Laundry Essentials

I am still working on what to do with my laundry organisation but I have picked up a few little essentials and have some mini projects for this room that I am hoping to complete in the next few days.

I have had my eye on a set of these metal laundry organisers for a while and they are readily available in good homeware stores such as Freedom, but never at an affordable price. Imagine my joy to find these as I was strolling in the Warehouse the other day! They look almost exactly like their expensive conterparts, at less than half the price of others I have seen. I was chuffed.

I got the soak bucket, peg container and household carrier for my laundry powders and Napisan. I chose the charcoal colour as the laundry is a very pale neutral and I wanted some contrast with the walls. I also picked up a test pot of Baltic Sea from Resene and will use that for my mini projects (more to come on those!).

I am hoping they will co-ordinate and that the ideas floating around in my head will work. Oh well, at least I am enjoying the process! :-)

Let the holidays begin

I am not sure why, but I feel particularly exhausted after this term at school. It has been busy beyond words and I am well and truly ready for some down time. Ten weeks may not seem like a long time between holidays but in this job, it really is. Teaching is a job which requires you to give every ounce of yourself and it is physically exhausting. I love it...but I do get tired! I am really looking forward to a couple of weeks of lazy mornings, pottering around the house and spending time with my family...intermingled with some (ok, ok, a lot!) of marking. :-)

Over this Weather...

Although I am a winter girl at heart, I really am over this weather. The last few days have been pretty nasty at times and I am so looking forward to it warming up just a little.

Seeing these images of Rosie and Harry from the summer have got me all excited about getting outside and enjoying the sunshine...when it arrives!

I am ready to say goodbye to the heater, the crock pot and my winter coats for a few months. Hurry up summer, we are waiting!

Open Shelving and Our New Zones

When I was searching for suitable containers for my new zones, I had a very particular shape and size in mind. I was really happy to find these great metal tubs in Spotlight and they were the perfect size I needed to fit in a tricky area of shelving in our kitchen.

We have an area of open shelving at the end of a row of cabinets and I have struggled to find suitable items to place there that don't end up looking like a horrendous mess. I am not a fan of open shelving usually, mainly because I don't have any beautiful collections (like Crown Lynn swans!) to display.

I have mainly used this area to store my magazines but a lot of other junk seems to accumulate there too. Not any longer though! Each shelf has now been allocated a tub and I also bought an extra metal tub to contain all our paper recycling. Now I can finally appreciate my open shelving for it's good points, rather than it's bad!

I am hoping to convince Taff to repaint my kitchen cabinetry in plain white soon (he isn't keen so I will need to be persuasive) and update it with new handles. It is currently a creamy off white and is still perfectly functional, I would just love to update it a little.

I also have an idea up my sleeve for the back of the open shelving. I am not sure if I am brave enough but I would love to wallpaper this area in a beautiful print to add a bit of interest to an otherwise neutral space.

I would also like to make myself a long blackboard to hang on the left hand side wall, next to the shelving. So many projects and not enough time. :-)

Rosie and Harry's Craft/Activity Zones

In addition to my Errands Zone, I have also created some CRAFT and ACTIVITY ZONES for Rosie and Harry. Both of them really enjoy drawing, colouring, cutting out and making things and our previous system was really inefficient.

I had a large cardboard file box with a flip up lid and the contents would often fall out onto the floor. It was also full to the brim and fast becoming tatty. I needed something more user friendly for them and also something durable enough for them to handle on a regular basis.

I purchased a metal tub for each of them and transferred all their goodies into each one. They used to share the old box and there was the odd "scuffle" over which stickers belonged to which child, etc.

I am all for reducing stress and potential fights so making them responsible for their own tub is a great way to teach them some independence. Rosie has some mini folders with her Maths and Reading activities, as well as her pencil caddy, colouring activity books and her word flashcards.

Harry is only three so his tub is a little more basic. He has some colouring activity books, crayons, stickers, chalk and his shape and colour flashcards.

Both of them are very happy with their new zones and so am I! Tomorrow I will share how these fit and function in our kitchen. :-)

Organising Paper Clutter

I have been searching for inspiration via the blogworld for dealing with the mountain of paper clutter I find myself faced with as a busy mum. There was a great post on Creative Organising which showed some inspiring 'Errand Zones' and I decided it was high time I created one for myself. My kitchen is a busy place and I needed a new solution for organising all the household "stuff" that was encroaching on my bench space.

About a year ago I decided to create a 'junk basket' for all my clutter, but as you can see from the photo above, the basket was no longer cutting it. It was originally designed to be a place where I put bills, notices, coupons, etc until I could file them. In reality the junk just piled up and important documents were getting lost in the mess. I decided I really needed to streamline my system and get it working for me again.

On Saturday afternoon I headed out to find a suitable container for my 'zone', as well as some folders and file organisers. I wanted it to contain the items I use the most and need to have quick access to.

For me that was my notebooks for my lists (I am a list girl) and my notecard wallets...

...my household redecoration folder (for paint charts, magazine tear outs, etc) and trusty tape measure...

...and my file folders. These are from Kikki K and are so pretty! :-) I have labelled them and sorted them into categories such as bills, kids activities, school, statements, envelopes, vouchers and a To File folder.

I also have a clipboard with my meal planner on it. I sorted through my junk basket and have filed all my paper clutter, I am loving my new system!

Tomorrow I will post about the new craft and activity zones I have created for Rosie and Harry.

The Pulsar Lives to See Another Day...

For those of you who have been following the Pulsar saga, I am pleased to report that she is back in action! The experts deemed that she needed a new 'dizzy' (distributor to us non mechanic types) but was otherwise running well. They said the car's oil was still very clean, showing the engine was still humming. They also said that the fact that she had clocked up over 300,000km was irrelevent, drive it till it dies was their advice! After sorting through some photos yesterday I found this shot, which brought a smile to my face. My Pulsar has been an absolute work horse over the past ten years and this photo proves it. Karen and I used it to pull up a very stubborn shrub at our last house, amongst other things. Believe it or not, Taff has fitted a queen size mattress in it, transported dining suites, rolls of carpet, large mirrors, stacks of concrete pavers and perhaps the tightest fit, this large Little Tikes outdoor activity gym!

We are chuffed that she is back up and running again and are looking forward to many more happy times. :-)

Stay tuned this week for more posts on organising in the next few days!

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

At the end of August we celebrated a very special occasion in our family. My wonderful Dad turned 60! It was the first time we had all been together as a family since my sister Chelsea left to go and live in Queensland in January. She flew back for a week and booked it to coincide with Dad's birthday. We were all very excited to be able to be together to celebrate the occasion as there always seems to be at least one person missing from our family dinners.

We all decided that The Observatory at Sky City would be a lovely venue so the rest of the family travelled up from Hamilton for the day. We all know that seafood is Dad's favourite so this was a great option. He absolutely loved the restaurant, the food and the setting, as did we. We are trying to think of another excuse to get back there soon as it was so fantastic!

When I think about my Dad I can't help but feel so blessed to have had him right by my side as a grew up, even now he is still there for all his girls (all four of us!). Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and I always felt secure in the knowledge that he would drop all tools to come to our aid when neccesary.

Like the time I was hit by a drunk driver, the numerous times my various cars failed their WOF and needed work and when I was stranded in various parts of Auckland and needed rescuing! My fantastic Dad has always been there for me and continues to help and support me and my family in so many ways.

Dad has always been a 'doer' and has the best work ethic of anyone I know. He taught us the value of hard work and the importance of keeping busy and getting on with the job. I love him so much for this and hope that I can try my best to emulate this in my own life and teach my own children this important value.

When we were growing up, Dad took us everywhere with him. Weekends were spent at the golf course, the Brighton rugby club and travelling around Victoria to rugby tournaments. Week nights were spent bike riding (with Dad running beside us!) along St Kilda Beach up to the Esplanade and exploring the canals close to where we lived. On the odd occasion we were even able to go to work with Dad in his truck or to painting jobs. :-)

Yep, our Dad surely is the best any of us could have wished for and this tribute is for him. Happy Birthday Dad and Papa! We love you. :-)

Back to the Testpot Drawing Board...

It has been time to revisit Resene again and get yet another batch of test pots. This indecision over paint choice is unlike me but I think my mistake with the last colour has knocked my confidence. The only two rooms which are staying Double Alabaster are the spare room and the children's room. The rest of the house needs to be repainted and I don't want to muck it up again!

My first option is: Rice Cake, described as a sharp, clean yellow white, tasty with strong colours. I am not exactly sure how a colour can be "tasty" but it sounds convincing!

Option Two: Bianca, a light cream off white, a warmer alternative to pure white.

And Option Three: Pearl Lusta, a classic cream with a hint of yellow. This colour has been on the Resene charts for years and still remains in the top ten, however it is the colour I am least convinced of out of the three.

This weekend we will paint the swatches up and see what we think. The sooner I make a decision, the sooner we can get started...again. :-)

Cookbook Solution

I have been searching for a great cookbook stand for quite some time now, but just haven't seen exactly what I was after at a reasonable price. Earlier this week I popped out to Freedom during my lunch break to have a quick look at their new season ranges...and I found this!

It was a very simple design and was exactly what I had been looking for. Many of my cookbooks have suffered over the years and have all manner of splatters and smudges over their pages. You would be shocked to see what the page of my favourite chocolate cake recipe looks like! This is a great solution and cheap as chips at only $9.95. I do love a good bargain. Now I can give Jamie the platform he deserves. :-)

Wedding Photos

Due to a lack of wall space and the need to 'depersonalise' our last two houses while getting them ready for sale, our wedding photos have been confined to a box at the top of the wardrobe for much of their life. After opening the wardrobe downstairs recently and having this old wooden frame fall on me, I decided it was about time I showed them some care and attention.

These three photos were taken outside the ASB Bank (in a heritage building) near Albert Park at Auckland University and are some of my favourites. While we were dating we spent many long nights studying in the library opposite (so conscientious back then!) so we thought it was fitting that we had at least some photos taken there.

As you can see from this snapshot, the photos were in a state of disarray and it was time to update them in some nice clean white frames. I still haven't hung them yet but once our bedroom is painted I think I will hang them above our drawers to remind us of our special day. :-)

Weekend in Pictures: Part Three

All this excitement and fun resulted in two very tired little children. They both slept all the way to our motel in Taupo. :-)

The weather had turned at that point so we were stuck inside our room for the rest of the night. We enjoyed the spa and had some quiet time reading and doing puzzles. Harry was especially pleased when we finished this 100 piece Spiderman puzzle.

The next morning it was time to head home, but on our way out we stopped at Huka Falls. I have been there a few times but the power of the water never ceases to amaze me.

Harry and Rosie were mesmerised with all the different colours of the water, from green further upstream through to frothy white at the bottom of the falls.

We also stopped by at Craters of the Moon on the way home and had a look at all the steam escaping up through the ground. Fascinating stuff!

We had a really wonderful weekend and it has enthused us about doing these little road trips a bit more often. It takes a lot of effort with two small children and at the end of the weekend you are exhausted, but it is so worth it to see them enjoy it so much.

Rose told me on the way to school on Monday that she was feeling very worried as she had so much to write about for her weekend that she may need extra time after interval to complete her story! Bless her, she wrote five pages. :-)