Every year I make New Year's Resolutions and every year I am guaranteed to have broken every single one of them by Australia Day. With that in mind, here is this year's list.....
1. Lose 20kg. This is going to be my year long goal, which means I really can't break it before Australia Day, looks like I am off to a good start!!
2. Finish the house. The things that we still need to do are; build the front deck, build the back deck, fence the yard, landscape the front yard, turf the back yard, build the side garden, pave down the side of the house, tile the main living areas, install fans and have our proper lights installed. Phew..... Looks like I won't be doing too much shoe shopping this year.
3. Pay off the credit card and then significantly reduce the limit on it. My theory is, the lower the limit the less damage I can do at Myers!
4. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week...... for the whole year!!! (Except when I am away on holidays of course). I just realised that I am on danger of breaking this one already........ looks like I will be going to the gym today, tomorrow and Sunday.
5. Join a sports group.
I am going to stick with just five so that I can increase my chances of success! There are a million other things that I want to do this year, but these are the big ones.....
I hope you all have a wonderful new year and I look forward to hearing about your resolutions too.
xx Tamsyn
Showing posts with label Building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Building. Show all posts
Our Family Home
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Labels:
Building,
Crime,
Family,
Home,
Home Comforts,
Moving House,
Working
The Big Man, The Pooper and I finally have our home to ourselves. It still feels special :) We wake up in the mornings, as a married couple, in our own home, on our own. I'm loving it!
It's not that I didn't love having my BFF stay with us, or that I didn't like having a steady stream of pre and post wedding visitors. But it does feel great to be married and living on our own. Kind of makes me feel like a grown up!
It's more about the fact that where we were living was such a horrible place for me. We went back to the shop/house a couple of afternoons ago to do a walk through with the landlord and hand over our keys and it was at that point that I realised how much negativity I associated with living there. It was just one of those places that slowly, but surely sucks the joy out of your life.
The negativity started on the first Sunday after we leased the place. I was there on my own whilst the Big Man was out and about (at the hardware store I think). There was a knock at the door and I assumed it was one of the neighbours coming to say hi. The man at the door was visibly angry and demanded to see 'the old bloke'. I (naively thinking that he would leave once I explained that he was mistaken) told him that we had just moved in and that my fiance was only young and not the man he was after. The guy got really angry and called my a 'lying b***h'. At that point I started to feel nervous. I explained again that the man he was after must have moved because we were the only people living there now. It was then that the man yelled 'I know that he is here you lying b***h, tell him to come out here and see me, or I will come in there and I will get you. Stop lying to me or I will kill you.' That got me moving..... I slammed the door in his face, sprinted to the back door and locked it and then broke down on the floor bawling my eyes out. I have seen irrational and angry people before and I have felt scared before, but that was a lifetime ago and I was completely caught off guard. I called The Big Man and tried to explain to him what was going on, it took a while because I was hysterical and he thought that I must have cut myself with his new circular saw (that he had banned me from using). When I finally explained to him what was going on he told me to hang on and then hung up the phone. I figured that he was driving straight over, but he called me back in 5 minutes to tell me that he had called emergency and that the police where on their way. Hearing that actually calmed me down and I had the presence of mind to sneak up to the window and write down his car registration and a description of him in case he did a runner.
When the police arrived they did so in a spectacular fashion, three cars pulled up with their sirens blarring and they pulled into the yard blocking the guys car in. Whilst two of the officers quickly worked out the guy didn't have a gun or knife another one came to the door to talk to me. Which set me off again, I couldn't stop crying and it took ages for me to get my story out. About ten minutes later The Big Man arrived and sat with me whilst I talked to the police officer.
The guy out the front was charged with something, I'm not sure what and eventually all of the police left.
A couple of hours later the guilt kicked in for me. I figured that the guy was probably all talk and that I had over-reacted, but I still think that I would take the same course of action if something like that happened again. I also felt bad because he didn't seem very switched on, it turned out the had his girlfriend and kid in the car (which was unregistered) and didn't even realise that if he sat in the yard long enough that the police would catch him.
The policeman came back several months later to go over my statement for the guy's court hearing and he filled me in about the tenant before us. Alan Smith was his name and he had ripped a lot of people off (including the angry guy at the door) before doing a disappearing act. So now I feel angry, frightened and sorry whenever I think about what happened.
The Big Man and I stuck it out at the house anyway because we didn't think it would be long before our house was finished. But our home was delayed so many times and we ended up living there for a year. I hated answering the door though, which was tough considering we were running a business from there and I flat out refused to answer the door after dark.
Now that we are into our beautiful new home I really feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. We have a safe neighbourhood, great neighbours and nothing to fear. Home sweet home.
Sorry if that was all a little bit dark, but I felt the need to get it off my chest. Regular, light hearted content will resume tomorrow!
Tamsyn xx
It's not that I didn't love having my BFF stay with us, or that I didn't like having a steady stream of pre and post wedding visitors. But it does feel great to be married and living on our own. Kind of makes me feel like a grown up!
It's more about the fact that where we were living was such a horrible place for me. We went back to the shop/house a couple of afternoons ago to do a walk through with the landlord and hand over our keys and it was at that point that I realised how much negativity I associated with living there. It was just one of those places that slowly, but surely sucks the joy out of your life.
The negativity started on the first Sunday after we leased the place. I was there on my own whilst the Big Man was out and about (at the hardware store I think). There was a knock at the door and I assumed it was one of the neighbours coming to say hi. The man at the door was visibly angry and demanded to see 'the old bloke'. I (naively thinking that he would leave once I explained that he was mistaken) told him that we had just moved in and that my fiance was only young and not the man he was after. The guy got really angry and called my a 'lying b***h'. At that point I started to feel nervous. I explained again that the man he was after must have moved because we were the only people living there now. It was then that the man yelled 'I know that he is here you lying b***h, tell him to come out here and see me, or I will come in there and I will get you. Stop lying to me or I will kill you.' That got me moving..... I slammed the door in his face, sprinted to the back door and locked it and then broke down on the floor bawling my eyes out. I have seen irrational and angry people before and I have felt scared before, but that was a lifetime ago and I was completely caught off guard. I called The Big Man and tried to explain to him what was going on, it took a while because I was hysterical and he thought that I must have cut myself with his new circular saw (that he had banned me from using). When I finally explained to him what was going on he told me to hang on and then hung up the phone. I figured that he was driving straight over, but he called me back in 5 minutes to tell me that he had called emergency and that the police where on their way. Hearing that actually calmed me down and I had the presence of mind to sneak up to the window and write down his car registration and a description of him in case he did a runner.
When the police arrived they did so in a spectacular fashion, three cars pulled up with their sirens blarring and they pulled into the yard blocking the guys car in. Whilst two of the officers quickly worked out the guy didn't have a gun or knife another one came to the door to talk to me. Which set me off again, I couldn't stop crying and it took ages for me to get my story out. About ten minutes later The Big Man arrived and sat with me whilst I talked to the police officer.
The guy out the front was charged with something, I'm not sure what and eventually all of the police left.
A couple of hours later the guilt kicked in for me. I figured that the guy was probably all talk and that I had over-reacted, but I still think that I would take the same course of action if something like that happened again. I also felt bad because he didn't seem very switched on, it turned out the had his girlfriend and kid in the car (which was unregistered) and didn't even realise that if he sat in the yard long enough that the police would catch him.
The policeman came back several months later to go over my statement for the guy's court hearing and he filled me in about the tenant before us. Alan Smith was his name and he had ripped a lot of people off (including the angry guy at the door) before doing a disappearing act. So now I feel angry, frightened and sorry whenever I think about what happened.
The Big Man and I stuck it out at the house anyway because we didn't think it would be long before our house was finished. But our home was delayed so many times and we ended up living there for a year. I hated answering the door though, which was tough considering we were running a business from there and I flat out refused to answer the door after dark.
Now that we are into our beautiful new home I really feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. We have a safe neighbourhood, great neighbours and nothing to fear. Home sweet home.
Sorry if that was all a little bit dark, but I felt the need to get it off my chest. Regular, light hearted content will resume tomorrow!
Tamsyn xx
Hail to the Truck Driver
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Labels:
Building,
Moving House,
Organising my Home
That's me by the way. Yep, I drove my first truck today! Not something I had ever really planned on doing, but at least I can check it off the list of things to do before I die.....
We hired the truck today to move BFF's furniture from her storage shed to our new place (she's letting us use all of her things whilst she goes overseas to live out her dreams xx). I put my name down on the contract, but I didn't actually intend to do any driving. And I wouldn't have except I wanted to come to work to check my emails (no internet at home, story for another time) and realised that the I had left my car keys and mobile phone in the Big Man's car and he was already at work. So BFF and I hoped into the truck and drove to work. Slowly. Driving a truck for the first time is not something that you can rush :)
All went well with the driving and we made it to work in one piece. But once we were here we also remembered that we hadn't bought my work keys with me...... After five minutes of throwing things at the first floor window and laughing so hard that we almost peed ourselves The Big Man finally came to the window and then let us in. He was pretty impressed when he found out that I drove the truck!
Anyhow I better get back downstairs.I'm parked over two car spaces to make sure that no-one dents my rig!
T xx
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdot/34129050/
We Have the Keys!!
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Labels:
Building,
Family,
Home,
Moving House,
Organising my Home
Yep, the day has finally come! At 11 o'clock this morning we handed over our final check and accepted the keys to our new home. Soooo excited. It doesn't matter to me that the house is barely even finished and we don't have a driveway, or any turf (or tiles, a fence or back deck for that matter), we have somewhere to live and that's all that counts :)
I wanted to stay there all day and unpack all of our boxes, especially all of the ones that have been in storage for the last year, but the Big Man sent me straight back to work. Something about having a mortgage to pay..... he's mean like that. As soon as I finish up this afternoon I am heading back to our other shop to get as many more boxes as I can fit into the car and then I am going straight home. I can't stop giggling when I say that..... I'm going home! To my real home! The one that doesn't have four lanes of traffic and trucks going past 24/7! Did I mention that I am excited!
The Big Man (right) getting the keys from our builder. Their faces are a bit pink because my camera took a little while to get going and I made them keep holding hands. I think they were a little embarrassed!
T xx
I wanted to stay there all day and unpack all of our boxes, especially all of the ones that have been in storage for the last year, but the Big Man sent me straight back to work. Something about having a mortgage to pay..... he's mean like that. As soon as I finish up this afternoon I am heading back to our other shop to get as many more boxes as I can fit into the car and then I am going straight home. I can't stop giggling when I say that..... I'm going home! To my real home! The one that doesn't have four lanes of traffic and trucks going past 24/7! Did I mention that I am excited!
The Big Man (right) getting the keys from our builder. Their faces are a bit pink because my camera took a little while to get going and I made them keep holding hands. I think they were a little embarrassed!T xx
7 Days to Bliss
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Labels:
Building,
Family,
Home,
Moving House,
Organising my Home,
The Pooper
If all goes to plan for the next 7 days, this time next week the Big Man and I will be handed the keys to our new home.... About time :) I am pinching myself even as I type!
Where we are currently living is on a 4 lane road and we run a business from the house. When we moved in we thought it would just be for 4-6 months, but we have just passed the year mark. So for the last year, the only relaxing we have done is on holidays (which have been few and far between). During the day we are always aware that a customer may drop in without a booking and at night we sleep with the constant noise of trucks and their exhaust brakes. We also use the lounge room as the office, so we really only have a kitchen, bedroom and another little bedroom that we have the tv, and wii in (not that they ever get used). We eat our meals at our desks in the office or sitting on the couch in the tiny tv room and the Pooper has a a gravel backyard instead of grass. The poor puppy used to get confused when we started taking him on walks and to the park, he didn't realise that it was normal to pee on grass and would go for the concrete because it looked the most like his gravelly backyard!
Suffice to say I am looking forward to moving into our new home for so many reasons. Having real neighbours next door instead of businesses, sitting down at a table for dinner, feeling like I can relax and de-stress whilst I am at home, having an outdoor area with a bbq again, having a bath tub, not having groceries fall on my head everytime I open the tiny (and too full) cupboard and so much more.
Building a house has been a real eye opener for us. We have never owned a home before and didn't really look at many existing homes before we decided to build. We really went into it without completely understanding the process, if we ever get the chance to build again we will at least be prepared for how long it takes from start to finish.
This weekend I am only going to think positively and am going to spend the weekend packing up everything that we don't need on a day to day basis.
Please cross your fingers for me that I won't have to spend another weekend living at work after this one!
T xx
Where we are currently living is on a 4 lane road and we run a business from the house. When we moved in we thought it would just be for 4-6 months, but we have just passed the year mark. So for the last year, the only relaxing we have done is on holidays (which have been few and far between). During the day we are always aware that a customer may drop in without a booking and at night we sleep with the constant noise of trucks and their exhaust brakes. We also use the lounge room as the office, so we really only have a kitchen, bedroom and another little bedroom that we have the tv, and wii in (not that they ever get used). We eat our meals at our desks in the office or sitting on the couch in the tiny tv room and the Pooper has a a gravel backyard instead of grass. The poor puppy used to get confused when we started taking him on walks and to the park, he didn't realise that it was normal to pee on grass and would go for the concrete because it looked the most like his gravelly backyard!
Suffice to say I am looking forward to moving into our new home for so many reasons. Having real neighbours next door instead of businesses, sitting down at a table for dinner, feeling like I can relax and de-stress whilst I am at home, having an outdoor area with a bbq again, having a bath tub, not having groceries fall on my head everytime I open the tiny (and too full) cupboard and so much more.
Building a house has been a real eye opener for us. We have never owned a home before and didn't really look at many existing homes before we decided to build. We really went into it without completely understanding the process, if we ever get the chance to build again we will at least be prepared for how long it takes from start to finish.
This weekend I am only going to think positively and am going to spend the weekend packing up everything that we don't need on a day to day basis.
Please cross your fingers for me that I won't have to spend another weekend living at work after this one!
T xx
Super Busy - Quick Update!
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Labels:
Blogging,
Bridesmaids,
Building,
Family,
Home,
Moving House,
Organising my Home,
The Pooper,
Wedding,
Working
Wow - August is turning into a crazy month for me! I have barely had time to think so far this month let alone blog regularly...
Here is what's on the menu this month:
1. Thirty Day Challenge - This is a internet marketing program that I am doing with my sister and tens of thousands of other people around the world. I am loving it and getting so much out if it already, I just wish I had a few spare hours each day to sit down and focus on it.
2. Moving House!!! - We have our walk through tomorrow and from then our builders have two weeks in which to finalise everything and give us the keys :0) Every time I remember that I will be living in my new home before the end of the month I get giddy with excitement!
3. Planning our wedding... yep still working on this. The wedding is less than 7 weeks away now and I still have so much to do. Luckily I have the two best bridesmaids in the entire world (I love you J and Ez).
4. All the usuals as well... working full time, trying to keep my house clean, spending us much time with my family as possible and making time to catch up with my friends.
5. Cooper (The Pooper) - as I type he is head-butting my arm in the hope that I will notice him and throw the ball for him. (Does anyone else have a dog that head-butts them?)
From what I hear I am not alone though.... it seems like August is a busy month for a lot of people this year. At least it won't be a boring month!
T xx
Here is what's on the menu this month:
1. Thirty Day Challenge - This is a internet marketing program that I am doing with my sister and tens of thousands of other people around the world. I am loving it and getting so much out if it already, I just wish I had a few spare hours each day to sit down and focus on it.
2. Moving House!!! - We have our walk through tomorrow and from then our builders have two weeks in which to finalise everything and give us the keys :0) Every time I remember that I will be living in my new home before the end of the month I get giddy with excitement!
3. Planning our wedding... yep still working on this. The wedding is less than 7 weeks away now and I still have so much to do. Luckily I have the two best bridesmaids in the entire world (I love you J and Ez).
4. All the usuals as well... working full time, trying to keep my house clean, spending us much time with my family as possible and making time to catch up with my friends.
5. Cooper (The Pooper) - as I type he is head-butting my arm in the hope that I will notice him and throw the ball for him. (Does anyone else have a dog that head-butts them?)
From what I hear I am not alone though.... it seems like August is a busy month for a lot of people this year. At least it won't be a boring month!
T xx
I have an oven!!
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Labels:
Building,
Organising my Home,
Wedding
Quick house update - my oven is in!
I can't wait to move in and start using it.... I have been dreaming about an oven that actually cooks things for the past year.
I'm heading off to my Mum's for a weekend of invitation making...
I hope you all have a good one!
T xx
I can't wait to move in and start using it.... I have been dreaming about an oven that actually cooks things for the past year.
I'm heading off to my Mum's for a weekend of invitation making...I hope you all have a good one!
T xx
Building Update!
The Big Man and I met up with our building supervisor on Monday and surprise, surprise our hand over date has been pushed out to the middle of August. Still, I am so happy with how much is happening at the moment that I am too excited to care!! I have included some recent photos of the progress.......
Ensuite
Bathroom
Kitchen in Progress
Down the Hall to the Front Door
Ensuite
Pantry
Messy, Messy, Messy
The Almost Finished Kitchen
Ensuite
Bathroom
Kitchen in Progress
Down the Hall to the Front Door
Ensuite
Pantry
Messy, Messy, Messy
The Almost Finished KitchenSooooo ridiculously excited....
T xx
T xx
Goal - Total Organisation
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Labels:
Building,
Home,
Organising my Home,
The Pooper
3 weeks and counting until we move into our new house! That is, if you believe the builders, and I don't....... Don't get me wrong, I want to believe in them, but their past promises are working against them. None the less I have decided that it is high time to get organised.
Between The Big man, The Pooper and myself, we have managed to accumulate an awful lot of stuff. Stuff that we really don't need. So my goal this weekend is to start sorting out our stuff into three categories.
Category 1 - Things that we need, use and love (and the things that have true sentimental value).
Self explanatory really....
Category 2 - Items that can be sold on e-bay or at a garage sale.
I am going to start listing anything that is suitable (eg. spare dvd player, old tv) on to e-bay as soon as I can so that we don't have to lug too much to the new house. Everything else will hopefully sell at the garage sale we are having in two weekends time.
Category 3 - Items that can be donated to charity or thrown out.
Everything that doesn't sell on ebay or at the garage sale is going to be donated to charity and everything else (the rather large stash of broken things that we have hung on to) will be recycled or thrown away.
Now, because I am a class A hoarder and am quite new to this I have a fourth category as well.....
Category 4 - Things that I never use, but can't bring myself to throw out....
I am going to give myself one year to start using these items before I must give them away. That way I will have a bit of time to decide if I need them as much as I think I do (ie. spare set of hair straighteners, bread maker, old laptop that takes 5minutes to load a page).
I'm feeling more organised already!!
Please let me know if you have any great organising tips that I can put to good use :)
T xx
Between The Big man, The Pooper and myself, we have managed to accumulate an awful lot of stuff. Stuff that we really don't need. So my goal this weekend is to start sorting out our stuff into three categories.
Category 1 - Things that we need, use and love (and the things that have true sentimental value).
Self explanatory really....
Category 2 - Items that can be sold on e-bay or at a garage sale.
I am going to start listing anything that is suitable (eg. spare dvd player, old tv) on to e-bay as soon as I can so that we don't have to lug too much to the new house. Everything else will hopefully sell at the garage sale we are having in two weekends time.
Category 3 - Items that can be donated to charity or thrown out.
Everything that doesn't sell on ebay or at the garage sale is going to be donated to charity and everything else (the rather large stash of broken things that we have hung on to) will be recycled or thrown away.
Now, because I am a class A hoarder and am quite new to this I have a fourth category as well.....
Category 4 - Things that I never use, but can't bring myself to throw out....
I am going to give myself one year to start using these items before I must give them away. That way I will have a bit of time to decide if I need them as much as I think I do (ie. spare set of hair straighteners, bread maker, old laptop that takes 5minutes to load a page).
I'm feeling more organised already!!
Please let me know if you have any great organising tips that I can put to good use :)
T xx
A Work in Progress
Yesterday I went out to the block to check on the progress of our house, and to be honest I really wasn't expecting too much to have happened. It has been raining on and off for the last 5 days. When I got out there is was so very very happy to see that we have internal walls now!
I have decided to make this blog a picture journey of the progress so far (for all of my family members that don't have facebook!).........
I think the pipes sticking up are our plumbing and electrics
Our Slab from the back
This is one of my favourite photos
Roof!
These doors were the reason we fell in love with this design
I have decided to make this blog a picture journey of the progress so far (for all of my family members that don't have facebook!).........
I think the pipes sticking up are our plumbing and electrics
Our Free Fence
The Big Man and the Pooper checking out the Waffle Pods
Our Slab from the back
Our Slab from the front
The frame!!
This is one of my favourite photos
Roof! 
The Big Man and the Pooper in the Dining Room
These doors were the reason we fell in love with this design
The bricks don't really match the roof - we will be rendering soon (thanks Plug!)
Looking down the hall to the front door.
Hopefully I will have some more progress photos to put up very soon!
T xx
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