Laundry rocks!

At least done this way it does!

I read on orgjunkie.com last week about the organising system that changed her life!
http://orgjunkie.com/2010/04/the-laundry-system-that-changed-my-life.html

and i so had to try it.

It rocks!

My old way of doing laundry was one dirty clothes hamper. Wash, dry, then spend forever folding and sorting. Actually a lot of the time the washing would sit in a clean laundry basket because I do not have the TIME to fold and sort right now.

Enter organising junkie ... and her timely post on laundry.

Now I have FOUR laundry baskets. One for each of us, and one for household linen.

We all put our own things in our own dirty clothes. Each day I wash only one basket, hang it and dry it. Then the clean clothes go straight to that person's room, get folded and put straight away.

Serious time saved!

I am love love loving this! Challenge you to give it a go!

Pumpkin muffins

Healthy. (sort of). Easy. Yummy. And even has vegetables.

A big bake up and a triple batch. Cooking and freezing is a great way to make packing school lunches easier!

Birthday party organisation made easy!

Take one very excited *almost* five year old ...
(FIVE! Can you believe it! My baby!)

Lay out party lolly bags ...

And leave her to assemble them! She did a great job! (and was occupied so I snuck away, read my book and had a coffee!

Stay at home my heart and rest ...

I've posted this quote before

Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest; Home-keeping hearts are happiest…” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today I am feeling the truth in it. We have had two productive mornings pottering around our home and garden this weekend (and another to come tomorrow.)
I feel more calm and rested and at peace than I have in a long time.

And I think Miss E has enjoyed being home more than any of our "adventures" lately.

Truly- home IS where the heart is.

(anyone want to pop over for a cuppa - we are clean, tidy and have time to spare!!)

Lest we forget

I cannot hear this song, and not get weepy. To see it live is a gift. Young, old, thousands of them standing and singing. I get chills.

Honour our soldiers ... watch it with me today





So stand for that man we call the ANZAC
And those who gave their lives for us
Let's stand for that man we call the ANZAC
For fighting for the land we love ....

we will remember them


Lest we forget

Saturday ... brings me peace

I work shift work and I almost always work weekends.
Today is the first time in a long time that I have an afternoon shift, and no plans to go anywhere during the day.

I have enjoyed today so much! It wasn't till today that I realised how much I missed those first couple of hours on a Saturday morning when we normally got those jobs done and the house tidied up from the week that was.

Today Paul and I have pottered all morning. And I almost have the house in shape, and he almost has the yard under control.

It's amazing the peace this catch up has brought me. It's just so much easier to maintain the house when you have a good baseline to start the week.

Here's our other joy for the day. Miss E chose an egg for breakfast! Imagine her delight with what she found inside! Our first double yolker!

Big breath! Tackling the big one!

Our office/sewing room/crafting room/study is the bane of my life. too many purposes - too much stuff - too hard to keep clean.

BUT I have the inspiration of a certain little girls birthday here soon ... and a party ... and guests - lots of them. So my whole house is being tackled hard this weekend.

May as well start with the tough area first.

One thing I really hate is the carpet tiles in this room. They are hand me downs. Served there purpose. But are SO hard to keep clean.

The flooring is concrete (it is our garage) and I am so tempted to pull up the tiles, and paint the concrete. Then get some great rugs that I can hang out to air for warmth/coziness. Would make sweeping after sewing easier too.

Any ideas?

Clutter free birthdays

In the past Miss E has been spoilt. Not just by us, but by friends, family ... pretty much everyone. We have been blessed with a lot of gifts and we are so thankful for them. But every birthday brings the dilemma of more and more things.

This year we are buying Miss E one quality gift, and we hope it is one she treasures. We are buying her one of the Australian Girl Doll collection. The Australian girl dolls were invented by a Grandma who was sick of only having bratz and barbie dolls to choose from in the stores. So she went out to make a doll that looks like a little girl, not a baby or a grown up. I really hope Miss E adores Matilda. She loves her dolls and I hope this becomes a new special friend.

Birthdays also mean the traditional (in our home) pre birthday party bedroom declutter. The weekend before Christmas and birthdays we attack Miss E's room, put away the classic toys she has grown out of, relabel and sort the one's she uses ... and donate all the rest to charity. She has actually learnt to accept that is the way it is and helps with the decision making process.

Saturday morning is the planned date. I'll post an update (and photos) then!

My new organising tools

No more feral food in our fridge.

Our garbage is greatly reduced.

My weeds are disappearing in my neglected vege patch


And this is one of the reasons why.


(I think that's Aramina. Not sure how you spell that - Miss E chose the name of course.

Aramina, Renee and Corinne have joined our home.

They are gorgeous. The are so much fun to watch. They LOVE weeds. And they eat all our scraps quick fast.

And they earn there keep as well.

That's wisdom for you.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

There is wisdom for you. From early days Miss E has helped me around the home. She can load the washing machine easily. She can set a table, clear it, and has wiped the bathroom sink along side me for many years. And she is not even five yet. She loves to help, and I am so pleased with that

But what she is learning now is that some chores have to be done every day. Even if you don't want to. Time to start that now - before homework starts next year.

This is Miss E's reward chart. We are starting simple. Setting her up to win. But she loves it and asks to do her jobs and right now that is what matters.

Your kids are capable of more than you think they are. Challenge them. Let them win. (and let them load the front loader! They are closer to the ground than you are anyway!)

Guess who had artwork displayed in the show?

Miss E of course! I had to brag!

(and yes - this is an organising post. When it comes to kids artwork we only keep a few pieces. And the best are photographed and made into a photobook. Much less clutter. And still all the memories are kept!

Done. Finally. And I LOVE it!

It took time. But it is finally done. And I love love love it!

After much time wasted trying to choose the final flooring - then time wasted waiting for it to arrive the floors were installed today. The workmen were fantastic. On time. Clean. Tidy. Thorough. Truly a wonder in this day and age. (note to self - must pass feedback on!)

I love the floors - they really look clean and fresh - but have enough colour in them to bring a warmth to the kitchen that was missing.

Everything about the kitchen was bought at a discount. Even the flooring after MUCH to-ing and fro-ing.

And this kitchen is filled with love. Friends and family pulled together and shared their gifts with us and it made SUCH a difference!
Thanks especially to Mick and Liz for their destructive tendancies, and especially Liz for her endless compliments about our progress -
Gene for being an amazing builder, no way we could have done this without you!
Dot for keeping the menfolk fed and my washing and ironing done while I conveniently went on prac during the worst of the building.
Mum and Dad - you are amazing. Not only for the paint, the tiling, the blinds and pelmets ... but for talking me through all this and helping me make decisions.Mum, thanks especially for coming to Ikea and loading EVERY box for me (my hand is all better now - Thanks!).
And a big thanks to my husband Paul. For trusting my decisions. For never once complaining about all I was spending (well - maybe a little - but I honestly don't blame him one bit! We need a sensible one in the family. And for all the work he put in. I reckon my man is learning to be a handyman after all!

So - after all my ramblings ... here tis!

Shows flooring, tiling, cabinets and benchtops ... and my pride and joy - my new cinnamon coloured kitchenaid mixer.


Overview of the kitchen area


Left view


Right view








Oh - did I say I was done? I would still really really like this buffet from Ikea. Or something similar. In the corner of the dining room closest to the windows. Maybe one day.


And there is one more little job. I want the tv mounted on the wall. But I'm told that is easy. Told you my man is becoming a handyman!

Finally.

Right now as we speak the flooring is going in! Kitchen will be DONE!

I'll upload pics later on today!