Introducing Our Little Baby Girl ... Miss A

Apologies for my absence on the blog these last few months this has been the longest break I've had in the 7 years I've been blogging!

I have a pretty good excuse .... Mr P and I welcomed our little baby girl Amelia (who will be known as Miss A on the blog) into the world on 16 May 2017 at 1.21pm she weighed 3.040kg and was 48cm long.

I had plenty of time before Miss A was born to nest at home, re-arrange all the cupboards and do a big spring clean, get the nursery ready, and was on Dr's orders to rest and take care of my health. By the end I was a bit over being pregnant and some of the health issues that came with it and was ready for our little Miss A to arrive and that she did a bit earlier than expected, when I was 38 weeks pregnant, the day after my Birthday so we'll now be sharing a Birthday weekend!

The birth was nothing like I thought it would be and was the opposite of my birth plan although I'll spare you all the details other than to say I went into labor at home and thankfully Mr P made it home from work and got me to the hospital because 40 minutes later Miss A was born. 

I'm so very thankful Miss A is a healthy baby and while I had some health issues during the pregnancy and after the birth I'm happy to say I'm feeling back to my normal self now, well besides the sleep deprivation that is!

  

 

  

These last few months have been a blur of sleepless nights and newborn cuddles and getting to know our Miss A and working out this whole parenthood gig.

I still can't believe that I'm a Mum .... but the endless loads of baby clothes I am washing, the nappies I have changed and the constant feeding certainly proves that I am! Speaking of clothes my Mum unpacked an old trunk full of baby clothes that were mine when I was a baby, a lot was handmade and knitted or crochet by my Nanna (Miss A's great-grandmother) and it's so special to dress Miss A in my old baby clothes (like the yellow and blue cardis, white bonnet, booties and shoes above) I just need to dress her in a mix of vintage and modern clothes so she doesn't look too old fashioned!

I'm on maternity leave for a year and after 20 years of working I'm really enjoying being at home. Mr P had a few weeks off work in the beginning and is a very hands on Dad and was the one who had to show me how to change a nappy!

I'm lucky to have support from friends and family who drop in when I need a hand and give Miss A some cuddles so I can have a shower or get dinner ready - my slow cooker has been a lifesaver I can make dinner while Miss A naps (babies sleep A LOT!) and dinner cooks during the day and keeps warm until Mr P gets home from work and we can eat together.

Our rescue dog Lexi has been really good with Miss A and taking on the protective big sister role well. I just know these two are going to grow up being the best of friends!

  

We are loving spending time at home as a little family and while the days blend into weeks and months already I am enjoying this slower pace to life right now.

While I'm in this newborn bubble I won't be blogging as regularly as I was before but you can keep in touch with Jarrah Jungle daily on my social media pages - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Welcome to the blog Miss A!

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Book Review: Gizelle's Bucket List By Lauren Fern Watt

This is a book review of Gizelle's Bucket List - My Life With A Very Large Dog by Lauren Fern Watt that was published by Simon and Schuster on 7 March 2017.

Lauren Fern Watt is an author (this is her first novel) and travel journalist who has a great website Bucket List Adventures you can find here. Lauren was born in Texas and now spends her time between Nashville and Los Angeles.

This is a true story and memoir told by 20 something year old Lauren about her life with her pet dog a 160 pound English Mastiff called Gizelle and the adventures they go on.

Lauren moves out of home and takes Gizelle with her to College and then onto a tiny apartment in New York City, they job hunt together, go through boyfriends and Lauren grows from a teenager to a young woman along the way as they tackle life together side by side.

Their story is written by Lauren in a diary style of their adventures together, a girl and her dog, best friends and companions. It's a lighthearted and easy read, although there is sadness as to why Gizelle has a bucket list, it is written in such a way that embraces and sees the good and simple things in life between a girl and her four legged best friend.

Being a fur mum to a rescue dog myself I was drawn to the cover of this book instantly and it reminded me in some ways of Lily and the Octopus another brilliant read for dog lovers (you can read my review here) and it has also be likened to the movie Marley and Me.

I recommend this book to dog lovers who like reading memoirs.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

Gizelle's Bucket List can be purchased from the author here or Simon and Schuster

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Simon and Schuster to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[Image via Bucket List Adventures]

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Backyard Deck + Patio Design

We came home from our Seminyak holiday to some great news in the mail .... Our backyard deck and patio design has been signed off by our Local Council and we have a permit to build!

So I thought I'd better show you the final design plan!

Now you may recall, initially the deck design was going from fence to fence across the whole backyard - all deck and one level was the easiest and less expensive design. But then we thought about our beloved furbaby Lexi (I mean who can resist that cute lil face!) and needed to come up with some ideas for a pet friendly deck and decided we had to provide some lawn for her so it wasn't all hard surfaces.

Once Mr P and I had a good idea of the deck design we wanted we arranged for a Draftsman to come out and have a look and draw up a plan for us. We were pretty happy with the design he came up with other than he included two lots of steps one going down from the end of the deck and the other going down from the garage door to a sunken lawn area.

Building two lots of steps would be expensive and we weren't really sure we would like the look of a sunken lawn area as it was a little small and may feel closed in. We started to think about how we raised the level of the ground in our front courtyard (you can see the before and afters on my house tour page) so that it was all one level and it made such a difference leveling out the ground and it makes the space a lot more usable as well.

So we decided to amend the design to remove the steps and instead raise the ground level - to do this we will need to build a retaining wall on each side and then fill it in with sand to raise the ground level and then lay lawn on top. As it will be the same level as the deck we won't need steps on that side which is a bonus. We still need one lot of steps near the garage door as this is a lower level than the laundry door and the french doors.

The final design will have a deck that is 12 meters x 4 meters which is a great size and goes from the very corner of the house up to the laundry door. The deck will stop in line with the laundry door and the retaining walls will be built in a rectangle with the deck sitting over the retaining so you can't really see it.

Then there will be a grass courtyard 4 meters x 4 meters which is a great size for our rescue dog Lexi to laze around on and do her business. It will also be a good spot for a wall hung clothes line to be installed.

Next to the grass courtyard will be a paved area 4 meters x 4 meters leading into the garage. The plan shows this as deck as well but we have since decided to pave this area using our leftover limestone pavers from the front courtyard.

The only thing we wish we had done differently with our renovations was to have all the doors at the same level.

Unfortunately this is not always possible and when we built our garage it had to be lower than the rest of the house (see garage door on left hand side of plan) and so the garage door is slightly lower than the laundry door and french doors which means we have to have a step down to reach it.

The deck will mostly be accessed from the french doors in the dining room and the laundry door so it won't be too bad. The garage door access will only be used when we're using things in the garage.

I am really happy with the final design plan we have come up with as it's practical, it's dog friendly and it's going to give us an amazing entertaining area.

We are also building a patio over most of the deck so that everything is undercover and protected and can be used all year round like an outdoor room.

The patio will end at the laundry door so the grass courtyard is exposed to the elements otherwise the grass will never grow if it doesn't get any sun and is in shade all the time.

Once we signed off on the design with the Draftsman we had a Structural Engineer do the drawings for the deck, patio, retaining wall and fence which needed to be drawn to specifications.

Previously we've had to get Council approval on a few renovating projects - our garage extension (which took almost a year to approve after countless knock backs) and our courtyard (which took us 3 attempts to get approved) and so this time around we have become smarter about the process. We realized we will have a much better chance of getting plans approved by our Local Council if it has first been signed off by a Structural Engineer.

So we submitted the plans and structural engineer drawings to our Local Council for approval.

The Council made us change a few things with the design and we also had to get our 3 neighours on both sides and the back of us to sign off on the plans - if we didn't we would have to go through Council Planning which would cost more money and take more time. It took a few weeks, phone calls, letters and visits to the neighbors and eventually we got them them all to sign and we submitted them to the Council.

It took about 3 months from start to finish but the  plans have now been stamped and signed as approved and we've been issued with a Building Permit so we can now go ahead.

We have started organizing the trades to do this project which we're leaving to the professionals it's not a DIY job we want to attempt ourselves.

We already have our retaining wall builder who built our courtyard retaining walls and fence and retaining walls for our side fence so he will do all the retaining work for us using beautiful limestone blocks.

Next we need to find a new fence company to install the Colourbond fence on top of the retaining wall, unfortunately the company we used for our side fence earlier this year is no longer in business. We are also having our side fence done at the same time as our neighbor has agreed to go halves in this so we thought it was best to have it all done together - this is a limestone retaining wall and colorbond fence along the boundary line between our two properties. We have already removed the old asbestos fence a few weeks ago in preparation for this.

We had a carpenter out to give us a quote to build both the deck and patio. We have seen his work before and he is a really good carpenter so if the quote comes back reasonable then we will go ahead with him.

With some good organising and project management skills Mr P and I are hoping to book in all the trades over the next few weeks so that we can have it all built this year in time for Christmas (which is only 5 weeks away!) and the Summer holidays.

After living with a backyard sandpit for over a year it's so exciting to think we will have an outdoor space we can use again soon! 

What do you think of the final deck design?

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[All images my own]


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Springing Into The Last House Projects

I can't believe that it is now Spring (or Fall on the other side of the world) and this also means there are just 4 months left of 2016 ....

Seriously where has the year gone?!

I have been reflecting on how the year is going so far and it has been the most relaxing and restful year for Mr P and I with no engagement party or wedding to plan this year! We have also been doing less home renovations as we are coming to the end of our home improvement projects which is a great feeling to be able to enjoy the changes we've made to our home over the years. It is our 7th year in the Jarrah Jungle home this month!

I have also been thinking about my word for 2016 which was CHANGE and I feel that I've been embracing the word as much as I can!

As the countdown to the end of the year is looming I do have a few home goals I'd love to finish in 2016. The last big renovating projects are the exterior gardens - namely, the courtyard at the front of the house and the deck at the back of the house.

The courtyard is pretty much done I'd say it's about 60% complete

We are just waiting for a run of sunny days (which we hope to have soon now that Spring is here!) so that we can seal the pavers and then we can add the outdoor furniture, build a bench seat, build a privacy screen for the rubbish bins, install the shade sail, add some pots and plants and finish planting out the vegetable and herb garden.

I can't wait to have the courtyard garden finished so I can sit outside in the sunshine with a book and enjoy this outdoor space!

The deck project in the backyard is at the final design stage

We have a long way to go but I'm hopeful to have the work underway and commenced before Christmas even if it's not finished by then.

We have designed the deck which is always the hardest part working out what you want to do with the space. Next we found a Draftsman to draw up a professional design for us and it is now with a Structural Engineer to draw a plan which we can submit to our Local Council for approval.

The deck design includes retaining walls, a new fence, a patio and a lawn area for our furbaby Lexi. It would be amazing to have this built in the next few months so we can enjoy Summer parties and BBQs in our new and improved outdoor entertaining space!

We do have some small projects to finish but I'm not sure if 

we'll get them all done this year ....

• Plaster and re-paint the ceiling in the living room and master bedroom (as we have raised sagging ceilings in these rooms)
• Hang and paint a new door in the hallway
• Find and hang a new exterior door in the laundry
• Wallpaper the back of the door leading into the garage

A much smaller to do list now that we are in our 7th year of renovating!

There may only be 4 months left of 2016 but I'm going to make them count and it's time to come out of the Winter hibernation and into the Spring sunshine!

How is your to do list for the year going so far ?

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[Images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4]

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Options For A Dog Friendly Backyard Deck

I'm so excited we are planning our next renovation project - building a deck in the backyard.

As we are subdividing the block and putting in a new retaining wall and fence the easiest way for us to build the deck is to have the deck go right up to the new retaining and fence so the entire backyard is decked.

This will give us heaps of deck space and it will all be at one level. But the only problem we have with this deck design is our furbaby Lexi .... 

We aren't sure how our beloved dog Lexi will find going from a massive open backyard to dig, run, roll around in and a place to do her business to a completely hard surface area which is all deck.

We do have our front courtyard garden which has lawn which Lexi loves but she spends most of her day in the backyard as it's more secure and private.

We have 2 options we are considering for the deck design ..... 

OPTION 1: ARTIFICIAL TURF ON TOP OF DECK

If we do deck the whole backyard I've seen artificial turf used for dogs to do their business on which is laid across the deck in a designated area.

This could be a good option if Lexi does her business on the artificial turf.

The artificial turf will be similar to dog training trays but on a much bigger scale.

Lexi was already house trained when we rescued her from the RSPCA and I don't think we will have too much trouble training her to do her business in a certain area.

I don't know whether it would stain/damage the deck over time but to be honest the thing I'm most concerned about is the smell ... I don't want the lingering smell of dog wee around at our BBQ dinners on the deck!

There are lots of different types of artificial turf on the market nowadays and some is even geared towards being pet friendly so it drains and is easy to keep clean.

We would need to be able to clean the artificial turf regularly so the smell isn't an issue for this to work.

OPTION 2: SUNKEN COURTYARD WITH LAWN

The other deck design idea is to shorten the deck and have steps or a ramp leading down to a small courtyard with lawn.

This will make the deck space smaller but it might be a nice feature to have and it will be much better for Lexi to do her business on real lawn.

Of course once the deck is built Lexi will also need a new space for her food, water and bed and I'm already trying to convince Mr P to build Lexi a doghouse!

There are some great ideas on Pinterest for DIY dog beds .... I've even started a new pet friendly board on Pinterest!

There are lots of things to consider for our new deck and backyard area and we want to plan ahead and get it all right before we pull out the tools and start to build!

Do you have a paved / decked backyard area? 
How do your pets like it?


Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Plumbette - Home Improvement Thursdays

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[First 3 images my own - All other images via Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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Book Review And Preview: Lily And The Octopus By Steven Rowley

This is a book review and sneak preview of Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley that is due to be published by Simon and Schuster on 7 June 2016.

Steven Rowley lives in Los Angeles and has been pursuing a career as a screenwriter and more recently a paralegal. To cope with his grief when his beloved dachshund Lily died, he wrote this novel. This is a debut novel and there is talk of it being turned into a movie - not a bad start for this first time book writer!

Set in the bustling city of Los Angeles, Ted a middle aged man who is recently single and spends his days working from home and being with his rescue dog, a dachshund called Lily.

Lily gets sick from a tumor, symbolised as an octopus, and Ted's life is turned upside down as he deals with the sadness of Lily reaching the end of her days and the grief of losing his beloved companion.

The story takes you on a magical journey of Ted and Lily - sometimes I was unsure if Ted was imagining parts of the story or if it was actually happening. Reminiscing about the times spent together, the adventures they went on and the bond between man and dog, all the while trying to fight off the octopus.

This book is powerful and moving, I read it with a lump in my throat most of the way through, but it is so beautifully written that it was worth the emotional rollercoaster. This is the kind of book I couldn't stop thinking about when I wasn't reading it and when you find a book like that you know it's made a huge impact - so I've officially added it to my top 5 favourite books of all time!

I recommend this book to everyone but especially to dog lovers - you will have an instant connection with the story and the unbreakable bond between man and dog.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Lily And The Octopus can be purchased from the author here and Simon and Schuster

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Simon and Schuster to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Dymocks] 

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The Laundry Room: Organising + Storage

The laundry and powder room renovation has been finished for quite a while now ... almost 1.5 years!

I will share a proper before and after post on that just as soon as I hang some art and find a mirror for the powder room - I can't find the perfect size and style of mirror to sit over the feature tiles no matter how long I've been looking and it's been driving me crazy!

 

Today I want to share how I've organised the laundry since the renovation .....

Putting wall hung cupboards and a bench in the laundry was the best decision we made because it's added heaps of storage to keep everything neat and tidy.

I got busy organising the contents of the new cupboards with these baskets I found in Kmart - 2 baskets for $2.50 and I got 3 packs of baskets as they fit on the shelves nicely.

Labeling the baskets is a must for shorties like me because I can't see the top shelf of the laundry cupboards unless I stand on a step ladder - but what I can see is the labels which tell me the contents of each basket.

I used these Avery dry erase labels on each basket. The labels are re-writable so I used a white board marker so I can wipe them clean and change them down the track if I need to.

The labels are removable too which is handy so you can remove them if you need to change around storage containers.

They also stuck well to these plastic baskets which is great as sometimes it's hard to find labels that adhere to plastic surfaces.

As you can see Lexi our pampered pooch has a shelf just to herself for pet care supplies and dog treats.

I'm slowing working out what else to fill the cupboards with - having no storage in the laundry before means I haven't quite worked out what to put in here yet!

The pull out caddy that we installed inside a drawer is the most amazing organiser - it holds all of the cleaning bottles neatly and is so easy to use you just pull out the drawer and everything's there!

This was part of the flat pack cabinets that we installed ourselves - this pull out caddy is also great in a kitchen (we put a caddy under our sink when we did our kitchen renovation).

We also have a large built in cupboard in the laundry which gives us heaps of storage but the shelves were old and damaged and they weren't secured very well so use to wobble and move whenever we put things on them.

We replaced them with new shelves and wall brackets and it is now a very functional appliance cupboard, as the laundry is just off the kitchen it's useful for all the large appliances that won't fit in the kitchen cupboards.

I am head over heels in love with our renovated and organised laundry, it was once a room that I'd cringe at as I walked into, now I love how fresh and bright and homely it feels.

Now to find that mirror for the powder room and hang some art so I can do a long overdue before and after post!

How do you organise your laundry ?

To see our laundry renovation progress to date check out these posts: 

Laundry Renovation - Wallpapering A Wall and A Door

Laundry Progress - Plastering, Sanding and Washing
Laundry/Powder Room Renovation - Changing The Plumbing

Laundry/Powder Room Renovation - Demolition Success
Laundry/Powder Room Renovation - Demolition Weekend Plans 
Laundry Renovation - The Final Design
Laundry Renovation - Wood Look Bench Top
Laundry Renovation - Flat Packs Vs Cabinet Maker 
Laundry Renovation - Flat Pack Assembly and Install
Tips for picking out laundry flat pack cabinets
DIY Built In Laundry Cupboard - New Shelving
Powder Room Renovation - It's All In The Flush
Powder Room Renovation - Basin and Vanity: Take Two
Powder Room Renovation - Basin and Vanity
Splash Back Choices - Be Brave Or Play It Safe
Laundry Renovation - Let's Go Mosaic Tile Shopping
Laundry Renovation - Picking The Tiles
Laundry/Powder Room - Floor Tiles Laid
Laundry Before - Our 1960s Laundry/Toilet
edesign Mood Board for the Laundry
Renovating - 5 tips for planning and designing

Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Plumbette - Home Improvement Thursday

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[All images my own]


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Summer Holidays - Christmas + New Year

I've had a blissful few weeks off work enjoying the Summer holidays at home and even managed a mini getaway down south for a few days.

Mr P and I gave ourselves a complete renovating free break which is a first for us - we didn't tackle any projects around the house and put the tools down for the first time ever! 

We really enjoyed ourselves over the break catching up with friends and family, went swimming, slept in, had movie marathons, read books, just really relaxed and recharged the batteries which is just what the Dr ordered after a really hectic and busy end to 2015. 

We dog sat as well so even Lexi had a buddy to hang out with over the holidays!

We had a busy Christmas Day having lunch with Mr P's family which was a traditional roast lunch with hot meats and vegetables and delicious desserts. 

Then dinner with my family was a typical Aussie Christmas feast of seafood and salads. We stayed over on my parents farm which was really relaxing and the dogs loved it being able to run free and breathe in the fresh country air.

Boxing Day we caught up with more of my family and had a picnic down by the Mandurah foreshore making the most of the hot and sunny weather.

After the Christmas festivities we went on a road trip and stayed down south with Mr P's family on their vineyard property near Manjimup, Western Australia which is about 3.5 hours drive from home. 

We worked in the vineyard lifting wires to help the vines grow, went marroning and fishing in the dam, had cocktail hour every afternoon with cheese and wine, bbq dinners out on the deck overlooking the property, we had the best little family getaway with our furbaby Lexi she loved being able to run around in all that open space.

For New Years Eve we drove back from Manjimup during the day and went to a Mexican Soiree party that night with lots of delicious Mexican food and tasty mojito cocktails. 

I made my yummy Mexican layered dip which was a party favourite and we lit up the sparklers, did the count down, and I started the New Year with a kiss from my now husband Mr P!

2015 had some incredible highs but it also had some lows too and I'm really looking forward to new challenges and exciting adventures in 2016.

I hope you had a Happy Christmas and enjoyable New Year and a fun holiday season. 

What did you get up to for Christmas and New Years? 

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[All images my own]

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