The Organised Home Challenge

A while back, I read on someone's (?) blog, this question.

If you could only move one piece of furniture with you across the country, what would it be?



This would be it. It is over 100 years old and made in India. I found it in a very small, country town about 10 years ago. I had to have it. My husband, did not think, that we had to have it. Apparently, we did not need it. It sat waiting patiently for me, for a nearly year, until I could wait no more. Without telling my husband I rang the store up and paid for it over the phone.



The day that it was due to arrive, the store owner rang me at work. His voice was breathless and I was worried. He told me I'd better have four strong men ready to take it off the truck when it arrived. Oh dear, we did not know anyone in Brisbane. So, I offered beer and dinner to a guy from work, if he would turn up at our place at 6:00pm, with a very a strong friend. He did and all was fine (well kind of). After dinner, with our new friends gone and a pile of boxes unpacked, the cupboard was filled to the brim. We have not added a thing since.

I guess we needed it after all.





I just love it and it contents of precious memories. Mainly filled with crockery and glasses from both mine and my husbands family's. Grandparents, great grandparents, great aunts and even great, great grandparents. And one or two found antique treasures.



I had other chores penciled in this week, for my continuing quest, for an organised home. But this cupboard needed my attention. Despite my love for it, it had been neglected. It should have been re-oiled about eight months ago, but it hadn't. The wood was very dry, and with our weeks of rain, came the mold. The mold decided that this cupboard was the perfect thing to latch onto, and cover. Arrgh! The inside had to be done also and that meant it had to be emptied, something I did not want to do with the kids around. I had organised weekend away for them so the job could be done next week, however the mold was so irritating and unhealthy I couldn't bare it. I just did it. I gave the children a very big lecture about 'touching' and unpacked all of the breakable heirlooms onto the dining table. It sat here for the next four days.

I cleaned the mold off with vinegar, washed all of the crockery and oiled the inside and out with orange oil. With the glassed cleaned and the contents neatly back in their place, it is back to being my favourite piece of furniture again.

Just a second coat of oil to go onto the outside today.

And another job will be crossed off the list.

Go here, to see who else has been getting organised around their home this week.

Red salmon dip

There are heaps of variations for this recipe, probably everyone as made it, in some form or another. I've seen recipes for it in Gourmet Traveller Magazine, in toddler cookbooks and everywhere in between. I usually just make up the quantities, but every time I make it, someone asks for the recipe. So this is what I do.

Red Salmon Dip

(makes about 2/3 cup)

• 125 grams philadelphia cream cheese
• 50 grams tinned red salmon
• 1 -2 tables lemon juice
• 1 teas dill, chives or parsley (finely chopped)
• 1 teas. capers (finely chopped) - optional
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined and serve.
You will usually find us eating this in the park, with plain rice crackers.

General store love - Labour and Wait

For the home.

• A simple and inviting doormat.
• A warm woolen blanket.
• French non drip candles. My tablecloths would thank me for this.









For the kitchen.

• A glass butter dish, need I say more.
• A citrus juicer, ours broke recently and I love this small jug.
• A set of school tumblers. I would buy these just because of the name. Yes, I do love clever marketing.
• And a milk pan, for hot chocolate and custard.





For the cleaning.

• Linen dishcloths, so much more stylish than a chux.
• And a feather duster, to whip with around the house, minutes before your guests arrive.





For the garden.

• A trug, to fill with fresh produce from the garden.
• Wooden handled garden tools, a set for me, a set for the kids and some wooden secateurs too!

I love the utilitarian simplicity of general store products. And would love to be stepping inside this beautiful Labour and Wait store to buy them. But the good thing about a global village is, that you can buy them on line.

I found this bookmarked on my computer. I'm loving going through and rediscovering things I have bookmarked ages ago.

My creative space...

I would love to tell you that I whipped up these gorgeous crocheted strawberry house slippers today. I loooove them! But no, they are just what tempted me to bring this book home from the library this morning.



I love these Made in France embroidery books and this one, if nothing else, is sweet fun to look at. I doubt I will be starting any cross stitch anytime soon, as I have a few other simple embroideries ready to go. I'm ready to start one to hang in the children's playroom, but I can't decide on the thread colour. Instead, I picked up this, 'Christmas Tee-Pee Girl' embroidery, to start, when mum came over for a coffee today.

I know that it is a long time until Christmas, but I just needed to stitch something.

I'm finding it very hard to sit idle these days.

If you want to see some more creative spaces, go over to kootoyoo and be inspired.

Australia Day

(this image is from the book I found at the church stall yesterday for 10 cents. It is called "The Jolly Swagman - Jenny and Sue have an exciting adventure in the sheep and cattle country of Australia" Could there be a more perfect find on Australia Day?)



The sun was shining and our day was spent in true Aussie fashion.

We went to the Australia Day street parade, had a barbecue at mum's house, there was fishing in the river and swimming in the pool, red wine, cheese, dips and olives, a nana nap, some great Australian church stall finds and pavlova.

Thanks Mum, for a lovely day.



I hope that all of my Australian readers had a happy day too.


(another church stall find, 15 recent copies of Australian Country Style magazine for $2:00)

And the winners are.....

A busy of couple of weeks for many people has come to an end.

And the winners are...

The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal and the Queensland people

Toni and her helpers from 'Make it Perfect' and the 240 odd people who donated their craft to auction or raffle. Go here to read Toni's heartfelt post.

All of the people, both in Australia and around the world, who donated and helped raise a staggering $99 089.00!

Thank-you.

And my raffle winners are.....



Raffle number one:

Although no one donated for a ticket in this raffle, there are no losers here. This pillow will be donated on to Carol, of 'Naturally Carol' as part of her Cushion Drive, and then donated on to someone in need.



Raffle number two:

The winner is simoneil



Raffle number three:

The winner is Gretel from 'a little red ribbon'



Raffle number four:

The winner is Karen from 'the house of wilson'



Raffle number five:

The winner is Oscarlucinda

Congratulations to all of the winners and thank-you to everyone who donated.

Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions and Raffles

It is the last few days of the Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions and Raffles. So I have decided to repeat my original post on 'what to do'. You may have read in my last post, that the end times, of both the auctions and raffles have changed. This has all been amended here. Please read below.

This will be the last that you will hear from me, until Wednesday. Which is probably just as well, school starts tomorrow and I think the routine of it all will be a shock to the system. I may need a few days to get over it.

Here's what to do:

• You need to go to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal website and donate $5:00 (Australian), this gives you one ticket for the raffle

• Leave me a comment on the raffle of your choice (see my five raffles in my sidebar - just click to link) with your donation receipt number. If you want more than one entry or an entry on another one of my raffles, you'll need to make a separate donation and then leave another comment.

• The raffle is open to everyone around the world.

• The Auctions will now be closing at 9:00 pm Monday the 24th January, NOT midnight as originally planned.

• The raffles (that's me) will be continuing until midday on Wednesday 26th January.

• I will draw the winner of each raffle on the afternoon of Wednesday, 26th January. Please make sure you leave your e-mail address so I can contact the winner.

• A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

• Thank you so much for participating, every little bit helps. Good luck!

Don't forget about my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Please join us. For more details read here.

Queensland Flood Appeal Auction UPDATE!

Just a quick note, to give you an update on the Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions.

The Auctions will now be closing at 9:00 pm Monday the 24th January, NOT midnight as originally planned.

AND

The raffles (that's me) will be continuing until midday on Wednesday 26th January.

So that gives you heaps more time to donate. I have a little secret... I haven't even had a chance to sit down and do this yet either. But I have had a look and there are some fantastic auctions and raffles prizes to be won.

If you want to enter one of my five raffles, and I would love you too. Just go to here or check out my sidebar.

A master list of other crafty raffles and auctioneers can be found here.

Many thanks, to the lovely people still contacting me to make dolls for the Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. I am so grateful for your support. Who else would like to join us?

Also, I would like to welcome my newest followers, Alice, Mira, Catherine from 'a time to create', Jenna from 'jenna designs', Sam from 'cottonspool'

I'm grateful for...

Today I am grateful for my family. For my extended family, that surrounded me when I was growing up.

For my parents, for my uncles, aunts, great uncles, great aunts and my grandparents. I was so very lucky to have them all so close, when I was a child. I am grateful for the important values that they taught me, even though, at the time I did not know it. But I know it now, as I raise my children. I am constantly looking to my own childhood, back to what I saw and how they lived. Today, I am looking back, for guidance forward.

"it takes a village to raise a child" - African proverb

No, we did not live together, like the Walton's. But as families spread out and move further away from each, you can see they had the right idea. Love and support - right there. As a seventies child, I loved the Walton's. In fact, I wanted to be one of them.

Go over to 'maxabella loves' for more gratitude posts.

Please don't forget that the Queensland Flood Appeal Auction has started and ends at midnight on Monday 24th January. A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

AND

Don't forget my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Perhaps you'd like to join us

New challenges

Last week I signed on to be part of two new challenges, 'mousehouse's' Organised Home Challenge and 'five green acres' The Rumpelstiltskin Challenge. Usually I'll we be writing about them on a Friday, but yesterday disappeared with appointments, before school shopping, and oiling furniture. So here I am today.





The Rumpelstiltskin Challenge is all about making things with what you already have in your cupboard. In fact, I have been doing this for everything that I've made in the last six months. It is in part, that I have been following the Dottie Angel Challenge, but I have also done it for the gifts and dolls I have made too. This is the quote I have repeated to myself, every time that I have wanted to rush of to the shops and buy new supplies.

"Do what you have, with what you have, where you are"

This week I made two pillow cases from a Tasmanian tablecloth. My family went to Tasmania on a holiday when I was about eight years old. We bought the exact same souvenir tablecloth, that my Dad still uses daily. I knew that Dad would not part with our old tablecloth and that he would never understand why I would want to turn a 30 year old tablecloth into a cushion. So, I was thrilled when I found this at a local op shop.

I made these, this week because:

• This tablecloth had recently been washed and was still in the laundry. It seemed easier to make up the cushions than to find a spot for it in the craft room.
• Australia Day is coming up and I thought it would be a nice way to decorate the house for the day, however I love them so much, they might just stay where they are for now.
• After last week, I was in a cushion making mood.
• The study/craft room has been cleaned up. What a difference this makes to creativity. I can actually get to my sewing machine without tripping over the filing or a pile of secondhand books. I know where the tape measure is and I was able to easily find the grey cotton.



It was obviously no coincidence that I borrowed this book from the library last week. It seems that I am not the only one who needs to de-clutter, simplify and organise! I have joined the Organised Home Challenge to help me with this.

First and foremost I need to organise my time better. I have been making lists: our daily routine, my daily jobs, the kids daily jobs (we'll see how that goes!) menu plan charts, grocery list sheets, family day ideas, birthday lists, christmas cards lists, a family traditions list. I am currently in the process of going all 'Martha Stewart' and making a calendar list like this. Perhaps I'll share it when I'm done. If you don't think I've gone crazy?



This weeks main focus, was to clean up our lounge room. It was mess, filled with things I had moved in there from the study, christmas decorations that had not been put away, christmas presents that needed a home and a pile of half finished craft projects. I also had all of the cushions off the lounge, to air it out after all of the rain. I am grateful that we also have a family room, because you could not walk into the main lounge room.

First I cleared out all of the things in there that did not belong. I moved furniture and vacuumed, beneath and behind it, I dusted the bookshelves and sorted the books, I washed the windows, sills and skirting boards. I removed the video player that had not worked for over 6 months and packed up all of he old videos and took them to my Mum's place. I feel very happy now when I walk past. I just stand and smile.

Now on to the next room...

• I found this website, The organised housewife, after I had made up all of my own lists.

• The real simple website goes hand in hand with the book I have just borrowed

• And if you really want to knock yourself out in the organising department, there is always Martha.

Please don't forget that the Queensland Flood Appeal Auction has started and ends at midnight on Monday 24th January. A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

AND

Don't forget my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Perhaps you'd like to join us

When it rains - I cook

The week before the floods hit Brisbane, we were doing a lot of cooking at our house. It was unrelenting rain, so there was not much else to do. I was just clearing my camera and thought I would show you some pictures, even if it was two weeks ago.



We made baked doughnuts using this recipe. Yum. Yum. Yum!



We drunk hot chocolate, yes some days were actually cold!



I'm trying to stop cooking and eating so much pasta this year. One night we ate grilled salmon and pasta salad. OK, this is still pasta, but at least in came in a different guise. It was cold. It was salad.





Another night I cooked Filipino food. Chicken and rice porridge (Arroz Caldo), pork braised in sweet vinegar soy (Humba), braised greens and jasmine rice. So yummy on a cold, rainy night.





Nanny came over to our place and made a pavlova. Spunky Monkey was her little helper.



There were days of popcorn and the Fantastic Mr Fox. Many days in fact.



We even went out for breakfast during a thunderstorm!

Please don't forget that the Queensland Flood Appeal Auction has started and ends at midnight on Monday 24th January. A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

AND

Don't forget my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Perhaps you'd like to join us.

Just a few things....

(the photos are of two dolls I made over the weekend for the dolly drive)

• Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, to all of the people putting their hands up to make a doll for the Dolly Drive. I am overwhelmed by the support coming from around the world. Along with the people listed in my side bar, many others, without a blog, have also contacted me and are making dolls as I write. I have sent off some e-mails trying to get contacts to help distribute them. Please if you have any ideas or contacts, let me know.

• Thanks too, to the lovely ladies who have either put my button on their blog or posted about the Dolly Drive. I have been trying to thank-you personally, but I think I have missed a few. I have noticed, thanks for helping spread the word.

• Jenna has sent in a great link for doll patterns. You might want to have a look. "Bit of Whimsy Dolls"

• Carol from 'naturally carol' is making cushions and aprons for the homes of flood victims and wants to know if anyone else would like to join her. Also if anyone has any ideas on how she can distribute them, please let her know.

• Catherine has taken a ticket in my raffle and asked if she wins, to pass it on. Perhaps you could do the same. I can donate the cat softie to the dolly drive and cushions could be donated to Carol (see above)

• Please, please, please donate. If not here, then on one of the many other auction or raffles listed here.

•I want to welcome my new followers, Alli from 'a beautiful pea green boat' and 'handmade in a pea green boat', Sarah from 'one perfect day', Sophie from 'her library adventures', Christy from 'a Christy production', 'felt like stitchin', Al, Mary and Siti Fatimah





• And finally, I am going to resume blogging as normal. It am still watching the flood news both here and now around Australia. My heart is breaking. It just hasn't seemed right to be blogging happy thoughts in this space over the last couple of weeks. But I need to get back to some pretty pictures, recipe posts and crafting. This blog is my happy place. I will, of course, be keeping you update with the dolly drive and the raffle.

Please don't forget that the Queensland Flood Appeal Auction has started and ends at midnight on Monday 24th January. A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

AND

Don't forget my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Perhaps you'd like to join us.

Queensland Flood Appeal Auction STARTS NOW!

Well actually, I'm changing it to a raffle. But it still STARTS NOW!

I am so very proud to be part of this auction. I only dabble in craft, but did not want to miss this opportunity to raise money for our flood victims. So with a cupboard full of fabric, and a couple of half finished dolls I set about making something to raffle off. I have listed five items below to be raffled, each on a separate post. So that is five separate raffles.

Here's what to do:

• You need to go to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal website and donate $5:00 (Australian), this gives you one ticket for the raffle

• Leave me a comment below the raffle of your choice with your donation receipt number. If you want more than one entry or an entry on another one of my raffles, you'll need to make a separate donation and then leave another comment.

• The raffle is open to everyone around the world.

• The raffle begins NOW and ENDS at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

• I will draw the winner of each raffle on the morning of Tuesday, 25th January. Please make sure you leave your e-mail address so I can contact the winner.

• Thank you so much for participating, every little bit helps. Good luck!

A master list of other crafty auctioneers can be found here.

Don't forget about my Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Please join us. For more details read here.