I Don't Poop Rainbows

I really don't poop rainbows, even if this blog sometimes seems it. So I wanted to say a little something about why this blog is usually very puppies and unicorns.

Number One is my husbands job. He works with vulnerable adults and while I am not so up my own backside to assume his bosses read our blog, I am aware that what I post is out there for anyone to read at anytime and that while I am not my husband I do represent him. In the same way your head teacher on a school trip tells you to be on your best behavior because you are representing the school.
So I try to behave. If I come on here cussing and shouting, if I insult people around us it paints a negative picture and could effect his bosses opinion of him.

Someone once said to me (regarding facebook, but applies to anything really) if you wouldn't say it in front of them, then you keep it to yourself or between you and your partner/best friend. I have been guilty in the past, when I was younger, of being mean. And yes I still sometimes rant about people, who doesn't? But now I keep those thoughts safe. I pour a glass of wine and phone my best friend or ask hubby for a back rub while I rant.

Number Two is that this is my family blog. Yes it's public and I won't deny that the 140 likes and 90 comments we got on facebook about how cute our jar labels are was heartwarming (we all like a compliment), but this blog is ultimately set up so that we can look back at our houses and decor choices and so that family can see what we have been up to. We (okay maybe more me than him) have a huge family that is spread out over the UK and splattered in other countries and this gives them a way to keep up. I know some of you are thinking "does your uncle really care about the colour of your bedroom?" and to be honest, he may not care enough to ask but that doesn't mean he doesn't care at all. When family visit, they want the grand tour. They comment on things like the bedroom decor or how cute the kitchen is. Well a lot of my family doesn't really get down this way much, so they are able to have the house tour through this blog or skip over it and catch up on what we've been up to.
Anyway, back to the main point... Because this blog is out here for our family we don't want them reading all the bad stuff. I mean sure we'll touch on things like my health etc. But they don't need to read a 4 page essay each week on useless doctors.

Number Three is the most important one. The internet is not the same as real life. I don't mean everything online is fake or anything, just it's different. If I come online and whinge and complain, anyone can read and anyone can comment. But anyone can skip over and as great as that is it can give a false perspective. But by stepping away from the computer and complaining to a friend, I know they can be trusted to listen, support and tell me when to strap on my big girl panties and get over it.

So please don't assume I'm high on fairy dust, I do get upset and annoyed. But I try to stay away from the computer when I feel that way and instead have a cuddle with the cats and calm down.

Also to touch on the lack of pictures of my son - he is 3. He is not yet old enough to consent to his picture being plastered everywhere and I'd like to respect that. That's not to say I never post pictures, but I try to limit it. The internet is forever and before I post I try to think "would he want his friends etc seeing this in 20 years time?" That doesn't in any way mean I think you're a bad parent for posting pictures of your children, it all comes down to personal preference and this is mine.

Second Viewings and Pinterest

So we sent the estate agent a little email about the bungalow, detailing what we wanted to do to it and why. We got a reply to say the landlord is okay with what we want to do (in theory) and has invited us for a second viewing next week to discuss in better detail what we want to do.

Most of what we want to do is pretty self explanatory (e.g. replace some carpet with some laminate) but the garden path is a bit more complex. It is a simple gravel path with bricks either side. It's quite dull and could do with something cheap and cheerful done to it. So with that in mind I scoured pinterest to come up with some ideas.

Does a particular one jump out at you? Which one do you prefer?

Ding Ding, We Have A Winner?

Recap: Yesterday we were due to view a bungalow, we were still trying to get a time to view the other bungalow.

Well we managed to view both yesterday.

Bungalow One -
While this bungalow was quaint and adorable, in a lovely secluded area it was let down in many ways by the lack of correct information and work it needed. The garage and garden that were attached to the property were to be shared with the main house, giving you no privacy in your own home.
The windows were a confusing factor, although the back windows were in good condition and so didn't need replacing the fact half the windows were white plastic and the other half were black wood was quite an eye sore.
The kitchen only had one double cupboard, no shelf inside and there were a few mould spots. The tiled kitchen floor was something of an acquired taste, while it was to my taste the fact they had tiled over a green carpet that was also mouldy was an issue for us.

Nobody had maintained the property. It needed cleaning, painting, roof repairs and the trees and leaves needed clearing up. It's a shame as it was a lovely little place and with some TLC someone could call it home.

Later that day we viewed
Bungalow Two -
Despite being just off a road the bungalow cannot hear nor see the road thanks to carefully grown hedges and trees at the end of the garden. The carpets are cheap, damaged and ultimately need tearing up but that's a relatively easy task and not too bad given we would prefer laminate floors in certain areas.
The garden needs a little bit of love, the grass is a little patchy in some areas and the gravel walkway is a bit sparse. It could also do with a little fence added in two spots where the wind has knocked down the old fence.

The bathroom is very bright and blue, we would definitely want to tone that down. The bedrooms are spacious and the house and garden have so much natural light, you just know waking up to that would be a joy.
It has an open plan dining area/kitchen which has a lovely amount of storage although the dining area needs a touch of work. The carpet needs replacing ideally, they have put ceiling lining paper on the glass roof which should be removed and due to the recent storms we've had there is a minor split in the gutter which has let a dribble of water in. Nothing that can't be repaired but obviously we would like the landlord to put some money towards this.

We have decided that Ding Ding, We Have A Winner based on approval from the landlord regarding the flooring, garden and dining room. Ultimately it's not a huge fix, it's a little time and energy but is mostly cosmetic.

On the way home hubby said it's a lot of work, so it's just a good thing we have a blog to share it on haha (:

The Craziness We Call House Hunting

We love our house, really we do. It's definitely big and in a nice area and an impressive price... But that's the thing, it's big!

We have three bedrooms - we need at least two.
We have three toilets - great! Guests have their own toilet attached to the guest bedroom, then there is the family bathroom and the downstairs toilet. Except it is a pain to clean! I have to walk up and back down two sets of stairs AND we are in a hard water area so they require harder scrubbing. Exhausting!
We have three floors (plus attic) - while this is currently pretty cool (the guests have their own floor when they stay) it won't be practical long term as when we have another baby it would mean either us or one of the kids moving upstairs and the thought of stairs separating us from the kids terrifies me!
We have two flights of stairs - they don't have to be used every day but it's still annoying and takes a lot of time and effort when it comes to cleaning. Plus I have problems with my back and joints which mean stairs can be a challenge.

So we have decided to look at some bungalows. And there are two we are going to view.

Bungalow One - Three bedrooms, spacious kitchen that needs a little work (replace cupboards), surrounded by fields, wood burning fire in the lounge.
Bungalow Two - Two bedrooms, smallish kitchen but has a dedicated dining area, surrounded by houses but in a rural village so a 5 minute walk down the road puts you in a field, fire in lounge (unclear if it works though).

There is literally £5pcm difference in rent (funnily enough bungalow one is the cheaper one).

But can I have a little rant? Why are estate agents idiots? Two different estate agents, both were sent a request to view. The first one sent us a brochure for the place and asked us to let them know if we wanted to view... Um, that may have been why we asked to view? So we get that squared out after several emails. Then to save time we send the other estate agents a request to view with a suggested time and date. They replied to thank us for the interest and ask if we wanted to view!? What is the point in that?

And another thing, what is with this sudden "no pets, no kids" rule? Especially on like 3-4 bed places. What do you want us to do, have them as offices and guest bedrooms?

Anyway, cross your fingers for us. We cannot wait until this madness is over and we can start settling into our new home (:

Free Printable Homemade Jam Labels

My Mother in Law makes absolutely delicious homemade jam and in fact all the fruit used is grown in her/her friends gardens. So it's all very fresh, very natural and very homemade. In fact, the only time she uses shop bought fruit in her jams is if she happens to have some left over.

With this in mind, her amazing jam deserves a pretty label. So I had a little play around and came up with these. Simple, adorable and made from scratch. I think they fit the bill perfectly. I popped them all onto an A4 template, so just print the picture below and cut out.

Mother's Day Free Printables

Me and my husband are very.. fussy? We like what we like and second best doesn't quite do it for us. So with that in mind we were obviously going to have to make custom cards.

We wanted something simple but appealing and so with that in mind, we came up with these..

Our Plans for Our Garden

We have been in our home for just shy of a year now and we finally know what we want to do to the garden and better yet, are tackling it.

As I have mentioned before our home is rented which does limit us to some degree as to what we can do as we have to put it all back when we move, which understandably delayed plans with the garden. But we have measured, discussed and had a drink and finally the plan is complete.

We started by discussing what things we wanted, what we need and what we couldn't stand. The short version is this:- Decking - we needed decking as we have an 8 inch drop outside the back door which was a bit of a safety hazard. The decking will be approx 6 inches high (due to electricity box etc on the wall) which is much more reasonable. Grass - the gravel isn't exactly family friendly. We hate it, the cats hate it, friends and family hate it. It had to go, but as we cannot just give it away we are going to put it inside the decking frame so it's hidden and when we remove the decking we can rake it off the patio and Voila! The garden is returned to it's former unglory. Flowerbeds - now I like flowers, but in small doses. We however love growing our own vegetables and thus a flowerbed was a must. We will plant some flowers between the veggies for a more natural, full and attractive look. Seating - we are currently torn between a bistro set or big floor cushions, but we know that somewhere to soak up the sun in the evening with some wine and music was a must for us. Barbecue - this is a big want for us, but not a need. With this in mind we know what we want and where it will go but we won't be buying one just yet as it isn't a priority.

Another factor we had to think of were our cats. Tinkerbell absolutely adores our garden, she soaks up the sun and runs around all day if you let her (as shown in the pictures below of her between the fence and our trellis playing peekaboo). However Bear (in the blue harness) isn't so sure. We aren't sure what his experience with gardens is, but in the 6ish months we've had him he has been scared of the garden. And the one time he went out he jumped over a wall, almost killed himself (hubby had to go find him!) And finally as one big bruise he came home. He had fallen approx 10 feet onto a metal desk, he hit it with such force he wee'd everywhere and winded himself. We nursed him back to health and this week he has been sitting by the door/window and staring longingly at Tinkerbell in the sun.

Today (as the pictures show, sorry about the bottle of nail varnish remover) he came and stuck himself out the living room window and sniffed around. He was very interested and curious. So we popped his harness and lead on and we walked around the garden a few times. He ignored the wall from his previous adventure, checked out the door, hopped back through the window and then came and soaked up some sun. We made a huge fuss of him (which Tinkerbell told us off for) because that was a huge deal for him and we were very proud and he purred away. Hopefully by the time the garden is done he will be happy to go in and out.

We are lucky in that the decking going onto the patio area only means while we save for that we can work on the rest of the garden. We have measured and priced up and the decking will cost approx £185, so we have given ourselves £200 for the garden makeover (not including seating since we can't decide what to do yet). We already have £50 on a B&Q gift card and so we plan to add £50 a month for the next 3 months.

We will spend £15 of that this month on seeds etc. So that in June we can install the decking and enjoy! We will probably spend more to be completely honest, but that will be on those little extras like lights and we will DIY as much as possible and shop around for deals.

We are looking forward to turning our courtyard into a family garden with something for everyone (: