Porch light

New light installed on new porch paint work. Even goes (thanks Allan!). Looks great for 20 bux. Bargain dad, bargaaaiiinnn.

OoooOoH look what I just arrived home to...

Had 3 days of camping at belly and duncys and It was only slightly painful chasing a child round an un-childproof house the entire time. Super grateful they took us in though.. not many people are that silly! Stocked to be home and weeeeee pretty floors!!!

Oh so edgy

Garden borders in. Had mum and daughter time in the garden today cutting wood to size, digging out channel and filling in the new garden edge. Looks amazing compared with the old rotten pieces of untreated Rimu I had lying in vaguely the right places....

Pretty cool steps dad

Love Paige

Lookn good Gaz

Steps are taking shape. Just the side steps around the corner to go.

The world is happening.

Well steps are happening. You wouldn't think it. We survived almost a year jumping of a 600mm deck with no help. Problem is we have a small person who also thinks its cool to jump off. So steps are now required. Foundations in place and things are happening fast, very fast!

Progress on the gable ends

Having to strip off flakey paint, remove rot, replace with new timber, re-mortar holes, seal cracks and finally paint... So it has not been the smallest job. Getting there though... Two painted and finished and 3 to go.

Porch floor is dry & Paige approves

Played porch this weekend

Last week I water blasted the crap out of our flakey porch. This weekend I scraped my heart out... Gaz did too. Once all the paint (and i mean all 10,000 layers) had been stripped back we sealed em up with an undercoat. We also prepped the concrete steps and Gaz used some fancy schmancy grey industrial floor paint to match the concrete and should last plenty of stomps. Good effort... Shits happening!

Porch time...

That's pretty much our whole porch in my hair. I water blasted the crap out of it ready for paint...

Scrubba dub dub

We just bought a new laundry tub to go with my new front loader :)

The old tub was old and flakey, but not entirely the only reason for the the upgrade...

So we did have a top loader until I harped on enough at gaz to buy me a new front loader. All the cool kids have them and so he was convinced. Until we got home and hadn't considered the left opening door was going to mean we couldn't use our bifold doors any longer. I was definitely not going to ditch my new machine for closed doors so the only next solution was a slim line tub. So $400 later and we have a solution. Whoooop!

Manhole and ceiling = slightly warmer

Yep that would be my new laundry ceiling. Only got finishing motivation after half of winter went by and we got sick of the freezing freeze just helping itself into the house from the ceiling. Whoop one degree warmer.

Whoop one step closer

Gaz whipped out the paint brush and attempted to finish the lounge window sill we started a million years ago.

Black is back

I reframed from using my blackboard paint to do an entire blackboard wall. Gaz wasnt so keen...

Instead I found one of our old kitchen cupboard doors, scraped the hideous salmon coloured paint back and made a nifty old chalk board.

Quite enjoy...

New manhole

Looks swarve! Good hubby... And now for the bats back into place and the jib on! It's freezing!

Ummm I can not multi-task!

This mornings epic baking fail....

Marveling at our new wall

Last time I said the wall was done. Secretly it wasn't... Today we finished the last coats of paint, took the scaffold down.. And then went over to the neighbours to marvel at their new view... Our beautifully finished wall ;)

Before and after below...

Hi, I am little miss independent

I will turn my nose up at spoonfuls of mash but im super happy If i get whole food and I'm in charge of the mashing. Hand mashing that is... and floor decorating too!

Mmmm... What have we created? A mess I tell ya, a mess! Thank god for Lego!

Crazy talk

Today my child is six months old! Time needs to slow down or she'll be off to school! Last week she started getting up on her knees looking distinctly ready for crawling so quick smart we installed a gate to keep a little control in the house.... Good move, and keeps Lego out! Anyway happy 6th month birthday Paige... Love you to pieces! Xx

Goodbye rotty rot rot

Finally we have a rot free wall! Quite a major part of the structure of your house is the top plate (apparently). But not so flash when you can poke your finger straight through the timber... Somewhat unstructurally sound in fact. So the lot got ripped out and replaced. Not the smallest job in the world either... Involved ripping off all the exterior cladding (plaster over meshhy business) and the inevitable... Exposing more rot! Weeeee. Nothing phases gaz though, so out it all came and she's as sturdy as new now! Flagged repeating the original swish effect plaster coating this time though. Trusty dave did his normal overamazing helping for a day again and by the time you can say "10 sausages and a box of beer"... the whole gable end was recladded with hardy board and a flash coat of texture paint slapped on by Simon :)
I must say the wall was the most obvious from the road so it's nice to have a lovely looking wall with nice new wood :) had to introduce the child to building so up the scaffold she went too!

Thanks to everyone the helped! Dave you are a star! And even the scaffold was donated!

I am a sewing MACHINE

I think I have an addiction... Doesn't help mums aunty carol sent me a heap of merino to play with. So whipped up some pants, a cute dress, more pants and a top to help the child keep warm through the freezing Wellington winter! And that's not to mention the ridiculous amounts of bibs I have been making and selling!

New boards...

Hi blog. Its been too long!

It's funny when you work full time you feel so busy all the time. Now with no job, other than a little sprog to run around after, i feel alot busier! And so i apoligise dear blog, i've taken my busyness out on you in the form of neglect. Some things have been happening in the house of Ramikins. Maybe not at the same pace of childless 2011 but i still have the most motivated hubby in the world who gets things done regardless of how useless his wife is! Back with the goods shortly!

Clean air. Well, inside anyway.

For a very long time the extractor fan above the gas cook top has been doing an excellent job of sucking up gasie fumes and pumping them back around the kitchen. Not so ideal, some might say rather friggen pointless.

Finally my loving husband wanted an excuse to buy himself more car parts... so in order to keep his wife happy he made it work proper like. Well, it now pumps up into the ceiling which is also less than ideal but 'it works'. He also came home with parts to make it go outside so i believe soon all gas fumes will be pumped out which will be even acer.

So here it is for reals

My jewellery now for sale online.

This parenting thing is working a treat. Whilst child sleeps.... Jute makes stuff!

Jewellery is my latest thing and have made some awesome pieces which i almost want to keep and wear myself! The theme carries on from Ramikins Renos and uses old found building materials and objects to create wearable pendants.

The range is called Found Jewelry and is now for sale on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/foundjewellery Wohoo, hopefully they get snapped up as i have millions of ideas awaiting!



And in other geeky news.. Paige's bassinet project is now featured on a site i frequent for more eyes to see! Heres the link: http://betterafter.blogspot.com/