While Hubby's Away....

This week hubby was away for work.....it might have only been for three nights.....but it felt longer, much longer.

A few hours after hubby left on Monday I went to wash Miss 10 and Miss 6's clothes for mufti day the following day and the old front loader that we have been using {since our old top loader died a few weeks ago} filled with water but did nothing else...no spinning, no draining .....nothing!!

We had been looking at washing machines recently with the knowledge that ours would not last much longer but they are so expensive.  New was out of the question and even second hand was still pricey.

BUT!!  On Monday I managed to find a brand new unwanted washing machine for sale on a local Facebook garage sale page for $150.  It was smaller than we wanted, it was not a popular brand, it was a top loader and I would prefer a front loader given the teeny tiny nature of our laundry.....but beggars can't be choosers so after quick phone call to hubby I contacted the guy and bought the washing machine....yay me!  

Then it needed to be picked up that afternoon.  So I spent some 30 minutes clearing out soccer balls and fold up chairs from the back of my car and trying to remember how to fold up the back seats!  Then I was off for a quick trip to the bank, picked up the girls from school and went to pick up the washing machine!  With the guys help we loaded it into the car.....back at home Miss 17 and I comically got if from the car onto a trolley and up the front stairs.....we got it far enough into the house to be able to close the front door and called it job done!  Now I just had to wait for hubby to return home to install it!!!!

It wasn't until about 11pm Monday night that I realized that Miss 10's shoes for mufti day no longer fit and Miss 6 had one boot missing which could not be found no matter how much mess I made looking!

Cue 7am Tuesday morning and I was off to Kmart...thankful for it's opening 24/7!!  In and out within 10 minutes I grabbed a pair of shoes each for Miss 10 and Miss 6...even managed to get the right sizes...though I probably would have just made them wear them anyways!!

Hubby is collecting pallets for a few projects we have in mind around the house and when I went to pick up Miss 17 and Miss 15 from the library on Tuesday night I spotted some free pallets near a local mower shop.  I picked up the girls and returned to grab the pallets.....but since I was in my slippers and it had been raining I supervised from the car while Miss 17 and Miss 15 provided great amusement getting the pallets into the back of the car.....thankfully the seats were still up from the previous days washing machine pick up...coz I'm pretty lazy like that!!!

I knew hubby would be pleased with our haul!

By Wednesday the later than usual nights combined with the responsibility of putting the bins out was starting to take its toll.....and in my state of sleep deprived tiredness I decided that since the new washing machine would have to make its way to the laundry when hubby got home I would give the laundry a good clean out....out went the top loader and the front loader, the dryer moved out temporarily and about seven years worth of grime and dust was left behind. But instead of settling for just cleaning out the laundry I decided a mini makeover was in order.....I sugar soaped the walls, gave two of them a splash of paint and even sat up late at night sewing curtains.....where did that come from??

And then Thursday  rolled around...woohoo hubby would be coming home today!!

First up the older three wanted to get the early bus to school which means I have to drive them to the bus stop.....we turned the corner and there was the bus leaving their stop.....then we did that thing where you follow the bus to the next bus stop, pull over and watch the girls run like crazy to the bus!!

After getting the younger two to school I rushed home to clean up the paint splatters from the laundry floor, wash out the paint brushes and mop the floor.....it was like some crazy reality tv show.....all ready for the great reveal !!!

Hubby came home bearing gifts...gorgeous flowers and a hot chocolate.....oh I love that man!!

We sat and chatted about the past few days.....even though we had spoken on the phone multiple times each day.  Hubby talked about how disorganized the job was that he is doing and about how boring it was at the hotel room each night.....sitting for hours alone, eating his dinner, watching tv....and the mornings, oh poor hubby, the mornings consisted of going to the hotels' dining room for cereal and a hot breakfast before driving the 5 minutes to work.  Poor, poor hubby!!!! I exercised some self restraint!!  and the let's just say that I filled him in on all that he had missed around here......every  little thing ....in extreme detail!!!

It was then time for the big reveal.....hubby was super impressed, and even noticed that the new laundry curtains and the paint colours matched...bonus points for him!!

He saw our pallets and as expected he was impressed!

The bad thing is that this job is not over and hubby will have to go away a few more times in the coming weeks.....and I think I've kinda set the bar too high!!  Imagine next time he gets back from being away.....he will be expecting the bathroom to be renovated or the backyard to be pristine.

Oh no...what have I done!!!!!

Oh wells at least I will sleep better tonight knowing that I'm not the only one responsible for checking the front door is locked, making sure the oven is off and looking in on the girls!