Sunday 30 September 2012

Satisfying Sunday

Dejunked 

A palm sander and a scraper I bought to sand our stair treads after we removed the carpet and had them painted.  The girl I gave it to is doing the same.  She isn't the only one to be inspired by our simple painted stair treads. Another friend also painted her stair treads after seeing them.

When we had our house refurbished I thought a statement carpet was needed. Unfortunately the striped carpet we had fitted I hated instantly.  It looked very different in situ compared to the sample!  I found it very busy and jarring and not me at all! I had never bought a stair carpet before having mainly lived in flats.  After trying to live with it for a year I bit the bullet. I knew a neighbour who loved it and was in need of a stair carpet.  As their house is the same layout we had the carpet removed and refitted there.  I love my painted stairs and they are much more in keeping with the rest of my white house. It picks out the original sixties features such as the beautiful hardwood banister and handrail.

I was very upset for a long time that I had made such a massive mistake, financially and from a design perspective. I beat myself up about it for ages. It took me a while to move on and accept what I needed to do to sort it out.

I find the painted stairs  easy to care for and only requiring a brush and damp mop. Carpet retains a lot of dirt and dust.

Husband and I also went through the filing cabinet, we try to do this every 6 months and purged paperwork for shredding and recycling.

Negative

My grandmother was upset that she hit a kerb when driving home from visiting my grandfather in his care home and blew out a tyre. It is sad to see her becoming older and loosing confidence in her abilities.  She has always been a central figure in our family.

Positive 

I was able to get her a set of new tyres for a good price and she was thrilled to have the problem sorted so quickly.

My older son baked chocolate chip shortbread, yummy.
I made black bean salsa and guacamole for dinner last night and there was enough left for lunch today!


Friday 28 September 2012

Cabin Fever!

Negative

Younger son ill with evil bug so stuck at home with ill child except for quick trip to A&E on advice of NHS direct (awful) then to GP (better)!

Positive

Son much improved and very bouncy and hungry, like flicking a switch compared to yesterday!
Macmillan coffee morning and cake auction at school today,  was lovely to be able to help as I am normally at work on a friday.

Beautiful rainbow.

Dejunked

An empty oilcan I found in the shed!
Duplicate cycle helmet instructions
The guides of an isofix booster seat I kept for when I give it away, Ha ha. I am sure once it has finished its life it will only be fit for landfill.
Shed is husbands department and although very small there are a variety of bits for bikes I am told we need! We cycle as much as posible so in winter we all need lights etc.
Some magazines from the rack in the lounge, some to recycling and some donated to a friend.

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Harvest: Apple and Plum Jam

Dejunked

Braun mini chopper, havent used it much since it was purchased for weaning in 2004!
My sister was thrilled to receive it.
Garlic press, little used as my husband hates garlic.
Gave to a friend who was thrilled as hers had a broken handle.

Purchased

Tangle teaze hairbrush everyone raves about for my younger sons long hair, seems good on first try.
Beaver jumper for younger son.

Positive

Lunch with a good friend from work who moved further out into Surrey with her family.  Yasai Chilli Men at Wagamamas was great.
Harvest assembly at school today, my boys took homemade by grandma apple and plum jam which was snapped up.
Looking forward to Grand designs tonight, the couple featured are building a minamilist house.

Negative

Tired! Everyone seems to be in the same boat recovering from bugs or sniffling with cold.

Read

Read Simple Living - 30 Days to Less Stuff and More Life by Lorilee Lippincott on the kindle app on my Mac.  Was 0.99 cents or 77 pence. I enjoy her website as she has 2 young children also and seems to enjoy them and life in general.
http://lovingsimpleliving.com/

Mr D watching Charlie and Lola in my beautiful lounge.

Monday 24 September 2012

Its Windy and Raining!

Dejunked

Younger son's holey pyjamas to fabric recycling, he has 3 other pairs.

Returned

The peanut butter and chocolate my husband bought me as a treat after my tummy bug!

Positive

Got to the gym for a run and a body conditioning class after my weekend of not leaving the house.

Negative

Its raining and windy. Should I drive to my kids mad monday of after school activites or risk cycling in the rain. Driving is annoying, parking and paying and displaying numerous times.
My gym buddy didn't make it as her daughter has the bug now!

Read

You Can Buy Happiness (and Its Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too by Tammy Strobel on the kindle app on my mac.  Cost £5.62. Tammy has a blog called Rowdy Kittens which I enjoy.  She and her husband Logan live in a tiny house on wheels.
http://rowdykittens.com/

Penzance, Cornwall, early morning run

Sunday 23 September 2012

Washout Weekend

Was so looking forward to my weekend with my family.

Negative

Grand plans of my early morning run and body pump class were thwarted by an evil tummy bug doing the rounds to all and sundry it would appear!

Positive

A local family I met a school recently came round to our house to look at our recent renovations.  Updating a sixties property into a modern and flexible living space for our family.
They are both architects and were inspired by the space and lack of clutter!
My six year old son bought me flowers because I was ill and explained to me that if I put them in the sun the buds would open soon!

Dejunked

Suncream as summer is definately over!

Read

Simplify: 7 guiding principles to help anyone declutter their home and their life by Joshua Becker.  I love Joshuas writing and his website/blog becoming minimalist a brilliant story and journey he is on with his family.
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

 My beautiful kitchen!

Friday 21 September 2012

Fabulous Brownies

Dejunked

Cork strips to school for DT.

Positive

Catch up with friend danielle, pregnant with baby no 2.
Sarah Lowe and her fabulous chocolate and ginger brownies at work.

Negative

Elderly neighbours developing dementia and becoming difficult.

Read

The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize and Simplify your Life by Francine Jay on the kindle app on my mac.  Was £6.41. Francine has a blog called miss minimalist which I enjoy reading.
http://www.missminimalist.com/