Project (kind of) - Dollhouse

I had grand plans of making a dollhouse for Puddleduck over the holidays. My plan was something relatively minimalist - some Ikea Expedit bookcases forming the frame and internal walls. We even went so far as to get one of the units (Puddleduck chose the black-brown wood) and start sketching out layouts (do dolls need bathrooms?).

However, I then stumbled across this dollhouse reduced to just over $100 at Anthropologie. It was too good a bargain to pass up - especially when I realised not only would they ship it to Australia, it would only cost $25 to ship it!

So we waited patiently for it to arrive. I think I gave myself some sort of repetitive stress injury as I obsessively refreshed the tracking information. FINALLY it arrived.

The construction nearly did my head in - at least six hours all up. I came to the conclusion that while the Brinca Dada flatpack workmanship was far superior to any IKEA flatpack I have come across, they really could take a leaf out of IKEA's book when it comes to labelling and describing pieces.

Anyway. Here is the end result. It's a huge hit!

Lunch dates

Little Miss Puddleduck is heading back to preschool next week and will be there for three days this year, not two. When you throw in ballet, swimming and play dates it leaves precious little time for Mummy and Puddleduck to just hang out together.

We've had so much fun together over the past year just enjoying one another's company. I'm really going to miss that - especially after the lovely school holidays we have just had.

So she and I have decided that we are going to be ladies who lunch one day a week. We'll go somewhere together, order something scrumptious and just 'hang'. No phone, no ipad - just chatting. We went to the local pub last week for our inaugural lunch and it was lovely to just chat. She is so incredibly observant and insightful and her curiosity is insatiable (mummy, WHY are we warm-blooded?). I love that I get to spend time with such a special little girl.