The decluttering continues...

 Someone told me recently that they thought that my Pinterest boards had gotten a little out of hand.




I disagree. For me, Pinterest is no different than ripping pages from magazines or newspapers and either pinning them onto an 'actual' pinboard or making a folder of favourite things. This is something I have done all of my life.



Recently, in my never ending quest to declutter, I came across a box (high in the cupboard) labelled: kids clothes. I knew for certain, that the contents of the box were definitely not kids clothes. I left the box in the hallway for a few days, unsure if I should open it. What could be in there? What would I do with it? It is not like me to mislabel something.








Nothing could have prepared me for what I found - the covers of nearly all of my school books and folders from High School - WHAT?! I had no idea I had saved them and shuddered when I thought of all the times that I had moved this box from house to house. What for?

This incidentally, brings me back to a quick point on decluttering. After reading many books and blogs on the subject I have been able to identify our clutter: Memory Clutter and Just In Case Clutter. This has been an amazing revelation and has made my decluttering so much easier. Also I have found that repeating the catch phase "Would I take this if I was moving?" Has been invaluable. The boxes for the thrift shop have been filling up fast.

There is no reason to keep something so useless, that is taking up valuable cupboard space.

The folders go!

But wait... I do love a good trip down memory lane... so I am grateful for the 'space saving' Internet and will share some of the folder covers here - with you.




 You see, I have always been very fond of cut and paste.



I'll post up some more photos soon.

Is that Cinderella I see?

My cousin had told me about how she had put her 'little girls' to work, one day over the holidays. She gave them each a bucket of soapy water and set them to work; washing little dirty fingerprints from her freshly painted walls. She had been shocked at what a wonderful time that they had all had.

After a particularly trying day, near the end of our holidays, I thought I would do the same. With some basic housework on the to do list and some ratty kids that needed direction, I too, gave each of them a task. As I cleaned the bathroom, toilet and laundry, I gave them each bucket and asked them to wipe down the walls and skirting boards (one of my least favourite jobs). Guess what - it was pretty fun! I loved that we were all working together to make our home clean and tidy. There was a real sense of purpose and bonding, that I did not expect. It was time well spent.

Miss Moo Moo, went on to clean almost all of the skirting boards in the house, without having to be asked, however Spunky Monkey abandoned his bucket, five minutes in. He preferred instead to give orders. He wandered in and out of the house doing his own thing, occasionally coming up to one of us and saying: 

"Chop, Chop, lets get the job done!"

Miss Moo Moo had been saying how fun cleaning skirting boards was, however, after about an hour she said this:

"Cleaning skirting boards is fun. The first time you do it, it is really fun, the second time you do it, it is kinda of fun, the third time you do it, it is a bit boring and the fourth time you do it, it is a nightmare!"

I'm not sure how much cleaning/bonding time we will be having in the future!

What we have been up too

Well it seems that things are finally sorted out here with our computer. Fingers crossed.

Hooray!

So what have we been doing with ourselves over the last month, you ask?

• The camellias have bloomed in the garden, making me catch my breath every morning when I open the curtains.

• We received free tickets to a magic show. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Afterwards we sat in the sun in the almost deserted main street, eating old fashioned ice-creams - a magnum, a drumstick and a have-a-heart. We don't do that much.

• I have cleaned, culled and tidied 16 cupboards and drawers, but can you believe it? There is still more to do!

• We have had 4 dentist visits and 7 doctors visits... and guess what? There will be more of that too.

• I have made my own laundry detergent. I've had the ingredients in the cupboard... waiting... for nearly 6 months. I love it. I am converted for so many reasons.

• Instead of calling my daughter by her name, I have started calling her 'my memory'. For example:

"Where's my memory? Oh there you are. What was the name of that person/show/place.....? who was that person who said/did/went...?"

She remembers everything, while I am either rather sleep deprived or showing my age, or both.

• This brings me to bedtime. I haven't been to bed before midnight in over a month. I am not a late night person and our household wakes with the sun regardless of what time I went to bed. I am trying to shift this disagreeable sleep pattern. It does not make for a very happy or productive Mummy.

• Because of the said waking hours I have been drinking lots (lots) of homemade cappuccinos. I usually only drink coffee at home on a Sunday morning. The rest of the time I can be found drinking way too many cups of tea. But cappuccinos have been getting me through lately, sprinkled with cinnamon instead of cocoa, the way my Mum and I drank them in Turkey almost 20 years ago.

• I have washed and repacked all of my children's saved baby clothes. It was a nice trip down memory lane.

• The children marched with their school on ANZAC day. We almost passed out with heat stroke and ate way too many ANZAC bikkies.

• Our printer broke down, the vacuum cleaner died and the toaster caught on fire (just a tiny spark - don't worry)

• We have had 4 visits from the tooth fairy.

• I have halved the contents of my wardrobe and I know I can half it again. It's all about mindset. It feels good.

• I have been spending way to much time on Pinterest. I keep telling myself that it is just another way of organising my life. And it is. Instead of things filling up computer space or having piles of paper and lists laying around, I have been pinning things instead. But it is true, that every now and again, I go off on a little tangent. It is a fun place to be.

• The kids ran their cross country.

• I have completely lost count of how many boxes I have taken to the op shop, or brought home from the op shop! I think it's pretty much an even swap so far. I'm not sure if that is what you would call good de-cluttering, or not. Out with the old and in with the new, that's what I say.

• I have finally found an inner strength at the library. Right now I have only 3 books out from the library. Yes! 3! And 3 dvd's. The norm is to have maxed my library card with 30 books, dvd's, cd's, children's books and magazines. And then, if there is no more room on my card I use the kids cards - always. Usually, nothing gets read. At best I might flick through the cooking and homemaking books, but any serious reading books are returned with only the first chapter read! This was not ideal. I have turned a corner, and I am excited.

I have also been thinking a lot about how I want to live my life, right now and in the future. Changing my mindset, taking a step back and re-evaluating things.

Life keeps moving at a very fast pace. I am trying to keep up with it. How about you?

This last week

During the last week I have....



Been surprised by my mother, she turned up unexpectedly at my door with this gorgeous bunch of flowers. It is amazing how much fresh flowers can lift your mood.

During a week that should have been all about her, she was thinking of me. Wow, that is why we love our mum's so much!


 I have started eating healthier lunches - outside, instead of in front of the computer.





 I have chosen the fabrics for two quilts. One for the girls.





And one for the boys. To snuggle under while reading or watching a movie during winter.

They will be made from vintage flannelette, a collection of flannelette from my own childhood and thrifted finds. A fairly ambitous project since I have never quilted before. I will be keeping it simple that's for sure. I would like to get these made before it gets too cold. Now all I need to do is work out a pattern (random squares - but what size?) and find the time.

Perhaps I don't need to stress too much, we slept with our fans on again last night!


I have baked three different apple cakes.

I ironed up all of my Irish linens for our St Patrick's Day dinner last Sunday night. I'll share my Irish recipes over at 'jelly, peaches and ice-cream' tomorrow.


My 'Miss Maggie Rabbit' kit arrived in the post. In truth, just in time for Easter. However, with one very busy week ahead and an already bulging basket of Easter gifts hidden away, I will sadly put this kit aside for now. Instead it will be made for Miss Moo Moo's birthday in September. She is bunny mad at anytime of the year.



I have spent some time helping out at my Mum's cafe.



I have washed up some of my new op shop finds.

I have finished sorting through all of our seasonal decorations. Our Christmas decorations were in four different places throughout our house, stashed here and there, some in baskets, some in boxes, but now they are organised. Six large plastic containers of Christmas decorations alone. I have containers for Easter, Halloween, Birthdays, Bunting, Fairy Lights and Australia Day.

This week, I need to make some pretty labels and move these onto the shelving in the garage. In turn, that means I need to sort out the garage, Arrgh! A job that might need to wait until after the holidays. But these must be moved, because right now, I have 16 containers in my entrance hall, no one can come in the front door. Oh dear. Yes, this week.

I have also been to a church fete, swimming lessons, and an 'eighth' birthday party.

I have caught up with a friend in the park for a play date, babysat for another friend and I have  enjoyed an evening by candlelight for Earth Hour.

What have you been up to this last week?  Have you had a productive, busy week too?

A simple life

I was sorting through my computer folders last night and came across this manifesto for a simple life. I wondered why my own manifesto for a simple life was 3 foolscap pages long. Surely to start a simpler life, my list needed to be simpler, so I will start with this. I have just printed it out and stuck it to the fridge. 

Given the last 3 weeks, I think "eat less, move more" is a most appropriate place to start.

What would you write on "A Simple Life "manifesto?

You can download this manifesto from here.

Always be prepared!

 My 'word' for 2013 is PREPARE.

I didn't choose it.

It chose me.

This word first appeared on a calender I bought over a month ago, and it seemed to be in every book I have read since. But really, it has been there along, in me.

This year, I am focusing most of my attention on my home life. I'm loosely nicknaming this year: 

the year of the homemaker.

• I'd like to make soap and cheese and butter and bread and quilts and clothes and laundry detergent.
• I'd like to find some success in growing my own vegetables.
• I'd like to save water, reduce my energy and car usage and be a better recycler.
• I'd like to make routines that work (I think that means I need to stick to them).
• I'd like my children to learn good manners and be helpful with household tasks.
• I'd like to be better with money.
• I'd like to be a more mindful in every aspect of my life.
• I'd like to find some balance (this has been my 'word' for the last 4 years!)



I'd like some things in my life to change. But... I'm not ready.

It's no secret that I would like a little bit of land and a crumbling old house to renovate. But what if someone gave it to me tomorrow? I couldn't just walk in and begin living the life that I wish for. There are so many new skills that I need to learn first. Lucky for me, I can learn them (at least some of them) right where I am. Anyway, I can't move to the country just yet, I'm still perfecting the perfect sponge cake recipe!

I need to be happy: here and now. Learning: here and now. Preparing: here and now This is where there is security. There is a good job for my husband, there is a good school for my children, there are good friends and family support.

Being prepared for change is important. Only then, I will know exactly what is right for my family.

I'm excited - year of the homemaker! I think I was always meant for this role.

Do you have a 'word' for 2013? I'd love to learn of your focus for the year.

These beautiful Nikki McClure images are from here. 

A real page turner

Reverb'12 Question 9: What was the best book you read in 2012, and why? (And by "Why?" I mean: Why did you read it? And why was it your favourite? Although these answers could be one and the same...!)

My best read this year was "Radical Homemakers", with "Depletion and Abundance" being a very close second. I read "Depletion and Abundance" immediately after reading Radical Homemakers and probably wouldn't have sought it out, if I hadn't read Radical Homemakers first. I can recommend them both.

Why did I read it? 

I had seen it on other people's blogs and was intrigued by the name. What was a radical homemaker exactly?

Why was it a favourite? 

It was like this book was written for me. For as long as I could remember I have wanted to live on a small acreage, completely self sufficient with my own water and power supply, growing my own food and living a simpler life.

This kind of life is different to the way I grew up. I come from a small country town. Both of my parents worked. I guess our family was middle class and mainstream. I went to the state high school down the road and left home to get a job at 17. People who lived the kind of life I wanted, were known as 'hippies'. It wasn't something that you aspired too. So, off into the world I went. I gave only fleeting thought to the 'simple life' during my early twenties. I got caught up with shopping and doing and acquiring. I travelled. I worked multiple jobs. I bought and sold properties and cars. I got married and had children. When I look back, it seems like I was just riding the wave. My early vision for my life had been pushed very far to the side, but it was still there. On the day my son turned six, it hit me like a jolt of lightening. I wanted to live a more authentic life, for me and for my family.

I hadn't known it before, but finally I had a name for it.

When I grow up, I want to be a Radical Homemaker.

While the entire book was filled with 'aha' moments, it got me thinking, it got me excited. I photocopied one page and it has been stuck on my fridge for the last 5 months. Here is an excerpt from that page:

To accomplish this, the homemakers had to become autodidactic, that is self-learners. The tips for becoming a self learner, as they reported them, were to think independently, embrace general knowledge, work with what they had, make mistakes, find there own teachers, and muster the courage to start from wherever they were.

I love the diversity of the people interviewed for the book. People were using their 'radical homemaker' skills in tiny flats and urban environments. I know I can expand my skills and knowledge from right where I am.

Yesterday was the first day I have been home all day in a while. I made bechamal sauce from milk that was at it's 'end of use' date (for the freezer). I roasted the last of the tomatoes and capsicums from our garden to be pureed (for the freezer) I made my own yoghurt for the first time in ages. I tried Rhonda's five minute bread recipe. My son juiced a bag of oranges and I dusted off our juicer and juiced a pineapple, we mixed the two together and have made 'frosty fruit' ice-blocks. I stewed plums and peaches with raspberries and honey to make a fruit sauce (for the freezer) I stewed apples. And out of the kitchen, I made a start on some Christmas aprons for the kids.

It seems, I am on my way.

What books have you been reading in 2012? I'd love to hear from you, reading has been put high on my priority list for 2013.