Tears and dinner parties

Yesterday was a strange day.

I went to my therapy session and cried for fifty minutes solid.
Then I bought a dress from a charity shop and went to meet Hubby and Captain.
I did the shopping and cooked a three-course meal, cleaned the house and hosted my in-laws, while feeling I should've actually been under a blanket with a hot chocolate.
When they left, I got the chance to try our new shower for the first time.

It was better than any meditation.
I brought a candle with me and stood under the water, watching the raindrops on our courtyard and smelling the lovely, freshly cut timber on the ceiling.
Best damn shower ever.
Ever.

And I cried again.

What I have learned from this:

1) My cakes rise better with tears.

2) Sometimes not having many doors is a good thing. (Obviously not so much, when the Irish winter kicks in)

3) I am now someone who gets excited about tiles, a well-functioning shower and lampshades.

4) Spending most of your day trying to get yourself dehydrated by crying makes you feel like floating.

What have you been up to? What makes you excited these days?

Hello from the wilderness

Update:
Still no internet.
Or doors inside.
But washing machine is nearly ready to be plumbed in, as is the shower.
Mr. Buttons has made a giant box from IKEA into a door/computer costume.

Due to increased motivation (read: no washing machine in the house combined with cloth nappy -wearing toddler) The Captain is nearly potty trained. She remembers to use the potty at home, but isn't quite ready to venture into the world of big toilets when we're out and about. That will happen when she gathers up a bit more courage, I'm sure.

I went to my first therapy session and found it good. There's a lot on my mind after it and I'm looking forward to continuing exploring my thoughts about my past, whenever I get a chance.

So all in all, things are moving along nicely.

Last but not least, Happy Breastfeeding Week!
We have been celebrating by bombarding Facebook with breastfeeding information and freaking out nursing mamas by beaming at them as we walk by.
Hope you're enjoying it too.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...KITCHEN!

We bought our appliances today.
It's funny; I've been living with someone else's taste in everything for the last ten years or so. The landlord had picked everything many tenants ago, with us just living amongst it all.

I haven't minded too much.

Then I was let loose to pick my own kettle, toaster, microwave and co.
And I realised just how particular I am.
Gone was the "Ah-sure-it'll-do-isn't-it-all-temporary" -girl.
Firmly replaced by "Oh...-the-buttons-are-definitely-not-right-and-will-the colour-even-match-the-microwave?" -beast.

A lean, mean, kettle-buying machine. That's me.
For a girl who feels spending over three euro on mascara for myself, I sure can spend money quickly when it's for a toaster that I hopefully won't have to curse at every day...

I'm tired after all the excitement. The kids are asleep. Hubby is working on the house.
Anyone for a celebratory cuppa and a bowl of ice cream?

And breathe...

We are all in good mood following the parent-teacher meeting yesterday.
I finally got to go to one, because Bio-Mom is on holidays.
We met up with Mr. Buttons' two teachers, who both had great things to say about his progress. I got to ask questions and actually hear everything first hand for once.
I'm so happy I could cry.

Today was a great day.
I stayed at home with Captain in the morning.
We cleaned up a little, but mostly we snuggled and made bubbles outside.
She enjoyed trying to burst them before I had finished blowing them and watched them fly up to the sky. Just watching her little eyes light up with mischief was entertainment enough for me.

All this fun made her so tired, we only made it ten houses down the street before she wanted up into the wrap. She had some milk and a nap, which she woke up from after I'd already had most of my coffee. After lunch it was time to pick up Mr. Buttons.

He was in great form, because he had no homework and he was going to be off from school the following day. We had also had the chance to do food shopping the day before, so we could just enjoy the walk. So we picked up leaves, feathers and stones. Took a "shortcut" and climbed on top of a funny tree. Rolled down a hill and picked flowers.

Mr. Buttons had Beavers this evening and we walked there.
We took a different route and enjoyed the sunshine.
He got to try something new and Captain was the only toddler at the soft play.
She took full advantage of all the space, running down mini slides and over bridges, falling down everything on purpose. She reminds me of myself as a child so much...

The last two days have really recharged my batteries.
The house is progressing really nicely too and that alone would put a smile on anyone's face.
We're going to get our kitchen next week, so it really is getting close now!

Bedrooms and Brooklyn

Bedroom 2 before...

...And in progress

This is going to be our bedroom and it's shaping up quite nicely.

Today I got given a kitchen. Just like that, in the middle of the street.

A fabulous woman I have only recently gotten to know is re-doing her kitchen and asked me if I wanted her current one. She is doing this purely because she knows how challenging starting out a new life can be and wants to help our family.

Aren't some people just absolutely beautiful?

On completely unrelated topic; I finished reading a non-breastfeeding book!

I just read the last few pages of Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín after Captain fell asleep tonight.

It feels like an achievement, since it was a little bit of time to do something just for me, without it benefitting anyone else in any way, shape or form.

It's the little things...

What a difference a day makes...

 Bedroom 1, before

Bedroom 1, after the first day

Hubby has been having the time of his life.

On Saturday morning he went off on a big shopping spree in the hardware and was gone until the night. Sunday morning he was back again.

My mother-in-law picked me up and we followed him there later.

He had cleaned two of the chimneys and found an incredible amount of sticks, spoons and other shiny objects. That'll tell you who had been occupying the house just before us...

He'd put the chimney cowls on to stop our tenants from coming back.

Mr. Buttons' room was starting to look pretty good too!

I also saw my sitting room furniture for the first time, measured my kitchen and cleaned the court yard and the sheds. We had a lovely picnic of crisps and coffee outside in the sunshine.

Captain was having fun stomping, picking flowers and pretending to be a tiger in the jungle that is our back garden.

It was a fabulous day.

Nothing makes a house feel like yours like being covered in dust, sweat and about a thousand dead spiders...