Family Comes First

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My complete lack of blogging for about a week has probably left some of you wondering if I am OK.  I am absolutely fine but have busy with other facets of my life.

Last weekend my mother spent the weekend with us.  Whilst this is not unusual, we had a weekend full of activity although it was limited somewhat by the heavy rain (190mm or almost 8 inches) on Friday and Saturday.  We managed to dodge the worst of the rain when we went to the local Agricultural Show.  There was dairy cattle judging to see, poultry breeds to check out, gorgeous alpacas and one of my favourites – the wood-chopping events.  We spent a lot of time viewing the various fine arts and crafts and also the produce section.

The washing doesn’t end just because it rains for a few days but it does become a more challenging task.  Hanging it on an airer in front of the fire meant that I just put a few things in the dryers for a short time to finish them off.

I cooked and prepared food for meals on the weekend and also for future meals and snacks.  Cooking from scratch really does give you an appreciation for the food you eat when you know the time and effort that has gone into the preparation.  I made pastry (and a steak and kidney bean pie), Lemon Delicious, pasta (to freeze) , orange and poppyseed muffins and pumpkin scones.  The Duke squeezed a bucketful of oranges from the tree and made bread.

There was plenty of time for relaxation, too.  We played several games of Scrabble and learned lots of new words in the process.

Then it was back to work on Monday and for the last couple of days I have been staying with Belle and help to look after Miss O and Izz before and after daycare while Belle has done some extra work.

I will be home tomorrow and get back into blogging in earnest.  Thank you for staying around – there will be some interesting posts and photos coming up.

What has your week been like?

Success

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We have had chickens for about 6 years now but in the last 12 months the most recent ones have been broadening their horizons.  They wander beyond our boundaries and have been making a nuisance of themselves by scratching on the neighbour’s property.  So for the last few weeks we have had to keep them shut up mostly except when we are around to closely supervise their whereabouts.

In the long term we plan to rebuild the chicken house in a different location and have a substantial fenced area where they will be able to roam.  However, this is not going to happen immediately as it is to be done in conjunction with fencing the vegetable garden area and some other landscaping.

2012-05-31 01 So, today I have put some nylon bird-netting over the fence and gate where I think they get out and seem to have successfully kept the chickens in our yard.

We also have some temporary fencing around the vegetable gardens as they are diligent when it comes to looking for tasty morsels, and there are plenty of earthworms in the garden.

2012-05-31 02And here are a couple of photos of the girls happily scratching in an area that is perfect for them.

2012-05-31 04Having a lovely time in the leaf litter…………

2012-05-31 03

Decluttering – How & Why

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Tonight I have copied a piece I wrote and posted on the forum at Simple Savings.

I was intrigued at what seems to be a sudden and exponentially increasing interest in decluttering.  This does not seem to be confined to a particular generation or socio-economic group.  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

I am not sure of the reason but lately there have been many, many posts from people wanting to declutter or who are overwhelmed by their stuff and do not know where to start.

I have written this in order to lay out my thoughts and experiences in a logical manner. I am also happy to answer any questions.

  • I am not a professional organiser
  • I have had a cluttered, messy house in the past

I started my decluttering journey in a very small way about 10 years ago with 2 teenagers still living at home. We have moved house in that time and now there is only The Duke and I at home so our circumstances have changed significantly.

Recently, I have read several books on minimalism and decluttering as well as numerous blogs on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you read at least one. If you have a Kindle, download a book or otherwise borrow it from the library – you don’t want to be bringing more stuff into your home.

Here are a few to get you started.

  • Winning The Clutter War by Sandra Felton
  • The Joy of Less by Francine Jay
  • Simplify by Joshua Becker
  • Basics of Minimalism by Janice Becker

They are all good and have their place but my personal favourite is ‘The Joy of Less’. As well as gentle, practical advice there is a good deal about the psychology of stuff and actually changing your mindset to enable you to let things go. I found this particularly useful.

There are a few things that were important for me to consider.

  • I did not throw things out as I consider this wasteful and would rather take my time and use things up and not replace them.
  • I re-homed things that I no longer required – via either the op shop or Freecycle
  • Making money was not important for me but you may choose to list things on E-bay or Gumtree
  • Do not fill up the space that you create with more stuff – this is why it is important to read and understand the psychology of keeping stuff.

The big question is always ‘where or how do I start?’

This really depends on your circumstances and why you want to declutter. Is a particular thing getting you down, such as children’s toys? Or is it years of accumulated papers? Do you have to eat dinner on your lap because the dining room table is covered with piles of clean washing waiting to be folded?

Whatever the reason, you need a 2-pronged approach. As well as decluttering you need to maintain the regular daily chores such as washing dishes, preparing meals and washing clothes. If the clutter is impacting on your ability to do the basics you will need to address that as a priority. Do one small thing first and work from there.

Whatever you decide only tackle an area big enough for you to actually complete. There is no point in emptying out an entire wardrobe only to find that you run out of time or inspiration and you are left with piles all over the floor. It is better to do your underwear drawer and enjoy the feeling of opening it and seeing everything folded and in its place. Then you maintain the order in it and you will find that you want all of the drawers like this so gradually you will work through until it is all done.

Organising goes hand in hand with decluttering but is not a replacement for it. Stashing things into umpteen boxes and crates is not the answer. I understand that it is difficult in some houses with minimal storage space so you will have to come up with some creative solutions, however, best of all is to ask yourself whether it really needs to stay in your home.

There is a lot more I could write, but it is over to you, now.

What is your story?

DIY Dishcloths

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In response to an earlier post about the dishcloths I had finished knitting, Cathy asked if I could share the pattern.

This pattern is from the ‘Down to Earth’ book by Rhonda Hetzel who writes a blog of the same name.  If you have not seen it yet please pop in here.

This is the pattern which I have put into my own words.

Using 8 ply (or doubled 4 ply) cotton, cast on 38 stitches.

Rows 1 – 3      Knit
Row 4             Knit
Row 5             K3, purl to last 3 stitches, K3
Row 6             K3, [P2, K1], repeat to last 2 stitches, K2
Row 7             K3, [K2, P1], repeat to last 5 stitches, K5

Repeat rows 4 – 7, 14 times (total of 63 rows)

Rows 64 – 67    Knit

Cast off, fasten thread and weave in the ends.

Project Streamline – Shorts

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I know it is almost winter (and the temperatures definitely reflect that fact) but today I am going to review my selection of shorts.  Perhaps it is easier to be rational about clothes in the opposite season?

SHORTS

Once again, I will catalogue everything that are shorts regardless of the state of them.

2012-05-28 01Good casual shorts – 3 pairs – black, white and khaki in the same style.
PROS – colour, fit
CONS –none
DECISION – they all stay – basis of my summer casual wardrobe

2012-05-28 02Rugby knit shorts x 2 – grey and red
PROS – comfortable, worn at home
CONS – 11 years old, paint-spattered
DECISION – keep wearing until they wear out

2012-05-28 03Refashioned shorts from some hiking pants
PROS – super comfortable and lightweight
CONS – generally worn at home or locally
DECISION – keep wearing them

2012-05-28 04Board shorts
PROS – hardly worn
CONS – not sure how much I will wear these
DECISION – reassess my swimwear/board shorts when it gets closer to summer

Today I heard of someone planning an overseas trip who thought 1 pair travel pants, 3 pairs jeans, 3 pairs cargo pants and a skirt was a reasonable number of ‘bottoms’ to pack.  I don’t even own 3 pairs of jeans!!  When I hear stories like that I know that I do not really have a lot of clothes.

On a (Jelly) Roll

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After hearing the term ‘jelly roll’ in relation to quilting I was sufficiently intrigued to try to find out what it is.  A Google search was all I needed.  I found this video on You Tube and was inspired to give it a go with my own fabric rather than buying a roll of precut fabric.

I spent a couple of hours on this and here is the result.

2012-05-27 01I am going to use this as the centre of a quilt for Izz.

2012-05-27 02These are some of the squares I have done.  You can start to get a general idea of what it will look like.

I have more fabric and more ideas but you will have to wait to see the next step.

Frugal at the Football

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Today we went to the football and were going to be out for most of the day and it was quite a cool day.  Last night I cooked up a big pot of pumpkin soup so that we could take some with us.

2012-05-26 01Here is what I got out ready to pack.This is a glass-lined wide-necked thermos which belonged to my parents.  I am not sure how old it is but probably nearly as old as I am.  It is perfect for keeping the soup hot.

2012-05-26 02I also used an old towel to wrap the thermos and an insulated bag.  We bought the bag at a supermarket in New Zealand when we were on holidays last year.  There are also 4 mugs and soup spoons.

We bought 6 rolls at a bakery near the train station for $3 and also took some muffins and apples from home.  The soup stayed hot and the warmth and nutrition was welcome.

We did not spend any money on food of average quality and inflated cost at the match so the only cost was our tickets.  There was also no waste created from disposable containers.

Tying Up Loose Ends

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Today on the train I managed to finish off 3 more dishcloths.  They were knitted but just needed the threads to be woven in and neatened up.

These are some that I made to use up the last of the coloured thread.  I had 2 balls of the neutral thread stashed away so it is good to get it used up.

I am knitting 1 more cloth and that should just about finish all of the scraps so I will then have 9 dishcloths which should last me quite a while.  Not bad for the $10 spent of 4 balls of coloured thread.  Many thanks to my friend, Sandra who found the special and even bought them for me.

My next project is to use the same pattern to knit a facewasher each for Miss O and Izz for part of their Christmas gifts.  I plan to buy a ball each of pink and purple cotton and will make 1 pink and 1 purple one with their intitials knitted into it in the contrasting colour.

Speaking of Christmas gifts – it is 7 months till Christmas.  I have been a bit slack about posting my progress of Christmas preparations for Lazy Brownie day each month but I will get back on track for June.

How soon do you start planning for Christmas?

End of Life

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Despite all the mending and repairs, there comes a time when things reach the end of their life.  This pair of The Duke’s trousers is a perfect example.

2012-05-24 01I have previously posted about patching them and while the patches have survived there is yet another worn patch lower down the leg.  These are not accidental rips – the fabric is simply wearing out and they are getting quite thin in numerous places.  Therefore, it has ceased to be worthwhile mending them any longer.

My initial thought was to throw them in the bin but then I realised that as well as being mindful when we are purchasing items we should also be responsible for them at the end of their useful life.  Many garments are cut up for rags or tying up plants in the garden but these are suitable for neither.2012-05-24 03

I decided to remove the zip and button for possible future re-use and decided that since these trousers are cotton they could go in the compost.

2012-05-24 02So that the fabric would mix with the rest of the compost I cut the trousers into strips and here it is ready to become part of the garden.

2012-05-24 04This is my seam ripper which is identical to the one that I broke while removing the zip from the trousers.  I am not sure why I had two of these but now there is only one.  The broken one went in the rubbish bin.