House Update

We have been in our new home for about two months now, so I thought I would give an update on the restoration!

Despite viewing the house a couple of times before we moved in, I don’t think Alan and I appreciated the extent to which we would have to restore the house to get it the way we want it!

We spent a day before the removal men came cleaning the house, and are we glad we did. I don’t think the house had seen a duster or a hoover for at least 7 years (the amount of time the previous owners lived here), and that’s no exaggeration. The place was filthy! It took my in-laws a whole day to get the kitchen rid of any grease. Even the curtain rails were black! We had someone here cleaning the carpets and the water at the end of the day was like gravy. Yuk!

Work on the house started pretty much straight away. We have had that many doors replaced/hung that I have lost count. Firstly, we (that’s the Royal ‘we’) replaced the glass-panelled down into the lounge with a normal wooden door. After having 2 sets of glass panelled doors in Aberdeen, I decided to get rid of it straight away. Then we arranged for a company to come and change 2 sets of patio doors and the side door as the old ones were a bit flimsy. The biggest job was a door from the house into the integral garage. At first I thought this was a bit indulgent (is that a word) but it’s actually really handy. My recycling no longer sits at the back door for days, waiting to go into the relevant boxes and, when Alan disappears, I don’t need to go outside to find him! The builders who put the door in, though, were a bit useless when it came to actually hanging the door, so Alan and his dad finished it off in the end!

We have replaced the saloon-style swing doors into the kitchen and utility room with ordinary wooden doors, and the door into the downstairs bedroom has been moved so that the room is now square instead of having a pointless corridor! (I realise that none of this makes sense unless you have actually seen the house!)

The next ‘door’ job is happening on Saturday when we are having a door-sized hole knocked through from the dining room into the study. You currently need to go through the bedroom to get into the study, which is a bit of a pain, so I came up with the bright idea of having a door (some ideas should be kept inside your head, I have come to realise!) Then we can block up the door from the bedroom into the study, and all the downstairs rooms with be accessible from the hall/dining room.

Other than that, we have had a new fence round the perimeter of the house, all the electrics sorted (I have never been in a building where there are so many switches that don’t do anything!), blinds fitted, shelves put into cupboards, oh, and another door to make an understairs cupboard where there was once just a hole!

We had 4 huge bags of gravel delivered this morning (they should have arrived yesterday but they were sitting on the drive of number 2 instead of our house, number 20!) to replace the tiny bit of lawn at the front of the house, and we collected our new sink and toilet for the downstairs toilet this afternoon as well.

Our original estimation to get the house decorated, etc, was 6 months! That was then increased to a year, and is now 18 months. By now, we were going to have a new kitchen and at least 1 room decorated. I am quite glad on the kitchen front as we have changed our minds that many times that I wouldn’t have been happy with it.

Perhaps, if I ever work out how to do it, I could put some before and after photos on here as we do each room. We’ll see!

I’m sure it will be lovely…when it’s all finished!

Big Brother is watching you!

How sad am I?

I just decided to google myself! I was quite taken aback about how much information was shown on google when I typed in my name, and it's all from my blog page! It showed my full name, birthday, where I live, how many children I have, what I do for a living, etc, etc. I have decided to delete my profile! I don't mind people reading my blog, but I'm not sure I want every Tom, Dick and harry reading my personal details! It might be worth googling yourself to see what it brings up!

The Incredible Hulk (That's me, by the way!)

I am not usually one to have a moan (quiet, Dawn!) but I think I have reason to today.

Yesterday morning I woke up with a tingling feeling in my toes. My guess...chilblains! My own stupid fault for a) wearing 2 pairs of socks and b) for putting my cold feet on the hot radiator!

Later in the day (approximately 4.30pm, as I was about the feed Samuel) I had to remove my socks as they were irritating me around my ankles. I noticed a few red blotched but thought nothing of it.

Two hours later, I notice a small rash on my leg!

By the time Alan had arrived home from his trip to London at 10pm, I was (literally) covered from head to toe with a horrendous, red, angry-looking rash. Not very attractive.

Alan and I then spent an hour debating whether to call NHS24, ring for an ambulance, or just got to bed. We chose the latter!

I spent a very restless, uncomfortable night, waking at 3am for a jolly good scratch.

When I turned the lights on at 7.30 this morning, I realised I am now one big rash. It starts on my scalp (I can't see it, but I can certainly feel the little monkey), right down my face, neck, chest, arms, back, stomach, legs, feet, toes...it's even on the soles of my feet!

The culprit?

A course of antibiotics, that were, supposedly, to make me better.

I am now left looking like a giant beetroot and I know that the only cure is to sit in a cold room with absolute nothing on...but my father-in-law is in the next room and I don't think he's quite ready to meet his Maker yet!

I daren't leave the house, Samuel keeps looking at me as if I'm some kind of monster, and I have a Christmas party to go to in a few days...Help!!!

The joys of Motherhood

My 18-year-old cousin asked me yesterday what it was like to be a Mum!

Surprising both her and myself, I hesitated before I answered. My answer should have been "Motherhood...It's fantastic! Amazing! I love every minute of it!"

The real answer?

I have never been so tired, stressed, happy, sad, anxious, scared, overjoyed, in awe, thankful, (I could go on) in my life.

It's a mixture of emotions.

It's a rollercoaster ride.

It's the hardest thing I have ever done!

Even harder than teaching a class of 34 Year 6 pupils? Definitely! You can send a class of kids home at 3 o'clock!!

Never have I cried so much.

Never have I laughed so much.

Never have I worried so much.

I worry that he's not getting enough sleep. I worry that he's sleeping too much.

I worry that he's hungry. I worry that he's overfed.

I am desperate for him to start crawl. And yet I dread the day he does!

But, yes, even after all that, it is wonderful! And I have so much to thank God for. I wouldn't change it for the world!

I am so blessed!