Category Archives: Organising

Party, Party, Party……..Now For *STOPTOBER*

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We have been home for 2 weeks now and life just seems to have been an endless whirl.  I feel as though my feet have barely touched the ground.  The whirl culminated yesterday with taking Miss O and Izz to a friend’s birthday party, then we headed off to a picnic for a belated celebration of Belle’s 30th birthday and finally dinner with our neighbours.  These were all enjoyable but now it is time to stop and take stock.

There are jobs to do at home which have been neglected so now is the time to get organised.  The everyday stuff that keep the wheels running smoothly – making sure the washing and ironing is all up to date, menus planned so that we have meals ready for when we arrive home from work, gardens prepared for summer vegetable growing and so on.  My sewing and other creative pursuits are waiting for me and I am itching to get back to them.

I also read this post from Frugal Queen and I am definitely joining in *STOPTOBER*  While I am not sure that I can spend NOTHING for the whole month I intend to spend the absolute minimum, stop and think before I spend and generally make do with what we have. To keep me accountable I will post each day about my success (or otherwise) of not spending and keep a tally of how much I spend and what I buy.

I am really looking forward to this challenge and sharing with you.  Please consider joining in (you can make your own rules) and let me know how you go.

A Fresh Look

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One of the benefits of holidays and being away from our home is that sometimes you can take a step back and review things from a distance.

A few months ago I considered buying a new doona cover for our bed since the one we have had for over 10 years definitely does not match the current colour scheme.  It has been like that for about 4 years but it had taken me that long to consider it.  One of the things that was holding me back was why get rid of the existing cover which is still in excellent condition.

While we were away I suddenly realised that the doona cover on our bed would look perfect on the bed in the guest room and then I could justify buying a new one for our bed.

2012-09-21 01Here is the revamped guest room.

On Wednesday we looked for a new cover which proved to be quite a challenge as it is obvious that the colours in our room (Wedgewood blue with cream trim) are  definitely not the latest trend.  Most of the bed linen was either neutrals in cream/grey/coffee palettes or bright geometric designs.  However, I eventually found something suitable.

2012-09-21 02I also bought another cover in a grape colour with a muted floral design.  I will use that during the winter months for a change.  This is the first time that I have ever had bed linen to change with the seasons.  Thanks to the sale prices, I was able to buy the 2 covers for the full price of just one of them.

I am very happy with the results of my rearrangement of the bed linen.  Now I have  the bedspread which was on the guest bed to put away in the linen cupboard while I consider its fate.

Most of our furnishings/colours are relatively classic and are chosen because they are what we like rather than what is this year’s “must have”.  This can make things difficult at times, especially when you are looking for a colour or design that is not ‘in’.

Do you follow the latest trends in interior design or are you happy with what you have?  Any tips for updating on a budget?

Split & Stacked

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Today The Duke split some more firewood and I stacked it.  This is the perfect time of the year for this kind of job as the weather is pleasant during the day and we have had no rain for about a month so the wood is really dry.

Here it is all stacked along the side of the woodshed.  This is in addition to the stack that we have under the house.  We do not use a lot of wood so this will be a good start on our supply for next winter.  It is a great feeling to know that what we are doing know will keep us warm next year.

Do you do any seasonal preparation ahead of time?

Project 333 – Packing

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It is now 8 days until we leave home on our overseas adventure.  The last 5 months of planning and preparation are now coming to fruition.  In that time I have streamlined my wardrobe, looked critically at the pieces I own and considered how they fit with my lifestyle and activities.  I have kept in mind what I expected to take on this trip and now it is all laid out on the spare bed and ready to go.

Trousers – 2 pairs of travel pants which have zip-off legs so I essentially have 2 pairs of shorts as well.  They are lightweight, easy to wash and dry quickly.

2012-08-11 01Singlet tops – These can be worn as a layer of underwear or as a tank top on hot days.

2012-08-11 02Summer tops – 2 basic coloured tops for warm days.  These will be useful for layering as well.

2012-08-11 03Short-sleeved tops – a couple of faithful items that have seen many years (and holidays) wear.

2012-08-11 043/4 sleeve tops – Red  striped top shown here and I will also take an identical black striped one.  Great for slightly cooler days and fitted so they can easily be worn under another layer.

2012-08-11 05Rugby tops – These are both in excess of 12 years old but in good condition and perfect for at home and travelling.

2012-08-11 06Polar fleece jacket – I bought this especially for this trip.  It will go over other layers and will be good if we encounter colder weather towards the end of the trip when we head further north.

2012-08-11 07Spray jacket – this will keep me dry in case of inclement weather but is also windproof and will be useful if worn over other layers.

2012-08-11 08Thermal tops – 2 synthetic thermal tops do not take up much space but will add warmth if needed.

Socks -2 pairs for my shoes and 1 for the boots.

2012-08-11 10Shoes – I am taking 3 pairs of footwear – walking sandals, hiking boots and general purpose shoes.

2012-08-11 11Hat – for hot, sunny days.

2012-08-11 12Winter accessories – scarf, beanie and gloves in case we encounter cold weather which is definitely possible, especially if we go into the mountain areas of New Hampshire.

2012-08-11 13I still need to add my underwear.  I have kept everything to a minimum, made sure everything mixes and matches and chosen items which are easy to wash and dry.

We will be taking a pegless clothesline with us and will wash out things every day or two as required.  My holiday mantra is, “No-one is every going to see us again so it simply does not matter whether I wear the same clothes every second day”.  In fact my holiday photos for the last 10 years feature many of the same clothes as I am packing for this trip!

Show Stopper

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The wind blows
The show begins
Sneezes, sniffles and coughs abound

I dodge and weave
Sip more lemon
Hope to escape

Mid-August is eternally predictable – the Royal Show begins for 10 days where the country comes to the city and  the seasonal cold/flu seems to catch up with everyone who has not succumbed so far.  To fuel this we usually experience one last serious flurry of a sub-tropical winter.  The westerly winds blow in with a vengeance and this year it has been right on cue.

Last night I pegged the sheets on the clothesline using 5 pegs on each sheet.  The clothesline is under the verandah and just outside our bedroom and I was awakened several times by the flapping of the sheets as well the creaking of the fixtures on the line.

This year seems to have been a particularly bad one for some serious viral infections as well as more than the average number of cases of influenza.  Doctors are snowed under by the workload as are hospital emergency departments.  Several of my colleagues and extended family have fallen victim to the illness with some having up to 2 weeks sick leave.

It is now only 10 days until we leave on our holiday.  I am doing everything I possibly can to avoid being ill on a long-haul flight at the beginning of our adventure.  This time of year is generally a show-stopper but I am determined not to let it be a holiday stopper.

Maintaining The Castle

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There are always regular maintenance jobs to do around the house and some get done more regularly than others.

One of the things we had neglected was the solar panels on the roof.

2012-08-05 01Today was a glorious late winter day here so The Duke decided to get stuck into some outside jobs.

The solar panels were installed about 20 months ago and they had not been cleaned.  The information on the website indicated that they should be cleaned with water and a soft cloth.  The Duke bought a squeegee mop since we have 2 rows of 10 panels it can be a bit difficult to reach some of them.

2012-08-05 02If the colour of the water in the bucket is any indication they should operate more efficiently now.  The plan is to make this job a 6 monthly routine.

Next was the solar HWS.  It is awful to admit but this had not been cleaned since it was installed, nearly 6 years ago.  The bottom edge was caked with accumulated mud but now it is sparkling again.

2012-08-05 03Since these things are on the roof it can be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ but we will definitely add these to the routine maintenance schedule.

A New Corner

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This afternoon The Duke and I did a bit more sorting out in the workshop.  This area is almost the size of a double garage.  It has a workbench and storage cupboards built-in as well as various other storage that we have acquired.

Keeping it neat and tidy is difficult as there always seems to be a project in progress.  However, we do need to keep some state of order as it is located between the double garage and the downstairs entry to the house.

We had some shelving that had come from my parents’ home and we decided to rearrange things and put the shelving up.

2012-08-04 01Here it is in the corner next to the door into the downstairs entrance foyer.  There is also plenty of space to store our garden shoes/workboots/gumboots.

I am not even sure what I will put on the shelves yet but I am really pleased that they are installed.

It is another small step towards getting and keeping things organised.

Falling Into Place

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This week I have finalised a few more details regarding our trip.

Sent order for a SIM card to use in our mobile phone while we are away.
Traced Miss O and Izz’s feet so that I know what size shoes to buy for them.
Checked on the insurance coverage for our car if someone else is driving it.
Arranged with the housesitter to transport us to and from the local train station en route to the airport.
Shortened the hems on our new travel pants.
Started putting some miscellaneous items in the spare room ready to pack (tripod, compass, travel clothesline, microfibre towels).

I have also finished reading the travel guide on my Kindle and am feeling confident about where we are going and what we plan to do.

The countdown is well and truly on now.

Freezer Finds

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My freezer is one of the most useful appliances I have.  I am able to buy larger quantities of some items and avoid going to the shops as frequently as I would otherwise and of course it is wonderful to be able to store excess produce.

I have 2 freezers – one is the bottom 1/3 of my refrigerator in the kitchen.  It has a narrow shelf at the top and 2 large pull-out baskets.  The second freezer is the size of a bar fridge and lives in the study.

Since we are going on holidays in 3 weeks I have been trying to use up some of the food that is in the freezers with a view to being able to empty and turn off the stand-alone freezer.  The first thing to do was to make an inventory of everything that is in them so here is the list.

Ground coffee
Pineapple (fresh, very ripe so will be juicing it)
Refried beans (homemade) 500g x 4 packs
Ice-cream – 3/4 of a 2 litre tub
Grated cheese – 4 large containers (I buy 2 kg block of cheese from a local factory and grate it)
Spreadable butter blend (homemade) 500g x 2
Grated zucchini – 400g packs x 2
Beef curry – 6 serves
Lasagne – 2 serves (lunch sized)
Chili con carne – 2 serves
Beef & vegie casserole – 6 serves
Tomato/pasta sauce (homemade) – 750ml x 2
Lasagna sheets (homemade) x 12
Fettucine (homemade) – 2 serves
Gravy beef – 500g x 2 packs
Chicken breast fillets x 4
Sausages x 2
Bacon (shortcut) x 7 slices
Sausage rolls (mini) x 5 – thawing for lunches today with salad
Sweet pastry (homemade) x 1 quantity
Savoury pastry (homemade) x 1 quantity
Baked sweet pastry (was tart shell which broke)
Sliced white bread (homemade) – 7 slices
Gluten free bread (1/2 loaf)
Breadcrumbs (soft and toasted)
French stick (sliced and in a bag)
Fruit muffins (crumbled in a small container)
Mashed pumpkin (to make pumpkin soup)
Lemon zest
Lemon juice (2 litres)
Lemon juice (ice cubes – about 4 dozen)
Lime juice (ice cubes – about 4 dozen)
Sliced limes – 2 containers
Orange juice – single serves x 3
Banana x 1
Passionfruit ice cubes x 15
Turkish bread rolls x 4

Bag of meat scraps

The freezers are a constant dynamic as shown by the following changes in the past 36 hours since I made that list.

Lasagne – 2 serves (lunch sized) – now 1 serve
Fettucine (homemade) – 2 serves – used
Chicken breast fillets x 4 – now x 3
Sausage rolls (mini) x 5 – thawing for lunches today with salad – used
Lime juice (ice cubes – about 4 dozen) – now 3 dozen
Orange juice – single serves x 3 – now 8 serves – 2 used and 7 more added after juicing the remaining oranges from the tree

I have also added another 2.5 litres of lemon juice.

From my inventory I have made a menu plan and will be using more of the contents over the coming weeks.

I am confident that I will be able to empty the small freezer before we go away.  I will post an update of the list in a week or so.

How do you manage the contents of your freezer?  Do you keep a precise list or just a general idea with the occasional complete inventory?  What do you mostly store – excess produce, bulk meat, prepared meals or baked goods?  I would love to hear your story.

Cruel to be Kind

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I always feel cruel at this time of the year as I have to clip our Border Collie dog in preparation for the tick season which usually begins at the start of August.  Sometimes I have left it too late with very serious consequences for both the dog and my wallet.

Today was the day and here is the ‘before’ photo.

2012-07-28 01It is not a particularly good photo as Psycho dog was determined not to co-operate.  He co-operated even less once he saw the clippers, however, once I convince him that it has to be done he just stands still and quivers.

I used to pay to have him clipped but then eventually decided that I could do it myself.  It has only taken 3 haircuts to recoup the cost of the clippers.  While my efforts are not up to show standard I think he looks quite respectable.

Here is the end result.

2012-07-28 02Once it was all done I washed him with handmade neem soap and then dried him off with the hairdryer and he does look rather gorgeous.  I think he will be wearing his Drizabone coat a fair bit for the next month while the weather is still quite cool – particularly at night.

It was imperative that I got this done before we go on holidays as the housesitter will need to check him regularly for ticks and that is nearly impossible while his coat is long.

That is another job ticked off my ‘to do’ list before we head off.