Ode to Hooves

Steve (Hooves) and I make a great team.  I came to this conclusion as I pondered the events of the last two months, having had the luxury of some time away from the children and the build last weekend to have some actual thoughts.  I was even moved to look the definition of 'team' up on Google.

It is, if you are interested:

"a group of two or more individuals who perform some work related task, interact with one another dynamically, have a shared past, have a foreseeable shared future, and share a common fate." ("and sometimes, drive each other up the wall" - Wikipedia forgot to add that bit).

And that sums us up.  We have settled into a pattern over the last month, where Steve is up earliest in order to get to work early.  The builders start early and Steve has a chat to them while he gets his bike in the morning.  I am sorting out the kids and getting us all ready for the day.  Steve pops his head in and tells me anything of significance and we get on with our separate days. 

During the day, I usually see the builder for a question or two and then Steve and I discuss over a phone call on his lunch break.  At night, after the builders go, I head to the new bit with the kids and they have a play, I take pictures and do the dishes and laundry (and peruse what the builders have done).  When Steve gets home, he looks around the building site with a torch as it's now dark so soon.  Then we talk about the issues of the moment, whether that is TV height, what to do about our existing bathroom or determining whether the light switches are in the right place.  Then it's bed time.  This renovation is incredibly all-consuming, but we are in it together, firmly.  This house will be the product of both of our imaginations, our ideas and our hard work.

Also it will be the product of a lot of DVD watching for Sofia and Olivia (not Max, but only because he doesn't sit still).  So if you are wondering how it is you can get stuff done with 3 little people at home, Yogi Bear The Movie is how.  (As a side note, the movie was actually shot in New Zealand, so it is quite interesting to play spot the location. Pay no mind to the terrible rating it gets on iMDB). 

Steve the Guest Blogger has done a great job of keeping you up to date with what is happening at number 27 while I was away.  He has also done a wonderful job of being house husband while I was away attempting to tick off one of my bucket list things:  The Tongariro crossing. The weather was being a bit silly and attempting to rain harder than it ever had before so we didn't get to do it.  But we did get to do quite a bit of eating and drinking, and a little bit of walking with some hot pooling thrown in, so I came back really refreshed and pleased to spend some time with my little sister, my Dad and Yuko.

Which way?  Don't trust these people.

As for Steve, he had it all under control and what is even better is that he adores spending time with our little crew, and the admiration is mutual.  The day after I returned - when he was back at work - there was mutiny and mayhem due to missing Daddy.  Definitely a few lolling-on-the-floor-weeping episodes.  In my absence, Steve had:  taken the kids (on foot) to St Lukes mall (about 15 minutes for an adult to walk, and 3 hours for 3 little kids), taken them to Gladstone school (their future school) for a play on the BIG playground, taken Olivia to her follow up appointment for her grommet operation and then treated them to McDonalds.  And Steve also gave the kids the good news that they had a brand new little cousin, called Violet, who is cousin Lucas' little sister (and they are soon to live 5 minutes away from us!). Sofia and Olivia are most fascinated and wonder what sort of things Violet will do. 

So you see, I need to repay Steve in kind (I can't produce any exciting new baby news however).  I am encouraging Steve to go away for some time out over winter, but he is a reluctant traveller.  While Steve plans to do the Lake Taupo cycle race in under 4 hours in November, in the meantime, I reckon he needs to have some time away without any responsibility and without total physical annihilation.  Any ideas?

Well that's most of our personal life sorted. 

What is this blog about again?  Oh yes.  Building.  What we're up to is:

1. Gibbing
2. Next week gib stopping
3. Lighting
4. Flooring
5. Kitchen

We've only got about four weeks to go.  Which explains my newfound enthusiasm for the whole thing when I can see we are so close to walking on our new floor into our new kitchen, to fetch ourselves a glass of chilled and filtered water from our fridge, to enjoy with a lovely banana choc-chip muffin from our new oven, and taking it over to sit on our couch in front of our new gas fire because it's chilly out.

Here are the pictures of the day:

 This, my friends, was our kitchen.  Now a bedroom!

 

 The girls walking down the new steps into the living area.

 Nothing to do with the building actually.  The girls are channelling Axl Rose.  They have never seen him before but they have copied his look.  See below.  Sofia is still wearing Axl's style.  In bed.

 This is looking from our lounge (fireplace on left wall) towards the 'boot room'

 The new study (this was part old deck, part old dining room)

 

 Our rescued stained glass windows.  Super happy with how they look.

And another story unrelated to the build to finish.  This afternoon, while the girls watched Yogi Bear, I went to check on Max who was taking his afternoon nap.  Steve mentioned he's in his cot without the side, so I thought I should check that he hadn't fallen out.  The problem was that I couldn't see him in the room at all.

 No, he's not in Olivia or Sofia's bed.

 

 Nor is he in his own bed.

He's underneath his bed.

Goodnight!

Anna x

PS - I can't share the link for the Block audtion videos yet.  Also they are just a bit embarrassing.

Glass in - with guest blogger Steve

Anna has gone away and delegated the twin responsibilities of looking after her offspring and the renovation project – no pressure.  As an added bonus she decided it was time to prepare Max for the transition to a real bed by taking the side off his cot the night before she left.  Max was pretty damn happy with this development. So happy he decided to make an appearance beside my bed at 4AM to declare something like ‘that there … car’ and start laughing like a maniac.

 

The door to the kiddie dorm is now kept closed.

Gib is going on this week so there has been a bit of a scramble to get all the lighting finalised.  We’ve been furiously researching LED vs. Halogen, bulb dimmability, pink batt abbutance regulations and multi-gang plate options.  We think we now have a solution (LED) but haven’t run it past the electrician just yet.

In other news, we now have glazing in our giant stacker doors.  They look awesome – as well they should given the arms and leg we’ve had to sacrifice to pay for them.  The girl monsters are just big enough to move them.

 

 

Maxie enjoyed pulling off the blue dots the glaziers stuck on to prevent people walking into them. Sofia was delegated the task of stopping him. She gets an ‘A’ for effort with a pretty hopeless cause.

 

And we sold out kitchen for an unbelievable $3600 – Trademe sent a note to say ‘Uh oh your trademe account is $100 in the red and needs some love’ which I guess is predominantly due to their large commission on $3600.

Anna has probably told you we have a dishwasher in our old bathroom.  every night I load up the big plastic bucket and wander round to load up the dishwasher.  Here are today’s dishes ready for washing.  Despite my best efforts to reorient the picture you need to turn your head ninety degrees to view as it is actually is.

 

                  

While I’m dropping off the dishes I usually spend some time reviewing progress and imagining the finished build. Tonight I was thinking about:

1 – whether we need a glass panel toplight window above the hallway cavity sliders – given we’ve cancelled the $1100 skylight and $2000 glass panel doors I’m itching to do something about hallway light.  My current thinking is don’t bother with the top-light as it would only be 25cm high so won’t let through much light - and all you’d reveal is ceiling.  Anna’s counsel is to sit tight and wait for the quote so I’ll do that. photo below shows space above doors where toplight would go.  Ben says he'd need to knock out 'a couple of sticks to put it in - no worries'

 

2 – will the placement of the attic stairs in a bedroom work with potential furniture layouts. I think there will probably be a single bed about where the stairs will land. Would the hallway be a better option?  How would that work with matching in ceilings? Should I have told Anna I had to make an on the spot decision re placement.  Will Ben be pissed off having to move the opening to the hallway after building it above the bedroom today? Picture below is beautifully made opening in bedroom.

 

3 – how the stacker doors are even better than I imagined them

 

4 – whose fingers will get caught in the doors first?

5 – the living space challenge is not with the rear wall we originally wanted to push back but the width dimension – I still worry the couches will be too close to the telly.

6 –  Everything else I have worried about is either irrelevant or forgotten so let’s not give that one too much head space. 

7 – if the gib goes on this week – then there is plastering, painting, flooring and finishing off to go.  We must be nearly finished mustn’t we?  Should we be bringing kitchen delivery forwards?  will subtly raise that one again tomorrow after an answer wasn;t relaly forthcoming when I asked at roof shout.

8 – I can’t wait for this all to be over – I’m tired with making so many big decisions.  I want my new house now.  Or I just want my home back.

9 – why didn’t we just bowl the garage (have an extra metre of lounge width) and build an internal access garage? How could someone else do that down the track?

10 - how old will I be when we've finished paying this  off?
 

11 – we’ve been sweating away in the detail – but don't forget this is shaping up just as well/ even better than I imagined it would.

Anna will be back to relieve me from my duties tomorrow,

Guest blogger Steve

F..............razzled

This is a picture of me at the moment, which is why I have been out of circulation. 

FRAZZLED:  It's not really me, but it could be.  Although - this lady should think she is lucky to have running water in her kitchen and somewhere indoors to cook her steak.

This week has been epic.  My stress levels are sky high and I am self-medicating with wine as I type.  There are no reno pics because it is dark by the time I get out there and I just want to get our lovely angels to bed. 

 

I thought I was so very relaxed about this renovation thing, but not so much this week.  The builders are kind of like the monsters the girls are obsessed about at the moment; in that they have kept advancing on us and shown no mercy.  They came into our lounge. 

 

That left us with three rooms all week - yes, three.  And an open traffic lane to the builders'/monsters' power tools.  Max was in heaven.  I kept him holed up in one room until it was time for his nap.  We should have gone outside.  Oh, but wait.  It was raining the whole day. 

 

And our car has broken down, again.  And I don't even like devilled sausages. It's school holidays next week which means NO KINDY.... I am shattered.  There is no escape.  Which sounds mean.  But it is tricky with three littlies in a limited space... it will make me appreciate the space we will have all the more when we have it!

 

Ah, but here's the good stuff.  Which I see now I am in a wine-induced haze (by myself seeing as Steve is working his butt off presently).  

• Our pink batts are in.  The apprentice said he was itchy from installing and also said how cool it would be if there was just a clear wall over the framing and pink batts instead of gib.  I laughed and felt old.  That would seem cool when you are 17.
• Our stacker door frames are in
• We have wonderful neighbours and friends who invite us over for dinner even if my children behave like demons possessed.  Without these people I'd be insane.
• Our beautiful lights arrived from Australia - and they are divine, and bigger than I imagined
• Our glass will be in next week and our walls will be gibbed - wahoo!
• Dad and I have to put together an audition video for The Block NZ, filming in July
• I had a second interview
• I am going to do the Tongariro Crossing this weekend, weather permitting
• The roof was done LAST WEEK before the rain.
• Ann-Louise and Mike will be down the road in two weeks (or less!).
• I have more slow cooker recipes up my sleeve
• Our old kitchen got to $1500 on Trade Me....(that will pay for our mechanic's bill).

 

I will post some pictures of actual building over the weekend.   And maybe the link to The Block audition tape.

Anna x

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 



 

 



Once Was Kitchen

Our kitchen is gone and the sky wept.  Auckland's drought is over!

Meanwhile, in our cool temporary pop-up kitchen, tonight's dinner was Maggi devilled sausages.  A little fact for you:  this recipe mix was developed circa 1980 by a man I worked with at Nestle.  And over 30 years later here I am cooking it - epic huh.  I did it in the slow cooker and there are three main ingredients:  onion, apple and sausages.  Because of that, I felt I couldn't go too far wrong with my first ever slow cooker meal.  I also did green beans and cauliflower with them but next time I won't bother with silly old nutritious vegetables because that equals way too many dishes. It took me a very long time to wash the dishes in our laundry tonight.  Not having running water nearby is very weird and it will take me a while to get used to that.  Steve just asked me whether I'd checked that the dishwasher was actually disconnected.  I don't want to know.

Anyway, devilled sausages is easy and I did it because I had leftover sausages from the roof shout, however next time I fancy some lovely lamb or pork.  And no vegies (we shall have scurvy or some other vitamin deficiency before long).  Reservations are recommended if you want to dine with us for some slow cooked magic. 

Today was a crazy day, one on which fortunately the twins were at kindy.  The builders knocked out most of the kitchen cabinetry and put in the new door cavity in for the old lounge/new bedroom.  There were power tools buzzing and lots of noise.  Max and I hung out in the pop-up kitchen, me on the phone organising things, Max stealing raisins from our new open-sided pantry and the builder and electrician popping heads in wanting to know things like:  do you have a detailed kitchen plan? (yes) and does your new fridge have a filter or do you need one installed? (the fridge has one).  Max was put to sleep for his nap with sawing and drilling directly outside his bedroom door.  He didn't seem to notice.

The old kitchen

Interestingly, the car picked this time to break down so fixing this was in today's mix as well.  The alternator was gone so we got a brand new one fitted for a bargain price of $660.  Steve and I both thought about what that could buy, renovation-wise.........bar stools.........paint.  But with my happy hat on, the main thing is we won't break down on the motorway any time soon.

The other happy hat thing to document is that I absolutely love the big stacker doors and how they are shaping up.

 Close up

 

from the new hallway

 

from outside

 

the kitchen stacker door.

Here is the latest on the perceived-lack-of-light-in-the-living-area conundrum.  After much weekend rumination and talking and back-and-forthing, Steve and I are going to install (well, not us but the builders will) two skylights into the living area.  We were worried two high windows on either side of the fireplace would leave little space to hang a painting or two on, that it would look like an afterthought or that they wouldn't do as much of a job as we hoped they would.  Steve spent a great deal of time talking to his sister, Karen, and that night we researched our little butts off.  We've come up with something like this, not identical but similar, a bit like our twins:

In the next post, my pictures will document the stacker doors installed (I hope!).  I can't wait!!

Until then,

Anna x

Just really quickly

We had the roof shout last night and it was good - the builders were very polite and nice and friendly.  I was worried there would not be enough sausages and bread so way over-catered and Steve told me off.  However, it really could have gone either way because there were a few builders who were still working and couldn't make it.  So that's me acquitted from the crime of over-supply, right?

The curious thing was that only one of the 24 x Jack Daniels and cola was drunk.  This is curious for the reason that last week, as mentioned, there were bourbon and colas drunk in abundance.  Suddenly Steve and I thought - with a gasp, because that sounds good - "I bet Jack Daniels' is what old people drink!".  The reason doesn't really matter but suffice to say, I hate bourbon and cola and it's really sweet and I felt ill yet strangely compelled to drink some given no one else did!!

I do have a picture to prove it but that's for another day.

Steve and I have enjoyed some beautiful and tranquil time without our children thanks to our wonderful friends Tamah and Campbell, and to my sister and bro-in-law.  We went out!  We went to a bar!  And had drinks!  And dinner.  I won't tell you what else we had.  Oh, Ok, Chocolate brownie!  Tricked you, didn't I.  You thought I was going to be rude.

Child-free dinner

And a child-friendly dinner.  What was going on without us.... thanks Tamah for this picture!

Earlier today, we moved our kitchen into the girls old bedroom, moved the spare bed into our bedroom and our kitchen is standing, masoleum-like, sparkling, bare and brave.   And it's on Trade Me.  http://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovation/kitchen/complete-kitchens/auction-582594847.htm

Here are the latest illustrations of activity:

Spare bed in our bedroom.  If Steve snores, that's it!  He's in the spare bed.  And guests can sleep with us!

Our new kitchen, without running water, a dishwasher, or an oven. 

But we still have an espresso machine and wine, so we'll be OK.

Old Mrs Hubbard's cupboards are bare!

 

 

The next pictures I post will be of this space but demolished! Very exciting.  Also watch this space for the big stacker door pic.  It will be EPIC.

 

Anna x

Helter Shelter

We have a roof!  The very best thing is that it was put up the day before we had torrential rain so I feel even more elated than expected over this milestone.

That means tomorrow is the actual roof shout, so I have the kiwi dip in the fridge chilling and the white bread (I didn't think builders would be down with grainy bread?) and sausages thawing.  I just need therefore to pick up ice tomorrow to make sure the Heinekens are icy cold.

Here are our current worries to get straight down to business:

1)  That our kitchen bench is too big.  It is really long, it's true, and Steve is very worried it will dominate the whole space too much.  I have tried reassuring Steve.  As in, yes it is really long but it will be worth it because we will spend so much of our time in and around the kitchen.  Eating, computing, working, talking, drawing, baking, serving.  He's not convinced.

2)  That it's too dark!  We don't have windows in the fireplace wall and I am beginning to wonder if that was a mistake..... eek.  See picture below for reference:

A bit much wall, not enough light?

3) That the funny bit of roof above our main bathroom looks weird externally.  I don't think I like it because our tall bathroom window now looks cut off and bitsy and definitely not original.  It was always going to be a tricky bit, and I expect this is the best solution so I will get used to it.

The funny bit is at right of the tall window.  This is looking towards the back entrance to our wee boot room.

 

That's all the list of worries for now.  Now here are a few highlights:

The roof and it's not on fire! 

 

The old dining room window, now in the NEW dining area.  How cool is that.

 

Sofia asking me what I was worried about

 

Max checking out the electrical work.  The powerpoints are in the correct place.  Phew.

 

The kids are all practicing to be building apprentices.  The cleaning up is part of this role.

 

A near miss.  Max is a bit dangerous with that broom.

 

Although he looks very cute with it.

 

Sofia's meticulous cleaning.  Tomorrow I shall tell the apprentice he is out of a job.  My three will be just as good and much cheaper.



 

I must go and do my nails!  I have a job interview tomorrow morning so they need to look beautiful.

 

Anna x



Re-creating Woody

Woody the wall, not Woody the bourbon and cola drink.

Woody the blank wall was crying, just wailing out for some love and colour.  That and I also needed a project with the girls one afternoon when Max was in bed.  I have many photos to share with you today, so sit back and let me tell you a story.




What could Olivia and Sofia be painting? It all looks quite tidy at this stage don't you think?

And what am I painting?  Well, a sun at this stage. This is because we can't see a real one.

This picture is mischief personified.  If you have seen 'The Cat in The Hat' movie and recall Thing 1 and Thing 2, then you will see there is a distinct resemblance (if you discount outfit differences).  Not so tidy after the girls painted hands and feet.

This is actually Sofia and Olivia in costume.

The final artwork.  'Franew Island' is Sofia's name for it.  We are counting the days we are walled in! Note I am optimistic and have not left much room for the count.  This is the wall the kids can draw on, though Max has difficulty understanding that he not allowed to go around willy nilly drawing on other walls and furniture.

 

OK, onto building-type stuff.  The roof hasn't been started yet.  However the plan is for Wednesday now... we are crossing our fingers we don't get the torrential rain forecast for later in the week. 

 

What you will see next is that we have some new weatherboards!  Yippee.  Also some pictures of the kids on the building site, due to lack of other building content. 

 

Look!  Weatherboards.  That sticking out bit is the back of the fireplace.

 

Don't you think he looks a bit thin after his illness? Hee hee.  See his new gumboots?  He is very happy with these.

 

The girls' new game is jumping off the old floor onto the new one.  Look at that technique!

 

Flying pink gumboots

 

Olivia, no.  I won't let you use me as a step to get up to the roof.

Other interested parties include the kindy the girls go to over the road.  The teachers particularly enjoyed Tree Fellas presence, and openly admired the physique of the lead tree fella.  Hopeful of further eye candy, sausages left over from the kindy lunch BBQs were delivered to our builders one afternoon.  These builders have got it made! 

The kids pile outside sometimes to watch when the big trucks come.  The kindy sent me these pictures:

Yes the boy on the left does indeed have a tutu on.  The boys were definitely more interested than the girls.

 Sofia and Olivia watching the goings on at their house from across the road.

 

Keeping an eye on proceedings from the kindy gate.



And today's random picture - here are the girls getting into building mode at kindy. I love that they get to do this.

 

In anticipation of the official roof shout this Friday afternoon, I have purchased sausages, chips, The Original Kiwi Dip (old jobs leave their mark) and Heineken.  Now I just need to get the bourbon and cola.  Bleurrgh.  I am going to have one too, just to prove a point.  I don't know which point.

 

I have lost Steve to Pandora.  Fortunately not a girl, but a music website.  He walked around all day Sunday carrying our laptop listening to music.  I had a play with it today and it is pretty awesome - you go on some really cool musical journeys and get to create your own radio stations.  Have a play if you haven't already:  www.pandora.com

 

There is a purpose:  Steve's trying to figure out what we are going to do audio-wise in the new bit.  Fortunately Steve's Dad is a great help with electrical things and has sent through an email full of good advice.  It's exciting to think we'll have some kind of audio without a) carrying a laptop around or b)listening to radio stations with ads.  I know you're probably like, but why don't you have iTunes or an iPad or any other iThing.   We do, and the problem with it is that you have to buy the content - which works if you know what you like, but if you don't or want to try some new stuff - where do you start?  That is why I think Pandora is so much fun.

In another news bulletin from the technology sector, we bought a new 55 inch TV with internet capability and 3D, so Steve is just about bursting thinking about all the possibilities - especially because he bought a camera for the TV so we can Skype on that rather than on the computer.

 

Have a wonderful few days until I write again.

 

Anna x