January Organisation (Part 2)

So here is the continuation of Peter Walsh's January Organisation challenge:

Day 10:  Platters, Trays Tins.  Another 10 minutes well spent. I didn't think that I needed to get rid of anything in this area but with my totally ruthless hat on there a few things that I haven't used at all since I moved in here 2.5 years ago or not used in a while so they have gone!

Day 11:  Linen Press. I have a linen press, however, it did not have any linen in it. As I keep my sewing machine right next to it I have tended to store some craft supplies in it. The intention was that it would have the stuff I needed to use whilst sewing, i.e. threads, etc. It had got a bit out of hand, however, and was full of only craft supplies and other stuff. As I had cleared some space in my bedroom I moved some things in there. I have now got some linen in there, put some in the op shop pile and have got rid of boxes (read sold) under both my and B's beds that was where the linen was being stored. My aim is to not have it as jammed in as it is at the moment and to have most of my linen in there.

Linen actually in the Linen Closet!

Day 12:  Wardrobe. When I had my garage sale last year I cleared out quite a few clothes so it wasn't a huge job today. I did clear out a few things that I haven't worn for ages or don't like anymore. There are also a few (summer) things that I wasn't sure of so I have turned the coathangers around the wrong way. If, at the end of summer, I still haven't worn them I will pass them on then.

Day 13:  Spice Rack. Another easy one. All my spices are in Tupperware containers filed alphabetically so quite organised. I did use the time to clean all the outside of the containers and the caddies that they sit on. I had some that needed a top up so did that at the same time. Also the bench area where they sit also has the toaster on so I gave that and the bench a really good clean.

Day 14:  T-Shirts. One that I thought was okay but when I actually went through the drawer I did find some that were really ratty but I was just holding on to for sentimental reasons so they went in the bin. Some others are from when I used to go to the gym and I have held onto them for when I start going again, however, they are really not comfortable for me so they have gone in the op shop pile.

Day 15: Rest Day. Being half way through the challenge, Peter gave us the day off and said to spend the 10 minutes doing something for ourselves. We had a really early morning this morning so I spent the time this afternoon having a little doze on the couch. Luxury!

Day 16:  The Top Shelf in a Closet. The idea of this one was going through one of those top shelves where you tend to just put things. I chose the kitchen as I store things on top of the cupboards that I don't have room for in a cupboard and also there is one cupboard above the pantry which is HUGE so has the space for lots of stuff. There were a few things that I cleared out but again not a lot as I went through this last year prior to my garage sale. I got rid of a couple of lunch boxes/containers as there were more than we need.
So I am now over half way through and not only am I getting a lot more organised but I have a much cleaner house too as I'm giving things a good clean whilst I am organising. Looking forward to the rest of the challenge! I now need to make a run to the op shop to offload some of the stuff that I have decided to get rid of. Will post the photo of that next week!

Here is where you can view Part 1 of the challenge.

January Organisation (Part 1)

I follow Peter Walsh on Facebook. He has issued a challenge during January for "31Days2GetOrganised". I decided to follow it to kick start my organisation for the year. Most of the tasks only take 10 minute which makes them achievable and are good because they don't take heaps of time out of the day. I will post this about a week at a time otherwise it will be one really long post!

I also started on January 2 as Peter started on January 1 in the US so I don't get the challenges till a day later.

So here they are with my progress:

Day 1:  Clearing things out of Living Room that don't belong. This was an easy one for me as a couple of days before I took down all the Christmas decorations and put things away then. I did clear away a few things that were on the dining table that didn't belong there. I have issues with things sitting on the dining table for much longer than they need to.

Day 2:  Sock drawer. Again another easy one. I went through this drawer a couple of months ago when I was looking for some pantyhose and got tangled up in the number. I do also throw out socks that are worn/have holes as I find them. Also, don't know how but I don't really have issues with odd socks so there were none of those to deal with.

Day 3:  Plastic Storage Containers. Once again, an area I'm on top of. Whenever a container is looking a bit old, etc I get rid of it (and its lid). Also, since we don't really get take away in plastic containers there is no accumulation of them either. I have more containers than Peter recommends but that is because I don't have a lot of stuff in the freezer at the moment.

Day 4:  Remote Control Organisation. I do have mine in a caddy already and as B does not use the remotes if they are not in the right spot then I only have myself to blame, lol!!

So at this point I'm feeling pretty good about the whole challenge with the tasks being ones I am on top of or required no more than the 10 minute time limit. Doing a bit of a "I'm not as disorganised as I thought" dance. Until ...................................

Day 5:  Master Bedroom. This is my Achilles heel. If something doesn't have a home or I need it out of the way it ends up in my bedroom. There was no way that I could restore order in 10 minutes. I did clear off the top of the chest of drawers next to my bed. Updated the photos in the photo frames and gave everything a good dust. Most of my craft supplies are stored in my room but they are bursting out of the storage. I organised some, got rid of a few books that were there as well and did a little tidy up. It will be an ongoing process but as one of my goals for the coming year is to finish off my craft projects this will free up space in this area.

Day 6:  Towels. Again, another area I'm on top of. I don't have a lot of storage for towels so am pretty good about keeping only the number I need. Also, last year B complained about the towels scratching him and my swimming ones had holes in them so I got new ones, both for the bathroom and for swimming.

Day 7:  Underwear. Once again, another area that I had under control. Last year I finally bit the bullet and spent some money on myself and splashed out on new underwear so I cleaned out these drawers at that time. I did also go through B's underwear and moved on a few things that don't fit him.

Day 8 & 9:  Paperwork organisation. Not too badly out of control thank goodness and I already have a system which on the whole works well for me. Additionally with receiving some bills/statements, etc electronically these days there is a lot less paper coming in to deal with.

If it has been a task that I didn't really need to do I have then been spending the allocated 10 minutes on tidying up another area. I went through all of my paperwork and got rid of a nice big pile (prior to Days 8 & 9). I went through the junk that was on top of the fridge, including going through the tool box and getting rid of the millions of Ikea allen keys!!

I'm finding this exercise really useful and am enjoying the little tasks that don't take much time but make a big impact overall. There are already a couple of boxes that need to go to the op shop!

I would encourage you to join this challenge if you have issues with your own organisation. As I said it's only 10 minutes a day but it's already making a big difference to my head space! I would love to hear if you have any organisation goals or challenges that you want to tackle this year. We could be each other's support and encouragment!

Keeping CHRISTmas.

A bit behind on the posting. I did mean to have this done before Christmas but got caught up with all the other things that needed to be done. It really can be an insane time of year. The lead up to Christmas with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people around. The end of the school year with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people and kids around. In the past I have tended to just roll with it as best I could and know that come Boxing Day can just collapse in a heap and watch the cricket.

Since B's arrival I have found my priorities have changed. I have always observed the CHRISTmas part of Christmas but my desire to focus on the real meaning of Christmas has increased. In previous years I have been able to keep the focus on Jesus really well, however, this year it has been a challenge. At kinder they went hard and early with Christmas stuff which really just revolved totally around Santa, Santa and more Santa. It has been a real struggle to counteract that, keep the focus on Jesus and not build any expectations in him about Santa.

We have a few traditions for Christmas.

One is to go to Target to purchase a gift for charity. I choose Target's program as it is linked to the Uniting Church. We have gone every year and B chooses a toy for a boy his age. So this year he chose 2 "Cars" toys. We usually do it in early December before the shops get too crazy. He was really sad that there are some children who would not get any presents for Christmas and was really keen to buy them presents. In fact, anytime we walked past Target in December he wanted to go in and buy another toy for another child!

Our Gingerbread

Christmas Tree cakes - red velvet cupcake with a strawberry on top covered with icing

We also make homemade gifts to give to friends and people that help B (child care staff, swimming teacher, etc). As he loves cooking we make gingerbread in Christmas shapes. We package them up in either a coffee cup or on a plate. He loves handing them out to everyone. We also made Christmas Tree cakes this year as well.

We have quite a few nativity sets around the house as well. I got a Fisher Price one which has been good as it is child friendly. This year I was able to put the more precious one out within his reach as well. He has loved interacting with the figures and moving them around and arranging them. At one stage Mary was riding to Bethlehem on a sheep!!

One day I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said that her daughter was dressing up as Mary. I told B and said he could put his Joseph costume on. I picked this up a couple of years ago post Christmas when the shops were clearing out their Christmas things. He thought that was a great idea and his stuffed dog then became baby Jesus and was wrapped in blankets. Then he got a box that we had lying around became the manger for baby Jesus. For the week before Christmas he went to a number of places in his Joseph costume carrying his manger.

Joseph with Baby Jesus

I also got a book called "The Legend of Saint Nicholas". It was really good to give an explanation of where the Santa tradition came from and that spirit of giving to others. Apparently there are other books in the series and I am looking forward to getting them for next Christmas.

I have wanted to make a Jesse tree. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it this Christmas but it is high on my list to make this year for next Christmas.

Our Christmas tree decorated by B and one of our nativity sets

I would love to hear of any traditions you have for Christmas, particularly how to keep the focus on Jesus and not the commercial side.





Can we make .............?

Over the last few years I have gone back to basics when it comes to food. I have started making most of my own food from scratch. There are many reasons for this including wanting to know what is in my food and the enjoyment I get out of it amongst others. I was going through my pantry the other day for things to donate for various Christmas appeals and there were a few things that had actually expired because I brought them so long ago "just in case". Oops!

I have to laugh though when I mention things we need to B and he says "we'll have to make some". I think me making a lot of our food has created an expectation in him that that's how we do it. Not that I am complaining. I love that he has such a connection to his food and really understands processes on how food is made and where it comes from. I also love that his first thought is that we should make it rather than we should buy it.

I have blogged before about some of my home made goodies, including tomatoes, ice cream, lemonade and lemon butter. I have almost finished my tomatoes that I bottled in February and March. I'm glad that I have had such a good supply, however, I now know that I need to do lots more next year. I have also been assured that it ages well so if I do make more than I need in a year it will actually taste better.

So a few days ago he wanted to know about how to make butter. I have never made butter before but of course knew the theory and there is the wonderful Internet to fill in the gaps!!!

We started with some double cream:

Into the mix master:

And voila, butter (and buttermilk):

It was probably a tad too hot today to do the best job but it served the purpose of B seeing how it's made and he really enjoyed having a slice of bread with lots of our butter on it.

So above is a yoghurt maker. A few weeks ago I mentioned that we needed to get yoghurt and B replied with "we have to make some". There is a group that I am a member of on Facebook and there was a big discussion about making yoghurt about the same time. One of the members mentioned she used the Easi-Yo Yoghurt Maker. It's basically a large thermos which comes with a smaller container which fits inside and you can make yoghurt. They do sell their own brand sachets but I just do it myself with a small amount of yoghurt (which I save with each batch), milk powder and milk. Leave in the thermos overnight and you have yoghurt.

So there you have it. Some of the home made goodies we have been making in our house. We really need to get started on our Christmas baking. I can't believe I won't get started till December. I usually try to have most of it done by now.

I would love to hear about some of the home made goodies you make. Successes and failures!

RIP Hard Rubbish

I love Hard Rubbish collections!

However, I am really sad that most councils seem to have done away with them. I know they offer collections at the times you need them but I love everyone putting their stuff out at the same time and people going through to get what they want/need. I know that the streets look really bad for the week or so beforehand but to me it is the ultimate form of recycling. I have picked up quite a few things over time and have had friends collect stuff on my behalf when they know there is something in particular I need.

I have one friend who has made money selling stuff that she has found put out for hard rubbish. Another got a coffee machine that retails for quite a bit of money but spent a little on getting it repaired and it worked a treat for years.

Some of my hard rubbish treasures over the years:

Sand pit/pool

Car. In the background is a stove/washing machine/dryer which has been through a few friends but was also a hard rubbish find!

I would love to hear your thoughts on Hard Rubbish and maybe some of your great finds. Good, bad or indifferent?

More Kid's Crafts - Weaving

A couple of months ago we were at a market and there was a lady there selling hand-made woven scarves. She was also doing some weaving while we she was there and we stopped to watch. B was very interested and I thought to myself, "we could do this at home". So we have been.

We are definitely not going to end up with a scarf or anything, however, it has been a bit of fun and it's a great project that can be put down and picked up again.

I am not a weaver so I just made this up myself from material I had on hand. First I took some cardboard, cut slits at either end and wrapped wool around the cardboard.

Then using a ruler to lift up every second (or third, or fourth) bit of wool to give space to thread the wool across.



Pass some wool wound around another bit of cardboard and thread through the space created by the ruler.

Pull the wool through and continue.



This has been another lovely little craft project that we can do together and have a bit of quiet time. As I said I am no weaver so the technique is probably not great, however, I feel it has been a good introduction and learning for B.

I would love to hear your ideas for introducing kids to craft activities. We do love crafting together - as long as I don't put on my "crafting hat" that longs for things to be "just right"!!

P.S. For my previous post on sewing with kids see here

Surprise Day

Today being Thursday we often don't have things on and we sometimes do special things or do the ordinary running around shopping/jobs. I did have a haircut scheduled for today, however, I found out there was something on at Albert Park that I knew B would enjoy.

There is a classic car show on in Melbourne this weekend. It would cost me $20 to go (with B free). Not being really into cars myself and with a busy weekend ahead of us I thought "oh well" and didn't think we'd do it. However, I discovered that they were doing a parade of the cars from Albert Park Lake to the Exhibition Buildings today which was free so I thought I can't miss it! I was going to just go into the city and line up somewhere along the route but realised that you could see them all at Pit Lane at Albert Park for 2 hours before they started.

Pink Cadillac - the favourite for the boy obsessed with pink!

I have always told B what we are doing each day from a very young age. One because I think it's good for him to know what is happening and also being only the 2 of us it's nice to talk things through (even when he couldn't talk back). However, I decided that I would make today a "surprise" day and not tell him what was happening. I thought it would be good to make it into a special day and by him not knowing it would create this sense of excitement about the day.

Model T fruit & vegetable delivery truck - another popular one

We had a lovely day (apart from being a little under dressed). He got to walk amongst all the cars, see them arrive and take their spots. He was even offered a seat on a motorbike and in one of the cars but declined (he's getting a bit nervous about that sort of thing at the moment). I had packed our lunch and we put down the picnic blanket near where all the cars would be leaving so we had a prime viewing spot to enjoy our lunch and see them leave.

Aston Martin - James Bond eat your heart out!

He's already talking about our next surprise day. I think it will become a regular thing but not too regular so as not to lessen the meaning. It was great to spend the day doing something that he really loves even though it's not my thing. And best of all it didn't cost us anything except for petrol and parking!

3 Wheeled Car - it had it's wheels counted a few times!!