Day one of the 20 day challenge to organise my house

Wow, day one was hard but it felt so good to sit down to write this blog & know that my kitchen is spotless. I have completed day one of the The Organised Housewife 20 day challenge. Today was all about the kitchen.










My kitchen is the hub of the house. It is where we all spend time. The kitchen used to be only half of the size of what it is now. The half that is in the pic above used to be the dining area. During the warmer months of the year, we eat out on the back patio so the dining area was not being used very often. I decided to extend the kitchen & put in a large breakfast bench. The problem of late has been that the breakfast bench had been used as a desk & a dumping ground. The laptop is no longer allowed on the bench. The piles of paperwork have gone. At the other end of the kitchen, all of the extra little gadgets have been put away or stored in the shed for eBay or a garage sale. After dinner we all cleaned up & it is looking spotless again. The girls said it was nice not having me yell at them to clean up.

STOP!!!

I think we just had a breakthrough…..if the kids do their jobs, Mum doesn’t yell?????
Well, I never thought I would see the day!


Under the sink is all organised & I no longer suffer from underthesinkitis.






I am serious when I say that I suffered from underthesinkitis. I was petrified of under the sink. It was such a phobia that I even had to get Mr P to pull every thing out for me.







I am looking forward to day 2 which is all about the bedroom. Perfect timing with the fact that I need to pack away all of the winter clothes that have slowly piled up on the floor. I am keeping it real & sharing the pics on instagram so if you want to, you can follow along.

Are you joining in the challenge?

Wholemeal blueberry muffins

After needing to satisfy my sweet tooth but trying to stay on track with my healthy eating, I have been adjusting a few of my favourite recipes to become a little healthier. This one I have to say, has been made even tastier by just switch a few ingredients. By substituting olive oil for butter, raw sugar for caster sugar & wholemeal self raising flour for white self raising flour, it is so much better for you. Now, I am not a dietitian but it is also not rocket science. This is a quick & easy recipe that is great for kids school lunches & Mum’s morning teas.



Ingredients;
2 & 1/4 cup of wholemeal self raising flour
3/4 cup of raw sugar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of low fat milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
125g of frozen blueberries

method;
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan forced)
Put all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl & whisk with a whisk until all lumps have gone & it is well combined.
Mix together the wet ingredients & pour into the dry ingredients. Add the frozen blueberries & mix with a spatula until just combined.
Spoon mix into a muffin tray lined with muffin papers. Fill the papers to 3/4 full.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes  or until a skewer comes out clean.
Place muffin tray on a cooling rack for 5 minutes then turn out the muffins to cool.
Store in an airtight container for a couple of days in the fridge or freeze individually (wrapped tightly in glad wrap & in a container) for a couple of months

Blueberry muffins are my fave muffins. What is your fave muffin flavour?

My week according to instagram

A week of Instagram pics














Joining up with tinagray.me for my week according to instagram

DIY DSLR camera bag from an everyday handbag tutorial

Ever since I brought my Canon DSLR, I have been on the hunt for the perfect camera bag. One that is not only functional but cute too. I didn’t want it to cost the earth. Then I spotted this fabulous tutorial at Nap time Crafters & I just had to make one for myself.












I picked this handbag up on special at Target. Reduced from $50 down to $13 & it was the perfect size. It is strong & very sturdy but also totally cute.







It really is as simple to make your own camera bag.







All of the pieces are removable so that I can use them in what ever handbag I want to use that day. How awesome is that!
Now I can have a camera bag that matches every outfit.

How we make it work

I know that there is a lot of new subscribers/followers of this blog so I will fill you in on a little background info about me. I am the wife of an interstate/line haul truck driver. This basically means that my husband lives in his truck for days/weeks at a time.




At times, this has been difficult. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will remember this post It's my life, it's my blog. It was the most emotional blog that I have ever written. Some thing happened after I posted it. Maybe it was the email that I sent my husbands work, maybe it was the fact that my husband saw how lonely I was, maybe it was me…..I don’t know but something changed for the better.
My husband is still away a LOT, but I have come to deal with it. Call it an inner peace, call it being content or maybe even just playing the cards that I had been dealt. What ever it is, I feel a lot more settled. Maybe it is even just the little things like this….


{I think he is a keeper!}


This was our little “date” that we had. I know that it might sound silly but just having a cuppa at the same time, it makes it feel as though we are close even when we are so far apart! One of the best things about Facebook is that some days, it is the only contact that I might have with Mr P. Even if he has no phone service for days, he can still access Facebook so he can leave a little message for me letting me know that he has pulled up safely for the night. That is also a hint that he is sleeping & to not ring him unless it is an emergency.

Now that we have one daughter in High School & the other one is getting ready to go into her final year of Primary School next year, they are so busy that I am also so busy. The days go quicker while Mr P is away. It also means that they are at an age where they understand that when he is at home, time as a family is very precious & we make the most of every moment. Even if we only get him home for a quick break or a 24 hour break, it is time that he gets to be with us.



One thing that is a positive with his job is that we take nothing for granted. Time is so precious. We no longer fight with each other of the little things. I have learnt that while he is away, I am a single Mum. I am the boss of the house. I take the garbage out, I do the gardening, I mow the lawns (although the girls have started to help with that), I clean the outside of the house…….I do all of the jobs. Occasionally there are jobs that I can not do so I will either pay someone to do it or I will know that Mr P will get around to it when he can.

I never say, “Poor me” to myself anymore. I know now that I am so lucky. Lucky to have such a hard working husband who does what he does for the family. We live a lifestyle that is comfortable & that is only because of the job he does. Some of you know that the reason Mr P became a truck driver was because of a mid life crisis. He had worked in the corporate world for many years in a cushy job, with a cushy desk, with a cushy chair, with a nice pay packet. He wore a tie every day.  I was not happy with his change of career but I also knew that he had to do what he was passionate about. For the first 6 years or so, it sucked. I cried, the girls cried, we all fought. Now, it is all so much smoother & I hope that is how it stays.

Does distance play a part in your marriage/relationship?
If it does, what do you do to make it work?

Sewing package swap

I have been asked quite a few times of late, when the next “swap” will be. Well, it will be happening soon! The swap will be a “Sewing package swap”. You will be given a swap partner & you can let your partner know what your sewing tastes are. The rule is that your package must include the following;


*at least 1m of fabric. You can send more if you wish. Doesn’t have to be a continuous piece but pieces to be no smaller than a fat quarter.

*at least 2m of lace or trim. You can send more if you wish. It doesn’t have to be one continuous piece but pieces should be no less than 1m in length

*minimum of 4 buttons. You can send more if you wish.

*a spool of thread. Depending on your partners likes, it could be embroidery, sewing or even wool.

* a little something extra such as an embroidery hoop, paper pattern, PDF pattern, travel sewing kit, pincushion or something like that. It would be great if this could be something that your partner would love to use.

*all parcels MUST be sent registered post. Please keep proof of postage & take a photo of the parcel before you post it.

It does not need to cost the earth. You may even have some of the things in your own stash. All contents of the package must be unused, clean & in excellent condition.  Just make sure to take your partners taste into consideration.

 Here are some ideas that I have put together;
{pics are for illustrative purposes only}



This one would be for the person who loves all things pink!

*4 pieces of fabric, 2m of handmade bias binding, 8 buttons, 1 hand dyed doily, ribbon rosettes, 2 x embroidery thread, 1 embroidery hoop


For the person who loves all things aqua

*4 pieces of fabric, 3m of lace, 2m of handmade bias binding, 4 handmade self covered buttons, ribbon rosettes, 3 x embroidery thread, 1 embroidery hoop, pack of snap fasteners


For the person who loves all things Christmas

*6 pieces of fabric, 2m of loose ribbon, 2 rolls of ribbon, 2m of handmade bias binding, 1m of webbing, 2 x embroidery thread, 1 packet of foam balls, 1 embroidery hoop

Imagine receiving a parcel full of sewing goodies! It would be so exciting!

If this sounds like the swap for you, please send an email to sewcooklaughlive@yahoo.com.au
Emails must be received before the 14th of September 2012. I will then email you a quick questionnaire for you to fill out. Once they are all emailed back, I will allocate everyone a swap partner & send you an email with the rest of the details.

*This swap is only open for Australian residents as postage can become costly if sending overseas.*
*You must be over 18 years old to partcipate in this swap*

Wordless Wednesday. She is growing up. I love it.

11

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Raising a teenager. This job is hard but I do it because I love her.

Raising a teenager. It would have to be the hardest part of being a parent. I am not saying that the baby, toddler & child part is easy, no I am not. I am saying that it changes as your little cherub grows into a teenager. A 2 year old tantrum, I have dealt with my fair share. Imagine a 2 year old tantrum but the person having the tantrum is 13 & 1/2. But it is not the sit on the floor, stamp their feet, scream at you type of tantrum. It is the my life is so unfair, you just don’t understand me, I feel left out, but everyone else is allowed to type of tantrum.







It really does tug at your heart. You just want to make them happy but you have to set boundaries. I was a teenager who did not have the boundaries that a teenager needs. I know what happens when that can go wrong. I now make sure that the boundaries are clear & they do not change. My children know my rules. Even after a teenage moment where there may be a lot of huffing, puffing & “I don’t even know why I bother asking”, I know that it is all worth it when I get the apology. I get the, “I am sorry, I should have known what the answer would be.” Too me that means everything. That means that what I am doing is right. That deep down inside, she knows that I am strict out of love.


It doesn’t ease the heartache of being a teenager.






That time in life where you are too old to be a child but not old enough to be an adult. That time when you feel like you are on the outside of everything. The above photo says it all. This was not staged or nor did I tell her what to do. Her sister was playing on the playground, she feels that she is too old to “play” like that anymore. So she watches from afar & wishes she was not a teenager. So she escapes to the world of her iPod. {can you see it in her hand?} It is where she is in her own little world. It is her music, her photo’s, her friends, her life that is hers alone. She chooses what it looks like, what it sounds like……..it is her.






She is a really good person. She is the type of person who would (& has done) help an elderly person who has fallen over. She gives people the money that they have dropped. She makes sure that a child who is crying can find their Mum. She will stand up for a friend who is being bullied because she is just that type of person. But right now, she feels that her life is hard.


She is not allowed to go to the park unsupervised. She is not allowed to go to the shops without an adult. She is not allowed to go to the pool without an adult. She is not allowed to roam the streets. Those are my rules. I have no problems with her friends coming to our house or her going to her friends house but there must be adult supervision. This is the number one reason why I am still a stay at home Mum even though my children are no longer babies. I know where my kids are at all times. I know who they are hanging around with & what they are doing. I do this out of love.





I just do what I think is best. Some days though, she seems to forget that.

Joining up with Diary of a SAHM for #ibot