#39 Camp in our tent (at least one night)

If you have managed and/or bothered to follow the haphazard progress of my 40 before 40 challenge then you have done extremely well! It was very random I know. Anyway, this if another task that I can cross off the list. But first, I do need to fess up and be honest about things, you see, I am 40 now. Let that one slide by very quietly - life was a bit hectic with a new baby and all - so effectively the challenge is over. Finished. Completed. Have I reported the results? Nope. But I will! Just humour me for a little longer... you're so kind. Thanks.

So getting back to it. Number 39, Camp in our tent (at least one night). When I wrote this list I was pregnant and to be truthful questioned whether this one was going to happen - hence the "at least one night" clause which would enable the tent to be set up in the back yard for a trial sleep over. So that didn't happen before the end of the challenge, but a couple of months later we got to experience the real deal. It was awesome!

DH and I, in our previous life pre children, purchased a camper trailer and took to the road for 3 months for a super adventure. Not the seasoned campers at the time we learnt a lot along the way and by the end could proudly say we were converted. There is something about camping that leaves behind the stresses of everyday life and welcomes relaxation and a carefree spirit. Back to today and the big question on our lips..... would this still be true with 3 children in tow??

Absolutely! Why did we wait so long?

#19 quinn's (mid-century inspired) nursery

#16 Introducing.... Quinn Alice

Quinn Alice arrived on April 13th 2011.

We are now 10 days into our new adventure as a family of five. So far Miss Quinn is proving to be the cruisiest of our three newborns and has consequently slotted into the family like she has always been here. The sleep deprivation third time around for me seems to be more tolerable - infact I'm strangely enjoying those quiet moments in the middle of the night when it is just her & I.... sigh...

Now if I can just sort out a few dodgy boob things with the feeding we'll be sweet!

Oh and this means I've accomplished number 16 on my 40 before 40 list.

things are happening

5 weeks & 1 day to go..... not that anyone is counting!

Back a few weeks ago I had a set back when my pelvis "shat" itself. Doubled over and almost not able to walk the doc & physio told me I would probably be that way for the last 8 weeks of this pregnancy. Cripes!! How the hell was I going to get Ruby to school every day and Sachin to half days at Kindy 4 days a week??? Thankfully weekly massages, a pelvic brace and a belly support stocking have held this old body together long enough for whatever happened to my pelvis to temporarily recover. Phiew. Hopefully I'm not going to jinx myself here, as things are now back on track (body wise that is).

As I'm managing so well to neglect you my dear friends, I now resort to summarizing my last few weeks.

• baby has turned...head down... woohoo!
• spent 3 wonderful days going solo in Melbourne with my sister Lorrin, her partner Heather & my dear friend De... facials, op shopping, vintage furniture shopping, eating out, reading mags, reLAXing...

• crossed off #26 (paint the front fence) on the 40 before 40 list with a mini working bee (thanks family!)
• utterly challenged by a request to make a soft scalloped rusty spoon... several attempts later..

• organised my magazine collection and cleaned out the bathroom cabinets  (#22 & #23 on 40 before 40 list)

• finally stopped the denial and accepted that we have grown out of our car and will  not be able to fit 3 children with 3 car seats - purchased a people mover... I know I know.... never thought I'd be driving a bus!!
• scored the vintage Tessa swivel armchair I have been dreaming of for the nursery .... more pics to come of the nursery when it's finished

• getting into the new season of American Idol.... go James Durbin!

#20 softies for mirabel

There's not been a whole lot of toy making going on at the moment, but these guys took priority. It was getting closer and closer to the "Softies for Mirabel" end of November deadline, so I think I've managed to allow just enough time to package and post them over to Pip in Melbourne. She will be displaying all of the donated creations in her shopfront window from Dec 1 - Dec 7, so if you're in Melbourne pop by for a gander. Don't worry, if you're not, you can check them out here.

The Mirabel Foundation is an organization that provides help to kids who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their Mum or Dad's drug addiction. All of the donated handmade toys will be thoughtfully matched up with the children and gifted for Christmas. Yay! 

(another item completed on the 40 before 40 list...)

#10. The new sideboard.

Number 10 Find a low line sideboard for the Lobby on the 40 before 40 list has been completed and I couldn't be more chuffed with the outcome! But it was a long time coming.

Sometimes finding a piece of furniture that matches the image you have in your mind can be an impossible task - especially when the budget if tight. I've scoured the second hand and op shops for months on end and found nothing. Zip. Problem is, everyone is looking for the very same thing at the moment as retro furniture is so in demand. I was looking for a 1960s teak timber low-line sideboard which seems to be popular for flat screen TVs. Apparently they are going off at the auction houses which is all good and fine if you have a few hundred dollars. I've been watching them go on eBay for months, ranging from $300 - $1100 depending on the size and condition.

So my brief was to find a sideboard for our Lobby which can hold all the day to day stuff. Bags, keys, phones, umbrellas - you know, the things you dump as you enter the house and then can't find when you leave. We currently have this lovely buffet which is slightly the wrong decade for our house. The 60s styling and darker teak colour is not true to our 1950s decor and it feels too big and heavy in a space that already has a lot of timber. Not to be parted with, it will be relocated downstairs into the kids playroom and used as the art/craft storage cupboard.

before- the too big 1960s buffet

after - the new 1950s sideboard

Finally last week I found something different on eBay. It jumped out at me - 1950s blondewood - great legs and not too big. Higher than the low-line I had been imagining but ample storage for what we needed. The 2 supplied photos looked a little dodgy and I really couldn't tell what state it was in but hey, the bidding was only at $14. Much to my surprise I placed the winning bid a few days later at $37. I waited in anticipation on Monday night as Dean picked it up after work and bought it home. Much to our surprise it's not nasty at all. It's brilliant. Perfect size for the space. It comes with a few scratches and dings but that just adds character and matches the rest of our loved but not-so-perfect house :)

40 before 40

Next June I will be celebrating the big 40. I've never been one to focus on numbers but I must admit to feeling a little anxious about leaving my 30's. You see I remember quite clearly my Dad's 40th.... and yes at the time I thought he was... well... old. Is that me? It can't be!! To add fuel to my own fire there has been another major change in my life that has left me questioning that number. I am due to become a Mum again in April.... yes .... there is a baby in the making. I am 13 weeks pregnant (although I look about 5 months thanks to pathetic stomach muscles). We are very excited! The last few months have been spent going to bed at 8pm, napping during the middle of day (often bolt upright on the lounge after convincing the kids they should sit and watch a bit of TV with me) and eating like a horse (my way of keeping nausea at bay). Happy to see the back of that first trimester. Yes-sir-ee.

So with the April change coming around I started to put together a list of  incomplete jobs around the house that I wanted to finish before then. Let's face it, not much gets done when a little baby enters the house. While writing this list, I remembered the 30 before 30 list that Nicole of Making it Lovely put together. My list then morphed into 40 before 40.

1. Install bookshelves and a laptop  space (and unpack the gazillion boxes of books downstairs)
2. Get shelves made for the kids bedroom
3. Clean out the cellar
4. Install an external shutter on the kitchen window before summer
5. External blind for our east bedroom window
6. Install the kitchen rangehood (been in the box for 2 years)
7. Find a nursery chair (currently loving the Tessa T21 swivel chair by Fred Lowen)
8. Wallpaper our bedroom walls
9. Relocate my sewing room downstairs
10. Find a low line sideboard for the Lobby  update
11. Hang mirrors (in our bedroom & nursery)
12. Clean out & have a Garage Sale
13. Paint external doors
14. Ride my bike (been in storage for 5 years)
15. Go on a family holiday
16. Deliver a baby Quinn Alice
17. Prepare side yard for the kids swings
18. Minimum 4 date nights with my husband
19. Decorate the Nursery progress update
20. Make & donate a toy to Softies for Mirabel update
21. Plant fruit trees
22. Organise my magazine collection
23. Clean out the bathroom cabinets
24. Create a vegetable garden
25. Make a minimum of 5 handmade items for Xmas
26. Paint the front fence
27. Teach Ruby to sew
28. Play the piano more often
29. Paint the laundry and downstairs bathroom
30. Make Sachin's birthday crown
31. Family day trip to the Art Gallery
32. Plant a Xmas tree somewhere in the yard
33. Seal the concrete in the shed
34. Find a lamp base for Nana's lampshade
35. Finish the half made sofa covers
36. Make a dress for me
37. Organise a slide night to view Pa's old photos
38. Learn to use my camera on manual settings
39. Camp in our tent (at least one night)
40. Make a nut loaf in Nana's old tin

So there you go. That's my wee list. I'll be updating and crossing things off as I optimistically accomplish things over the next 8 months. Who knows, I may even manage to share the odd post about completed tasks if A. I find the energy and B. it seems interesting enough to share.

Maybe you have a list of things you'd like to get done. Jump on board! Share your list and we'll see if we can spur each other on :)