delicious stone icing for my benches

Here is my stone decision for all the bench tops in the house - Quantum Quartz Luna White.

As the stone mason measured, I lugged his sample book around the house with me, room to room, holding all the whites, greys, and latte tones up against the tiles, the walls and the cabinetry. I had already made a decision that I wanted white stone in the kitchen - as one can never ever ever EVER get enough white... The stone mason talked me out of a pure white, after he showed me what a car key does to the surface of a pure white stone bench and explained that pots, pans and utensils would do the same thing. Those who know me well, know that I cannot be delicate and gentle, rough and tumble is more me. So the fleck it was.

I thought I may have chosen a different tone for the bathrooms, a coffee latte tone to tie in with the floor tile but I just couldn't bring myself to introduce a third color into the room - symmetry and evens only for this girl!

So there it is - simple.... white stone.

Melissa xxx

painting progress

 Hello !! my gorgeous bloggy friends! I havn't posted for the last week as I have been lacking motivation after a lovely girls weekend  super super busy and suffering a spot of paint trauma......

It has taken me all week to get over the shock of seeing the walls inside the house, but they have finally grown on me...At first I was shocked at how light they were and instantly thought - what have I done!!!! That's what you get for just choosing from a color swatch and not having time to get sample pots... Well, I did have time but thought there was little point as the verandah is yet to go on and this will change the shade anyway...

All the walls have been finished, and the painter will be back next week to finish off the enamel paint on the windows, shirts and architraves.

Kitchen love xxxx

Island bench detail - oh and look at my window ledges - oh pinch me quick...

The nosing or little sweet window ledges were a last minute inclusion as I stood in the timber shop ordering the architraves and skirting boards. They are on all the kitchen windows, girls bedrooms, rumpus and bathroom and I LOVE them.

hallway...

finished vaulted ceiling, worth the pain and suffering of installing it, and looking gorgeous all painted white, even the daddy grunted his approval...

we enjoyed the combination of sunshine and mud yesterday

good little helpers - filling in the trench that has brought power into the house...I have power points!

cleaned up and out for a drive in the sun and rolling hills and we found a friend trying to cross the road...... Daddy took him back to the safety of the side of the road instead of the middle. After much begging to keep him, we moved on......

and found the sweetest ever little food and wine store tucked away in the hills of Kernot, with the scrummiest milkshakes and coffee

and enjoyed some cuddles in the sun... We also stopped at the most amazing function centre, which I will share photos of soon...

I promise I wont neglect you for as long again, but I really have found these stages of the house building process very chaotic....

This week gone at White Verandah:

 * made a final decision and ordered taps

* met with the stone mason, chosen and ordered stone

* electrician started to fit off

 * tiles delivered and being laid - we have floor tiles and one bathrooms with wall tiles!

* bath, basins, laundry trough, butlers pantry sink confirmed, paid for and should be here Thursday

* final decision, paid for and booked in carpet

* liased with builders for Verandah... was to start this week BUT of course, had to be re-engineered, redrawn and reapproved - oh the torture!!

So close, but oh so far - mirrors, door handles, kitchen lights, dishwasher, etc, etc - decisions, decisions....

Back soon - thanks so much for visiting...

Melissa xx

girls in Tassie

vodka, excitement & giggling on the plane

plenty of this.....

more than enough of this....

 a little sightseeing...

one visit to a gorgeous church...

 a few cemetery stops - morbid, not sure?

shopping...

lollies...

wineries...

 

and heaps of laughter and talking over the top of each other - what more could 6 girls heading for a decade of friendship ask for ??

Girls weekend love

Girls , food , wine, shopping , giggles, feet up - loving and nurturing each other - thats what it's all about.

An amazing trip so far....

I can't live without my girls

Melissa xxx

painting today

Source: None via Tibou on Pinterest

The last two days the painters have been puttying up all the little holes in the architraves and skirting boards and masking up all the windows...They should have started painting yesterday but we had some hold ups - wrong doors, not enough nosing for my window trims, and the poor carpenter under the pump to get everything finished!

And today, on this glorious day, they are painting the ceiling and undercoating all the timber.. Then over the next couple of days they will be painting the walls. Mr Right was at the house last night cleaning up and when he got home he commented that the house really looks like a house now - doors, architraves, skirting boards.... 

And I know the paint will make an even bigger difference!

I am madly trying to pack for our girls trip to Tasmania and will only have photo updates sent across the water from Mr Right, as the paint goes onto the walls... I am super excited about what it will look like when i get home!

Tiles next... All chosen, ordered and delivery date set.

Tiler ready to go when the paint is dry.

I thought last night - it may sound as though everything is running smoothly...It hasn't! But that's a post for another day. The last two days I have been back and forth to the house sorting out little issues - nothing is ever easy! When it gets to this point in building - it is all the finer details that make it tricky..

Anyway - I am off for a couple of days to soak up everything that Tassie has to over with some girlfriends and recharge the batteries. Good timing I say - it has been a big week! When I get back it will be time to start thinking about packing, the verandah will hopefully be starting and tiling ready to go...

i hope your enjoying the sun today 

Melissa xxxxx

kitchen sneak peek......

 Laundry/mud room sneek peak....

other side of laundry....

I think the cabinet maker was feeling the excitement in the room as he was putting the handles on....

the squeals as the butlers sink went in.... I'm sure they were amused at my reactions...

She is all covered up - ready for paint...

She is yet to be iced in some delicious white stone....

and tomorrow the nosing and scotia will be fitted on the bottom sills of the windows...

I promise I will show you more very soon....

When so much is happening everyday - we head down to the house after dinner to see the progress for the day....Just in time for gorgeous sunsets...

Little chooks checking on the progress of the new apple trees....

Pj's and all = priceless..

happy days x

Melissa

weekend happenings

We had such a busy weekend putting up the pine lining in the vaulted ceiling in the dining room, however we managed to take time out to go and order the tiles. As I blogged - we were hoping to meet Polly & Waz and Rod & Tania at the tile shops name relaunch but we missed them!! They had to leave early to get to other commitments  - we had a few little quivering lips - so on the way home we stopped in at Glenfyne cafe to try and put some smiles back on the kiddies faces... feeding the fish and playing in the gardens certainly changed their mood....

we admired their sensational gardens....

caught up with new friends ....

we had a peek at the chapel on site and were all in awe of it's beauty...

gorgeous old pews...

original old doors...

It is a breathtaking spot, and the hospitality is impeccable, as I have blogged before, I highly recommend a visit if you are out for a drive on the weekend..Maryanne and Danny are just gorgeous - we left with handfuls of goodies for the vegie patch again. It is such an amazing peaceful spot....

You can visit the website here ....

We finished the ceiling - 

almost.... and not without a few tense moments! Mr Right was not impressed to learn of my intention to have it painted white, he couldn't quite grasp why it wasn't just plastered...Hopefully, he will understand when he sees it painted and gets over the trauma of installing it .....

and we have a kitchen and vanities...

we also have painters today....

Pictures to come 

Thanks for visiting , 

Melissa xxx

scrumptious skirting boards

no words.. just love.

more love that I only have to wait until next week to see them all painted up.

I have taken countless photos

Craft room, architraved and skirted..

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, we had all the windows flung open as we all worked away

 

This is what Mr right and I did yesterday - amongst the heating and cooling guys cutting in their holes and Matt working tirelessly to finish off the doors, architraves and skirting boards in time for the painter on Monday.

We didn't quite finish the vaulted ceiling (to be painted white) so back again today...

This is what the kitchen looked like last night when we left but today it is going to look a whole lot different...I cant believe we are up to putting the kitchen in - the last few weeks feel like a whirlwind! 

So much happening and SO much organising to ensure the next phase is all organised...

The kitchen guys want the butlers sink today - so I will get it out and unwrap it carefully just like a little girl on Christmas morning - I may not even be able to contain the squeals of delight... I really cant believe I haven't opened it.

This is what greeted me as I rolled out of bed this morning, a little stiff from a huge days work yesterday - most of it spent holding my arms above my head. I had a few "survivor" moments - pretending I was in one of those crazy "survivor" competitions...

 Relentless crafting in this house

Once this project is finished - the girls are super excited to be off to the tile shop -  to not only purchase the tiles and carpet but also celebrate in their relaunch of their new logo  and meet Polly & Waz and Tania & Rod who will be there taking part in the festivities!!!

Thanks for coming by xxx

Melissa.