OH TO BE ORGANIZED!

Oh to be organized!

I have my grocery lists and weekly menus extremely organized. I know exactly what is is my cupboard and freezer and when it is to be eaten. It is a bit too complicated to describe here but suffice to say my system works very well. When we had a couple of late evenings this week after working hard all day I didn't feel like cooking when we arrived home so looked up 'the book' and found suitable meals ready in the freezer. Nothing gets lost in the bottom of the freezer.

So I have decided to work out a similar system for the organization of my household in general. I have started a book of cleaning with sections for each room and things to be noted each day when they are done. I am starting with my bedroom. I have a wardrobe overflowing with clothes, and many just lost at the back, and down the bottom of drawers. When I started on it today I was surprised at some of the clothes I found that I had forgotten. I figure a little bit done each day and ticked off in my book and I will have my clothes organized. If I add a room each week I should have the whole house completely organised, including cupboards, in three months. Of course I will get busier and busier as the weeks go on, but maybe if I do it gradually and document it I will get into a good routine.

Once I get this daily schedule going I will start weekly, monthly and yearly ones.

I'm quite excited at the prospect.

It was my daughter J's birthday last week.  She turned 35. How quickly the time goes! It seems no time since the day she was born with a cranky look on her face and masses of black hair. I am not supposed to write about her in this blog so don't tell her I have told you about her.

J is an artist. Most of her work is sculpture and lately she has been doing a lot of felting. She makes weird creatures like the one below.

She is running a workshop in Ballarat in April. You can read about it here.

She is represented by Gallery 9 in Darlinghurst

You can see some of her work here on Flickr

I am very proud of her.

She loves rabbits so I made her this  little felt rabbit in a bed in an Altoid tin as part of her birthday present.

 And I made her this card.

I have written a bit about  Davistown  before on this blog. P:-)'s family has had a holiday house there for over 100 years, one way or another. His grandmother who was a head mistress bought it in the early 1900's. It has finally had to be sold and this old framed poem below was amongst some of the last stuff to be removed. It belonged to P:-)'s uncle and was given to me.

At the bottom it says that this was read by His Majesty the King on an Empire Broadcast. I would love to know its history. It has pride of place in my entry hall and it is a special memento for P:-).

My daughter R and I have begun walking in the mornings. We take a 20 minute walk  from her home down to Towradgi Beach and back again. Forty minutes in all.

Life got in the way a couple of times last week but we managed 3 morning walks.


The moon has been looking good lately. I took this from my front yard the other night when it had a ring around it.

I finally took down my Christmas decorations and found Wilbur (Read about him on a previous blog) sitting amongst them with a cheeky look on his face.

 Interesting sites


1.

 Container homes

Photo source

A luxury home doesn't always necessarily mean thousands of square footage, towering great rooms and gilded toilets. Take these homes for example: to begin building one of these epic houses, all you need is $2,000. That $2,000 will buy you a shipping container. Read More: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2014/06/a-shipping-container-costs-about-2000-what-these-15-people-did-with-that-is-beyond-epic.html

All you need is about $42000 to build one of these epic homes - made from recycled shipping containers

All you need is around $2000 to begin building one of these epic homes – made from recycled shipping containers! Check out some of these amazing creations! Read More: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2014/06/a-shipping-container-costs-about-2000-what-these-15-people-did-with-that-is-beyond-epic.html

luxury home doesn't always necessarily mean thousands of square footage, towering great rooms and gilded toilets. Take these homes for example: to begin building one of these epic houses, all you need is $2,000. That $2,000 will buy you a shipping container. Read More: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2014/06/a-shipping-container-costs-about-2000-what-these-15-people-did-with-that-is-beyond-epic.html

A luxury home doesn't always necessarily mean thousands of square footage, towering great rooms and gilded toilets. Take these homes for example: to begin building one of these epic houses, all you need is $2,000. That $2,000 will buy you a shipping container. Read More: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2014/06/a-shipping-container-costs-about-2000-what-these-15-people-did-with-that-is-beyond-epic.html

Click here to read more.


2.

Mini camping ideas

Photo source

Mini have designed some great camping ideas.
Click here to see more.


3.

 BEAUTIFUL abstract paintings of the sea

Photo source

Artist Samantha Keely Smith paints abstract oceanic landscapes that are at once menacing and serene, a clash of light and color that she refers to as “internal landscapes.” Using oil paint, enamel, and shellac, Smith uses an additive and subtractive process by partially destroying her progress several times before completion.
Click here to see more.

Instead of a quote today I am starting with this lovely poem that I came across. It has simple yet beautiful imagery. A poem, probably of another era and hemisphere, but very evocative none the less.

Let Evening Come 

Let the light of late afternoon

shine through chinks in the barn, moving

up the bales as the sun moves down.

 Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung.
Let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don’t
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.

Jane Kenyon


Sunday was Lilly's birthday. She is P:-)'s second eldest of 5 grandchildren and is 3 years old. We had a lovely family gathering at Woronora Dam. The area was ideal for small children and decorated with balloons. There were 7 little ones aged 5 and under, the youngest being 8 months old.

Picnic area at Woronora Dam.

There was a special big shiny pink balloon in the shape of a three. Unfortunately despite her parents' warnings Lilly insisted on playing with the balloon and it ended up going skywards, much to Lilly's distress.

But all was soon forgotten  with the cutting of the delicious cake - Jessica from Toy Story.

Issy, aged 4,  made a treasure box with one of her sister's presents.

And at the end of the party the 2 sisters enjoyed running around with the balloons.

I finally finished the felt name I was making for Lilly's birthday.

 

I picked my first harvest of shallots from my garden.

And Jasper, belonging to my daughter and her husband arrived for 3 months while they travel around Australia in a caravan.

Jasper doesn't know he is a dog. Jasper thinks he is a person and is a rather fussy - or should I say sensitive - but I do love him. He is great company.




Interesting sites


1.

 Amazing Hotels

Photo source

Take a look at some of the most amazing hotels in the world.
Not everyone can afford holiday in one of these locations, however most of us would love to spend quality time with family or friends in these places. You might want to stay in the room underwater or perhaps enjoy your breakfast from the cave facing the sea.
Everyone will find something interesting.
Click here to see some great photos.
 
2.

 Dean's Blue Hole

Photo source

Dean's Blue Hole near Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas, is the world's deepest known “blue hole” - a term given to any deep, water filled, vertical caves or sinkholes with an entrance below the water surface. While most blue holes and sinkholes reach a maximum depth of 110 meters, Dean's Blue Hole plunges to more than 200 meters, which makes it quite exceptional. At the surface, Dean's Blue Hole is roughly circular, with a diameter ranging from 25 to 35 meters. After descending 20 meters, the hole widens considerably into a cavern with a diameter of 100 meters. Click here to see some great pictures.

3.

 The 3 000 year old plant

Photo source

These rocks on the highlands of the Andes looks like they are covered with moss. Actually, they are a type of flowing plant known as Yareta and it lives in colonies which can be thousands of years old. Click here to find out more. 

JASPER IS COMING!

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.

Roy Reiman

My daughter R gave me these hibiscus from her garden. She doesn't like them. I think they are beautiful.

Hibiscus

R and her husband B are going away for a few months and I am going to look after their little dog Jasper. P:) has been fixing  the back deck for me to make an enclosure for him.

Enclosure for Jasper

P:-) isn't quite finished yet but it should be great when it is finished. I was just going to do something with chicken wire, but P:-) thinks shade cloth would be more dog-friendly.

Meanwhile I have finished sewing some cushions for their caravan. 

Covered cushions

They weren't perfect but I was quite pleased with them and R was extremely pleased. They are cut down cushions from an old lounge and will squash down beside their bed at the foot and to give their legs a bit more room.


I planted some salad rocket in my garden this morning. This is part of my quest to save pennies.

Salad rocket

This is the type of rocket that can be picked continually, although I think it is only an annual. I love rocket and use it a lot in salads so this should be very useful.

I am proceeding with my next felt name. I need it ready for Sunday for little Lilly's 3rd birthday.

Felt name

There is quite a bit of sewing involved in making these felt names. I had thought I might be able to sell them but there is so much work involved I do not know how feasible it would be. I used to take orders and sell them years ago but I used simpler decorations which would be a bit dated now.

I have been making cards and when we went to Davistown a couple of weeks ago I began pressing flowers and leaves for use on cards.

Pressed leaves and flowers

I began by putting them in a small book while we were away and  then transferred them to a larger one under a heavy pile of books when we arrived home. So they should be ready quite soon.

I can never resist a pretty sunset and took these photos from P:-)'s front stairs.

Sunset from P:-)'s place

Interesting sites

 1.

 Tiny underground home in Oregon, USA.

Photo source

This is Dan Price's tiny underground home in Joseph, Oregon, USA. The interior, slightly more egg shaped than round, is only 8ft (2.4m) wall to wall with a roof only 4ft (1.2m) high at the entrance rising to 5ft (1.5m) at the back of the tiny shelter. The room where Dan hatches his ideas for his publications under the title, The Moonlight Chronicles, is sheltered by 2ft of earth that slopes into the woodland where deer roam as free as his creativity. Click here to read more.

2.

 Beautiful landscapes and rich cultures

Photo credit

Traveling around Thailand and beyond (to China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India),  Weerapong Chaipuck manages to take a peek into the lives of ordinary villagers in fairly remote areas. Rather than hitting up the most touristy spots, he dives deep into each country's rich culture to document their realities. Along the way, he's been able to share images of traditional fishermen who work with birds to catch their prey, local flower vendors that sell their merchandise on worn boats as they drift across lakes, and farmers and foragers who work tirelessly to put food on the table in their modest homes.
Click here to see more stunning photos.

3.

The Old Man of Storr

Photo credit

The Old Man of Storr is a large pinnacle of rock located on the north of the Isle of Skye, in Scotland, in an area known as ‘Trotternish’. The 50m-high rocky outcrop of crumbling basalt is prominent above the road 6 miles north of Portree and can be seen for miles around. It is also the highest point of the Trotternish Ridge. Click here to see more pictures of this beautiful landscape.

RUBY'S BIRTHDAY

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. 

Albert Einstein

It has been a really busy week so I am a bit late getting this post out.

I have been busy sewing a birthday present for P:-)'s 2 year old granddaughter, Ruby.

I made a felt name to hang on her wall.

It took quite a bit of time to make the rabbits.

I ended up having a really late night and early morning in order to get it completed.


I packed it up in cellophane.

 

It was a fun party for the 5 children who attended Ruby's birthday party on Sunday. I don't usually post photos of people but I'm sure Ruby's parents wouldn't mind.

Everyone had a turn at swinging at the pinata with a baseball bat.

I had another sewing lesson at Vera's Sewing Machine Centre at Fairy Meadow and learned to make buttonholes !

Vera's Sewing Machine Centre

I have been using  a sewing machine close on 50 years - since I used to make dolls clothes for my Barbie Doll at the age of 10. I have made all sorts of things but never made a buttonhole. My mother is a wonderful sewer and very good at button holes, so when I needed button holes on something I had made, Mum did them for me.

Now I have a sewing machine that makes all types of button holes I am anxious to start making my own.

The paperbark trees in my front yard are blooming.

 

 Sadly the blossoms are too far up to pick and put in a vase inside.


I had got rid of a lot of my stuff including glassware because I thought I was going to have to sell my house and move in with my mother. (I was unexpectedly made redundant last year. Luckily things have made it possible for me to stay in my house.)

Mum bought me a lovely blue glass bowl. It sits perfectly on my table.

My daughter R painted the frog for me many years ago and she bought me the brown frog on the table.I have kept all the frogs both my daughters have bought me over the years.

My next project is some little felt birds for P:-)'s 5 grandchildren for Easter.

I hope to get 15 of these little birds made for Sunday as well as a carrot cake for Easter lunch with P:-)'s family on Sunday.


Interesting sites
1.

Small World, Big Idea

Photo source

On Christmas Eve, Kevin Johnson received the following gifts: a bed and mattress, a blanket and sheets, a desk and chair, a toilet and sink, towels and washcloths, toothpaste and floss, and a brand-new house. Click here to read more.


2.

 Giving

Photo source

 ..........by adding value to other’s lives, we get satisfaction. But that’s not all we get. Truth be told, we always get more whenever we give.
The key to giving is simple: add value first without any expectation of receiving anything in return. Do this with enough frequency and you’ll get way more than you give. Click here to read more.

3.

 The hand of the Atacama Desert

Photo credit

 In the middle of the Atacama Desert, a giant hand rises from the ground like the remains of an ancient civilization. In reality, it’s a pretty modern sculpture – an art piece called “Mano del Desierto” and created by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal in honor of the victims of injustice and torture during the military regime in Chile. Click here to read more.