After the success of last year’s chocolate nativity scene, I decided to make another earlier this week with my girls.
As I was setting out the lollies and blocks of chocolate to make our creation, Esther pointed out there were animals at the birth of Jesus.
Right she was.
So this year’s chocolate nativity scene includes one lone sheep (a milk bottle cut in half) a shepherd (jelly baby) and a staff (candy cane).
This year we elevated the pitch of the roof and instead of a Cadbury Flake log for Jesus’ manger, we used a banana lolly because Maggie ate all the Flakes and left only one for the sprinkling.
Since we made the chocolate nativity scene, it’s been sitting in the fridge and my girls have asked if they can eat ‘Jesus’ house’ for breakfast.
We’re taking it for a morning tea catch up tomorrow.
If you want to know how to make your own chocolate nativity scene minus the shepherd and the sheep, head here, or you can download this free 12 Days of Christmas eBook.
Next year, we will look at adding an angel. Or a lobster. Except they are way too little to understand that.
What cooking traditions do you have with your family at this time of year?
One of the jobs I have had on my list to do on school holidays was to do a bit of decluttering and organizing.
My filing cabinet has started to get too full which has made it hard to put any new statements in its designated folder.
On Wednesday, I went through each file and got rid of statements we no longer needed just to free up some space. As I was going through each file, I found a file labeled, “Bec Apprenticeship”.
In it contained all the paperwork from Sarina Russo when I started my plumbing apprenticeship back in 2006. There were pamphlets on what I’d learn doing a Certificate III in Plumbing and Drainage. I had certificates and my achievement results in there, and then I came across a letter dated 28th June 2007.
It was a letter from the QLD Government Department of Arts and Training that told me my apprenticeship was going to be CANCELLED – typed in capital letters – because an anonymous call had been made about me. The letter outlined claims of why my apprenticeship was to be cancelled and it was kind of humourous to re-read again.
I remember the meeting around 9 years ago with the Department to discuss the letter. I also remember crying about it, and feeling betrayed by someone within our company who had made the call anonymous call.
I also prayed a lot and asked God if I wasn’t meant to be doing my apprenticeship, to show me what I was really meant to do.
I ended up sending a 100 page document showing sites I had worked on, hydraulic plans with estimates on it and a letter stating why I shouldn’t have my apprenticeship cancelled.
Two weeks later I received a letter stating my apprenticeship would NOT BE CANCELLED, but I would be subject to 6 monthly visits on site to ensure I was doing the work as set out by my apprenticeship.
I never heard or saw them again throughout my entire apprenticeship.
I kept the letter in my ‘Bec Apprenticeship’ file because even though I had a right to be offended and upset, I took my emotions and used them as my ammunition to prove my doubters wrong. I remember crying to my dad, with determination, saying ‘Just watch me, I’m going to win awards and prove them wrong’.
And I did.
Without realizing it, I did win awards each year consecutively a full year and a half later. And who’d have thought that on World Plumbing Day on 11 March 2016, I would be awarded the first female plumbing Ambassadorship for QLD.
As I re-read the letter this week while going through that file, I was once again reminded not to be put off by setbacks.
No matter what you set out to do in life, you will always come across a setback or challenge that will stop you in your tracks and have you wondering whether you’ve made the right decision.
The setbacks are made to distract you and aren’t necessarily meant as a sign to say you need to stop.
I used my setback to fuel my determination to succeed.
I often get emails or read comments on how hard it is to get a plumbing apprenticeship. Especially still for women who are desperate to learn a trade.
Every job application comes back with a no. It can be disheartening and disappointing. It can be offensive too.
Don’t stop dreaming. Tell someone what you want to see unfold in your life and say it with passion and purpose.
Winning awards wasn’t my ultimate goal. Finishing my apprenticeship and making a career for myself in the plumbing industry was. The accolades came anyway.
And unsurprisingly, there have been various other setbacks along the way that changed my direction, but not my purpose.
Sometimes a setback sets you up for something better.
So whatever setback you’re facing at this time of year, whether it’s health, career, finances, relationships – bad news comes in all shapes and forms – don’t let it stop you.
Who knows where I’d be now if I gave into that letter.
I know one thing for sure – you wouldn’t be reading this blog.
What setbacks have you had to deal with in the past? What setbacks have you had this year? What do you want to see happen in your life? I’d love to hear from you.
Oh Christmas how I LOVE you. I truly do enjoy this time of year.
Although it feels like I’ve been preparing for Christmas for MONTHS.
The girls and I have been crafting, making Christmas projects that would make good activities for kids on the school holidays. Here are just some of the craft activities we’ve been making.
I decided to put up my Grandma Jones’s Silver Christmas Tree in her honour. To be honest I love the tree. We alternate each year with a green tree or this gorgeous vintage tree.
I have fond memories of helping my grandma as a little girl, decorating this tree. When my grandma offered it to me when she and grandpa were culling their possessions I said YES!
The tree is stored in the original box it was purchased in. When we put the tree up a few years ago, Jacob looked to see if there was a date of manufacture and it said it was made in San Diego. My mum told me that my grandparents bought the tree when they lived in San Diego for a year while my grandpa finished his masters in Mathematics. My dad was quite young so the tree is over 50 years old.
We usually decorate the tree with pink, purple and blue baubles, but this year decided to go with white, grey, Tiffany blue, black and copper. We put the tree up early – around mid November to make sure we had enough decorations for the tree. We found we didn’t, so putting it up early gave me enough time to find what we needed.
I’ve been making a few Christmas presents as well. I’ve made some pom pom baskets and mini snack bars in a jar for the dads and grandpas who at times are a little hard to buy for.
There are a few exciting traditions Jacob and I do with the girls each year like taking them into the city to see the Christmas lights and parade. We also do a visit to the Myer Giftorium to ride on the Santa Express. All of these things are free to do, but we leave it to the week before Christmas.
Last Wednesday night we got to go to see a VIP preview of the Enchanted Garden at Roma Street Parklands. It’s another free event and is on every night from now until the 18th December from 6pm to 9pm. You can plan a magical night in the City by viewing the light show on City Hall and walking up to Roma Street Parklands to wander through the lights in the gardens.
Southbank Christmas Carols will be presented by my church at the Southbank Piazza from Monday 19th December to Thursday 22nd December at 6:45pm and 8:15pm. Another free event you can take your family to if you miss the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols on Saturday night.
In the next week or so, there will also be a lot of baking happening. I’m very excited to share with you this FREE 12 Days of Christmas eBook that Amanda from Cooker and a Looker compiled together from a selection of bloggers (me included). In it you will find 12 popular recipes, as featured from our blogs. My Chocolate Nativity Scene made the cut. Not only can I hook up plumbing, I can cook! If you want to download it, head to this post.
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed this Christmas, take time to BREATHE. Enjoy the joy that’s around. Yes there can be so much to do before Christmas but take heart and know that you will be able to get your to-do-list done before Christmas. And if you don’t, accept it wasn’t meant to be completed this time of the year anyway.
How have you been getting your family into the spirit of Christmas? Done any Christmas baking or craft?
This post has been written in collaboration with Upskilled
It’s quite rare for anyone to really know what they want to be when they grow up.
I had friends in high school who were adamant they wanted to be a lawyer/doctor/vet – and then university would confirm later they didn’t want to have that career after all.
We live in a world where new jobs are created everyday and new skills are needed to keep up with the job demand.
Back when my dad first started his apprenticeship, what you studied was what you did as a job for life. There was no such thing as workplace health and safety officers, social media managers, personal trainers or even personal fashion stylists.
But these jobs have now become just as common as being a plumber or a nurse or teacher.
Entrepreneurship is on the rise in Australia as many driven people start their own businesses or build an income from being an influencer online.
The career opportunities are becoming endless due to advancement of technology and discovering new needs that can be turned into money-making businesses and jobs.
No wonder many of us don’t know what we want to be when we grow up. The career list is endless and always evolving.
So what do you do when you want to do something, but you’re not sure what?
My advice is to do an online course.
An online course is never wasted knowledge because you learn something new and sometimes the skills you gain can be used in other career applications.
When I finished high school I really didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I knew if I had a mixed variety of work, I’d be happy.
Thirteen years later, I’ve had a few career changes and small business start-ups. To work in those areas, I had to do some sort of study to get the knowledge needed to make the career changes.
I’ve been educated in all types of formats – Business College for my Marketing and Business Diploma, TAFE for my plumbing apprenticeship, and online for my Diploma in Personal Styling. My favourite way to learn has been studying from home, via an online course. I found I could study at my own pace and spend more time on the subjects and topics I was interested in, as opposed to dwelling on stuff that’s good to know, but not really essential for doing the job at hand.
When I finished my apprenticeship and my styling course.
The only downside to doing an online course is being disciplined to study and committed to completing the course. Some people find self-paced learning is not for them because they aren’t self-motivated to set time away to study.
But like anything in life, if you really want to do something new or change a career, you will find the time to make it happen.
Upskilled have a range of online courses that can be studied from home which can give you a foot into the door of a new career. An online course is a great way to feel like you’re still moving towards your goals, even when you feel stagnant about where you’d like to work.
Upskilled are passionate about helping mums and dads ‘upskill’ when they are busy with a family or need a course that can fit in with their hectic work lifestyle. Full-time education is often unattainable when you’re working a full-time job, raising a family, paying for a mortgage and are time poor. Upskilled makes education easy with their online courses for those that want to ‘up skill’.
Not only do individuals put themselves through an Upskilled online course, there are many companies who choose to put their staff through Upskilled to gain further qualifications.
There are over 300 courses available and over 15,000 students have completed an Upskilled course which has given them the skills and knowledge required to step into their new career. Upskilled’s certificate and diploma courses help students qualify for their chosen career tomorrow.
When I studied my Diploma in fashion styling, it was during a time when the Global Financial Crisis hit and no one was really sure how the world was going to recover financially.
But eight years later, we’ve got through and so much life has been lived in those years.
When the time passes by, you may as well still be moving and learning, so doing an Upskilled course is one way of preventing yourself become stagnant.
Check out the Upskilled website for their list of online courses.
You just never know where an online course could take you.
Have you ever studied an online course? How did you know what you wanted to do? Do you still know what you want to do when you grow up?
This post has been written as part of my disclosure policy. All opinions are my own.
Late last Friday afternoon, I received a call from a number I didn’t recognise. Usually I would have let the call go to message bank, but I decided to answer it. In case someone was calling to tell me I had won $10,000.
I hadn’t won $10,000, but the lady on the other end of the line sounded desperate and she thanked me for answering her call even though ‘you don’t know who I am.’
The lady had rung me for help and advice for a plumbing problem she had seen me write about on my blog.
Her apartment in Sydney had a skew toilet pan (a toilet where the waste of the pan is at a right angle) and she had engaged a builder to renovate the bathroom. The builder said he could replace the toilet for her, but 6 months later and a lot of mucking around, the toilet was unusable and in need to be replaced. The builder, obviously inexperienced with this type of plumbing installation, made suggestions on elevating the toilet to meet the current waste position. The lady was not impressed with the suggestion.
In desperation, she rang me to ask on who I could recommend to replace her toilet. She had been reading my blog post about how dad and I had changed a skew toilet pan to a p trap and wanted to know of a plumber in Sydney who could replicate my blogpost. But on her toilet.
I was able to recommend a plumber who coincidentally was located not far from where this lady owned her apartment.
The lesson from the call is this. Builders are great project managers for bathroom renovations, but their qualifications do not go as far as replacing toilets – or any type of plumbing work (we’re talking pipework, fixtures and tap installations). Plumbing is a licensed trade and a licensed plumber needs to be engaged to do all plumbing work. A builder that advertises he or she can install the plumbing without engaging a plumber is doing the wrong thing by you and the law.
In Queensland, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission are always on the look out for unlicensed work being carried out. At the QLD Plumbing Conference, the people who are most likely to do unlicensed work are tradies without qualifications. They see licensed work being done onsite and think ‘that doesn’t look too hard, I can do that myself and earn an extra buck or two when charging the client.’
I’ve mentioned before that you can void your insurance and be fined for engaging someone to do unlicensed work. The other negative outcome is the project can lapse for months if the right tradie isn’t engaged to fix a problem as they are inexperienced to solve it.
As has happened to this lady.
If you need to find a reputable plumber in your area, check out this post.
If you reside in QLD, I recommend searching the Master Plumbers Association of QLD website and searching by postcode which will bring up the master plumbers in your suburb.
A vignette is a cluster of décor items put together to create interest and tell a story in your home. There is an art to getting a vignette well balanced. It’s simply clustering an odd number of different shaped items to create an interesting focal point in the room. Nicole suggests using a tray or magazine/book as a base and then adding different shapes and heights on the tray/magazine.
Without knowing it, I’ve always had vignettes in my home. All of us do, without realizing it.
The most common places in the house to create a vignette is on a flat surface like a coffee table, dinner table, buffet, tv cabinet, dresser, bedside table or even a kitchen bench.
Vignettes can work well in a bathroom on a vanity bench, and today I’m showing you a simple Christmas vignette I created using a few things I owned in the house and from the garden.
I was sent this delicious Faith Hope Love hand poured soy candle in gold which I knew would make the perfect item to put into my vignette. If you love candles and want to support a home run business, why not put an order in for Christmas to Gwyn here.
I used a black and white round plate as a platter for the base. I then added a gold geometric decoration and a vase with some sprigs of rosemary from the garden. The rosemary and lemongrass scent of the candle is delightful to walk into. Mixing metallics this Christmas is a big trend. Not that I thought of this when I put the vignette together. But if you’re scared of adding gold to your bathroom when you have chrome tapware, don’t be.
To add more festive cheer to my ensuite, I added a ‘JOY’ hand towel, purchased from Kmart.
I’m happy with the results and it’s always a lovely sight to look at when I go into our ensuite.
Have you added ‘Christmas’ to your bathroom?
Disclaimer: I was sent a Faith Hope Love candle to be apart of this styling post. All opinions are my own. You can read my disclosure policy here.
Last Friday night I was supposed to be hosting a catch up with my blogging besties.
But I had to cancel our plans because my husband, Jacob, had a surprise in store for me.
I had only been telling him how I had wanted to organise a night in the city, just the two of us, where we could see the lights and maybe even do some Christmas shopping, without the kids.
Since I’ve worked from home, it’s never easy to not work on a Friday night. I always have best intentions to sit and watch a movie with Jacob to rewind from the week, but usually, once my girls are in bed, the to-do-list swirls in my head and I’m on that computer trying to make use of the kid-free time.
It hasn’t done a lot for my marriage.
A couple of months ago, we sat down and talked about what we could do better and being spontaneous with date nights was one of the topics raised. My beef was I was always the one organizing where to go and booking the babysitter. It would be nice if he handled the date nights just like he did before we got married.
And my husband listened. Not only did he listen, he took action.
My parents were booked to have our girls stay the night and Jacob got time off early from work. He packed the bags and whisked me away to the city. I tried to guess where we would stay, thinking of the main hotels in Brisbane.
Jacob surprised me by parking in front of this roller gate on Albert Street. He went to check in as I nervously waited in the passenger side, hoping no car would need to drive through the roller door. A car did need to drive out and she made it through by millimeters!! I’ve been used to this from doing deliveries to our plumbers in the city. It still makes me nervous thinking about it!
We checked into the Capri by Fraser Hotel which included a bottle of bubbles on arrival, free onsite car parking and full buffet breakfast the next morning. The hotel is the home of restaurant Asana by Pete Evans which offers a paleo based menu. We decided to rock up for dinner because I had forgotten to eat lunch that day and I was starving.
The food tasted great and the share platter for dessert was impressive. We were both full as we left the restaurant and headed to the Queen Street Mall to look at the Christmas lights.
We viewed the tree at City Hall from afar as King George Square was PACKED.
After that, we headed to LUSH for a Christmas present purchase and ran into Kylie from DIY Decorator. I’d seen her once that week after attending the Coles Longest Lunch on the Tuesday prior. After our chat, Jacob and I headed to Myer to check out Giftorium.
We left right on closing at 9pm, where we headed back to the hotel and … worked off our dinner and slept.
I loved the bathroom in our hotel room. Often the colours are quite neutral, but not at the Capri by Fraser. There was a feature tiled wall in all shades of green, blue and black and I loved the neon trays that held the toiletries.
Breakfast was paleo based as well. I tried my first chia pudding and wasn’t a fan. Thank goodness for bacon and eggs and coconut yoghurt with paleo seeds and fruit.
Our 12 hour date night was fabulous and gave us a break before the onslaught of end of year activities and Christmas parties.
I totally recommend it for couples. It was made better by my husband taking initiative and making all the arrangements without me knowing.
It doesn’t mean I’m off the hook forever in organizing our date nights together. But sometimes we can take each other for granted and get a little comfortable with routine. Sometimes it’s nice to mix it up.
It’s been a busy year for both of us and time away together, without having to push a pram or having children interrupt us at dinner every couple of seconds was awesome. I even ditched the baby bag and wore an over-the-shoulder clutch! (It’s from SFH Designs by the way)
The Capri by Fraser Hotel on Albert Street is fabulous in terms of price, location and room design. It was a treat to eat at the Asana restaurant, but you do have to book as it can get quite busy. We walked in with no booking for dinner just before it opened and they were able to fit us in.
When was the last time you had a date night with your significant other? When was the last time your partner surprised you?
I have always believed God places the right people at the right time in your life to counsel you and offer guidance and encouragement when you need it.
And lately, I’ve been having a few chance encounters and friendships that have been placed in my life at the right place and right time.
I kind of feel like I’ve written this before, but I want to acknowledge how much I value these friendships in my life and I recognise these as God coordinated friendships (whether the person believes or not) and certainly not coincidence.
I’ve been questioning myself A LOT lately. This year has been the year of questioning and pondering where I go from here. I’ve been questioning why I do what I do, whether I could be doing something better, and whether I’m wasting my potential by simply staying home being a mum to my kids and writing blogs. It hasn’t been smooth sailing juggling motherhood and a freelance career.
I’m quick to forget that for this moment in time, this lifestyle was carved through a desire to be home with my girls and to have flexibility in doing the simple things I always dreamed of doing with them. I’m sadly always eager to go ‘well, what’s next?’ Or when I don’t get paid, I’m like ‘right, time to get a real job and get paid a salary!’
And that’s where good friends come in to give perspective on my present situation.
This season juggling young children, before they head to school, is not one that should be rushed through. I am being the mum I envisioned I’d be, but the reality is a little different to what I thought it would be.
And that’s ok.
It’s also ok to dream new dreams and think a little bigger.
My dad recently reminded me that there is no other person like me. I’m unique and gifted and only I can do what I’m meant to do.
When God made each of us he gave us unique thinking and giftings that only we can decide to develop and use.
We all journey through life differently and our choices reflect what is important to us at the time.
My journey will look different to someone else’s, because no one else is me. Only I can decide how to steward what has been given to me, because no one else has my experience, knowledge or motivations.
It’s up to me to steward the experience, giftings and unique position I have, and put it to good use to the best of my ability.
And at the moment I think I am, but I don’t want to become complacent.
Right now, there is only so much I can handle and it comes down to what I treasure. I’ve decided I’m treasuring my kids. Even when they draw on the walls or tantrum on a live video on Facebook.
So wherever you find yourself right now – questioning where you should be in life, don’t downplay your uniqueness.
Rather than think about where you wish you could be, think about your unique position and giftings and how you can develop them better. And just own them. Own them and use them to your advantage.
What have you learned lately? Do you think you could develop your gifts further? What is one area in your life you’d like to improve in?
This post has been written in collaboration with West Village
If there is one regret I have that I didn’t do more of before I had kids, it would be travel.
My husband and I were lucky enough to have travelled to Uganda, Dubai, Singapore, London, Paris, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Fiji before we had our first child.
But the places I wished we had gone and visited before kids was New York and more parts of Europe, like Italy.
I know that Jacob and I will get the chance to travel there in the future, and I’m so very grateful for the trips I was able to take pre-kids, but there is something about New York that continually draws me in.
That’s the great part of having a bucket list. It’s definitely a goal to travel more when the kids are older.
And sometimes I wonder where Jacob and I will want to live when we are older and our kids have moved out of the house. Will we want to still stay in the suburbs? Will we move closer into the city? I always wanted to live in an apartment with city views. That’s also on the bucket list.
It’s always fun to dream and imagine the places we wish we could travel to and live in. And if there is one area that would top my list, without leaving my home city of Brisbane, it would be the new West Village at West End.
I thought the Emporium was fabulous when it first opened its doors many years ago.
West Village is the up and coming place to live if you want the best of everything in the one place, close to the heart of the city.
West Village has been designed using inspiration from some of the world’s most favoured destinations. It’s going to be a city precinct, providing a unique and richly layered community for those that want to experience culture in all its array, close to the city.
The new development comprises of six major precincts, with world class design inspired by the best part of major cities around the world.
If you thought living in an apartment on The Block would be awesome, you should see the floor plans and layouts planned for the new West Village.
The overall vision of the development is to mix extraordinary contemporary homes and layering them amongst art, historic buildings, alfresco dining and boutique retailers. No need to move to Melbourne to get your culture hit when it will be located in the one area of West Village, Brisbane.
The cities that have inspired the precincts include:
Peters Square – inspired by Manhattan’s Eataly and Chelsea markets in New York. Expect to see provedores, artisan treats and fresh produce.
Wilson Lane – Inspired by Copenhagen, this precinct will offer modern design and culture for residents and visitors.
Factory Lane – Inspired by the Jazz Bars in New York, this will be the place to meet friends for a drink, while relaxing to music from the times.
The Common – Inspired by Barcelona in summer, offering a colourful and vibrant space including an outdoor communal area, outdoor cinemas, overarching plants and foliage over a green lawn to create an enticing atmosphere.
Mollison Green – The Boundary Street Common is paired with Mollison Green, a park connecting Mollison Street to the heart of West Village and creating an inviting, open space for all to share. Framed by cafes and boutique shops it will conjure a sense of shopping and dining in a European square.
With the development of West Village, it seems New York is coming to visit me and I’m really excited to see it thrive.
Nothing like this development has been seen in Brisbane, so the investment could be a smart move if you’re looking to own something iconic in Queensland.
If you’re interested in owning a piece of this unique development in Brisbane, the Display Centre can be visited at 97 Boundary Street West End. The phone number for all enquiries is 1300 985 465.
Have you ever been to New York? What places in the world do you wish to visit?
Disclosure: This post has been written in accordance with my disclosure policy. All opinions are my own.
Around a month ago, Jacob told me he was going to grow a mo and beard for Movember.
I inwardly groaned.
You see I don’t like facial hair. Superficial, I know. But I like a clean shaved man. I don’t mind a little stubble, but I’m not into a full grown Hairy Maclary situation on my man’s face. Hair everywhere and anywhere else, I can deal with, but hair on my hubbie’s face… not such a fan.
Funnily enough, my grandma also didn’t like facial hair. And my mum isn’t a fan either. I think women can either love it or leave it. Some of my friends have admitted their man’s new facial look ‘grew’ on them. Not sure I can say it’s growing on me.
Fifteen days in and 30th of November couldn’t come soon enough.
BUT.
I love the cause and the reason behind Movember. And I love my husband even more for having a heart that wants to make a difference.
Believe it or not we need men in our world. I’m no man hater here. Quite the opposite. Sadly, our men experience worse longer-term health effects than women, dying on average six years earlier than their female counterparts.
Testicular cancer rates have doubled in the last 50 years and it is projected prostate cancer rates will double in the next 15 years. One man every minute takes his own life due to poor mental health and life stresses.
As much as I am for gender equality in the workplace (and all areas of life really!), I’m also grateful for the men in my life who have helped me be the person I am today. It was strong men like my dad and plumbers like Bob, who helped me and supported me when I worked as a plumber.
We need strong men in our families, our workplaces our communities and as our friends.
Despite my facial hair apprehension, Movember is all about raising awareness about men’s health and raising funds to finance ground-breaking research to ensure these health issues that affect men are reduced.
So for the sake of raising vital funds, I’m happy to support my husband as he grows a mo for the cause.
Jacob has made a humble target of $500 being his first year participating. If you’d like to give, head to the link here.
Is your man taking part in Movember? Are you a fan of facial hair?
About a month ago, I was tagged on Facebook to attend a women in construction breakfast organized by the NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) and sponsored by The Brisbane City Council and various other businesses that offer trade related products and services.
I’m always hesitant of breakfast events. Simply because it means I have to be super organized in the morning to ensure everyone in the household needs to be where they need to be. In order for me to attend any type of breakfast event I have to organise help from my village.
My mum encouraged me to go to the breakfast because she saw me tagged in the event on Facebook. She offered to look after my younger two girls so I could go. I organized for my husband to do the kid drop-offs, organized Esther to be dropped to school by one of my school mum friends, and organise how I was going to get into the city, when Jacob would have the car. Nicole from The Builders Wife offered to drive me in to the venue as she had decided to attend too. It’s almost exhausting writing about it!
But of course, many full time working mums do the early morning juggle. I think you’re awesome!
Nicole picked me up at 6am and we got to chat about blogging and work and what we wanted to do next year.
We drove to the end of Brunswick Street in New Farm as the event was to be held at “Riverview”. We found a car park in a nearby street and walked out to find the event.
We walked up and down around Brunswick Street and could not find a building or function centre called “Riverview”.
We walked back up the street where we parked and came to Riverside Function Centre, assuming it must be there and it wasn’t open.
Confused, we asked a local couple if they knew where “Riverview” was and they said they had never heard of it and had lived in the area for five years.
Nicole headed to the NAWIC website to see if we had got the address and location wrong. But we hadn’t. I then called the NAWIC office and got a standard office automated message that the office was closed.
Hmmm.
I then sent a message to my friend Carlie to ask if she knew where to go and she was still on her way in and had assumed it would be somewhere in New Farm Park.
Nicole and I had started to walk towards the entry of New Farm Park and there were two women directing us to head towards marquees set up for the breakfast.
It wasn’t what we expected.
Had the invitation said “New Farm Park”, we would have headed straight there, but the invite made out the breakfast was to be held in a venue.
We registered, got a goodie bag. I was thrust with a form to fill out to become a member and we both headed to get a much needed coffee. And breakfast, which was a sausage in bread.
I’ve never been to any NAWIC events simply because the times of the events don’t always work in with my family life and when I worked in our family business, events were often last on the list of priorities.
I also got to meet Stacey from She Wear boots, who I’ve mentioned on the blog before. She Wear are steel capped boots tailored for women’s feet. Juanita Mottram, Managing Director and Designer for Eve Workwear was also there, showcasing their workwear for women.
I missed the special presentation for the tradies, but took the time to network and take pictures.
The NAWIC offer events all year round for women working in the construction industry. They are a nation wide organization and they organize events and mentoring programs in each state. I’m hoping I can get to one or two events in QLD in the New Year.
Anything that promotes and supports women in the construction industry is a good thing, but the venue and type of event should be clearly stated on the invitation.
The best part of the morning was introducing my dad to Nicole, who has now become an avid reader of The Builder’s Wife. It was good to see them talk about the industry frustrations as the issues are universal from builder to plumber. Sadly some of the issues that are driving our best tradies to retirement are getting worse.
And that’s really what networking and coming together for events should be about. Offering an environment that values the person working in the industry, in whatever capacity that is, and then stimulating conversation to promote new ideas and change in the industry.
Did you attend the breakfast yesterday? How do you go about meeting new people in your industry? What have you found has been the best way to drive change in your industry?
Christmas is less than 8 weeks away and I’ve only just started to get organized with my Christmas shopping.
This year I am attempting to make some homemade Christmas gifts just to keep costs down. I also think homemade gifts are appreciated a little bit more because of the love that is put into creating them.
The first people on my list to buy Christmas gifts for are Esther’s school teachers. Esther has her classroom teacher and her teacher aide, who I can now cross off the list because their gifts are all sorted.
I’m sure teachers get overloaded with chocolates, wine and stationery, so I wanted to give something a little different that’s fun, but still useful.
These DIY pom pom gift baskets for Christmas are so easy, the kids can make them. Each gift basket came in under budget of $20 each including the contents as shown below.
Materials
1 Pack of pom poms (I bought yarn ones as they have a more ‘homemade’ look)
Craft Glue
1 Basket (the ones I used were $6.00 each from Target)
Instructions
1. Simply work out what pom pom design you want on your basket.
2. Glue the pom poms on accordingly.
I used quick-setting craft glue that can be used on most materials. I used a good amount of glue and held the pom poms down for 30 seconds for a good hold.
It’s up to you on the design. I used three pom poms on each side and on another I just glued one big pom pom each side. Get the kids involved as they can choose the design, although your kid may want to glue all the pom poms on the basket. It’s best to explain ‘less is more’ in this scenario.
The contents of my baskets include a bottle of Thank You Hand Wash and a towel from Best & Less. You can fill the basket with anything you like, but after hearing the story of how Thank You came to be, I think it’s a nice touch to purchase and give away some of their products as gifts to say ‘thank you’.
Have you started on your Christmas shopping yet? Do you like to handmake gifts?
When I first started working full time at age 19, I had little idea about the Melbourne Cup. It wasn’t until I was in my second office job that we decided to dress up a little for the day and organise some sweeps and a lunch, and I realized how big a deal it was.
We’d do some sweeps and some of us would go and put a punt on at the local TAB. One year I was adamant about going to the TAB to put money on Makybe Diva. I was only going to bet $5. I never got to the TAB and of course Makybe Diva won.
Over the years, for me it’s been less about the horse racing and more about the fashion on the field. I’d love to one day head to Flemington to people watch and be inspired by the outfits and head pieces.
I’ve never actually been to a Melbourne Cup function because I’ve either worked or I’ve been at home with my babies.
I needed to find a dress and a fascinator to look the part and then of course I had to work out what I was going to share with the ladies.
Wearing a dress from Stylefast, Fascinator from Target, Heels from Payless Shoes and Clutch from Colette Hayman
I organized my dad to drive in me to the Valley because one thing that hasn’t changed since I stopped working in the city is the traffic on Melbourne Cup day. My dad joked he was my personal Uber. Love how he’s getting in on the lingo of the times.
I had to ask the security guy if I was at Cloudland. Shows how often I get to the city these days…
The event was held in the Heritage Room and there were 100 women (and a dozen blokes) in attendance.
The MPAQ are passionate about helping the partners of plumbing businesses to network. And through getting together at organized partners in plumbing events, the ladies can form connections and a support network of like-minded women who are juggling families and managing their plumbing businesses. The events are really worth the investment for women to have a break from work and even discuss issues that relate to the everyday stresses of running a plumbing business.
My presentation was about fashion and how I studied my Diploma in Fashion Styling during the smoko breaks at TAFE while I did my apprenticeship.
The point of my presentation was to be the best you you can be when it comes to fashion, to always be curious about things that pique our interest while offering tips on being stylish when we have a busy lifestyle.
What I shared will end up being in another blog post, but I was grateful for the opportunity to share my story and give tips. Although one thing I do need to remember is to explain what a blog is. I often assume that everyone knows what a blog is.
Next year there will be more Partners in Plumbing events. And they are worth attending – especially for those women who feel lonely in their role as the partner in the office, running the back end of the business. Sometimes it’s nice to offload the frustrations to someone other than the plumber.
When I went to get my hair done for Problogger Conference back in September, my hairdresser, Hayley told me she was having demolishers in that day to remove her old kitchen.
It’s always an exciting day when the demolishers rock up. It’s always good to remember that before the demolishers come to disassemble the old kitchen, the plumbing, gas and electrical services need to be disconnected and sealed. These must be done by licensed tradespeople. In the past, the demolishers would disconnect the services temporarily (even though they shouldn’t have), yet licensed work laws have tightened, they aren’t covered insurance and it’s mandatory that these services are disconnected and reconnected by a licensed tradie.
Anyway, back to Hayley’s kitchen.
She decided to go all WHITE. White cupboards, white pendant lights, white benchtop, white tile splash back. Everything was white except the kitchen sink (oh and the gooseneck mixer tap and the oven!).
The draw card to having a white kitchen is it becomes timeless. It also looks amazing and should the temptation arise to add colour to the space, a few home accessories can add interest. White also opens and brightens a space. Let’s check out the before and after photos.
Before
After
The kitchen was designed and put in by Kitchen Gallery in Salisbury. The appliances were from Harvey Norman and the kitchen bench stools are from Super Amart. Hayley said the painful parts about the renovation was having to live around the construction zone and finding space to put all the stuff from the cupboards. In all the kitchen took 3 weeks from disconnection to complete installation and the family LOVE their new kitchen. They also recommend Kitchen Gallery because of the great service and excellent tradies used.
Thanks Hayley for letting me share your kitchen renovation. And well done to Kitchen Gallery for a beautiful installation and a happy customer!
Have you ever had your kitchen renovated while you’ve lived in your house? Are you a fan of an all white kitchen?
This week will be my last week hosting the Thursday Home Improvement link up. It wasn’t a roaring success as I had hoped, but nevertheless, it got me reading new blogs and I’m so thankful for the bloggers that linked up each week.
Home Improvement Thursday Rules For Linking Up
If you’re a DIY, home organization, building, renovation, home makeover, home decorating, home maintenance or trade related blogger we’d LOVE you to link up with us below. Here are the HIT rules for how to link up and what you need to do once you have linked up.
Linkable posts, must centre around the topics of DIY, Renovations, Home Organisation, Home Improvement, Home Makeovers, Home Styling, or Home Maintenance.
You can share 1 post each week. Please make sure they are new to the “Home Improvement Thursday” party.
Linking is simple, find the little blue button at the end of the post that says, Add Your Link, and then pop in your URL, and follow the prompts.
Your link only needs to be added once and it will automatically show up on both of our blogs… it’s that easy! Grab our #HIT button and pop it on your sidebar.
Don’t forget to share it with others. Follow the blogs of your fellow #HIT family, and leave a comment.
Please visit and comment on at least three blogs that are near you on the list.
Leave a comment on the post below so we can return the favour and comment on your post.
Don’t forget to follow The Builder’s Wife and The Plumbette.
I started last week feeling exhausted after a massive weekend of attending events and reading in disbelief at a war of words between bloggers. And then the girls got sick and Esther stayed home most of the week with tonsillitis. Jacob also got the flu or some virus that had him aching and exhausted. The poor guy still had to go to work even though he was feeling terribly and should have stayed in bed. This time of year can be busy, and for Jacob’s work, it’s been busy while he’s covered for people taking time off from work.
I woke up on Thursday with a massive migraine and ache and pains in my body. Jacob had to stay at home to look after the girls because I was unable to.
Over the weekend, my virus turned into an ugly cold and I was super frustrated with not being able to get any work done. I knew that this coming week was going to be a big week and I needed to be healthy and have the deadlines met for certain projects.
And then amongst it all, we were grieving for our grandma. And we were trying to come to terms with the Dreamworld tragedy and the horrific bus driver attack which was a bit too close to home.
I’m also ever mindful of the Middle East and praying for Mosul. We don’t even get to hear half of what is happening over there.
Last week was an awful week for many families and the ripples will be felt for weeks and years to come.
On Friday night, I couldn’t get to sleep and I ended up wrestling negative thoughts. It seemed every worry I’ve carried this year decided to hit me all at once. And I felt quite anxious about the future – especially the future I was part of creating for my girls. Some of the questions that went through my mind were would I ever see breakthrough in certain areas of my life? Had I achieved enough in the 32 years God has graciously blessed me with? What was the point of all of this? Why are people so drawn towards doing evil? Why do kids have to get sick and share their germs? The thoughts were varied, from one life’s extreme to the other.
Everything seemed hopeless in life.
I eventually drifted off to sleep and woke up on Saturday, still not feeling the best. I did the work that was most crucial to be met for this week and went back to bed.
On Saturday afternoon, I got my hair done – the only time I could get it done so it would be looking good for today at Melbourne Cup. And I sweated underneath the capes. My hairdresser who knows me quite well told me she didn’t know how I did what I did with three girls and my response was ‘well look at me. I’m not really doing well at it after all!’
We talked about the week’s events and she said a phrase that had me stop and think.
‘Here we are stuck in this mess of a world and we’ve brought children into it.’ There may have been an f word omitted from there.
I nodded.
But I felt strangely calm about it and said that’s why I take my girls to church.
I want them to understand that while the world goes crazy, that was never God’s intention for it. And while we may feel like we’ve been left here to defend for ourselves and deal with the broken pieces, God is still there and in fact we have His Spirit living in us, if we accept. The ‘easier-living’ part of his plan hasn’t quite unfolded yet.
There is no doubt that life is hard. This year has been my hardest year yet with many worries, fears and insecurities coming to the surface. But it’s also been a good year for personal growth, and learning to trust God.
When the world goes cray cray, as the saying goes, we have to tell our soul that God is in control of the overall outcome. But we can not assume that bad things won’t happen to good people, bad people – all people. All we can do is grieve for what has been dealt, lost or broken and learn how to build ourselves up again from each tragedy that hits us.
I had my grandma’s memorial service yesterday and it was a fitting tribute to a lady who was most loved, but who also loved and cherished other people.
I got to speak to the daughter of one of my grandma’s good friends, who had also suffered dementia and passed away three years prior. I have wonderful memories of this particular lady when I was in Sunday School as a young girl.
This lovely daughter, who had seen the passing of both her dad and mother in a short amount of time told me how burdensome it was in the final years of her parents lives, but she came to realise, like I had with grandma, that their presence was no longer for themselves to meet life’s goals, but to change us and develop good character in us.
And that’s how I want to look at each tragedy, each person that annoys me, each unexpected circumstance that takes me by surprise. I don’t want my immediate reaction to be annoyance and fear that leads me to think ‘woe is me and everyone in this world’. But I do want to grow. I do want to fight back and say ‘I’ll accept this crappy circumstance, but it ain’t going to keep me down’. And I will continue to fight the good fight that all of us have been called to do – whether we believe it or not.
How are you feeling this week? How is life for you at the moment? Got anything lovely to share with me from last week?
I once gave my Grandma Jones a magnet that said, ‘when the going gets tough, head to grandma’s’ and head there I would, when the going got tough.
The going got tough many times during my apprenticeship.
And the times when I was left to look after the business while my parents were overseas on their much needed holiday, I would head to grandma’s.
I had many difficult conversations with builders on the back steps of grandma and pa’s house in Salisbury. I remember one particular conversation with a builder that had me outside for half an hour.
The builder wouldn’t take my no for an answer as he wanted us to do a drainage job near the Brisbane River, without provision for shoring which was necessary for the depth that needed to be dug.
The back stairs where I would take business calls if they were difficult to deal with.
Grandma would linger near the doorway, hoping I was ok in handling the call.
After particularly stressful days when I’d be managing on my own, I’d drive dad’s ute to grandma’s.
She would give me a cup of tea, and put on a display of afternoon treats including chocolate cake, cupcakes, her nougat/muesli slice and cherry topped biscuits.
Where I’d be served afternoon tea at Grandma and Pa’s place
Grandma was a baker and even though her three sons had moved out of the family home many, many years ago, she was still in the habit of baking a storm each week for any visitors that would come over. Often she would send me home with a banana bread and a stash of fruit that sometimes was not fit for consumption.
I miss those afternoon teas.
After an incredibly hectic day, dad would insist on visiting grandma and pa on the way home from work and sometimes I would get frustrated because I would want to get home. But I’m glad dad would insist on heading there anyway. Those afternoon teas are great memories for me.
I’ve got wonderful memories of grandma. She would always encourage me, saying what a great help I was to my dad and that doing my apprenticeship was a very good thing. She would always have a smile and encouraging word.
After my grandpa passed away at the beginning of 2011, we all noticed grandma’s health had deteriorated and she was diagnosed with dementia. A shopping trip to get grandma an outfit for my cousin’s wedding was an eye-opener for me as I helped her try on clothes. She wasn’t taking care of herself and those delicious biscuits and cakes that she would so proudly offer, became inedible.
Grandma and Pa with a 5 month old Esther
As she moved from low to high care at her nursing home, it was hard to watch the once bubbly and smiling grandma, turn insular and despondent.
On her Birthday in May, I sat next to her wheelchair and she would talk jibberish to me. I’d nod and smile, not knowing really what to say.
As we sat together, while the rest of the family ate or were busy in conversation, Grandma smiled at me and then looked at her great grandchildren as they played on the playground. I’m not sure if for a few seconds she realized who I was or that her family were near.
Grandma and Esther
On Saturday, mum and dad got the call that it would be best to come up and say goodbye. I was napping at the time when Jacob took the call. I wondered if I should go up and see her, but my parents told me to remember grandma how she was because it was very confronting to see grandma as she was now.
On Sunday I busied myself with church and family, but by Monday morning I was feeling down and I made the decision to go and see grandma. A good friend told me it would be the last opportunity to tell her how much she meant to me and to tell her I loved her.
I ended up picking my dad up as he had the card to get access to her room. Dad warned me before we went into her room that I had to be prepared for what I was about to see.
It was hard.
The tears flowed freely and I held onto Grandma’s hand as I told her how much I loved her. I reflected on memories and told her how much she meant to me. I talked to her about future events like what I was going to wear next week to the Melbourne Cup Function I’m a guest speaker at. I told her how I couldn’t decide whether to wear a navy or red fascinator with my new navy dress. You see blue was my grandma’s favourite colour and red was (and still is) mine.
I told her about church and a bit about blogging. I asked her how she coped with three children, because there were many days where I felt I didn’t cope very well my three young girls.
I spent an hour with grandma, holding her clasped hand.
When I opened her hand to put my hand in hers, there was a slight grip, but I’m not sure whether it was intentional or whether it was a reflex action from her body.
When dad and I went to leave and say goodbye, there was a movement of her mouth and a slight moan, which again, I’m not sure was her communicating with us. I’m going to believe that she was. But even though she could no longer tell us she loved us, she’d spent the majority of her life showing it.
At 2:35am this morning, grandma went to Heaven and most likely had a huge welcoming party which included my grandpa and the elderly people she and grandpa would visit, when no one else would.
Despite knowing the end was soon for grandma, it’s never easy saying goodbye.
When I told Esther that Grandma Jones had passed away this morning she asked me if I had prayed with her. To be honest, I can’t remember if I prayed but I said yes anyway, because all of us had prayed that she would suffer no more. Esther then comforted me and said, “it’s okay mummy, Grandma Jones is with Jesus, isn’t that right Maggie?”
I’m so very thankful for the Christian role model my grandma was to me. It’s my prayer that I can model the same love she shared to those around her.
You will be very much missed Grandma, thank you for teaching us that love is an action. xx
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of dropping a meal to a mum who had had her second baby. I got to talk to this mum about our past and while she may have been blessed with the meal and gifts (Oh and did I mention I got her darling baby to fall asleep in my arms?), I left feeling blessed from her wisdom and life experience.
All of us go through seasons where the devil likes to linger and he is persistent in turning lies into truth, and if we’re not careful, we can believe these lies. This then leads to actions that can destroy the things we love most in our lives.
In these moments of testing seasons, it’s good to talk to those who have ‘been there, done that’ and are able to give advice that will influence our decisions. And that’s what this new mum did for me on that day. It was much needed advice that I needed to hear and work on.
None of it was done in public. And I won’t be sharing the details of what was said, apart from what I’m writing here.
In such circumstances, not all of us reach out to a friend.
Many of us reach out online and look for our advice from influencers who are going through similar season to ourselves.
I read a lot of blogs and articles on the internet. Some I agree with and many that don’t sit right with me.
Guarding my heart and mind has been something I’ve had to put into practice because there are a lot of lies and opinions that get disguised as truth.
As an influencer myself, I’m happy to share my human brokenness and imperfections online, but I don’t want to glorify them. I know that God wants to see me live a life that is fruitful and not weighed down by temporary burdens.
It doesn’t mean my life is perfect and that I should only share the squeaky clean moments. But it does mean I need to be careful about how I share the moments that are so very human online.
The role of being an influencer as a blogger holds an immense responsibility. I believe it needs to be stewarded well. And if any of us are placed in a leadership or an influence type role, we have a responsibility to lead and react in a way that respects others – even those that disagre agree with us.
We all have a right to our opinion but we have to be guided on whether it’s an opinion that needs to be voiced.
If it is voiced, we choose how we react to that opinion. It speaks volumes how we react and how we tactically use our leadership to respond to criticism.
I think sometimes we look at blogs as a way to initiate change. To start a conversation. To make a difference.
They shouldn’t be used as a media form to publicly humiliate or attack someone.
Yet I see more and more blogs are turning into a media form that do just that. And while on one hand I love the power a blogger or influencer can have to initiate change, it can also be used as a vehicle to destroy.
On the weekend a blogger decided to go against the grain and write an opinion piece on a high profile blogger who has gained an incredible amount of popularity after sharing raw, human moments online. I watched on the sidelines as all hell broke loose on the weekend with the high profile blogger sharing the blog post on her Facebook page, which created an open invitation for her followers to hate on the blogger who offered a different opinion.
The problem was, what both bloggers were trying to achieve, pretty much ended in both them being hurt and creating an ‘us vs them’ mentality.
Never underestimate the power of words and influence.
The heart of an influencer should have his/her followers in mind and not put their readers in a position to judge or act atrociously online. If we want to see kindness on the internet, it has to start from the top and a good amount of wisdom needs to be used on what should and shouldn’t be shared for the greater good of everyone.
Supporting each other doesn’t mean we have to agree with each other, but our influence doesn’t give us the right to attack one another either.
Sometimes being rattled with a change in thought is a welcome relief.
Because all too often lies and opinion can get disguised as truth.
My hero is not a queen.
My hero is a King.
God ultimately is whom we should hero worship and whom we should be influenced most by in life. Jesus is the perfect example of God in human form, who showed the world how to accept and love all.
He’s always for us and wants to see each of us reach our potential. Jesus’ heart has always been to reach the lost and those that are isolated to bring them back into the fold.
The heart of an influencer should never be to build ones’ own castle, but to help build castles for all.
I see many bloggers want to reach those that are isolated. Those that feel lost in whatever season they’re in. How we go about reaching those people is ultimately up to us. If we don’t like how someone is creating an atmosphere of acceptance, we have to ask why it’s bothering us in the first place.
How do you guard your heart and mind with what you read on the internet? What or who influences you the most in life? What can you do this week to build someone up?
When I went to Problogger a month or so ago I met the woman behind the brutally honest and hilarious blog, Hugzilla.
I told Hugzilla when I met her that I hated her blog at first. I found it too negative. But that was my reaction to her first post. After making myself read a few more posts, I started to love it. I enjoy whatever Hugzilla produces because I know that she will deliver the truth honestly, brutally and humorously – in a way that is totally relatable. There is also a lot of swearing, but there is always a disclosure at the top of the post to warn me what I’m in for.
When she shared about her experience getting her bathroom renovated, I laughed. It was crude. Lot’s of bad language and sexual references. I would call it an R rated blog post (heck most of her posts are!). But her experience is one that I think many budding home renovators need to read because we only ever see the finished product and never read about the headaches that go along the way to get the end result.
I also think it’s important for tradespeople to read the account and reflect on how they can make a renovation less stressful, and more focused on delivering what the customer has asked, in a respectful way. Communication is a winning formula in all renovations. Never assume anything. Always ask what the customer wants and deliver, ensuring the work meets the current standards.
I asked Hugzilla to share with me a bit about her bathroom renovation and I think you can agree the end result is stunning.
1. Where did you go for inspiration for your bathroom reno?
Ok, this is actually a good question because looking back I have absolutely no idea. I didn’t really hit up the internet for inspiration – nor did I even look at Pinterest once, come to think of it… I knew that I wanted a monochrome scheme with charcoal floor tiles and I have a thing for marble, so it kind of just fell together after we visited every single tile shop within a 50 kilometre radius. Twice. And we got all the fittings at Harvey Norman so we could put everything on their 100-year interest-free plan or whatever. So yeah, we were pretty professional about it….
2. How did you choose your trades/how many quotes did you get?
We did not choose trades. Trades chose us. And by that, I mean the builder we eventually went with was one of the three out of ten people who actually returned our calls and seemed mildly interested in doing the job. Another one of those three wanted to drill through all the asbestos instead of removing it (aaaah…. no thanks) and the other one was even more expensive than the super-expensive quote we eventually went with. There is a serious under-supply of trades in our area so we were basically at their mercy.
3. How long did it take for your bathroom to be renovated?
It took around three weeks for the bulk of it to be complete. After waiting two additional weeks for delivery the shower screen was sent straight back because of flaws in the glass and the vanity also had a problem that required a full replacement and reinstallation. In the end it took around 10 weeks for those things to be sorted and for the bathroom to be fully complete. It was a pain. We were totally over it by the end.
4. What were the eye-opening expenses you didn’t expect? Did you have any surprises during demolition/installation etc
TRADES. ARE. VERY. EXPENSIVE. We initially budgeted $20 000 for the entire renovation (lolololol – so cute) and were gobsmacked to realise that $20 000 was not even going to cover the labour component. We had to revise our expectations quicksmart. It was an old asbestos-ridden three-way bathroom from the 1970s, so the whole thing had to be gutted.
Before (obviously)
Before
Before
5. What’s the crappiest part of renovating a bathroom?
6. Now that the bathroom is complete, is there anything you’d change – or advice to wary renovators
I absolutely love it but it wasn’t without issue. My advice would be to watch the tradespeople closely and not be so trusting – don’t just expect they will always do exactly what they have been briefed to do.
After
It sounds like I’m being a big old meanie, but we had several instances of things being installed incorrectly because the tradespeople did not listen properly or thought they had better ideas. The plumber decided that the bath should be centred under the window – except that it left very little room to access the vanity. The electrician installed our heated towel rack and power points in completely the wrong place. And the builder’s apprentice installed an additional – and very ugly – extractor fan in the ceiling without consulting us because the one we had chosen was not good enough on its own, apparently.
So, my advice? MICROMANAGE EVERYTHING. Even if they think you are being a jerk. You might be a jerk, but at least you will be the jerk who gets the bathroom they are actually paying for.
7. Any last advice for those wanting to renovate their bathroom?
Go to TAFE and get your builder’s licence first.
Hahaha. Just kidding. (But seriously, if you can….)
My advice would be to splurge instead of scrimp (within reason). Once we realised it was going to cost $20 000 for the trades alone, the temptation was to recoup costs by using budget fittings. We decided not to do this, and stuck with the mid-range products we always intended to use. We figured that it was pointless to spend a massive chunk of money on labour for a new bathroom, only to end up with an inferior-looking finish with cheap fittings. It cost us more in the end, but we are in this house to stay so for us it was a good long-term investment.
Thank you Hugzilla for sharing your bathroom renovation experience with us. Have you ever renovated a bathroom? Have similar experiences to Hugzilla? Any tips for budding renovators?
Last week on Home Improvement Thursday, TOMFO shared this awesome DIY Sunscreen Storage project. I reckon this could make a great gift to a family at Christmas.
Home Improvement Thursday Rules For Linking Up
If you’re a DIY, home organization, building, renovation, home makeover, home decorating, home maintenance or trade related blogger we’d LOVE you to link up with us below. Here are the HIT rules for how to link up and what you need to do once you have linked up.
Linkable posts, must centre around the topics of DIY, Renovations, Home Organisation, Home Improvement, Home Makeovers, Home Styling, or Home Maintenance.
You can share 1 post each week. Please make sure they are new to the “Home Improvement Thursday” party.
Linking is simple, find the little blue button at the end of the post that says, Add Your Link, and then pop in your URL, and follow the prompts.
Your link only needs to be added once and it will automatically show up on both of our blogs… it’s that easy! Grab our #HIT button and pop it on your sidebar.
Don’t forget to share it with others. Follow the blogs of your fellow #HIT family, and leave a comment.
Please visit and comment on at least three blogs that are near you on the list.
Leave a comment on the post below so we can return the favour and comment on your post.
Don’t forget to follow The Builder’s Wife and The Plumbette.
I never expected my friendship groups to change so much since having children. While motherhood can be isolating and sometimes lonely, I’ve found there are always opportunities to make new friends by interacting at mother’s groups, playgroups, church or various other social engagements where kids are involved.
I remember a year or so ago when a good friend told me to be prepared for a new group of friends when Esther started school. I remember telling her I had kind of experienced it already at Kindy. But she shook her head and said school was a whole different ball game. I didn’t understand her, until I reflected this week on how my friend was absolutely right.
I unexpectedly made awesome friends with the mums at Esther’s school. Ironically, none of these mums have kids in my daughter’s class. But because we walked home with some of the mums, and they were good friends with other mums in the area…we’ve made friendships that make the routine of school drop off and pick up something to look forward to. Even if I run late. Consistently everyday.
We have a long running group message on Facebook messenger where we talk about our youngest children doing our head in to organizing our next girl’s night out.
We share advice, help each other out and relate so well to those moments of motherhood where all you can really ask is WTF?!
I couldn’t have picked a better bunch of mums to watch the Bad Mom’s movie with.
A week ago, we headed to a party to help celebrate one of the siblings who turned 4. My girls didn’t really know them, but we had a ball – parents included.
My social calendar is looking good because of these fabulous mums. There are still many tentative social engagements we need to put a date on.
Last week, I had the privilege of helping two of the mums out by dropping their preppies home. Jacob always believed in getting a 7 seater car when we upgraded to our new car before having Phoebe. I remember saying to myself, I’m not going to be that mum running around after everyone’s kids. Because it does happen, right?
And yet when I offered to help out, I loved it. It’s in my nature to help. If I have the means to help, then why not? Isn’t that what life is about? Giving to others and helping each other out?
My girls loved having a full car and the most simplest act of having their friends in the car meant we created a new childhood memory.
Of course, there was slight protest over who would sit in the back with Esther and I had one five-year-old tell me he didn’t sit in dirty car seats. I told him it was the car seat or he could walk home. I promptly moved the offending Twistie which had ‘dirtied’ the seat and he was all smiles.
No matter how much our kids might drive us up the wall, we have good kids. And what a blessing to be raising them with families who are going through this crazy season at the same time.
As I drove the kids home, I felt happy and grateful for choosing to live where we do and having the school located within walking distance from us all. (Apart from one mum who lives in the next suburb… but we’re working on getting her to move)
Earlier this year, I made an intention and prayer to make good, solid friendships with other mums and I think that resolution has definitely unfolded. I just never expected it to be with such awesome women in my neighborhood.
Have you made good friendships with the mums at your kid’s school? How have you made new friends since becoming a parent?
The kitchen reveals on The Block last night were fantastic. I can’t remember the last time I was super impressed with a room reveal.
After researching and writing about the predicted kitchen trends for 2017 last week, I felt a little chuffed recognizing some of the trends incorporated in last night’s kitchens. Tuxedo cabinetry to built in appliances, there were definitely some futuristic elements in the kitchens from last night.
Let’s take a look at what the teams produced.
Will and Karlie received a perfect score of 30/30 for their stunning black kitchen. Black is the new white in kitchens apparently. I loved the timber inclusions and the butler’s pantry should really be renamed a butler’s kitchen because it’s a whole other kitchen space. Will and Karlie definitely deserved their win this week.
Dan and Carleen also received perfect scores for their kitchen. I’m not a fan of the cabinetry and I think it will date a lot quicker than a white or black kitchen. But that probably doesn’t matter with the art deco styling. I love the pendant light that sqaure goose neck mixer tap is very on trend.
Andy and Ben created a tuxedo style kitchen. The timber and aluminum handles were a gorgeous feature and their cabinetry choices had a nod to the art deco era. Their kitchen was described as the ‘party kitchen’ because of the ample bench space.
Julia and Sasha produced a luxurious kitchen, rich in top-end appliances. It was a glamourous space, but the judges did criticize the length of the bench space – especially with the cook top on the island bench. Despite the criticism, the kitchen has been fitted out perfectly. I definitely love the pop-up range hood.
Kim and Chris made up for the bench space Julia and Sasha missed in their kitchen by adding a wooden bench to their island. The judges felt the timber and island bench competed over each other. The judges weren’t won over by Kim and Chris’s design, but it was still a lovely kitchen.
Overall, it was a great week of kitchen reveals and there ended up being two winners.
I think Will and Karlie’s kitchen was my favourite and I definitely think they are the couple to watch come auction time.
Which kitchen do you like the best from the reveals last night? Are you a fan of black or white kitchens?
Predicting kitchen trends can be a bit like waving a stick in the wind. No one really knows if they’re a trend until the style is used consistently – like copper and subway tiles. Both of these were popular in kitchens last year, but this year, they have been slowly edging out of trend.
No matter the kitchen trends, if you’re looking renovate your kitchen in the new year, choose what works for the space. The following predictions are based on what architects and designers are seeing overseas and by international trend forecasting agencies.
Tuxedo Cabinets
Tuxedo cabinets are a combination of two colours in the cabinetry. Some renovators will take this literally and use black and white cabinetry, while others will use a muted palette of greys, browns and navy.
Just like the bathroom trends predicted for 2017, minimalism will be huge for kitchens. Taller cabinets will allow for more storage and bench appliances will be concealed in cabinetry.
Appliances will form part of the cabinetry, blending into the kitchen. Stainless steel appliances are out, while coloured appliances that match in with the kitchen colour palette will be in.
Mixed hardware in brushed metals of gold, brass, nickel and copper will be on trend. This trend will lend itself to tapware too. A bold and sleek sink mixer will add interest to the kitchen and be a key focal point. Desert colours like saffron, terracotta and nude will be very popular in kitchens.
Internal vegetable gardens will also be seen in many modern kitchens. The greenery adds colour to the kitchen, but also nods to the minimalist, simplistic lifestyle of growing your own food.
Which kitchen trend resonates with you? Do you like to follow trends or are you happy to do what you want when it comes to interiors?
Last week on Home Improvement Thursday, House Home gave handy tips for a DIY Bathroom Renovation. Always remember when it comes to the plumbing and electrical services, these require a licensed tradesperson to disconnect and install the services. Do it yourself will incur a fine and void your home insurance.
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Kids change you. They really do. You have no concept of how they change you until you have them. And the more kids you have, the more you change. It’s like with any life event, you don’t know how it will affect you until you live through it.
For many women, the moment they have children, something changes in the way they want to approach motherhood and work.
For many of us, going back to work is the only option to make ends meet.
But not all mums want to go back to the same job or career pre-baby. Having a baby often prompts a career change to align with new thinking and values. These can vary from mum to mum and family to family, but in today’s post I wanted to discuss when a mum explores a career-change and considers doing an apprenticeship.
I’ve had a few enquiries lately about motherhood and whether a career in the trades is complimentary? Should mums work in construction? Are their part-time roles available? Should mums be applying for apprenticeships?
I thought I’d discuss all issues as a plumber, mother, and business manager, with the knowledge of the implications of part-time work on a construction business.
Me, Dad and Esther posing after a day of work on the tools
Apprenticeship study details
To get a job in the construction industry, you will need to do an apprenticeship, depending on the job skill required. I’ve been asked whether you can study an apprenticeship part-time and whether part-time work opportunities are available.
Depending on where you live, each state has their own policies on apprenticeships, but I’m going to base my article in QLD because that’s where I’m based. Trade apprenticeships can be studied either full time, part-time (minimum 15 hours per week over a 4 week period) or be school based.
Full time and school based apprenticeship roles are most commonly offered. Part-time ones are not or are very rarely offered. I explain why below.
Why aren’t more part-time apprenticeships offered?
Most companies require a full time apprentice because it’s simply what they require for the work they do. Often it’s also the done approach when offering an apprenticeship. School-based apprenticeships are offered on the basis of knowing once the apprentice has finished school, they will be working full-time after completion.
It’s important for apprentices to be on long-term projects, working full time, so they can grasp the full scope of a project from start to finish. The construction industry works to deadlines, while working alongside other trades. I personally believe it’s important for apprentices to work on projects where they work on a job – from start to finish – for the benefit of their knowledge and understanding the sequence of a project. Part-time apprenticeships break up this flow.
For example, a part-time apprentice may work on a job for two days that has a four day installation requirement and deadline. The apprentice is unable to see the project through to completion because of their part-time hours, yet that project must be completed to fulfil the work contract for the client. There is also the weight bared by the employer who is down one worker to get the job done. This is why part-time apprenticeships don’t work necessarily well in some trades.
Where could part-time apprenticeships work in the construction industry?
Part-time apprenticeships can work for trades where jobs can be completed in one day. I think they could be a great market to tap into for maintenance or service trades i.e domestic maintenance plumbers – who don’t want the burden of having to supply work and pay for a full-time apprentice.
Mature age apprentices are valuable employees. From my experience, they are the apprentices that are willing to work hard because a bit of life experience has given them the motivation and passion to complete their apprenticeship. Mothers would come under the mature age apprenticeship class and I believe they are an untapped resource to the industry.
Does a career in construction work alongside being a mother?
We live in an era where flexibility in the workplace is starting to become more accepted, but it’s not necessarily offered unless asked for.
There are many mums who work in the construction industry, but they were either working in the industry pre-kids OR they work in a family run business where there is support. Or they’ve created a business model that supports their family lifestyle. Of course, they’ve got their apprenticeship or some trade experience under their belt in this circumstance.
Pre-kids, I worked full time. I did my apprenticeship full time in my early twenties. After I had Esther, I went back to work part-time with my dad. I couldn’t have gone back to work without support from my family. My mum cared for Esther as the work days varied each week and when I had my Maggie, mum cared for both girls. My dad was the one on call if I couldn’t go out to do the jobs while caring for my girls.
Our working weeks varied, so child care wasn’t an option for me because I couldn’t book certain days as I was working within our client’s time frames.
For commercial work, there is no flexibility on getting the job completed. If a job needs to be fitted off, and your kid is sick, you can’t ring in to tell the builder you can’t show up to work that day. An alternative tradesperson needs to be supplied to fit off the job to avoid the threat of liquidated damages. But dealing with this as a mum can be stressful.
Mums have to ask themselves if the stress is worth the challenge of juggling motherhood and construction work demands. There is no right answer as each tradie mum will answer it differently.
I think the answer lies in building a team that can work with you so that when family life draws you in, there are people in the business who can take over the reigns.
For me, the three-kid- juggle and maintaining a part-time plumbing business wasn’t going to work. And my partner in crime wanted to retire so I didn’t have the support to keep going. Sometimes we have to be honest with ourselves about what we can and can’t handle.
But my story is different to others.
Nicole Cox from The Builder’s Wife is the Business Manager for Fernbrooke Homes which she runs with her builder husband. Nicole is a mum to five children and manages a household, family business and successful blog.
Three Birds Renovations are three mums who renovate houses and are leading the way in showing how it can be done while managing young children.
There are plenty of examples of mums working in trades, making it work for their families, but the biggest key in all of these scenarios is having back-up – or support for when family life requires more.
Advice For Mums Who Want to Get Into a Trade
If you’re super keen to get an apprenticeship, you need to ask yourself whether you can get the support needed to suit the lifestyle.
Young children will require childcare and the apprenticeship wage won’t cover childcare costs. There are scholarships for women wanting to work in a trade that are offered in various states of Australia, to support women wanting to work in the construction industry.
If children are older, will the apprenticeship wage cover out-of-school care?
If you have the support for getting children looked after, will the physical work exhaust you and will you present your best self to your kids? Construction work is EXHAUSTING. It can be exhilarating, but it can also be exhausting – physically and mentally. You have to ask yourself if you’re willing to manage the stress and physical requirements of the job.
Life is all about giving things a go and I wholeheartedly believe, if you truly want to do something, then look into ways of making it work for you. Approach businesses who are offering apprenticeships and ask if they have considered offering a part-time role.
If you’re a construction business, why not see if offering a part-time apprenticeship could work for your business?
I’d love to hear what you think? If you run a trade or construction business, have you considered offering a part-time apprenticeship? How would it impact your business?
