[ moving week ]

I CALL it moving week because it's incredible how everyday seems to require something to be done prior to us moving in this coming Saturday....

deliveries...

our new fridge {before we switch the handles around}...

our new stove being assembled...

gas cylinder delivery for our stove...

... and making sure our water and electricity is on. It's been a hot few days and unfortunately our patch of grass in the garden is showing it ~ we're trying to water like crazy! Luckily there are many gardeners in our neighbourhood who ride around on their bikes with their rakes who pop in through the back gate to help water, cut the grass, rake up fallen blossoms and keep things tidy. Ours is named Abid.

I thought I'd share what our living room/ dining room space looks like {it's one room} so you can see what I'm working with...

I've never lived in an all-tiled space but it's the norm here {unless the owner has installed laminate over the tile like we have in our apartment}. I love the marble stairs...

most likely our tv wall?...

As you can see it's not a large room, but at least it's one rectangular space which should make fitting in our big dining room table fairly easy. Rooms always look deceiving without furniture ~ we'll see how we manage to fit everything in without looking cramped. I'm still trying to envision the furniture layout. Hopefully I'll have a good idea of where I want things to go without driving the movers crazy.

Anyway, that's where we're at for now. AC downstairs needs repairing {it's been 44C/111F this week so that's a priority!} but that should be done on Sunday. At least it's functioning upstairs so we can sleep on Saturday night. :) We'll be without tv/internet for a couple of days but hopefully we'll be up and running quickly!

lisa 

[ appliance shopping ]

ONE OF the cons about moving to a villa in Dubai is that you need to buy appliances {most apartments come with appliances included ~ at least kitchen ones}. I wasn't too thrilled to learn this, as it's just another expense for a temporary home.

I've been keeping my eye on Dubizzle, hoping that I can score a great deal from someone who may be moving away. But so far, I haven't really come across any worth the hassle of seeking out a guy with a truck to pick up and deliver for a fair price {plus, I don't know any guys with trucks and pick-up truck rentals here are non-existent}. So, plan B ~ buy new.

Actually, one of the pros about buying appliances in Dubai, is that they are strangely economical, at least compared to any we have bought in Canada. However, once we started looking, we realized a couple of things:

A: a standard electric stove like in Canada aren't common here and if you do find an electric one, they are very expensive
B: the space for the stove in most villas is wider than a standard stove and
C: everyone uses gas stoves since they are so inexpensive {even though gas comes in cylinders like this which are typically stored in a cupboard outside and piped in ~ which does freak me out a little bit}...

I'm not opposed to gas stoves ~ we've had them before and I do love cooking on them. Baking, on the other hand, is not my favourite with gas so I decided to opt for an electric oven if possible.

This is the one we ended up choosing...

...a stainless La Germania made in Italy with gas burners and electric oven. This looks like the high-end industrial type of stove you would buy in Canada but this is what typical stoves look like here. And while this would sell for about $4000 back home, here it's a quarter of that price! Like I said, strangely economical.

Choosing a fridge, we had to find one a little narrower than standard and so we chose this beauty:

...a stainless Liebherr made in Germany, counter depth with a bottom-mount freezer and reversible handles {which we need in order for it to open the correct way}. And again, for a mere fraction of what you would spend in Canada! I'm seriously loving this whole appliance shopping thing here!

Throw in a dishwasher and those babies are on their way to the villa next week. And, we get the keys tomorrow ~ can't wait!!

So, that's what I'm up to over here. Now if I only knew what length of curtain rods I need...

lisa

[ sorting things out ]

SO, it appears that we have sorted out our moving dilemma. We have had to find another villa to move into {disappointing}, but the good news is that we were able to find something. It's not an end unit anymore surrounded by trailing flowers and pretty park area, but it does have a little yard that backs out onto the walking trail to the community pool/park {not too bad}.

I suppose the upside is that we will have possession of the property sooner so our move-in date is only a week and a half away! So it may be looking a bit like this around here...

Let the chaos begin!

lisa

[boxes pic: via hightouchmoving.com]

[ rollin' with it ]

IT'S NO secret that life is full of ups and downs. And sometimes when things seem too good to be true, they probably are...

It seems that we may have hit a snag with our upcoming move and all the plans we've made could all be up in the air. I've never had to learn to be as patient and flexible as I have here in Dubai. Nothing seems to go smoothly ~ there's always some kind of glitch or frustration ~ something to throw a monkey wrench into the plans. I'm learning to roll with it but it isn't always easy. 

And so our weekend will consist of trying to find some way to get things back on track. Wish me luck that we can get things sorted out! 

Hope your weekend rolls smoothly! Have a happy one!

lisa

[ happy thoughts ]

Hope your life is pretty amazing today too!

lisa

[via trishyrose]

[ peek-a-boo ]

I LOVE this little surprise pop of colour inside the kitchen cabinet...

I've seen many open shelves and bookcases with the back area painted a pretty colour, but not often the inside of a cabinet with solid doors. I think it would make me smile every time I opened the doors. I may have to consider this in my next kitchen. Have you ever painted the inside of your cabinets a fun colour?

lisa

[via abeautifulmess.com]

[ dubizzle finds ]

ARE YOU a fan of Craigslist? Well, in Dubai, we have an equivalent called Dubizzle and once in a while a real treasure will appear. Being a place where expats constantly come and go, you can often find urgent sales of furniture, appliances, etc from those needing to unload before moving away.

Yesterday I saw this ad peeking out at me...

Aren't they pretty?

And all 4 for about $200! I'd say that's a bargain that I just couldn't pass up! 

We have our big new table with the tufted wing end chairs but haven't bought any other chairs in the meantime {our 6 Louis chairs are in storage}. I think these will go well {especially at $50/chair!}... 

I'm picking them up tomorrow so that's my excitement for the weekend. 

Have you picked up any great deals lately?

lisa

[ no words necessary ]

sigh.

lisa

[via zsazsabellagio.blogspot]

[ bouncing back ]

THANK you so much for your sweet virtual hugs and well wishes for my guy. He's doing a bit better each day and slowly things are getting back to normal.

It's scary times like these that make you realize what really matters.
From me to my guy...

lisa

[ where's lisa? ]

I'VE BEEN a bit MIA and it's because I've been hanging out here...

My guy landed in ICU and needed emergency surgery last week. Stressful to say the least. So I've been spending my days at the hospital while he's been recovering. I'm happy to report that he's doing ok and has been released to come home. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. 

lisa