Top

Home
With the Feds
About
Home Organisation
DIY Home Projects
Shop
Contact

From Great Beginnings

from great beginnings - a space housing a beautiful collection of all things diy, wedding & home

New to the Blog

Storing Dry-Goods in your Pantry

Home Made Cleaning Products – Recipes

How much did my pantry cost?

Designing my Walk-in Pantry

Princess Delilah’s Kennel

« Previous Page
1
2
3

Iryna Federico,

Home organisation, budgeting and all the bells and whistles! Read a little More about me…

With the Feds Guides

Home Organisation

DIY Home Projects

Get Tips · Freebies & Goodies
right in your inbox!
Type, type, type!

fromgreatbeginnings

Hillmark is currently running a competition where

Hillmark is currently running a competition where you could win the prize pack featured here as well as $250 prepaid VISA gift card. If you currently use any of their products (or want to try one out from their range), you have a chance to win! Everyone loves a good before and after so upload one of those to your socials (insta, fb or youtube), tag @selleysanz and #HillmarkHome and you're set! 🎉🎉 ⁠

T&Cs apply, see @selleysanz facebook page for details. #HillmarkHome⁠

Hey guys, I'm back and just in time for Christmas!

Hey guys, I'm back and just in time for Christmas! I had such a nice break, really enjoyed it, should really do it more often because it was great for a refresh and I got so much done. We have been absolutely flat out with both work and app stuff so the break was very timely. ⁠
Thank you to all the beautiful people who checked in while I was away, you sure know how to make a gal feel special and missed! I opened up the @picket.feds Instagram account to all app beta testers to follow and updated my bio and SO many of you found it haha! If you'd like to follow our app progress, head over and give that page a follow. I will eventually post all of our meals and nightly dinners on there 💖. ⁠
In the mean time, I have put together a little video of what we've been up to over the last month so you can all catch up 😊 Enjoy! ⁠(PS: sorry it is really fast, I had to keep it to 1 minute haha)

Edit: Okay, I had intended to reply to everyone because all of your comments are super sweet and thoughtful and I really appreciate the kind words, but it will take me a year at this stage 😂 so hoping those of you who I didnt get to see this edit ❤❤❤

Hey guys, I am just letting you know that I will

Hey guys,

I am just letting you know that I will be taking a little bit of time off social media. I really do love this space, the positivity, the encouragement and the common ground I have found with so many of you through our many chats but we have a bit going on behind the scenes at the moment and a lot of the negative stuff I used to be able to overcome has just defeated me lately.

I just want to use this as an opportunity to remind people to be kinder to one another and reiterate that cliche that you well and truly do only see a tiny snippet of someone else's life and that tiny snippet is what people tend to make judgements on.

I try really, really hard to keep this page to its original intent which means that all you see is that aspect of my life. I get it; it's easy to forget because I share the insides of my cupboards 99% of the time but that doesn't mean that there isn't a person behind it all having to deal with negativity and abuse about the most trivial things; things I never in a million years would have thought would trigger anyone (and when I say trivial, I mean TRIVIAL).

I know having a public page really opens you up to a lot of critique, judgement and opinions which I have accepted over the years but it doesn't make it any easier to handle.

I really, really appreciate the sheer number of you who give me nothing but support, love and positivity ❤. I will be back soon and look forward to having many chats with you guys once again about pastel stuff, the sims, trash TV and #didntwantadog. Here is a photo of the pantry which is bright and cheery unlike this gloom and doom post 😂.

Hoping you all keep well and stay safe for what's left of this crazy year. Much love xx

Craft cupboard organisation 🎉. I turned the war

Craft cupboard organisation 🎉. I turned the wardrobe in our spare bedroom (which is our shared office) into a storage cupboard for all my craft stuff but everything is removable if any future owners want to use it as a wardrobe. The shelves on the right can all come out and it can be turned into hanging space 😊. The wrapping paper/ribbon hangers can also come out.
I can't wait to build our dream house so we no longer have to account for future owners and re-sale value. As much as I love the challenge, it is going to be so satisfying to not have to make things as flexible 😂🙌.
PS: can you spot any "Iryna painting fails" where I only paint the front of something? Because I can 😂😂

PPS: if you want to watch the video without the crop, I have uploaded it to tik tok 😘

#craftcupboardorganisation #organized #craft #storage #craftorganization #pastel #colourful #withthefeds #picket

Fridge stocked for the week 🎉. Right hand side

Fridge stocked for the week 🎉. Right hand side freezer has been cleared and ready to be stocked with freezer meals for us 👶 and our usual freezer side is single-handedly satisfying all of my pregnancy needs with every type of ice cream 😂. Thank you to whoever reminded me that banana paddle pops exist for when I struggle to find banana flavoured milk 😂🙌
Meals for the week: burritos, cheese/veg stuffed mushrooms, milk braised Dijon chicken, veg skewers with pita, Greek salad and tzatsiki and honey garlic chicken 🥙🌮🍲👌. Soon, I'll be able to share our weekly meal plan (and recipes) with you on our app 🎉🎉🎉. I just need to write them all out first which is a challenge for someone who wings every meal 😂😂. Wacha eating for dinner this week?

#fridgeorganization
#freezerorganisation #freezermeals #withthefeds #picket #mealplanning #mealplan #weeklymealplan #freezermeals #freezerstorage #fridge #freezer #organised #organization

Today is a big day in the Fed household 🎉. @dom

Today is a big day in the Fed household 🎉. @dom_and_delilah has agreed to officially change over his gross cardboard pillow that he has slept on for at least ten years 😂🤮. We switched it out two weeks ago with the original one sitting in our wardrobe in case he needed to back out and return to sleeping on a petri dish but it is now officially gone 🎉🙌. No amount of steaming or washing was ever going to get that pillow to the front of the arrangement train but luckily for me, it was so worn and thin that I could fold it in half, stick it in between the euros and no one would ever see it 😂.
Now all I've got left is the makeshift keg BBQ that has been used once in 5 years and the 10 year old wetsuit that has never touched water. Baby steps 😂🤞

Absolutely dying over the look on Delilah's face 😂😂😂😂😂😂.

I picked up a snoo second hand off marketplace for an absolute steal a few months ago because they rarely pop up in Adelaide. Figured for that price, if it didn't work for us, we can just re-sell it and at least get our money back. Obviously we have no use for it right now so I dropped it off at my sister in laws to try out with her bubs but she outgrew it within a few weeks and didn't really get to use it, so it is back with us now 👶.
A friend of mine who lives in Boston has sent me over a replacement mattress for the bassinet so in the mean time, it is just sitting in our room 💙👶. I shoved Delilah in there for a photo and this was the result 😂😂😂. (Don't worry, she can't jump into it herself, this is all my doing 😂)

Anyways, Dom has an RDO today and I had a very late work day last night so logging off after my morning meetings and we are going to clean out our garage which currently barely fits our car since it is filled to the brim with crib packaging, Dom's old desk, home theatre doors and who knows what else. I'm a tad excited 🎉🙌😂.

Finally put my video together so I can show you my

Finally put my video together so I can show you my pretty shelves 🎉🎉💖. As some of you may have seen, we are turning our home theatre into a playroom for bubs. I wanted to display some of my favourite decor from that room so got two of these absolutely beautiful shelves (#gifted) from @goldenwhistlerwoodshop for my office (they are the same shelves as my laundry). It has completely lifted the room 💖🌸.

I even managed to reuse some of my DIY "artwork" 😂😂. I am going to treat myself to a new computer chair (Dom broke his, again, so is getting mine 😂) and a pretty new keyboard and mouse 🥰.

Also, the lack of visible cables gives me life 🙌 thanks Jordan! Wacha think?
Ps: I suck so hard at making videos. I suggest you don't watch it with sound 😂

Spots and stripes 🌸. Couldn't help but snap thi

Spots and stripes 🌸. Couldn't help but snap this photo while unloading the groceries. All my favourite flowers are finally in season and they look so pretty in my favourite jug 💖

Plans for chickpeas nursery 🎉. It is all coming

Plans for chickpeas nursery 🎉. It is all coming together 💙👶

#nursery #babyboy #decor #progress #plans #babyfed

Started taking the lids off my paint tubs and coul

Started taking the lids off my paint tubs and couldn't get over this cuteness ❤🥰👶. How many of you are surprised that I've gone for pastels? 😂

#nursery #babyboy #nurserydecor #diy #pastels #babyfed

GIVEAWAY CLOSED winners: @_melrusso @chloekerwell

GIVEAWAY CLOSED winners: @_melrusso @chloekerwell and @thatruralmummablog 🎉🎉 Fab news guys, I've got THREE @laurastaraustralia Lift plus irons to give away!! It is the same portable model as the one I own and use to disinfect my entire house (it kills 99.99% of bacteria and viruses (lab certified) and 100% of dust mites so it is perfect for our bed and couch 👏🙌.

All you have to do is follow @laurastaraustralia and my page (@fromgreatbeginnings) and tag TWO FRIENDS who will also win one each 🙌. They must be following both pages to make the winning entry valid. (If you already have one and love it, be an awesome person and tag a few friends so they can enter too).
° 🌸 So, super simple: 🌸
1. Follow both pages
2. Tag two friends who would like one (they will win one each too)
3. Make sure they're following both pages °
🌸You're set! Enter as many times as you like but tag different pals 💖🎉 🌸

The winner will be announced next Friday, the 7th of August and selected via a third party random generator. Australian residents only. This giveaway is not endorsed or sponsored by Instagram.

PART 3: WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO🎉 Honestly, not t

PART 3: WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO🎉
Honestly, not that much 😂. The day after we found out, I was in a bubble of happiness. Obviously the thought of something happening was very much so in my mind but I am all about thinking positive and not worrying until I have a reason to, so I listed our couch and coffee table from the home theatre up for sale. I thought it was take a few weeks to sell but a lady bought it the next day so that was gone. Play room was in the works 😂 🎉.
That was the last of my motivation. The fatigue hit me like a tonne of bricks. I turned into a different person and all the things I used to enjoy doing were of absolutely no interest to me. It actually took a bit of a hit on my mental health because I found no joy in anything and it was going to be ages before chickpea was even going to arrive which was all I was looking forward to but luckily I am surrounded by the most supportive and understanding people ever and it got better and better every day ❤.
I learned my lesson early on so now when I have a good day, I utilise that good day to the fullest, even if it is really early to do a playroom 😂. (When I designed the home theatre cabinetry a few years ago, I did so with the intent that it will double as a play room eventually hence the draft plans in the last photo. Obviously they're not concrete but I made a list of all the things my sisters had as kids and went from there for sizing). I have ordered two shelves from @goldenwhistlerwoodshop
(like the one in our laundry) for my office so I can display all my favourite decor from the home theatre there. Dom and I will combine offices and after I have my screen mounted, I want to have all the carpets cleaned so we can start on project nursery for our baby boy💙👶. (We weren't going to find out but I am impatient, gender neutral got too hard and I was 99.9% sure it was a boy despite everyone saying a girl so just needed to be proven right 😂)
So yeah, think that covers the last few months! Can't believe we have to wait so long to meet the little chickpea, too excited! 💙👶

PART 2: PHOBIA UPDATE 🌸👶 - (first picture un

PART 2: PHOBIA UPDATE 🌸👶 - (first picture unrelated 😂, just didn't want a random photo of a glad wrapped arm on my feed 😂)
After girls night, AKA the stick peeing party ...I was in a happy little bubble of excitement and avoidance for about a week 😂. I didn’t go straight to the GP because I was too scared to give blood so instead I just peed on two sticks a day because I figured if the lines were getting darker and darker, it meant my HGC was going up (someone give me a medical degree, genius).
I have been trying to conquer my phobia for years now. Kids aside, I wanted to be able to go to a doctor and have a general check ups without the trauma that comes with it or not die if I was ever in an accident and woke up in a hospital with needles in my veins, so this has been a priority of mine for years. Last year, I started cognitive behavioural and exposure therapy for my phobia which helped identify the specifics but unfortunately did not help with the reaction.
Every time I talked about it here, I’d receive numerous messages from people telling me that I would be fine once I was pregnant and it would just go away because you’d do anything for the baby. I can confirm that this was unfortunately not the case for me. If anything, being pregnant made it harder because I was stressing about how the baby would react to all the stress my body goes under when I’m in an episode, so I'm really glad I didn't rely on that.
What did help however was the hypnotherapy.
My OB and midwife were absolutely amazing. They actually booked all the bloods for me, spoke to pathology about my phobia and arranged for the most experienced person available to take my bloods. It ended up going through the head of the pathology clinic who’s name was Meredith, so I knew I was in good hands – Dr Meredith Grey knows what’s up 👩‍⚕️.
My friend got me some medical grade anaesthetic numbing cream so I covered my entire arm in it before going in. Of course it didn't kick in til after she was done so it hurt like hell 😂
We arrived and I told her that it wasn’t about the pain for me, it was the location and that I am of sound mind, but my body reacts really weirdly. (Continued in comments)

PART 1: HOW WE FOUND OUT 🎉. Dom and I had decid

PART 1: HOW WE FOUND OUT 🎉. Dom and I had decided to start trying for a family at the start of the year. Then COVID hit which changed everything because I was determined NOT to deliver a baby in a field. With my phobia and very active imagination, the last thing I wanted to do was give birth during a global pandemic so we swiftly pulled the breaks on the whole idea 😂. Around my birthday, restrictions eased and things started going back to normal in Adelaide so it seemed like a good time to start thinking about it again. That month, I peed on a stick every day, a week before my period was due and they were all coming up negative. Eventually I started cramping which I thought was my period so I was like “okay cool, no go this month so I can concentrate on fixing my phobia and also working on the app” 😂.
I had friends coming over for dinner that night and I asked Dom to get the wine down for us and I thought I should pee on another stick just for peace of mind. I was using those first response ones but I had just run out the day before so I all had left was a clearblue one which I’ve never used.
Anyways, I pee on this stick and just before my friends are due to arrive for girls night, I check it and there is the faintest line ever. Dom and I had no idea what to do 😂. We were walking around the house like headless chickens being like “omg is that a line, it’s a line, that’s definitely a line”. Turns out Dom was looking at the control line 😂. I send one of my friends a photo and she confirms she sees a line so it was game on.
I call my other friend who is on her way to our house and tell her to stop and get me an early response test because at least I know what those look like negative.
She rocks up at my house 15 minutes later with a bunch of flowers and more tests. I’m like “jeez, you’re taking this seriously” 😂. Turns out they were actually for my birthday (cute!). So we spend the night peeing on like $50 worth of pregnancy tests and comparing my very faint line to their negatives. Girls night…😂🎉. (If you squint enough you can see the difference in the pics 😂)

Part 2 will be in the next post tomorrow...(with phobia updates)

Bub is not even out yet and it's already a mess 😂🎉. Just getting our practice in before Jan 2021 ❤👶.We're really excited but can't say the same for Delilah 😂.

Ps: it took us ages to make this mess and I forgot the insta ratio crop which hid some of our best work. We imagine when baby comes, we will no longer have an issue with staging messes and having to pull out empty chip packets from the garbage 😂.

I need you guys to assist in a very heated argumen

I need you guys to assist in a very heated argument currently going on in our household: So today, we went for our usual walk to the shops to get lunch from the bakery. We ate said lunch at the park but I also bought a blueberry danish and a cinnabun to have at home.
🌸
Anyways, we get home and while I was out tidying the garage, @dom_and_delilah took two bites out of the blueberry danish. When I got back inside, I saw that he had eaten some of it and assumed that he didn't like it, so I ate the rest. (Like who doesn't eat the whole thing in one go???! 😂)
🌸
A few hours later, he comes into the kitchen while I'm napping on the couch. I'm asleep but I did hear some rustling and whispering.
Turns out, he was back to finish the rest of the danish and when he realised it was gone, a few profanities were whispered under his breath since he was kind enough to not wake me up.
🌸
Then there's silence so I return to my slumber but no ... he is standing directly above me, staring at me because he thinks I'm pretending to be asleep since apparently he saw a smile on my face while he was realising the danish was gone 😂😂
🌸
So, my question is: is it fair to assume that if he's taken a bite out of it and left it on the counter, that it's fair game to eat?
My second question is if he owes me an apology for waking me up?

**photo unrelated to event but I had nothing else to post since I ate the danish and enjoyed every damn bit of it ✌

(Disclaimer: I knew he didn't like the cinnabuns because I've bought them before but in the interest of detailing this event, you should also know that i bought both desserts for myself with the INTENT of sharing. He, on the other hand made the ASSUMPTION that I bought the blueberry danish for him since he doesn't like cinnabuns)

UPDATE: he has now hidden my cinnabun and won't tell me where it is. Petty game is admirable, I will admit.

Second disclaimer: a few very serious responses to this so I am a bit concerned that the humour I intended to write this with did not carry over so just to confirm, neither one of us is actually upset or angry about the danish 😂

One of my worst habits is leaving cupboard doors a

One of my worst habits is leaving cupboard doors and drawers open while I'm in the kitchen. Our house looks permanently haunted 😂. I'm just over 5' so it never bothers me because I glide right under them but @dom_and_delilah has had a few accidents in the past 😂. I chalk this off to: ☝️being lazy, and✌loving all the pretty colours inside the cupboards that I just enjoy seeing them open 🥰.

Anyone else? 😂

#kitchen #kitchenorganisation #organised #platterorganization #homedecor #home #homeorganization #organization #kitchendesign #kitchendecor #platters

Load More… Follow

Copyright © 2020 · From Great Beginnings · Conditions of Use · Hello You Designs