The little reverie is 1 month old today!

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was in agony and in a delivery room. Certainly not 1 month ago.

Since I have been blessed with the world’s best baby, I need to get back into the reno’s and the house!

But not before I pick up my new car!!!

This Sunday is Mother’s day! I am so excited. What a total spin out. I am still in shock that this little girl is mine. Right now, as I type, She is near me, but I can’t see her unless I get up. She is as quiet as a mouse and I often forget I even have a little offspring. Bizarre.

Tomorrow I will pick up my Mother’s Day present. My new car.

The husband is quite chuffed at himself. Thinks he is delivering the mother of all mother’s day presents! HEHE I am dork. Well in my eyes, he is.

I am totally spoiled rotten to the core!

So back to renovating. I flip between wanting to work on the living room to wanting to work on our bedroom.

(Plus I totally have to tidy up the nursery and attempt to take some nice pics of it so I can finally do a room reveal, a la the block, budget styles in the burbs!!!)

In order for the living room to progress, It needs me to make some big $$$ purchases, and well, I have just had a baby and now bought a new car, so no!

Back to our bedroom!

Here is a pic of her the other day.

It needs a jaw dropping light fitting, bedside lamps, a vanity, mirror above vanity, my antique chair to be restored and re-upholstered.

For the fabric, I would like a pattern. It needs to take my breath away! I’d love a cheetah animal print in a blue/seafoam colour. So I am on the hunt.

In between the wardrobe and the curtains, that is the area I would like to put my vanity.

Set up an area like those inspirational pictures.

I did have aspirations of designing the vanity myself and have it custom made, but again $$$

and then I was reading the current issue of Belle magazine and see this:

It has that piece of furniture credited and not only is it the perfect proportions, but is $295!! Yep, $295.

That’s some ikea pricing there, without being ikea. Then thinking of changing the knobs out to crystal ones

What do you think? I think, for 295, she’ll do.

Also need new bed head and the wardrobe doors need a face lift. I want to add mill-work and new handles and the whole thing be painted white.

Enough jib-jabbering. I’m tired.

Out.

Let there be light!

Reed sconces, Visual Comfort from Laura Kincade.

The mantle isn’t attached properly. Just leaning there.

We just put the 2 wall lights on and chill out. Such lovely mood lighting.

Today was a fabulous day in Sydney for the fire!!

It is so close yet so far!!! Lots of painting still to be done.

I am on the hunt for an oval convex mirror for the centre.

The electricians also fixed our door bell!!!

It has such a lovely ringer/dinger. I have no idea how old it is. The dinger is inside a cabinet in the kitchen and has 2 dingers. One for the doorbell at the front door and the other for the doorbell at the back door. The back door one works perfectly. But we have no need for that. The front one works intermittently. It keeps getting stuck. Everyone was telling me to just replace it. But I was adamant on keeping the old doorbell!! It has mercury in it and they just don’t make things like they use to. Let me ask you, how many houses have you been to where the door bell doesn’t work?? I have been to heaps! They just have those crappy wireless ones that just stop working after like a month! Or they are mp3 ones. My one has such a lovely ding to it!!

Anyways, I was the genius that suggested to all the men, can’t we just change the wires over, so that the front door is connected to the dinger that works??

HUZZAHH!!!

Perfection.

Finally, our brass button has been put on too,

It matches the front door handle with the rope detail.

In other news, my friend came over to meet our little girl and she gave me a bunch of flowers! I had just the right vase to put them in.

Waterford fleurology crystal vase!!

The vase is called “AUDREY” and was my push present!!!

My husband was sooooooooo against push presents. But Tah-dah! He couldn’t resist when he saw this vase in our little girl’s name.

I just love it. It is so special.

Any other mums get push presents??

Oh my, mother’s day is just around the corner! How exciting. I am excited.

I pinch myself. I can’t believe I am a mum!!

The first part of the massive cornice going up!

The 2 workers were here from 7.30am till 6.30pm!!!

They were seriously irritable by the end of the day! Totally over it.

Both their wives were calling them asking about the kids. One of them had to pop out and come back to pick up a kid.

Tah-Dah!!!

Do you like my urn? $8 from the salvos.

The Electrician is coming tomorrow to install the wall lights that have finally arrived.

I am thinking of moving their location (Now that the cornice and mantle are in place) I think they need to be brought into the centre a bit more.

I told the husband to paint the ceiling and the chimney breast before that happens, but isn’t sure when that will happen.

He unfortunately has to paint the mantle again. He has to scrape off all the paint on there and start over.

He over thought it too much (didn’t listen to me) and it didn’t work out.

So there is still a bit of work until it is complete. But till then, we are enjoying the heater.

Just some ponderings from my psyche this past week.

I hope I go into labour naturally. I hope my water breaks in fantastic fashion. I have gone through 9 months of being pregnant, I want the big finale. I want the drama.
I want to make that phone call to my husband, whaling down the line, “I’m in labour!!!”
I am excellent in a crisis. My Husband? No, not at all. He is a planner, a documenter. Needs all his little ducks lined up.

The moment they are not, it all comes crashing down. I am certain he will drive us the wrong way to the hospital, because he will be a bunch of nerves and won’t think straight.
I actually stated this to him and he goes on to tell me that he actually doesn’t know how to get to the hospital. He has never been!!!!!
Great! I sarcastically think.

Now, before you all think, geez what a useless husband. He has come to all my ultrasounds, but they weren’t at the hospital.
Making mental note to do a test trip to the hospital. But I have this feeling it will all be in vain. I feel like I am going to be given a date and be induced. I kind of feel that is an anti-climax. So ripped off. Having said that, who cares!!!! You have an end date. You can be calm. No more uncertainty. (This would thrill my husband)

So over on the twittersvere, a lovely lady with her first bub has the same due date as me and she gave birth this morning!!!!!!! I was reading her tweet while at work. AND I AM WORKING NEXT WEEK TOO!

I love to go out with a bang. I don’t do things by halves. All or nothing.
This has caused great stress to my male boss. (Isn’t it funny that men seem to be more sympathetic to pregnant women then women, “Suck it up princess” like that mole from Nepean Hospital!!) He really doesn’t want me to work next week.
I keep assuring him that it will be fine, but he retorts with a hysterical, but what if it isn’t??? It is a huge possibility that you will go into labour.

With me informing him about this lady having the same due date and giving birth, I really didn’t help the situation!!

I just have tomorrow and Monday to work and then I have 3 days off and then I am working Good Friday through to Easter Monday. THEN I AM ON MATERNITY LEAVE. I have complete and absolute faith that I will make it!

Although, there is one flaw in my plan (That is unless I go overdue) I haven’t factored in any time BEFORE having a baby to just spend the day with my husband. I think that was a big oversight, but I really want all the extra money from the Easter long weekend before commencing motherhood and maternity leave.

I want the money for rugs & light fittings! Bizarre, I know. Call me crazy, but all I want to do is buy lamps and light fittings. My house has just the standard issue ceiling batons and in the year we have lived here, I have only managed to buy and replace 3 of them. 2 in the hallway and 1 in the nursery and they were all cheapies.

I want some gorgeous designer ones, imported from the US, naturally darlings!
Like I said, I don’t do things by halves.
But it seems like Australia does. Have you seen the light fittings we have on offer?? I am sure you have heard other bloggers lament on the very poor selection we have available. They are tacky and cheap! They have no place in my home.

Enough waffling. Let’s talk business.

On Tuesday the Electrician is coming to do odd jobs here and there, but especially, installing the power leads for the wall sconces on the chimney breast! (Why do I keep having workers start on Tuesdays?? It is suppose to be my day of rest!!)

Oh well, time is running out.

My wall sconces have arrived in Australia, they are just being re-wired.

Hopefully they are done before the Easter break and I can pick them up on Thursday.

My husband is commencing work on the mantle.

He is sanding it and priming it. He is not certain what paint to use for it though. Anyone want to chime in?? I am thinking acrylic with a top coat or two of clear varnish. Or just enamel paint? He is concerned about the heat. (Rookies here, can you tell?)

He has also finished painting the nursery door and has asked me to help him put it back on??? The fuck?? I am 38 weeks pregnant. You won’t let me bend over to plug my laptop power in, or be in the same room when the microwave is on (Seriously, the other day he asked me to leave and close the door behind myself) but oh hey honey, help me hang a door! Men, so silly!

Waffling again.

Still waiting on cornices, not sure what is going on there. It was a particularly windy day yesterday and all the crap from the ceiling was blown all over our desk! YAY.
But. . .  It is going to look AMAZING when complete!

Soon I will be posting my nursery reveal posts. I just need to clean the bloody room up. I just can’t find room for all the stuff my spoilt little girl has to take nice piccies. I keep walking in there with the best intentions to get on with it. But then I umm and ahh and get overwhelmed. Move one item to one side of the room and then back again, being all preggo and indecisive and then walk about again!! But rest assured ladies (men, do I even have male readers? Google analytics can’t decipher that) I will get there!

They’re back again. They must love Tuesdays. I love Tuesdays too! It is my Saturday. I have just finished my my working week (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and here I am trying to rest.

I am 37 weeks pregnant after all, but husband wakes me. “Can I tell you something?” Gosh, that is one way to wake someone up!!

Here I am running possible next sentences through my head before I answer “I want a divorce, I don’t love you anymore, I’m moving out. I just broke something!!!”

Ok, I’ll admit it. I am a little dramatic.

He just checked his phone to see a text msg saying the workers will be here TODAY at 7.30am!!

WOW! Way to give someone some notice LOL. I wasn’t too fussed though, because I was home anyways and I WANT THIS FIREPLACE!!

So we both had to haul ass into the living room and tidy up. No leisurely breakfast, no sleep in, no gazing into each other eyes.

The weather was a little nippy and it was making me excited for the fireplace even more.

First thing that was done was the honed granite hearth was put down.

Then the fire box was put in

And the flue was connected to go outside the wall.

See the flue pieces on the ground and the sunlight streaming through the hole?

Then the skirting boards

Then the black fascia surround of the fire box.

And lastly, the mantle. It is just leaning there for the moment.

My husband has set up a little spray painting area in our garage. Him and his wagner spray painting machine have gone to town.

He has also been painting some interior doors. Mainly focusing on the nursery door, so that it is ready in time for the arrival of our bub.

So he is going to spray the mantle white in the garage before fixing it on.

We tried the heater out last night. She is a dream come true.

The cornices still need to be completed and put up.

The electrician will come soon as well to put power cables and install my lights.

New improved fireplace mock up!!!

A little photoshopping for you my dears.

Not too dissimilar??

What do we think!

So there is still one more day of work (well most likely half day) to install the cornice. Then my husband needs to WASH THE FLOORS!!! Wipe the walls, prime and paint the chimney breast and cornices and the mantle. And the lights installed.

What are we thinking for hanging on the mantle? A mirror, a photograph or a piece of art?

On Tuesday the 12th, the builder came back to do some more work. He patched up the screws/joins and made everything tidy.

He also cut the hole bigger to accommodate the firebox

As well as put the hole through the brick wall for the flue.

And that is where we are at. I am not sure when they are coming back next. There is a bit of a cornice issue apparently. He didn’t realise how big they were and he hasn’t received the correct quote. So they are just sitting around. Errggh. Hopefully something will happen soon.

Basically what is left to do is, install the firebox/gas heater. Run a new gas pipe by a plumber. Put the mantle on. Put the skirting boards around the chimney breast. Get electrician to run the power cables for my sconces.

AND! Install the new cornices!!!

Then hubby will have the delightful task of painting everything ready for the baby to chill in front of.

The fastest thing to ever happen around here was the cutting down of a hideous palm tree in our front yard.

From the first phone call to him packing up the ute to leave was about 2 hours.

So happy to see that thing gone. It get dropping it’s big branches on our lawn and the neighbours car. We didn’t know what to do with them and it was as ugly as anything.

We finally got our Christmas present! Our steel security door. She is a beauty.

This little porch requires so much work, so much beautification!! I am constantly looking for a nice bench to go where that chair is (there is 2 of those chairs there) and soon we are replacing the door bell button with a brass one.

So much action has been occurring in the nursery, but I best leave that for another post entirely. I have written part one of the nursery posts!

Baby clothes washing has been happening constantly!

(It better be a girl, it better be a girl, look at all that pink!)

I bought a coffee table at the Laura Kincade sale. It is from my favourite furniture makers. The Hickory Chair Co in North Carolina US.

I have been looking for an oval coffee table since 2009. When I was living in my apartment. Both my apartment and this house have long and narrow living areas where a long and narrow coffee table was required. And I always wanted an oval shape as then there were no sharp corners to jab mine or anyone elses legs on for that matter.

When my favourite shop in Sydney announces they are having a floor stock sale, I am right there. (If you are a long term reader of my blog, you know that most of my furniture is 2^nd hand or floorstock, it is the only feasible way that I can furnish my house in the style I would like with the money I have and it doesn’t bother me one bit)
I see a stunning oval coffee table near the door, I can’t see a tag, I assume “Gah it is so beautiful, of course it is already sold to someone else” I keep browsing and look at it from another angle, I see a tag. I mentally prepare myself for heartbreak or cardiac arrest as I slowly turn the tag over to view the price. “Hey now, that is not bad. That is reasonable. . . . . . . .  day dreaming . . . . . .  Oh shit, what will my husband think? . . . . . . . . I can’t, I just can’t walk away from this. I will kick myself forever. How many coffee tables have I seen in the past that I actually want to buy regardless of price, hmm that would be none. . . I’m getting it, because if I don’t get it now, I will come back in a year and buy it full price, so it only makes sense to buy it now, right?”

Does anyone else have full on internal dialogue with themselves?? Please, fess up?? I can’t be the only one.

Laura Kincade wrapped it so nicely and offered a very humble and personable service to me. They even thoughtfully put it in my car in the rain.

It is a wooden table with a bevel glass top and antique silver leaf finish

I bought this table at the same time I bought the sconces for the fireplace

I love wall lights

Just a refresher! The one circled is what I chose!

Can’t wait for them to arrive.

Husband was busy this past week. He painted the architraves around the doors of 3 rooms (our bedroom, the nursery and bathroom 1)

The doors have been removed and he is painting them this week hopefully!

Yesterday was my Birthday!!! I turned a quarter century!! Arghh, wait a minute, wasn’t I 21 just the other day. Here I am married with a baby on the way. What a freak out.

Because there is a baby on the way, I suspect that is the reason I scored such awesome pressies! I was very spoilt!

I love pastels & polka dots, I made no omission of this in my baby shower posts.

Wedgwood polka dot collection.

Obviously my mum picked up on that and I received 2 sets of these plates

As well as the creamer and sugar bowl.

I also got some parfait spoons and cake forks!!!

Now for our kitchen to be renovated and a nice oven, I will bake a nice cake and serve it to you with tea? Who is coming over for afternoon tea?

My sister bought me a beautiful cardigan and TONNES of baby clothes!! They nearly took up a whole clothes airer when hanging them out to dry this morning.

I also got generous gift vouchers, can’t wait to go shopping and buy some expensive stuff I have been going with out.

Husband is getting me the fireplace. I used the baby as bargaining tool and succeeded, little did I know, the poor guy had already bought my birthday presents. He is an organised fellow!!!

He bought me some beautiful new white sheets with the 50cm depth on the fitted sheet (hard to come by and definitely needed for our mattress) Some white towels and some beauty products.

He took me out for dinner as well.

This is a pic of me before heading out the door.

It is getting closer and I am getting BIG!!!

I pottered around the nursery this morning. Still looks like a bomb has hit it since the baby shower. I am trying to find a spot for everything. This is the spot I have chosen for the nappies. Stacked in a corner.

“That’ll do pig, that’ll do”

I love saying that. I love that movie!!!!

(Does anyone know what movie I am referring to?)

Today work commenced on our fireplace, one day early!! Woo hoo.

I think everyone is aware that I would love it all complete before I give birth, so they are hustling.

This is the progression so far.

Before shot

This is the awkward part of the wall that needs the fireplace.

We dropped clothed everything, but it didn’t really make a difference. Dust EVERYWHERE

The dust was caused by them cutting and removing our cornice, so it can be matched to wrap around the new chimney breast.

Man, our room must be major wonky.

Here is the plasterboard clad chimney breast. They need to cut more of the plaster away for the fire box.

Two men were here from 7.30am to just after 5pm! Huge day.

Pretty thrilled with the work done, I thought they were just taking the cornice away.

Tomorrow the electrician is coming to quote odd jobs around the place, including putting in my Visual Comfort sconces.

And it is a possibility that the builder will return on Friday afternoon to do the plastering! It’s all happening.

Readers with partners,

Do you pick your own birthday presents? Do you, not so gently, steer your partner in the right direction. Do you blatantly tell them what it is you want?

I am that terrible, terrible person!

Since winter last year, no scratch that, since we first inspected our home I said to my husband, I want to put in a gorgeous fireplace, that room NEEDS it.

Then we suffered through our first winter last year at this place and I said, ok, my birthday next year, I want that fireplace.

Here are the before shots of our living room

It did have some sort of faux fireplace thing. No gas connection, but a chimney that went out the wall and up the side of the house. But it was then covered with that amber glass.

Because we didn’t understand (nor visually like) the fireplace, we ripped it out.

I said to my husband, I would love to have one of my mothers quilts on the ground in front of the fireplace and a baby enjoying tummy time in the winter.

So with that in mind, we made a baby. With my birthday, baby and winter fast approaching, we have now put the wheels in motion to get a fireplace installed.

We have employed Stephen and his team from Chippendale restorations to make this happen.

It will go in the same place the old fireplace was. The room is long and skinny and it needs something in that part of the wall. It will also greet you as you enter this room as it will be right there bang, smack, in the middle of your face.

We had a site inspection yesterday, I then went down to Rozelle to pay the deposit and pick the mantle.

This is what we are going for. (Please excuse the terrible photoshopping. Can you believe I am a graphic designer?? Me neither!!)

To achieve this, a chimney breast is going to be built. This will affect our cornices. Our cornices can’t be matched, so they are taking a mold of our cornices and pouring what they require to go around the new chimney breast.

The timber mantle will be painted glossy white, to match all the skirting and architraves in the house.

These are some inspiration picture for what we are trying to achieve.

All these images have white paneling/mill-work on the wall/chimney breast. I don’t think we are going to do that. Just paint the new chimney breast in the same paint as the walls.

I then went to my favourite shop in Sydney! Laura Kincade and purchased 2 Reed sconces by Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort in polished nickel.

These will flank the artwork or mirror we will eventually hang.

Work will commence on Wednesday and should take about 3 weeks to complete. Then husband will have the task of painting everything. Then my sconces should arrive and we install those.

Then it will be nearing my due date and we will be ready for late night feeds on the couch, by the soft light from the sconces and the roaring fireplace!

HEAVEN!

Pretty crappy picture.

But it is finally PAINTED!!

Well done to my husband who did an excellent job.

You can see the beautiful detail in the stained glass window.

From the front!

In January we are getting a new screen door!

Thank heavens. The order has been placed and it is being made.

A dark blue steel security door.

Then next Christmas, I will have the best darn wreath you ever did set your eyes upon.

I just didn’t fell incline to adorn this screen door, when it is rubbish.

If something is ugly to begin with, a bit of fancy decorations ain’t going to do much, so I didn’t bother.