Baking Pasties & Christmas Declutter.

We had another family, and this time an evening picnic, down by the creek reserve, and hardly anyone in sight compared to a week or so ago. I decided to make pasties to use up some mince, using a recipe which is very rare thing for me,  and ended up making 28 of them. I had forgotten how good they are. Froze 20 of them and will take some for lunch this coming week on our medical visit in Brisbane.

Used my nifty turnover maker, of which there are 3 in the box. This one cuts 4 circles in a sheet of shortcrust pastry, an ideal size, and the 2nd. largest. Had them for years.

The pasties turned out really nice, and not bad for 500grms mince and a few veg.

Sprinkled with Poppy seeds and hold 1/4 cup of mix.

I also have finally collected all the Christmas Decorations from around the house and dragged out the other boxes not used. Mostly stuff that hangs on trees.  There is actually 5 boxes in all.

Decorations I actually used this year.

I went through everything, and threw out what we no longer needed, plus a couple more as when I refilled the boxes, they had to all fit and ended up with 3. Some of the Santa's and snowmen are kept in there original boxes of stryafoam to protect them and would probably have only been 2 boxes, if not for that, so was a big declutter.

Ones for the Op shop.

Packed and ready to be put away

As this stuff lives in my very large linen press/storage, fitted neatly in to the corner, for another year.

The garden is now being attacked every morning till 10 by me, but John is helping and lasts till lunchtime, but the humidity I find too much so I have been changing over to the Sewing Area at the bottom of the stairs and  which is 5 or more degrees cooler.

It is on a trolley so a sideway photo.

My eldest daughter suggested getting rid of a tv unit as had a big bench top, but not a lot of easy storage, so when the eldest son was here got him and our DIL to take it up to the top level for pickup hopefully by Lifeline.

 I have stacked cube storage up the wall, which gives me way more space, although, I now have to find the time to finally get this area in working order.

 

Bonus is, I have decluttered a lot in this area last year.

Needs proper organizing I have just shoved cubes in to see the effect.

 

There is a two cube wood unit to put together for the left side, when I get time. 

 

After not being in any routine,  now that everyone is back at work, it is nice to settle down to one. I feel more grounded knowing what each day brings. 

There are a few projects for 2023, that I need to start, like the sewing room, and organizing the vegetable gardens, to begin with.

 

I hope your year has started well also.

 

 

Till Next Time.

Take Back Your House

I started a course earlier in the year called "Take Back Your House". It is not a do this "thing'" week one or even every month but more of a thinking course, with lots of advice. Three You tubers I have followed for years, worked together to combine their knowledge of organization and decluttering to produce it, Minimalist Mum, A slob Comes Clean, and Clutterbug should you be interested.

Several things have finally clicked which were, What is your Clutter Threshold, The Container Concept

and Your Fantasy Self. 

A Clutter Threshold is how much junk and stuff on flat surfaces and in drawers can you stand till suddenly you have to deal with it, which takes forever and depressing.

 

Hanging basket on verandah just starting to flower.

The Container Concept is when the container is full that's it. No 2nd. container choose what fits and donate the rest. A Container is a drawer, a wardrobe, a pencil box, or a shoe cupboard, you get the picture. eg. If your clothes don't fit in one wardrobe and bedroom drawers, maybe you have too much.

Although I don't go the way of Minimal Mum with one cup, one glass, a bowl, a plate and a set of cutlery, per person with a "Guest Box" with a few extras packed in a cupboard, it is worth thinking just how many of these things, whether its kitchen gadgets, bathroom or bedroom linen, mugs, cups and dinner sets or cutlery you have or kept  for those dinner parties you never have, crowded in to your containers.

 

First flower of my new roses.

 

Your Fantasy Self. This is a big one for me because I love craft, and it takes up so much space. I can never have my craft room looking nice, plus I spread it around the house so I realised that I am not going to be making jewellery, of porcelain dolls anymore. Out it all goes.

• That "The Country Look" is probably not coming back in style so it is time to get rid of lots of craft magazines from the 90"s of Handmade, Homespun and Country Threads.
• I never cook from a cookbook anymore, as easier to look up the internet.
• I knew a lot about gardening and do not need all my books for that either.
• Decorating for Christmas has become a chore, even though I used to love it, but John couldn't care one way or the other, so will declutter and sell off.
  

My Fantasy Self is starting to get real!

New White Azalea for the side garden.

John has been really sick with a heavy cold this week and wouldn't stay in bed so inevertably I was going to catch it despite him wearing a mask when near me, and being on the computer all day and night, but as I had to use the washing machine in the same room Office/Laundry, and he used the kitchen etc. germs obviously were on surfaces, so I now have a cold and surviving on Panadol. 

It has given me the opportunity to go through my magazines one by one and pull out anything of interest that I may do, but at least it is one folder and not take up a lot of space on the bookshelf. So boxes have been packed for donation.

I put together a 3 tier trolley from Kmart and will put all my craft I am currently working on in that rather than leaving bits and pieces everywhere, and wheel it around to where I need it.

 

Next to the washing machine is a 2 section modular unit I put together yesterday, to corral all the bits and pieces that seem to clutter on the bench my computer also sits on. Soap,sprays, suncreams, etc.

Current Veges growing.

The dining room table is still full of stuff while we decide what to do with the floor in order to get the cupboards locked in, but it has been like that so long now I don't really think about or miss what is there, so I may keep a few for decoration but 90% of it will be packed up. 

 

I have made new daily and zone lists to tick off , set up my planner for the next 6 months and ready to go again.

 

It is a work in progress but I am getting there, and loving this course. My Grandma's advice was always a place for everything and everything in its place, I just wish it had stayed that way.

 

 

 

Till Next Time.

Huge Declutter Project - Linen Press

I have decided to go on a mission to declutter like mad. When we built this house in the 80's separate shower, separate toilet, and separate bath were the go. It looked like this. A waste of space really and I had no linen press. The bath side now has a walk in  shower, bath and vanity.

LHS was shower  Toilet middle, RHS side now walk in shower and bath.

 Not long after, the shower side, got converted to shelves, by John, and it is great. Holds literately everything from a pin to an anchor as they say.

Half of the area

So when Miss P turned up this week, we took just about everything out and all my wool stash got loaded to the top. Love it that she climbs up and down the ladder with ease. The fabric though which is what I have for making the childrens clothes had to be sorted. All of that got turned out, plus a million other things that will go to the op shop. Doona covers,  fancy pillows, mums tapestry pictures the family don't want. Dad's table top organ, I had visions of learning.
 

Boxes by the front door ready

I watched a video by a young minimalist mum who described storage space as having boundaries. Drawers being an example, if it fits in 5 items nicely, easy to shut don't crowd it with 7 and have to hold them down while you shut it. This linen press is exactly opposite, if you can't find a space for something in it goes. So much  needs deciding on, will I won't I sort of thing, and not being "stored" unnecessarily. I have reached a point in life where I just want a simple uncluttered space.

Pillows and wool blankets  vacuum packed, ready for the wardrobe in the spare room.

Miss P had fun vacuuming all the bed pillows and blankets into a so much smaller space. My DIL came over next day, and we sorted through the fabric she would like to keep, to sew for the girls as they got older, the rest will go to a charity, that my sister knows, that turn fabric into items to sell.

Completely emptied 6 boxes

 

Give aways and what is left to store

This hallway was full I couldn't walk down it. Tapestries to op shop

I am still in the middle of this sorting one of the hardest things is my old dance outfits. So much material and glass beading on them. Feathers though have molted all over the house. Do op shops take this sort of thing, or do I try to find my dance teacher again see if her students would like the many layers of fabric?

Fashions change with ballroom dancing.

Dolls for the bin.

Getting rid of the past is hard work. Miss P fell asleep when she got home, before dinner I was told. Hope I am not working her too hard?

First of the Sweet Peas flowering...Pink Lady

On another note, the nursing home called us in to sit with mum as her breathing is much shallower, and not eating. Jan luckily had her flu injection that morning but I have not, so they let me in with the full gear on in a private area that has entrance from the car park. It was nice to see her again even if she was asleep, it has been at least 4 months I think.

 I have said my goodbyes. Jan may call in again as she works a couple of streets away, but it could be anytime to a week or more as no-one knows about the phases of our lives, but for mum it will be peaceful, for which I am grateful. She has for a few years not known who we are, Alzheimer's being such a cruel disease.

I can tell you this makes you  quite hot.

I am now wondering why suddenly I am also getting rid of my past life in "stuff" such a coincidence.

Stay well everyone.


 Till Next Time.

The Best Helpers are Grandchildren

I am exhausted today. Yesterday Miss P came over for her fortnightly work but was also joined by Miss V  one of the twins who will be 7  next week. They turned up at 11am but I was expecting them a little earlier. Just as well as I had a huge order from Coles delivered at 2.30 and so had the extra help on that. So I had started at 9am on defrosting the 6 drawer freezer, and then cleaning the fridge. Which of course means emptying everything out. Both these jobs were finished by the time the girls arrived.
 So I got them started on emptying everything in the laundry cupboards which I keep all sorts of things in. The laundry/office being right off the kitchen.

Note the crockpot, as while all this was happening  I had put every vegetable that was down to a small amount into the crockpot plus 2 packets of smaller quantity bacon, frozen leeks, and soup stock from chicken bones and a beef one as well. It smelt so good that Miss P took a meal home as well. The crockpot was filled to the top, and was delicious.

Girls both had fun using the label machine and  climbing the ladder to get everything down and Miss P wiped all the shelves down. So much stuff to sort and throw, but it is now finished, and I have a much clearer idea what is there.

It may seem like a lot but I have always kept 3 months in advance, and now I shop roughly 3 - 4 months as well. It is so tidy now it is like having a shop lol. 

We only just made it before Coles turned up with 12 bags of groceries, which had to be sorted and found for John to enter into the Neilson home survey scanner to get all the points. This I spoke about last time of how I got my new "free" phone.  I was forced to tick the "bags on delivery" which was upsetting as I usually go for no bags, but it wasn't even available unless you did click and collect. Now I am stuck with a heap of Coles reusable one, that I had to pay for mind you, but I will probably donate them to the Community Gardens, as they are now going to start selling from the grounds every Sunday.

It of course has been raining just about every day, and we had this fabulous double rainbow one morning, where I could actually see it ending on a house below us. It is raining now as I type, and will light the fire early today to just embroider and finish off a doll, sitting by it. My bones are crying out to do nothing.

Today at 10am was also a zoom family time, and it is so nice to talk to everyone.

The good news is my white blood cells have come up enough for me to have my next infusion. Still under recommended but it is ok to go ahead. Now I have to wait every 6 weeks between sessions.

Till Next Time. 

Decluttering Preserves & Pantry Cleanup

After the Preserves Workshop I realised that we had so much stored away, but also the time of when we made it was getting a bit long. Most likely nothing would have been wrong with it but after a certain amount of time preserved fruit goes browner due to the sugar. Then there was the amount of jam which we don't eat anymore and the amount of pickles, sauces, relishes same thing, that I decided to only keep 2019 and one of each 2018 and throw the rest. Keeping track of this produce also is hard as everything is kept downstairs where it is cooler.
 

And so it began, up and down the stairs, empty the jars, wash in dishwasher fill it all back into a basket, box or a bucket and cart it downstairs again.
The jar mess went into the wheelie bin, my composts are so full now and I wasn't sure about the sugar content. Luckily my son came over and wheeled the thing out as I couldn't move it with the weight. John has been in Sydney doing some brickwork and minding the grandchildren when the parents were working.

All Clean

 I am still sorting out what and where but the little 125ml jars on the top...over 100. Wow even I couldn't believe that. My niece is very keen on starting her journey into the preserving and jam making world so when she comes down in a couple of weeks we will set her up for life!! Will also give her my electric Vacola Unit as well, that once did belong to my sister anyway. Then I started on the Pantry.

Before Mess

Ok same deal here, it is a big walk in Pantry and quite a few years since I did a radical clean. Being so big when you don't know where to put stuff or in a hurry just gets placed on the shelf for later which never happens. There were lots of out of date stuff, more jams and pickles, dehydrated things that although ok if we haven't used in 2-3-4 years out it went. Cleaned every shelf as if mice come in to this house (usually every winter) they always head for the pantry.

Filled up canisters, discovered never to buy tea of any sort ever, ( don't blame me for that) there is so much. Moved a few electrical things in the cupboards to the kitchen and visa versa. Besides doing an hour of gardening every day this has been my week. Sick to death of looking at jars I might add.

Any bulk stuff I vacuumed packed it, or filled containers from the ones already done.

Well Done Me!!

Ta Da finally finished  today and space to spare. Will still keep an eye on some jam and relishes I made, but hopefully will use them up.
In the meantime for a break and between the rain, planted some squash, more bok choy, pulled down the first of the Pink Lady Sweet Peas, and weeded like mad.

This has now gone

Potatoes doing well in their pots.

Pulled up one of the russian garlics to see how they were going as now starting to go to seed. So I broke each plant in half.

Apparently a little early to Pick, Nov. is better

Purple water iris starting to flower.

But these were in a bucket for the Community Garden, ages ago. Oh Well

Square Foot Garden of  9 squares. Better start on the next lot.

So once more that has been my week, and more decluttering to come. My sister is having a big, big garage sale end of Oct. so want to downsize a lot, we have way too much stuff for two. Thanks to those who commented on the shop also, working on some dolls now.

Till Next Time.

Beginner Garden Workshop

Well what a day, I am exhausted. Out of the 31 booked  through the council for our Beginner Gardening Workshop, 17 turned up which is apparently normal according to the Coffs Community Garden member, they have had quite a few. Six extras arrived without booking, and 5 members joined in. A lot of cleaning and making the garden look beautiful has also gone into the garden by members for the day.
After a reasonably  pleasant week weather wise today  also hit 35C, and I haven't stopped drinking since we got home at 1.30.

Selling the plants in front of  Bush House.

We set up a table with heaps of plants and made $67.00, wish it could have been more but  after a month of growing seedlings and potting up all sorts of things, lots can now be planted in the gardens themselves. Snow peas, Cabbages x 2, beans, lettuce, few flowering plants. Next Friday is the Centro market so quite a few bits will go there as well.

Proteas from our tree

Dahlias one of our members has grown.

We served tea and coffee, although not a lot as so hot, but Jan brought in a tub with water and ice and they went off well.

Ice Water just loaded up.

John organised the urn, as we had to run in on the generator. No power till our solar goes on.

Checking water levels.

Jan my sister was my helper and we handed out all sorts of notes, and sample paper pots, jiffy pots, seedlings etc for visual. It has taken quite a few weeks to get this talk together, plus starting off all the seedlings to sell.
 

Jan and I

Felling confident now getting the message across

The members all brought in a plate and it was a wonderful spread for those who did turn up.

Jan and Marie setting up after talk.

At the end John took everyone around to show them different edges they could do on a new garden bed, and of course our new native beehive.

Checking out edging on the shade garden.

So that was my day, pizza for tea and early night.

Till Next Time.