My needles have been flying!!

I have been really getting back into knitting lately. I have made a couple of things over the last few years but not a lot. There has even been a couple of things started and not finished!

It's been really nice to sit on the couch after B has gone to bed and relax with a bit of knitting whilst watching TV. I have also been doing a little bit while B eats his dinner. We eat together but some nights he is really slow and he has dessert which I don't so I've been getting some done then. I also take it with me when B has his swimming and roller skating lessons and knit while I'm watching him. So there has been quite a few opportunities to get a lot done.

I have made B a couple of jumpers other years, however, he didn't really wear them a lot. He doesn't really feel the cold that much and jumpers are too warm for him. For that reason (and also because they are quicker too) I have been making vests.

 

So I started making this vest for B and was really enjoying the way the wool knitted up so I decided to make myself a beanie as well. When I mentioned this B said he wanted one too. We went back to the wool shop and got all the remaining balls of this colour. Luckily I have a really good wool shop just around the corner where all the ladies know B by name - not me just him! So we now have matching beanies!! (A bit tragic I know). There was a small amount left so I also knitted myself a pair of fingerless gloves. Unfortunately there wasn't quite enough so I just used another wool to do a cuff.

 

 

 

The vest on the right is another I have just completed for B. The pattern is easy and knits up very quickly. They really are good for him as they keep him nice and warm but don't overheat like a jumper would.

 

On the left is a vest I have started knitting for myself. I have been so pleased with my other efforts that I thought I needed to knit for me as well. I have nearly finished the back so should hopefully get this finished in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

After I made my fingerless gloves B asked for a pair and decided he wanted a Cats pair as he barracks for Geelong. Again they were nice and quick to do (about an hour or so). However, note to self white is not a good colour to use for gloves for a 4 year old boy!!

 

The fingerless gloves are really simple. They don't have a separate bit for the thumb. I thought that would be a bit tricky and I wanted some to do really quickly. You just knit a rectangle and sew them up leaving an opening for the thumb. For these I used 3.75mm needles. For mine I cast on 42 stitches and knitted a 3x3 rib (K3, P3) to the length desired. For B's I only cast on 36 stitches but did the same rib. I then knitted 6 rows in each colour to give the Geelong stripes.

 

I have been really enjoying this creating lately. It's nice that it has the dual purpose of being creative and giving both of us items of clothing. Watch this space for more creative endeavours!!

 

 

 



Mother's Day

Well it was Mother's Day recently. We continued what has now become our tradition of B cooking me breakfast. This is what happened last year. It was so interesting this year as the level of help needed was very little. We've been cooking together quite a bit lately so he was really keen to do all of it himself.

 

The finished product!!

 

I received 2 lots of flowers this year so felt very spoilt!

B made me this picture with a balloon and crepe paper.

Then as a special treat I made myself a cake in a mug. This is one of those things that I regret finding on the net!

I don't enjoy the commercialism of Mother's Day but just spending time together and letting B do his own little special thing for me is much more meaningful. I would love to hear any traditions you have for these days in your family.

January Organisation (Part 4)

Well, the 31 Days to Get Organised Challenge is over and done with. I have been a bit slack with the last week or so as I have been busy and we also got away for a few days as well (will blog about that soon). I also lost a bit of momentum but am keen to get back into it.

Day 24:  Car. This is one that I am putting off till B starts kinder as I really need the car to have a good clean and it's a lot easier to do without "help". I tend to bring everything out of the car each day and keep a rubbish bag in the car for any rubbish we have. There are probably a few things that I have kept in the car "just in case" that haven't been used and can move on.

Day 25:  Kitchen Utensils. I tackled this one on the pots and pans day so instead I went through the glasses and cups. I had a some from when B was younger that he doesn't need any longer. I did clear them out a while ago but they needed doing again. There were also some glasses in there that I don't use and were just taking up space.

Day 26:  Shoes. I thought this was fairly under control, however, I did get rid of 3 pairs that I don't like or are to old and ratty. I also have two pairs of boots whose soles have gone which I have now put in a bag in the car to take to the shoe repairer. It is something I have been meaning to do for a while and every time I drive past I say to myself that I need to take them in. At least now they are in the car so that I can stop next time I am driving by.

Day 27:  Belts. I don't wear belts so there was nothing to organise so I chose to spend my time today sorting through my DVDs and clearing out some of those that I don't really enjoy that much.

Day 28:  Kids Clothes. Another area that I do keep pretty much on top of. B doesn't have a lot of storage space in his room so I go through his clothes twice a year at the change of seasons and clear out what doesn't fit. I do have a few shirts in his close that he won't wear (he doesn't like buttons) but keep them in his closet hoping he may change his mind.

Day 29:  Pens, Pencils. My pens and pencils are very well contained. However, I have a friend who used to give me really cute fluffy pens which I had held onto even though they didn't work any longer. I had been debating for a while about what to do with them so have decided that I don't need to hold onto them any longer.

Day 30:  Books. Another one that I did prior to my garage sale last year but did another look through and managed to find a few more to get rid of.

Day 31:  5 Challenges to go on with. I haven't done them yet with holidays and having some behaviour issues to deal with B at the moment but will get to them when he starts kinder:

1. "Doodle drawers" - these are B's craft drawers which are a real mess at the moment and needs a cull/tidy up.
2. Shed - need to go through all the stuff in the shed as it is really full and a bit of a dumping ground.
3. Under the beds - I really want to get of the containers under the beds. I need the things in (most) of them, however, I do not want to store things under the beds.
4. Folders on desk - I have things in folders on my desk but I need to go through them to check that I need what is in them.
5. Bags - I have a number of bags and there are probably a few that I don't/won't use.

What a great kick start to one of my goals for this year which is to live with less clutter and unneeded things. The stuff that I have cleared out has given me more space to organise what I do have more effectively and to be able to see what else I have to tackle.

Wish me well for the rest of the job!

January Organisation (Part 3)

Before I post my continuing progress here is a photo of what I have donated to the op shop this week.

Day 17:  Condiments in Fridge. I put this one off for a couple of days as I got a new fridge (yay me!) so decided to do the clean up whilst transferring things from the old fridge to the new one. I only had to get rid of 2 jars that were expired and they all fit nicely onto the fridge door. It was interesting because before Peter posted this challenge I was going to buy containers to put on the shelves to keep the condiments together and organised. I really like his idea of containing them to the door instead - nice and easy to see what I've got and encourages me to use them regularly.

Day 18:  Under the Sink.  Just tidied things up here and got rid of a few things that were left behind by the previous tenant (after 2.5 years he's not wanting them back). Moved some things that were just lying loose around the laundry that really belonged there as well. Also gave it a really good clean too.

Day 19:  Magazines. I went through all my magazines prior to my garage sale last year. I had three boxes of magazines which I have been trying to sell for the last few months purely because I was hyperventilating at the thought of all the money I had spent on them and would have liked to get back at least a little of it. However, it has been a few months and I was not able to sell them so I just bit the bullet and donated them to the op shop.

Day 20:  Flat surface. Again, this is another one I put off as the one I wanted to tackle was the kitchen benches but I have to wait for my old fridge to go so that I could rearrange the kitchen. This will happen over the weekend so can't wait to get stuck into it.

Day 21:  Kid's toys. Peter's challenge was to get rid of all toys that are not age appropriate. I suppose I am lucky because I only have one child and not having any more so I don't have to hold to toys for other children. I keep a box in my room for B to put toys he doesn't want anymore to donate and he is pretty good at putting things in there. We usually have a conscious toy purge prior to birthday and Christmas to make room for what may come. Also, now that he is getting pocket money and buying some toys himself I am going to institute the "one in, one out" rule so that if he buys something another toy has to go.

Day 22:  Medicine Cabinet. I don't really have a medicine cabinet so I used this time to clean out the bathroom cupboards. I threw out a lot of creams, lotions, etc that I have had for way too long and haven't used.

Day 23: Pots, Pans and Appliances. Another area that is fairly well organised as I cook a lot and only have a limited amount of cupboard space so don't any appliances that I don't use. I did take the opportunity to go through the utensil drawer and cleared things out of there that I don't use or have duplicates of. Because who needs more than one apple corer or melon baller?

So another great week of organising, cleaning and purging. And there is now only a bit over a week to go. This challenge has been great to achieve lots in a minimum of 10 minutes a day and then to also give me the impetus to move forward throughout the year. I'm really looking forward to living with less clutter around me.

Lego Organistion

Wow! It really sounds like I'm on an organising binge at the moment doesn't it?

We have now entered the world of Lego. I gave B some Lego for Christmas and within an hour it looked like this:

and this:

It was doing my head in so I decided that it would work in both our favour if I implemented a useful storage system right from the start before the Lego got out of control. A friend who has 3 (older) boys has worked through this situation over the years so I have totally stolen the storage system which works for her boys. A quick search of Pinterest reveals there are a lot of people that use the same system. I purchased a Trofast shelving system from Ikea and tubs to go with it. At the moment we are storing two/three colours in each tub as B doesn't have much Lego yet and the tubs aren't too full and he can still find what he needs. I will probably need to change this after a while as the collection expands.

Also on Pinterest I found this awesome system for organising the instruction books. Again at the moment we don't need to worry about them as we only have three books. B is only just starting to build from the books a little and instead he just builds from his imagination but I want to keep them nice and organised for when that day comes.

I know it's probably a bit over the top at the moment as he doesn't have too much Lego, however, I hope that by implementing this system from the start that it is second nature when it comes to packing away/finding Lego. I can dream can't I?????

If you have any tips for Lego storage/organisation that has worked for you I wold love to hear it.

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!