrete our driveway and patio, it was too late to cancel at this point, plus we really needed a driveway so we could get our cars in the garage before storm season!<br />
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So we got our concreting done in November. We then got our new couch set delivered in December for the lounge room (we had already paid for them in full in October, pre-budgeting). It was around this time that Daniel's brother also donated his old dining table to us. We also got our blinds installed in December (which we had also booked and paid the deposit for prior to our budgeting hurdle). So we went ahead with a few big expenses, but didn't feel there was a lot of choice.<br />
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Despite all of the unexpected stress we had our first Christmas in the house. It was lovely, and it was really nice to put up the Christmas tree out in the lounge room, and I decorated all of our little nooks and niches with Christmas decor.<br />
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Throughout the build, Daniel was under the impression that he would actually be getting a pay rise in the new year. The company obviously didn't foresee such huge issues as a result of the global financial crisis, they probably should have, but that's another story. So this was really a huge shock to the both of us, it came out of nowhere. As someone who works in the public sector, we thought it was my job at risk, not his. It's really hard to see Daniel go though this, he works hard at his job as it is, and none of this is his fault. It's hard to feel valued in your work when you aren't being compensated appropriately.<br />
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In some ways this has made us realise we can live on a lot less than we were. We are still able to save, but at a snail's pace. A lot of plans were put on hold, not just landscaping, but a lot of life changing plans that we were beginning to seriously consider. We also look back and think thank goodness this didn't happen sooner, as chances are we would not have gone ahead with building our house at all if we had known.<br />
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So for now, we are just doing the things that we can manage. We do a lot of things by hand that we would have preferred to just get a bobcat in to do. We use a push mower while our neighbours have ride on's. Despite these worries, there are certain things that need to be done in the yard that just can't wait. To the side of the house we need to build a retaining wall, as we are losing good soil each time it rains, this will also greatly improve the look of the house when you first enter the property. We also need to get an excavator in to level the soil around the house and dig out one side of the yard a bit further so we can build a retaining wall there too. As it is now, it's just dirt all around the house, with a bit more grass than there was during building. Since the ground isn't flat, it makes mowing a bit of a bitch. We also would like gardens, decks, pathways, a shed, and the list goes on. This would really be the bare minimum that needs to be done.<br />
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8 months in, this is really not where we saw ourselves at this point. So we are here, just the two of us, with this beautiful house surrounded by an unruly yard. It's hard to be content when life has taken a bit of a turn down a different path to what you expected. But ultimately, we are happy, we have each other, we have this house which we have worked so hard for. Massive lessons have been learned. So for now, we must focus on what we have, and not what we are missing out on. I'm not religious at all, but I remind myself as often as I can to be grateful for what we do have, and to be more content with what we have now.<br />
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laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-2369974024528643932013-05-12T18:31:00.000+10:002013-05-12T18:31:04.340+10:00The wall of colour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are almost finished our gallery wall finally. It's surpisingly hard to choose things to put in them. I also hit a bit of a motivation issue along the way, so it had been half finished for at least a month or more. </div>
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It started out with me trawling gumtree and finding someone was selling a heap of secondhand Ikea <a href="http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/60171305/">Ribba</a> frames. A whole bunch for about half the price!</div>
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I bought them on the way home from work one afternoon. And wouldn't you know it, the one day I'm driving a long with a whole heap of fragile glass front frames, a weird neighbourhood dog decided to bolt toward my car. I had to slam on my brakes really suddenly and ended up breaking a few of the frames in the process. Stupid dog was acting psycho and proceeded to act like it was going to attack the car even after I stopped. As I drove away it actually chased the car and it wasn't until I was going at quite a speed that it finally stopped chasing me. Bizarre!!!!!</div>
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Anyway... We were initially thinking of a more random arrangement. I like the look of that type of arrangement. Daniel and I played around for ages and came to this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9w1tN2n_IGUh09p4YPPlucUOJhZwxo_SUwgIbtuHGK6g6dqezUshmgL0a_H6aR8rCK8PVdlw4cTqzX00h_ezrgn3EN6JANJO2odIBTO-bRBgGYR79gFbh6hPLfGACD8kw3ChDyFroiM/s1600/P2160001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9w1tN2n_IGUh09p4YPPlucUOJhZwxo_SUwgIbtuHGK6g6dqezUshmgL0a_H6aR8rCK8PVdlw4cTqzX00h_ezrgn3EN6JANJO2odIBTO-bRBgGYR79gFbh6hPLfGACD8kw3ChDyFroiM/s400/P2160001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't know if it's that I was too chicken, or just not very daring, but I changed my mind about the random arrangement after a few days. I just felt like it was too much for a living room area. I wanted it to be fun, but still a bit more formal. It just wasn't me. Plus I feel like a more traditional arrangement might last longer in terms of style. </div>
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The following are what we ended up with:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt3N9BfEU6gk6PitslTDoPzEkRBIBPXdB5m8rq1CD397GhbWAI_4RiFwNxnqm_ZSjAjtQKD_HW-vtwXQRwUHHUpXtpoA9Ehu1YdVqSJcLwXhlQ-UeEPneCkcqe6dFtLt2Rvyvh0EdCoQ/s1600/P2200004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt3N9BfEU6gk6PitslTDoPzEkRBIBPXdB5m8rq1CD397GhbWAI_4RiFwNxnqm_ZSjAjtQKD_HW-vtwXQRwUHHUpXtpoA9Ehu1YdVqSJcLwXhlQ-UeEPneCkcqe6dFtLt2Rvyvh0EdCoQ/s400/P2200004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7Ji4iEa4AaQ9bRnitmmd71XHpYB6gMxMiYZF6tiFnRT4tCG65AwmQmSFEt2ryCSUKwTWJ-2POdDlLuIGTHHQpqWbi6I6NeZVu7oku2GrA8cpjXJdLdCDKc4rhdPRAYNBGdMzC7n0I-0/s1600/P3100007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7Ji4iEa4AaQ9bRnitmmd71XHpYB6gMxMiYZF6tiFnRT4tCG65AwmQmSFEt2ryCSUKwTWJ-2POdDlLuIGTHHQpqWbi6I6NeZVu7oku2GrA8cpjXJdLdCDKc4rhdPRAYNBGdMzC7n0I-0/s400/P3100007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the last month or so we have only had that one lonely print in them. It's a print I found on Etsy from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/HomelyCreautres?ref=seller_info">Homely Creatures</a>. I love buying local products, Homely Creatures is based in Brisbane! I am utterly convinced that the print looks like a cartoon version of me...well apart from the moustache I guess. </div>
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Well yesterday I suddenly had a burst of motivation and decided it was time we put something in the frames. I ended up pulling out all of my old art supplies. I did a few with paints but they weren't very good. Then I pulled out my pastels and did a few bright numbers. For a simple idea, I think it turned out pretty well. Really, I think anything can look good once it's mounted and framed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they turned out pretty darn well, lots of texture and colour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u5yG40M0uZik-mXIyGBLQMEPtcbBP4KyvOJnTQY6HDF83wUI6D63nTpyXvi1lnfVekMQdMhyH08bRxLmSRovv6KnBR8U3ZACfcMs0xzKWLyMqBrlygElGRNSxroAojKS04QD8rsvi7M/s1600/P5120004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u5yG40M0uZik-mXIyGBLQMEPtcbBP4KyvOJnTQY6HDF83wUI6D63nTpyXvi1lnfVekMQdMhyH08bRxLmSRovv6KnBR8U3ZACfcMs0xzKWLyMqBrlygElGRNSxroAojKS04QD8rsvi7M/s640/P5120004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuys3wdhgJM48gQ41Ylz-LhoQAXGZD_BgH9NKWL_SR3tOO5Y8IC7Z7jLTiIJRHioB1AuCtD-F13pD-FpLr2bx4L3pHZRG9lPnQnhviiqhfokPqVU9RWraUz4_NvoPeFim-sLI64jsesQ/s1600/P5120011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuys3wdhgJM48gQ41Ylz-LhoQAXGZD_BgH9NKWL_SR3tOO5Y8IC7Z7jLTiIJRHioB1AuCtD-F13pD-FpLr2bx4L3pHZRG9lPnQnhviiqhfokPqVU9RWraUz4_NvoPeFim-sLI64jsesQ/s640/P5120011.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Totally accidental, but turns out a lot of the colours go with our Charlie piece. Daniel thought I had planned it, but no haha.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZv2SPKX_MxKiCdGluUU2QeHJiTI8czvptZ2Cycv4dTrcDNAcTMN270pTVRWAe5KGc-91o0OmdF-A0BjTslvewY9HTWYOpq250nye1Yfejcjse3kNfko8_0ioLQ_5HQIwNeNlNaigvJSw/s1600/PA280009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZv2SPKX_MxKiCdGluUU2QeHJiTI8czvptZ2Cycv4dTrcDNAcTMN270pTVRWAe5KGc-91o0OmdF-A0BjTslvewY9HTWYOpq250nye1Yfejcjse3kNfko8_0ioLQ_5HQIwNeNlNaigvJSw/s640/PA280009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So now we just need to find 2 more pieces to go in the bigger frames. I would love to find the boy equivalent of the mo-girl one for Daniel to go on the other side. One day we will look for some nicer decorations for the table, but the Babushka dolls are special to us. </div>
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Hopefully we will have some new updates soon, with wait for it......retaining walls....excitement plus haha. Hopefully some excavation work coming up soon once the rain goes away too. </div>
<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-83372607994873062012013-03-16T21:49:00.001+10:002013-03-16T21:49:55.573+10:00Day tripAfter a bazillion days of rain and a million times being flooded in at home (only a tiny exaggeration), we finally got to go out for a day trip today!<br />
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We used to go for day trips to Dayboro and Mt Mee when we lived in Mitchelton and Enoggera. Since moving here we have really only had time to go on one mini day trip, and as it turns out, we are now only a 20 minute drive from Dayboro...not much of a day trip.<br />
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So we decided to go beyond the mountains and see what's on the other side!<br />
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We wound up at Lake Wivenhoe. It was beautiful! Lots of lovely little spots to stop along the way too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi-u2etxA-40MwvfRqISdjR7leJ5xpO61LItBmzvlEckJ-OIyXgPR0194njFeFLCVoOhg4wbN79M7_B-SQzkD0kFSDptmej8h_zwa1PSV6lPbil0Z2hItHmCk1f6DF_qgCqVuDsAXNIM/s1600/P3160008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi-u2etxA-40MwvfRqISdjR7leJ5xpO61LItBmzvlEckJ-OIyXgPR0194njFeFLCVoOhg4wbN79M7_B-SQzkD0kFSDptmej8h_zwa1PSV6lPbil0Z2hItHmCk1f6DF_qgCqVuDsAXNIM/s640/P3160008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Daniel prepared an amazing picnic consisting of chicken wings, french sticks, tapenade, his favourite amazing Polish potato salad (which takes a billion hours to make, and you have to cut all of the vegetables the exact same size, too tedious for me) and various other assorted goodies. We were finally able to use the picnic set that Coral Homes gave to us. Unfortunately I was feeling really unwell and only managed to eat a few chicken wings and that was it. But Daniel was absolutely loving his potato salad, so it was an excellent picnic by the water!<br />
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Hopefully we can fit in some more mini weekend trips soon. We are really hoping the weather is starting to turn around in time for Winter now. There's still plenty more to explore 'beyond the mountains', we're hoping to also check out Somerset and Lake Manchester soon.<br />
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Oh and sneak peek, we're also working on this little area of the house at the moment:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl5_bxVdyUXfX4ScLaibuWr6kSH0JX6syStTBw89KPai9Ns2uQSFvoHk8-pWF65bee2CIADxa6JeO72VouYd4M776UEcCc64iWa-ymrtpxlm0zjIKlgeBoxrpiYIuIn_FvO1rzNWTItM/s1600/P3100006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl5_bxVdyUXfX4ScLaibuWr6kSH0JX6syStTBw89KPai9Ns2uQSFvoHk8-pWF65bee2CIADxa6JeO72VouYd4M776UEcCc64iWa-ymrtpxlm0zjIKlgeBoxrpiYIuIn_FvO1rzNWTItM/s640/P3100006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-19589929433495234312013-03-09T14:40:00.002+10:002013-03-09T14:40:57.034+10:00Still waiting...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ever since we moved in we have been waiting for a guy to come and take away this temporary water tank. It's now been about 5 months. We hired the tank from him so that there would be water for the site build. If you have read any of our previous posts from during the build, you will have seen that this guy was nothing but trouble, constantly promising to fill the tank up and then not coming through. The phone conversations we had with him were nothing short of weird. Any time we would try to find out what the delay was about he would make reference to his recent marriage breakdown, very odd and unprofessional. </div>
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The weirdest part of this is that we are also waiting for him to give us the bill for the hiring of his tank. So it's not like there's nothing in it for him, you would think he would be motivated to come and get it so he can give us the bill. It's not even a small bill either! We called him when we were finished with it about 5 months ago, he came and took the other tank and said he would be back for this one and would finalise our bill, and we haven't seen or heard from him since. So weird!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K5-eIkcHu4ANCQ1GWYhT458s1eRp0XeEPnhLCsggCMtsqfoKiAJtpkMlwthmBcvDDnBNfhGAci1OaBQpAmgX6SrdYHZ9Lqg1awWT5B3SQjSd0lOceirqVD0De6oFoRYXNnpVMoVWjZQ/s1600/P3090001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K5-eIkcHu4ANCQ1GWYhT458s1eRp0XeEPnhLCsggCMtsqfoKiAJtpkMlwthmBcvDDnBNfhGAci1OaBQpAmgX6SrdYHZ9Lqg1awWT5B3SQjSd0lOceirqVD0De6oFoRYXNnpVMoVWjZQ/s640/P3090001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQye3Fl03duRIgtcv4K1lsJO9bTFqX8fs1DLpAMIiNymIiNxMd-B4RKD4N7ptdDzwBw639RcbnyCR2X0PlyW8EV4upwa3dt7ON1diZqdRooEedWcWCSOWu_2TBmzZgT6yURZEnbaPzcM/s1600/P3090003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQye3Fl03duRIgtcv4K1lsJO9bTFqX8fs1DLpAMIiNymIiNxMd-B4RKD4N7ptdDzwBw639RcbnyCR2X0PlyW8EV4upwa3dt7ON1diZqdRooEedWcWCSOWu_2TBmzZgT6yURZEnbaPzcM/s640/P3090003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So for now we get to drive past this pile of metal every single day. I truly wonder if he will ever come to pick it up at all. At this point we aren't going to bother ringing to badger him about it, he knows where it is, he knows we have moved in and no longer need it. Really the weirdest part is knowing that we owe him a substantial amount of money for the hiring and servicing of it, yet he hasn't bothered to drop off the bill. Surely he wants his money, if anything.<br />
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Our advice to anyone who has to hire a tank to provide temporary water is to just go to Bunnings and get the biggest tank you can fit on a ute and call it a day. You won't have to deal with weirdos like this, and it will cost a hell of a lot less than hiring one. We were pushed to get something sorted very quickly, if we'd had more time we wouldn't have ended up in this bizarre situation.laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-73152567904825859222013-02-25T11:22:00.002+10:002013-02-26T13:03:01.521+10:00Flooded in again!Today we have been flooded in for the second time this year. My understanding is that this usually only happens 2 or 3 times per year, so it doesn't seem like we are going too well so far for this year!<br />
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I went off to work this morning at about 6:30am, the creek was looking high, but it wasn't raining much at the time, so I thought it would be okay. It's a good 40 minute drive minimum to work. By the time I got to work and checked the conditions on <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDQ65389/IDQ65389.540444.plt.shtml">BOM</a>, it looked like it was already under. A local blog and facebook page also confirmed the same. I made some hasty decisions and decided to go home (20 minutes after getting to work). </div>
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It was a scary drive home not knowing whether I would be able to get through to Daniel. To top it off it's our 7th anniversary today, so I was devastated thinking that I wasn't going to be able to get home. </div>
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I got to the bridge and of course, it had already flooded over well and truly. People were still going through in big 4wd's but not smaller cars. I ended up driving the car back up the road and parking on top of a hill and got through with another local.</div>
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Luckily I didn't have to stay with family after all!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzaK-1Wu2D_WzbpmW_dZYuPl-ZZzyaN55a8_7IF2QWJv4wbDoGGikq8cRJohMsGbsKJDJs5Q7U4k06q9qPS0KMGSnyVD0RdBYLSCYgC_4ZeuRrEA5w6_F5FDVlfOz8_vfpJFniWZb4IY/s1600/25+Feb+creek.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzaK-1Wu2D_WzbpmW_dZYuPl-ZZzyaN55a8_7IF2QWJv4wbDoGGikq8cRJohMsGbsKJDJs5Q7U4k06q9qPS0KMGSnyVD0RdBYLSCYgC_4ZeuRrEA5w6_F5FDVlfOz8_vfpJFniWZb4IY/s640/25+Feb+creek.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plot of the creek. It usually sits at about .89m, currently it's at 1.89m and rising. This was at 11.15am</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2otf9SXJhMW48sa_rT3Up5Xk8NSWEA2b-GApGOtq0eq34mofAjD0KdC0SFlQLPovMtRzch1izRTDFoWgIMtDtugR-6JODFtshow7GIMBfyv9QZgDCOtrskVSMLLYDr0JCzimy3KmqzlA/s1600/Feb+25+12.20pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2otf9SXJhMW48sa_rT3Up5Xk8NSWEA2b-GApGOtq0eq34mofAjD0KdC0SFlQLPovMtRzch1izRTDFoWgIMtDtugR-6JODFtshow7GIMBfyv9QZgDCOtrskVSMLLYDr0JCzimy3KmqzlA/s640/Feb+25+12.20pm.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12.20pm and it's now at 2.14m and rising. 8 roads now closed in our suburb, <br />
including at least 2/3 of the bridges we have to cross.</td></tr>
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So now we are stuck at home. It's not even that rainy, but there must be a lot of rain coming down from Mt Glorious into the creek. Little bit sad that we won't get to go out for dinner. I had a backup plan of going to get takeaway Thai food at Samford if it was too rainy to go out for dinner, but now we won't even be able to do that. Anniversary chicken nuggets for dinner it is!<br />
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Update: Still flooded in today (Tuesday) and missing work once again. Very over it at this point. My car is also playing up, so I am counting on being able to get it to the mechanic tomorrow. Stop raining sky!</div>
laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-80496421919186828752013-02-10T14:23:00.005+10:002013-02-10T14:23:59.048+10:00Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yep, this morning we found this guy wandering around just near our patio. What a surprise! I saw a glimpse of his leg walking past the window while I was in the media room, and sure enough, it was a big Goanna! </div>
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It's exciting to see the wildlife around here. I hope the Monitors around here aren't too tame, as the ones we've encountered before in picnic areas have been a bit too willing to come up close to people. At Mt Tamborine we once had about 4 circling us while we cooked our barbecue lunch, it was kind of scary.<br />
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We also seem to have a lot of bats hanging out in the forest behind our place, they've been getting very noisy during the night lately and sound like they are trying to kill each other. Fun!laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-84202626436244732032013-01-21T18:21:00.003+10:002013-01-21T18:21:56.733+10:00Delivery!We recently started getting Coles home deliveries. I think it's one of those 'this will change our lives forever' kinda things.<br />
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Since we moved, grocery shopping has been a real grind. Either I go on my home from work on my own...and end up not having the motivation to do it properly, ending up with the wrong stuff, and we run out of food really quickly. Or otherwise we had been getting home from work and then driving back into town together at about 6:30pm. It's usually 8:30 or later by the time we get back, it takes us nearly half an hour just to get to the nearest Woolworths. There's a local IGA but prices are not too appealing. Plus if we shop at night we end up wanting takeaway on the way home. Its also rather depressing getting home and realising you only have about half an hour to relax before it will be time to go to bed.<br />
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We worked out quite a while ago that Woolworths won't deliver out here, and we just assumed Coles would be the same. We went to a neighbourhood party a few weeks ago and discovered that quite a few of the locals get theirs delivered by Coles.<br />
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So last week we got our first home delivery, and again tonight. The delivery fee ranges from 7-9 dollars depending on the day. You can choose a time slot. We choose the 5:30 to 7:30pm time slot to allow us both enough time to get home from work. They bring the food right into your kitchen and put it on the bench.<br />
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Our favourite part is that the food is still super cold unlike when we bring it home ourselves. Even the toothpaste was cold! Plus it feels really fun when you unpack it all and remember what you ordered. The ordering process is also much better, you don't get as distracted or splurge on un-necessary items as much. Plus it helps us to plan our meals out a lot more.<br />
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Now if only one of us could do our job from home, we'd barely even have to leave.laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-34124652539974298622012-12-27T21:29:00.003+10:002012-12-27T21:34:42.148+10:00Pop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. We did our best to get our Christmas spirit on this year, despite all of the stress we've had lately. Daniel and I volunteered to make the desserts to go with my Sister in Law's yummy Christmas lunch. </div>
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I ended up making <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9761/gingerbread+men">Gingerbread Men</a> and <a href="http://www.chocolatesuze.com/2011/01/21/super-easy-no-bake-nutella-cheesecake">Nutella Cheesecake</a>. Daniel spent many grueling hours becoming the cake pops master!</div>
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The cake pops take a long time, there's the baking of the cake balls, carefully cutting the edges off, melting the chocolate to attach the sticks, then melting more to coat them. I think Daniel did an amazing job! He even stayed up until midnight Christmas Eve to get them finished! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHb227IqRYracGBpVOn96d0dke00HX1LNG4WuJvDcfd8EDbaBehpPp2CzBIWcLhYjzsrhNGlaFG8EJVi7tjbWFd4QbFiGalfqeNMVcg0uUye9nh-hsoMS-Ol7xRLjdbjzD8hKrn9l84g/s1600/PC240045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHb227IqRYracGBpVOn96d0dke00HX1LNG4WuJvDcfd8EDbaBehpPp2CzBIWcLhYjzsrhNGlaFG8EJVi7tjbWFd4QbFiGalfqeNMVcg0uUye9nh-hsoMS-Ol7xRLjdbjzD8hKrn9l84g/s640/PC240045.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlPl8mncimpuP4sKYRSYTryTG3P-S2K7By-iQY7BCTnXZiqevO0wJx63a31Qc1wfnaygTUfIRVsl3JPguN5eSu0-HFp-xim0JPRsmf4-JBHlwdxEAI-IVaxMm0CA12QclU4ykNBuummU/s1600/PC250052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlPl8mncimpuP4sKYRSYTryTG3P-S2K7By-iQY7BCTnXZiqevO0wJx63a31Qc1wfnaygTUfIRVsl3JPguN5eSu0-HFp-xim0JPRsmf4-JBHlwdxEAI-IVaxMm0CA12QclU4ykNBuummU/s640/PC250052.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdXEPkSNlGQwLVxE6aEl7dLIdZ501I-V9xE1uyWQYQo_EabVaA0LBTEoUy0ys1-X0BEOpZGEYYLDNXmXy9AD54GFT9Yc-2AMjzBbhdezzAYu4E4mw4sZ9uK_VmgVFdzkm4DGu69S4Ij4/s1600/PC250071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdXEPkSNlGQwLVxE6aEl7dLIdZ501I-V9xE1uyWQYQo_EabVaA0LBTEoUy0ys1-X0BEOpZGEYYLDNXmXy9AD54GFT9Yc-2AMjzBbhdezzAYu4E4mw4sZ9uK_VmgVFdzkm4DGu69S4Ij4/s640/PC250071.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I ended up making my Gingerbread dough the night before Christmas Eve and rolling and cutting them ready to bake the next day. I got up at 5:30 in the morning to bake them. I went off to work hoping it might be a slow day (haha stupid). I finally got home and started decorating the gingerbread men while Daniel worked on our air conditioning project (we'll share once it's complete and installed). In the midst of all of that I also drove to Bunnings to buy screws for Daniel as we knew it would be a while before we could get there again which would slow things down with our other project.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9upwggJDjx3FOAu5_x4lSCDGbHZIv7yF5Hisr374z0xMxoTILR2EAzKu_RMovcgwahbRPLKL1742yBYqYBJhkE36GnGXnRSi_OLOpVRANTQd-Pm-BVway0HASsBF_LcnL9mglKR2FZto/s1600/PC250073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9upwggJDjx3FOAu5_x4lSCDGbHZIv7yF5Hisr374z0xMxoTILR2EAzKu_RMovcgwahbRPLKL1742yBYqYBJhkE36GnGXnRSi_OLOpVRANTQd-Pm-BVway0HASsBF_LcnL9mglKR2FZto/s640/PC250073.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Nutella Cheesecake was super easy to make. It ended up being a hit for dessert. Personally I felt it was a bit too cream cheesey for my liking. But no one else seemed to mind.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMs9bNKpUq6M8k6cv7AL9jlei3vKMspUjYE6G2f30ZmhLWgAlnU23WX5kJU_mgz3AUnrjl0fO2VJXn05EA8mCDWcXCkzPG5ZRsLKeeelGv0nP0WDfo1tOyi7r2QwboLcQJWAjHuRB_F8/s1600/PC250074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMs9bNKpUq6M8k6cv7AL9jlei3vKMspUjYE6G2f30ZmhLWgAlnU23WX5kJU_mgz3AUnrjl0fO2VJXn05EA8mCDWcXCkzPG5ZRsLKeeelGv0nP0WDfo1tOyi7r2QwboLcQJWAjHuRB_F8/s320/PC250074.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let's be honest, I think I would have preferred to just eat an entire jar of Nutella by myself, unadulterated by cream cheese...</div>
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-91581595392142245602012-12-26T16:15:00.001+10:002012-12-26T16:15:47.393+10:00Blinds finally!We finally have some privacy with the installation of our new blinds from Franklyn. The waiting time was pretty ridiculous, but I guess being the lead up to Christmas that was to be expected.<br />
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They were due to be installed on the 8th of December, but unfortunately the poor installation guy was sent to the Gold Coast equivalent of our address rather than the Brisbane one. So about a week later he came and installed them.<br />
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Here they are:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxRRarVcjbfqB1mHp_bwBKhFOzCodUCAF7pDRcNHkKcBwZvbLGpFBBeQKmwPowgJXoqq3A6NSAroblNN6gsGKdqSCTB6W3iayPq2nogNgaBuxcfni0zj9Svt28MtBj6gdBVi0c3Q7JCI/s1600/PC170012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxRRarVcjbfqB1mHp_bwBKhFOzCodUCAF7pDRcNHkKcBwZvbLGpFBBeQKmwPowgJXoqq3A6NSAroblNN6gsGKdqSCTB6W3iayPq2nogNgaBuxcfni0zj9Svt28MtBj6gdBVi0c3Q7JCI/s200/PC170012.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPD7kHqDOZ1w2OZKcpoFb_591u-oJPRLR7DQsLEyg_rgqINzp4uU0XffgQbcmoqz1KxiH6Pv2TK_HPX8oI9JV6eXwOd32N1K9iAvBr4pcQGtX89UV6vxlWlJ38ivBmPxrdh8iG1to8mQ/s1600/PC170014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPD7kHqDOZ1w2OZKcpoFb_591u-oJPRLR7DQsLEyg_rgqINzp4uU0XffgQbcmoqz1KxiH6Pv2TK_HPX8oI9JV6eXwOd32N1K9iAvBr4pcQGtX89UV6vxlWlJ38ivBmPxrdh8iG1to8mQ/s200/PC170014.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEauvnQA3-fs78dhxq3EvbrBERTjoy1mNhpyx2mh9FaxT7j0bg0WCpb3o5DvjrcNTlqkfjFNFBEOTAKCX3EI5KcHVkvRouiRetktVBzIWsXeAS-mG38iG4UuBJhw47Z7_TaiDopzgGfx0/s1600/PC170023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEauvnQA3-fs78dhxq3EvbrBERTjoy1mNhpyx2mh9FaxT7j0bg0WCpb3o5DvjrcNTlqkfjFNFBEOTAKCX3EI5KcHVkvRouiRetktVBzIWsXeAS-mG38iG4UuBJhw47Z7_TaiDopzgGfx0/s200/PC170023.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-MTzo_EBliY-NdTYJ1VdM_rspQjS02BhbHSuQyxsgsQwtXBaOTK8XH1voNLno_72g6mb04lJGnho5hD7-NqJsep4mFBJwphiErl4f-w28YrJ36e9pzcdLIohNsBi0sjR_9A3Va1IViY/s1600/PC170019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-MTzo_EBliY-NdTYJ1VdM_rspQjS02BhbHSuQyxsgsQwtXBaOTK8XH1voNLno_72g6mb04lJGnho5hD7-NqJsep4mFBJwphiErl4f-w28YrJ36e9pzcdLIohNsBi0sjR_9A3Va1IViY/s200/PC170019.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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We chose blockout roller blinds for the media room in charcoal. At some point we'll be painting the media room a darker colour, and the charcoal will fit in a lot better then.<br />
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In the spare bedrooms we've got translucent roller blinds in 'Cloud' colour. Eventually we'll put curtains over them as well. For now they just provide privacy, but no blockout.<br />
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We've also got Cloud roller blinds in the laundry, as well as the rest of the long windows in the living area.<br />
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We chose panel gliders for the patio door and activity room. I really love those.<br />
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Now all we need to work on is something for the bay window in our bedroom, and the cutout in the living room. We would really like shutters for both. But we are starting to think a bit more about curtains for the bay window. When we have some money again, we'll allow ourselves to think about that a bit more seriously.<br />
<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-67671200205369904772012-12-09T19:33:00.001+10:002012-12-09T19:33:19.324+10:00Blogger photo/space size limitsRecently I was writing a post on 'Before' pictures. When it came time to actually upload the photos I discovered that I had reached our Blogger storage limit. The obvious suggestion from Blogger/Google was to purchase more storage (haha). I'm all for having online storage, but I was dead set against this. We buy enough different storage devices and online storage as it is without being sucked into yet another 'easy direct debit'.<br />
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After searching the internets for a little while, we discovered that this is a common issue, and that a lot of people unfortunately just give up on blogging.<br />
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What we did discover (and hopefully I have interpreted this correctly), is that photos under a certain size don't count toward the storage quota. There's a Google <a href="http://support.google.com/picasa/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1224181">support page</a> which appears to support this and talks about Picasa limits. Since I've started resizing the photos it seems to be letting me upload them and so far it seems to be working. Fingers crossed that this is correct and not just a short term solution, as we just cannot afford to be paying for yet another thing.<br />
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The way I do it is to just right click the photo I want, select 'open with' and choose 'paint'. I then go to resize and reduce the percentage to 25% and then re-save it to the desktop as a jpeg. I then later just delete the smaller photo from the desktop after I've uploaded it with Blogger.<br />
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Let me know if anyone else has any tips or tricks or knows if this is a true solution.<br />
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-39991241251359654682012-12-08T14:51:00.000+10:002012-12-10T16:00:27.261+10:00Christmas has come early!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've waited about 3 months and our couches FINALLY arrived today! We are absolutely in love with them, and it's given me a whole new appreciation for the rest of the house too. Everything looks a lot more complete now. We played around with them for a while, we definitely need a few little pieces of furniture to go with them, but that can wait. </div>
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Here they are! Our guests will finally have somewhere to actually sit!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciuiS3tUHDQcAe9f8evUSWj12SvyfKRpx6cvTmwdtOToyyx-OrVANCOnHusZOdZQFVduuYX8r8ZNdTucikkg_rj7X3YYqxX5Cx9EFjqq8Ybdmr-7DwoxEEMujdfrkgtDdLa4bMPEfC30/s1600/PC080029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciuiS3tUHDQcAe9f8evUSWj12SvyfKRpx6cvTmwdtOToyyx-OrVANCOnHusZOdZQFVduuYX8r8ZNdTucikkg_rj7X3YYqxX5Cx9EFjqq8Ybdmr-7DwoxEEMujdfrkgtDdLa4bMPEfC30/s640/PC080029.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TMkg9at5CV5rOx__fVzskI4sGpU_tKZhGglTQaJBR4lHAJEjkSod4k-tw8Q0Oa1N546hX5_5WVIgrXeexgct5LWZIHLWCFgeeU3XU4vHP08ZJz_OK420RhSULwgx7AR7jsTbr0tmvVE/s1600/PC080031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TMkg9at5CV5rOx__fVzskI4sGpU_tKZhGglTQaJBR4lHAJEjkSod4k-tw8Q0Oa1N546hX5_5WVIgrXeexgct5LWZIHLWCFgeeU3XU4vHP08ZJz_OK420RhSULwgx7AR7jsTbr0tmvVE/s640/PC080031.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is what the area looked like before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyxRgQLVBL0vcMS657XVVFXe_bwNrtK1vvePnHLmzebHkZoC0EaXH1GhmonIqnjpUoFnllz1lPkJ-dmDlPM5-G4dZ8r5oVBDQUssdavl5QdyWe1-zHbcww7k9djIbchDUu7X6hd6H59E/s1600/PB250001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyxRgQLVBL0vcMS657XVVFXe_bwNrtK1vvePnHLmzebHkZoC0EaXH1GhmonIqnjpUoFnllz1lPkJ-dmDlPM5-G4dZ8r5oVBDQUssdavl5QdyWe1-zHbcww7k9djIbchDUu7X6hd6H59E/s640/PB250001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were also supposed to get our blinds installed today. However the poor installation guy got given the wrong address and ended up going to the Gold Coast instead of Samford Valley. Really annoying as we've already been waiting about 8 weeks for them to be made and installed. So they might be installed one night this week, or possible Thursday during the day. It will be really great to finally feel like we have some privacy, let's hope it gets sorted out this week!</div>
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Update: The blinds are going to be installed on Thursday. YAY! </div>
<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-44174724455503818162012-11-24T18:40:00.003+10:002012-11-24T18:40:58.060+10:00Before:If a photographer came to our house, I think all they would get is a huge bunch of 'before' pictures. One day, when we have money and time (haha) we might work towards an 'after' picture. I don't mind putting it out there. We're young, we don't have a lot of cash to splash around, and the things in our home do not look like what you would find in a display village. But it's home.<br />
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Well here are some more before's:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHXQTwewPVobMUBr1Dcxo7GvBrErnSQpSFEGw8OJgMqc9ldh3_WUMdOGSxdKCmKdm-0tnGIth1k34h0bt_3DlOJFnK7WJ868Py0eC4PlB6Qmmeib3FQQACuUJJXgT82WXWIBMN5wJmNI/s1600/PB180008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHXQTwewPVobMUBr1Dcxo7GvBrErnSQpSFEGw8OJgMqc9ldh3_WUMdOGSxdKCmKdm-0tnGIth1k34h0bt_3DlOJFnK7WJ868Py0eC4PlB6Qmmeib3FQQACuUJJXgT82WXWIBMN5wJmNI/s640/PB180008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This is creamy coloured coffee table given to us by Daniel's Brother. it's not in the best condition, but I am confident I can do something cute with it. I'm planning something pinterest inspired, it will probably involve mod podge, scrapbook paper and paint. We'll see. We cant afford to buy anymore furniture, so as soon as the final set of couches arrive, it will be all diy and hand me downs from here on out.<br />
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This very sweet and charming chair was an offering from Daniel's Mum. It's no in amazing condition but there's something very sweet about it and I just love it. I think it will look right at home once we have the couches for the living room. <br />
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Daniel's Brother also brought over their old dining set in his ute. Again, it's not in great condition, but it's so damn cute. I love the burnt look it has. I'm not sure what we'll do with it, but I again I'm envisaging some kind of pinterest inspired re-do. For now we are just glad to have some kind of dining table, mainly because it will off set my urge to go out and buy a dining table. So the final decision was to have a hand me down until we are ready to buy what we really want. One day I would really love a big farmhouse style table and pair it with some ultra modern chairs. </div>
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laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-71244316254611953732012-11-17T11:56:00.000+10:002012-11-24T18:29:43.494+10:00Driveway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After acid wash</td></tr>
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-74971002111398973152012-11-15T20:39:00.002+10:002012-11-15T20:39:26.326+10:00Patio party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was patio day at our house folks!!! We were up and ready for action bright and early today. We have Daniel's awesome Brother Tom who runs Gold Coast based <a href="http://www.citylinkconcrete.com.au/">City-Link</a> here for a few days doing some concreting. Daniel's Nephew Adam also came to help which was fantastic! Today was the patio as well as some prep work for the driveway tomorrow. </div>
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We had only had one minor hiccup when the bobcat crushed part of a down pipe But it was easily fixed and we were on our way again. Everything kicked off at 7:30am and we were prepped and ready for the concrete for the patio by 11am. We had a very quick break and then before we knew it the concrete truck arrived.Daniel was well and truly involved in the process, going back and forth with a wheelbarrow full of concrete. The bobcat guy didn't end up doing much extra for us. At some point we'll get a guy we've had before who has some good heavy equipment and is an excellent operator. </div>
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My job was running back and forth with water, coffees, food, keeping the music pumping and taking pictures. In the midst I also had a guy from Franklyn Blinds here doing a final measure for our blinds. It will apparently be about 2 or 3 weeks before they 'might' be ready. </div>
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Anyway, see pics below of the progress throughout the day.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before- when our patio was mostly used to hold the mower and other junk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fixed pipe after the bobcat crushed it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for pouring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel schlepping concrete in our amazing and lovely neighbour's wheelbarrow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta da!</td></tr>
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Tomorrow will be an even earlier start with the concrete truck scheduled to arrive at 6:00am. Luckily it's all prepped and ready to go. Tom tells us it won't involve wheelbarrows which is AWESOME!<br /><div>
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In short, we have a patio now and Daniel has the blisters on his hands to prove it. Yay!</div>
laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-58832604144863532102012-11-13T20:28:00.000+10:002012-11-13T20:28:03.146+10:00Prep workWe've been in the house for a month now. It feels normal now. The other day Eaton's Crossing was completely closed due to an unfortunate accident, however it meant I had to drive home via Clear Mountain. I honestly had no idea that Brisbane had so many stunningly beautiful places. I came across the most amazing views, it was hard to focus on the road!<br />
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Closer to home, we've been working on getting everything ready for our driveway, porch and patio to be poured. We are lucky enough to have Daniel's Brother coming to town from Thursday-Sunday to work on this for us. We will have a bobcat here on Thursday to prep the area, so while he is here we will get him to do some other earth moving around the place. We need to widen the area down the side of the house where they cut, and then at some point we'll build a retaining wall there. We're also wanting to scatter bark over our front embankment to start turning it into a vertical garden. I've been out weeding it every day since Saturday in preparation- I make it sound like there was a huge amount of weeds, but I just do an hour at a time.<br />
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Inside the house we are still working on organising all of our belongings. At some point we'll be ready to setup the guest room, but for now it's truly not a priority. We've got a guy coming on Thursday to measure our windows and doors so they can order our blinds. It will be great to not have to careful in front of the front windows! I don't think people can see much, but it still is a bit uncomfortable. We've also got our new couches coming early December. They can't come soon enough to be honest! All of our poor guests just have to stand around awkwardly in the kitchen. We don't even bar stools for people to use since we got rid of ours. The second we put our old ones down in the kitchen we noticed they were rubbing rust on the tiles. So out they went! I've got my heart set on some of those silver industrial ones like <a href="http://www.freedom.com.au/furniture/dining/dining-stools/23157170/utility-bar-stool-75cm-galvanised/">this</a>, but I'm still looking for the best price. I've still got my eye on Gumtree for a traditional dining table to redo too.<br />
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We'll have some pictures of the driveway and patio by the end of the week hopefully. I can barely hold in my excitement about the possibility of actually being able to park in the garage!laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-35858985209721240412012-10-27T17:45:00.000+10:002012-10-27T17:45:54.534+10:00Pictures extravaganzaI'm currently sitting in our media room listening to some lovely afternoon rain, the smell of rain and dirt is coming through the window. Amazing! What a day! We had Franklyn Blinds out this morning to to do a quote for blinds and shutters (Yeah...we'll just be getting blinds for now, the shutters were pricey!$!$!) We then had the lovely M from the <a href="http://www.decoratingemporium.com.au/">Decorating Emporium</a> around for a tour and she came with some cushion covers I won recently in one of her awesome giveaways. She has built the same type of house as us, so it was really exciting to have her over. Later in the afternoon we had my brother and his family over, it's safe to say that this is the right type of house for kids to run around and find plenty of hiding spots in. It's been a great day, and it's now been topped off by an afternoon storm. Daniel and I just spent 20 minutes running around with brooms clearing the down pipes of leaves so that we can collect as much rain as possible. The rain smells divine!<br />
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While the house was fairly tidy for all of our weekend visitors we thought we'd take the opportunity to get some photos.<br />
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-36818574578245588682012-10-24T20:54:00.000+10:002012-10-24T20:54:10.844+10:00Out of townersWe've officially been in the house for 2 weeks now. It feels even more like home now that we have the internet :)<br />
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I'm really enjoying the longer drive to work. I love being able to drive on roads that have more than 60km speed limits. It's actually only added ten to fifteen minutes to my drive since there is less traffic. Daniel's still adjusting and trying to work out the best route, it seems like avoiding Hale street at all costs is the best bet at this stage.<br />
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We've been trying to get used to coming home and staying home. We've always been spoiled in that we lived very close to shopping centres, takeaway and all forms of services. We are trying to keep our trips 'into town' to a minimum and grouping tasks together a lot more. It was not uncommon for me to pop into Woolies 3 or 4 times a week when we lived at Mitchelton or Enoggera. We've also started keeping a petrol canister filled as backup since we run out of petrol faster than we used to.<br />
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We had a bigger fridge delivered last week, so it's going to make the task of doing a weekly (or less hopefully) grocery shop much simpler. We've been living out of a 3/4 sized fridge for the last few years, it's teeny tiny but it's served us well. We are absolutely loving the fridge. It has everything so much colder than we are used to, and it's shiny silverness fits in so well in the kitchen.<br />
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Here's the before and after:<br />
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We finally built our bed on the weekend after sleeping on the mattress for 2 weeks. It was kind of nice sleeping on the floor, but it was time to become civilised again.<br />
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We've got a list about a mile long of things to do. We've started looking at different aggregate colour options for our driveway. Most people out here seem to have bitumen driveways, but we just aren't most people. Hopefully in the next month or two Daniel's brother will come to stay with us and he will concrete our driveway, porch and patio. The driveway and porch will be exposed aggregate The patio will be plain concrete because we might eventually either tile it or add decking.<br />
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We also need to get the bobcat guy back to do some leveling and spread some top soil around. It's probably going to be the best option for us to do a retaining wall down one side of the house because the cut for the house was just so deep. Once we do all of this we can at least get started on creating some sort of lawn. Ultimately we would like to lay some turf around the immediate area, but it might be a while before we can do that.<br />
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As well as the outside of the house we have a lot of plans inside too. We are starting to get a few companies out to do quotes for blinds, curtains and shutters. We'll be looking into getting shutters put into the cut out between the activity room and living room as well as the bay window in our room. It would be really good to get a quote for the folding doors between the media and study too, but for now it's just going to stay as one big room.<br />
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One thing's for sure, nothing makes you feel more like rushing out and buying massive amounts of furniture than moving into a big house. The living and dining room is feeling very empty at the moment, and it will be for quite a while. I keep having to remind myself that the plan is to live here for a long time, so it doesn't matter if it takes us a while to find our feet and do everything the way we want to. Until then, we are absolutely loving hanging out in the media room on the new couch. We are super glad we got data cabling put in everywhere. We are loving the heat of the kitchen. We love actually having spare spots in the kitchen cupboards. We love the giant bathtub. We love the colour we chose for the walls, it's exactly what we wanted. We love that we finally did it. We finally have a house!<br />
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Everyone's been asking for more pictures, but to be honest things aren't very well setup yet. So here's some pictures of the chaos.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room, it's now empty and awaiting a new set of couches. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid unpacking, let's not lie or pretend that it really looks <br />any cleaner or more organised right now. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 boxes filled to the brim with couch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4AknYqUpygVfUzmWq2WDLqRC4zT3o5GgTiwJlwNZSb27ywWzDxiOg47cSkxiaadQ8ocuTCj5ttVyH95z81vzSgFZHPXi6QalhZSuDTpSHbCSVntcuSjRPT7K8H-k5dUZargkj8pa4bk/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4AknYqUpygVfUzmWq2WDLqRC4zT3o5GgTiwJlwNZSb27ywWzDxiOg47cSkxiaadQ8ocuTCj5ttVyH95z81vzSgFZHPXi6QalhZSuDTpSHbCSVntcuSjRPT7K8H-k5dUZargkj8pa4bk/s400/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have a picture of ours yet, but we have the black version of this in the <br />media room, we've got it all pushed together like a giant bed. Love!</td></tr>
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-74226086877569431192012-10-16T11:01:00.000+10:002012-10-16T11:01:15.780+10:00We're back from the wilderness!We've officially been in the house for one week now (as of yesterday). I think we can well and truly say we feel at home. We still don't have internet thanks to Telstra (it was meant to be put on yesterday, but it will now apparently be another week). I can't believe we are both back at work already. <br />
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Last week was exhausting. We had the movers come early Monday Morning and then there were various car trips back and forth from the rental to the house.<br />
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We then spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday cleaning up the rental getting ready to give the keys back on Thursday.<br />
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We have unpacked a lot, especially in the kitchen, bathroom and main bedroom. However, there is still a hell of a lot to go!<br />
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The highlights so far have been cooking in such an amazing kitchen. We have been cooking in a terrible kitchen that took 15 minutes just to boil already hot water for the past year and a half. So it's amazing to be able to boil things and actually hear that sizzle sound when you put something in the pan! The giant bathtub is also awesome. The size of the shower has been great too. We also had a new couch delivered for the media room. Oh my god, I love it! We'll post pictures soon. Basically whatever way you lay on it, you can still stretch your legs out, it's the perfect solution for someone who doesn't want to get the typical 'media chairs' with the cup holders and everything. We've also got a new fridge coming on Thursday, it's going to really come in handy being so far out of town. We are already finding it hard to keep enough food on hand so that we don't have to trek in to the shops constantly.<br />
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Anyway, we'll provide more of an update soon, with pictures!<br />
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<br />laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-9611359951063745752012-10-08T15:44:00.004+10:002012-10-08T15:44:49.401+10:00I need a nap<br />
We have moved! 5 am start for us today, with a moving truck coming first thing in the morning. There are apartments being built across the road from our rental with lots of delivery trucks coming in the morning, and it was garbage day, so our whole street here was a truck traffic jam in the morning - pretty hectic! We're back at our rental now to clean up and get a few last bits and pieces, including the computer which I left behind and it's still getting Internet :P<br />
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The plumber came back this morning. Apparently the council wasn't happy that the hot water system did not have a pipe leading out of it for condensation - the plumbers didn't include one because that hot water system doesn't produce a lot of condensation - about 1 drop per year according to him so it was fine to just dribble out. The council will be back tomorrow to make sure that pipe is there :P<br />
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The plumber asked me about my experiences with Coral, eventually he revealed there had been some big arguments between his company and Coral about who was responsible for leveling and creating a footing for our water tanks. See we paid $7000 for earthmoving in our contract because of the potential difficulties with site works and such, and then about an extra thousand when the water tanks variation came in. The site scrape was done in less than a day, and when it came down to it the water tanks area was prepared in less than a day too - so I don't think they would have come close to using that money. But they still tried doing the job with the smallest/cheapest equipment possible, which we always knew wasn't going to work. According to the plumber; Coral had initially tried to make the plumbers responsible for having the area for the water tanks prepared at their own expense. Very funny. Obviously that didn't work out, and perhaps goes to explain why it took so long for us to get water.<br />
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The plumber checked the temperature of our hot water to ensure it did not exceed 50 degrees. I told him it takes a long time for hot water to reach the ensuite bathroom, but he pretty much said any kind of booster or similar devices would burn up a lot of energy.<br />
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We also needed a couple extra Storm Water Gullies put in which were overlooked during the build. On the weekend we went to the house with my father and brother, and they were convinced the muddy storm water was being fed into the water tanks, which is a pretty foul thought. According to the contract, and as confirmed by the plumber, the SWGs are connected to the Soakage Pit, which is also used for water tank overflow. The Soakage Pit is a big hole filled with gravel, and some drain pipes sticking out the top in case it gets full.<br />
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The other awesome thing is I also organised a local antenna guy to come out and see if he could get TV reception. I don't even want to go into it right now, but it was another bizarre Samford experience. The short version is that now we have an antenna in an extremely fringe area, with an extremely clear picture to potentially 8 TVs. Lauren's excited we won't even have to miss one episode of Big Brother. I'm not even joking.<br />
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danielbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01091566339234772364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3744119814831579468.post-6444688338187644992012-10-07T11:19:00.000+10:002012-10-07T11:19:02.319+10:00The deetsHandover was on Tuesday, we didn't really go through any of the details on here. It was such a huge build up to Tuesday for us, especially with the long weekend. On Tuesday morning Daniel got a call from our SS saying that they hadn't received the money from our bank. I don't know exactly why they thought that, considering it had been paid by our bank on the previous Thursday, but 20 minutes later the SS called back to say it was all fine.<br />
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Daniel met with our SS at the house at 3pm. It was apparently fairly straight forward, the SS changed the locks, installed the new microwave and went through all of the manuals.<br />
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We've had a lot to organise throughout the week. Surprise, surprise, the temporary water tank guy saved the best for last. We asked him to come and get the tanks on the Friday before handover and he said he would get them the next day, Tuesday came and they were still sitting there! Wednesday...still there. It was starting to get a bit stressful as we were wanting to organise some truckloads of dirt so that we could get the driveway sorted out more. I called him Wednesday night and explained to him that we were starting to worry as they were going to be in the way to do any excavation of the area. He finally removed them Thursday afternoon and we then had loads of dirt and road base delivered on Friday.<br />
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We went out for a visit a few times yesterday, and the dirt has been spread nicely, the road base looks great. The road base is still quite loose though, a little bit of rain would be a very good thing right now!<br />
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We also had Daniel's brother come over in the afternoon for a look, and he also gave us a quote to concrete our driveway, porch and patio. So hopefully that will happen soonish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our cars which we've been taking loads of stuff in, <br />it fits in a surprisingly large amount of stuff!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New road base for the driveway</td></tr>
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It's set to be fairly busy over the next week. We have Mini Movers coming at 7am on Monday morning. Before then we still need to do a bit more packing and we have some furniture to pull apart. I'm also trying to get all of our washing done so that it won't be something to stress about.<br />
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We then have the plumber coming at 12 on Monday. We also have an antenna company coming around the same time. That night we have a Telstra technician coming and hopefully the phone will be swtiched on. We then have the next few days to get the rental cleaned up and presentable by midnight Thursday night. The part I'm most excited about is our couch being delivered on Thursday. Friday afternoon we are booked in for a massage at a local retreat to try and fix our broken muscles from moving.laurenbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15372092302755623745noreply@blogger.com2