Organising and cleaning up!

I've been spending a bit of time decluttering and making changes round the house.
These are some images of the play room BEFORE I cleaned it up.
I was really sick of the cane shelf, the old dining table, the couch- all are older second hand items (I dont think any furniture in out entire house is new?) the toys were all mixed up, the kids had stopped playing in here (can you blame them!)

THE RESULT!!!! We got rid of the old couch and replaced it with another one (bought for $50 at the op shop, its a sofa bed too and the mattress looks brand new/never used) no one else likes the couch, i think they have no taste cause I LOVE it :)
The corner desk is actually the top of the tv cabinet (see below) I bought it from the op shop aghain ($70 for thetop and bottom) and it fits perfectly here in the corner and the actually use it as a desk now!


the 'boys' corner. Liam is in heaven he has access to his train set and all his cars again... poor jaime is constantly being bugged to play cars with him now. thankfully she is a compliant big sister at times!

This bookshelf i bought for $15 at the op shop. its great as means everything that was on the floor is now up and looks soooo much neater and is more organised!


this is my new work office! I was working out of a shared room witht he hubby but found it causes us to bicker as we are next to each other ALL the time. Plus I like that this room is now MY space. My desk is a trestle table we used to store office stuff on/boxes etc. pity i dont have a before of this room as it was the junk room and you couldn't even walk in the door!
(the basket on the desk is from an op shop too, all the plastics (in/out trays, pencil holder etc are all made form recycled plastic.)

OK our lounge is NOT normally this shocking. Poor hubby he'll hate me for posting a pick of him downing a long neck (its home brew) watching a sports show... typical aussie bloke (LOL) - immune to the mess around him too!


and the result of a spring clean!!
We got rid of the stereo that was there and put it in the garage (and the kids love it out there now and blast the music, my poor neighbours!)
we got the new (second hand form op shop) tv cabinet. its great as the amp, dvd player and foxtel all fit packed away now. there are shelves for the dvds on the side of the case.
we moved the fitness/trainer to the toy room (probably should freecycle it cause we never use it, we prefer to excercise in the great outdoors!) put a throw/red blanket over the couch as its leather (no idea if its real leather or not another hand me down) but its been peeling off(ok the kids keep picking at it) so this looks better.
see the rocker my son is on in the edge of the frame? an old op shop buy thats bneen great, the kids love it.

next up i want to get rid of those awful vertical blinds. no idea what to replace them with though but they do need to go!

Op shopping

I've been re-enjoying op shopping of late. I think my life works in cycles and sometimes it gets too buys and I forget to do the things i enjoy and that make me a happier person. Life's been getting back on track lately and I feel renewed in my blogging and tracking of it all.

So the last few weeks I have made a few trips to different op shops.
I did some work for Eastern access community health (EACH) in doing photos for their website and brochures etc. I had to go photograph the EACH op shop (situated on Bedford rd Ringwood east) whilst there I so wanted to look around and explore the expanse of goodies, so after I finished for the day I headed straight to the op shop and spent an hour and a half sifting through and looking at all the stuff!

I came away and sent $50.60 and was incredibly pleased with my purchases and incredible bargains!

They are all pictured above. The coat is an italian wool coat in brand new condition ($15) the poncho is my absolute fav, its pretty old but in great condition and its super cuddly and warm! ($6) There are a pair of colorado mary jane shoes ($8) a cool stripey knitted scarf in brown tones($2), a cool shirt for the hubby in cream with a brown pattern ($4) a multitude of kids books (50cents-$1) a couple of board games, all complete and only $1 each! a rain hooded jacket for the 4yr old, a long sleeve top for him also, some tins for my 9yr old to store goodies in on her shelves in her bedroom, a glass jar with cool lid(now a new coffee jar) a black poncho for the midle 6yr old. a great savings :) and some unique items found!

echo echo echo.......

Yes yes I'm here :)

Thanks for the messages asking after me :)

The biggest reason for my absence in posting is that this time of year is the busiest for me business wise. I am behind business wise also which isn't at all good. Everyone wants photos in time for xmas, every year I say I will organise it better and havent managed yet again. I will rectify it though and I will get on top. Plus I am shutting up shop for 6-8 weeks over december/Jan to be ready to start afresh all organised in the new year.

Now lets see, other than work.

Queensland:
It was really great! I worked but most of my jobs finished by 10am so I had the days to explore. I drove all along the coast (from Brisbane down the gold coast) and also drove inland and through the part of the hinterlands and Mt Tambourine. I loved tamborine it was gogeous!
I sipped wine with new friends often and ate fabulous often too and I made the most of my child free time but just enjoying the peace.
Poor Husband at home ended up haivng to deal with 2 sick kids with gastro! Oh well, he definitely had a new appreciation for me once I got home!

The Garden:
Out the back is growing great! My Tomatoes are thriving, I also have them self sprouting everywhere form lasts years crops so have transplanted some and given some away.
One chilli plant died but the other 2 are going really well. zuchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, beans, lettuces are all going great. some of the capsicums are thriving too.
Out the front is a different story.
I think the soil sucks! I used mostly a heap of dirt we got from someone who mulched a tree. The father in law brought it home and I didnt really want it at the time but hoped it would be OK. I added manure and compost and blood and bone to it but nothing wants to grow in it.
Everythign is turning yellow and dying and just stunted in growth. I am now adding lots of the animal litter to itin the hope it improves in time. i am going to transplant heaps of the self seeded tomatoes to it and just see what happens. I focused more out the back this year anyway.
Oh my potatoes out the back are booming too as is my passionfruit. I have recently planted a heap of seed too - radishes, silverbeet, spring onion, parsnip, carots and some lettuce out the back beds too and they have all sprouted now.
My lemon tree seems to have coped so far wiht the heavy prune I gave it and is starting to show alot of new growth. I pile most of the animal hay and litter under it all the time too so maybe thats helped.
I reconnected the hose fomr the washing machine this week too as the grass is already starting to really brown and die, earlier this year!

The house:
is CHAOS!!!!!!
Because I am snowed under wiht work the house has been sorely nelgected!!!! I just aim for the bare basics each day and am happy if that gets done. I think I might to get osme paid help in to get back on top :(

The Kids:
are all great!

The animals:
are all growing! Stella the rabbit is gorgeous. she free roams out the back now as well as the house. she eats form the vegie garden but doesnt demolish it, probably because there is plenty there. The guinea pigs are all gettign bigger and healthier.
The dog is the same old same old. actually we realised she is getting old! she is about 13 or so now!

The worm farm:
takes care of itself mostly :) I just add every few days and they are multiplying well now!

Op shopping:
I still go most weeks, if not more than once a week. Its my release! I've picked up loads of great books and stuff for the kids. When i have more tiem I'll start reposting my bargains!

Oh I am still knitting, still basically, nothign fancy but i am building a collection of dish cloths now and I find it really relaxing!

NEWS!
After much discussion we are seriously considering selling in a year or so and moving into the Dandenongs! very exciting!

I am sure there is heaps I have forgotten but will try to get back to more photos and updates :)

Just so you have at least one photo here is my Bunny Stella, taken this morning in one of the vegie gardens.
isnt she pretty :)

Bargains

I've been out op shopping a few times over the last few weeks and haven't shown much of what I have bought in here!

Yesterday I went again (well I was in Oakleigh anyway so figured why not) I picked up this wonderful blue bag. It is in a gorgeous material and is a little bit padded. it is now my knitting bag!
See my attempt at knitting. this isn't anything. I bought two balls of wool form a local op shop for 20 cents each for me to practise on so am just knitting them out and will give to the girls for their dolls for blankets. I am also keeping my eye out for knitting needles now at op shops.

I just ordered some cotton to knit some dishcloths with from natty yarns
in 3 different lots of colours. these are some outfits I bought last week at the op shop. a gorgeous pink and cream paisley country road skirt for my middle daughter, and a gorgeous dress each for the girls.
I have also been collecting books. To list them all ouldbe crazy as i have bought os many. These 2 were yesterdays finds.


Today I also planted silverbeet seed in the front garden bed, along with some cucumber seed and radish seeds.

The carrots have now sprouted out the fornt also, so its all comign along nicely. I toasted one lot of seedlings in the hot house as I forgot to water them over 2 very warm days! I'm leaving them in there but will do another few trays of the same tpyes of seeds this week.

Oh and also its one month today since I quit smoking! yay for me :)

busy busy.

I haven't posted an update all weekend!
I'll try to keep it brief.
Saturday:
was spent doing a lot of cleaning round the house, a bit of catching up. No work in the garden, just lots of sorting and tidying inside. Joey also took the kids to see the Simpsons movie and I got a few hours peace!
Sunday:
More cleaning was done (some days it feels like it is never ending!) then it was out into the garden!
The kids helped build one of the top vegie beds and turn the dirt.
I then emptied the compost and moved it and gave it a good turning as I refilled it. i also was able to get quite a few buckets of it to use on the garden beds. I then trimmed the lemon tree, it has some strange growth happening, bulbous bits? might have to look it up and see if its something bad or not!
Here are the girls hard at work.


Jaime loves helping in the garden and seeing what friends she can find.


My little man and his cheesy grin, gone are the days of natural images of him, you have to fast or you get the cheese!Monday:
Went op shopping with my sister. Got loads of great buys. Havent taken pictures but got loads of books, some parenting ones, some cooking, some gardening. Got some great outfits for the girls, skirts and dresses. I got myself a new handbag (will take a photo during the week and post it) I also went shopping for an outfit for jaime for book week parade.
I picked up some seed potato too for planting, 1 kilo of it. Now need to get that bed ready down the side of the house.

Today: The girls had a bookweek dress up day at school today. They had to choose a character form a book and dress like them.
My eldest Tiahna, dressed as a netballer as she is reading the 'netball diary' and jaime dressed as 'Holly Hobbie'
Jaime's book is actually my book form when i was a child, It was one of my favs. I still adore the illustrations in it.
with her teacher who was dressed as 'puss in boots'


I so want to learn how to sew. We had to buy a hat for Jaime as I can't sew so couldn't make her abonnet. The apron and dress we scored dirt cheap at the op shop though.

Recipe Book

Today I helped a good friend wiht a bit of packing as she is moving into their first home!

In the mormning I got up and decided to clean up a bit before going and then figured I'd cook too.

Yestrday I missed the osso bucco due to Joey being out for the night so we did take away.
So today i cooked it.

I photographed as i went along as i am thinkig I will make a recipe book for the kids with all my fav recipes for them.

This is Osso Bucco.

Brown Osso Bucco in a pan and lay in baking dish.




dice up
-1 carrot
-1 onion
-2 cloves garlic
-2 sticks celery
- 1/4 red capsicum

In a pan, cook diced vegies until slightly softened.
-add around 1 cup of wine (choose a wine you like whether its red or white, amke sure you at least likethe tatse!)
-1 chicken stock cube (or 1 cup of chicken stock)
-1 large tin chopped tomaotes (or fresh tomatoes if you have them)

Cook for around 10 minutes on a medium to high heat.


Pour mixture over Osso Bucco and cover with foil and bake. Preferably ina slow oven for many hours, if not ina medium to high oven for 1 hour (ours today had 4-5 hours in a slow oven)

serve with mashed potatoes and steamed greens (we had silverbeet from the garden, about the only thing currently growing !)
FREECYCLE is cool :)
Check out these gorgeous cannisters I picked up today! They are like new and are really lovely! I also picked up 2 dripper hoses yesterday form freecycle for my vegie garden.
I also went op shopping today and yesterday! I picked up this great little enamelware/cast iron pot. Its made in poland (or so it is stamped) I initially bought it to use a pot for a plant outside (have been collecting enamelware pots for this in different colours) but now I am not sure if i want to keep it in the kitchen instead!


I picked Liam up some dinaosaur activity books which he will love as he is dino mad!I also bought myself a heap of different books over my travels.
I LOVE hunting out books in op shops. i am drawn to cookbooks, gardening books, sometimes novels, books that I had in childhood etc. I love reading, love researching, love learning and books fulfill all of those things!

Some of the titles i bought:
The Australian heritage Cookbook
Australian counrty style -country rooms
The complete gardener
Natures super foods
and many more!

addicted

I think I am becoming addicted to OP SHOPPING!

I have picked up some good bargains over the last week!

I got my daughter some great jeans for $2, a gorgeous poncho for my middle daughter for $2, a stack of books all for under $1 each. I got a great jacket for me for $4, and some cute pink metal pots for planters outside the kids cubby house.

Then today I got a few dinasaur books for my 3yr old son, a book to resell, and this great kids kitchen buffet/dresser thingy for just $10! Have popped it in their cubby! I also got a wine rack to sit on our bar. I'd been trying ot find one second hand for a while and this one suits where it sits and was just $3!


and to compensate I have finally paid my ebay account and have started listing the stuff we no longer need here:) Have some bags ready to go back to the op shops too so all is good!

Had a nice day in the dandenongs yesterday wiht the kids too, visted William Ricketts sanctuary and found some nice places to stop to eat, the Mt Dandenong bakery first off, then a cafe overlooking a great lookout in Kalorama. The cafe was sweet, we sat outside and had coffee and hot chocolate and cake and the even had rugs to put over your lap to keep you warm!

op shopping

Well I had alovely lovely afternoon yesterday, went tinkering waround op shops in the arfternoon all on my lonesome! It was great.

I picked up some nice buys. Some clothes for Jaime, a black jacket, a beanie and a skirt. I'll take a pic later and show you all.
I also got a shirt for Liam, so saddle club books for Tiahna, a book on organics for me and a novel for me too. I also got some cool old fashioned photography booked from the 60's.


my best buy though were these ultra cool pots. I knew I wanted them as soon as I saw them. I am going to drill holes in the bottom of them and use them as plant pots int he backyard, just have to decide what to grow in them now!




I am doing heaps of research at the moment on building a chook house form recycled materials, thats my next project!