What a day already!

Today I didn't really have a plan. Was just going to go with the flow. Fridays are usually pretty hectic as all 3 little ones are home and its the end of the week so everyone is a little tired and grumpy. Woke feeling a little blah but soon got my organisation groove on and got stuck into it. Well as much as I could with 3 little ones to help out. I spent most of the morning picking up toys and reminding everyone that you don't need all the toys out at once and you couldn't possibly play with them all (and God knows we certainly don't have the room!). Once I admitted defeat it was time to move on......

I opened the Pantry Doors and discovered something that resembled this...

Pic from {here}

Ok, that's not my pantry but I forgot to take a before photo so that is going to have to do. After pulling everything out, tossing things out of date, finding boxes to use to organise and 2 bags of rubbish later! We ended up with this.....

{after} - its here!

Of course not with out some super help from Zach and Anna and with Mitchell playing with Thomas toys around my feet! There was cereal mess all over the floor and I started to wonder why I had ever started but its done and feel a little better now.

The cardboard boxes I used are not very pretty - yet (although you can't see them very well in the photo). I used chip boxes that I had been saving up for something like this. I plan on covering them fabric and a little mod podge like I did with Mitchell's special books box....and also labeling them.

{made last year to put Mitchell special books in
that we don't want the twins into} - here it is!

I also got into the extra food storage cupboard and tidied that up in the same way. Again using empty cardboard boxes that I will pretty up when I get a chance.

I usually do a bulk shop of most used items when I am in Canberra or going through Canberra as groceries here are sooooo expensive. $4 - $5 for a loaf of bread! Up to $5 for 3 litres of milk! Not to mention all the school and cooking supplies we go through. I also bulk buy my baby wipes - almost $10 for a packet of wipes here that I can pick up at Aldi for about $3. While I use cloth nappies 100% of the time - ok not 100% as I send disposables to Daycare, for now - I still use disposable wipes but I have all the material sitting here to make washable wipes, just need to find the time to sew them! (I currently use flushable liners too but I think I will stick to them for now.) Alright, that may be a whole other post there so more on my cloth nappies later.

My next task is to empty the freezer (the one in the fridge - we also have a chest freezer but that's tomorrows job!) and organise that. I plan on listing everything I find and doing my upcoming meal plans from that. Between the fridge freezer and the chest freezer its going to save me hundreds I tell you!

{ Added: Here is the result of Brett's effort in the chest freezer! I'm quite impressed! Plenty of room now to stock up on meat! Thanks Brett! }

And also a HUGE thank you to Brett for this effort!

Underneath are the baskets I use to store my nappies in, on top of the lowboy.
- they are over flowing a bit at the moment. I need another basket!

In the house we are currently staying in there is absolutely no hanging space in the kids room. All of the things that needed to be hung up were hung in my wardrobe leaving that very cluttered! Then I came up with the idea of adding a hanging rail from the roof! I purchased the wooden wardrobe doubler from Kmart when I was pregnant with the twins - Its hard to explain so this is it (except mine has a wooden rail)

Its brilliant and adds the extra hanging space I needed in the corner of the room. Now all the kids clothes are hung in their room and I have my wardrobe back!

For more Pantry/Wardrobe/Cupboard Organizing checkout Organizing Junkie!

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Yesterday Zach, Anna and Mitchell were all in Preschool/Daycare and boy did I get a lot done!

* Bathroom/Toilet thoroughly cleaned, vacuumed and mopped
* Kitchen cleaned and vacuumed and mopped
* 5 loads of washing done, along with a pretty through clean of the laundry
* Beds made, bedrooms dusted, wardrobes tidied and floors vacuumed
* Lounge room thoroughly cleaned, dusted and vacuumed. Toys sorted and re-organised
* All the sheets/towels etc folded and put away
* Odds 'n' ends that usually end up stacking up on the dreaded piano in the hall put away

By the time everyone got home I had had a few minutes to enjoy my thoroughly clean and sparkling house before all hell broke loose again!

Now I'm off to put anybody under 3 to bed and get the 5 loads of washing off the line and folded before beginning my freezer task. Wish me luck!

Its been awhile...

Things here are looking up. We are working towards a new house! All I can say is 'it can't come quick enough!'. I'm going nuts in this house!

More updates coming soon on the little ones and also as my mojo returns there is some more crafting!

BUT...

Last night: I had the BEST sleep ever!

Today: Kids at school, preschool or in daycare so I baked!

Firstly this......


Than a chocolate mud cake....yummy. Camera flat so pics to come! Also some serious cleaning has been going on this morning with more to come as I still have an hour and a half till I pick up Zach and Anna from daycare.

Not a lot else to say right now, but I guess I'm back! And 'Operation Organise' is back on track!

See you all again soon!

Well....

....I made promises and haven't kept them. I'm soooo behind that its getting out of hand! I'm just feeling really blah. Not sick or sad or unhappy or anything like that just going insane living in this tiny house! 6 people have a lot of stuff - what I am saying, two 20 month old's have a lot of stuff, than when you add the other four people its mayhem! I've been trying to keep on track with 'Operation Organise' but I have seriously run out room. We have our house in Bairnsdale, Victoria forsale at the moment (well its actually been on the market for over 12 months!) and until that sells there is not much we can do. I want more room, I NEED more room! At least the dishes are done and the washing is up to date but we will not mention that I have 2 baskets of washing to fold and put away though.

I really meant to do a post yesterday (and the day before) but having no time to even get the photos off the camera to add to the post is making it a little hard. I don't really like posts with out photos. Today was meant to be 'catch up day' but that didn't happen. I got a few things done but then decided to sit down and scrap a page. I haven't scrapped in ages. The result? ......

{Credits to come}

Nothing fancy, just a quick one. Time I should have spent cleaning the bathroom or folding the washing but you know how it goes.

Tomorrow we are off to Bega for the annual show - meaning another day I will get nothing done. Should be nice to spend Valentines day as a family though.

This afternoon.....hanging out more washing, folding washing, dragging three filthy children through the bath and then there is dinner to prepare and also getting snacks and bags ready for tomorrow. I also need to clean some of the crap toys, etc out of the car and do a quick tidy up of the office (that the kids trashed - pencils and paper, chairs and stuff all over).

Hopefully Monday will be my day. Zach and Anna in Daycare for a few hours and Mitchell in Preschool all day should give me time to piece this house back together. Brett will be on day duty next week too which will mean I can get more done - do you get less done when the other half is around or is it just me?

So for a quick run down on what we have been up to.....

We baked!

Big ones....



and little ones.....



and some in between.

And they were yummy! At least Zach and Anna thought so...

I did get those drawers sorted...

And labeled too!



Zach got his new 'standing frame'

and at the moment is spending about 30 minutes a day in it, building it up until he can spend at least an hour.

He has also been spending some time outside with his trolley. Mosting in the evenings because it has been sooo hot!

And Mitchell, his usually amusing self....

Better run now, children running wild and in need of taming. See you all again soon!

Welcome Back!

Hello all. All that are still reading! Please excuse my little bloggy break. I really didn't mean to or want to, its all my internet providers fault. Due to a few problems I was unable to connect to my broadband and thanks to their totally incompetent sales/accounts people - who I might mention are not even in this country and who I can hardly understand! - I was unable to access it for quite a few weeks. To tell you I was angry would be an understatement!

Things are all back up and running now and I have so much to say but that is going to have to wait until this evening as I have a bit of a busy day today - a home, a life and 4 3 little ones and a big one there is so much to do, my washing never seems to end I tell you - along with the piles of dishes that seem to mount up every five seconds (I really really miss my dishwasher, I really really do!). Thanks to my non scheduled bloggy break I have been able to get a lot done. My 'Operation Organize' is still definitely running along smoothly and I have been able to get quite a few things crossed off my list - does this tell you I spend way to much time on the net, course not! So make sure you check back soon for some dates - Zach's progress, 'Operation Organise' update, sewing update, as well as digital scrap booking are just a few of the things I want to mention.

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Now, on to a sadder note. I'm sure many of you have heard or read about the terrible bushfire's happening in Victoria and NSW. My heart goes out to all the families that lost someone and to the families that have lost all there worldly possessions.

I can hardly believe that most of these fires have been deliberately lit! The Prime Minister said 'there are just no words to describe these people' but what I think he was thinking - these mass murderers are the scum of the earth! I certainly don't believe that 25 years in jail would go anywhere near what they deserve! Bastards!

We have some amazing people fighting these fires. I want to thank each and every one of them. They really are hero's and they are risking their lives to help others.

The look on his face says it all I think....

Please pray for those that are now homeless, those that are injured and of course for the friends and families of the 128 people (at last count) that have been killed.

Please donate what you can...(link above clickable)

Edit:

Firstly - Please keep Rachael in your prayers.

Mike's is welcoming handmade donations via the shop. Check out the info here.

Sarah from With A Cherry On Top and Bianca from The Toy Society are going to try to find an organisation who will take handmade toys to distribute to children who have lost everything in the bushfires. Rach from Grandy and Baa had the same idea too.

Sparkly Green Knickers is going to donate the proceeds from her Etsy Shop to the Bushfire Appeal...

Another BIG day

Good Morning All!

Today is Day 4 of 'Operation Organise'! We have another big day ahead of us - or should I say I have another big day ahead of me!

On Today's List we have:

* Clean off the top of the Pantry and re-organising it

(Which currently looks like this)


* Clearing off, culling and reorganising the Fridge top

(Which unfortunately currently looks like this)


* Clearing off and reorganising the top of the office cupboards

(They currently look like this!)


* Filing the paperwork from drawers and making room for the kids craft things

(These are the drawers I was talking about)


Lastly, here is a GREAT idea that I can't believe I haven't blogged about yet!!

My wonderful Mum made this for me - it was a little while ago now.....



A roll away pantry! The double door pantry we had was just not big enough so in her usual wonderful and handy style she constructed it for me. It holds all my baking things and all my extra stuff that over flow from the other pantry. I love it!



It rolls away nicely between the pantry and fridge and looks great too! Thanks Mum!!

Another great storage idea that I picked up from Aldi on clearance while in Canberra for $2 for a pack of 4 (I got a few packets) are these plastic drawer organisers.



As you can see I'm not using this one as a drawer organiser but to store all our stationary things (i.e. the staplers, calculators, my Dymo Labeller) on the computer desk. Keeps them all in one place!

I also got a 4 pack of larger ones - $3 and this I am currently using this one to store some smaller books and notepads on the book shelf that always seem to fall over.



So 'Operation Organise' running along nicely, I would love others to join in! Big or small it doesn't matter.

Check back later for a Christmas Present post!

A big success!

That's what today was!

The kitchen cupboards are done, the linen closet is clean and organised again and the clothes are folded and put away. Dinners over, kitchens cleaned up, toys are cleaned up, kids are sleeping and I'm pretty happy (and so much more organised). Although I didn't get it all completed before the Twins woke up and it ended up taking me a bit longer due to the 'help' I still got it finished. Tomorrow I will be tidying up the fridge top and culling a few kitchen items, for example a toaster grill that was given to me quite a few years ago and I have never used.

Also on the list for tomorrow is:

* Put away filing
* Empty plastic drawers and move all the kids craft things in
* Reorganise craft cupboard

I want to get some sewing done too. During my cleaning today I found these lovely tea towels that are to thin to really be useful for tea towels but they definitely have a use in the sewing room! What will they become??

Now I'm off to do a little sorting in the pattern and recipe department while I sit and watch a bit of LOST. I'm a LOST addict!

Operation Organise

Since I returned home from my lovely, relaxing trip away over the Christmas/New Years period I have decided to do some major reorganisation around the house. We have a lot of 'stuff' we just don't need anymore - or never needed to begin with....hahaha. As this house is only small I need all the extra space I can get!

On the first day of 'Operation Organise' I began with the Office/Craft Room.

This room does become a 'dumping ground' for a lot of things unfortunately. Thankfully we have recently added two double door cupboards to the room that has given me a lot more storage and things that were sitting around on shelves and the (ahem...) floor are now nicely stored away. Notice I didn't say neatly - well that's because it is not all that neat at the moment. OK, not really true. It is kind of neat but the arrangement of things could be a little better and I do have a couple of 'gotta sort that out later' boxes in there too. You know, those little things that just don't have a place to go - yet. I'm working on it. I also need to tidy and sort out the things on top of the cupboard but being short I can overlook that for a little while. Some other small things like cleaning out the plastic drawers need to be done too - I'm going to use them to store the kids craft things (e.g.: pencils, paints, paper, etc.) Currently they are full of 'need to file' papers and the like. Over all the room is much better and much more usable too. I'm loving that I can sew when ever I like as 'my craft space' and neat and tidy.

Day two on 'Operation Organise' was a little less productive. I did get some major cleaning done though which I guess will help in the long run. The bathroom/toilet got a good scrub, the entire house got a through vacuum and the wet areas got a through mop. I reorganised the toys in the lounge room a little better too. Other than that I folded and put away clothes, did 3 loads of washing (including the couch covers), did dishes, organised dinner, went for a walk and scrapped - again!

Today is day three of 'Operation Organise'. The Twins have just gone done for a sleep so on today list we have:

* Firstly, go and jump in a shower while I can!!
* Reorganise the hallway linen closet/storage cupboard done this morning :) !!
* Clean and reorganise the kitchen cupboards (next on the list after I'm finished here)
* Fold the washing and put away


If I get time:

* Sort and organise my sewing print outs (patterns etc.) and my loose recipes in the folders I have purchased for this job.

That is probably something I can do tonight while I watch TV I guess.

I better get moving! These things won't do themselves and I need to get as much done while 'my helpers' are sleeping.

I'll leave you with a page I scrapped last night. (I don't know if I am completely finished with this but thought I would show you anyway. I'm also in the process of doing a similar one for Zach.)

Click to enlarge

(Credits to come)

P.S I'll also add, check out Works for me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer! I'm a regular reader of this and there are always some great hints, tips and ideas with Mr Linky. One day I might even be able to participate!

OPERATION ORGANISE BEGINS!

This New Year I have made the resolution to GET THE HOUSE MORE ORGANISED. So, I have decided to start 'Operation Organise'. You can join in with me if you want!

Below I will list what needs to be done and cross it off as I do it (or add to it if I feel like it too!).

Kitchen:

Empty, Clean, Sort, Cull and Re-organise the Kitchen cupboards
Clear off, Clean, Sort, Cull and Re-organise the top of the Fridge
Clear off, Clean, Sort, Cull and Re-organise the top of the Pantry

Bathroom:

Empty, Clean, Sort, Cull and Re-organise the bathroom cupboards


Laundry:

Not to much to do in here other than a really good clean - like under the washing machine.....

Office/Craft Room:

Re-organise Craft cupboard
Re-organise Storage cupboard
Put away filing and empty plastic drawers
Sort and pack away into (above) plastic drawers kids craft things
Re-distribute things to the rest of the house that does belong in this room
Organise photo and files on the external hard drive - started

Hallway:

Empty, Clean, Sort and Re-organise the Linen Cupboard
Clean and organise the top of the Piano

Lounge Room:

Re-Organise Toys
Tidy and Re-organise the TV Unit

Our Bedroom:

Sort through Clothes and cull anything not worn or that does fit - my cupboard
Sort through Brett's Clothes and cull anything not worn or that does fit Would you believe he had about the double the clothes that I have in my cupboard! About 85% of these clothes I have never seen him wear in the 7 years we have been together! We were able to donate 3 large garbage bags of clothes to the Op Shop and a completely pack shopping bag of coat hangers that we just don't need anymore as well as getting a small bag of older clothes for rags!
Sort out the boxes of clothes under the bed - started

M, Z & A's Room:

Sort through Clothes and cull anything not worn or that does fit
Re-organise books on bookshelves
Tidy and re-organise the top of the wardrobe
Sort out 'daycare clothes' from other clothes

Ashlee's Room:

Hmmmmm.....where do I start?!
Edited: Ashlee has been doing a brillant job on this herself! I'll keep you updated.