The week that was

It's been a lovely holiday. There was time to relax and lots of sun to enjoy. For the first time in what seems forever, I had time to do some of those hard-to-get-to jobs around the house. I always enjoy working around the home when there's no rush and no pressure to get  school work and other outside tasks done. It's been wonderful to be able to stop and pause a while as the mood takes me. 

Mr S has been working on building up the vegie garden. He saw a wheelbarrow lying on the street for a few days and grabbed it one morning and brought it home. 

We've been able to sit outside and make the most of the sunshine. I would love to start every day with a cuppa and a seat outside looking out at the garden.

Spring is here and, even though I feel I've neglected the garden, there have still been many colourful delights popping up here and there.

I had a couple of lovely days on the Bellarine Peninsula. I spent some time with family and then caught up with a friend browsing in bric-a-brac shops and eating out. I really appreciated the good, long chats. 

I seem to have small piles of clutter tucked away here and there. These holidays I managed to declutter several of those piles. It's like having a detox from the outside in!!  It's quite an achievement to shake off some of those stubborn piles. I did a lot of cooking. Some dishes were more successful than others. I made a carrot cake - the cake tasted great- and am now in the process of  learning how to make icing with cream cheese - I'm not there yet!

There's more sunshine today. It always makes me feel so good. I even feel positive about tackling some of my school work. Daylight savings started today. I won't appreciate it in the morning but I'm looking forward to having extra time in the evening for gardening and running.

I hope there's some sunshine shining in your lives today. Happy Sunday and have a good week.

A Simple Celebration

I haven’t blogged for a while. In the last few weeks we’ve had 5.30am starts, holiday sleep-ins and now we’re looking at a possible 3.30am start each day if all goes well on the job front this week for Mr S.

My duties at school have changed again and I find myself working with a different group of young people. This also means a new timetable. Last term my schedule was “light” on Thursday mornings so I treated myself to a chai latte before work each week. At the moment I’m still trying to see where I can squeeze it into my timetable.

On top of all that I was busy preparing for a milestone birthday.  

Originally I had really wanted to mark the occasion by going away for the weekend. Parties are not my thing so I didn’t see why that would change now. But then a friend commented that parties can provide what are often rare opportunities for people to come together. I thought about this and decided that it would be lovely to have friends and family gathering together here in our home.

I wanted to keep things fairly simple. If you read about the invitations you’ll know that I was also looking forward to the chance to get creative. I had a loose theme of tea party vintage and hoped to bring about a warm, cosy atmosphere.

My list of guests was around 50 and my SA mind imagined unrealistically how grand it all might be – even though I wanted it all to be simple!  As the day grew closer, the guestlist dwindled to 30ish. For a brief moment I was disappointed and I found I had to remind myself why I was doing the party and what I hoped to achieve.

How I kept it simple:

·        I invited my nieces over for lunch and then we set about making some bunting. I had envisaged nicely sewn triangular bunting but then I returned to reality. It was not easy to hang our paper hearts but keeping calm meant I still worked out a way to display it.

·        We made most of the food. We made finger-sized foods such as sandwiches, sausage rolls, scones and pizza slices. We had peanut butter balls and Mum made a sponge cake for the birthday cake.

·        We had material napkins. I used what I already had and borrowed the rest from Mum.

·        The “fancy” tablecloths were from Mum. The cloth on the main table was the one my mum got from her own mum for her engagement. It was really lovely to be able to put out family heirloom pieces.

·        I was so fortunate to have daphne and camellias in bloom. A friend cut the flowers and decorated the rooms. The rooms tend to be dull brown but the pop of colour from the flowers transformed the feel of the whole area.

·        Mr S knew I liked flowers. In the morning when I got up there was a lovely arrangement in the teapot made up of flowers from our garden.

·        Even though it was a tea party I had on offer coffee and hot chocolate as well as soft drinks.

·        I did spend a little extra on paper plates that were made from recycled pulp (?). I had the wonderful idea of keeping the plates and using them in the garden to block out weeds or as compost. In any case, I was preoccupied that evening and all plates ended up in the bin.

I had fun preparing the party. The best part was the buzz throughout the night. Our life here is sweet but very quiet. Mr S said he couldn’t believe that our home could be like that. I must say my mind was going in a hundred directions as everyone arrived and I realised that I hadn’t whipped the cream and the sausage rolls were not ready. I also had my mind on a few people who didn’t know anyone and were a bit shy. Some good friends kept reminding me that it was OK and I didn’t have to worry about them…. And gradually I accepted this. It truly was a lovely evening and it delighted my heart to see our home filled with laughter and chatter.

Need to create! Housework can wait!

Need to create...can't wait...don't hesitate....

I've been busy the last few months trying to focus on what needs to be done, instead of getting caught up in what I enjoy doing. I haven't done any craft for a long time but I've felt the need to create. I've been missing it. I really believe in making time for the soul but I've been  waiting for a free moment.

Something was telling me I needed to get back to it, whether I had time or not. I know my soul feels nourished after time spent doing what I love so I could justify choosing it even when there were many other things to do. I was also encouraged after reading organisingqueen.com who was challenging readers to make time to do something they love.

Last Friday night I began. My goal had been to make gift tags for some small, thank-you gifts for those who helped me out when my car wasn't working. I wanted to use up what was already in the craft box and it had to be easy to do in one sitting.

On Thursday night - in a reckless moment of time-wasting on Pinterest- I was inspired to do an Easter vignette.  It was clearly a sign that my expressive side was needing attention. Or perhaps just another indication of my wonderful procrastination skills. 

Tags or bunny? 

My main goal was to paint a bunny to frame for Easter. As I painted, there was no doubt in my mind that it was really soothing creating something beautiful from the gentle brushstrokes on the crisp, clean page. It was peaceful and therapeutic. I felt rested. There was focus as I found myself being in the moment, lost in the swirl of the soft, pastel colours. 

While the bunny silhouette dried, I decided to get on with the gift tags and leave the housework for the next day. I rummaged around for pretty paper and offcuts, and used the hanging loops I've been snipping off clothes for ribbon. I cut and glued, then threaded the ribbon through a hole at the top of the tag. The most difficult part was shaping the cardboard to look like a gift tag.

The next day I bought some eggs and two ceramic birds from the el cheapo shop. Back at home, I grabbed a few minutes of my cleaning time to arrange the Easter display in the lounge room. I didn't have any green material but came across a bright and cheery, green scarf when I was putting away my clothes (I did make time for some housework!!).

I had a wonderful time reconnecting with my creative side. A few days later I still feel good about it and I'm keen to get back home and experience some more domestic bliss, which is the opposite of how I had been feeling the weeks before. The experience has cemented even further how important I think it is to listen to your soul. I feel nourished and energised. 

I hope you have some time this week to do something you love.

Simple Living – garden update

It’s been a wee while since I posted a blog. I finally finished reports and I can now start to unwind a little. That means I’ve also got time to blog and tell you what’s been going on in my simple- but expanding- garden.

So here's a quick garden update. I’ve been rather keen to do this. 
I’ll show you why…

My fairy garden is now a little village. Again, I didn’t see this coming. I arrived home one day and there it was. Almost everything has been upcycled from something which was lying around the garden or found in the shed. Yes, even the dog!  Santa and the roof of his house were frugal buys from the el cheapo shop.  

Meanwhile the vegies are taking off.  Once again, I find it thrilling to see plants bearing “fruit”. And, well, yes, I have been getting a helping hand from someone who spent ten years of his early adult life raising crops on his family land. I think he's naturally drawn to be out there in the garden. He works away morning and night (daylight savings), bringing a beautiful rhythm to our new routine.

 One of the biggest surprises was to see the grape vine bearing fruit.  Now we just have to stop the birds from taking a liking to it. Hmmmm…

A lot of other seeds are just starting to sprout. Hopefully they’ll grow well. Summer can have drastic effects on even the strongest plants. Mr S is keen to try and see what happens so a number of plantings are experiments.

Guess where this plant below was sourced.....
In the gutter. 
Mr S was checking a leak up on the roof when he noticed the plant growing in the actual gutter. It obviously had been getting enough nutrients.

Now that work has almost finished for the year I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine with the blogging. I'm looking forward to it.

Fairy Garden OR Deluxe Apartment?

Wow! This is what I came home to during the week:

Take a closer look...

You can see inside...

I think the little lady has ended up with a deluxe apartment. I'm sure she never expected such grandeur, and neither did I !!!

A few months ago I showed Mister S what a fairy garden was and what I was hoping to achieve with all of the bric-a-brac I was accumulating. This was one of the images I showed him. (Scroll down to see the inspiration for this project). I was careful not to dwell on it too much, as I know fairy gardens are not everyone's idea of a good way to pass time. He was lucky if he got more than a few seconds to look at the photo.

Then last week I caught Mister S working on a small creation out in the shed. He was whittling away, using the branches cut from one of the trees in our garden. I knew it would be lovely but I hadn't realised that he had also been gathering together pieces that had been lying around in the garden. You can see in the photo he has artfully arranged the pieces around the little lady, making her very comfortable indeed.

As if the little lady and I weren't blessed enough, this morning we went to Flemington Craft Market and Mister S comes home with new accessories for the little lady's deluxe apartment. I might be feeling spoilt but this little lady sure is spoilt!

Through the window I watched him proudly arrange the furniture in the new apartment. With considered thought, he rearranged each of the "ornaments" which had been shifted with the addition of the beautiful chairs.

I must say  I was filled with admiration. It's certainly a privilege to watch someone treat their work as a craft and to see what beauty can come of it. I never expected my goal of having a fairy garden to turn out like this. I never expected to see such a masterpiece in my own garden.

What do you think?   A lovely fairy garden  or a deluxe apartment?

Simple Living Sunday: Thoughts on being too busy

Sunday is here again and I’ve barely found time to put my fingers to the keys. I’ve had a young person staying for the weekend and so this afternoon I have to “rush” to make sure there’s enough time to attend to all the items on the to do list. 

I really enjoy working around the home and for me that includes a simple living approach which allows me to do what I need to do with care and thought, and with pride and appreciation for what I have.  And yet the current reality is that I barely have time to do these things at all. Next week I’ve got visitors as well so it’s going to be another week of squeezing in all that needs to be done.

When it gets to this point I find it helps if I keep in mind what must be done versus what can be done. Generally, the things I feel passionate about are those things which are not mandatory. So op shopping for fairy garden containers has to be put aside while I make sure the washing, meal planning and food shopping are done for the week.

Another thing that helps me stay centred is I try to recognise while these few weeks have turned out to be a busy time, it will not always be like this. Time will free up over the next couple of weeks. There will be time again soon for gardening, catching up with friends and other good things.
I spent many of my younger years looking forward to a grand life in the years ahead and missing what was right before me. I don’t want to fall back into the trap of dreaming about tomorrow when today has plenty of good to offer, even when life is terribly busy.

Rather than getting frazzled by the busyness I also need to remember who I am and what makes me tick. The introvert in me is always seeking "time out", time on my own, time to think, time to be.  If I can mange to get some "time out" I can recharge, even if just a little.

When I started this blog  a few years ago I wanted to write about simple living from my perspective, as someone who works full-time, lives in suburbia, lacks many skills, has several commitments and who therefore needs to find a simple “simple living” approach which is cost and time-effective. It was definitely "no chickens" simple living for me.
I also wanted to do all of this as someone who carried the challenges of social anxiety, got tired easily and who was still determined to forge ahead. People with SAd often see things that other people miss. The SAd  and introverted me wanted to share some of those observations and insights with the readers. I'm one of those people who believes that the world really is an amazing place.

This last week it’s really hit home how hard it is sometimes to squeeze in enough time to blog, look after the home, keep in touch with loved ones and simply “enjoy” what each day brings.  Yes, I am overambitious with what I want to achieve each week! And the sun and warmth only makes me want to do more.

So my simple aim today is to work out what needs to be done for the week, prepare a little more for school and do a little gardening to hearten my soul. I don't want to rush anything. I want to enjoy. I also want to find a minute or two where I can start to think about how I might refine my blog so that it is  more manageable while still being a reflection of who I am and where I am going in my life.

How do you prioritise when the to do list is overflowing?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

 

Simple Living Sunday: Frightfully frugal organising

My Frightfully Frugal Planner

I’m away visiting friends this weekend so I thought I would leave you with a look at the way I keep track of what I'm doing. Here's my "planner"

Pad of planning sheets: $3

washi tape: $2

coloured pens: a gift for a young person that never happened : cost back then/now free on hand

 

I love fussing around, designing weekly planning formats freehand or on the computer. I always reused  A4 paper until I succumbed and bought this pad of weekly planning sheets at a $2-type shop. I actually thought it was a weekly planner but it is, in fact, a monthly planner. It cost me $3. I write up the headings each week and away I go. Headings  include: maybe, definite, meals, to buy, to do, to call, next (next week) and goals.

Maybe: what I need to do on that day, recorded ahead of time
Definite: what I aim to do on that today, recorded and updated on the day

I do use a monthly diary and I usually stick  the weekly planning sheets in there. I reuse bits of paper as shopping lists and I use the back of the sheet when I need more space.

The washi tape is a new addition to my organising palette. And I love it. Yesterday I couldn’t run because I had my nephew’s birthday. Imagine my (ever so simple) delight when I realised I could just lift the tape off Monday and move it ever so easily onto Tuesday. Along with my beautiful markers it all looks bright and colourful.

I love sitting down and planning what I’m going to do. I do have to be careful that I spend at least as much time doing, not just planning and dreaming. Somehow a well-planned week in theory helps me have a well-planned week in practice.

Simple Living Sunday: Frightfully frugal gardening tip

Don't throw away your  banana peels. Give your plants a potassium-fix!

Here is a frightfully frugal tip.

Banana peels soaking in water overnight: free potassium-rich drink for your plants the next day!! (Bananas are a rich source of potassium and  hopefully "chemical-free")

This tip comes from one of my friends who is frightfully knowledgeable about all things botanical.