In (and out) My Kitchen - November

IN AND OUT MY KITCHEN NOVEMBER

Well this is a bumper edition that's for sure!
I not only have several things IN my kitchen to show you, but also several things that have gone OUT of my kitchen!

I have been attempting to reduce our clutter & with that comes parting with some kitchen items that no longer are used as frequently as they should be.

These include a bread maker and a yogurt maker (to name a few):

I never had much luck making dairy free yogurt despite several attempts.

And so that brings me to a few new food items that I have in my kitchen to try:
One being coconut yogurt.
This is a new product available at Woolies.
Its delicious! But quite high in fat and a bit costly. 
Unrefined sugar to cook with - replaces raw sugar in recipes. Not necessarily a "new" thing for me, but I do tend to refer to 'raw sugar' in recipes even when I'm using an equivalent unrefined sugar.
I picked up this range of McDougall Right Foods from Coles. I was soooooooo excited that they stocked them! I LOVE that these have no added oils. I haven't actually tried any yet. My husband tried the lentil soup and said it was ok. Again, on the costly side but worth it to have healthy convenience foods for when they are needed. I have the remaining items in my drawer at work for one morning when I don't make lunch!
And peanut butter cacao spread which I also picked up from Coles. 
To be honest, I would much rather just have plain peanut butter. This didn't tickle my fancy! But my daughter LOVES it.

I also have a bag of Mrs Mays snacks. These are soooooooooo delicious. Made using whole ingredients these are a healthy snack and although they look small, just 2 pieces is actually quite filling, so I'm very pleased with how long this bag has lasted us!

In my kitchen is this vegan Christmas pudding that is waiting til next month when it will be devoured! Also purchased from Coles & especially marked "vegan" - gotta love that!!!
Its nice to have a little one for our family when it is time to share a Christmas meal with our extended family. I'm sure I will have enough other food I need to make without adding Christmas pudding to the list!!!!

In My Kitchen is a range of new teas that I have purchased and am looking forward to trying:

In my kitchen is this bag of rocket seeds that I'm waiting to plant. We are running short of pots in our yard. I feel a Bunnings trip coming up soon! 
On my kitchen window sill is this little basil plant that we've grown from a seed :-)
It is due to be transferred to our garden anytime soon, where it can joint the other basil that is growing!

Our pot of basil!

Which brings me to some other things OUT of my kitchen that will hopefully one day come IN!

Capsicum plant

We have several edible items growing around our garden at the moment. Since we don't have any lawn they all need to be in pots. I can take NO credit whatsoever for our garden because I do not have any green thumbs on my body at all! My hubbie does all the gardening work! I'm quite proud of his effort! Its so incredibly exciting to see the produce actually beginning to grow and not just having a plant full of leaves!
Here's some others that we currently have growing:

Tomatoes - if these succeed they will become tomato sauce because none of us actually like eating fresh tomato!

Lemon tree - I really hope this one takes off. I miss having a lemon tree.

Kale - however, it seems that we just can't keep the bugs from enjoying these leaves - then again, I can't blame them! We have been trying to get this to work for over a year now! We have a new cover to put on it and see how we go!

Last but not least, in my kitchen I have some new Norwex cleaning cloths.
For those of you who are not familiar with Norwex products, they are a company that make products that reduce the need for chemicals in cleaning. This includes  a large range of anti-bacterial clothes that use silver particles that only need water for cleaning.
I'm all for cleaning without chemicals so I'm eager to use these more and see how they go. So far I'm really really pleased with them.

WHAT'S NEW IN YOUR KITCHEN THIS MONTH?

Link your kitchen up on the Fig Jam & Lime Cordial blog.

A-Z of Home Cleaning

I'm not posting this to encourage you to do the dishes or the washing more frequently..... we all know when they are overdue and need to be done.
I'm hoping this list can get you a little motivated to look around the home at other areas that are sometimes forgotten about.
Its not a complete list - but just a little something fun to help get the motivation flowing!!!

With March just around the corner, I'm planning to do a letter a day. And finish my alphabetical list just in time to relax before the Easter long weekend.
Everyone always mentions "Spring Cleaning" - well I reckon there's no reason not to clean in Autumn too! No-one wants the home to be un-organised going into winter!!! We need to feel comforted at home when we're stuck inside under blankets ;-)

• A - Appliances. Yes we all wipe over the kitchen bench several times a day - but how often do you give your appliances a wipe? Today wipe over the kettle, the coffee machine, the toaster, the blender and any other kitchen appliances that need your care.  Did you know that just shaking the crumbs out of your toaster really isn't enough?......To help give it a thorough clean, pour a quarter of a cup of salt into your toaster, let it sit for 10 minutes and then give it a good shake out. 

• B - Bathroom cabinet. Clean the toilet if you must, but also use today to clear everything out of the bathroom cabinet, wipe over the shelves & replace only those items that you know will be used. Bathrooms cabinets are often a place where items get jammed to the back and forgotten about.  

• C - Cushions and pillows. When was the last time you washed the couch cushions??? They tend to get forgotten. Today remove all the covers from cushions and pillows, wash and dry them. Wash the pillows if they are washable and if not, then hang them in direct sunlight to give them a freshen up. Give them a nice big fluff before replacing the clean covers.

• D - Dishes and dishwasher. This sounds boring doesn't it??? Today go through your everyday 'dish' cupboard and sort out which items you want to keep and not. Anything that is broken - toss it out (or find another purpose for it). Anything you no longer want or use, donate to charity. Clean your dishwasher by putting it on the hot cycle with just a jug of white vinegar in it!

• E -Education. Sort through any college/uni papers. Any school papers of the kids that need organising? Work papers scattered everywhere.... If you have some extra money pay off education loan! 

• F - Fridge and freezer. Hopefully its a nice hot day when you come across letter F! Remove everything from the fridge and wipe over with vanilla. Sort through containers & put back only what will be used. Toss any sauces, condiments etc that have sat in the fridge unused or are out-of-date. Defrost your freezer and check that nothing has sat in the bottom unused. If you have anything that is still in date but that you don't plan to use - why not cook a meal for your neighbour :-) 

 

• G - Garage. Ok I hear you - I know its a man's department. But you can make your hubbie feel really loved if you just give it a sweep and tidy a few odds and ends! 

 

• H - Hobby sorting. Most people have an area that is designated to their hobby activites. Whatever that is, craft, sewing, scrapbooking, other - tidy the area up. Sort through any piles that have accumulated and toss out any rubbish.

 

• I - Ironing. Ok today is a nice easy one. Yep, just get on top of that ironing pile!!!

• J - Jewellery and dressing table. Sort through your jewellery drawer & decide on pieces you want to keep/not keep. Sort out the top of that dressing table to have it looking lovely :-) 

 

• K - Kitchen cupboards. Most people I know have a kitchen cupboard that they just dread opening! Is it your tupperware cupboard??? Whichever cupboard it is - use today to tackle it. Sort out what you want to keep and what is no longer needed.

 

• L - Linen press. Sort out towels, handtowels, bed linen and other items that are stored in your linen press.
• M - Mending. Today is the day to finally tackle that pile of buttons, zippers, hemming and other mending jobs that have sat around for a few months! If you're not the mending type - then use today to make the trip to a tailor to get it done.
• N - Notes and notepads. Are you like me and have little bits of paper around the house everywhere? Go around the home and collect all the papers. Designate a proper place for 'notes', and check them weekly to sort which ones can be thrown away. Instead of having lots of little papers, see if you can keep one notepad with everything in it.

• O - Ornaments. If you are an ornment keeper you'll know that sometimes they can get really dusty! Use today to gently wipe over your collection & decide if you want to continue to keep the items. If you're not an ornament collector, use today to wipe over any decorative pieces you have on display in your home (vases, picture frames etc).

• P - Pantry! You knew it was coming right??? That's right - go through those shelves and toss old items. Donate items that won't be used. Items that are close to expiry put in a pile somewhere that they can be used in the next week.

•  Q - Quilts & blankets. Air all quilt and blankets. If you can hang them in direct sunlight that is best as it helps to kill mold spores. Mold can start to develop even before we can see it!  

• R- Rugs. Are you someone who vacuums over the rugs and forgets to lift it and actually vacuum under it??? I must admit that I'm quite guilty of that. Today lift any rugs off the floor - give them a good shake out and hang them in the sun. Actually vacuum the spot where the rug was before replacing the rug ;-)

• S - Spray and wipe. Clean over all the clear surfaces in your home. Dust settles so easily and just a fresh wipe makes everything feel sparkly clean. I highly recommend this all purpose cleaner that I use.  

•  T - Toy attack! With your child's help, sort out toys that are no longer wanted/used and create a pile to donate to charity. Sort the remaining toys into a sensible order that the child can access when wanting to. If you don't have children, I suggest using today to tackle that childhood soft toy collection that you might have! Give your furry friends a gentle wash & then decided if you still want to keep them! 

• U - Under the sink. Another area very prone to clutter. How many take-away lunch containers do you really need?!? Clear everything out of these cupboards & check for no signs of leaking. Wipe shelves & replace only things that are needed and will be used.  

• V - Vacuum. Another boring basic day! But just make sure that you do a proper job and use the skinny edge to clean along the skirting boards too! 

• W - Window sills. Wipe along all the window sills and blinds (if you have them). Cooled black tea is fantastic to use to clean wood.  

• X - X-tra. Have you found your motivation yet? Or lost it? Is there anything extra that you feel like sorting out in your home - then today is the day :-)

•  Y - Yard. I am an indoors person so you won't find me out in the yard too often! None the less, when the yard is looking tidy it is a wonderful feeling. Use today to pile up that pile of leaves, sweep over any paved areas and just give the yard a general tidy.  

• Z - zzzzzzzz. you've worked so hard over all these letter days! Use today to do anything else that you're motivated to clean and tidy - but whatever you do - make sure you get enough sleep tonight!!!

More organising.....

How are you going with the organised housewife 20 day challenge???
Just one more week left.
To be quite honest my enthusiasm has dwindled.....
But I am still doing odds and ends around the home to help it get more organised. I'm just not following the daily tasks quite as closely as when we started. I decided that my own problems areas were more important to tackle.

Problem areas tackled in the last week 
 --> bedroom 'stash'
 --> office desk

Cleaning and organising the office area was the daily task for day 14. So I used that for motivation to get it done..... well partly done!
I managed to clear my desk space so that I can have the space I need and sorted through huge piles of random scraps of paper. I'm yet to tackle the storage area above my actual desk.... That's up next!

Anyway,I need to keep my desk clear, to keep my little helper happy ;-) 

Before.... mess and clutter

After - much better, but still a bit to go!

Let's face it - some organisation is better than none! Right?!?!?!?

With that said, I then put away the pile of shoes that had 'magically' grown since tidy bedroom day ;-)

I guess at least they are lined up neatly!!!!!

I continued with the problem spots in the bedroom.
Remember my pile of boxes that I posted in my previous post - I finally tackled them - COMPLETELY! Not only did I sort and remove the pile I re-arranged our bedroom so that we have a lovely sitting area.

 And now comes the 'reward' of being able to select a lovely piece for the table! I CAN'T WAIT! How awesome does it feel to buy a new decoration item for the home?

I must admit that I was way toooo embarrassed to post my other problem area in the bedroom..... I had a table next to my bedside table that was FULL of enviro-bags that had so many odds and ends that I hadn't sorted since we moved.
Now that I have tackled it I really wish I had of taken a picture to show how awful it was!
None the less I am very pleased to announce that those piles NO LONGER EXIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY
I replaced the coffee table with a little bookshelf where I can neatly keep the few magazines that I want to hold onto in an orderly way.

Not embarrassed to take a picture of that!

Ok enough of all this cleaning and tidying stuff - this is my weekend we're talking about!
                        Besides....

         Well I don't totally agree with this - but it does give me a little chuckle!

Now to go and test out my new cookbook:

                    Isn't that what weekends are really for?!?!?

Organised Housewife-ing

How are you going on the Organised Housewife Challenge?

We're up to day 10 today, though I must admit that this week I have been a little bit behind. I haven't got to tidy my desk like I had hoped to do on Wednesday's list......
I am finding I can get a few odds and ends done on my workdays but not as much as I would like to achieve. Of course that means all the "harder-to-sort" things stay put ;-)
None the less I'm ploughing on & doing what I can.

I LOVE the feeling of going through cupboards & sorting them out knowing that they are getting a proper clean & being sorted through so that excess is not being kept!

Here's our 2 tupperware cupboards - cleaned and sorted today:

Before

 

After

Now I have to admit that I didn't really need to sort out this Tupperware cupboard as I'm quite particular about this one - but I did straighten out a few piles & wipe the shelves down.  Can't hurt to keep on top of it!

And here's our organised and cleaned fridge!
I love the smell of vanilla spray! :D Always a pleasure to sort the fridge out!!!

Spring Cleaning

YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How excited am I that this blog was linked up to the organised housewife challenge!
Check it out! That's my alphabetical pantry you see there ;-)

How are you going with the 20 day challenge?

Did you follow todays plan?

Today is the first day since last Autumn that I've been able to hang washing on the line and actually have it dry!

I guess that's lucky since washing bed linen always takes up so much space!!! lol

 After all - is there anything so lovely as a clean fresh bed at night time?

I was debating if its time to put away the winter blanket yet.... but then I remembered its the cats favourite sleeping spot, so for now it stays!

My problem with clutter in the bedroom happens around my clothing :-/

I tend to throw items on this lovely wooden box & leave them there. Don't you think I have a nice shoe collection too?!!?
Sometimes the pile is clean clothes that are waiting to be put away, and sometimes its... well lets just say not-so-clean clothes!
Either way I think I'll officially add to my housewife New Habit list "To clear clothing pile each night". 

And I did just that this afternoon:

Clearly this took a bit of time because the sun went down quite significantly between the photos!!!
The pile of boxes on the left hand-side is from when we moved in :-/

Oh dear! I have added that to my weekend list!

Since I am still working during school hours, yet I want to make the most of the housewife challenge, I am keeping myself a list of tasks-to-do on the weekend that completely tackle all of the clutter and not just 'surface clutter' as I like to call it. Its all very well and good to clear desk tops & wash linen but these boxes are the type of things that I always overlook when I 'clean and tidy'. That's why they sit well hidden in the corner - so that most of the time they don't bother me! 

This week I also started following the PCRM's 21 day kickstart.

Of course I still had to grocery shop & write my meals down, but that's an easy week of meal planning since there was no thought involved!

The meals on the kickstart are so tasty & I have enjoyed following along the kickstart program for a number of years now!

They have a forum where you can get involved with questions/comments if you have any concerns.

I plan to blog about all the DIY recipes that it encourages us to do. So stayed tuned for some tasty recipes!

Are you spring cleaning?

Do you like to spring clean your home or your body more?

When life throws you lemons......

Ever bought a lemon-of-a-car??

I've had my first experience of that happening this month. :''(
I cannot explain how incredibly frustrating it is..... and how hopeless you feel in the waiting moments to hear from mechanics/auto-electricians if it can be fixed..... or the dreaded bill..... when they haven't really solved the problem.

So when life throws you lemons.............

Make an all-purpose cleaning spray!!!!!!!!!!!

Because you need something to do while you're stuck at home with no car to drive ;-)

  Cut up some lemons into wedges and put into a cleaned glass jar. Pour cleaning vinegar over the top of the lemons. White vinegar works too.

Put the jars into a sink & cover with boiling water. Don't pour the water directly onto the jars in case they crack.

Leave to sit until the water has completely cooled down (or overnight).

Then you can empty the sink & strain the lemon/vinegar mixture into a spray bottle. (You can leave the mixture to sit in the jars for up to 2 weeks if you want!)

Your all-purpose cleaner is done! It will keep for about a month.

Now I can be a lean, mean, green cleaning machine!

What!!! Lean - phef, I'm a woman I have round bits & I don't want to be mean! 
And after all lemons are yellow.
Let's just say - now I can be a cleaning fanatic ;-p

Today is the last day for the pre-challenge tasks on the organised housewife challenge. Have you decided to join in? Have you done all the pre-challenge tasks? What are you most looking forward too?

I hope you have your list of goals handy so you can refer to them to keep you motivated!

I've got my folder all set-up and ready to go! I did it whilst enjoying a coffee and the sunshine (of course!)

I'm becoming an organised housewife!!!

I've been really motivated to clean & tidy the last few months.

Have you read my post about how I've switched to chemical free cleaning?

It's so refreshing to have things organised, clean & tidy.

We bought our very first home 10 months ago!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYY! :D 

A life long dream of mine after renting for over 10 years. However, moving is never fun, no matter when or where you end up and I must admit that there were several places in our home that didn't quite get the unpacking attention they deserved, especially as our unpacking was somewhat crowded by the Christmas time rush. I have been very motivated to get EVERYTHING all sorted out properly & when I stumbled across this the other day I was HUGELY excited!

                      GUESS WHAT......

                                  And the best news is that you can too!
The amazing website The Organised Housewife has put together a challenge called 20-days-to-organise-and-clean-your-home.  Why not sign up to the fun & join hundreds of other ladies as we seek to clean & organise our homes!

There was a time when my home was in a complete ~SHAMOZZLE~ to say the least, with little time or energy to fix it even though I so desperately wanted to!
I must admit I am so pleased with how our home is today. Yes it takes a bit of time, but it never hurt me to turn off the TV or close down that facebook page! In fact, in made me feel SOOOO good if I did!
After all - a home is supposed to be somewhere that we can relax & feel comfortable & enjoy being. 

I LOVE COMING HOME TO OUR HOME.

Here's some pictures of what I have already done prior to even knowing about the organised housewife challenge! I just wish I had of taken more "before" pictures! I just get so excited when I have achieved the "after" that I remember to take happy snaps ;-)

Every woman needs an organised dresser! Sure beats the pile of tissues and make-up and pens and pins it used to have on it!

How can it be that having an organised under-the-sink can feel so good?

I love a Tupperwared pantry ;-)

Especially when its arranged alphabetically!!!

But for now.... it's bed time!
I'm going to continue to post about my journey through the challenge with more pictures to come!
Starting with how I managed to organise my craft side-of-the-room just a few weekends ago! There's already plenty of photos on this post! ;-)