Using My Pins

I've pinned a lot on Pinterest, but have not really used it for much so far.  But the past few days I've tried my hand at 4 different things I've pinned.  And so far, so good!

First, I love a clean stove top, but with gas the burners get a wee bit dirty and are nearly impossible to clean.  But recently I found a tutorial where you put them in freezer bags with a couple tablespoons of ammonia, let them sit overnight and then they're pretty much clean the next day.  Turns out it works beautifully.  And since I bought a gallon of ammonia I'll be good for a while!

Second, G brought home a cold last week.  Lovely right?  Well while hunting for another pin, I found one I'd saved a while back and voila!  It's for Homemade Cough and Cold Syrup by Keeper of The Home. Onions, honey, cloves and ginger.  G is not a fan of the taste at all, but it seems to have made the colds go away!

Today, I had a bit of free time while Nora napped.  I cleaned and then thought I had some time to be crafty.  I had a bucket of old crayons from freecycle a while back, a silicone heart mold I bought on clearance after Valentine's day last year, and so I got to work.  It was a pain, as the glue on some of the crayons did not want to let them peel easily.  But in the end I got these and I love them!  I still have enough to make 3-4 more sets, and since they store more nicely I'll be doing that this week to store for Nora later. 

Finally, I recently purchased a bunch of beeswax candles (28 votives, and 15 pillars) along with two large bars of beeswax, each weighing 1 lb. 5 oz. from Old Mill Candles.  I highly recommend them if you are looking for good beeswax candles, and they offer discounts on bulk purchases.  I bought the beeswax in order to make lotion bars and beeswax polish.  I cut down, melted and mixed with mineral oil to get this:

I ended up with this mason jar, a small pot, and a bowl of this polish.  It smells wonderful and works fantastically (I use it on kitchen items like spoons and this butcher's block, as well as furniture).  And each bar is more than enough to make 5 times this amount.

Are you on Pinterest?  Have you tried to make anything off of it?

Mrs. Ada 'Arris

Let me introduce my new cleaning lady.  She's pretty fantastic.

She dreams of Paris too.

On freecycle earlier in the summer was an ad for a vintage Hoover vacuum.  Apparently her previous employer had an aged dog and due to that fact was getting rid of all her carpeting in her home and no longer needed Mrs. 'Arris' services.  She mentioned that she wasn't the brightest (her light didn't work on the front), but that otherwise she was a hard worker.  I went to interview her and took her home.  Before G returned I told him I was taking her to a training place (a.k.a. the most amazing vacuum repair place in town...they handle vintage beauties).

But since most of our home is hardwood I had yet to really test her skills.  She sat quietly and politely by our front door, waiting to be called into action.  Tonight I used her on small rugs and then on the hardwoods and she excelled at both.  I'm very well pleased with this new servant.

The best part? The work I had done on her was fairly simple.  I didn't have them fix the light (though I may later).  She simply got a tune up, cleaning and a replacement on the brush I believe and was out of there costing me less than $50.  She may not be the fanciest, what with her worn tan color and tiny tear in the part that holds the bag, but she seems capable of sucking tufts of Sophie's fur from a couple inches away.  I've decided that nothing sucks like a Hoover (though she's a lady all the way)!

*her name comes from a movie with Angela Lansbury about a cleaning woman who dreams of (and reaches that dream) of going to Paris to buy a Dior dress.

Day 9 of Thankfulness I was thankful for a beautiful day on beautiful grounds to spend time with the husband taking photos.  On Day 10 I'm thankful for an old vacuum that made my life easier!

Every Day I'm Snufflin'

*The title is because thanks to a cute poster with snuffleupagus on it, I have been singing that all day and dancing some weird dance.

Today has been one of those great days.  The sun was out, but it was cool and crisp.  Farmer's market for our CSA, and also picked up some local free range eggs, some grapes (similar to concord), some granny smith apples (I know, I know, more apples!), some UV light apple cider (not traditionally pasteurized), and some sage to use with pork later this week.  Then it was onto our little cafe for some cafe au lait and some Irish oatmeal with cream and brown sugar. 

I came home and immediately began work in the kitchen.  I began bread dough, and while it was rising I started other things. 9 more lbs of apples have been turned into 3 pints and 6 half pints of apple butter.  I made pumpkin muffins and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Both super yummy.  I reheated the pork chop and potatoes and sweet potatoes and beans from the other night for a light late lunch.  And then after everything was completely done (much, much later) I grabbed a ham steak, pan cooked it, and sliced it up for ham and cheese sandwiches on our fresh whole wheat bread.  Some end of season tomatoes accompanied it for a simple dinner that was insanely good (much better than I expected when I dreamed it up). 

Now I've got the kettle ready to make some coffee to go with some chocolate pudding.  G's been working all day, securing the bookshelves to the wall and building storage shelves in the basement.  It's kind of hot to watch him work. :) 

We still have donations to box up and load in the car, a nursery to completely clean out (most everything is in boxes, just was waiting for the books to be put on shelves to make room, and for shelves in the basement to set everything on) and vacuum so I can put everything up in there tonight.  I'll be organizing while G builds the crib.  Tomorrow we'll hopefully finally paint the dresser so that all her stuff can get put away nice and tidy.  I'm exhausted but wired, my mind a whirring disaster of a million little to dos I want to just do right now.  Ever have one of those days?

Oh, and my moment of pride? Even with all the cooking and baking, I've done 2 loads in the dishwasher, quite a bit by hand, and have a couple cookie sheets to wash.  Other than that I've already wiped down my stove (some proved difficult as that apple butter splattered a lot... I have the small burns to show for it!), cleaned up the floor, and now just have to sit back and relax. I'm proud of these changes!

Like A Bird

Well, the nesting instinct has increased, which has been awesome!  I was afraid we wouldn't get much done last night because we were both dead tired, so came home after work and took a 2 hours nap.  But we got our rears moving after dinner and I worked on cleaning up our "master" bath which hadn't been used too much (since G left) until recently.  I need to finish that today. I'll be scrubbing the shower tiles with a brush because no matter what people here say, we do indeed have hard water (it likes to leaves orange deposits on the shower head and any place water collects...blech). 

Overhauling the entire house should be exhausting but I generally find it invigorating.  I do get overwhelmed, and that's usually when we call it a night.  But overall, I'm loving seeing a place for everything and us really set up a routine.  I have kept up with all the dishes since G got home.  What has to soak overnight (like our chili pot last night) I take care of right after G leaves in the a.m.  G handles the trash and recycling the night before rather than rushing the next morning.  And he even has a weekly routine for cleaning toilets (something that has been an argument for our entire marriage!).  Now I'll just be glad when the basement is finished and our pantry shelves are up, because the kitchen is cluttered with overflow (the jars of canned apple butter, cans of tomatoes and beans, etc).  I'm also excited because our cabinets will have very little food in them upstairs.  The cabinet that used to hold our canned goods and pasta and such (above the stove) will now hold our glass pyrex containers, making them easier to access.  Our cabinet that used to hold our rarely used items (like the blender) will now hold a small bin for recycle.  Before we were using brown paper sacks from the grocery store, but it quickly can become cluttered because we have a larger recycle output than we do trash!

The nesting also came into play last night as I was doing more baby laundry.  As I handed G the Aden and Anais swaddle blankets to wash he just looked down and got all glistening eyed and said, "So soon she'll be wrapped in these."  He's pretty emotional lately as he is so, so excited for her to get here.  We even practiced using pre-fold diapers with covers last night (on our dependable "lambie" which for years has been our practice baby if I was trying to show him anything).  I've heard so many mamas say their husbands don't want to do that sort of cloth diapering, but G is eager to learn how to do it all! 

Today will be working to get the pantry shelves up downstairs, and running back to IKEA for more bookcases.  Then it will be putting all of the books onto the shelves quickly to make some space to work.  Over a dozen boxes of books, and I had to tell G that no, it will not take hours because we are not categorizing or alphabetizing right now, we are shoving onto shelves now, and he can take free time later to organize them.  I'm so excited to be able to take pics of the wall of bookcases because no one believes me when I say we have that many books.

Finally, I still have more apples than any one person should have, and really, really need to make some applesauce.  I sometimes feel like it's a waste of our time to do those sorts of things, but the other option is to waste 40+ lbs of apples, which I am wholly unwilling to do.  So in between all the "fun" cleaning I also need to make applesauce and can it.  So much to do, so much I want to do, but I have to remind myself that things like the nursery are less important (because she's not sleeping in there for the first few months), whereas getting the house organized and our bedroom overhauled is.  Trying to keep priorities straight!

Delighting in Progress

I have had one of those long days. Picked up a coupon for $10 off at Bed, Bath and Beyond from a freecycler. Squeezed in lunch. Ran to Target where I got an extra laundry basket, and in the baby section came across an online return of a Naturepedic crib mattress protector pad for half off. Picked up thinning shears to trim up Audrey. Ran around to 2 different stores for a steam mop. (Was planning on buying a simple one, saw the one with different heads and pads was on clearance for cheaper, so went to hunt down.) And finally ran to the grocery store and picked up things for me to munch on and for tea tomorrow.  I took a nap and now I'm off and running again.

7 muffin spots full of pesto (sans pine nuts that will be added later)

But I'm delighting in the progress I've been able to make.  And because I like snapping photos, here are photos from the other day's work.

Nectarine Tartin (a little one)

 

I love when it comes out perfectly formed!

I think it's good for me to keep track of everything I've done.  Because sometimes you can work hard all afternoon and not see miracle progress.  Slow but steady I'll have this place whipped into shape!

Finding Discipline

As we drove through the Lancaster countryside, having bought eggs from a girl who was raking gravel (still haven't quite figured that one out), I commented to my friend that if G ever went on deployment again I was going to pack up the kids and take them to live on an Amish farm.  She kind of laughed until she realized I was serious.  I explained that I think their discipline of getting everything done is incredible.  It's a skill I'd like to acquire.

Being a stay at home wife has bred laziness.  Too often I would be hurt by G's lack of help (reading The 5 Love Languages we've figured out that mine clearly is Acts of Service), so I would make excuses for why I hadn't done things.  And as I've warned friends before who suddenly have a lot of time off from work... don't put things off.  You'll feel like you have all the time in the world because technically you do, but it will slowly become overwhelming.

I like a nice and tidy house, where everything has a place.  I'm slightly ocd (my maman tells me my kitchen organization is like the movie Sleeping With The Enemy), and I can be demanding.  But I'm also human and fail to get things done more often than I accomplish them.  I literally have a list of projects to do that is several pages long.

Saturday felt amazing.  All of my extremities hurt the next day, like I got in a workout.  But I felt proud of everything I managed to accomplish.  Sunday morning, walking into my kitchen and seeing less mess than I'd seen in months I smiled.  It was good to know I had quiche in the fridge and some nectarine tartin.  I didn't accomplish everything, because I simply ran out of time, but I didn't get discouraged, I simply added those things to the list of what to do the next day.

We're each finding discipline in getting things done so that our home will become one where the upkeep is minimal (daily dishes and sweeping), and we can relax with one another.  It has helped our marriage to discover that not only am I ocd, but I see love by things that are done.  It's why I cook and bake for G, and sew his things, and clean.  I don't make the excuse that I'm naturally a cluttered person, because those are simply habits I can change.  

So I'm changing them.  And tomorrow I'll be discussing how I am learning to find contentment in keeping house, seeing it as a gift to my family.

Staying On Task

I've decided that it would be best to make this week all about homemaking/homekeeping because it's what I've been doing this weekend and will be continuing to do for the rest of this month.  I already have other posts written, and hopefully what I have to say might help someone else.

I am naturally 2 things: ocd about tidyness... and cluttered.  I'm usually that person where the pile of stuff on a desk looks messy, but I know where everything is and don't you dare touch it... but I also dream of a clutter free workspace and like to obsessively straighten things.

My problem lies in the fact that I am extremely detail oriented.  When I get going, I really get going, but it might be random things.  I have been known to disassemble something to clean all it's little bits.  But I might not get to something bigger.  I also might be nearly done cleaning one room, but get distracted on a project in another, and nothing get finished right.  It drives me crazy!

So this week I've made myself basically stay on task.  The kitchen is the first thing I'm tackling with laundry thrown in (because I sort of suck at keeping up with that and need clean clothes).  I'm forcing myself to stay on task.  Even though whenever I take breaks and sit on the sofa to read or whatnot, and see something messy, I'm not letting myself deal with it, because I have the kitchen to clean.  I tell myself that the next thing on the list is the living room, so to just remain patient.

I'm not a natural homemaker, and I'll explain more why tomorrow.  But I'm learning that these are things I want to train my daughter to do, so I better teach myself first!

Do you have any suggestions for staying on task?

Keeping Busy As The Countdown Begins

I think the nesting might be starting to set in.  I was doing dishes for 2 hours last night while watching The Proposal.  (It took so long because it was things like cookie sheets, which in my sink take a bit of manuevering, and a heavy cast iron coq au vin pot.) 

And then today I was off like a madwoman, going to the market for veggies.  Then I came home and whipped up a batch of banana bread.  Later I  went to pick up some diapers from craigslist.

Then I came home and without resting have been in the kitchen for the last 4 hours.  I made salsa and froze it.  I cooked ears of corn, chopped it off, and froze it into different portion sizes.  I blanched and froze green beans.  And I shelled peas and froze them.  I'm currently working on pesto to freeze for the pasta G has promised to make once he's home. 

Tonight's dinner is a quiche, I'm thinking of making 2 so that I can freeze one for later (I have a lot of eggs).  I also have a french baguette that needs to be made into croutons.  And tomatillos that I think I've decided to freeze whole.  And finally, winding down the evening I'll be oven roasting plum tomatoes to freeze for later use on sandwiches and in pasta.

Tomorrow it's off to pick up some new jars and can the rest of the tomatoes, make zucchini bread, gooseberry jam, and clotted cream.  All of this is while cleaning and doing laundry, so I'm sure I'll be exhausted by tomorrow night and sleep very well.  The clotted cream is for tea on Monday, where I'll finally be able to just sit and relax with a friend. 

I don't mind the nesting... it means I'm going to sleep well! 

Spring Cleaning Time

Oh my goodness, my life has been pure madness lately!  Between dealing with people, meetings, get togethers, and just trying to finish a book I'm exhausted.  I honestly spent most of yesterday sleeping, I had no energy.

But, in order to keep my mind off the fact that my husband has been gone nearly a month, I am getting into Spring cleaning.  The overhaul is gonna be huge, it will probably take me all of April and most of May as I sort, build shelving, and finish furniture, but I am thrilled to have all of it to do!

First up is my bedroom because it needs to be more of a sanctuary.  Clothes are going to a charity here in Charm City, and I'm going to steam clean the carpets (with dogs I think this is necessary).  My goal is to start making my bed every day, so it will be a habit by the time G returns.

I will be finishing organizing and painting the office and having a friend come help me build bookshelves.  Move the sofa, place the rug down and hang the picture frame that will eventually house the t.v.

Then it's on to the back bedroom which will eventually become a guest bedroom.  I need to completely clean it out first (it houses boxes once again).  And then it's on to painting and moving some furniture in there.  Eventually our antique full size bed will go in there.  Super narrow windows so I'm going to try my hand at making roman shades for them and hanging some curtains.  I want to get all of this done before my T comes out later this summer.

After that I'll be going into the hell that is the basement to box up and categorize everything.  What stays needs to be labeled since I'm going to be building shelving to go down there.  Our old kitchen table and chairs is going to be a work space down there, and I'm looking for a dresser to turn into a tool chest for G.

It sounds insane but my goal is to have the house as finished as possible before he returns.  I've got a lot on my plate, but I'm learning to balance it all out.  And my OCD tendencies are getting me excited to have everything in a nice and tidy place.  I have a long list of planned purchases for the house that one by one will be bought, and soon this house will feel much more like home.  In fact, it already has begun to with my night routine of tidying and keeping my keys in a certain place.

Do you do Spring cleaning?  Any tips?

Oh, and have I mentioned the gorgeous weather?  Makes me want to picnic and fly kites!

House Updates 3

The afternoon light in here is fantastic.  I love my kitchen!  It really is the reason I said yes when G first loved this house.  And for all the madness and buyer's regret, this kitchen feels like home to me.  It's not completely uncluttered, there is always a loaf of bread on top of the fridge, spices on the counter, and I keep things out that many put away.  But it's a working kitchen, where things I need are on hand. 

This is the bookcase in front of my island.

Bookcase: thrifted

Wooden Bowls: thrifted

Carnival Glass Butter Dish: bought for my by my parents at an auction years ago (I used it in college!)

Teapot Warmer: thrifted

Brass Candlesticks: thrifted (we have a ton in our house)

Cookbooks: from everywhere

Recipe Box: Big one from Hallmark (gift), small one is vintage, belonged to my great grandmother

Vanilla:  TJMaxx

Candied Kumquats:  I made!

Bluebird Cookie Jar: thrifted

 Violet: Home Depot

Aloe Vera: Home Depot

Aloe Vera Pot: IKEA

Cake Stand: vintage, gifted from one of our middle school teacher's when I bought the cake that was on it at an auction.  She wished us a happy marriage and told us to keep the plate!

Dry Erase Board and Stand: DaySpring

Candle, TJMaxx

Candle Plate: Target

Moroccan Glass Tiled Vase: Tuesday Morning

French Press: Bodum, freecycle

Soap Dish: Antique, given to us by G's dad.

Dishsoap Bottle:  One of 3 from IKEA.  I love it!

Virgin Mary Art: thrifted

Spice Jars: vintage science equipment (see the rest of the science items HERE.)

Tea Kettle: Sur La Table (no longer being manufactured, we went on a wild chase of this one HERE.)

Cast Iron Coq Au Vin Dutch Oven: Staub, gift from parents

Crystal/Cut Glass Oil Cruet:  Antique, from grandmama

Salt Pig: Tuesday Morning

This is the island, where are the magic preparations happens!

House Updates 2

Here is our living room.  It gets lots of light during the day!  Some of the photos are blurry, but I didn't realize it until it was too late!

 Sofas:  Base furniture store when we were first married:

"Coffee Table":  side table, thrifted

Pillows: Dark blue from IKEA, teal from Target

Blanket: TJMaxx

Peacock Artwork: Thrifted

Rugs: TJMaxx (they were originally bought for kitchen, but both won't work, so temporarily placed here.)

Smoke Glass Candle Holder:  Actually has fruit cut into it on bottom, thrifted

Candles: Store on base in England....they stain they things they sit on, hence a glass piece.

Mini Dachshund: Ours!

 Bar Tray: thrifted

Decanters: thrifted

Cranberry cordial: Homemade, in a bottle that used to hold apricot liqueur from a castle in England.

Martini Pick Holder: Crystal glass, thrifted

Martini Picks: Crate and Barrel

Runner: Target (Christmas)

Large Artwork:  Free from Airman's Attic in England

French Sign: Won Giveaway from My French Corner

Silhouette Art:  Vintage, thrifted England

Holy Family: thrifted

Humidor: thrifted

Cork Glass Holder: thrifted

Corks:  do you have to ask?

I should mention the beauty of this piece is the storage.  The cabinets hold bar glasses (the vintage gold cane glasses).  The drawers hold candles, both beeswax tapers and the soy jar candles I love so much (that I stalk TJMaxx for them).  They also hold some random peacock dishes I bought, wine bottle stoppers, and silver metal trays I love, including a clover shaped one!

Dresser where we drop things as we come in.

Tray: Target

Paperweight: Hobby Lobby

Black and White Sugar Bowl: Charity shop in England, we use it to hold matches.

Beaded Candle Holder: Target

Glamourous Candle Holder: Hobby Lobby

Toast Rack Used As Letter Holder: Thrift Store

Geode: TJMaxx (G picked this out)

Owl Perfume Bottle:  Vintage Avon, from my grandmama's home

Photo Frames: TJMaxx

Mirror: Target

 I just noticed that in this closeup one of the bar glasses is on the back of the tray!  These photos were taken on Sunday and G *might* have been drinking Scotch in the afternoon.

The final post will be the kitchen!

House Updates 1

Garret and I cleaned the first level, re-arranging furniture and organizing.  We also put a bathmat down in the guest bathroom, and a painting on the wall.  My orchid decided that the bathroom was a lovely place to primp herself, so there she is.  I still need to go through the drawers in the dresser in the living room, and re-organize the kitchen, and hunt down a shower curtain for the guest bath (the first one was defective, then they were out for a very long time!).  But overall I'm pleased with how it's coming together.

I have so many images I'll separate these into 3 posts.  First up we have the guest bathroom!

 This is the painting of the Northern Lights as viewed from Scotland that we bought in England.  You can see the before from when the frame was darker HERE.

It might seem a little odd to have a painting in the bathroom, but I loved the color of the bathmat in there so much that I realized the painting was the perfect choice for a pop of color in a very neutral room. 

It's Just "Stuff"

G and I are cleaning out our home.  Clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories from the bedroom.  An huge overflow of kitchen items we have no need for.  Some will get donated, some freecycled, some items listed on etsy (vintage items).  The point is that I've felt for a long time like we're drowning in stuff.  We're both sentimental, and can hold onto items too long.  It's hard to not say, "But what if I need/want that later?"

But it's just stuff.  No item can replace the memories.  Nothing I hold onto will keep my grandmama here forever.  There are some items we will never willingly part with, but most of it just makes our home cluttered and drives me insane.  So instead of cherishing items we begin to resent them.  

When we're talking about having a family in the next couple of years it hits me that I don't want this for them.  I feel safer in a nice, clean, organized environment.  With clutter I shut down and hide.  And I'm pretty sure my kids will be similar, so we're working to get some semblance of order.  This Thanksgiving was the first big dinner in a long while that we made a point to clean up as we went along, so after putting up the leftovers I was left with a fairly clean kitchen.  No sink of dishes that overwhelm me.  No counters that have flour on them.  Just a few wineglasses and silverware that needed to be handwashed.  And after dinner G washed dishes and we enjoyed ourselves having a squirt bottle water fight.  We ended up mopping up the floor with all the excess water and laughing the night away.  

So, we're slowing piecing together our home.  We've lived here a year.  We now know where things will work best for us.  What we need to buy (bookcases and more bookcases) in order to get the house nice and tidy.  And we've made a goal to get the house organized and tidy before G leaves in about 3 months.  That way all I have to do is maintain what little mess I make.  It's hard to let go of things, to not save them for a "rainy day."  But I'd much rather have a tidy home and my sanity.

The Sun Came Out

Glory to God, the sun finally came out!  And with it, my mood is a bit brighter.  Last night when the rain had slowed a bit we braved the weather late to go up to TJMaxx to look for bedding for the guest room.  What we found was black and white bedding that G eventually wants in our room.  So, T will get to tell us how it is, and then once we've built the queen sized bed we can use it.  Win/win.  We also picked up a glamourous standing lamp that is the perfect height for next to a reading chair.  With chrome and crystal it will work wonderfully in our room!

Tonight we're grouting and painting in the guest bathroom, and then tomorrow I'll be giving the walls another coat and we'll seal the grout.  We picked up a yummy smelling pumpkin soap at TJMaxx for the room as well.  I'm a wee bit excited to finally have this room more "together."  It came pretty low on our list of finishing because, well, we rarely use it.  But I want it to look nice as we begin having more guests over. 

I think my biggest problem is I try and take on too much.  I have two sets of curtains to finish dealing with, painting to do (both walls and furniture), art to hang.....the list just goes on and on.  So I've been trying to take it slow and give myself a breather.  I mean, this is T, I don't think she'll be judging me if my art work isn't all hung.  Hell, I might utilize her to help decorate because God knows G just feels lost when I ask him.  To quote him, "I like what I like, but I'm not good at figuring out if all of it will work together."  He really is a secret bohemian!  

But I am so excited to share our "new" curtains I picked up from the thrift store oh so long ago, once they're done.  They have a pinch pleating and originally would have been hung with hooks, but I want it on a rod, so I will be attaching a strip of canvas to make a pocket.  Simple enough.  They are currently hanging over the curtain rod in the living room to make sure they dry completely after I washed them, and just seeing them in the room makes me smile.  Pictures should be up on the home blog sometime next week!

And the CSI Project is having a Ballard Designs inspired project link up next week.  Ballard is usually a little too warm toned for me, but I will be tweaking some of their designs to make some nice things for our home, including a planter box for my kitchen window herbs!  

I'm off to do more laundry.  Today is delicates day---silk, wool, etc, so it takes forever with such small loads on gentle/handwash.  But I'm excited to show you a LOFT houndstooth pencil skirt I picked up for a few bucks that was originally $78.00---tags still attached!  Stay tuned for many projects coming up this month!

Mindful Monday

On The French Chic board on yahoo (a lovely group of tres chic ladies) I have been trying to help get the board more talkative, and this includes Mindful Mondays.  Today as I was getting ready to post this I realized that it would make a good post for here too!  It's simply what I'm doing to remain mindful about the life I like to lead.  Obviously different life choices would make different lists.  The point is to do things thoughtfully.

My mindful Monday is consisting of cleaning up our tiny little bathroom to make is a better working space.  I have vintage trays that hold products on a shelf, but looking at it I realized I don't really want products I use once in a blue moon taking up valuable shelf space.  So I will be re-organizing to make it only things I reach for often.  Same goes for my tray of make-up.  The occasional use items will get stored under the sink so I can easily find them, but not have them cluttering up our limited space. 

I'm also taking the time to do things for myself, beauty wise.  My toenails haven't been painted in over a month, and my eyebrows haven't been waxed in a year!  So I called a place that came highly recommended for my eyebrows, left a message and hopefully will get that done this week.  I will be getting out the polish after posting this (it can dry while I clean).  And it's Monday, so it's a good day for some pampering.  

I also of course was careful in my lunch, choosing some arugula, tuna, onion, tomato, and radishes for a salad drizzled with honey dijon dressing.  I sliced a piece of french bread, got out a bottle of pellegrino, and chose an apple from our massive bowl of apples.  I'm planning on going for espresso this evening with G and bringing a couple squares of dark chocolate to share.  

G dreads Mondays because of his return to work, but I'm hoping by working on looking nice and having the house nice for when he comes home he'll soon find sweet relief.  We got rid of our claw foot sofa yesterday so our sitting room is open and airy once again (and nice and tidy too), so hopefully he is able to leave work at work and begin to dread Mondays less.  Have you done anything purposefully today to make your life just a little bit nicer? 

Little House

So, one thing that was on the truck my parents brought out east was the story of the family that goes out west to the prairie.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder series was a big part of my childhood.  I remember acting out having to travel and set up a new life with my barbies.  I loved Oregon Trail (who didn't?).  And my maman still watches Little House On The Prairie when she can catch it.  

So in choosing a book to read yesterday I started the series with Little House In The Big Woods.  I finished that while waiting for G at a doctor's appt. and moved onto Little House On The Prarie.  For certain these books seem to have one effect on me so far:  I suddenly feel lazy doing nothing.  So I rushed around yesterday afternoon, picking up a legal pad holder, making lists of things, making plans.  Then I came home, made a double batch of homemade brown sugar (sugar mixed with molasses).  It's divine, but we prefer to use it after it's sat for a couple months, and so to prepare for Christmas time I'm actually going to be making a ton of it.  I made it with a little over 2 cups sugar yesterday and it smells like warm times in the kitchen.  

Then I began my evening.  I made a double batch of my pie dough and set that in the fridge to chill.  Then I made a double batch of salmon croquettes (notice a pattern), frying them all up quickly.  I make them thin as pancakes (because I'm terrified of them not cooking through) and as they used up the oil I realized that since mine were a little more "wet" than my grandmama would have done, they really didn't need oil, so I cooked them without.  The juice of the salmon has enough natural oil that it cooked them gorgeously.  We have plenty for G's lunches this week (he loves them and was excited I was making so many).  Then I moved on, preparing the equivalent to 10 large tomatoes.  I blanched, peeled, cored and sliced.  (next time I will be removing the seeds, it was too watery, but as it was from The French Kitchen I wanted to follow it exact....except I used my own crust)  I put that together and threw it in the oven.  Lastly I began working on a plum galette.  I sliced tiny little walnut sized plums in half, tossed them with a bit of our homemade cranberry vodka, and let them sit to marinate.  Then I moved on to pre-baking the crust and making the custard.  It turned out lovely and I finished all that up while G chatted with his older brother.  I was lovingly told to "get in the kitchen and cook something."  Ha!  

I used red tomatoes, then layered our farmer's market orange and green tomatoes (the ripe kind) on top.  Next time I need to slice paper thin.

I feel productive, since I also cleaned as I went.  And though my kitchen is not sparkling (the stove and the oven are my arch nemesis constantly getting dirty), it is pretty picked up, with nearly all the dishes either clean, or currently running in the dishwasher.  Today I am going to surprise G and clean quite a bit while he's away.  Because we have so much unpacking to do, we've been cleaning together more often.  My best friend is coming in a few months and I need an organized home before then.  So I'm reading a bit more of my book, hoping to be shamed into motivation again!  (God, they really did do so much, didn't they?!?)

Clothes Horse

I am a clothes horse.  Always have been, and having seen my maman's and gradmama's closets (as well as a great great aunt who was always dressed to the nines) I would say I get it genetically.  It's not just clothes, it's accessories, handbags, jewelry too.  And while G appreciates the effort I take with my look, and he has an equal share in our closet, we've both come to realize we simply have too many clothes.  But yet, every time I went to pare it down I couldn't.  "What if I might want that later?"  "What if that looks good later?"  "Maybe I should save it in case I ever decide to have a baby?" (in reference to the clothes that simply do not fit me anymore.)

But enough is enough.  I mean, seriously.  There are some items I think I'm going to try and alter myself (such as larger pieces I love but aren't pricey) and some that we're taking to a tailor to have done.  G has a great navy blue peacoat from Gap that still looks lovely....but it's an XL and he's now a S/M.  Thank God I know the coat tailor from the gods!  So the peacoat is making a cross country trip next time we head home.  But many, many items are getting donated.  I'm not getting rid of any accessories or jewelry, since those things are so essential to my daily outfits (I often wear a simple black or grey tee with a colorful scarf and bangles).  I do, however have handbags that are in excellent condition but I simply don't love them, don't carry them, and probably never will.  I'm keeping a pink one that my maman had made for me that is all foufou-y with the eiffel tower and fluff that I think is so cute.  I won't carry it (it simply no longer suits my personality) but I know some day either my niece or a daughter of my own is gonna love it.  

I'm doing this for me.  Because for the first time ever I know who I am.  I don't feel lost while shopping.  I often pause to admire something and then think, "That's nice, but it wouldn't suit me."  On the rare occasion I pick up something to try that doesn't suit me, G tends to let me know.  But for the most part I simply stick to what I know will look good on me.  Whether that is the cut/color, or simply the style.  I am quite the little hippie at times, but realistically that look tends to look like a costume on me.  It took me a long time to realize I can be a hippie in classic clothes.  I don't need to dress a part to be me.

So G has been asked, and agreed, to hold my hand as I toss some things I want to desperately work, but know they don't.  Hopefully if I can stick to the guidelines I typed out a couple days ago, come this winter I will need more room for beautiful clothes.  I need some cashmere sweaters (I have 2 cardigans, but the 2 sweaters I had were too short on my torso and are getting felted for a couple projects).  I want a crisp white shirt.  If you are a classics sort of woman, what pieces in your own closet do you consider "must-haves"?  My favorite, and obvious since I have about a dozen, is the little black dress.  I have them from casual to formal and they work for nearly every occasion. 

A Work In Progress

Our little walk in closet has been a general disaster since we moved in.  Too many things just thrown in there and then the door shut so we don't have to see the mess.  So I spent a few hours today tidying up, which included taking nearly all the clothes out (not much were on hangers, mind you), and putting away cold weather items, organizing a bit.  Here's the work in progress (we have laundry going that will end up on my empty hangers).

Eventually we want to rip this closet to shreds.  The shelves on top are not even deep enough for a shoe box (something we'll know to bring along when looking at our next home).  We're wanting to measure and build our own with two levels of hanging with drawers underneath that and then shelves up high that you need a small ladder for (the ceiling in our closet is a good 9') that can store out of season items.  For now, I organize the best I can.

This is my favorite little closet helper.  I think it's supposed to be a tie and belt thing, but whatever.  It's keeps my scarves from sliding off and getting lost, and on this side I can see them all and pick one at a time.  


Still working, I'm exhausted from the sheer mental effort cleaning takes.  

How Do You Clean?

I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning.  I am super detail oriented so will spend hour arranging things "just right" but forget to vacuum.  And I cannot clean unless I have background noise, whether that be music or a movie.  And I bring this up only because G is making coffee so my dragging butt can get moving at finally organizing our bedroom a little bit better (did I mention we're switching out all the furniture this summer, thereby making this effort useless for too long?).  

But it will be worth it.  Because I am completely one of those everything-has-a-dang-place-and-please-oh-please-don't-put-that-in-that-drawer-it-goes-in-the-other-sort-of-people. 

Coming Up

Things That I Need to Do and Show You:

1. Paint furniture:  I have a tea trolley, 2 side tables, 4 chairs, a desk, a dresser, and a coffee table to paint!  The weather has really hindered my getting this done, but hopefully the sun will keep on shining!
2. Make a pair of curtains for my office area for less than $5!  (you are gonna want to see this!)
3. Organize my kitchen drawers:  Drawer space is at a premium here, so I need to buy some organizers and make it work.
4. Make my living room work for now.  Yes, my furniture will be here in April (and then I need to have the chairs completely refurbished) but for now I just need to make the room look presentable.  Currently it looks like a tornado went through and blew a lot of things that go elsewhere into there.  It's kinda been our drop off point after shopping.  
5. Organize my closet.  
6. Paint the mirrors I have lying around my house.  Yes, plural.
7. Unpack (sadly this might be on the list until we move out).
8. Buy or make a queen size bed and move our bedroom furniture down to the guest room.  
9. Paint the walls
10. Not panic because this list is crazy long, and there isn't even half of the things I need to do on it!

Have you been making lists and checking them thrice?  Do share!