Home care and cleaning

I finally  got around to both creating and starting a cleaning schedule. I have always kept a tidy house with things that live in particular places and a weekly vacuum, regular mop and generally clear kitchen benches when I go to bed but this has been a revelation so here is how it is going.

A Panorama of my beautifully clean kitchen

Firstly creating the schedule, using At Home with Madame Chic (treat yourself to either or both of Jennifer's books they are fabulous) and a quick Google search of Cleaning Schedule pictures and I was able to workout what I needed to do and break it down over the course of a week. Here is the finished product:

Hand drawn as the printer was out of ink

You will note Laundry appears a lot this is because I use cloth nappies so I wash everyday. This week as it is massive I am doing everything but generally hubby does bathrooms and Vacuums and I do mopping and everywhere else :)

Super powered elbow.

So we are still 2 days from the the end of the week but here is what I have found so far.

Everything has taken me longer than anticipated. I spent all of yesterday cleaning the kitchen starting with the oven. (It is pyrolitic so it cleaned itself, I just had to clean 8mths of buildup off the glass, plus cleaning all the racks, I got distracted last time I attempted this) thankfully darling hubby did come in with super powered elbows and save me at least 2 more hours of scrubbing.

I happily get carried away. I know that the task is clean the kitchen so while on a more standard day this's oils be a wipe of cabinet fronts and benches plus I good clean of stove and sink this time being the first I took everything out of the pantry, readjusted shelving (this took 30 minutes as my pantry was not completed well by the cabinet maker, the only hiccup in our build, but we got there again hubby came in handy) and rearranged all my containers and food stuffs. So by the time I went to bed, at midnight, everything was sparkling and fit for the queen (I had to vacuum/mop kitchen floors this morning as we have ducted vacuuming so can't use it after 9pm) it was a highly satisfactory day.

I know when a job is going to be done so it is easier to leave other tasks and focus on the task at hand. Such as while cleaning the kitchen I got rags and noticed the laundry needed a clean but knew that was tomorrow's task so was able to leave it. I got it cleaned and re-organised in an hour and a half, it is much smaller than the kitchen, in fact it lives in a large cupboard, one of my favourite features . The box on the bench is all my homemade Christmas gifts packed and ready to go.

Now you see it

Now you don't

My house has never been cleaner everything looks shiny and new especially my oven (can you tell how thrilled I am) as we moved in when Boo was around 7months old having lived underneath while the build was happening. We were so keen to move in that we didn't give it a final clean after the builders finished just cleaned as we went meaning there have been a few dusty residues I have discovered.

I love reorganising I already knew I loved this but there is a whole new joy in facing individual spaces at a time, such as seeing a way I could improve my pantry while I was cleaning. Which is awesome. 

Lastly some pics of the pristine kitchen. Unfortunately I didn't do before pictures as I hadn't realised how into it I would get. So you will just have to trust me when I say the oven particularly was filthy :D

On beautifully clean oven, yay for pyrolitic cleaning and the wikihow on cleaning oven glass. 

Below is my pantry/appliance cupboard closed and open, inside I have all my cup & spoon measures up and available with an awesome conversion chart, as well as attachments for my mixer. this was one feature that i had been dying to put up so was in a month after we moved in. The top shelf is now higher meaning i can stack containers in the middle shelf, it was worth moving.

The Cabinets for the fridge are the next thing I want to build just have to save my pennies

Thanks for reading have a great day and I hope you are leaving inspired.
Andii

Gifts for a crowd

So how do you manage gifts for an extended family of 30+ and friends on top of that, while on a single income.

The answer is with plenty of planning, research, confidence and handmade love. Oh and time.

Each year I bake for my family always trying a new recipe or two. However this year inline with my own health consciousness I am altering that slightly. I will still bake my traditional reindeer with green and red noses for the kids. This year as I am giving gifts to little ones I made it possible to hang them on a  tree incase people didn't want their child to have biscuits.

For the ladies I have made an Energising sugar based foot scrub using grapefruit, bergamot and peppermint essential oils. Thanks to this lovely recipe for an Easy Sugar Scrub. I made a bulk scented base oil then measured and mixed each jar individually. I used 10mL Bergamot and Grapefruit to 5mL peppermint for 1L of oil.

. The foot scrub smells divine

For the gentleman I have made sweet and spicy nuts, using this BBC Good Food recipe. I only added 1Tbsp of honey as I found that sweet enough and saved me an additional step. I chose this recipe as it contained the fewest ingredients with no egg or other ingredients I would be concerned about storage wise.

Gifts when I ran out of jars for nuts. For those who are not Dad's I named their
 labels i.e. AJ's Sweet & Spicy Nuts

To ensure the gifts feel special I always make an effort to package them nicely. To achieve this I generally purchase cellophane bags from my local party supply store. However this year I purchased jars from a lovely company called just jars. My package was delayed due to the postage provided but was promptly chased up and delivered when I brought this to their attention. I also purchased Christmas cord at spotlight, twine at my party supply store and made ceramic tags in pottery to dress the gifts.

A new thing I did this year was create and print product labels using Avery labels which I got from

Officeworks. I found the online software easy to use and the end product looks really great. If purchasing labels head to the business label section as they are better value. I bought 180 labels for $16 where as the exact same labels in a differently presented packet containing 90 was $15.

Labels I used i have 8 sheets of labels left to use
another time.

So the moment of truth lets do the cost calculations. I have omitted cellophane bags and twine as both are bul purchases of 100bags for $12 and 10metres of twine for $10 meaning what I used this year is negligible.

So excusing my awful writing here is the break down.

So in summary, the girls gift was $6.79 per person. Gentleman work out as $4 per person ( slightly cheaper as I used bags for friends as I only had enough jars for family.) and kids work out as 60cents each. Meaning in total for gifts for 47 people I have spent $175.96 avergae of $3.74 per person. Definitely the most frugal way of going.

Have a Merry Christmas and I hope you find some inspiration for your own homemade gifts. My thoughts are with those in Sydney who are experiencing a hostage situation, hopes for a resolution with no injuries or fatalities.

 Andii

All opinions expressed are my own, about my own property and are not sponsored in anyway links are not sponsored but are provided for your convenience.

Welcome to December.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Putting up my felt nativity my family made for us as a wedding gift, they had never felted before, is a favourite Christmas tradition which was not observed last year due to living in a building site. It was nice to have Boo running around while we unpacked and set everything up this year.

Our lovely little red tree that we bought for our first Christmas as a married couple is beginning to look a little worse for wear so this year will be it's last outing as our tree and we will be hunting the post Christmas sales for a house sized green fir. 

So in addition to Christmas, December is when we take our annual family holiday to Queenscliff with my parents and my brother and for the first time this year our little family. It ids a time filled with beach visits, leisurely strolls and a weeks worth of Christmas lunches from leftovers.

In Melbourne for December we are blessed with beautiful berries and stone fruits which I will happily purchase to share with my family.  I am also hosting our Christmas day lunch and have some delicious recipes in mind. So by the looks of it December should be a month of Good food and good cheer. I have also been using my lovely Lush Bubble wand so much fun.

November FMS Photo-A-Day

Welcome to December!

As Promised a Collage of my Photos from the November FMS Photo-a-Day challenge and my first ever attempt at this. It was actually really good fun thank you Chantelle I got to capture and share some awesome moments. I am looking forward to the December challenge.

 November 2014 FMS Photo a day prompts and explanations -my favourites are below

1. Something Blue - My favourite doona 
2. I saw this! - About Time a favourite film
3. Weather - shorts weather
4. Can't live without - My boys and Bean to be can't live without me
5. 8 O'Clock - Morning game of Cribbage
6. Made me smile today - Boo took his first steps
7. On the floor -a mosaic at my community arts centre
8. A place - A place to grow a family
9. Heck yes! - to a polka dot dress
10. I do this every day - wash nappies
11. A set - table for afternoon tea
12. Normal - Hair according to my shampoo
13.  Letters - a letter made my husband want to marry me
14. For me - a little cheesecake I sat and enjoyed
15. hot + cold = Affogato
16. After - my fall down the stairs
17. Cooking - a precooked reheated dinner
18. I love this - nap time, makes playtime more fun
19. Whole - lot of fun being had
20. Bright - A bright place I made for a rainy day
21. Shoes - puss on boots
22. A favourite thing - A picture I took on our honeymoon
23. i made this! - tarte aux fraise from scratch for Boo's Birthday 
24. i need to do this! - put my feet up
25. time - for a story in our reading chair
26. wal l- a favourite wall in Paris
27. I'm thankful for this... - being able to be at home with this little one
28. black - my mum's dog who lives downstairs
29. so, this happened - we put up our first baby gate
30. I bought this! - Children's tool set for my dad for Christmas, shopping complete.

My Favourites from this month

4. I can't live without my boys or trips to the coast for that matter,
this is one of my favourite pictures of hubby and Boo.

8. Our house last year

8a. Our house this year - all complete

18. I love this & 25. Time -  the nursery I finally got to create  for Boo, when we moved in he was 7mths.

22. A favourite thing - a photo I took while on our honeymoon of Marie Antoinette's hamlet at Versailles, I had it framed as a gift for hubby last Christmas

26. Wall- Shhhh! I had to go into the honeymoon archives again. Taken in September 2011 around the corner from Place Georges Pompidou.When finding this I found a few interesting Parisian walls I photographed but this is my favourite 

 Finally 

27. I am thankful for this... Being able to stay at home with this little man thanks to My darling hubby. Boo wanted to go in to I didn't get to move the stroller and retake the photo.

Until next time when i will look at the coming December one of my favourite months.

Bye, Andii

P.S. let me know if there is another photo you would like to see larger and I will post it in the comments.

All photos are my original images and remain my property.

Collage created using BeFunky

November in review

November has been a fun and busy month. Shortly I will post my collage of my photos from the month. Today I finished my Christmas shopping so yay for being done before December. The remaining gifts are all planned just need to make them in the week before Christmas.

Bean is looking as expected at this stage which is a nice thing to know. Boo is now able to walk some distances, such as partway to the shops. He also happily toddles around at the park and is perfecting climbing up and down the stairs which is a great help to me. He is much keener on down than up unfortunately. 

I have also acquired a new pram which is gorgeous I am so happy with the colour. Unfortunately our current pram was discontinued and we couldn't get the second seat any more. I also learnt how to make soda scones which were very successful the afternoon tea they were part of is pictured below.

Well on we go to December I am so excited and feeling nice and organised.

Don't drop the baby

Last week I unfortunately fell down a step while carrying Boo. As it happened my only thought was "don't drop the baby". I successfully managed to brace myself in such away that Boo did not come in contact with the ground, though he like me got a big fright. I also managed to roll onto my back so as not to squish him or Bean (20 weeks gestation).

I am partially scraped up and bruised on both knees and my left elbow (pictured above) but now 3 days later my swelling in my knee has dissipated.  

This all made me realise: All mums (and dads) are superheros and conduct remarkable feats everyday to protect their families. Even if it is turning a clutzy moment into an impressive save (like Superman)or reaching that little hand just before it is jammed in the drawer (The Flash). We are always looking out for our little ones and thinking of them when we aren't there. To all parents go you, you are my hero and your child's superhero.

(We have all been checked by the doctor and declared well and unscathed, despite the scrapes. The osteopath even marvelled that I wasn't more out of alignment.) 

Taking Time

Today I treated myself to a cake and smoothie while out. I was really proud as I  waited till everything arrived before I started and sat without distractions while I ate. It was lovely to take my time to taste, enjoy and people watch. 

Next time I will work on putting the fork down between bites. I recently realised that the only thing eat at a truly luxurious rate is my Mum's pancakes, not sure why. So I am working on slowing down  my eating of all things.

Stuff!!!! Junk etc.

After a busy couple of weeks I am finally able to get back to reading the lovely JL Scott's book At Home with Madame Chic. I am using this book as an opportunity to work on creating both an environment and mindset that fosters enjoyment of the everyday. As a Domestic Goddess in the making I have a desire to finesse my housekeeping skills and reacquaint myself with being present in each moment no matter how everyday the task. As I take this quality over quantity idea on I am represenced to how much I dislike clutter and excess stuff. So here is my current dilemma around excess stuff.

As a life long tidiness freak (read 'house proud goddess') I  am having issues with the accumulation of stuff both in adult life and in relation to children. I have had a lifelong rebellion to not be a hoarder (family would say collector or curator, love their collections but not for me).  Since I was about 13 I have regularly (every 6 months) rearranged, reorganised and overhauled my space. This includes donating fearlessly of items no longer used, rearranging furniture to produce a new feeling in a room, reevaluating the place that everything lives to be more efficient and creating a study/health planner for the coming 6 months. 

At the end of this project I am left with a 'new' space mentally & physically and a greater energy, in between these overhauls I live the principle "a place for everything and everything in its place" rectifying any lapses within a week. Usually due to a major mental slump expressed with me being messy.

Basically you can walk in my room (and now my house), see the state of it  and you will know how I am feeling that week. Yes the two go hand in hand, feeling crappy and being slovenly, then tidy up and feel better. It sounds nuts but it works for me.

So onto my stuff issue. I have very dear friends and a well meaning family who love to gift items over the various birthdays and celebrations in the year. Useless stuff or stuff I didn't choose drives me nuts. We are talking giant canvases of cute cats, toys that are not appropriate to our philosophy with our child (I explained our preference when asked & they bought Boo lovely gifts that are appropriate then topped it off with something so not for us) so what to do? At this stage I intend on giving inappropriate toys to the wishing tree so I know they go to homes where a child can love and appreciate them. 

How do I impress on my BFF that just a small appropriate gift or a clothing item will be perfect for Boo or I, not 5 different lovely things plus a yet to be disclosed framed item. It isn't that I don't appreciate the thought, the thought is lovely, I just don't have anywhere to hang it. Small place not a lot of walls.

I have recently been contemplating the stuff dilemma as previously I would have donated fearlessly, but now I have a concern that people may take offence if we don't have something they gave us. How does one deal with this in a civil manner and have people save their money/time giving only what is needed?

As someone who loves to gift I have recently been applying my own dislike of stuff  to my gift giving so have been baking instead of buying, consulting prior to purchase and applying my own anti-stuff feeling to avoid piling others with unwanted items. Having undertaken the 10 item Wardrobe thanks to Madame Chic (J. L. Scott) and now reading At Home with Madame Chic I have become further acquainted with my own preference for quality over quantity. A lovely wooden toy over a flashing plastic one etc.

So please tell me what would Madame Chic do? How does one deal with this in a civil manner and have people save their money/time giving only what is needed or wanted?

15 tidbits about me

Hello lovely readers in lieu of a post here are some odds and sods tidbits. I am working on the collage for November the end of which is approaching at a rapid rate.

1 . Were you named after anyone? Yes, my Mum's cousin/best friend.

2. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

3. Would you bungee jump? Never, ever.

4. What is your favourite cereal? It is discontinued but Grinners which were a honey flavoured cereal. I don't really like cereal and haven't eaten it much since then.

5. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes, I want them to last.

6. What is your favourite ice cream? TipTop a New Zealand brand, we can't get it in Australia thankfully (I would eat too much). My Favourite flavours are hokey pokey (vanilla with honeycomb pieces) and goody goody gum drop (a mild bubblegum flavour with gummy drops, sounds gross but delicious)

7. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their smile or lack of smile

8. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My little toes have almost no toenail and it is weird.

9. What was the last thing you ate? Red icy pole, it is hot here today.

10. What are you listening to right now? The bedroom fan and my phone keyboard clicking as I type.

11. Last movie you watched? Twilight, it gets worse every time I see it.

12. What did you dream about last night? That my mums dog was severely injured and we hadn't noticed. ( I have weird pregnancy dreams on hot nights)

13. What book are you reading? At Home with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott and Creative Discipline: Turning Tears into Laughter by Lou Harvey-Zara 

14. Summer or Winter? Summer Beach time

15. Do you have any special talents? I am an excellent baker. Oh and could likely talk under wet cement :)

Welcome to November

Big month November.
Firstly Boo learnt to walk!!! now moving on to the other things:
We have our 20 week scan for Bean this month which is exciting. This is also the month I start Christmas planning preparation and shopping. I am blessed with a large extended family which means lots of the planning is about what I will bake for kids and adults. I often pick gingerbread but like to try at least one new thing each year. This year 2 of my cousins will be moving out so I am gifting them each household items of their choice.

   Hubby has been his usual amazing self and I have been to Lush to buy my bubble wand I have been waiting for 3 months for this to come back, so very exciting. (I definitely bought the bubble wand for Boo ;) mostly) I have made 2 additions to my summer wardrobe these are a dress and a pair of very hot weather/prgenancy feet friendly thongs/sandals. I also finally got all my clean out donations from last month to the op shop such a good feeling to have them out of my house.

I have also taken on the #FMSphotoaday challenge for this month and am loving it. Thank you Chantelle for this lovely joy. I will pop a collage up at the end of the month. (Which gives me time to work out how to do it) 

Today after 6mths in our new house we finally put curtains up and it is such a blessing in the Melbourne heat we are experiencing.
The blind pictured below is one of my favourites it is a roller blind from IKEA called Liselott. My marvelous mother helped us to trim and install it as I am atrocious with power tools in my pregnancy fog, let alone trying to follow instructions.
Thanks mum you are the best. 

Trinty Beach holiday & Tot Seat Review

Mini break 

Well Darling hubby, Boo and I have just had the pleasure of heading on a tropical beach holiday to visit friends.

We flew into Cairns bright and early on Sunday, hubby insists I mention that we flew on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. After a wait for a car we were off to Trinity Beach. About 25mins out of Cairns Trinity Beach is a very beautiful beach with a very small town feel, most of the shops were restaurants. Everywhere we ate had good food with Lunico coming out as a favourite providing excellent food and service. We had a lovely if slightly late lunch overlooking the beach with the company of a good friend.

Darling Hubby modelling Boo's Hat at Muddy's Cafe

On our second day we headed into Cairns city for a walk on the esplanade, a play at Muddy's Playground and a rather delicious breakfast at Muddy's Cafe. Boo is not yet walking but had a ball crawling among the various waterspouts and falls at the Muddy's play area. 

We the wondered around the city where a bought a new dress to add to my summer wardrobe which is a bit lighter and  more beachy compared to what I already had. 

After a lot of walking and Boo finally falling asleep in the pram we stopped for lunch at a delightful restaurant called Tha Fish which overlooks the marina. A delicious lunch in a fancy setting with a very reasonable price.

Above: the Marina view and table at Tha Fish

Our last day in North Queensland was spent visiting the natural beauty that is Mossman Gorge and the quirky shops in Port Douglas. As usual Boo travelled like a trooper and the experienced flyer that he is. On the other hand after a weekend in New Zealand last week and this trip I am exhausted so was a bit grumps and super tired. Today, Friday is recovery day, finally!

Lastly my Out and about travel must have is:

TotSeat

We love our TotSeat! I received it as a hand me down and started using it when Boo was about 9months old, it has really come into its own in the past 2 months. Firstly because Boo is much better at sitting up at a table and secondly because we have been visiting with people a lot around Boo's birthday (3 parties in 3 locations, Craziness!). The TotSeat means we always have a highchair with us so are never relying on a cafe or friend to provide.

The seat simply attaches and adjusts to fit a normally chair. Featuring adjustable width for the top of the chair and adjustable length in the seat for different chairs. It also contains a Velcro strap to add support to an open backed chair if needed. The seat comes with its own bag that it folds up into, about the size of a mass market paperback, making it easy to pack in a bag.

As you can see the instructions are stitched on the back, baby can sit comfortably (as demonstrated by Elizabeth) and the whole lot is machine washable. It has fit on every single chair we have ever tried including some wide wing backed antiques. Below is the TotSeat animation on how to use it.

TotSeats are stocked through http://www.bloomandgrow.com.au/ in Australia
All opinions expressed are my own, about my own property and are not sponsored in anyway

10 item wardrobe Spring/Summer

So I have just received delivery of the last item for my Spring/Summer wardrobe.

This year my wardrobe is focused on a light feminine feel with an emphasis on belly growth. :)

Firstly my wardrobe is often fairly heavy on Target items as that is what I can afford and they usually have lovely pieces that suit me. This year however in have supplemented with pieces from one of my favourite Maternity clothing companies Angel Maternity. I used them last pregnancy for a formal outfit for a wedding I was attending. 

I love the range they have as I prefer looser fitting clothes rather than super stretchy contoured outfits and they cater to both markets. I also find them a really great company to deal with if you need to change or exchange something. Finally the price point is excellent especially when you consider you are pregnant for such a short time. 

So onto the wardrobe. 

Pants

A staple in my closet is jeans I always have a dark blue pair and a black pair both bootleg as I find it balances out my figure. My current pairs are both Target double button bootleg which are a perfect fit for me and my rather curvy bottom without any unsightly lumps or bumps, Unfortunately after 6 years Target has discontinued these so after Bean is born I will have to find a new source for jeans. This pregnancy I am going to use a belly belt to extend my jeans for as long as possible.

I also have a fairly neutral 3/4 pant which is great for warmer weather and extends the wear I get from my tops.

Tops

This first top is a Target top I bought for 2012/2013 summer I really like the colours in the print and it pairs well with either of my jeans.

These 2 tops are both from Angel Maternity, excuse the wrinkles they arrive by post yesterday, I wanted tops that would pair with either of my jeans and would be long enough to cover my belly and belly belt.

This tunic is one of the pieces from my winter wardrobe which will remain for spring at least. It is a Vera Wang tunic my mother bought me as a gift when we were out about 6mths after Boo was born and I love it, it is very flattering and makes me feel elegant. I prefer this paired with my dark blue jeans so as not to be too black and I often pair it with a scarf.

These tops are both by Target and are from my winter wardrobe they will remain as extras for spring until it gets too warm. I really like the colour and detail of the burgundy top. The other top is a plain navy with a cowl neck as an added detail.

Dresses

Both dresses are the same style from Angel Maternity I bought the polka dot which is a slightly heavier weight fabric last time I was pregnant. The grey is a new addition and is much more sheer but I really love it. Excited to wear it this week on our lovely beach trip.

Outerwear

This is a Target blazer I bought in 2013 that I love to throw on over a more casual top, paired with a scarf to feel a bit more dressed up. 

In outer layers I also have a red coat that I adore and have had for about 4 years now. I finally found a scarf to pair with it last month, otherwise I wear a plain black scarf, so this will remain in my wardrobe for spring as Melbourne weather is notoriously fickle.

Accessories & Footwear

In the 2 preceding pictures you have seen the scarves I use most frequently. 

For footwear I have leather ballet flats again from Target, I have a nude pair and a black pair which covers my whole wardrobe. This is the first pair of nude shoes I have owned and as a dress lover I am now wondering what I wore before.

I also want to include the lovely handbag my grandparents and hubby contributed to for my birthday. It is a leather bag from Tiganello which fits everything I need including my diary (I have a beautiful Letts of London diary as I prefer old school pen and paper, I just bought my 2015 one) and a largish novel which has been great particularly on plane trips.

Thank you for reading I would love some feedback on the post.
Thank you Jennifer at the Daily Connoisseur for the lovely shout out.

Off I go to Cairns for a few days of relaxing Bye!



All products reviewed or referred to are of my own choice and the opinions expressed are my own.