Book Review and Preview: New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir By Gail Caldwell

This is a book review and preview of the book New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir by Gail Caldwell that was published on 1 April 2014.

The author Gail Caldwell has written two previous memoirs and this is her third. Gail lives in Massachusetts with her Samoyed dog named Tula.

This is a memoir of Gail's life. It takes you from her earliest childhood memories of doing exercises with her mother to help her with her polio through the dark stages of depression in her 30s and into who she is today, a grown woman reaching towards 60 who is facing a turning point in her life.

A lot of the story is based around Gail having polio which was quite common in the 1950s and how this affected her all throughout her life (although she often hated to show it!).

Gail has a love for animals and especially Samoyed's, the sled pulling snow dogs. She spent a lot of time explaining what it was like to raise pups into loyal dogs who will be by your side and your companion for life.

This was a fairly short and easy book to read that I finished in just a few days. I liked this book straight away, just a few pages in and I was hooked with the writing style because it was relaxed and flowed easily. I found Gail very likable although I did feel sorry for her illness and depressive stages in life that she went through. But she always stayed positive and had such a great outlook on life that you know she was a fighter and would come out on top. I also related well to the dog talk being a new fur Mum myself and know what it's like to have the unconditional love of a pet.
 

I recommend this book to dog lovers and also anyone struggling with an illness and interested in a true story of how you can overcome life's obstacles.
 

I give this book 3 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 re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir can be purchased from Random House here 

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here

Disclosure: NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote their product. As part of this promotion I was given this eBook published by Random House to review. I have not received any payment or compensation for this review. I have not been told what to say about this product, I am free to form my own opinion and share them in my own words. All opinions are my own.

[Image via Random House]
 

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Before and After: Shut The Front Door!

Over the Easter break one of the projects on our to do list was to replace all our doors throughout the house - the internal doors post is coming soon with some how tos on hanging the doors.

This post is all about our new front door ..... when you think about it the front door to your house is the first impression of your home and what you may find inside. Because we are modernising our 1960s home and renovating it to bring it up to date, the old doors no longer match the updated interior and exterior of the house. Until now that is!

Our front door - Before and After

So after all these years of coming and going through our old front door, it kept us safe and secure, warm and dry, it was time to say goodbye to this classic style and make way for a modern and stylish door to take its place.

 

Our old front door .... it's seen better days!

 

The bottom was warped and water logged and the glass was scratched and marked

 

The style just didnt match the modern decor inside the house anymore

The old door was taken off its hinges and once we remove our lock and dead bolt the door will be put in the rubbish. The new door handle is a trilock which means it has a deadbolt and lock in one so it's just one mechanism, instead of two. Which will be so much better!

 

Old door ready for the rubbish!

 

There were holes in the door from when we changed the locks and added a dead bolt when we first moved in

 

The new front door and lock we bought a while ago when we were creating our own French Doors package for our dining room renovation.

While we had a go at replacing all our internal doors ourselves, for the external doors because they are a bit trickier to do, they are so heavy and have to be hung absolutely perfect, we had a carpenter friend install it for us. It took them 5 hours and cost us $250 for labour.

Taking the hinges off the old door frame

 

Our carpenter friend hanging the new door

 

The new door needs to be sealed to protect it from the weather. I think the two tones of wood are a bit too light against the pale grey paint on the walls and dark jarrah floorboards, so we will pick a tinted sealer that will go with the interior of the house.

The door also has a few minor marks on it which we will lightly sand off and then cover with the sealer and you will never know!

 

The new door hung

 

Shut the front door!

 

I love how the stripes on the door mirror the painted stripes on the entrance wall

 

From the outside the door has a mirror affect so anyone standing outside can only see themselves they can't see inside. Whereas from the inside you can see out and spy on the neighbors through the peep holes!

The only factor we didn't think of is because it's such solid wood with small glass inserts it blocks a lot of sunlight which means the rooms at the front of the house - living room, hallway and master bedroom are a lot darker now and you need to turn the light on to see! Of course, I didn't even think of that when looking at the design of it, but I still love it .... even if I have to turn the lights on more!!

 

From the outside it's a mirror affect

 

We still  have some painting and work to do out the front but we're getting there!

 

Who knew hardware could excite me? But this lock is just gorgeous isn't it!

 

It's a trilock which means you don't need the separate lock and the dead bolt that we had before, it's all in the one mechanism. The style of lock is the same as the ones we got for the French Doors and we have just ordered locks for all the internal doors too with a very similar style and all in brushed silver which I like better than shiny as it hides fingerprints! So all the door handles will match and look beautiful when we're done!

 

New trilock installed

 

Shut the front door! (Sorry I love saying that)!!

 

We knew we were getting a bargain for this strong quality Corinthian door that retails for $1400 and we got it as a seconds door for $200. The lock is a Gainsborough trilock that retails for $150 and we paid $25. That's a saving of over $1000 for picking a door with some small imperfections that can easily be sanded out and fixed up!

 

So all up - the new front door, lock and installation cost us $475. This is such a great investment for the impact and security it adds to the house.

 

What do you think of our new front door?

 

 

Sharing with link parties:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
Home Coming - The DIYers

The Dedicated House - Before And After Wednesday

 

 

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[All images my own]

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Wallpaper - Which One Do You Like?

I am a massive fan of wallpaper .... especially using a small amount on just one wall as a feature.

 

We wallpapered the Jarrah Jungle hallway cupboard doors with wallpaper we picked up for a crazy $5 Euros on a trip to Amsterdam a few years ago. I bought 3 rolls and managed to ram them into my suitcase and fly them all the way back to Australia with me.

I've only used 1.5 rolls and it's such a subtle pretty pattern that I'm sure I'll be able to use it to decorate my future homes as well. Listen to me already thinking about the next house to decorate!

 

 

For the laundry and toilet renovation I am thinking of a feature wall behind the door in the soon to be powder room - wallpaper can create such a big impact in a small room and is fun and unexpected, especially in the toilet!

I'm also contemplating wallpapering the wall and door in the laundry that has the shoppers entry door into the garage, because we are replacing all the internal doors throughout the house but we aren't replacing this door because it's a custom size and thus very expensive. It can be a cheaper option of hiding the imperfections on the door by wallpapering it.

So I visited Perth's newest Masters home improvement store on the weekend and came home with more than a few wallpaper samples, hey they were free I couldn't help myself!

 

 

I narrowed it down to 4 favourites and took the samples home to see how they'd look on the wall - from left to right there is: Laura Ashley Red and Gold, Red and Grey Stripe, Blue Wash Wood and Retro Leaf Silver/Orange

 

 

I really like the Retro Leaf  and think the colours will go nicely with the grey and white tiles planned for the laundry and toilet.

 

The retro pattern is fun for our 1960s house and isn't trying to be too modern or something that it's not. The orange adds a hit of colour without being overpowering and can be the feature colour in this room, all I need to do is find some artworks with a similar colour palette to bring it all together.

 

My other favourite is the wood panel look wallpaper Blue Wash Wood. These realistic looking wallpapers have been pretty popular over the last few years and it will bring texture and a heap of character to the room.

Once home I stuck the samples up on the wall ...... The Retro Leaf is a really cool pattern and print whereas the Blue Wash Wood seems to have more depth and interest.

 

The other thing swaying me towards the wood look is  the wooden bench top for the laundry and this wallpaper will be a nod to the wood in the room and the Jarrah floorboards throughout the house.

 

This is the door and wall I'm thinking of wallpapering, so it blends in as one and is a feature wall. As you can see this wall and door took a bit of a beating when we turned our carport into a garage because the old concrete floor and steps into the laundry had to be cut out to make way for the shiny new garage.

 

Of course the other factor to consider is the price - being a bargain queen it's hard to resist the Retro Leaf at $32 a roll whereas the Blue Wash Wood is more than double the price at $70.

Although both rolls are pretty cheap, because I've seen the designer rolls of the wood look wallpaper at $200+ a roll.

So now it's decision time - A colourful retro vibe Vs The trendy rustic look

 

Which wallpaper do you like?

Sharing with link parties:
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
Home Coming - The DIYers

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


[All images my own]

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Powder Room Renovation - Vanity and Sink: Take Two

So I may have jumped the gun on the powder room vanity and sink I shared with you recently because after going home to measure the toilet to see if it would fit, somehow it was just that little bit too big for our itty bitty toilet, so sadly it's a no go.

 

It's a shame because I really liked the vanity design with frosted glass and silver and it had a ceramic sink. But I've searched everywhere around Perth for a similar design with no luck at all so it was back to the drawing board and the hunt for the perfect vanity and sink continued .....

 

 

So I started the search again for a small vanity and sink to fit our small toilet to convert it into a powder room. I have come up with 2 possible contenders .....

 

Option 1 - Cibo Glacier - Bunnings $239

 

This vanity is really small and compact and measures in at 220D x 400W x 400H and is almost like a box shape. I love the fact that the sink is glass - the problem with white ceramic sinks and cupboards is that the whites are different shades and clash but having glass sets this one apart. The sleek minimalist design shouldn't overpower the small space either which is our main priority for turning our small toilet into a powder room.

 

 

Option 2 - Forme Piccolo - Masters $249

 

The other vanity is larger and measures in at 280D x 460W x 750H is a rectangle shape with the bonus of having more cupboard storage space. The issue I have with this one is that the sink isn't ceramic, it's plastic. I'm also a bit worried about the wood look clashing with our Karri wood bench top that we've picked out for the laundry because they're all in the same room it needs to tie in together nicely. 

 

 

So what option did we pick?

 

We are leaning towards Option 1, the smaller sleeker design with the glass sink. The only issue is that we haven't actually seen it in person only online. I am not an online shopper .... seeing things on the computer screen just doesn't do it for me. I like to see things in the flesh, cop a bit of a feel and see with my senses whether I like something.

 

So, I'm a mixture of scared and excited about buying this vanity online without first seeing it.

 

It's a special order so it can't be returned if I change my mind BUT Bunnings are known for their honourable returns policy, I've even returned my dead plants to their store and they've given me a new living ones I kid you not, it was a Venus fly trap plant that my brother gave me and I was so guilty about it dying I had to pretend I'd kept it alive!!

So because we won't get to see it before we buy it, we did the next best thing and improvised with a cardboard box to get a feel for the look and size of the vanity and also where to put it - behind the toilet door or against the side wall.

 

Option 1 is to put the vanity on the back wall behind the toilet door -

 

The downside to this is the door will knock into the vanity every time you open it and you won't be able to see the vanity and mirror until your inside the toilet.

 

The upside is that there is more space when you're on the toilet. For my long legged friends this is for your benefit!

 

 

Option 2 is to put the vanity on the side wall -

 

The downside to this is there's less leg room for when you're on the toilet. Sorry my long legged friends!

 

The upside is that you'll see the vanity and mirror all set up when the door is open and it won't knock or interfere with the door at all.

 

 

It's looking like Option 2 is the winner, mainly because I'm short legged and this position won't bother me (sorry long legged friends!) and because I want to see the vanity and mirror, I think it will be a really nice feature to see when the door is open. This also avoids the issue of the door knocking into the vanity which would be really annoying!

 

Let's just hope we love it and it's perfect and we are yet another step closer to getting stuck into the Laundry/Powder Room Renovation!

 

I'm going to order it TODAY! Wish me luck!!

 

Where would you put the vanity?

 

Option 1 behind the door 

Vs

Option 2 on the wall

 

 

You can see my Laundry/Powder Room renovation progress posts here:

Laundry Renovation - Wood Look Bench Top

Laundry Renovation - Flat Packs Vs Cabinet Maker

Powder Room Renovation - Basin and Vanity

Laundry Renovation - Picking The Tiles

Laundry Before - Our 1960s Laundry/Toilet

edesign Mood Board for the Laundry

Renovating - 5 tips for planning and designing 

 

 

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


[Images via 1, 2, 3, 4. Images 5 and 6 my own]

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Book Club Book Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

The book choice for the month of April at Book Club was the gothic horror classic Dracula by Bram Stoker

This is the first horror my Book Club has read and it was a really interesting book choice, not one I'd ever have picked off the bookshelf myself, so it was great to read a classic.
 

 

There are a few different versions of Dracula, the one I read was almost 500 pages long and started with a foreword by Elizabeth Kostova who explained that the story is written and put together from diary entries and letters between the characters. This made the story easier for me to understand, as I have not watched nor read any Dracula stories before.

Dracula is based in the late 1800s and the story is about Count Dracula a vampire, who travels from Transylvania to England to pray on unsuspecting town folk. There are a group of respectable characters and fair maidens in despair who try to stop Dracula from his blood sucking ways. There was a sense of impending dread throughout the story, however I thought there would be more horror, blood and gore and was relieved it wasn't as gruesome as I'd imagined it would be.

The story was well researched and the characters all very descriptive and likable. I have great admiration for the fact that this book was written so many years ago and still remains a classic gothic horror story to this day.

Sometimes I was interested in the adventures the characters were going through, but most of the time I felt it really dragged on and stayed too long on one part of the story. This made the story very long and a struggle to get through and in fact many members of my book club hadn't finished reading it before our meet up. I also found the writing in the book quite hard to follow, I always find the old English language hard to read and keep the story progressing.

I would recommend this book to horror fans both young and old as I think such a classic should be read and appreciated across the generations.

 

I give this book 2 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 re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

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


[Image via Amazon]

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Recipe: Chicken and Corn Vermicelli Soup

Chicken soup is such a classic I think just about everyone has their own version ..... this is my chicken soup with an Asian inspired twist.

 

This soup is so flavoursome thanks to the Chinese rice wine and soy sauce and can be made with just a few cupboard ingredients which makes it quick and easy to get on the table in less than an hour.

 

 

Chicken and Corn Vermicelli Soup

 

Ingredients

 

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 gloves garlic, crushed

2 chicken breasts

1 can sweet corn kernels

1 can creamed corn

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs Chinese rice wine

White pepper and salt

4 spring onions, sliced

Rice vermicelli noodles

 

Method

 

1. Heat oil in a large pot and fry celery, onion and garlic until soft.

 

2. Add chicken stock and water and bring to the boil.

 

3. Add chicken breasts (whole) and poach for 10 minutes. Remove and shred chicken with a fork. Set aside.

 

4. Add cans of corn, creamed corn, soy and Chinese rice wine and return shredded chicken to pot.

 

5. Reduce heat to low and let simmer gently for approximately 30 minutes.

 

6. Season generously with white pepper and salt.

 

7. Meanwhile cook rice vermicelli noodles and set aside.

 

8. Place noodles into bowls, ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle spring onions over to garnish.

 

Serve this soup as a meal in itself with lots of noodles or as a starter to a stir fry or Chinese inspired dinner at home.

 

It's best to put the noodles into the bowls rather than add them to the soup, that way you don't have to worry about the noodles expanding and soaking up all the liquid.

 

What's in your version of chicken soup?

 

Linking up with: Savvy Southern Style

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[Image my own]

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100 Happy Days Challenge

I have decided to kick of the month of May by taking part in the 100 Happy Days challenge .... starting tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

The idea behind 100 Happy Days is to photograph something that makes you happy each day over 100 days and share your happy moment across your social media of choice or you can do it privately by emailing 100 Happy Days.

 

I've decided to share my 100 Happy Days on my Instagram my favourite go to place for photo inspiration.

 

Here are some of the reasons from the 100 Happy Days website of why you should join in and sign up for the challenge:

 

 

I know I'm guilty myself when I have bad day or feeling stressed out or just plain blah that I can focus on the negatives instead of the positives. But there's a bucket load of things that make me happy each day because let's face it - happiness is a choice, it's a way of life if you want it to be, seeing the glass half full and being positive and optimistic.
 

I'm ready to start acknowledge my 100 days of happy so I can look back when I'm having a day from hell and really appreciate all the little things and happy moments in life  .... catching up with a friend, laughing so much I can't stop, that first sip of wine after a hard days work, curled up on the couch with my love Mr P, my fur baby Lexi looking at me with her puppy dog eyes, sushi on my lunch break, buying a new dress ..... when I stop and think about it so many things make me happy!

 

See the challenge is working already!

I'll admit I'm a bit daunted about taking 100 photos over 100 days for this challenge and hope that I can stick to it every day. I'm talking 1 May to 8 August ... not that I'm counting .... Phew I can do this!

 

Are you doing the 100 Happy Days Challenge?
 

You can start any time - Just head on over here to register

You can find me on Instagram here using the hashtag #100HappyDays

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


[All images via 100HappyDays]

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