I'm cleanin' out my closet

I'm not really sure what possessed me to clean out my cupboard right before christmas. Perhaps it is that inner obsessive compulsive that rears its head every now and then. Or perhaps that desire to have everything done, and the peace of mind that comes with that, to relax during those days after christmas.

It's not like I never clean out my clothing cupboard. It's had many a cull and clean out over the years, but I find every few months it needs attention to keep it functional and not looking like a tip.

It's a fairly small cupboard and I've tried to keep it that way. A cluttered cupboard I find goes hand in hand with that age old problem of having a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. It all just gets a bit overwhelming finding something to wear.

And mine had cluttered. My pre-Violet clothes which had survived the last few culls, but which were not being worn because they had never quite fitted the same way again, were certainly taking up quite a lot of space. There were old shorts there, pretty little dresses and my old favourite jeans. I realised that I'd actually become quite emotionally attached to these items. They were the outfits of the last part of my 20's. I guess I'd hung onto them hoping to recapture that same (younger) person. And when I looked over them with a more critical eye I realized not only that I may never be quite that skinny again, but that I had changed. I am now approaching my mid thirties with three children, and I no longer had any desire to wear that cute, but impractical miniskirt.

But it wasn't without a little sadness that I packed them away and sent them to the op shop. My cupboard feels lighter and surprisingly a little more optimistic. There's not a lot in there now, and once grouped together I discovered there were more than a few sewn by me clothes. They seem to be the ones I turn to these days, which tells me that there will be more to come. It's a good thing to see at a glance exactly what is in there. And not many shoes, but all ones that I do regularly wear.

So while my days of wearing hipster skinny jeans, denim hot pants and buttoned pocket miniskirts may be over for now, I look forward to slowly adding some fun vintage inspired dresses, some skirts, comfy light tunics and a few pretty blouses. It's kind of liberating to know that I can now make these myself. Clothes that feel like me. Now.



Have you ever found it hard to get rid of certain items of clothing?
Do you become emotionally attached?
Have you grown out of some of your clothes too?

eight little things

1. So very happy to receive this beautiful Classy with cashmere yarn and Pompom, a charming little magazine full of fresh patterns, from Susie's giveaway on her Flowerpress blog. Yarn and magazine are available at Zigo Zago. Thank you Susie!
2. My old washing basket that the bottom has almost come out of (hence the coffee bag) is a new house for Violet's blocks. Because she can see them now she actually plays with them. Not sure why I didn't think of this earlier.
3. Reading.
4. Focaccia bread (no knead bread dough - 3 1/2 cups water, 6 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon yeast, 4 tablespoons olive oil (mixed in bowl, covered until doubled in size), topped with olive oil, fresh herbs from the garden, garlic and sea salt. Bake in 200 degree celsius oven until golden top and bottom - around about 30 mins).
5. Cleaning out drawers of which little hands had been rearranging.
6. Spinach and feta scrolls - scone dough (4 cups self raising flour, 160g butter, 1 tsp salt and 2 cups milk, though I added a little more) rolled into skinny rectangle and filled with few handfuls of chopped spinach and a packet of feta. Roll, slice and pop into muffin tins. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 200 degrees celsius until golden top and bottom - usually 20 - 30 mins.  Recipe courtesy of our school's kitchen garden.
7. A crochet rug is handy for a chair waiting to be painted and recovered.
8. Dress ups.

What little things have you been enjoying lately?
How has your week been?

on multi-tasking

I often struggle to pay attention to the task at hand. Mid-way through a doing the dishes I decide to quickly throw those clothes in the washing machine. I might spot a recipe that I printed out and take a look at the ingredients list and ponder over whether I can make it tonight. Then forget what job I was doing in the first place. 

I can't talk on the phone without washing up, tidying or even sweeping the floor. I have mastered the ear on shoulder phone hold.

I can't watch tv without knitting.

As I wait for that coffee to boil I will be putting away washing.

I find myself pulling weeds when I'm supposed to be hanging out washing.

Not to mention the almost constant needs of a toddler.


Perhaps I am suffering from some form of housework ADD. Or perhaps it just mixes things up and makes the menial just that bit more interesting.



Are you easily distracted too? Or do you stay on task no matter what? 

cleaning cheats

Running out of something used to mean a quick dash to the shop. But since living out here, and the prospect of a forty minute round trip, I've learnt to be just a little more resourceful when I do run out of something. At such times its good to have a few quick cheats up your sleeve.


Take dishwashing detergent for instance. Though I usually get along quite well with my usual brands (I like to use Eco Store or Herbon brands) there are times when I do run out and dishes still need to be done. I find it very handy to have a pack of Sunlight soap on hand for such emergencies. I use a bar to soap up in hot water (sometimes leaving the bar in there to keep it soapy) and use this to wash the dishes. Rinsing well to prevent that soapy taste in the drinking glasses.

I do love my Sunlight Soap. It's one of those things that can help you out in many a pickle. I've also used it as replacement hand soap, stain remover and grated into homemade laundry powder.

When I run out of washing powder there are times that I just don't feel motivated or have the time to make a new batch of powder.  So I just sprinkle in a good few good tablespoons of bicarb soda into the wash. Sometimes I add a glug of vinegar and enjoy seeing it all foam up. I can't tell you if it really does much. But it does look impressive.


Do you have any quick cleaning cheats?

a rainbow trout, a dress and a clean room

On Friday night I cooked my first ever rainbow trout. Caught by Daniel during his lunch break. Not the type to usually enjoy sitting for hours and hours casting a line in, this was the first fish he'd ever brought home for me. I'm secretly hoping that this lucky catch might encourage him to fish more often.

With a little help from google, a dusting of flour and a pan fry with garlic and butter, it was soon ready. Though I did have to snap the poor fish in half to fit it in the frypan, and the stray bones that were still in there after de-boning (my first attempt remember) did give the meal a slight living on the edge type feeling, but overall it was quite good. Come to think of it, a squeeze of lemon would've gone well with it too.

Violet got to wear her new little dress from Ivy Loves Jack (you will find a gorgeous selection of childrens vintage over there). Isn't it lovely? It's a wool blend, so teamed with a thermal can be worn in our colder climate. The colours and design of this dress remind me of one of my favourite childhood dresses. There were lots of brown dresses back then. Sadly you don't see many now. Unfortunately our darker winter light and a fast moving subject made it impossible to avoid a little blur.

I cleaned out our bedroom on the weekend. Was a little horrified at all the dust gathered behind the bedside tables. My excuse is that Violet screams whenever the vaccum is on, so I mostly sweep. But fresh bedding and a dust free room can do wonders for your mental state.


I think one day I am going to miss all the constant "to mum" Julia drawings.



Hoping that you too had a lovely weekend.

washing the woolens

It's been a kind of strange Summer around here. Weather-wise at least. We have had highs of 40 and lows of 4 degrees. Which has kind of played havoc in my garden, but that's a story for another day. It has also meant that wool washing has continued on and off this season. 

I have been making my own wool wash for a few months now and thought I'd share it with you today. It's not really so very different from an ordinary washing gel recipe, only in different quantities.

I only made one jar this time around and used just one (140g) bar of Dr Bronner's Lavender soap.  (I love the smell of Dr Bronner soaps )You could easily substitute this for any other pure soap. Depending on how much soap you have on hand you can easily make double or more of this recipe. This recipe makes one large jar.

Woolwash

250ml water, boiled

140g bar of pure soap

1 teaspoon borax

Grate soap into saucepan. (Good job for the kiddies). Add borax.

Pour boiling water over the grated soap and borax.

Bring saucepan to the boil.
Stir with a whisk or spoon until the soap flakes are dissolved. This takes several minutes.

Pour into a glass jar. The mixture will cool into a white jelly.

I use a heaped tablespoon to a large sink (of lukewarm water) or in the (front loading) machine. Yes, I do use the wool cycle on the washing machine for many of my woolens. But I only recommend this if you really trust your machine. When I do handwash, I quite enjoy the slowness of it. The pleasant smell of the warm soapy water and a chance to ponder over each knitted item while carefully cleaning it. Then the process of laying the wool in a towel and gently rolling to squeeze out the water.

Happy wool washing!

washing powder from scratch

It's been almost two years since I've purchased any washing powder. Previously I had a brief stint of liquid laundry making when we lived in Canberra. But I was not terribly good at organizing myself to "cook up" a batch. I find the powder version a little quicker and easier to make. Over the time I've been making it I've adapted the ingredients to suit us here. 

I don't think I could ever go back to bought laundry powder. Aside from the high cost, the scent of the commercial powders has become unbearable to me now,  though I admit that previously I was very fond of the various brands and their own signature scent. Also being far better for the health of your family and the environment.

Here is the usual batch that I make up. With almost daily washing, and believe me there is a lot of it in this house, this lasts us quite awhile.

Washing powder

4 cups grated soap flakes ( I usually use Lux flakes, but sometimes I grate Sunlight soap as this is more cost effective)

4 cups powdered washing soda (not the crystal kind)

1 cup borax ( you can increase this amount if you wish, but I use it very sparingly as all our water is recycled through our septic and then into the garden)

2 cups bicarb soda

4 dashes eucalyptus oil  (or other essential oil)

 

I pop all this straight into the tin, close the lid and give it a really good shake (holding onto that lid!) My laundry tin came with a little scoop and I use it to measure it into our front loader. I use a full scoop for a really soiled load and a little less for lighter loads. This mixture is also great for nappies - bicarb being very beneficial for nappies.

Rhonda from Down to Earth has a great washing liquid tutorial here

Do you make your own?

goings on

Much of this week has been spent sorting, cleaning and putting away. Every Spring and Autumn I like to do a proper clean out of our cupboards and clothes. Sorting out Julia's clothes that can be put away for Violet, Luca's for my nephew and most of Violet's to go to the op shop. Though there is a few little things I can't bear to part with.

Trying to not let the toy situation get out of hand. I find that when we have too many toys the kid's tend to get overwhelmed with choice, little pieces go missing and it is just too hard to keep the room clean.
But I have to say that it's so pleasant to put things away and everything is folded nicely and where it should be. If only it would last.

In other news, Violet has learnt to clap. On command.

Our street trees have blossomed with their unusual green. Does anyone know the name of this? I keep meaning to google this, but never get around to it.

We will be enjoying the unusually warm weather and a barbeque this weekend. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

frugal storage

I used to really enjoy window shopping in that storage shop. You know the one, with thousands of clever storage solutions, all giving you the impression that if you brought them home, all your clutter problems would be a thing of the past. Usually leaving empty handed though, as the price tags were a little out of budget.

But there are other options. Minus the plastic. Most in my home were invented by necessity and persistent op shopping.

A wire basket is home to books and magazines. I like to pop my library books and latest magazines in here to keep them tidy but easily accessible.

Old flour and potato bags house the potatoes and onions in the pantry.

 Many glass canisters hold all dry pantry foods. All thrifted over time.

Not thrifted, but any decorative bowl or dish is very handy for those little bits and pieces that accumulate near the front door.

Vintage suitcases are often used here for storing out of season blankets and clothes, toys and fabric stashes.

A humble terracotta pot stores my washing up utensils. I've also seen them used to house toothbrushes or rolled up face cloths.

I don't believe you can ever have too many baskets.  Hubby would disagree. Quite easy to pick up at op shops. Use them to store fabric, knitting, toys, fresh produce, towels, firewood and the list goes on.

Tins. In this case I'm using a bread bin as a bread bin. And it kind of stops my chopping boards from falling over. I actually have quite a lot of tins. I like to use them for old cards, photos, haberdashery, stamps and other little bits and pieces that need a home.

A wooden box becomes a shelf.

Please don't think for a moment that my home is a clutter free sanctuary. I do work to keep the clutter down, but a house needs to be lived in and I don't believe in being a slave to keeping things immaculate. Good enough is good enough, don't you think? What are your favourite frugal storage tips?

colourful shelves

Breathing a huge sigh of relief that all that cleaning and rearranging is finally done. This job even escaped my obsessive nesting period of late pregnancy.
Nice to have a little more colour on the shelves to brighten this rather drab time of year. I do think that as long as those shelves put a smile on my face, then I have succeeded in what I set out to do.