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07 March 2012

New Around Here


 My parents move into their miracle house on Sunday.
It's a "miracle" house because who would have ever thought they would find somewhere nice (and affordable) to buy in Auckland... on a pension?

They've bought a lovely place with my sister, where they will have their own two-bedroom unit with polished wood floors, a conservatory and a good-sized yard for when the grandkids visit.



In my mum's old kitchen in Palmerston North, there once dwelled a huge farmhouse table, large enough to seat ten people comfortably around it. In my mum's new kitchen, well, lets just say that huge tables are a bit surplus to requirements.

What to do, what to do? Mum and dad love their huge farmhouse table, parting would be a wrench. But even more of a problem was where to store it until they could sell it.
Did we have room in our garage???

Er, sadly, no. Our "garage" is filled with bikes and foozeball tables and kayaks and crap. We're lucky to squeeze ourselves in there while we hunt for stuff.

But I had another solution.
How about if we put the table in our dining room... and mum and dad could take our small extendable one? Just temporary, of course.


The plan met with favour on all sides.
Off went Mr G and Grandad to swap one extendable table for one giant one.
I had no idea whether it would fit in our oddly-shaped dining room.


Well... it did. And immediately we all fell in love with the giant farmhouse dining table. The kids ran to set it for dinner straightaway... well, some of them did. Others just sat there slurping.



"Is this our new table to keep???!!!" they all wanted to know.
"We have to wait and see if Nan likes our table in her new house," we told them cautiously, fingers crossed and praying silently *please let her love it*



Why such a big fuss about a dining table? Why a whole post on some furniture?

Well, let's just say that it solves a nightly mealtime battle.
We had four matching chairs, and one wonky one that nobody wanted to sit on.
Every night there was a race for the "good" chairs, and a wrangle over who would sit on the crappy one.

But Nan's dining table comes with six matching chairs. They even have cushions.

We remind Nan each time she comes to see us and admires our her lovely giant farmhouse table, that this way she still gets to have the table in her life. Dinner at our house. Christmas. Cuppa teas.
See? Works for everyone.


I love the table - it's giant size, its rusticness, its six matching chairs (with cushions).
But even more I love that my mum and dad have found a home at last... and that it's just ten minutes drive (in good traffic) from our house.


I love having my parents living in my town; I love that my kids have grandparents in their lives on a day-to-day basis. I love that sometimes the gate creaks and up the driveway walks my ma and pa, dropping by for a cuppa. I am so blessed.

That's what's new around here.

Oh. And these...


As of Saturday, Dash has glasses.
Crazy huh?

To Sum Up:

  • Loving my new table
  • Loving the kids' enthusiasm
  • Loving my son's new look
  • Loving his enthusiasm for this new ADIDAS specs
  • Grateful for my parents' new Miracle House
  • Grateful they live in my town after 23 years in different cities
  • Grateful I am so blessed with a life full of precious people I love




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9 comments:

  1. We have a lovely big table like that too!!! it really is the best as you can all sit around for dinner even when friends come over.

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  2. Perfect swap ;o) Cool glasses too Dash.

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  3. good swap pleased it works for you and your folks

    pleased for your parents and Dashs glasses

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  4. Awesome to have cool parents living nearby huh? And so cool when both of you guys benefit from a table swap!! woohoo! :) Awesome!

    Oh..and cool glasses!! :)

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  5. Aww I love this. Dash really suits his glasses.

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  6. Yay for family being close by....what a blessing! And that table - one to make memories around for sure xx

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  7. How wonderful that your mum and dad live so close now! Such a blessing - I love the thought of hearing the front gate creak and in walk your parents for a cuppa - awwwwwww, so great :)
    I get to see my parents in May for ONE WHOLE MONTH which will be SO great as I haven't seen them for 2 years now..... crazy. One day we'll hear our front gate creak also and it will be my parents popping in for a cuppa. I hold onto this thought dearly :)
    LOVING the wonderfully big dining room table! Hope you get to keep it...;)) xx

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  8. Oh my sister & one of my brothers does the old furniture switch & swap with our parents. My parents just moved into a small cottage in the country (far cry from the 7 bedroom home we grew up in Sydney, they still have it) & it's SO perfect, so much easier to maintain.
    Loving the glasses, my 3rd girl needed them too, she's too far sighted & that doesn't bode well in the year 5 classroom. She loves them, the hardest part is over. Love Posie

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  9. Awesome table, love it!! And he looks one smart cookie in those specs! Nice!!! Miracle houses are the best!

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