Back for sale

Buyer didn't get bank loan ... house is back in the market.

Almost ...

This house is almost sold, at the price we targeted.  Not being financially savvy, we are really clueless about breaking even and didn't even think of getting more.  But we're really blessed that if this goes through, we have enough to cover the cash needed for the new flat, and only have to cough out the commissions, legal fees, stamp duties, etc.  God is truly in the details.

Hubby and I took leave the whole week to just chill.  After the "first appointment" yesterday we had a leisurely lunch and walked the hub for a bit before heading home via public bus.  Today, we hung around PS while waiting for Big One, but she decided to join her friends and to go home on her own.  Much as we enjoy couple-time, I have to slowly accept that Big One is growing more independent each day.

Big One went to GB camp over the weekend and came back with lots to tell.  I'm happy she experienced so much: sleeping in a tent, cooking over open fire, cleaning toilets and canteen, trekking and orienteering and encountering monkeys.  Today she met up with her primary school classmates for a movie.  It's good to see her enjoying herself with friends old and new.

Little One has been able to get to sitting position and she'll prop herself up in the middle of the night when she wakes for her night feeds.  She has also been practicing pulling herself up to standing position in the cot, often letting her hands go once she's in position.  Really have to be watchful!

I have been napping when I can, but wake at odd hours in the middle of the night in addition to the night feeds.  If not for the vacation leave, I'll probably be dozing off at work the whole day long.  I yearn for a stretch of sleep longer than three hours.  Motherhood in my forties is taking a huge toll.

On a positive note, I won myself a place in a class at Big Picture Scrapbooking.  I'm trying hard to keep pace with the daily tasks.  It's lots of fun!  And promises 13 layouts at the end.  Woohoo!!

If you're happy...

and you know it 

Pampered

Thanks to my generous and understanding hubby, I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend.  It's Mother's Day celebrated a week late.  On Saturday, after dropping Big One off for community service, I spent three hours at the spa.  Yes, three glorious pampering hours.

One of the treatment involved slathering a concoction resembling curry powder all over and then wrapping with cling wrap before popping me into the steam room.  After a few minutes, I was tingling from the heat of both steam and "marinate" :laugh:

Next stop was the hairdresser, but not before a delicious lunch at the new Bakerzin outlet.  My hair was dropping in horrendous amount since a couple of months ago, but I put it off as post-natal adjustments.  I did have baby hair sprouting in unsightly spots.  But at the hairdresser, I was shown where hair wasn't growing healthily.  Well, scalp treatment, hair cut and colouring job later, here's my new "do".  It's in an easy-to-care-for length and a soft brown shade.  I feel fresh, I hope I look fresh too.

That's not all.  On Sunday, I had a great time at MWL in the Basic Grey album class.  Could not finish, and spent some time yesterday and today doing up the little bits.  It's still not done yet.

Little One learnt a new skill.  On Saturday, she started clapping and looking extremely pleased with herself.  Of course she practised all she could, including during lunch.  Not too smart to send rice cereal flying in all directions :haha:

Will try to upload the video showing her new skill later.

Much ado about nothing

No blogging.

No scrapbooking.

No mojo.

What I did since early May:
Attended NSD event at MWL, long enough to shop the specials and play one game. Won some prizes by proxy though.
Tidied up the house (a little) to make a good impression for the valuator.
Attended classes at MWL - gotta love these "me" time.

What I need to do:
Get a new hairdo - those little tufts of hair growing since the post-baby fallout looks AWFUL!!
Shop for skirts that do not fall off! It's great that I have lost weight, but I can't wear clothes in t-shirt material to work all the time.
Get a new car seat for Little One. She's outgrown the current one, and she wants to sit upright and look out the window. She looks cute struggling to be upright, kinda like baby sit-up. Note to self - gotta take a photo!

Meantime, hope to check these out for inspiration sketches:

Pencil Lines
Creating Keepsakes (Becky Higgins Sketches)
Digital Scrapbook Place

Scrap Space Ideas

So this is how I'e been spending my 2 days' leave.  Yesterday was a daze. I visited the doctor and was utterly groggy from the medication.  I was told I have an ulcer in the throat - yucks!  And couldn't be prescribed strong medication.

Today, I'm slightly better, though the cough is irritating.

Now that Little One is sleeping, I'm online drooling over scrapbookers' workspace.  And found these gems!  But in my woozy state, I've lost the source to credit the second.

Instructions available:

http://outtathisfunk.blogspot.com/2008/01/sticker-gripper.html

A similar version:

Dream Space

We've got one foot in the waters for a new home.

Talk about moving started several years ago, but we seriously started looking when I was expecting Little One, as we wanted to be nearer (1) work (2) his parents or (3) my parents.  Things halted after the 2nd trimester partly because we wouldn't be moving anywhere in the next six months, and partly because I cried buckets thinking of moving out of our current place.  Yeah, I was a sentimental sob then.

We reactivated the search recently.  When it became obvious who would be Little One's caregiver, we further narrowed the search area.  In fact, I only want one particular block of flats.

So one Saturday I was flipping through the ads and spotted two units advertised.  I made the calls to view them without Hubby.  The two units had their pluses and minuses.  Hubby wanted to see them for himself and we went down again the next day.  Everyone liked the particular unit.

We decided that there wouldn't be a better unit than the one we're eyeing, and bit the bullet by making an offer.  Things started rolling from there.

So here I am, thinking about how to allocate the rooms in the house, and whether I can actually have a mini studio after all.  Well, it will be a shared room, but I can design it the way I like it, without worrying about hand-me-down cabinets and makeshift shelves.

I have been blog-surfing for ideas and found some great places which inspire.  I do not want to look at catalogues, I want to see someone actually muddling through their space and making decisions about what works for them.

Here are some options:

http://jeanettes.typepad.com

http://craftstorage.blogspot.com