Laundry Mondays......Getting Control of your Laundry - part 3

So far we have addressed the sorting issues here in part one, and the washing is getting done on a regular schedule here in part two.  Now we just need to get it all dried and put away.

If you are staying home all day or just arriving home from work its all the same.  Move the load from the washer to the dryer as soon as you have a few minutes. That's all it takes , a few minutes. 
Then turn on your dryer and let it dry. 

Some people use dryer sheets, and some use softener in the washer.  I use my reusable DIY dryer sheets.
I also use dryer balls.  These handy little items are so easy to make and they are a real workhorse in your dryer.  You canput a few drops of your favorite essential oil on your dryer balls if you would like your laundry scented.  I like to do it when drying my towels.

Drying clothes indoors is a big burden on the electric bill.  Using three dryer balls in your load helps with drying time.  I found that my clothes dry in about 2 thirds the time, thus saving me money.  Another perk is that they reduce wrinkles.  You can make your own, or purchase them.  They are just a tightly wound ball of wool that has been felted.  I will cover how to make them in another post.

Once your clothes are dry, if you have the time, just fold them right out of the dryer. This is the best way, eliminating nearly all wrinkles and any need for ironing.

More often than not this is the real scenario...Your clothes are dry, you heard the buzzer signaling the end of load a while ago but you were busy doing something else.  I hardly ever fold my clothes as soon as the buzzer sounds.  I end up doing the same thing every time no matter how good my intentions were.  I wait until all other chores are done for the day and then I go  and toss my dryer full of laundry into a basket.  I bring it to the TV room and fold while I'm watching.

 Once it's all folded I put it back into the basket to deliver to it's final destination.  If you sort items by person when folding then it is easy to just put each person's pile on top of their dresser. Make it their chore to put their own clothes away. Better still just  get them to take their own pile,  to their own room.

 You will want to put away for younger family members not able to do their own, There's nothing worse than rewashing items that weren't used,  so make sure it all gets in those drawers and closets. 


WOW
You Laundry is done, So lets do a recap.
-You've  set up a sorting station, and now your laundry is always sorted and ready for the wash. 
-You spent 5 minutes max to put a load in the washer in the morning. 
- You spent another 5 minutes max to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer.
- You spent about 20 minutes folding your laundry
- Another few minutes to put it away. 
If you can fit a half hour into your cleaning schedule you can stay on top of it, and unless you have a large family, you will find you don't need to do a load every single day.

This routine is just the one I follow and it works for me, you will need to figure out what works for you and your family.  However; If you get into the habit of following  a routine, even the largest family can have clean laundry on a regular basis and it does not become a daunting task that gets out of control.

In the future I'll  share some of the really easy DIY recipes I use to make my own laundry supplies.   As you can see from this picture I'm out of the powdered detergent so I will make a batch soon and share it.   Talk about saving money, and it works great.

I'd love to hear from you.

Please leave a comment and tell me

what you think of todays post.

Sunday's Pictures - A litte bit of NOLa

This weeks pictures are a few of my favorites from a trip to New Orleans, when I went in September of 2008 with all four of my fabulous sisters.  I highly recommend that everyone do a sisters only trip at least once.




The beautiful hand forged grillwork is on the front of so many buildings

 

Pirates alley was beautiful with it's balconies and colourful plastered walls



Amazing street musicians.



Exterior of Boregaurd - Keyes house (museum)



Boreguard - Keyes house magnificent mouldings and trim.



Preservation Hall on Bourbon street.





Happy Sunday, I hope you all

have a wonderful week

A Coffee Table Facelift

 

I took this coffee table as a trade for a side table and mirror that I painted  last winter. 

 

 

 
 



It was nice and large, and it had one of those tops that lifted for occasional dining.    

 

 

 

 

However;  it had been used  by two little girls who loved to do their nails and crafts in front of the tv.  There were nail polish spills,  and water marks,  some marker and even a few scratches.  There was even a little piece of the veneer missing on one side. 

 

This great table needed a facelift.  I started by giving the whole thing a really good clean with some all purpose cleaner, and then a rinse with some water and vinegar.  

 

Then I mixed up a good sized batch of my DIY chalky paint in this great graphite colour.  It was a mis-tint that I picked up on sale so it didn't have an actual name, but graphite works for me.  Its the exact colour of pencil lead.  I kind of painted it backwards though. I really should have done the inside first.

 

I gave it two coats of chalky paint and then two more of a poly top coat.  In spite of the odd approach to the paint job I think it turned out quite nice.    It has since found its forever home with family looking for a table to use with a sectional sofa.  This one was the perfect fit.

 

 

It wasn't until after it was gone that I realized I hadn't taken a final picture.  I really have to start staging things for that final glam shot.  These pictures  really don't do it the justice it deserves.

 

 

 

I'd love to hear from you.

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Pantry from Sears Bookshelves. Part 1

I don't have a pantry but I really need one because my kitchen has very limited cupboard space. I currently keep items in the cabinet in the laundry room, and in a tiny kitchen cupboard.

I don't have the funds to build a pantry cupboard from scratch so I need to make this with what I have available. 

What I have is a pair of  well worn Sears  bookshelves that have been used to store stuff in a garage and then in a junk room. spare bedroom for years. They are worn and have holes where they have been screwed together and the back needs to be put back on one.  OH... and they are very very ugly.

I also have a louvered bi-fold door.  Now things don't usually work out like this but it just happens that this bi-fold door is exactly the same width as the shelves.  So far so good.

The shelves have this kick plate at the bottom, so if I turn one shelf over and stack them with the two tops together, this kick plate will be at the top and the bottom. 

 The two shelves stacked  aren't quite the same height as the shutters so it might take a bit of fiddling.
hmmm ... I'll need some hinges, some door knobs, and some trim... oh and paint.

I'm not sure it's  going to work yet so you'll just have to check back next week to see whether or not this is going to be a winner or a colossal fail.  Wish me luck.

I'd love to hear from you.

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Coffee Creamer to Storage

 

 I am a coffee lover.  It is an absolute must in the morning. I drink mine with the original Coffee Mate creamer and I usually  put  those neat containers with the red lids into the recycle bin. 
Here's what I did with a few I saved.

All I did was remove the original plastic  label  and add a neat little labels with some white glue.  They stuck really well and I added some over the front of the label  so they would be easy to wipe clean. Here they are sitting on the back of my stove. 

They are the perfect size to keep some of the items I use a lot, close at hand, for when I need them.



Update: These containers are the perfect size for pantry storage for a lot of baking items as well. The handy  pour spout makes them great for  baking soda and powder, yeast, sprinkles and cake decorations.  If you can think of other things please leave your ideas in the comments. 

I'd love to hear from you.

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Shabby Shutter Shelf

Does anyone have any of their grandmother's china tea cups.  I used to have  tons, a couple of small boxes of them and I have faithfully moved them about six times.  The problem was they never actually got unpacked. I've sold all but these four, and decided when the last lot went that I would keep just these ones because they were all different and very pretty.

 
 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I needed somewhere to display them and remembered seeing  something for sale a long while back using a shutter for a display shelf.   I headed to my junk room stash and found these two pieces.  I didn't need the board but I did need the brackets.  Like most of us I can't afford to buy anything this soon after Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I removed the brackets I chipped a little of the paint off but didn't care because I was going for a shabby look with this anyway.

 

I gave the shutter a paint job using some DIY chalky paint using just a light coat and added the brackets.  I sanded a little on some of the edges, but not a lot because the slats looked aged already.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This project was so easy , and it cost me absolutely nothing, nada, my favorite price. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this little bit of farmhouse shabby in my kitchen.  Such a beautiful tribute to my Grandmother

I'd love to hear from you.

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Laundry Mondays......Getting Control of your Laundry - part 2 - Washing

Do you have a sorting station for keeping your dirty laundry under control.  If you don't  read this post and find out why it's a really good idea.

Once all the sorting is being done on a regular basis everything else is going to be really easy . I promise, and if your a working mom, like most moms, then this schedule will make things a lot easier for you. 

Washing:
























Before you are about to leave the house each morning, take the basket from the sorting station that has the most laundry in it and toss it into the washer.  Remember it's already sorted so just throw it in there. Add your laundry soap and turn on the machine.  Or get the last person to leave the house turn on the machine.  You really don't want the machine sucking up the water when someone is in the shower.

Now carry on with your day.  Take the kids to daycare or school, go to work, or whatever your regular routine is.  The clothes will wash without you watching the machine.  Doing the wash should take at most five minutes of your day.  Yep.. five minutes to take a basket of clothes , dump them into the washer, add detergent and turn on the machine. That's it.

The most you need to worry about is whether or not you are going to use cold or hot water. What type of detergent you are going to use, and do you need to  use any extras.  When you get the basics right your machine will do all the hard work.

I highly recommend you put washing directions for each basket on a label. Whether you keep the label on each basket or on the lid of the machine is up to you, but if the directions are right there anyone can do this part. For example, I have a sheet taped right onto the top of my washing machine. It has these directions:  Whites and pastels - wash in warm water
Darks - wash in cold water  and  Towels and Underwear - wash in hot water

TIP: Getting to know labels is a good way to keep your clothing looking great.  Teach your older children as well to help avoid laundry disasters. Manufacturers put those labels on for a reason, so if you want to avoid hand washing you should just avoid buying very delicate items.


























There are many different labels but most of them use the same symbols. This picture is just an example, but it might be a good idea to print out one from your computer that is easy to read. This will make it easier to teach your kids how to do their own laundry, a life skill that they should all have.

If you have put just one load into the washer, when you get home you  are going to have one load of  nice clean laundry and you have completed the next step in your laundry task. And so far it's taken you five minutes. I told you this was going to be easy.

Just like sorting your clothes keeps them looking new longer , so does keeping your washing machine clean.  I'd  like to share this post from  "A spark of creativity"  and recommend it as an excellent way to clean and maintain your washing machine. Treat your appliances well and they will last you a long long time.  Remember , they work hard too.

See part one of this series here.   and part three of this series here.

I'd love to hear from you.

Please leave a comment and tell me

what you think of todays post.

Sunday's Pictures - Spring Walk

These pictures are from a nature walk with my daycare kids in the spring of 2013.

I think all the snow and cold is making me dream of spring.

Sometimes I can't believe how much I anticipate the first little blooms every spring.

Happy Sunday, I hope you all

have a wonderful week

Chalk Boards for Staying Organized

Sometimes when you are thrift store shopping you will see items that are just so cheap that you know you need to add them to your junk stash.  This was what I made with just such an item.

 
 



I was cruising for yard sales while on my way to my regular Saturday trip to the thrift store.  That's what I do on most Saturdays.  There was only one little sale and it didn't have much in the way of furniture pieces. I don't usually stop at those ones but I did this time and bought  a little stack of four trays. They were a pressed paper that kind of felt like wood and they were really tacky.  I bought them anyway....hey they were a dollar, what can I say.  I should have taken a better picture but they are on the table under the round bar trays.  On my way back from the thrift store there was another yard sale, right on my street.  That's where I bought the little desk and chair from this post.

I feel horrible admitting this, but on the day I found these I missed a baby shower that I had planned on attending. I had the gift wrapped and ready, and I just plain forgot.  I felt horrible.  I really needed something to keep track of appointments and invitations.  I grabbed the four trays and using my DIY chalky paint... I used the blue because it was already mixed and left over from a little desk set...  and painted the trays blue.  It only takes about 20 minutes for this paint to dry so I taped off the center of each tray and gave them a couple coats of black chalky paint.

Because these little trays where so light I hung them using a single command strip.


Above the little desk I had already done they make a perfect little command center.  I really shouldn't miss another baby shower, or any other event for that matter.  It's been a while since I completed this corner, but so far it's working for me. 

What a diffenence ten days makes.

We had a ton of snow here in November but then it all melted because we were having some unusually warm weather for this time of year. 

My husband went out and took a picture of the yard on the 28 of December because he couldn't believe we had no snow and it was after Christmas.

Taken Dec 28, 2014

You can see there is a tiny bit that didn't melt but we have had very  mild days.  I've been seeing on the news that our neighbours to the south of the border have been getting terrible weather, tons of snow and very cold temps.  And the provinces to our west have been seeing some colder that usually days as well. 

Taken on Jan 8, 2015

I knew we should enjoy it while we could.  It's only ten days later here and we have gone through two of the coldest nights I can remember in many years.  It was -25 C  (-18F) two nights ago and last night it reached a nice balmy -28 C  (-13F). And that's just what I saw when I got up through the night. The wind is howling around the corners of the house and mother nature is having a temper tantrum. I'd say 10 days makes quite a difference.  Welcome winter.. I think you are here to stay this time.

Please take extra care wherever you are and with whatever you are doing during this unpredictable season. Stay safe and warm.

Controlling my Book Habit.

This is the time of year when everyone is either trying to lose weight, trying to stop smoking or trying to get their homes organized.  It's those nasty New Years resolutions nagging at us.  Well,  I'm in the third group.
I have been working away in the kitchen, purging and organizing, trying to get things under control.  One of the things I need to control in my home is my books  This is how I've done some of it.

I'm a book lover. I like to read. I have some favorites I will even read over again and again. This goes for both novels and magazines.  I probably should have taken a picture of my magazines around November because they were starting to take control. There were piles in every room.  I needed to get rid of some,  so I went through them and took a bunch to our doctors and dentists offices.  Most of them were gardening and decorating mags of course, and I'm sure other people will enjoy them too. 

This is just one shelf and most of these are my husbands. Wonder if I can get him to give some away... probably not.
With my novels I did something different. I had full sets of quite a few series, plus a ton of individual paperbacks.  A while back, before there was snow on the ground, I purged a lot of them at a yard sale.  I then used the money to purchase my absolute favorites for my e-reader.  Now I can take my reading wherever I go.  I did however keep a lot of my hardcovers and anything I had signed by the author. 
I even kept a few of my favorite magazines and some hardcover gardening books.

I picked up these old crates and windows at a yard sale and  although I knew I loved the crate on top,  I wasn't sure what I'd use it for. I needed to keep it much the same as it was, I loved the HP sauce stamp on the side. (Did you know HP was the world's appetiser?)  And although you can't see it well in this picture, someone had written on the side of the crate with a grease pencil  "to Haliburton", and that's my town, so hey, I have to keep this one.

About the same time as the magazine purge I realized that the few  I wanted to keep would fit in this crate.  So in they went, and sat it in the corner of my living room.  Then I couldn't move it. Wooden crates filled with books are very heavy.  Well my junk stash had five casters that had come from another project so I added four of them to the bottom of the crate.  This solved the problem of moving the crate, now I can vacuum in that corner.


























What I love about this solution is that the crate is exactly the same as it  always was and I know  it's original use.   Someone delivered goods to a store in my little town way back when, and people, who might be my ancestors, ate that product at the family dinner table.  That dinner was probably cooked on an old range or even a wood cook stove, and a whole family would enjoy it together.   One glance at my little book crate and I can envision the past, and that's even better than books.

I'd love to hear from you.

Please leave a comment and tell me

what you think of todays post.