Family of three?

What's wrong with this picture? A lot apparently. You see, according to my mother-in-law it would be entirely wrong of our little Puddleduck family to stay at three. This isn't because she simply wants more grandchildren. No, it's because only children are socially unacceptable and, frankly, awful.

I've spent all night trying to work out what offends people about only children? What about me offends my mother-in-law?

I know the stereotype - spoilt, lonely and unable to interact socially. So I wonder how she thinks I fit that?

My parents were careful not to spoil me with material things. I didn't ever want for anything - well, for a while I desperately wanted for a Sportsgirl t-shirt - but I certainly didn't get everything I ever asked for. Instead my parents showered me with love.

I was surrounded by friends and cousins and substitute siblings as I grew up. Our house was always full of fun and laughter - right up until I left home. I had friends and cousins who were like sisters - we played, we fought and we made up. I was never ever lonely. Even when I was alone, I had my imagination.

As for an inability to interact socially, well I guess I'll let friends and colleagues be the judge of that.

So why is it OK for people to judge only children? I've known quite a few and none of them fit the stereotype. So I simply don't see why it should be such an awful thing for Puddleduck to be an only child. Epsecially if Mr Puddleduck and I can do half as good a job raising her as my parents did with me.

Getting my Sarah Beeny on

I'm a little addicted to renovation shows. I love the idea of knocking down a wall here, putting in a new kitchen there and splashing about some paint. But I didn't ever intend to actually buy a renovator. Not least because I didn't ever think Mr Puddleduck would agree to it!


Yet that's exactly what we've done. We've bought a project. A run down higgledy piggledy upside down house.


While we wait for settlement we're trying hard to figure out how we want it to look at the end of the project. We have a very basic idea, but it's all a bit challenging having carte blanche over the layout and design.

If there's one thing I know, it's that I want a gorgeous chandelier like this one I saw on a trip to Malaysia. Divine!

House hunting

We're on the hunt for a new house. Our lease doesn't expire for a few months yet, but I'm itching to get my hands on something we can call 'ours'. I've managed to suppress my urge to paint and hang and just generally fiddle for the best part of seven months and am about to burst. I want to put decals on Puddleduck's walls without seeking permission, I want to experiment with paint colours and I want to a space that works for the way we live.

Needless to say house hunting in Sydney can be a depressing business. There are plenty of amazing properties, but you can bet that anything stylish and gorgeous and in a good location will be priced accordingly. And the dump next door will cost almost as much.

Actually, there's every chance the dump will cost more.

Just to make it especially challenging, we're really only interested in a very small area of Sydney. An area it seems every other house hunter in Sydney is also interested in. Sigh.

We're learning the key is not to fall in love ... at least not until you've signed on the dotted line!

Puddleduck's Corner

One of the challenges of living in a small space is finding the perfect spot for furniture - especially something as cute as this "yolk" chair. I confess I bought this in one of those slightly crazed frenzies I go into when I see something I have adored for a long time ON SALE.

You know the sort - your husband could hide your credit card under a sleeping bull elephant and you'd find the strength to shift the elephant to get to your card. Actually, mine could have been under a herd of elephants and I would have gotten to it. I HAD to have this chair.

So you'll not be surprised when I admit I didn't think through the logistics. Oops!

Still, I think it works fairly well in this corner of the living room and serves as quite a functional little reading nook for Puddleduck. And there's nothing like a candy pink chair to brighten up a small space!

Look what I bought

As I've mentioned, I don't really do 'tidy' or 'organised'. In order to motivate myself to tidy our house I usually have to purchase flowers first and leave them in the sink to be arranged and displayed once I've finished tidying. I can't buy them after I've finished, that's simply not enought to motivate me. They have to be physically present and visible.

So while I am genuinely excited about getting our storage unit and clearing clutter, it's still going to be a challenge for me. I get bored easily. I strongly suspect that a few boxes into the trip from the attic to the truck and I'll be decidedly less enthusiastic than I am now.

The solution? New, pretty motivation. Flowers won't cut it - they're for weekly tidying, not major projects. I've had to call in the big guns. Big, gorgeous guns in the form of this custom couch cover from Etsy. I forget how I stumbled across FreshKnesting but I just know that the thought of this arriving soon will keep me motivated enough to get through the torture of moving boxes.

Storage excitement

I'm not an organised person. Or a neat person. Throw in the fact that I simply will not countenance throwing anything out that may hold some tiny semblance of sentimental value and it generally makes for a chaotic house.


So downsizing from a fairly decent sized four bedroom house and wall-to-wall bookshelves in the living area to a two bedroom house has been, well, challenging. We've got a lot of books. Around 10 cubic metres of them at last count.

Add to that extraneous furniture and it's been a tad cluttered for the last few months. We've finally bitten the bullet and this weekend we're moving the excess into a storage unit. As much as I object to spending money on anything practical and prosaic (vacuums, light bulbs and groceries spring to mind) I'm excited about freeing up some space. I've long-since accepted that there is always going to be excess 'stuff' lying around that has no home and up until now I've always had somewhere to stash it when required. So the thought I can now hide my junk again is extremely liberating!

Yes, that IS crockery stored on the outdoor table.

Summer blooms

I don't think it is a surprise to anyone who knows me that I love flowers. As in, I LURVE them. The house feels almost naked without them. If it came down to it, I'd probably choose flowers over furniture. Well, maybe.

The vast array of blooms available at the moment has me in a near-frenzy of flower buying and arranging. Mr Puddleduck is pleased at the variety and lack of lillies - he seems to have some sort of magnetic forcefield that drags his white business shirts into the orange stamens of lillies and it sends him nearly apopleptic every time.

I simply cannot get enough of these gorgeous flowers. So much so I am motivated to finally try and find some space in our teeny tiny courtyard for some pots of something pretty. And low maintenance. Suggestions?