Preparation & Planning

Leave a comment

No matter what the task, preparation and planning are vital to ensure a successful outcome.

Our bathroom renovation is no different.  We have spent time discussing various options with the builder and also choosing tiles and fittings.

These are the tiles we plan to have.  The darker ones on the floor and lighter ones for the wall.  We were lucky that the salesperson at Amber Tiles was also an interior designer so was very helpful with colour choices.

2012-02-01 01We have also chosen the style of shower screen, toilet and vanity basin as well as the towel rails and taps.  These brochures contain our selections.  Even though we have chosen the items in the showroom, it is nice to have a pictorial record of our choices.

2012-02-01 02Our vanity unit will be made by the cabinetmaker so we still have to choose the laminate finishes that we want on the doors and bench.  I don’t have anything particular in mind so we may just go and peruse the samples and look for inspiration.

It is exciting to know that the new bathroom is soon to be a reality.  I can visualise it already, and I am looking forward to sharing the ‘after’ photos with you.

Make Your Own Pasta

11 Comments

I have finally set some time aside to try out my pasta maker.  It is an attachment for my Kitchen Aid.  Here are some photos from my effort on Sunday afternoon.

2012-01-31 01The mixer with flat blade

2012-01-31 02Ingredients – flour, salt, eggs, water

2012-01-31 03Pasta roller

2012-01-31 04

Spaghetti cutter

2012-01-31 05Lasagne sheets – cut, floured and packaged for freezing.

2012-01-31 06Spaghetti – dried, coiled into a nest and ready to refrigerate or freeze.

I also made fettucine which we had for dinner that night.  I don’t think I will ever buy dried pasta again.I am very pleased with the results of my first attempt and am looking forward to experimenting with different flours and flavourings.

This is another food that I have complete control over the ingredients.  I have also eliminated more packaging from our lives.

Another Book

2 Comments

Tonight I want to tell you a little about a book I read recently. It is an ebook which I found at Extra Organized, by Kim Woodland.  No disrespect to my American friends but it is refreshing to read an organising book written by an Australian author.

The sub-title of the book is, “How to use the best of organizing to shape a meaningful life”.  This sums up the essence of the book beautifully.  Organising is not about buying more boxes to put things in.  It is about using your organising skills to manage all facets of your life and really living your life today, in the here and now.

I love the simplicity and clarity of purpose used in the book.  I have read the book twice so far and I know it will continue to be a reference and source of inspiration for me.

If you are interested in organising to make a real difference in your attitude to your possessions and relationships I would thoroughly recommend this book.  Just pop over to her blog to find out more.

New From Old

2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, in this post I outlined what I was planning to do to rejuvenate an old bed.

Firstly, I covered the mattress in plastic, using one of the heavy-duty bags that was packaging from the new mattresses.

I stitched it to fit using my sewing machine.  It was a bit awkward but I was happy with the result.  Here is a close-up of the stitching.

Then I trimmed the excess plastic and set to making the fabric cover.  I made it so that it fitted neatly and at the open end I made a velcro fastening.

2012-01-29 03Here it is on the bed and you can see the straps which go underneath to secure it.  I don’t want to find the mattress at the other end of the verandah after we have a storm.

2012-01-29 04The straps are elasticated so that they easily slip over the ends of the frame and hold the mattress snugly in position.

All I need now is some nice warm days to invite me out to use my new creation.

A Quick Fix – Utensil Drawer

Leave a comment

Today I have been working on sorting out my email address book and making sure all of the details for my contacts are current and also that they match my hard copy address book which sits on the bookshelf.  This is an arduous process and I have also linked it to other jobs such as cleaning out the business card folder.

2012-01-28 01This is necessary and even admirable but sometimes you need a job which is small on effort but big on results to give you a boost.  This morning I did that by cleaning out the utensil drawer in the kitchen.  It was a spur of the minute decision as I was putting the clean dishes away.  I noticed that there were crumbs everywhere and it looked rather grotty so I took everything out and wiped the drawer out thoroughly.

In true minimalist fashion everything really had to earn a place to go back in.  This drawer has been seriously decluttered before so there was not much to go – just a corkscrew and multipurpose bottle opener.  Many would say I still have too much but it suits me at the moment.

2012-01-28 02Here is the finished project which gave me the incentive to go on with my other jobs today.

Friday Favourites – Savoury Quiche

2 Comments

At the risk of sounding monotonous, here is another quiche recipe.  I use different fillings depending on what is available but the principle remains the same.

SAVOURY QUICHE

PASTRY SHELL

1 quantity of shortcrust pastry.  The recipe is here.  I use a 25cm (10 inch) quiche dish and this is more pastry than I need.  You can freeze the excess or use it and make something else while the oven is turned on for the quiche.

FILLING

4 eggs
Cream/milk/milk powder/evaporated milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 rashers shortcut bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
Free choice – could be asparagus, mushrooms, corn kernels, spinach, tomato slices

Lightly fry the bacon and onion.  Spread mixture over the base of the quiche.  Add whatever other filling ingredients you choose and top with the grated cheese.  Beat the eggs with milk and or cream.  I usually use milk powder and water mixed in equal proportions to make a slightly richer mixture.  Add the cayenne pepper.  Pour over the filling until it is within about 1cm of the top of the pastry shell.  Bake in 180 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

2012-01-27 01

I did not get an opportunity to photograph the finished product before dinner last night so here is what is left.  I have cut it into portions to freeze.  We will then have it in our lunches next week.

I love recipes like this that allow for a degree of flexibility depending on the available ingredients.  It is a great way to use up a few sad vegies from the crisper.

Keep It Simple – Laundry

Leave a comment

After reading ‘Simplify’ I keep looking at how I can make various aspects of my life as simple as possible.  The laundry is one example.

I have previously written about tips and tricks for the laundry as well as organisation.

We do not need umpteen different cleaning agents or hair products and the same goes for washing clothes.  This shows all of my laundry products in 2 small racks inside the cupboard door.

2012-01-26 01In the top rack is pre-soak which I use occasionally, box of Sunlight soap and the washing liquid.  Half a capful of liquid is all I need for a load of washing in my front-loading machine.  I use Sunlight soap in a soap saver for most of the hand-washing that I do or rarely a couple of drops of the laundry liquid.

The bottom rack has a cut-down container and tablespoon which I use to measure the pre-soak and dissolve it before adding to a bucket of hot water.  I have a bar of Sard Wonder soap which I store in the container.  Beside this is a partly used container of Napisan which is from when I was soaking cloth nappies for my young grand-daughter.  She no longer wears nappies but I have kept the Napisan as it can be useful for soaking to remove stubborn stains.  Once it is used up I will not replace it.

Silent Green Giants – An Update

2 Comments

In March last year, during the first couple of weeks of this blog, I posted this entry about our ‘big 3’ – the solar panels, solar hot water and rainwater tanks.

Today I finally received our statement from our electricity company for the meter reading which was done back at the end of November.  This means that we now have the statistics for a full 12 month period of having solar panels and exporting generated power, which is excess to our requirements, back to the grid.

In one year of having our solar panels connected to the grid we will receive a refund of $1,244.33 as well as having $0 in power bills.  This represents a total turnaround of costs over 12 months of $2,392.17.  I am really pleased with the result as it was achieved despite one of the wettest summers on record (and next to no sunshine) in the first 3 months after the installation of the panels.

We have a 3.7kW system which cost nearly $14,000 after the rebates.  We anticipated that we would recover our costs (in refunds and no bills) within about 5 years.  We will go close to achieving this and my goal for the next year is to reduce our electricity consumption even further by being more vigilant in monitoring our usage.  I will also endeavour to make sure that more of our necessary consumption is at night, thereby maximising the power being exported to the grid.

I am pleased that we can minimise our costs as well as making a positive contribution to reducing our carbon footprint.

The Other Side

4 Comments

Due to work commitments this is where I spent last night.  While it is all very luxurious I find the excessive resources a bit overwhelming. I do not need towels as big as a bed sheet  nor 32 square metres of space for 1 person to sleep.  The shower head dispensed more water in one short shower than would be required by a Third World family for a week.

I am looking forward to my own bedroom, open windows and bird chorus to wake me.

For me, it really is a matter of “There is no place like home”.  That is where I try to, “Live simply so that others may simply live”.  The inequity of resources in the world is obscene.  Is it any wonder that there is so much anger and hate in the world when everyone is scrambling to get their bit of the finite pie?

Have a calm and fulfilling day wherever you are.

Sunday = Fun Day

1 Comment

Today I had the pleasure of taking Miss O to her first experience of live theatre.  We went to see a production of Charlotte’s Web based on the book by E. B. White.  The performance was excellent and staged by the Caloundra Chorale & Theatre Company, a local Sunshine Coast group.

Here are a couple of photos of the characters.  They mingled with the audience after the show.  Miss O was happy to observe from a distance but declined to have her photo taken with any of them.  This is Charlotte.

2012-01-22 01And the goose and gander.

2012-01-22 02I love live theatre and being able to share that with my grand-daughter has been very special.