I can not believe how fast this month has gone, to keep it short and sweet here is what I've been up to...we went away for Easter, camping at Nundle which was a lovely little country town (and have already booked for next year), had a birthday (although am trying to forget them now!!), finished painting the hallway and a few other things around the house and pretty much working my butt off at my day job. The word exhausted doesn't even cut it!!

Thank you to those that responded to my Kitchen door knob post...I went with the dark ones and what a difference that little change made.

Thought I'd share some photos from our around the house today.

Slowly making progress on the backyard...grass is starting to knit together nicely (and no wonder with the weird weather we have been having, torrential down pour one day and 35 degrees the next!). I have finished the garden edging and partly prepared the soil for planting. I've actually enjoyed working outside these past couple of weekends, it makes a nice change from the never ending painting of the inside...which still isn't finished!

The arch is going in this weekend and I plan on growing either climbing roses or jasmine over it, something similar to the last photo.

Am in need of your opinions please on changing the door knobs on my kitchen cupboards. Have had the gold ones for the past 6 years and feel like a change...so here are photos of the original ones

please let me know what you think.

I have a thing for plates on walls...doesn't everyone?? Ok maybe not but anyway I decided to browse through google images and came across some of these beautiful images of plate art.

Canadian House & Home

apartmenttherapy.com

unknown source
And have a look at this...amazing. This is located Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, CA using Spode.

Images 1,4&5 from cottagenest.blogspot.com

And some of my own plates. The best idea I came across sometime ago with hanging these plates is to lay out a huge piece of paper on the floor or table and lay the plates in the pattern you wish, you can then rearrange till you get the right look, then draw around each plate and make a small mark where the hanger is positioned.

Then sticky tape/blue tac the paper to the wall, making sure it is centered and level. I then got the nail part of the hanger and hammered each nail where I had previously marked. Remove the paper from the wall and you are left with a nail in each place you need to put the hangers. Then simply hang your plates in their spots. It was so simple and the plates are in the perfect spot without the need for multiple holes in the walls!

And just because I haven't posted a photo of Ryan for awhile, here is my favourite current photo.

I really should be out building my new gardens but it is sooo hot out there at the moment so here I am having a lovely look around blog land and all the lovely new discoveries I've made...boy there are some very talented people out there! Just thought I'd throw a few more photos in of my little cottage. Everything has taken on a whole different look with the new colour on the floors.

This is photo is at the request of my mother as she can't seem to take good close up shots of things with her camera...the door to my bedroom will not stay open no matter what he have tried to do to it so my mother made me this little door stop and also this handy door slam saver (or as my darling husband called it "a door bra" hmmm!!). Gee it's great having such a talented mother. Now to just sweet talk her into making something for my Coleman walking doll to wear...poor thing is completely naked except for shoes!

Playing around with the front lounge room after the floors were done. My shopping list for this room (so far!)...rug, paint coffee table/trunk white, curtains, lamp and aubusson cushions for lounge.

I've moved all my blue and white into the one cabinet.

My mother-in-law gave me this cute little cup to pass down to Ryan. It was given to her father when he was little. I love knowing the history of things and came across this site all about the artist, Gladys Peto. Wonderful thing the internet!

It is Australia Day tomorrow and we will be spending time up at the river which has become our favourite little spot on this day for the past few years. Happy Australia Day everyone...

Look what finally got done this week...although it turned out nothing like we imagined! A lot darker than we planned but I guess these things happen. Probably a bit of a shock as well as we have lived with the yellowing floors for the past 8 years...now to just move everything back in (maybe some rugs might in order now!).

And this is mostly for my mum...I have been after an antique doll for quiet sometime but something a little different...so here she is, an early 1900's Coleman Walking Doll also known as a Birdcage doll. She needs a little bit of a clean up and yes...a new arm maybe but I think she's pretty unique. The guy I bought this from in America on ebay was not a happy chappy...he was rather shocked at how much I got her for! Now on the search for some lovely old clothes.

I really liked the idea of going back over the year and showing some of the before and afters so I went back through some photos and found these, just a few of the things I've completed in 2008. Although some rooms still aren't exactly "completed"...need a rug here and there and few more bits and pieces...but I think that will probably be never ending!! Actually makes you feel kind of good going back and seeing what we've achieved.

And this just started...the dreaded backyard. Turf was put down this past weekend and we will be trying to get the gardens done this coming weekend. But what an improvement already.

And our first vegie patch...although I think we planted a bit too many in this one little garden and it has gone crazy. We have planted a passion fruit vine to grow up over the lattice.