April 2009 Episode 15 Bebe & BB have babies n stuff

[PuzzleRocks]

Ta da

Will do - he has pre op on 20th and op on 2nd July. He's about 18 months behind his peers now so I just want to know if it is something that can be resolved and robed get him the support he needs over the next few years to catch up or start thinking of alternative ways to communicate for him! We'll see.

Glad Ellen is better, she looks so beautiful in her recent pictures on Facebook! How's Holly? Has our other mner has had her 3rd baby yet (she will always be lulubai to me despite name changes ).

Oh I can't wait til the kids are old enough / fixed so we can all go to the cinema! I haven't been for ages!

Thank you, she's in the garden shivering and playing in soil at the moment. Holly is great, sooo excited about starting pre-school in September. I just bought name tapes and stuff which gave me a lump in my throat.

She has indeed. Drop her a text, she's still in hospital or was yesterday.

That was the first time in 6 years that I had been to the cinema.

How is everyone doing?

BB how was the pre-op for K?

Hope everyone and their LOs are doing well... this thread has been going for nearly a year... wonder if we can finish it off before July 25th? I really cannot believe how much has changed in a year. :)

We're back from 3 glorious weeks in America with my family. The girls grew up so much playing with their older cousins. It was SO great being able to have a 'proper' summer with heat and swimming in lakes and camping and bbq picnics because it was too hot to cook, oh and so many reasons to go down to the frozen custard shop and have a cool treat to eat on the park bench in the hot summer evening while swatting 'skeeters. :O I loved it so much (and so did the rest of the family)
And now we're back in time for Wimbledon and DH to leave for Preston for tentatively 5 months... positives and negatives to everything.

Hope everyone gets to have many lovely moments like I had these past weeks (tho with the cool damp weather they'll likely be a little different ) I did pack some sunshine and warm weather in around my clothes so hopefully it didn't get lost in the trip over x

Wow Bebe, it sounds idyllic. I'm quite envious, DH and I were only last night chatting about a trip to Yosemite. Dream on.

It was very idyllic, even the sweltering nights just before we came back somehow made me smile. :) I was a little bummed to leave my family and the rest of summer behind...But, while I was driving the M4 back home I started smiling at how lovely the countryside was here and by the time we got home I was ear to ear. Even today with the Welsh 'sun' and trying to get DH ready to leave I'm happy and enjoying myself. I truly love it here. It's a good place be, and a better life here that I'd have then back there I'm certain.

Yosemite is nice I hear. It's on my list of places to go also :) My Aunt and her kids drove out there and are there now. The pictures I've seen have been awesome. I've been to Yellowstone, but all of these places are awesome and worthy of a trip. Someday we're going to fly to California rather than my family and do the California/Oregon/ Southwest .... just hope it's sooner rather than later. Though after this 3 weeks we're truly done with holiday besides weekend trips until Christmas. :)

Hello all, sorry haven't been in for a while, have been madly busy! We are moving house next week due to our landlord wanting to sell our place, so have been eBaying and decluttering like mad to fit into the new house, which is a bit smaller but in an area near lots of our friends so much better on the whole. Have sold all the baby stuff although haven't been able to part with a few bits like my favourite sling. Can't believe my smallest boy is 3 and there are no more small ones on the way

BB how did K's pre-op go? Is it all set for next week still? And on the job front, where do you live again? I know a few agencies around and about and could send you some contact details for work leads maybe?

Bebe glad you had a nice holiday - must have been good to see the sunshine!

I'm off to Nice tomorrow for a girls weekend, coming back Sunday morning. Can't wait - even though it's just before we move and so there's stacks to do . I'm also missing DP's family reunion which is a bit naughty of me but I can't say I'm too distressed.....

Puzzle how's Ellen doing these days? Did she ever come in from the garden? Is she still playing with soil? It's weird when threads don't move very fast, feels like everyone has frozen in time.

Orbit is currently obsessed with a pair of fingerless Spiderman gloves. He insists on wearing them all day and in bed. I remove them after he's gone to sleep and he puts them straight on as soon as he wakes up. Occasionally I manage to wash them but he whinges until he gets them back! Three year olds are completely insane....

We have really slowed down on this thread, haven't we?

Ooh Nice, nice [shit 80's comedian emoticon]
Have a lovely time.

Ellen is good, her asthma has flared up this week but it's been manageable. Hopefully we can still leave the girls with my Mum tomorrow and continue DH's birthday celebrations. He was 40 yesterday and I had a total crisis of confidence when I realised I look really old these days and he still looks 30. At some point people are going to think I am his Mum aren't they!

Oh hello everyone!

I knw what you mean Bebe- we are just back from visiting friends in Canada. DH is trying to persuade me to emigrate and I feel like he's organised the weather to persuade me. Oh for proper seasons!

Let's get this thread moving again.

I have a little project I would like your help with. I am going to do homestaging at the Maison de Boff, primarily so I like the look of the house a bit more, but also in case we see a house nearer the station we like, and therefore want to sell. I would like to know everyone's top ten things that I should think about when pimping our place. Mine are:

1. Kitchen cupboards are solid wood but look a bit dated. Paint them? How best to do this without them looking shit? Cream, or Farrow and Ball New White with pine knobs (would match dresser DH bought me).
2. New worktops. Can't afford granite, so would beech block laminate be any good with painted cupboards? Everyone tells me this is hard to fit - is it really? Why?
3. New sink and taps. Stainless steel is cheapest - Belfast sink poshest? Are cheap taps really crap? What to think about?
4. Tiles are off white with odd interspersed naff 1980s floral ones, which I have put a black marble-look specialist tile covering on. Is it best to retile or should I ask tiler to regrout and chip out naff tiles and replace with attractive ones? (I have done tiling myself but I am really bad at it, despite my best efforts).
5. Need new curtains and cushions for sitting room, but posh looking fabric in dark green and yellow/gold hard to come by without paying £££. Throws as well. Ideas for internet suppliers?
6. Bed dressing. Short of white towels, bathrobes and double/king size sheets etc. White Company stuff great but £££. Alternative suppliers?
7. Posh toiletries for display in bathrooms. Ideas, at minimal cost?
8. Best value flat screen TV for sitting room?
9. Ideas for props to make us look like we have an opulent upmarket lifestyle HAHAHA!

10. Clutter in kids' bedrooms. Have reasonable storage place, but the buggers don't use it!

Ta muchly.

1. FB Lulubai, she di just this and her kitchen looks lovely.

1. Yes a bitch, warps, dents, stainings a faff. I hate it.

1. Yes to Belfast, no clue about taps.

1. Regrout. I wouldn't retile.

1. Dunelm Mill have a lot of cheap crap but they do have some gems sometimes.

1. John Lewis?

1. LG

1. Sadly I lack the qualifications to even attempt answering this one.

10. Bin it, that's what I threaten mine with.

Ah Boff are we in the same place in life? We (I'm) looking at what I need to do encase we want to move. I painted the downstairs bathroom to tidy it up and now I'm looking at what else I can to to help freshen the house so I feel happier and also make it saleable if/when we do choose to move.

Not sure abt most of your list.

1. agree that painted sounds a good course of action sort of a shabby chic look

2.Heard it's a pain in the ass when we were looking at countertops so we shied away/ since then more people have been met and said they're not bad if you are take care of them. 3.no idea 4.regrout unless mistakes are too likely or would end up being more time/money consuming somehow 5.Dunelm or JLewis are where I look. JL are having clearance I believe... 6.JL again 7.JL or House of Frasier (clearance)

1. agree with LG

9.ain't be the one to be asking 10. 'declutter'

Mine are

1. Fix woodwork cracks where settling has occurred pull the woodwork up and re position? or just fill with filler?
2. Fix 'tape' warping/ripping from the builders which is showing after I do this surely I'm going to have to repaint...
3. Stick carpet down by living room door -not sure if I can just use tape or if something more permanent is needed
4. Fill in screw holes in hall/stairs?
5. Paint stairwell walls but how to do I do this with the girls...and how do I get all the way up to the ceiling which is over a story high when the floor is stairs and not 'floor'
6. Bathroom tiling how do I do this on the cheap but not look cheap while still match the toilet and sink? Should I just repaint even tho DH wants tiles? (I pretty much have paint I can use) how do I paint behind floor to ceiling plumbed towel rail radiators? I cannot deduce how to move them...
7. Extend under stairs cupboard...need tiles for the floor and drywall on the block walls
8. Change spare room doors to a window (makes the room a more usable and reasonable double bedroom) but this will cost money and there is none right now so it really is going to have to be the last on the list
9. Add lights to kitchen ...Under the cabinets...In the dining room ...how can I do this without professional help and expense? is it possible?
10. Finish off garden shed moving/plant grass

10.Continue to declutter existing rooms and those things that don't have places ebay/freecycle/throwout

...seems like I'm going to be doing an awful lot of painting....

When it comes to houses what I'm looking at are (but these are high personalised because of the position we're in):
1.Kitchen-cupboards and counter space
2.Bathrooms- tidiness overall biggish tub for relaxing in
3.Bedrooms- 'light' refreshing relaxing feeling 2 of abt equal size for the girls
4.Garden- enough room for the kids to move in the nice weather preferably sunny in afternoon/evening than just in morning
5.nearness to countryside/outdoor walks/playing
6.nearness to a shop (walk-able preferably so it can be part of our routine to go every other day and don't need to be stocking tons of food)
7.storage for hobby activities

Zulu but bitter winters and sweltering summers...do you really want that???

oh my most worrying thing on my house...signs of damp around windows...what do i do abt that?!

I think my place scores quite well on all your things, Bebe. I have actually given in and asked a homestaging person to come around, to give professional tips (which of course I am happy to share with my favourite post natal group!)

:) didn't know you could have a professional in...wish i could have a professional in on pretty much every aspect of my life right now.
Really feel like giving up responsibilites today i need a big ol cup of tea and a nap.
My goal this week is to tape the ensuite bathroom and try to get it painted. Dh says i'm being silly, and we should tile, but i want it/something done now to make it feel fresh and brighter in there. I want to feel like we're progressing and getting things tidy/ready even if we're not able to move for years. I'm sick of waiting for dh to help or take the initative...so i'll do it while he's gone

Course now i'm wondering if having the wc on the bottom floor and the ensuite be the same colors might be odd.... But then again the light is different in each room and the tile scheme are different so hoping the same colors on the wall will still look different

Well, if it's any comfort we have the downstairs loo and two ensuites all painted a colour called something like rice paper from B and Q. If you recall I painted the downstairs loo whilst in labour with Felix! They all look great and my midwife has painted her loo the same colour as well now!

:) Looking at how much paint I had left I have a feeling there is not enough...so I didn't paint... tho I may still do it tomorrow if I can figure out how to extend the paint somehow...

Professional home staging lady was very helpful. We are now officially painting the cupboard doors in the kitchen, to match the second hand dresser DH bought for me recently. Then we'll change the worktop to beech butchers block laminate, and have new Belfast sinks and high necked taps.Other than that we plan to repaint woodwork and some ceilings, change door handles and light switches to antiqued brass throughout the house, buy a few more lamps and that kind of thing, and then we are done! It was all very interesting.

Top tips she gave me:

Avoid putting in new kitchens and bathrooms where possible, unless you have a non White bathroom suite.

Table runners are great for dressing beds and don't need folding or faffing about with.

Antiqued brass door furniture rather than shiny.

Use curtain bosses to puff out curtains whilst holding them back.

Big green plant on bathroom windowsill.

Lamps in every corner of the room.

Walk in closets must have completely clear floors.

Sounds like you've got a good plan of action Boff :)
And some lovely tips. Th eone abt the plant in the bathroom is interesting because i recently did this just because and it really made a difference to the feel of the bathroom :)
I've spent my day sorting the girl's toys...they have so many 'bits' and relocated them all and boxed them. They actually take up less room and it has made it easier to put away toys on the top shelves for better rotation :)
I also purged the linen cupboard of misc. Or mismatching sheets and pillowcases and towels. I've put matching linen and guest towels in a pillowcase so there will be no more searching around for things, just grab the pillowcase and unpack. :) it's made the cupboard tighter looking...and it'll be fool proof for dh

Hello lovelies, long time no see. Hope everyone and children are reasonably well and happy despite the ridiculous weather. I can't believe we booked a holiday to Denmark of all places, I think it's even colder there than it is here!

Is anyone up for a meet up during the summer hols?

Boff, in answer to your questions 7 and 9 below... Bayliss & Harding, looks like Molton Brown but is cheaper, I think you can get from Ocado. Or try TK Maxx?

Question 9 - some upmarket magazines placed in strategic positions? Flowers, surely. Make sure any tins/cans/packets that are on display in your kitchen are posh brands rather than Tesco's finest?