Red's Adventure

Want to play? Join in the fun - Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys.

Are You Ready For Guests?

If you get a text or a call saying that a friend or family member is on the way, are you ready? Is your house clean and tidy?

Ours sometimes isn't. It can easily look like a house well lived in, a house of fun;

I'm not showing what our kitchen looks like if I decide to have a day off cleaning/tidying it. I hate washing and lufflump loves making massive messes, so the house isn't usually spotless.

I'm not saying that we live in filth, we don't, but having a toddler means that if we don't tidy up every night it piles up REALLY quickly. Tidying up can be a quick five minutes tidy or an hour depending on how much lufflump decided to empty. Sometimes it's just one box in the lounge room, sometimes it's all the boxes PLUS his bookcase. Add that to the washing, the kitchen and our own mess it can be a lot of work at the end of the day just when we don't feel like it.

So, in the morning if we get a warning that we are going to have guests it's a big rush to clean and tidy everything. I'd rather it wasn't and hopefully through the current organising and purging journey we are on, it won't be as bad.

Is your house always guest ready? How do you do it!?

Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa,

It's less than 30 days until Christmas Eve and I understand you are VERY busy. I'm sure I'm on the Nice List but I haven't yet told you want I'd like for Christmas. I'm sure I've said I want a lot of things but this is my final Christmas Wish List.

1. Macbook Air 2. Macbook Air Case

Tax time I was all set to get a laptop BUT a small car bingle caused our laptop money to go to an insurance company (like they don't have enough already). This Christmas I would love the above Macbook Air and hard case. It would mean I'd be able to easily blog in bed, at the park and on the couch. I'd be able to use the laptop while the mister or lufflump used the computer. 

 1. Hermes Desk 2. Hermes Desk Add On 

As I mentioned last week, I love our desk but it's a bit small. I can't really have a book open on the desk while being on the computer. It makes studying difficult and the mister will be doing some serious study for the airforce in the next few months. I love the Hermes desk and add on above, it'd be perfect. It could probably even fit where our current desk is and we'd convert our current desk back into a bookcase which would be more storage! Perfection.

1. Electric Garden Charger 2. Rhythm Clock 3. Kate Spade Chair 4. Genie Lamp

Little bits and pieces I'd love. The electric garden charger would look awesome on our new Hermes desk plus it's functional! 

How awesome is the clock?! We don't have a clock hanging up and it's frustrating. I wouldn't mind one of these clocks in our bedroom and lougeroom - different colours too please.

Our current desk chair has lost it's comfort. The mister thinks it's from all three of us sitting on it at the same time. I think it's from the chair just not harding the fuck up. Either way that Kate Spade chair is a trillion times better than our current Officeworks chair and would look so brilliant with the Hermes desk.

That lamp is perfect for my bedside table. It also comes in blue and green so the mister doesn't have to be stuck with pink. I need to girly the place up though and bring more pink in. This lamp would be a wonderful start.

So Santa if you could bring all or just one of the above items I'll promise to stay nice next year too. Lufflump is in the process of writing his list and the mister is a grinch so don't expect one from him. 

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Love Ames xxx

Happy Monday

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

Steve Jobs

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That’s Pinterest…ing Office Edition

This week I'm obsessing over offices so it's only fit to do an office Pinterest edition. We don't have an office here, we use a converted Expedit bookcase. I would love something bigger but we don't have the money or the space so I'll just dream over these offices.

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1. I adore this office and it's that beautiful chair to blame. The white, lamps and branch just tops it off. The only thing I would change is that rug, I don't like that. The chair makes it better though.

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2. OMG this is AMAZING. Those doors into what looks like a courtyard just make this room. The clock, frames, chairs and flowers just make it wow.

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3. A totally different office to the above and I love it just the same. The pink walls and rug coupled with that framed artwork are perfect. The storage makes me giddy too.

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4. My favourite part of this room are the wall colours, floor and light fitting. Outside of this room look at that stunning fireplace! Wow. I don't just want this office I want this whole house based on these two rooms.

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5. My favourite. I can't fault anything in this room. Everything is just perfection. Of course there's a ladder on the other side of that door and a stunning garden outside that window. Ahh...

I'm joining up with Tina and a bunch of other Pinterest addicted bloggers. Check them out here.

Sesame - Week Twenty-Five

Week twenty-five! It's going so fast.

Sesame is definitely making her presence known. I think she's moved up and is now sitting right on my stomach, it's so uncomfortable. I waddle around everywhere trying to get a comfortable position much to the mister's amusement. As soon as I start relaxing she starts kicking like crazy which doesn't help either. 

The heat isn't getting to me much but I think it is making me tired. Afternoon naps are still necessary but as soon as it starts to cool down at night I'm energetic again. I may be nesting and if I am I'm not complaining. I hope it continues until birth because the house will be spotless and extremely organised.

Other than that everything seems to be going pretty well so here's some belly shots!

Drive Polly

Polly is going on a driving trip with some of her favourite girlfriends in her new M6. 

They are heading to the coast for a weekend of dancing, swimming and sunbaking. Oh how much fun she'll have...

Drive Polly by tutuames

Wanna play along? It's fun, a little bit mean (limitless, free credit card anyone?), perfect procrastination and if you are anything like me you won't be able to stop at just one!

Check out other Polly Dollies at Danimezza. While you're there check out Danimezza's other posts. She is one happening woman!

Not Here

Last week I was over at Glow's confessing.

The mister and I have both been at Dr Bron's answering twenty questions.

Today I'm at Sarah's talking about my day last Sunday.

Want to play? Join in the fun - Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys - I'm not linking up today but you can!

Home Desk Organising

Saturday night I was fortunate to have a night to myself. Lufflump was at my mum's and the mister was at his work Christmas party. I wish this was a post all about how at the last minute I invited friends over for a fun dinner and movie night. Instead I was still suffering from the flu, the Amy Pregnant Flu, so I spent the afternoon and night watching Community, SVU, Freaks and Geeks, blogging and organising.

Yes I spent my first night alone, possibly this year, catching up on my To Do list and organising our desk. Nerd alert. Honestly, I was bored and did something I can't do when the house is a mess or lufflump is home. The desk desperately needed to be done as bills needed to be sorted and everything needed to get back on track.

When I was studying the desk was tidy and organised. It needed to be or my mind wasn't organised. Weird but true. Since I've stopped studying I've let it go. Badly. Bills were piled in a green basket that sits on the top of the desk. Bills and receipts that came in whether they had been paid or not. Not good. It wasn't just full either, it was overfilled.  

Our version of the junk drawer

I also organised four of our desk boxes. One was supposed to be full of stationery, one full with this years bills filed away, one full with craft and folder inserts, and one full of filed bills and other bits of paper that are rarely used. Supposed to be anyway. Everything had been mixed, stuff was stuffed in and nothing was easily accessible. It needed help. Urgent help.

Our desk is a eight cubed Expedit converted. I dream of a big desk with lots of space in a lovely office, but this is fine for the time being. I'd also love to put a mini bookshelf on top too for the printer and other fun stuff. Maybe that'll be on our shopping list next time we head to Ikea. We have a pretty fabric covered cork board behind the computer that used to have photos, drawings and inspiring quotes but lufflump discovered the pins so we removed them. I'm yet to get pins that he can't remove so it remains unused. Lucky it's pretty.

On the side of the desk we've attached a newspaper rack which was holding a whole bunch of stuff that lufflump loved to pull out. Any mess he can make must be minimised as he's still in his everything must go stage. Please tell me it's a stage. So I organised that as well.

I've been pretty shit with photos this time, sorry. I took some before and during the organising but stupidly not after, so I've had to take photos with lufflump awake and toys everywhere. Not the best.

The desk not long after we moved in.

The desk today. 

Before I organised everything. See how full all the boxes are!? Not workable.

During the organising process.

The 'junk drawer' after.

All the bills has been sorted. What is left in the 'junk drawer' is blank DVDs, a Merry Christmas sign to be hung up soon, some BeyondBlue information and a couple of the mister's magazines. Pretty empty!

Bills box

This box is our go-to box. It's got al our bills and receipts filed away. There's also bits and pieces like a few empty photo frames, business cards, lufflump's locks from his last haircut, and some stationery that isn't used often. Everything is easy to get to and it's easy to explain where something is.

Not often used box.

This box has stuff we don't use often or materials that are new and unused like folders, inserts and craft paper. It's not used often and again everything is easy to get to. Oh and that Tupperware container is broken but I haven't gotten around to replacing it but I will soon, one day, next year. 

Stationery box

Our most used box, the stationery box. I ended up putting the pens, USB keys, rubber bands and other small objects into separate smaller containers as they were EVERYWHERE. I swear they breed like bobby pins but then when you need one you can never find them. 

The folders in the newspaper rack are for blogs, organising, daycare and birth stuff. I also went through what was in them originally and organised them. The other box is EMPTY! It actually belongs in the TV cabinet. I did have a clear box that I filled with used notebooks and the sort which is ready to go down into the garage. I also threw out a massive bag  full of crap. 

All in all it took me about two hours. I'm impressed with it all but still have a lot to do. I think I've been lusting over too many pretty offices on Pinterest, I'll be linking some pretties up with Tina on Sunday.

Is your desk nice and organised?

Charity and Luxury

After the Brisbane floods we went through everything and ended up with a large box of clothes, housewares, bags, shoes and baby stuff to donate. We ended up getting distracted and in October we finally donated all that and more. 

I did work experience at a Salvation Army detox which also has a wonderful depot. It's huge and everyone there is so lovely. We have given so much stuff to them and they are always helpful and gracious. 

I made donating part of my 26 Before 26 list for two reasons. The first reason was to motivate me to get it done. The second reason was to donate more stuff and go to the depot. The depot has an amazing store attached and going there reminds me of the wonderful people I met during my work experience. 

I also put owning a Vanchi bag on my 26 Before 26 list. Ever since I saw one reviewed on a blog (I'm sorry I can't remember which one) I fell in love. When I went to the Baby Show I got to try some and fell even more in love with the Doctor Bag in both black and nougat. 

The problem was convincing the mister that it was worth spending $175. Little did I know that they have outlet sales. I ended up scoring a certified second black Doctor Bag for $90. I ordered it on the Friday and it arrived on the Tuesday. I honestly cannot tell why it's a certified second, it looks perfect to me. 

Oh yeah pretty excited

So six months down I've crossed three off my list of twenty-six. Great. Maybe I won't finish them like I thought. 

If you have a list have you crossed much off it?

Happy Monday

"He is able who thinks he is able"

Buddha

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That’s Pinterest…ing Bedroom Edition

This week I'm obsessing over bedrooms so it's only fit to do a bedroom Pinterest edition. Join me in lusting over these amazing bedrooms.

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1. Isn't this just magical! I would love to live in the trees like I imagine this bedroom would be. Oh this will be in my dreams tonight.

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 2. Books everywhere, the wallpaper, lots of pillows, the metal light, and the window at the head... ahh... not the bedroom of a parent. I wish I'd had a bedroom like this when I lived by myself.

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 3. I don't usually like a brick wall but that one is beautiful. Add in the chandelier, beautiful vintage furniture, simplicity of the fresh white sheets and you have this stunning bedroom.

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4. Mystical and magical is defined by this bedroom. I want a tree house so I can have this beautiful bedroom. I'd string fairy lights around the room too.

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5. My favourite; this extremely feminine room. It ticks all the right boxes; chandelier, pale pink walls, flowers, lots of pillows, white antique bed, mosquito net. Ahh.. beautiful.

I'm joining up with Tina and a bunch of other Pinterest addicted bloggers. Check them out here.

Sesame - Week Twenty-Four

I missed a week. Last week I just wasn't feeling it. Now I'm sick so I'm not feeling it either but I'll regret missing another week.

We had another birth centre appointment and it was another success. We met our second (we have three) midwife and she was LOVELY. We laughed, she calmed my nerves and we heard sesame's heartbeat. Due to the echogenic focal point in the left ventricle of the heart found in our last ultrasound we should be having another ultrasound in about ten weeks. The sonographer said it wasn't clinically significant but I'm still slightly fretting. We are assuming it's a calcium spot which is kind of helping.

Sesame is such a ninja baby kicking, punching, wiggling and moving a lot. While at times I love it, other times it makes me feel sick. I'm also peeing every five minutes. I've never peed this much in my life. I swear I see the toilet more than I see lufflump. That's a lot by the way.

Mum bought her a tiny 00000 hot pink suit. It's so small, I think we'll be exchanging it when she comes into the world unless she decides to be early. I'm ok with early, but not too early as I do want to take her home straight away with us.

Lufflump and sesame are already fighting. She kicks him, he hits her. It's starting and she's not even born yet! I hope they both get it out of their system before she arrives.

Purple Polly

Polly is having a purple day today. She's also pregnant so is rocking some awesome maternity jeans. 

Damn I want those purple Connies too. Off to try and find the cheapest pair :)

Purple Polly by tutuames

Wanna play along? It's fun, a little bit mean (limitless, free credit card anyone?), perfect procrastination and if you are anything like me you won't be able to stop at just one!

Check out other Polly Dollies at Danimezza. While you're there check out Danimezza's other posts. She is one happening woman!

Current Organising Obsession

You may have noticed that I'm in a current state of organising. 

We were planning to move. A long move, over 1900kms in fact. Moving a suburb is expensive enough and with removalist estimates sitting around the $2,000 mark we wanted to only move the necessities. Well, we aren't moving any more (don't ask) but not only have I caught the organising bug but it means we are staying in our small unit. Staying here with an extra person, albeit a small one but one with a lot of stuff.

Also organising is helping to keep my mind off current events that I'd rather forget. I've not posted about it all in respect to those directly involved. Maybe in time, I will. I'm still writing about it and it's helping me. Thank goodness for keeping a journal. 

Anyway, I've written about my purging and organising journey lately. Unfortunately that means that there are still so many more rooms to do. For example, I may have done the bottom of my cupboard but not the top or my bags. The kitchen scares the shit out of me. It's so full and I don't want to organise it. How can I have so much stuff when I don't even cook?!

I have to organise his toys too so they aren't always everywhere. Oh and yes he's wearing my zombie shoes.

I'm definitely not an organising genius or queen, I'll leave that to the following bloggers;

• Jen from iHeart Organizing
• Katrina from The Organised Housewife
• Jade from Super Organiser Mum
• Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons
• Deb from Home Life Simplified
• Laura from I'm an Organizing Junkie 

I am learning so much from them and reading through their blogs is inspiring. I'm pinning along the way too over at my Organise Board (sounds bad but I've called it Organise and it's a board). At the moment I'm working on a Household Management Folder so expect a post about that soon. After doing the bathroom posts I've decided to post about my organising journey as it's such great motivation!

Do you have any organising tips or favourite organising blogs?