Tales From the Box

I really should have taken some “before” pics, just to show you how bad my old ironing board cover was. To give you an idea, my husband made fun of how “shiny” the fabric had become, and a friend asked if I had set it on fire. It was one of those things that you don’t really notice until someone draws your attention to it. When I took the old cover off, the fabric was as stiff as a board (pun not intended, but couldn’t really be helped). Ridiculous.

And I know I could have just bought another cover, but I found a tutorial for making one, so I gave it a go. It’s pretty self-explanatory (use the old cover as the pattern, cut, sew a casing for the thread or elastic). Except that I’m impatient and wasn’t concentrating, and made it a bit too small. Technically it does fit, but it bugs me, so I think I’ll make another one.

The hardest part was threading the elastic through the casing, simply because it was so long. But I love the result, it almost makes ironing enjoyable. Oh, and the fabric is from Ikea.

It occurred to me recently that we use several terms here on the blog that we may not have explained very clearly. Like the Widg, the Box. Allow me to clarify.

When we were pregnant with our little boy, before we knew he was going to be a boy, we wanted to be able to call him something. “Widget” came up pretty much straight away. It fit perfectly for a couple of reasons:

“An unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product (also a thingy or gizmo)”. In other words, the name you give to something that you don’t know the name of; and

“Any one of the components of a computer application’s graphical user interface, such as a Cancel button or text input box, that a user interacts with”. In other words, the little “buttons” on your computer screen that you click on to do stuff. With the hubby being a bit of a tech-geek, this totally fit (thanks Wiktionary).

My boys watching Top Gear.

And because we called him Widget (or the Widg) for so long, it just stuck. In fact, for the first few months after he was born, he was “the Widg” more than his actual name. Which brings me to his actual name: we’re still not sure how much of his life we are comfortable revealing here on the blog, what with ownership of online information being such a moving target, as well as him being not quite old enough yet to make his own decisions on the matter. So for now we will stick with “the Widg” for his online presence.

And while we are discussing names, I’m not entirely sure who reads our blog and thus how well you know us, so perhaps proper introductions are in order. I’m Jo (hi there) and he’s Dann. Delighted to make your acquaintance.

Now, the Box. When we first purchased our beautiful abode, it was slightly less beautiful. It was a small 2 bedroom/1 bathroom shack built up on stilts. From the street, it literally looked like someone had stuck some poles in the ground and plonked a box down on top of them. Hence, the Box.

The Box circa 2005.

Back view of the Box circa 2005.

It was originally a holiday house built fairly cheaply, and was then used as a rental property. So it had never really been owned by anyone with the motivation or means to give it a bit of love (not that we have a lot of means, but just enough to gradually upgrade over time). As we have renovated, it’s no longer a box balancing precariously on stilts; it has become a larger box resting safely on the ground (we basically filled in underneath to make it a 2 storey house).

The Box post-reno.

Back of the Box post-reno. Excuse the mess, we live here.

Anyway, I hope all this rambling goes some way to explaining our “language” here at Tales.

We have been asked quite frequently lately what “stuff” we have found useful, essential, stupid and unnecessary with regards to all things kid-related. Granted, we have only been in this gig for 13 months, but there is a lot of “advice” out there about what you really “need” to buy or have for a baby.

Wipes warmer. Really?

Well, we found a lot of it to be absolute rubbish. We went with the philosophy that we would buy only the absolute essentials to start with, and then if we found we were missing something, we would buy it only if and when we needed it. And when I say “buy”, I mean buy the cheapest (but safest) option available, or better still, borrow one from a trusted source.

The Widg's car seat

So I thought I would put together a post about the baby stuff that we found useful, and what we could live without, in the hopes that it might serve as a guide of sorts to other parents-to-be, especially if you are working on a modest budget (as we were and are). Please bear in mind that these suggestions are just that – suggestions – and by no means are we saying that anyone would be a better/worse parent for having/not having any of this stuff. It is purely our opinion, based on our own personal experience.

The Widg's Gulliver cot from Ikea

Firstly, what did we make sure to have before the Widg arrived? The absolute essentials only. This means cot (and mattress and cot sheets), nappies and wipes, change mat (no, not a whole change table), baby bath, clothes, blankets, car seat, pram, sling, bibs, cloths for catching/wiping spit-up, and something for white noise (we use a small battery-powered radio tuned to static).

The Widg's Quinny Buzz pram.

We did get a bassinet with the pram, which we did actually use. The Widg slept in it in our room for the first couple of months or so, and it was quite useful to take with us as his bed when we went away (until he grew out of it). I wouldn’t have bought the bassinet separately, but I’m glad we had it.

Quinny similar bassinet.

With the nappies, we did have the Peapods prepared before he was born, but his little butt didn’t fit them for the first months, so we did use disposables until then. Oh, and here is a link to our previous post about setting up the Widg’s room, which includes more details about the cot, change table, etc. I mentioned a sling (baby carrier), and this is the one we used:

Our sling

We loved our sling. Noah loved our sling. For a little while there, he hated the pram, so the sling was awesome. It was easy to carry him around, he was guaranteed to fall asleep in it. We even ended up with 2 of them, which was great, as we could have one in the wash, or one in the car and one in the house. I have only recently stopped using it, because he is starting to get too heavy (at 12 months and 9kg).

Our highchair

Things we ended up getting later, as we needed them: dummy, high chair, rocker (although the Widg only used it a handful of times, but I got it second hand for about $15), nappy bag (although we only used this for about the first month, and then only for long trips, and then not at all. And we bought the cheapest one we could, $30 from Target), toys, portacot (we were graciously given one by friends who’s little ones had outgrown it).

I wasn’t too convinced on the necessity of a playmat (like the one below) and wasn’t planning on getting one. But then I saw how much the Widg enjoyed using his friends’ ones, and I buckled. It ended up being the best toy for him from about 1 month old until he could sit up. I distinctly remember watching him one day figure out that he cold control the use of his own arm when he reached for the monkey and batted at it. That monkey served as the perfect motivation to teach him how to reach and grab and pull and learn those all important motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Of course, he would have learned those skills without a playmat, but it was also a great place to put him down and keep him entertained while I put on a load of washing or something like that (until he learned to roll that is).

The Widg's playmat.

We bought a Kinderkot as a portable bed to take on trips. It was recommended to us from a friend, and it was great at first. Light weight, folds up to the size of a large satchel bag. But lately the Widg has stopped reliably sleeping in it, so we haven’t used it in a while. I’m not ruling out using it again as he gets older.

The Widg's Kinderkot

The only thing we bought that I wouldn’t buy again (if we could go back in our time machine and do it again. What? You don’t have a time machine?) would be the nappy bag. Really, any bag would have been fine, a large satchel would have been perfect. I think it really depends how much “stuff” you carry around with you, and that really depends on the parent. I’ve survived pretty well so far with just my huge nanna handbag.

Things we were told to buy, but never needed: bottles, formula, sterilising equipment (breastfeeding worked out really well for us. I know it doesn’t work out for everyone, and I am very grateful that it did for us), various bedding/linen for the cot (pillows, quilts, top sheets, bumpers, etc. Most of this stuff isn’t recommended as it can increase the risk of SIDS), dedicated changing table, bath stand, nappy stacker, and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t even think of. Put it this way: when we were pregnant, we went to a (insert name of well known baby-gear chain here) store, and we were handed a list by the salesperson. An A4 page, double sided, full of “new baby essentials”. We politely smiled, cut a lap of the store, and left empty handed.

Granted, I’m a complete nerd when it comes to researching, planning and preparing before an event, so I had a fairly decent idea of what we did and didn’t need before we went shopping. Some people might find it incredibly helpful to have the salesperson give them advice and lists and things.

So that’s our rundown. Hope you found it useful/interesting/not-completely-chew-your-arm-off-boring.

Our beautiful, sweet, hilarious little boy celebrated his first birthday last weekend. Unfortunately, he was a little under the weather for the festivities (stupid teeth) and slept through most of it. But he did manage to participate in the most important parts, and the grown-ups had fun.

I put up some decorations (which I was asked to leave up for the State of Origin match).

This is his sweet little face when he spied the cake coming out:

His lovely Gran made the cake. Yes, it is the Number 1 cake from the Woman’s Weekly birthday cake book. It was chocolate cake with an awesome bright blue/aqua icing, smarties and sprinkles. We are still eating it for dessert every night. (Thanks Gran!)

I should mention that we have been very intentional in teaching the Widg to eat neatly. He isn’t allowed to touch food with his own hands, unless we put it in his hands for him. Sounds very strict, I know, but otherwise he would stick his hands in his mouth with every mouthful, and then smear them all over anything within arms reach. We do, of course, let him eat certain less-messy foods with his own hands, so that he develops good dexterity. Don’t worry, the boy has mad fine motor skills.

So this is him, being very cautious when we gave him some birthday cake. It took him a while to believe us when we said it was ok for him to pick it up and eat it himself. He enjoyed himself quite thoroughly, and dropped only a few crumbs on the floor. Brilliant child.

One of the Widg’s favourite toys at the moment is a balloon on a stick that Grandma and Pop scored for him when out shopping one day. So you can imagine his joy when presented with a room full of balloons.

Yes, this is him rubbing his face on a balloon. Crazy kid.

Finally it was time to open all of his wonderful presents. Although he normally loves to rip paper (catalogues, napkins, tissues, mama’s fancy magazines), he had a touch of stage fright in front of all of his family, so we gave him some help with the wrapping paper.

He was very excited about the big green ball (he has been chasing it around the kitchen ever since).

He needed a little help learning how the trumpet worked. He kept trying to eat it. We’re still working on that one.

The tambourine, however, was a no brainer. Anything that makes noise is a hit.

He also got a great activity table (it’s been helping him learn to pull up to stand), a walker trolley, a very cool horse-on-a-stick (you know those old fashioned ones that you ride like a broomstick?), a tiny little basketball hoop (thanks Uncle Boo and Aunty Nat – he’s getting quite good!), some awesome stacking blocks (they are actually the same ones that Gran bought for her boys many moons ago), a lovely little outfit, and the most awesome Noah’s Ark toy set in the world (it’s so cute: he pulls each animal out, holds it up to show me, then when he gets to the little Noah, he just chews on him).

We had lots of yummy food (sausage rolls, party pies, lollies and chips), and the coolest cookies ever. Our lovely friend B made them and sent them to us in time for the big day. They are gingerbread, and yes, the photo is done in icing and is edible. It’s weird eating your son’s face, but very tasty. I’ll do another post about them soon, I promise.

All in all it was a lovely day, and we know each birthday is going to be better and better as the Widg becomes more aware of what’s going on, and is able to really get into it.

I would like to introduce to you, dear readers, our newest addition to the Box – Olga the Overlocker.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, an overlocker is a sewing machine that produces a special type of stitching to prevent fabric from fraying over time. If I’ve already lost you, don’t worry, that’s where I stop explaining.

I have a little bit of a crush on Olga (hence why I named her). She has literally already changed my sewing life – and I barely know how to use her properly yet. She just makes things so much easier, and she actually makes me look like a better sewer than I really am. She was purchased from Aldi, for the bargain price of $199. No, that’s not a typo.

This (below) is the trusty Brother machine that I am currently using. She doesn’t have a name because technically she isn’t mine. She is on loan from my mum, but I hope to save up and get my own one day. Maybe Santa will bring me one. But until then, the loaner is performing just fine.

Before I got the overlocker, I had never used one before, so I decided to practice on a few projects that were really simple (basically just straight lines). This first one is just a runner or cover for the coffee table. The fabric is from Ikea by the way. And yes, that is my morning coffee on the table.

Then I made some runners for our dressing tables in the bedroom (below). There is more to this story, but that’s another blog post. For now, just say “ah yes, I see.” Excellent. Moving on.

So here are my 2 workers (below), side by side on my sewing table. Oh, and the absolutely best thing about Olga so far? Not only did she arrive fully threaded, but to rethread her all I have to do is tie the end of the new spool to the end of the old one, and keep sewing – she rethreads herself! (For anyone out there that knows how difficult and annoying it is to rethread an overlocker, with 4 spools, you will understand my excitement. Everyone else is just thinking “so?”. Trust me, it’s a big deal). Not sure if you can do this special threading trick with all overlockers. I do feel blessed though.

I hope to log many more sewing miles with Olga.

So we’ve had some fairly windy rainy weather of late. And we live in a pretty tree’d area. So it was no surprise when a large branch broke off one of our ghost gums. What was surprising was that it happened at around midnight, with a loud crash, just as we were falling asleep. And that it was roughly 10 metres long.

And that it fell precisely between our 2 parked cars, missing them both by only a few inches. And that the Widg slept through the whole thing.

Bless the boy.

Anyone who has been to the Box has probably seen the large section of hallway we have upstairs. It’s a remnant of our hodge podge reno.

You see, when we turned our kitchen/living/dining room into the master bedroom, there was this section of room leftover that became (by default really) a very wide hallway between the 3 bedrooms and bathroom. This hallway is so wide that I can have my clothes airers set up, and there is still enough width to walk past without touching them.

The hallway currently has 2 very old and dodgy white cupboards (old wardrobes that were left here when we moved in) that are being used for storage, and a couple of airers (I don’t have an outside clothes line). We don’t have any proper storage at the Box – no linen cupboards, no where to store sheets and towels, or any other random belongings that most houses have. Hence the suitcases, old computer and baby bath sitting on top of the wardrobes. (Side note: where do people store their suitcases anyway? Does everyone have some giant secret cupboard to hold all their luggage?)

So our next indoor project for the Box will probably be to find a more permanent solution to storage and use of the hallway upstairs. We will most likely keep a large section of the hallway free for the airers. It’s just too convenient to be able to hang out several loads of washing indoors, and that particular area of the house seems almost purpose built for it – the way we have positioned the louvered windows and the air flow through the bedrooms means that washing dries incredibly fast, even on the most rainy or humid day.

But we really need to ditch the old white cupboards – they really are falling apart, and they aren’t a very functional type of storage (they only have hanging space and one shelf). What we really want and need are either a built-in system, or a few nice sets of chests of drawers. We discussed the built-in option, but I really don’t like the look of something all crammed in from floor to ceiling, like a kitchen up there. So we have decided to go with some chests of drawers, but only as a test.

However this could cost a bit, especially if we decide we don’t like it or it doesn’t work. Ideally, I would love to use these Hemnes ones from Ikea:

But I’m not sure they sell them in white anymore, and they are a bit pricey. So instead we have decided to go with these Rast ones, which are only $50:

I actually think they’re quite ugly, but then I saw this over on Aubrey + Lindsay’s blog:

And this one too:

(from Armelle)

And it got me thinking: paint them a nice glossy white, change the handles, and they might scrub up ok. So I have permission from the husband to buy one to start with, paint it white and see how it looks. I’ll let you know.

Now, I realise that you might be thinking “Why would you store your linens and towels in drawers? Surely a cupboard with shelves would be better?” Well, maybe. But surely drawers are essentially the same as shelves, they just have a front on them. As long as I fold them very neatly (which I already do anyway) they should (in theory) fit in drawers just fine. I’m going to give it a go, and I’ll take photos and let you judge for yourselves. Oh, and I have no idea where the suitcases are going to go. At the moment, I’m hoping a genius solution will present itself out of thin air. I’m nothing if not hopeful.

Now, please bear in mind that this whole idea may only be short-to-medium term. We have thought about turning the upstairs hallway into some kind of “room” – like a study nook if we ever needed the 3rd bedroom to actually be a bedroom. We could fit a built-in desk under the window. And with a view like this, why wouldn’t you?

Although, might not get much work done that way. Maybe it’ll be more of a “daydreaming nook”. We’ll see.

Well, this is embarassing. It has been a while since I posted, promising to blog. And, well, I haven’t blogged at all. The intention was there: I planned, I wrote, I prepared photo’s, I discussed strategy and creative ideas with the husband. But then life, as it frequently does, got in the way.

To be fair, we had a baby.

Which is pretty big (although he is pretty small) as far as interruptions go. But the time has come my friends to pick up the slack and try again. So here it is: my vague and amateurish attempt to blog. Stay tuned (but don’t hold your breath – I’m still learning!).

Hello all! You might be wondering why I am suddenly contributing to this blog. Well, put simply, it was time for a little feminine influence and flavour. My loyal and hard-working husband has been, so far, the sole contributor to this blog (it really is his baby). This has made perfect sense – not only did he create this little record of our house and it’s growth over the years, but he has also been the one doing most of the physical and creative labour on the actual house itself. Until now.

The time has come, my friends, to show you what the female half of this partnership has been doing (namely interiors, planning, organising, decorating and “supervising” a lot of the outdoor stuff). So we thought it was about time that I added the odd post here and there for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing. You can expect the same pictures, explanations and whimsical meanderings that you have come to enjoy so far (we hope), just from a slightly more girly point of view (mind you, I’m not that girly – you won’t find any frills here).

So, hello, welcome, thanks for having me, and I hope you find my future posts interesting, informative, or at the very least, pretty. Jo xx

After a months of dry we have hit the wet! The last 2 months has been great for the garden – we have had over 250mms here – and another wet few days on the cards.
The north garden is going along a treat – apart from the silly wallabies who continue to eat anything that isn’t caged away. However i have turned to ‘PossOff’ and it seems to be doing the trick. One very angry wallaby wents nuts and ripped a hole in the ground after nibbling on a possOff’d sprayed-leaf (mmm chilli flavoured).

I have spent some time fixing the edges of the lush thick lawn and everything looks very nice indeed. Hopefully we can get a bit more to get us through the dry of late winter and early spring

Hopefully some of the grevillia’s and callistemons will bush up and match the growth of the native grasses which have gone nuts. Happy to see the bamboo going very well too! Will bring you some more pics of the plants when I get out there next!