It's Simple, Really.

I have been inspired by  this post - 5 Ways You Can Simplify Your Life at Home, over at Apartment Therapy, and wanted to share it.

The article lists 5 main ways to make life easier and more enjoyable. I am sure that we all do these things in some way all the time, but it always good to have a reminder. When we moved to the small house, I was mindful of getting rid of needless stuff and finding homes for all the things we do need, but it is so easy to lose focus and let things get out of control. I have  been thinking about simple ways that I am putting this theory into practice, knowing that a little time spent wisely every day leads to a happier and more organised home. 

1. Have less stuff
I well know that "having less visual and mental clutter" is a really good thing. I have been "actively de-cluttering" old magazines and recipe books, cutting out recipes I want to keep, including ones I have cooked (and liked) and ones I intend to try. Then I have been cutting up the left-overs to take to kindergarten for a project we are undertaking (Everyday vs. sometimes foods) I have been writing links to recipes in books and magazines in a daily food journal, so I can locate them easily. So far I have cleared half a  shelf in the bookcase, and am feeling inspired in the kitchen.

2. Have a daily routine (that includes mindful tasks) 
I am being mindful in my household tasks, enjoying the time spent (well certainly trying to) and having everything I need easily accessible, including a pretty basket of cleaning cloths in the laundry. I also reward work done with things I enjoy such as roses on the table, and fresh pillowcases on the bed.

3. Have a home command center
I am utilising a big wooden chest of drawers-type-thing in my hall way to house paperwork "so I don't lose my sanity by never knowing where anything important is" This is a bit of a work in progress, as papers and the tasks associated with them seem never-ending. I may have to rifle a bit, but at least I know what I am searching for is in there! This amazing piece of furniture is also home to shoes in the bottom two cupboards. It  keeps them off the floor, quick to grab on the way out the door and out of eyesight, which is also important to my sanity.

4. Do things right when they need to get done 
I am happy to go to bed each night knowing that the kitchen is clean, and even happier in the morning. I am learning to do the same with my wardrobe  trying the new mantra  of "don't leave yourself with spots you have to tidy up later" I am good for a few days, and then I am not.

5. Ask for help and delegate
Mr M is home more these days and he is most excellent at cleaning the kitchen, making the lunches and doing the school bus run. And he always brings me  coffee in bed. The girls are responsible for their bathroom and own bedrooms (including changing their own linen)  and help out with the washing and the dishwasher. Nothing is perfect, but it works for the most part.

 What do you do to create a simplified and more enjoyable life at home?

The Happy Collection

Things that are making me happy

1 Winning the entire set of Motex Tapes from Lark's Pinterest Competition. They have come in very handy in my present situation!

2-5 Mail from a beautiful part of the World, as part of the 4 Happy Things Swap

6-7 Pretty things for my new kitchen (it appears that the tiles are here to stay at least for the time being, so these will hopefully detract attention from them)

8 Saying goodbye to these  handles in my old kitchen - they have this amazing knack of always catching my pockets as I go past. The new handles will be simple and catch-free.

9-10 Lots of packed boxes and empty cupboards

11 A new home for this little fellow.
The Beetle Shack     Stills Collection

A School Holiday Collection

 

 

  

 This collection is all about the old and the new, making plans and getting ready to move. One week of the holidays are over, and the next week is going to fly, and there is a lot to be done. Hello  -  floating floors and appliance stores.

And of course there could be no collection without any crochet. I would surely go mad otherwise.

1. Football on Easter Monday
2. Dinner in Chapel St
3. Hooray it's all official - we are actually moving
4. Spending time at The small house to make decisions about what we want to do before we move in in under 5 weeks ( those tiles are going)
5. Making BIG decisions about the kitchen (it does actually look better in the pictures than in real life)Thinking about new appliances, bench tops and handles??? and tiles I hope
6. All tuckered out and with no where to sit(that carpet is definitely going!)Hasn't been too much of a holiday for her.
7. Our formal lounge is gone. There is to be no 'good room' at the small house (not as sad as I thought I would be)
8. Revisiting an unfinished cushion cover, and falling in love with it again
9. Making serious progress on the colourful baby blanket. Hadn't planned a ruffley edge however.

Thankyou Emily @ The Beetleshack for the opportunity to share

Put Your Best Foot Forward

 

It has been a roller coaster ride here over the last week or so, with finally some movement on the house selling front. After weeks of a steady stream of lookers, but no real buyers, we finally had a buyer come through showing some real interest. Mind you, our agent had advised us to lower the price range  to hopefully 'open up our options'. Anyway, this buyer made a low offer, which the agent immediately rejected. He advised him that in order to have a chance, he needed to "put his best foot forward" So, the buyer came up with a better offer, that was actually 20,000 higher than his first.

Now we had some serious thinking to do. The amount in question was still significantly lower than what we were hoping for, but it was the first genuine interest we had so far. We reminded ourselves that selling and moving on were our motivation. There are of course no guarantees that waiting would improve the result, but I can be certain that waiting would have increased our stress levels!

 

 

So now, we just have to wait for it all to go unconditional (fingers crossed) and then we are stepping off into the next part of our journey.

 

Thank goodness for crochet, even if it is fiddly and even if I have made a mistake or three, it really keeps me sane,

I will have to make the most of this creative space....because I won't have it for too much longer. But, I have a new and different one waiting for me!

 

 

 

Head over here for more creative spaces

 

And don't forget to enter my Collected & Co Giveaway

Clean Slate?

 

 

The beautiful flowers are all finished

Everyone knows that having a house for sale means that you must do your best to present your home in it's best light. It needs to appear bright, open and spacious. It needs to have no clutter and minimal / no personal bits and pieces. The potential buyer needs to see it as a blank canvas, and be able to picture their things in the space.

 

I do think however, that it is nice to have a few interesting things here and there, to stop it looking too sterile and not lived in.

 

Maybe this is the wrong approach, or maybe I have missed something as there have still been no offers. Lots of interest and positive comments (trains aside!) and the Open For Inspections have been well attended.

 

Any suggestions or tips that have worked for you would be much appreciated x

 

 

 

Not Stopping

    

This is the view from my front door, on one of those hot, overcast days.
What can you spy? A lovely, expansive park? Trees? Space?

All that anyone can see, and hear for that matter is trains. Apparently the proximity to the train line is making our home hard to sell.
We actually like the sound of the passing trains. We are between two stations, so the trains pass by in a flash. Except for the freight trains, that come twice a day and are a bit noiser and much longer, that is.

“Time goes faster the more hollow it is. Lives with no meaning go straight past you, like trains that don’t stop at your station.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón The Shadow of the Wind

We are searching for meaning. To live a simpler life. A life with less stuff and less expense and less debt, it is just proving a little more difficult, for now.

 

Do you, or would you live anywhere near a train line?

 

Open Wide

 

Welcome, Please come inside.

 

Take a moment to enjoy the beautiful flowers. It has been a delight to watch the buds open and reveal their inner beauty. Thankyou to our wonderful Agent for his attention to detail.

 

 

Post script: These open for inspections are killing me!

At My House

Crochet meets nature

 An old basket from the op-shop

 

Perfect for on-the-go crafting.

New baskets from the $2 shop

Now everyone can take responsibility for folding and putting away their own washing. The trick is to put them in their rooms and shut the door, and try not to look!

New pots and pans make cooking so much more enjoyable! (and easier to clean up too)

                                                      

Spring is in full swing in my garden

 

My Beautiful Girlies

 

 

 

And a couple of sweet new additions to my collection.

 

All of these things have made me smile this week.

What has been making you smile?