The First Week of January

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope your first week of the New Year has gone well for you. I've had a steady week...not overly busy but getting a few things done.

The decluttering continues.

A few master bathroom items were tossed

and replaced as per the next 3 photos.

I also got rid of an area rug. I really like the print but the rug never did have a comfortable home here and I didn't like the quality so out it went. It was purchased on line so I wasn't able to check it out well before I bought it. I've had my eye on another area rug but after checking it out in the store, I decided it wouldn't do so I'll manage without a replacement for now.

A carpet that wouldn't cooperate

 

I didn't like this cushion cover so I'm remaking it.

I've started the re-do (sorry for the poor lighting).

The cushion cover finished. Now for the backing.

I waited weeks for a notice from the library about the books I put on hold. Earlier this week I picked them up.

The first books of 2025

I purchased a lot of fruit and vegetables which need to be used quickly because they aren't top quality.  I'm trying to use the vegetables in new ways.

A completely vegetarian meal (below) which is quite unusual for us.  I have been craving sweet potatoes with peanut sauce (a Ugandan dish) and it was yummy.

Green beans & almonds, sweet potato and peanut sauce, mixed beans & cabbage

The broccoli, potato, chicken coconut curry was especially delicious so I'll be making it again.

So that's it for now. I. hope to be making similar progress in the weeks ahead. Have a great week!

Organizing & Small Decor Changes

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

This is a continuation of my decluttering and reorganizing efforts.

I'm so happy that at long last I've been getting to little bits of clutter that doesn't seem to have a permanent home. I should throw it all out but that is not like me, ha ha.  Instead, I stash it and hold on to it.  Now at last I'm going through it, sorting, organizing and disposing of it as needed. I can't tell you how good this makes me feel because these little bits stashed in bags and containers of all kinds is so much visual clutter.  

Visual clutter as opposed to hidden clutter, makes me uncomfortable and anxious every time I look it. I don't have hide away places where I can stash everything until I'm ready to deal with it.  That's probably a good thing. I want things 'out' so it's easier to access them and organize whenever I have a few minutes here and there. That time is now.

Tuesday and Wednesday I dealt with clutter in the living room and organized the TV cabinet shelves. I've still got too much 'stuff' housed there but I did get rid of a large bag of books and CDs & I will be getting rid of more. 

I've got a CD player or two and so I can still listen to them. I have a lot of study materials on them so I've kept those that I want to study soon.  Mainly foreign languages and Bible studies. 

Does anyone out there still listen to CDs?

I also continue making small decor changes. Although the changes are small they take so much time to research or consider products, order them, assess how they are working and package, return and reorder them as needed. Here are some of the recent changes.

This one is for paper recycling.

Replaced shopping bags with covered bins for recycling containers and papers. I got the new to me Sterlite bin from a woman in the neighbourhood. Previously I thrifted a covered Ikea bin which I'm using for containers.

Replaced the blue scatter mats (as in the photo above).  Every time I look at these mats in the entry way and kitchen I cringe a little because the edges are becoming quite frayed and the white-ish gray colour is looking 'dirty'.  I'm loving the lighter, brighter colours in the new mat and I hope they last for a while.

Covered chairs with slipcovers to bring cohesion to 2 different coloured chairs in 2 different styles which I've now put close to one another.  First I tried gray slipcovers.  They were supposed to be a light gray colour but instead they were quite dark. I returned them for this beige colour which I prefer.  The problem is the covers aren't quite long enough to cover the bottom of the chairs. I've ordered another style and I hope they will work better.

I've ordered a different type to see if it will work.

Replacing old outlet covers with new ones. No amount of washing the grooves made the plate look clean. It's hard to wash the switches. They need to be changed or removed to be washed and dried properly. I figure if I am going to remove them or have them removed, they may as well be replaced. Only a few need the switch mechanism changed but this is actually quite a low priority in the long list of things to do.

Old cover

I'm also still dealing with a few items from the recent renovations to the master bedroom and the patio. 

I have to review the patio work and complete a deficiency form. This is straightforward because we've been reviewing the work throughout the long renovation process and little changes were made here and there.  On the other hand, the movers involved in moving our furniture in and out, have damaged 2 items.  It's taking time to deal with because they don't want to pay for replacement costs. On my part, I don't see why I need to shoulder the majority of replacement costs. Hopefully this will be dealt with before the week is out. I'll be glad to put both of these issues completely to rest!

Last but not least, I'm busy moving things around trying to make things function and flow better. Of course that makes it easier for us to live here but I'm also expecting a guest soon. I sure hope I can have her soon because I don't want her to travel on the mountain roads during snowy or stormy weather. Winter comes early in the mountains.

If you're still here, thank you for stopping by. Your visit means a lot. I'd be interested in hearing whether you too are on a downsizing, decluttering and reorganizing mission? Have you jumped on the minimalist bandwagon or are you a maximalist? I would say I fall into the maximalist camp but I am trying very hard to reduce my possessions to live a life of less maintenance of 'stuff' and more freedom.  One thing I've noticed as I've been taking photos to share about the small household changes here and there, is that the photos reveal the flaws in furniture and the interior of the home (walls, corners, paint and so on). I'm finding it helpful in figuring out where to make small adjustments and repairs as well as identifying what areas need more cleaning.

Tuesday 4 - House & Home

Hello and welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 hosted by Annie who writes a blog called Cottage by the Sea.

Today's these is home secrets for keeping house and person clean. Maybe we will learn a few tips from one another.

1.   What household tool or appliance do you rely on a lot?

Like most western households these days I have many household appliances. I use most of them on a regular basis but I rely on the washer and dryer and the vacuum cleaner the most. During heat waves I also rely on several fans because I have no air conditioning.

2.   Which laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dish detergent work best for you?

I've always used Palmolive for hand washing dishes because it was the sole dish detergent featured in television commercials back in the day. I still use it but now I also use Dawn.  Sometimes I also use Ivory.  I  interchange between these 3 with Dawn being the primary dish detergent I use.  I  also use several kinds of liquid laundry detergent: Purex, Arm & Hammer and  Freshex (1st and 3rd one are free of dyes and perfumes). To be honest, I have not researched to see how environmentally friendly any of these products but in a quick search I see there are concerns about both Palmolive and Dawn.  I'll need to investigate further but slowly I am moving toward using fewer chemically based products. When I had a front loading washing machine I made my own powdered laundry soap but now that I now I own a front loading HE washer, I buy liquid soap for such machines.  I don't use fabric softener but I do use fabric dryer sheets. I sometimes use wool dryer balls instead of fabric sheets and plain white vinegar in the rinse cycle to deodorize towels and linens.

3.   What soap do you like to use?   Where do you have soap in your home... bathroom, kitchen, shower?

I use liquid  castille soap which I use only for body soap in the shower, not for household cleaning.  Castille soap is made of plant oils — coconut, hemp, sunflower seed, jojoba and olive. I used to buy Dr. Bronner's brand but it is quite expensive. Now I buy exclusively at a place called Soap Dispensary where they sell oils, soaps and many products in whatever amount you want and they dispense everything into recyclable containers which you pay for on deposit. You get your deposit back when you take the container back for cleaning and reuse by another. I also use bar soap from time to time, primarily soap made with Shea Butter, Goat's milk or Olive Oil. I also use Ivory bar soap from time to time. I keep liquid hand soap in the bathroom, castille liquid soap in the shower, dish detergent in the kitchen and laundry detergent in the laundry closet.

4.   What is the secret to a clean home in your opinion?

The secret to a clean home is not to leave things undone each day. Everything needs to be picked up and put away or folded and put away or washed (like dishes). The other thing is to take care of "hot spots", places that accumulate clutter. For me it's my desk and dining table, for others it may be the kitchen counter and so on. A few minutes each day, or a set time each week, to tackle such things will go a long way to keep everything tidy.  Regular decluttering will also help. As I've aged I've faced various health challenges and taken on possessions of loved ones who passed on.  Now I have a huge job to get things to a cleaner, tidier state and in better working order. I've been working away for a long time already to get things in better order.  Slowly I'm getting there but it is a challenge.

Washing dishes is my least favourite chore but I like a clean sink.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Have a great week ahead.