The rose coloured glasses are smashed in my driveway...

So it appers that moving into your new home allows you to scrutinize the external appearance a bit more than you did when you first looked. Even though you paid to have someone do a building and structural report to bring your attention to anything you might have glossed over in your enthusiasm to enter the property market. Even though you read said report and you know, deep down, that you glossed over the imprefections this stranger found.

And it would also appear that painting walls within your new home allows you to scrutinize the internal appearance a bit more. So much so, that once you have finished painting you hurry back to Bunnings to assess the cost of a new toilet suite, new shower head, new doors and handles, new curtains and/or blinds and new kitchens. Plus discussing intensely how a full bathroom renovation could be pulled off in the 24hrs before all your stuff is delivered by the removalist company.

The Guru informs me that a full bathroom renovation will absolutely not be possible in 24hrs, no matter how many 1hr makeover shows I've watched and no matter how many famous 'handy-man' type people from renovation shows I might theoretically be able to con into coming around and doing it. Because they won't apparently. Not unless one of us gets an incurable, life ending medical condition. And to be honest, a bathroom renovation isn't worth that.

So I've had to settle for painting. For now. But I have to say, the colours that have gone up are AMAZING! And can I just say, having a father-in-law who is a painter/decorator by trade is a fantastic thing to have and the paint job is A1 Professional Grade, baby!

So our bedroom has a feature wall of Taubman's 'Rumble' which is a deep purple colour. The Toddler scored a feature wall of Taubman's 'Cheeky' which is a bright, hot pink. Her other walls will be painted in Taubman's 'Celeste' which is a super, light, pale baby pink and the whole room will be a little girl's paradise! The lounge room has a feature wall of Taubman's 'Desert Spice' which is a burnt orange colour with a bit of brightness in there to make the room 'pop'. And with the poliched floor boards the lounge looks so warm and inviting that a fireplace wouldn't be out of place. Highly inappropriate and pointless given the climate here, but it would be a perfect centrepiece. I'm told that the plasma screen going up on the wall will be the perfect centrepiece.

I'm reserving my judgement...

The remainder of our walls are plain white, but we'll most likely be re-painting these with a more classic light, creamy white...but we'll have to wait and see. The Guru and I are still in negotiations.

One thing we do agree on is to get the loo and the front and back doors replaced as soon as we can. And I'm thinking the front balcony decking could do with jazzing up a bit...not to mention the polished floor borads inside. But I am genuinely thinking of trying to convince the Guru that carpet in the bedrooms would be so completely lovely. I miss carpet in the bedroom. I miss that gorgeous sinking feeling of a good quality, soft and luxurious carpet. That warm, cosy feeling that only carpet can give.

What can I say - there is a part of me that wants to have a small luxury in our home. And that's some super, sexy, luxurious, cosy carpet. Once a bedroom carpet girl, always a bedroom carpet girl.

And no, a rug is NOT the same. No matter how many times the Guru might tell me it is, it's not. End of story.

But I'd like to know - what is it about owning a property that gives you this sudden impression that you are a DIY God and can do anything and everything? Right down to plumbing!? Even though you have no idea what the idfference between a U-bend and an S-bend is, or that there is actually a tool called a Monkey Wrench and it's not just the topic of a (brilliant) Foo Fighter's song!

I'm certain the Guru will be locking up any tools and potential tools so when I'm home alone I am unable to embark on my own DIY projects. It's most likely a very sensible act that I would highly endorse. Because I seriously don't know my Monkey Wrench from my S-bend.

The tragic thing now is that if I stuff it up - we have to pay for the repairs...

And it's at this point that having a husband in the insurance business is suddenly so much more valuable than it was a week ago. Maybe I'll just stick to painting - I can see the results being far less depression-inducing than a DIY bathroom reno.

No matter how fabulous I think I could make it.