Belated anniversary

It's so far past the first anniversary of my 'mummy break' that it almost seems ridiculous to write a post about it, but I'm going to anyway. It's been too amazing a year not to mark it in some way.

Amidst cries of "you'll be bored to death in 6 weeks" I launched myself into stay-at-home-motherhood (I nearly wrote 'full-time motherhood' and then the old me smacked the new me over the head and reminded me that all mothers are full-time mothers). And I've loved it. Really loved it. I'm not sure if it was because I was finally ready for it, or because I've found Puddleduck's company to be even more amazing than I already thought it was or because I have found my inner domestic goddess (HA!) but I can honestly say I've never looked back. Well, unless you count the times I have told Puddleduck Mummy will go back to work if she doesn't stop carrying on (hey - I never said I was any good at this, just that I'm loving it).

What of Mr Puddleduck, I hear you ask. Well he's pretty content with the whole arrangement (my recent fixation with cooking the perfect steak may have something to do with this?). Despite snide remarks from some (you know who you are), he's benefited significantly as well. Without competing careers and hours in the office he has been able to do so much more this year than we could ever have expected. With a happy wife and happy daughter at home he gets to enjoy his time away from work without it being a whirl of bedtime battles, housework and organisation.

As for Puddleduck - and I don't claim to be responsible for much of this - she has grown into a sweet, delightful and utterly enchanting little girl. She's a magical combination of bright, whimsical and determined. It's been such a blessing to be able to spend the days with her - from the moment she wakes up until the moment she finally (FINALLY) loses her battle with the sandman at night. She's thriving at pre-school and has friends at every park. She is our joy.

While we have all been settling into our new roles, we've also been settling into our new house. It was a crazily huge project that wasn't without it's dramas but it's been absolutely worth it. Even with a master bedroom that is essentially a garage, a kitchen that is a few benches from IKEA and a deck that is finished with a coat of waterproof sealant and nothing more, we love being here. It suits us and perfectly reflects how we live. During the months we were in our rented house and not here it felt like we were in a weird sort of limbo. Now we're here it's like we've been here for years, and not just a few months. It just fits. We fit together. Mr Puddleduck and I, Puddleduck and our three crazy puppies.

We're all where we belong. Together.

Project: Mirror

A few Christmases ago Mr Puddleduck bought me a gorgeous mirror and eight weeks after moving in we finally decided on where to hang it - the downstairs living room. You wouldn't necessarily expect it to be a decision to warrant eight weeks of deliberation, but the mirror weighs a ton and there's no going back once you've drilled those industrial bolts into the wall.

Before.

Important measuring task.

More measuring. And marking.

Drilling.

This is boring.

Hanging - take one.

Uh-oh this isn't going well. I'm outta here.

Bringing in specialist equipment.

Holding breath ...

Project complete.

Look what I found

Peonies - in May! I might be an inner west convert, but I'm so pleased I made a pilgrimage to the east today. 'Twas a lovely surprise.

Of course I knew deep down they had to be imported - it's too deep into autumn even for late season peonies - so I ducked down to my local flower man to assuage my conscience (no really, it was totally to assuage my guilt. Nothing at all to do with flower greed).

And emerged with this lovely armful of hydrangeas, freesias and jonquils. Our house is now a veritable bower of floral gorgeousness. I'm going to be quite devastated when the hydrangeas eventually come to the end of their season. They've been simply beautiful this year.

A change

Now that our renovation is drawing to a close I thought it might be time for a few subtle changes to Puddleduck's Nest. I first started it as a journal of our renovations and to separate it a little from my other musings over on Puddleduck in the Big Smoke. As it turned out, the renovation left little time for musing so Big Smoke fell a bit by the wayside - rather like Puddleduck's Basket did when she started to grow up.

So.

I've decided Puddleduck's Nest will become the new home of my random musings about our home, our life and our shopping. Well, my shopping.

I hope you enjoy!

Before, during and nearly done: downstairs living

Our downstairs living space (should we call it a rumpus room? I'm not sure) has changed fairly dramatically, although like the upstairs living space, we haven't fiddled too much with the basic shell.

This was the internal courtyard when we bought it. Off to the right is a planter box with some rather sorry looking plants and off to the left was a toilet and a "kitchen" that bore more resemblance to a panic room than a kitchen. Straight ahead is the bedroom that has become the main bedroom.

This is just before the wall under the airconditioner got knocked through to create the new hallway to run between the living space and the master bedroom. Originally you walked through the courtyard to get to the toilet, panic room kitchen and bedroom. Even with the weird grated walkway over the top it was hardly an all-weather thoroughfare.

I quite like this show because it shows the raw space and all the levels. There's a step up from the living room to the hallway and then another step up before you get into the master bedroom area. The steps help delineate the spaces somehow, even though they all flow.

Off to the left of the hallway is where the main bathroom and ensuite have gone in. Oh, and a teeny tiny laundry.

The space outside the entrance to the main bedroom is Mr Puddleduck's study - it looks quite small in this shot but has turned out to be quite a functional space. He enjoys that he can be a little bit removed from other goings on in the house, but can still be a little bit involved. He can see straight through to the downstairs living area, but can also see upstairs into the dining room and kitchen.

I took this shot on our first night in the house - you can see that the lights still haven't been popped back into the ceiling and the smoke alarm still has it's pretty plastic coat on. But, for the most part it is finished.

This is the view back into the living area from the top of the hallway. I love walking out of the bedroom in the morning with the bifold doors wide open and the morning-ness streaming in. Although as it has been getting cooler at night we've been keeping them closed and that makes it feel far cosier than you'd expect given all the concrete and glass.

Now if only my new rug from Etsy would arrive I could post some slightly more current shots :)

A very civilised start to the day x

Project: Coffee Table

Patience isn't one of my virtues, so it's perhaps unsurprising that while I relentless trawl eBay for the perfect chair to reupholster, I couldn't wait to do something with my new fabric.

I dug out an old ottoman that has been the victim of far too many coffee spills and tucked the fabric over the top to bring it back to life. Not a permanent fix, but has satisfied my urge to use the fabric and our need for a coffee table in the lounge.

It also inspired me to rearrange the lounge a bit. I'll try to take photos today and post them while Mr Puddleduck yells at the State of Origin. x