My Year of Living Dangerously (also known as My Year of Painting Trim)

So I have been labouring most weekends with Polyfilla, sandpaper, masking tape, Primer and glossy white trim paint. It is a labour of love as I have been able to slowly update the 1980's Mission Brown skirting boards, door and window frames.

As with all things DIY, there has been a learning curve. I have discovered my preferred brand of paint, size and brand of masking tape.... and most importantly, my favourite size and brand of brush. What they say is true: Your tools ARE important.
With the exception of the laundry room, which will be torn up for a bigger renovation down the track, the entire ground floor is now trimmed white.  2015 will be the year of painting all of the upstairs trim in white.

The back door in the kitchen in process:

After: (the security screen door was replaced by a far more attractive screen door. 

In process in the master bedroom:

After:

Still life of masking tape after the last coat. 

Best paint ever!

Mission brown on the window sill, white in process on the floorboards in the family room. 

After:

Treats for New Years

Another road trip to visit USA FOODS, a grocery store which imports only American and Mexican grocery items. We went originally to get Jets marshmallows and Graham crackers for our S'mores dessert tonight, but we got distracted!

Still, we kept the madness under $100, and we will very much enjoy our sugary, preservative packed taste of North America as we cheer in 2015....

Wannabe Australian Pickers

Scott and I  took EJ and Jack on a road trip to Geelong to the Vintage Market for a fun day of picking. There was a lot of junk, but much of it was cool and trendy! The markets are houses in the old woollen mills in industrial North Geelong. There were at least two other vintage warehouses in the area, but there is a point you reach when you can no longer take in any more visual information.... and we still had to drive home... so, next time. 

Random stuff no one needs, but might want....

Antique I am.

Buy me you will.

It's always good to refuel at a yummy hipster cafe, and The Pickers Union at the Market  is just that!

Xmas 2014

Merry Christmas, all! We had a lovely and quiet holiday here. I made Salted Caramel Fudge to take along to the Taylor Family Xmas Lunch, and Ella-Jade, Jackson and I made the now traditional Ninjabreadmen. 

Peace. 

Advent Calendar 2014

We've been collecting toilet paper rolls for the whole year so we can create this cute advent calendar. This year, we had it made before December 1st. They are small containers, so less lollies fit into them, but there was more scope for creativity. Ella is the artist responsible for all the elves' different personalities.

Real tree

It's rather impractical in Australia to have real tree indoors at Xmas. With warm days, trees dry out quickly and can become fire hazards. Last year, we got a live Charlie Brown tree...  

This year, we decided to go real, so we ventured out to the Dandenong Christmas Tree Farm and chose our tree. 

The guy cut it for us....even though Jackson was really keen to.

It got netted for the ride home. 

We put it up ( It doesn't matter who you are: the worst part is  putting the tree in the stand and making sure it is up straight.... and ours is not completely straight!) 

 Jackson and I proceeded to decorate it. All in time for Ella's Christmas themed sleepover.