Wednesday, 29 December 2010

What's in your closet?

Last night I read about Project 333. Project 333's basic premise is that you live with just 33 items including clothing, accessories, outerwear and shoes for 3 months. It initially sounded extremely minimal to me but after looking through my clothes last night, I've realised it really isn't that extreme!

I read through a lot of other posts about the Project and came across this guide for sorting through your closet:

Start making piles of clothes and be ruthless.
  • Pile One: I love these items. They fit me well and I wear them frequently: Keep
  • Pile Two: I want to keep this but I don’t know why
  • Pile Three: These items don’t fit me or my style: donate.
  • Pile Four: These items aren’t in good condition: trash.
Source: bemorewithless.com
I was spurred in to action and ruthlessly attacked my closet. I didn't exactly take a before picture, but take a look at this:


All that was left in the closet were roughly 25 things, half more formal or work wear and half casual wear.

I took out all of the don't-quite-fit items, the sentimental stuff that I don't wear any more, the worn out clothes, pieces I'm sick of, etc, etc, etc, and just take a look at this!


Over at bemorewithless.com there is a suggestion to box up all the sorted stuff, put it in the back of your closet and then if you haven't worn anything from the box in 30 days, donate it.

I think I would have a hard time parting with most of my clothes, but we shall see. I'm definitely pleased with the immediate results of easily being able to see my clothes selection and not having to go through it all several times struggling to find what I'm looking for.

So yes, I'm still very much on the decluttering and simplifying path, I'm just having to modify how I go about it to suit my time limitations.

Sunday, 26 December 2010

On being an optimistic pessimist


This year I started wearing optimism coloured glasses. I am not at all an optimist by nature. When I was seeing a psychologist for my anxiety and depression, she asked me what triggered my anxiety. I told her that I felt anxious as soon as I woke up in the morning. We figured out that as soon as I woke up, I would imagine how the course of the day would go, anticipating worst case scenario. Of course I was waking up anxious! She asked me, how would it feel to wake up every morning and think ‘Today is going to be a great day’. Well that was quite a change!

It’s not that I wake up every morning now with a spring in my step or anything like that, but it’s a small shift of my internal thought from assuming the worst to remembering that the world is full of possibilities, and it’s up to me to make the best of all of my circumstances.

When I get caught in a downward spiral of anxiety I stop myself by realising that whatever it is that I'm stressing about, it's probably more imagined than real, it's a momentary thing, just breath and shake it off.

For me it’s also about recognizing the ordinary beauty of things and appreciating the little things. That’s one of the main things that struck me when I really started writing this year. The world is very interesting once you stop to pay attention to it.
Reverb10: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
Image source: jurvetson

Thursday, 23 December 2010

Stronger Than She Knows


January 21, 2010, 9:50pm; Freya's birth.

Body takes over. Body knows what she's doing; you couldn't stop her if you tried. You blurt out 'The baby's coming!' as she bears down with a pressure and power beyond your control, a strength you didn't know she had, strength that amazes you as the intense pressure propels the baby in to the world quicker than you expected. Hands pull you down to the floor, helping, encouraging, aiding. The baby is already there, quick words of encouragement and baby rushes in to the world with a big splash of amniotic fluid.

Body and mind pull apart, shock at the swift delivery, confusion at the pain anticipated but never felt, disorientation. Baby slides across the waterproof mats on the floor, a newborn slip-and-slide. Hands exam baby, happy reassurances. His voice breaks through your confusion, "Why aren't you looking at the baby?". World noises come rushing in and you hear yourself voice what your body is feeling "That was so strange...". You turn to baby who is screaming, so unlike the last baby, you ask for reassurances that she is ok, then reassurances that she is indeed a she. She is, and she's perfect, and she looks exactly like her sister did.

The roar of the world reminds you of when as a child you would float in the bath, your ears submerged, listening to the dull clunk of the cup clanging against the side of the bath. Lifting your head the water rushes out, the world rushes in.

Reverb 10: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
Image Source: Ell Brown

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

I'm Wasting My Time Here

Many of my regular daily activities can be stress-relieving, but are a huge waste of our greatest resource - time.

I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. Television, Internet... not all aspects of the two are a waste of time but more often than not I'll realise that I've spent the last few hours watching shows I don't care about, browsing sites I have little interest in, and otherwise tuning out from the real world.

I believe that escapism has it's place. I love a good movie and I love to read. I read every night before I go to sleep. One of the things I enjoy most of all is being able to lose myself in a good book or story.

This past year my reading time has been quite limited so I made the decision to start reading more consciously. If I'm not feeling captivated or interested in a story after a few chapters, I don't finish it. I will never be able to read all the books in the world, probably not even all of the books that I mean to get to someday. So why waste my time on a book that I'm not connecting with?

Now if only I could get that attitude to carry over to my Television and Internet usage.

I've been back at work for two days now. I'm far from having my new routine figured out, but the reality is that I only have about 5 hours of awake non-work time to myself now, and that is including the time the kids are still awake. So somewhere in there I have to figure out how in the world I'm going to keep up with one of the things I enjoy the most - blogging, and thus writing!

The answer is quite simple. Reduce the number of garbage e-mails I read by unsubscribing from everything I don't need. Don't get distracted by browsing from site to site. Turn off the television. Write write write!

Now here is something that I hope will help me stay in touch with my creative writing inspiration, a Christmas present that is on it's way to me from my Mum, via Etsy.

GetSassed on Etsy

It should easily fit in my purse without taking up too much room and has just a touch of my favorite color purple. I hope to take advantage of times such as when I'm stuck on the bus going to and from work, and to be able to jot down ideas as they come to me. Yup, one of these days I'll probably end up writing about the regular characters that I see on the bus such as... 80's hair guy.

In the meantime I will continue to unsubscribe from nearly every miscellaneous e-mail that appears in my Inbox, think twice about what tv shows I watch or record, and try to remember that there is a whole lot more to the world than mindless, pointless, escapism.

Reverb 10: What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Sunday, 19 December 2010

One Word for 2010 and 2011

Metamorphosis; a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances

I can't view myself as an outsider so I don't know how different I seem or appear, yet this year has probably been the most changing year of my life.

When it becomes more difficult to suffer than to change... you will change.
Robert Anthony

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
E.E. Cummings

It is more difficult to hide who you are, then to be who you are. I'm imperfect. I hold myself up to an unattainable high standard. I feel dreadful guilt over all of my short comings. I'm often so crippled by anxiety and depression that some days I don't know how I'm going to make it to the next.

Having said all of that, I'm doing a heck of a lot better now than I was months ago! It's difficult to explain how I can say the above, and still say I'm in a fairly good place. Maybe it is that I have good coping mechanisms in place now, I recognise that many of above feelings are fleeting, and I know how to get myself out of that place.

Confidence; belief in yourself and your abilities.
a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favourable

For 2011, I want to become even more certain of the person that I am, to be myself without fear of judgement. Moving closer to who I really am and away from who I feel I need to be. I also want to have more confidence in the outcome of things, to spend less time worrying about the things I can't control. Events will be favourable!

What would be your words for 2010 and 2011?

Image source: Son of Groucho
Thanks to Belladorable for blogging about Reverb10.
If you haven't heard of Reverb 10, stop by right away and check out their writing prompts. Reverb 10 provides a new writing prompt for every day of December to help you reflecton this year & manifest what's next.

Working Mother


My maternity leave is up and I am headed back to work tomorrow.

Realistically I may not be able to keep up with posting as often as I have been. A few months ago I tried writing every day, which takes some effort but is achievable. I think the more realistic goal for me at this time is about three times a week. As a blog reader I find that it is easier to keep up with a blog that is updated about that often and not every single day, but then again I read way too many blogs to keep on top of them all!

Writing is something I find great enjoyment in, it’s a wonderful way to express myself. Sometimes it feels silly to call it creative when I’m not physically making something, but I find that this is creative expression for me. I want to reassure you that writing here is a priority to me, although of course my family takes higher priority.

I am not stopping. I will continue to bring you my widely varied content and hopefully it’ll be a smooth adjustment for all of us!

If I could ask for a little feedback, what are the topics you are most interested in continuing to read about here?

Thank you so much for reading Journey Mum!

Image source: Rhys Alton

Thursday, 16 December 2010

If Friends Were Flowers

I've been waiting for the right opportunity to share these gorgeous ball mason jars with you. My Mum decided she no longer needed them and mailed them here to me in Canada all the way from Australia. I am so glad they survived the trip!


The beautiful blue-green tint makes the jars so gorgeous to look at on their own, however yesterday when my dear friend surprised me with flowers I thought they could also make beautiful improvised vases. What do you think?

Linking up to: The Shabby Nest

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Small Home Solution: Use Vertical Space

Living in an open concept house can present many layout challenges. The TV has always been my biggest issue. Every few months you can find me rearranging the furniture, trying in vain to make it all work better. Until now!

We purchased a mountable LCD television last Christmas and just recently got around to mounting it. Here is the before shot:


Here's the after! We debated for quite awhile about what to do with all of the tv paraphernalia, we have a blu-ray player, dvd player and our cable box. I was leaning towards rigging up some kind of shelf at the top of the wall but Matt wanted the cut-through. I'm happy that is what we decided to go with. If the next owner doesn't want to mount their tv, the shelf can work nicely to put candles and decorative items on too.

Below you can see our old tv. This was also where we had the new tv before it was mounted.


This is our living area now. The amount of floor space that was cleared up by wall mounting the television is really nice. I particularly like that the tv isn't the first thing that people see when they enter the house.

As usual the work isn't 100% complete yet, I still want to put a smaller hole through the wall behind the tv to run the cords through, then have them tucked out of site on the other side of the wall. For now they are mostly out of sight.


Of course my kids are climbers and Desana moves chairs to climb up and press buttons, but it is better than it was before. ;)

Before I go I just want to say HELLO! and thank you to all of my new subscribers! Please don't be shy, feel free to say hi by commenting and letting me know a little bit about you.  I'd love to meet you!

Monday, 13 December 2010

Gifts With Meaning

Less is more. Quality over quantity. We've heard these lines so many times that they have almost lost their meaning. What if this Christmas we made the choice to not get caught up in the mad rush of purchasing and instead take the time to carefully consider what it is that our friends and loved ones would find true joy and meaning in?

I've heard this floating around the blogosphere:

Something to wear
Something to read
Something you want
Something you need

It's usually applied to giving gifts to your children, but let's apply it to adults.

Something to wear

Bracelets - Leather cuff
Personalised jewellery can make a very meaningful gift for a man or a woman. Children's names, anniversary dates, your life slogan; on a necklace, bracelet, cuff-let or key-chain, the options really are endless!

Something to read

Book - Magazine
While these examples are specific to our family, I am sure you can relate. A new book by someone's favorite author or a pertinent magazine subscription. Books can be re-read, and with each issue of a magazine comes a reminder of how thoughtful you were in purchasing the subscription!

Something you want

Blu-ray
This year my Mother-In-Law asked us what we wanted for Christmas. I really want to learn how to sew so I asked for a beginners sewing machine. Matt had seen Planet Earth playing on a TV at work and was amazed by the film work, so that is what he asked for.

Let's get over the stigma of asking people what it is they would actually like, or what they need. It's not tacky, it's thoughtful!

Something you need

Bra - Multi-Tool
Need gifts can be very practical, there is nothing wrong with that. If something is truly needed, it will be truly appreciated. I struggled to come up with some examples as I am viewing my world through abundance-colored-glasses right now, so bare with me!

I have been breastfeeding for three years straight, perhaps it is time to treat the girls to something less practical and more racy. I'm sitting here failing to remember a time when they served as something other than a food source... huh.

Our bathroom re-model has been in progress for over a month now and I can not tell you the number of times I've heard "Where did I put that tool?!" Here perhaps is the solution, one multi-tool to rule them all.

Here are some things that could be real needs.
  • Money to contribute towards the purchase of a big ticket item such as a car seat
  • Help with a project that has been on the back burner, such as repainting or rearranging furniture
  • A gift card to their preferred hair salon or the grocery store
  • Babysit for a single parent or couple so that they can have some much deserved alone time. Why not make it a regular thing!
One of the most precious gifts I have been given is the gift of friendship; having someone tell me many times that if I need her, she's there for me. When I found myself in a dark place, needing a helping hand to pull me in to the light, I called and there she was.

The reality is that in the end we don't get to take any of this stuff with us. The thought and meaning behind a touching gift, or an act, will last longer than the gift itself.

Friday, 10 December 2010

6 Tips for Selling Your STUFF


Decluttering. Now there is a word we haven't heard around here in awhile. Never fear! My quest to free our lives of excess is ongoing, I just became a little overwhelmed by the many things that are happening in our lives right now.

You've all heard me talk about Kijiji before. Kijiji is like craigslist in that you list things to sell locally. It's really handy when you don't want to go to the trouble of having to ship items, or hold a yard sale. I've made hundreds of dollars by selling things we no longer need on kijiji.

Here is the hard part for me. I've learned to distinguish between what will fetch me a decent amount of money and what is not worth trying to sell. But when something isn't selling, how do you decide that it's time to let it go to donation?

Here are some of the things I am learning (and relearning):

Price items higher than what you want to sell them for. Things are worth as much as people are willing to pay for them. People will almost always try to negotiate on the price, so you have a better chance of getting what you really want for an item if you price it higher. I just sold our highchair for $90, it was listed for $100, and I would have taken $80!

List books in one ad, not individually. Books are difficult to sell because someone has to be looking for that specific title. I just posted one ad with all of the books that I am currently trying to sell. I listed the book and author names, as anyone can use google to find more information about a book and that saves me a lot of time by not having to list all the story descriptions.

Sell kids clothes in 'lots'. I have been selling about 40 pieces at a time for $20, usually a specific age group (for example, 6-9 months). In your ad note the price breakdown, 40 pieces for $20 is about .50 cents a piece. How often will you find clothes for that price in a store? It's a good selling point.

Maintain a presence by posting new ads regularly. Thousands of new posts appear online every day, if you want your items to be seen you need to be listing new things regularly (or alternatively paying to have a top ad that is displayed above all the others on each page). You can do this either by keeping a copy of your item description and pictures, deleting your ad and reposting it, or by posting an ad for new items every day or several times a week. Be sure to include a suggestion that the viewer look at your other ads. Perhaps a little time consuming, but ultimately rewarding.

If selling isn't for you, participate in a stuff swap! I attended one of these a few days ago. Lots of mothers brought clothes that their children had grown out of, along with toys and books. Everything was free, you just went through and took what you wanted. When we were all done the rest was donated to charity. I picked up one outfit for each of the girls and a little toy purse for Desana. We are blessed to not need much right now.

Now here is the part I am struggling with;

Set a deadline to sell items by and firmly commit to that deadline. If something hasn't sold in a month, six weeks, or whatever length of time you deem sufficient, it may be time to let it go to charity. The exception to this would be big ticket items, for those you might need to consider reducing your asking price.

I get stuck and trick myself in to keeping clutter because I think, "But it's worth something!" The reality is that things are only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If no one wants to buy it, it is worth nothing. In the meantime all the STUFF takes up space in your home, and I personally find it depressing to see giant bags filled with things I no longer want or need, just sitting and gathering dust. Especially when I consider that there are people in the world who don't have the many things we take for granted.

Just let it go. In the end it is all just STUFF!


Image source: Smemon87

Monday, 6 December 2010

I Believe In 'Home'


I struggle with wanting to live a simple life and the modern mentality of keeping up with the Joneses. I think that it is important to not allow our definition of home to be defined by commercialism and by what we read in magazines or see on tv. Easier said than done!

When I came across the I Believe In 'Home' Manifesto a few days ago, it resonated with me so much so that I had to e-mail the author, Linda, and ask if I could share it with all of you. Happily she said yes.

I Believe In 'Home'

by Linda @ Heartfire At Home
We believe HOME is so much more than just a shelter... it is an extension of the soul, a representation of the people within, a repository of personality.

♥ We believe HOME is a safe, nurturing, supportive and happy place, where all who abide there feel 'loved' and 'free'.

♥ We believe HOME is a soft place to fall, a welcoming place for family and friends, an incubator of dreams.

♥ We believe HOME is not held to anyone's standards but our own. There are no expectations, no 'we must keep up with the latest fads', no feeling bad if we don't have lots of money to spend on it.

♥ We believe HOME is a melting pot of ideas, emotions, laughter, pets, people, books, colour, music, conversation, scents, tastes, texture, pattern.... what-ever it is that makes your house a HOME for you.

♥ We believe decorating HOME is more about the 'gut' and the 'heart', than what's 'in' and what's 'out'.

♥ And we hope everyone can find their 'pathway HOME'.
Isn't that beautiful?

Home has been a struggle for me since I moved to Canada, a newlywed at the ripe old age of 19. I thought I knew what I was leaving behind in Australia, but the true realisation didn't hit me until I was here and suffered through a year of extreme homesickness. Home, for me, isn't about a physical location, it's about being close to the people you love.

My physical home has for years just felt like the place I was living, not a place I was committing myself to and transforming with love. This year I experienced a shift in my thinking and realised that I needed to stop waiting for some day in the future when my life would begin and would be perfect, because the life I am living every day is my life.

I decided to stop living with the aspects of my home that were just not functioning for us, and to change from the mentality of 'we will fix it in order to sell it' to 'we will fix it to live with it'. Sure, you might need to make some improvements to your house to sell it, but don't you deserve a beautiful appealing well functioning home too?

If you believe in home you can head on over to the I Believe In 'Home' Manifesto and add your name and blog to the list. You can also grab a lovely little button for your blog. I have one proudly displayed over on my sidebar.

Image source: Grzegorz Łobiński

Sunday, 5 December 2010

Nanna Cannon's Christmas Cake Recipe

One of my recollections of Christmas growing up as a child in Australia is of the Christmas fruit cakes that my Great Grandmother would make. They came home wrapped in tin foil and would last long after Christmas had passed. The cake was so sweet and rich that we would slather it with margarine.



In recognition of the Christmas season, here is Nanna Cannon's Christmas Cake Recipe, exactly as it is written in her handwriting in the Recipe Book that I am lucky to have (and previously wrote about here).

Xmas Cake
In large saucepan,
500g mixed fruits
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 lb margarine
1 tablespoon golden syrup
Bring to boil.
Remove from stove.
Add & stir in
1 teaspoon carb-soda.
Cool.
Pour into mixing bowl.
Add 2 beaten eggs
2 1/2 cups plain flour.
Mix well. Pour into prepared cake tin.
Oven on 250 for 2 1/2 hours.
Do not open oven door, before 1 1/2 hours, while cake is cooking.
Leave cake stand 3 days before cutting.
My Notes:
500 grams of mixed fruit is roughly 2 cups
1/4 pound of margarine is 1/2 cup
carb soda is baking soda
The cake comes pretty close to resembling this, although I remember it as being darker and filled with both green and red fruit bits:

Image: Randy Son Of Robert
Are there any special recipes in your family that are only brought out for the holidays?

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

A Simple Christmas

A few months back I rescued a medalta crock pot from my neighbours garbage pile. I loved the look of it but hadn't quite figured out what to do with it decoratively until now.


This year, more than any other, I am drawn to keeping things simple. I don't have a lot of Christmas decorations, but I think that I may keep my tree simple, decorated only by lights. There is something so beautiful about a simple tree with lights.


What you don't see is the extension cord hidden in the crock, and the Pampered Chef utensil holder stuffed with newspaper to bring the tree up to the right height. Oh yes, I can be quite resourceful when I need to be!


In my head I have visions of shabby chic garlands of silver and stars draped all over my living room, but for now I'll just live vicariously.





There's just something about Christmas lights!

How do you decorate for the holidays?
Image sources: Happiness Is The Journeyjekert gwapoChris_JMarcin Wicharyali edwards

Monday, 29 November 2010

The Bathroom Remodel: During

Demo is the easy part, at least that's what they say. I almost believed them! Right after I took the before pictures Matt began the demo. First off came the shower surround. We had anticipated there being mold underneath the surround, and there was!


Next up Matt removed the drywall which revealed some interesting studwork by the people who had previously remodeled the bathroom on New Years 1987-1988. Lots of different people had written their names and various remarks on the studs along with the date. The biggest surprise for me was just how much room there was between the wall of the bathroom and the wall of the kitchen (and the discovery that our kitchen cabinets are NOT mounted on studs-yikes!).



Next up, of course, is where things started going wrong. The bath did NOT want to come out. It was very heavy and incredibly difficult, and during the process Matt got a little bit swing happy with the hammer and smashed a hole in the one fixture that did not need replacing - the toilet. It looked like it was just superficial damage until we tried flushing it and water exploded all over the place. So we had to say goodbye to our lovely (and expensive) relatively new dual-flush toilet. I wasn't too happy about that one.

I helped Matt take the bath outside and then the girls and I ended up spending the afternoon at Shawna's house as we only have the one bathroom and a toilet is kind of a necessity. While we were away Matt ripped up some of the subfloor that was rotten and replaced it.


Then came the comedy of errors of trying to install the bath. To make a long story short, if you're going to do something, do it right the first time and it will save you a lot of time and hassle! After a few days (no exaggeration) it was finally installed properly and not leaking. I believe the biggest trouble there was that the kit Matt bought that was supposed to have all the pieces needed to hook up the bath, did not. Of course not!


With the initial bath installation finally over and done with, Matt installed the tile backing stuff and began tiling. The most difficult part was cutting the tiles that went around the bath/shower fixtures. I think about a dozen tiles were broken trying to do that, and again, that was a process that took a few days and a variety of different tools. But as the tiles were going up it became a little bit easier to visualise what we'd have at the end of the reno.

Now we are at the point where the bath/shower surround is complete and useable. I finally got to enjoy the new shower for the first time on the weekend and it was great! It felt a bit like being at a hotel, but it is nicer than the last hotel I stayed at!


There is still a ton of stuff left to do, the drywall above the bath and some patching beside it. The rest of the floor needs to be ripped up and the subfloor replaced, as well as taking out the current cabinet and sink. We are probably going to use self-leveling cement and then tile over it, and put in a pedastle sink. Then it is on to the more superficial things like new lighting fixtures and fresh paint!

There were dozens of things Matt had to do that I haven't mentioned, and so far we are at Day 18 of the Bathroom Reno. We have not been living without a toilet for all of this time, Matt bought and installed another (sadly cheaper) dual flush toilet, although not before someone had to make use of Desana's potty. That is all I am going to say about that.


We are really pleased with the new tub, our local Home Depot was out of stock of the model we decided on so we drove across the city to purchase it. It is both deeper and wider than our old tub, and there is the added bonus of it not being surrounded by mold. I'm also really pleased with the built in shelf Matt added to the wall to hold all the misc. shampoo bottles. We installed a curved curtain rod after I saw the one at Shawna's house, and I am really pleased with it. It adds about an extra five inches of elbow room while showering, and getting touched by the shower curtain has always been a pet peeve of mine!

With three weeks left until I start back at work I am really hoping that the project will pick up steam and be finished well before then. You can probably anticipate at least one more 'during' post.

Saturday, 27 November 2010

Pretty (Insecure) Woman


This week I had the opportunity to spend two hours with a dozen other women in their twenties and thirties, discussing our wants, needs and insecurities when it comes to how we dress ourselves.

The one thing that really stood out to me was how universal our insecurities are. I listened to a younger woman talk about her concerns about her figure and needing to cover up or hide certain areas of her body. Meanwhile, as the heaviest woman in the room I looked at her and felt a strange mix of emotions. First, envy, she was petite, young, attractive, dressed trendily, and yet she felt the exact same insecurities that I feel every day.

While I do sometimes struggle with feeling empathy for the woman who wants to lose ten or fifteen pounds, there is nothing to say that my feelings are any more difficult to bear than that womans. Others experiences do not diminish our own, and our internal dialogue can be debilitating.

Lately I've been consciously listening to the way I talk to myself. Depression comes with a whole barrage of self-esteem issues, when I am at my lowest I can't be bothered with makeup because I feel that it is a waste of time and that nothing could improve my appearance. Now when I look in the mirror and hear my voice silently telling me 'You look terrible', 'You're so ugly', 'Why do you even try?' I ask myself, is that what I would say to my best friend? How would I feel if I heard someone say that to her?

Horrified.

I can be much kinder to me when I treat myself like a friend.

Whether you have fifteen or eighty-five pounds to lose, the smaller number doesn't necessarily make your journey easier. Of course I am coming from a purely speculative position here as I am the one with the bigger number to lose.
Image source: Έλενα Λαγαρία

Thursday, 25 November 2010

The Bathroom Remodel: Before

Our kitchen and bathroom have been on the back of our minds for a long time; two big projects that must be tackled before we can sell the house. With Matt unexpectedly being out of work and the two of us being at home for a little while, we decided to go ahead and do the bathroom renovation.

The problems with the bathroom were:
  • the bath made a weird popping noise when you stood in certain places
  • The tub surround was very moldy
  • The wall at both the head and foot of the bath was rotting
  • Outdated fixtures in bath/shower and sink
  • Outdated lighting
  • Damaged sink and outdated cabinet
  • Ugly stick down tiles
After I took the 'before' pictures, I actually think the bathroom looks worse in pictures than it did in person. Though that might just be because I've been living with it for so long!

Here it is in all it's moldly glory:




As you can imagine it has been a lovely relaxing place to take a bath.

Not so much.

Now you have seen the bath and shower that we have been living with for over six years. There is of course a little bit more to the bathroom but I will show you that another time. We haven't started on that part of the room so no before pictures yet.

The bathroom has been a work in progress for 13 days now. The back of the house is an obstacle course! It definitely makes me rethink the idea of living in a house while fully renovating it. I'm also really glad we didn't attempt to do it as a weekend project, it has been a lot more complicated than anticipated!

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Family Updates: November

Image source: sleepyjeanie

I decided that since my family are all back in Australia it might be a good idea to focus at least one post a month on our little family updates. I don't always or even often blog about the kids milestones and things like that, so this way there is at least one post out of how ever many I write in a month that is dedicated solely to that.

To family and friends who are interested, here's a little run down on what we've been up to this November:


Desana:
  • took right to vegemite sandwiches and regularly has one for breakfast
  • continues to work on using the toilet and is for the most part doing very well
  • loves to sing I can sing a rainbow and Twinkle, twinkle, little star
  • colors inside the lines and likes to drawer pictures of things (then explain to us what they are, we usually can't tell!)
  • is slowly learning that she needs to share her toys with Freya


Freya:
  • third tooth just broke through and fourth is soon to follow!
  • has started climbing on everything, the couch to look out the window, the dining room chair to look in the fish tanks (eek!), LOVES climbing up into her sisters toddler bed
  • started standing up from sitting and took her first step on Saturday, now just a few days later she's taking four steps at a time!
  • LOVES standing in front of the fish tanks and watching the fish
  • is learning to laugh evilly (muahahaha!) as trained by her Daddy


Matt:
  • has been playing on a touch football team once a week
  • is hard at work remodeling our bathroom
  • is reading The Black Prism by Brent Weeks


Amy:

Monday, 22 November 2010

Back to Blogging


It might not be December 21st, but as far as Winnipeg is concerned I think it's safe to say that Winter is here.

I don't mind the start of winter, every fresh snow fall is beautiful as it looks so white and soft and fluffy. It's once the wind sets in and I actually have to be outside in it that I begin to question my choice almost 7 years ago to move to such a cold and snowy place.

The positive part is that I'm enjoying more frequent cups of hot chocolate and snuggling under blankets.

I'm also really excited to be back to blogging! The blog move was a little complicated and I had a few moments of panic but everything should be up and running again now. The biggest difference that you will probably notice as a reader is the new comment system, so please feel to leave a comment and test it out! If you come across any problems please let me know.

The other big change around here is that we decided to go ahead with our bathroom remodel, so the house has been in upheaval for going on two weeks now. I'll be sharing some before and during pictures with you soon, the after is still awhile away.

Stay warm!

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

Making a change

I've decided to move Journey Mum to wordpress. This might not mean anything to those of you who aren't fellow bloggers, but basically it means that the blog might be unavailable for a few days, and then it will be back and better than ever.

Thank you and hang in there, I'll be back soon!

Tuesday, 16 November 2010

Blogging Milestone - 100 posts

Image Source: D. Sharon Pruitt

Here we are at my 100th blog post. This blog has gone through a lot of changes since I first started writing it, as have I. From 4 posts in 2008, to 3 in 2009, and this post will make 93 for 2010 so far, it took awhile for things to get going but my blog is one of favorite things now.

When I started out I had no idea that I would be blogging about the things I write about now. I still don't consider myself to be any kind of authority on decorating, or decluttering, or motherhood. What I am is an ordinary woman going through my every day, learning as I go.

My blog really began to pick up steam when I started looking at my days differently. Instead of the rinse and repeat of caring for the girls, struggling to get on top of the mess, failing to find time to do what I wanted to do for me, I slowly pulled out the moments of brightness and pleasure from inside of all of that monotony. Then a wonderful thing happened. The more I focused on those moments, the more I experienced them. My life transformed from feeling like it was groundhog day every day, to a life I actively participated and found enjoyment in.

One of the things that initially held me back from blogging was my fear of what the people who know me in the offline world would think of what I had to say. Looking back, that was a pretty silly fear. So far I haven't received a negative remark, in fact I am always surprised when people tell me how much they enjoy and look forward to reading my blog. Surprised and very pleased!

I'm not saying my life is perfect. In many ways it's not. I still have dark moments every single day where I wonder how I am going to get through some struggle or anxiety in my life. But I also have a greater respect for the blessings and abundance in my life.

To celebrate reaching 100 posts I thought we'd take a look back at the five posts that attracted the most views from you, my readers.






I'm so pleased with how far I've come and I'm excited to see where I will be when I get to my 200th post. Thank you for continuing to read (and hopefully enjoy) everything I share here.