A Relaxing Week

I've spent the week simplifying my life a bit so I can have more rest.  I cancelled a number of my appointments for the next two weeks and eliminated a lot of email and spent a good deal of time just relaxing and taking things easy. I didn't realize I was quite as tired as I was and I'm sure this bit of quiet time will do me a world of good.

Cancelling my appointments was simple. It not only bought me a bit of time this week but also eliminated expenditures of approximately $65.00 (Canadian) on herbs and travel.

Unwanted or no longer needed email was easy to deal with too. I tend to sign up for a lot of email alerts for a variety of things.  This week I spent a little time to unsubscribe from numerous email alerts I've been getting daily for years.  I do read almost every email I receive because it only takes a moment to scan and/or read it. I decided that I don't need most of this email anymore if I haven't found enough use for them in years. I can better use all the minutes I spend weekly on other more useful or constructive things. So "unsubscribe", "unsubscribe", "unsubscribe" ...was the order of the day, rather than "delete", "delete", "delete", lol.

It's been a steady week and I've needed the time to rest and make some progress on chores around the house.  When I'm resting I can never just lounge around and do nothing.  So resting is also a time when I read or do some crafting to use my time wisely.

This week I made good headway on the first of  Ken Follett's Century Trilogy.  In an earlier post I said that I had been too distracted to get into the book, The Fall of Giants.  It isn't so much that I don't  find it interesting.  Rather, I did not have the time to properly get into the book.  Given it is 985 pages long, it is difficult to keep track of the characters or follow the story, unless  one can read it for a few hours at a stretch.  Especially at the beginning.  This week I  was able to read for uninterrupted periods of time and finished the book. Yeah! I now look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.

Experimenting in the kitchen was another fun activity this week. First up was a "new to me" recipe for scalloped potatoes.  Next was a beef & squash stew on another day.  Both of these hearty dishes were a hit and I'll have to try them again some time. I'm thinking of baking some no knead bread soon; or perhaps I should make a small amount of bread pudding to use up some stale bread I have in the fridge.

It continues to be quite cold here.  It started snowing big flakes on Saturday and hasn't really let up.  Even so there is only a small amount of snow on the ground.  A lot of it melts before it has time to solidify. The cloud cover is definitely here and one can't see the mountains.

You can see the snowflakes are very big. You can't even see the mountains.

When it is this kind of weather I don't tend to venture too far.

Early in the week I had an opportunity to spend time separately with two different friends.  We met up for coffee at local Starbucks in my neighbourhood.  One friend gave me a number of books she thought I might like.  She is older than my mom but she and her husband are still active and live in their own home.  They had an elevator installed about 5 years ago and so this is likely where they will live out the rest of their days.

My other friend is also quite elderly and has a number of health issues.  It has been getting harder and harder for her to climb the stairs to the attic apartment she has in an old house.  She is trying to declutter so she can move into an apartment with elevator access.  In a few weeks she has to go to the hospital for a special test for her heart.  I plan to accompany her and bring her home for an overnight stay while she recovers since she is not allowed to return home to stay alone.

Saturday I stayed in a did a few loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and swept the floors.  I also managed to colour my own hair using henna powder I mixed. 

Sunday a friend I travelled with last October contacted me about a trip we hope to make together in early May.  We are planning to stay at the same lodge but this time have booked a cabin right on the water front.  I'm excited about that because I just love the sound of waves lapping against the shore.  My last visit there was very relaxing.  There are no distractions like television, radio, telephone or internet.  You have to read, walk, participate in activities or rest!

I hope you are keeping warm and happy. 

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Our World Tuesday

The Last Major Hurdles

I do realize that the kind of blog post you are about to read may not be too exciting or thrilling to a lot of people.  But writing about it helps me to stay on track and accountable for the big decluttering project I am working on.  It is a tedious job with few immediate rewards so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for reading and giving me a platform to share my goals, challenges, successes....all of which are leading me to a simpler life and more time and resources for the Missions of Hope.
 
I have had a busy start to the New Year in an effort to get started on the right foot.  This past week I decided to take a little break from the decluttering project and have been busy doing other things like: catching up with friends, going to the movie, exercising, going to Sunday services and making notes of all the upcoming activities there that I would like to participate in during January/February, listening to past sermons on line, reading, organizing my medical appointments and paperwork, scheduling my upcoming commitments (including those that help me reach my goals in 2011) and following up on a number of things I've promised to do.

Then also this past week my mom had a major fall which you can read about here.  Last night she was admitted to hospital due to cellulitis infection.  Cellulitis is the bane of many senior citizens, especially those that are less mobile. She was heavily sedated all day due to pain but her nurse says she is doing much better now. We are not yet sure how long she will be in hospital but my brother and nephew will be attending to visit her and help her with her various needs while I attend to my own medical needs.

Now I'm back to the next big step in the decluttering process, the subject of this blog post which I've called,  "The Last Major Hurdles".  The hurdles are the table top, the dresser top in the bedroom and the big boxes in the bedroom, some of which are pictured below. Once I clean these surfaces and fully unpack the boxes I will have the hardest parts of my decluttering project behind me. I still will have a lot to do but the worst of it will have been done. Yippee!!!

The dining room table in the photo below is covered with clutter and tablecloths so you can't see but it is an antique table from Spain. I love it and it is special because my mom gave me the money to buy it as a birthday present many years ago.  Though my mother paid for it she never liked my choice of table and I am now going to get rid of it.  When I told her that some months ago, she said "Oh good!"  I would probably keep it were it not for the fact that the chairs need reinforcing every year due to their age and often they are not reinforced so they pose a possible danger to someone.  Otherwise, I love the table. Partly because of it's heavy and ornately carved legs.  I also love it because the table top has leaves inserted under it and you can pull them out when you have a sewing project or you have a dinner party.  This adds about 5 more surface feet which really helps when you want to cut fabrics or set out food and dinnerware which I do for buffet style dinners when entertaining.

Clutter on the tabletop. empty coin wrappers in the bag and important papers in a  wooden box on the floor. The table area is nice and clean from time to time but I'm afraid it acts as an expensive catch all most of the time.  Once I clean the the table I will find a new home for it. In fact, I've already ordered a new, small round table for the dining table.  I think it will work much better in this space.

Don't you agree that these are beautiful and solid looking table legs?

Two big unpacked boxes remain from the move in we did just over a year ago post-fire. I've had a quick peek inside and put a lot of the items to sort on the top of the dresser which is adjacent to the boxes. Things look rather messy in the master bedroom at the moment but it is surface mess until everything is dealt with.

Update:  I stayed up late and cleared the table.  A small bag of garbage was thrown out and bills and paperwork added to other like documents which are to be sorted and dealt with later. First pass through the paper is getting rid of anything no longer needed.  It feels good to see the table again.  Next it will need to be polished before I see who might want to give it a good home.

Clutter free once again!

Making Powdered Laundry Detergent

Hi friends,

Some of you will remember my first foray into making liquid laundry detergent. I've used about half or just under half of it so far and it is working very well. It doesn't suds at all but that doesn't affect it's cleansing properties. I've even started hanging out clothes to dry on the patio as a way of saving on electricity costs and doing my part to go green.

My mother has been having a lot of skin issues which have baffled the doctors and her skin is extremely sensitive so we thought I should make her some powdered detergent. This is the recipe I used.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

- 2 cups Washing Soda (I get mine in the laundry section of a local food supermarket).
- 1 cup of Borax (I get this at another food supermarket which is closer to my house than where I buy the Washing Soda).
- 1 1/2 bars of Sunlight Bar Soap (If you don't have Sunlight and you are in Canada, you can use the Ivory Bar soap. In other countries, I understand people use Zote, purchased in Mexican food shops or Fels Naphta).  If none of these are available in your area, have a look on line and order that way.

The process is rather simple. You simply mix the washing soda and the borax together. I then shred the Sunlight Bar soap in my food processor and all it to the powdered mixture and shake it well to mix it evenly. If you do not have a food processor you can grate it all up with a hand grater. It will just take longer.
Now store the mixture in a jar or a plastic baggie. When you want to do your laundry you use only 2 tablespoons of this mixture.

I've never made this detergent before but it is a variation of the same recipe that many others use and post on line so I'm sure it will work quite well. I didn't do the cost calculations per load this time but I may add them  later.

Next, I will be making bar soap for washing my face and body and I hope to post about it in future. I have been scouring the local shops to find lye which is one of the key ingredients. I've found a supply but I've also read on line that the lye is of inconsistent quality. I will probably try it anyway and see for myself. Otherwise my only option would be to purchase the lye on line which will increase the cost.

Bathroom Ruminations

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.
A. A. Milne

Another day has come and gone and I'm happy to report that the decluttering and reorganizing project continues and much progress has been made in the bathrooms and in organizing the master bedroom.

The master bathroom does not have enough cupboards and drawers to keep everything nice and neat. In this country you will rarely find adequate closet or bathroom storage. I'm guessing this is the case where you live as well, especially if you live in some of the older buildings in Europe.

Years ago, I purchased a kitchen pantry unit to address this deficiency in bathrooms. Currently the unit is standing in the master bedroom to keep things organized and out of sight. The pantry unit has served me well for a number of years in this way. It is a simple, plain white pantry. I could paint or stencil it but I like in its simplicity in white.

Right now this unit is housing many items. Mainly overflow items from the master bathroom. For example, it contains a basket of items that I need when I travel like a cell phone for use in Europe/Africa. The phones we use in North America do not work in Europe or Africa though I understand this will change within the year. The basket also holds things like extension cords and converters, passport holders, plastic rain gear, small sized containers for carrying shampoo and lotions, etc. Another basket contains small gifts for those occasions when I have to have a gift item ready on short notice. I also keep a few cds on hand for those occasions when I want to listen to some soothing music in the bedroom. Finally, the unit holds some decorating magazines and some books I placed there recently.

I also placed a wing chair in the corner of the room. My plan is to add a lamp and make a cosy reading nook. The wing chair was one of my excellent thrift store finds. It is in perfect condition and only cost $35 (Canadian). The chair was previously languishing in the front room until I found a good spot for it. Here is a photo of it along with my cherished Pendleton blanket.

Now let's go back to the bathroom shall we? Both bathrooms in the apartment have these generic light fixtures above the bathroom vanity as in the photo below. They are great for throwing a lot of light but I really don't like them because they take too many bulbs and are hard to clean.

The master bathroom in the photo above has not had any decorating attention since I moved in. In fact the shower curtain is 23 years old and the hand towel is from the thrift store. I think it needs a change to liven things up a bit. Do you have any suggestions in terms of colour, pattern, solid, etc.?

Here is a photo of the adjacent bedroom to help you make your suggestions. The wall colour is a deep navy. I know some people find it a "cold" or "cool" colour, but I find it restful. The bedroom is a nice place to be in the heat of summer here. In winter months, I simply add flannel sheets, a mattress pad warmer and more bedding as needed. Since it can get rather chilly here in winter with a lot of rain, I have more blankets than I would actually like to have. But most of the blankets have been purchased to last my life time and I will only need to make the odd purchase of bed sheets and pillow cases when required.

If you have decorating suggestions, just know that the bed covers are not always floral in design and the wall colour will likely stay. In summer, the bedding could be a white matelasse coverlet or a large quilt with blue, gray and off white squares. A lot like this one here except the colours are not as vivid. In winter, the bed sometimes wears a wool Pendleton blanket with geometric design (as in the above photo) or a floral quilt from India in brick red, black and off white.

All the bed coverings, except the floral one in the photo, have sentimental value or have been purchased as investment pieces meant to last a lifetime. That means they will likely remain as part of the decor. This also means that I won't have to spend more money on bed covers.

The main bathroom in the photo below is going through the final stages of re-plumbing, as are other areas of the apartment. The light fixture above the vanity will be changed to a brushed nickel light fixture in a more traditional look. It looks a lot like this 4 light vanity fixture here. This fixture can take energy efficient light bulbs. Yeah! I hope to purchase another one like this for the master bathroom. The old fixtures can then be recycled by taking them to the thrift store.

The bathroom tub and floor tiles, towel bar, toilet paper holder and vanity were all replaced in September and new towels purchased in shades of teal blue, gray, and tan. We still need a waffle weave shower curtain which will likely be purchased in a tan colour (I may sew a contrasting colour like teal blue on it to brighten the room and blend with the towels). The previous towels in this bathroom were all about 16 years old so I think they have served us well. The shower curtain which was a green/burgundy/tan floral and the green soap dish, were still in good condition and they have been taken to the thrift shop.

Besides the organizing described above, the master bathroom was given a good cleaning and a lot of extraneous items were tossed or donated to the thrift store. I dropped off two bags at the thrift store today and several last week. I have a few more to deliver there later in the week. Two boxes of computer discs, old appliance warranties and old video tapes in the living room were sorted and eliminated altogether.

I will tackle the final two unpacked boxes in the living room and the other two in the master bedroom later this week. Once the plumbers are gone, the master bedroom closets can really be culled and a home found for the remaining photos and pictures which have not yet been re-hung. At the end of the month, the master bathroom will be re-grouted and re-caulked and some minor updating done to the fixtures. Then I can see about painting, changing the light fixture and adding new linens. So you have a few weeks to let me know if you have any suggestions. I hope to hear from you!

By the way, watch this blog as soon I will be posting about a giveaway. It will be my first one and I think I have just the right thing in mind. I'm excited and will be telling you more soon.

Kitchen Declutter ~ Before & After

Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Og Mandino

Decluttering, downsizing and simplifying. Those words are my mantra these days though I am still a long way off from my goal of implementing these ideas in full. I am part of a Christian Women's Group that is using the month of January to declutter and we are encouraging one another so I feel I am making progress. The Og Mandino quote above is not so much about decluttering the house but decluttering one's life. My feeling is that one needs to declutter and simplify one's surroundings (home, office,private spaces) before one can declutter a life and focus on fully seizing the precious moments in life.

Here is a little project from the weekend that involved cleaning out my kitchen drawers and lower cupboards. It involved purging the "junk" and reorganizing things to make the drawers and cupboards tidier as well as more efficient.

Drawer #1 - Before photo

The cutlery drawer was not organized as such but was cleaned. Now I'm thinking I would like a new cutlery tray. I don't even remember where I got this cutlery tray but it is truly ancient and I don't even like brown. I have a knife block but I find I like to keep my knives in their sharpening holders (the white things on the right). There is also block for knife sharpening at the back of the drawer.

Drawer #2 - After photo

This is drawer # 2 Before photo

This is drawer #2 After photo

I decided it wasn't tidy enough and it looked like it would quickly get disorganized again, especially when my roommate rummages around. To remedy this, I went to purchase some inexpensive plastic baskets to keep things better organized. This is what the drawer looks like now.

In the back (left) are gadgets we don't use that often. On the right, are items we use almost daily. In the fore are the measuring spoons and few gadgets that we use often. After adding the plastic organizer there was no longer room to store the blender but I kept the beaters there.

You might wonder about the blue plastic. It came as a "gift" in the plastic baggie box. It is a reusable plastic cover for bowls. I know that many in the frugal movement would not use plastic and/or disposable wraps, etc. I agree that reducing usage and reliance on disposables is an excellent idea. I do it in other areas of my life. For example, I use re-usable totes for food shopping and other shopping. Where I have to rely on store provided plastic bags, I re-use these rather than toss them as part of my overall "reduce, reuse, recycle" effort. These days I seldom have to use a plastic shopping bag as I usually have my own with me. Once I've simplified my life, I can perhaps make some reusable wrapping products or I can buy some here. At least it is something to think about.

This drawer is a catch all for hammers, screwdrivers and pliers, as well as some bungee cords and various weights of string for packing. We also keep our flashlights here for those power outages that occur from time to time. I do have a small tool box which I keep in a closet as well but it doesn't hold much and it isn't handy for those quick jobs that always need doing around the house which is why I keep the tools in the drawer.

Drawer # 3 Before photo

Drawer # 3 After photo

Here is the final After photo of the same drawer after adding one plastic tray. It might still look a little cluttered but everything is neatly stored in zip-log baggies (like-with-like) to keep them from spilling all over and getting jumbled.

This is what the drawers look like when they are empty. I put the ivy patterned mactac in the drawers when I first purchased the condo. I like the pattern and I also like the ease of wiping the drawers clean with this coating on them.

The bottom kitchen drawer in the Before photo below, is probably for holding pots and pans. I was using it for linens and such. Over time it became a catch all for other kitchen items that didn't fit anywhere. It had become a place where I feared to look.

It is much neater now in the After photo below. I've decided to keep my nicer damask table cloth, napkins and place mats in here. I probably should take them out of the plastic bags and find something more suitable so they can breathe. I'm thinking of trying to make something like this linen keeper (fabric not yet decided). The brown wooden chest contains my collection of better flatware.

A close up of the flatware. For every day use, I have a mismatched assortment for daily use pictured in the first photo in this blog (above). The set was wasn't always mismatched. Somehow though, cutlery pieces just seem to go astray, much like socks disappear when doing the laundry.

A side cupboard in the photo below has undergone several usages. The most recent is storage for the thermos and juice flasks, food wrapping materials (plastic, foil, baggies, wax paper), and big jugs of vinegar for cleaning.

The lower shelf has two plastic trays. I've placed one in the very back where I've put my new dish cloths and tea towels. In the front, I have my apron and another daily use table cloth, as well as the electric beater.

I have two of these side cupboards, pictured in the photo below. One on each side of the kitchen sink. I don't actually like them because they have very small doors and it is hard to reach into the back of the cupboards to clean them or to reach things you need. But I must make use of them as that is what I have. One side of the cupboard is for plastic containers, mixing bowls, and saucepans as well as glass bake ware. Other pots and pans are stored in the stove oven and in the stove drawer. A few larger pots are stored atop the kitchen cabinets.


The cupboard on the other side (pictured below) is used for food storage. The upper food shelf is for canned goods as well as dried items like legumes, beans, etc. The lower shelf (at back) is for baking items (like sugar, coconut, specialty flours) and small baskets of potatoes and onions/garlic. This side of the cupboard will need more organization but for now this clean up will do.

Whew! I think I accomplished a lot. Not only did I clean these shelves and drawers and reorganize them but I had to go out and purchase some new baskets, tablecloth and dish towels too.

I have much more de-cluttering and organizing to do in the apartment over the coming weeks and months and the kitchen is not entirely done yet. But I have made some good progress this month.

Later this week, I will tackle some of the unpacked boxes in the living room. I also hope to begin going through some of the unpacked boxes in my bedroom. Some of you who follow my blog will remember we had a fire in May 2009. We were lodging in a hotel for several months. Now that we have moved in and have a lot of new furniture (replaced by insurance) I have a lot of things I want to eliminate. I was contemplating a major de-clutter project before the fire but after the fire, I didn't have any choice! Now that I am retired I can also get rid of boxes and boxes of files and papers I no longer need or wish to keep.

As we enter into 2010, I find many people are de-cluttering. How about you? What de-cluttering projects do you have underway? If you are like me, clutter makes you feel disorganized and somewhat overwhelmed. Cleaning up the clutter frees up my mind as well as my spirit and makes me feel so good!

Good luck with your de-cluttering.