Hanging About.

As I sat enjoying a cup of tea; I noticed that we have lots of 'bags' hanging about...
We use them as storage.

The top bag is 9 year old daughter's piano bag...
The next one holds my reading matter, William Morris design..
Then the bag from the Turner exhibition has recipes I would like to try... the purple bag holds 15 year old son's information regarding his forthcoming trip to Asia...
The Wooden 'bag' holds yarn and a crochet hook (will have to revisit this this Winter) and finally the hessian bag on the back of the front door holds books for church or church small group gatherings.
There is a bag hanging down on to the ground in that photo, it holds slippers for visitors!

Tupperware Tidy Up.

My sky scrapers of tupperware.... drying in the sun. 

Filled with pantry goods to change......... 

this to ...........

this.

Memory Suitcase.

10 year old daughter was home unwell this week and relished the chance to go through her 'memory' suitcase.  It is an old, leather suitcase (which I collect for this purpose).  Inside are her first shoes, all her birthday cards, photo's from school, special letters and other keepsakes.

Boys' Rooms...

10 year old son's room can become messy quickly as there are many, little, interesting collections on the go.

Vintage suitcases are part of my plan of attack and yesterday new bookshelves have helped organise more things! Fiona kindly gave us these shelves.

A most satisfying day. Thankyou dear husband E.

Soft, Green and old.

This blanket is soft and green which is my favourite colour. I love these suitcases (I have talked about them before), they hide everything and are easy to open and they belonged to someone else before me. I wonder where this one travelled to?

On Top of Things Today.

This is my favourite form of storage, using old suitcases to hide mess. Makes me feel on top of things today.

The laundry basket is emptyish......

The sink is empty, those are soap suds in the bottom........

Texture.

All of our messy paperwork are in these containers/satchels.

First Aid.

In our living room which looks like a junk shop, the furniture is crowded. 2 year old daughter rolled off the couch and cut the back of her head on the table. Lots of blood, but thankfully not a serious cut. Although I thought our First Aid box was well organised and stocked, it was hard to get at quickly and hard to dig through and find what I needed.

As I reorganise and clean up after the floor in the family room is fixed, I will wipe out the dusty kitchen cupboards as a result and I will be rethinking the arrangement of our First Aid items.

Around the Home.

My kitchen benches are finally clear. I love clean uncluttered surfaces. I also like things that are quaint and homey. To find a happy balance is my aim.

I do not like paperwork on the bench and I find it hard to cook or bake (especially with helpers) when the bench is cluttered. The paperwork does not magically disappear though. I have photographed the depths of a cupboard in the kitchen that houses these things.

This wicker suitcase houses all my household management folders; lists of presents for family, linen lists, holiday ideas, menus, garden information etc.

Better that the items below are hidden in a cupboard I think.

The upright mini shelves have a shelf designated for each child. The games on top are ones that are favourites at the moment. The blue tray carries folders with things I am working on with each child (I was once a teacher!), the white tray can be brought out as it is all the current projects I am working on such as organising birthday parties, bills etc.
There is a lower section of the cupboard that has all computer related 'stuff'.

I visited a blog called That British Woman. I enjoyed reading her "Housekeeping from A -Z" and had a go myself:

A ~Aprons--y/n If y, what does your fav. look like?

Once in while, I have a green one with embroidery and a cream one with coffee cups on it. Also a nice maroon apron that a good friend gave me for my birthday.

B ~ Baking--Favorite thing to bake?

Almond based goodies, shortbread and at the moment, weetbix slice.

C ~ Clothes line?

Yes a Hills Hoist (whirly). I love the smell of sun kissed washing.

D ~ Donuts--Have you ever made them?

Never. I worry about doughnuts: refined flour, then deep fried and then sugar on top. I do remember though that I enjoyed nice fresh doughnuts when on holiday on the South Coast as a teenager.

E ~ Everyday--One homemaking thing you do everyday?

Make the beds, wipe the bathroom and washing up.

F ~ Freezer--Do you have a separate deep freeze?

Yes, an upright in the garage. I could not do without it. It stocks bread and meat or chicken. It also stores cooked meals, cooked chicken and baking goods for lunchboxes. In the Summer it has ice blocks. There is also a back up supply of frozen vegetables and bacon.

G ~ Garbage Disposer?

No, I have a compost section in our bin.

H ~ Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource?

Friends, the internet, old fashioned remedies.

I ~ Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results?

I don't mind it, but don't have the time to do it. At the moment, dear husband E does it. I have said I will do it when all the children are at school!!

J ~ Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it?

Well a junk cupboard for paperwork etc. I do have a second drawer for things like potato peelers, zesters etc. It is checked often though, so it never becomes a junk drawer.

K ~ Kitchen--color and decorating scheme.

Green tiles and wooden cupboard doors that husband E made. The door handles are brass forks, spoons, teacups and teapots. I love old jars and tins.

L ~ Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking?

Creating a haven for my family. Everything in its place, good smells, keeping on top of jobs, enjoying beauty.

M ~ Mop--y/n?

I use a static mop and then paper and vinegar.

N ~ Nylons, machine or hand wash?

I don't wear them.

O ~ Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check?

Both.

P ~ Pizza--What do you put on yours?

Homemade base, sauce, mozarella cheese, grated zucchini and then bacon on top.

Q ~ Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?

Do a project, pray,read or rest.

R ~ Recipe Card Box--y/n? What does it look like?

A big folder divided into food categories ie chicken, beef, vegetables, baking: biscuits, cakes etc. There are loose leaf papers in it and I stick recipes on to the paper.

S ~ Style of house--What style is your house?

Single level, 60 years old. 4 bedrooms plus a study, 2 bathrooms and 2 living areas.

T ~Tablecloths or Place mats?

Placemats. I look forward to using table cloths when the little ones are older and don't risk pulling the whole table cloth off.

U ~ Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland?

Clean and relatively empty as cleaning products are up high away from little fingers.

V ~ Vacuum--How many times per week?

With wooden floorboards, I use a static mop every second day. We vacuum the hallway weekly though and bedrooms whenever I think of it.

W ~ Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week?

5/6 loads a week, all separated into coloured, white, darks, towels/linen, socks and underwear.

X's--Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?

I have a new system that works brilliantly: I have a generic list on the computer in black text. The day's jobs will be highlighted in blue until they are done. If it was a 'one off' job, then it is deleted, if not and the job is there every day, I will highlight it back to black again. Each night I review the day ahead, type in extra things at the correct point of the day. The day is divided as a table, based on the time of day. All aspects of the day are included , even "wake children up"....

Y ~ Yard--y/n? Who does what?

Yes. I was the main gardener when we had one child, planted the garden beds, weeded, fed plants etc. Now I am pleased that the garden looks after itself. The children and I will weed occasionally and husband E and 9 year old son love pruning. Husband E does the mowing.

ZZZ's ~ what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?

Checking the children and their blankets, putting blankets and cushions straight again in the family room. Sprinkling lavender on my pillow.

I saw this at That British Woman, who saw it at Niki's Rural Writings, who saw it at Pieces from Me, who saw it at Coffee Time At Home.

Please play along on your blog!!! Let me know if you do, so I can visit.

Thursday is for Garbage...

Yes, I even like organised garbage!

Early today, the trucks come by and pick up our garbage. In our council we have a red bin for main garbage, a yellow one for recycling and a green one for garden/plant matter.

We have an interesting bin of our own; the brown pedal if is for the main garbage, the yellow pedal for recycling and the green pedal are for vegetable scraps, bread, coffee, tea and some damp paper products that can all go into our compost.

With the worms' help, we hope to have some lovely soil to help 6 year old daughter establish her vegetable garden.

I have not read many posts about garbage.....

Collections.

I usually have "Baking Wednesday", but 4 year old daughter is still not well and I would like to be at hand. We have mountains, not hills of washing on our bed to put away. The older two were helpful getting ready for school this morning and stood at the bus stop with umbrellas in hand, twirling and doing all manner of things. I watched from the bedroom window as I did not want to go far. When the bus came, they left their umbrellas at the letter box for me to collect later.

I have collected tins for years now, even as a teenager. I culled my collection a few years ago or actually started using some as storage vessels for crayons or clips etc. These ones sit on E's desk though and many came from his Dad.

I might get the chance to bake a butter cake with marshmallow icing later......

Bacon and lentil soup and homemade bread for dinner.

Finally Friday

Last night I took our 9 year old son for a haircut and then he accompanied me to the shops. We had sushi and did the grocery shopping. It was a good lesson for him to see what money can buy. We are blessed now to have replenished our pantry and fridge stock. Now I will just await my delivery of fresh produce.

Our pantry has large rectangular boxes that house various produce in quantity. For example, one box holds dried fruits and muesli bars, another crackers and popcorn. They stack two high. This has worked for us for many years. I feel as though I am getting quite personal showing the inside of my pantry!

Books and storage...

Speaking of books I thought of this bookshelf that is behind our front door. I found the baskets at Ikea and junk shops for our shoes, one basket for each of us. It is a tad messy, but not as bad as if the shoes were dumped on the floor.

The baskets on top are my "pass on" baskets. One if for E and my extended families (there is always stuff to hand over...). The other is for friends. Very handy right behind the door, ready to go......I love baskets.

Accessories

However, jewellery will have to wait whilst I have little ones grabbing. I do love chunky, colourful necklaces. This printers' tray is one I had growing up. Then it was filled with little ornaments, now my necklaces, brooches and earrings. Husband E cut some glass to fit over it which slides in and out keeping things dust free. I am thinking if you can't see it , you forget you have it. Also if I am not enjoying wearing these at the moment, at least I can enjoy looking at them.

Storage solution

In the study..........

Here is the improved 9 year old son's desk....

Job done. I love these old suitcases, they hide many things. In 9 year old son's room, it hides rugby cards, bits and pieces he has made etc. In the lounge it hides paperwork and filing. The stack of suitcases have each child's keepsakes; birthday cards, certificates, first pair of shoes etc. One in the study holds a lot of craft items and another holds CDs. I even have one that holds all magazines and newspaper supplements that I have not read yet. What I really like about the suitcases is that when you open them, you can see everything at a glance and then you can actually 'work' within the case (I sort through my files by just lifting the lid). You could also just lift them and place them somewhere else if you need a clear work surface. My dear friend Mrs B has found many suitcases for me at second hand shops and E Bay.

Simply Saturday

We started the morning with four lovely children all snuggling in bed. After the healthy cereal, all four opted for a bowl of chocolate cereal, whilst a lovely Clannad CD played in the background (no the ambience was not there....) Happy, helpful children today as 6 year old daughter had to tidy holiday muddle from her room as her groovy aunt will be sleeping there tonight. 9 year old son has a clear floor but I will be tackling his desk with a storage solution this afternoon.....