The Linen Cupboard

A sad goodbye from me for now.

2010-04-04T18:17:00.003+01:00

Hello lovely readers, some of you might have noticed that I've not been posting very often... Unfortunately I find myself unable to put the effort in that I feel the blog deserves at this stage.

I might have mentioned before that I am training to become a yoga teacher, so whilst working full-time, I'm also squeezing in 2 nights of yoga a week, as well as the odd weekend or week away for my training... and this week, eek I'll be teaching for the first time too. All of this, combined with the need to do the housework rather than type about it, leaves little time for the research or pretty picture findings.

I still have so many ideas for posts, and have even started preparing some, but I just don't like posting when I haven't searched every nook and corner for the best answer I can come up with, so I'd rather leave knowing that the information on here at the moment, is the best I could come up with rather than being rushed.

But I have really enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm for learning about housework with you all, and most of all I have enjoyed the comments, and reading your lovely blogs too!
So, I might not be typing about housekeeping any more, but rest assured that I will still be getting my timer out to run around with a duster, and de-clutter like a loony, after which I will need all that yoga training I am doing to help me relax.

I hope you have all enjoyed the Easter weekend. And I shall leave the blog up for a little while yet, so you can come back anytime you need a reminder of how to do those hospital corners.

So from Mr.L, the big long dog Banjo and me, cheerio for now!

xxx

Saturday morning house cleaning in 90 minutes

2010-03-13T08:36:00.003Z

Morning!
The picture above is a Banksy public wall art... it's great, and although I can identify with wanting to sweep everything under the rug (or wall in this case) on a Saturday morning when I need to get on with other stuff, this morning I am not allowing myself to do just that.

Today I am planning on finally painting the front door (I'll do a separate post on that for you all), but I'm not letting myself do anything until the house has been tidied and cleaned today. This week has been particularly busy, and I've not kept up with my regular weekly cleaning routine, so I really need to go through the whole house. I've made a list, I have my timer (or my running watch with it's timer) and I'm set to tick everything off my list as I go along. Best of all... the house should be lovely and tidy, and mostly clean after just 90 minutes.

I set my timer for 10 minutes per room - it's amazing how much you can get done in 10 minutes, I mostly focus on tidying and dusting during that time, but if there is time left I grab a cloth and do some proper cleaning too. In our bedroom 10 minutes is enough time to make the bed, tidy clothes away, dust the blinds and lamps etc. If within the 5 minutes vacuum time, I vacuumed all the floor space and there is time left, I turn on the nozzle and aim for the cobwebs in the corners. Cleaning with a timer really is the best way for me to clean because I work better under pressure, and I know that by 10:30 this morning I can get on with my day without having to worry about the state of the house. This 90 minute cleaning plan is not by any means a proper spring clean, but it's certainly good enough to get most things done that need doing. Here's my plan, I'll let you know how I get on with it:

10 minute bedroom tidy, 5 minute bedroom vacuum
10 minute spare bedroom tidy, 5 minute vacuum
10 minute study tidy, 5 minute vacuum
10 minute bathroom clean
5 minute cup of tea break
10 minute kitchen tidy, 5 minutes to mop the floor
5 minute hallway tidy
10 minute lounge tidy, 10 minute sweep and mop downstairs

And there you go - how to tidy your house in 90 minutes (yes, I've excluded the 5 minute cup of tea break - that's not cleaning!). I do of course realise that if you have a bigger house with more rooms this will all take longer. But if you are pressed for time, grab your timer and do a 60 minute general house tidy. Do you do some Saturday morning cleaning?

Oh, and Ivy, thanks for your question on the laundry post, I'm working a post all about how to avoid yellowing laundry with bleach... still doing my research on that one.

Have a great weekend!!!!
x

When laundry goes wrong

2010-02-25T19:47:00.005Z

I know, I've been a very bad blogger, since our holiday I've been super lazy, and also struggled to get back into my normal routine. The lack of sunshine in the UK in comparison to the sunshine we had in South Africa has also really affected our energy levels... all these things did not help when I put on a load of 'holiday' laundry. Unfortunately, a dark blue scarf made it's way into the 'light laundry' pile. Mr L was kind enough to offer to put the laundry on for me (our washing machine is in the non-heated garage), and since Mr L trusts my laundry sorting skills, he also didn't notice the dark blue scarf...

... you can probably guess what happened next. Out came the laundry, and as I start shaking my new light coloured tops I noticed they looked a little different, hey looked like an amateur attempt at tie-dying. aaaargh! So, what do you do when colours run in your washing? Okay, well it goes without saying that sorting the laundry properly before loading the washing machine can avoid these things all together, but these things happen right? Here's how to fix that annoying problem if it happens to you.

Laundry colour-run rescue

Remove the dark/non-colour fast item from the laundry load and put the rest of the laundry load back into the washing machine. Do not let any of the items dry, and acting as fast as possible is imperative to getting the colouring out again.
Products may vary between countries, in the UK you can buy colour run remover from Dylon, or simply Google 'colour run remover' to see what products are available, a product like this is designer for the job and if you can get hold of some, using this as soon as possible is the best way to save your discoloured laundry.
If you cannot get hold of a colour-run remover immediately, then take action by soaking items in a all-colour laundry bleach such as Vanish/Oxybleach before putting the laundry back on a regular wash cycle.
White clothing can be bleached using laundry bleach to soak overnight.
If you have a colour catcher (a handy cloth you can put in with your washing to stop colours running), putting that in with your ruined load can also help remove the colour that has run.

Hopefully after these treatments, your should be able to save most of the laundry load, remember that cottons and linens will be more absorbent than polyester fabrics, so they might need soaking for longer or stronger solutions. The last thing you can attempt if all else fails is to actually dye your ruined clothes properly in a darker shade, but even that is a bit of a risk... so you can always just save your ruined shirts for the next time you paint a wall... that is to wear, so that you don't ruin your good clothes - take note Mr L!

Have you ever had your laundry turn pink or blue? Please share, that way I don't have to feel alone. :)

Just a note to say...

2010-02-06T13:15:00.002Z

...I haven't abandoned you all, nor the housekeeping, I'm just on holiday catching up with my family and friends. We're in South Africa, being spoilt by my family on a safari. We've seen some amazing animals, but we've also been charged by a very angry elephant, and the game ranger had to put his foot down to drive us away fast enough. Here's a photo for you to see how close we are parked to the elephant (that's my head on the left).

I'll be back in about a week's time with some more posts.

Have a great week!

TOTW: Kitchen sponges & tea -towels

2010-01-18T20:33:00.007Z

Tip Of The Week:

Sponges, cloths and tea-towels in the kitchen can be a party venue for bacteria.
I don't like scare mongering, and think that a bit of dirt and bacteria is good for us, but apparently one study found that some sponges contain more bacteria than a toilet seat. And a dirty or damp cloth is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. So here's how to keep your sponges and tea towels from making you or your family ill:

Always rinse a sponge well after use with hot water, then squeeze as much of the water out of the sponge before leaving it to dry. Leaving a sponge to soak in water is a bacteria cocktail... yuk. You can also pop your sponges in the dishwasher if you have one because dishwashers use much hotter water to help sterilise. And then of course, never keep a sponge too long, give it a a good sniff every now and then to make sure it's still useable, and if you want a greener way that throwing your sponges in the bin often, read this article... there are some great tips.

Tea-towels are just as bad, and perhaps even worse because many of us wipe our hands on them as we go along (guilty over here!) spreading the bacteria. I keep a pile of seven tea-towels in the cupboard which I replenish every week with a batch of seven freshly laundered ones, giving me one tea towel to use for every day of the week. That way as soon as a towel has had enough use I can grab a clean one. Some people might think that replacing a tea towel everyday is a bit OTT, but it depends how much you use them, and what for. You can also have separate tea -towels for separate tasks, but that just confuses me, and I'd rather use them one a day... they are only a small item to add to the laundry load after all. And of course make sure that the tea towel you use to dry your plates or cutlery isn't the tea towel you just used to wipe your hands on after working with meat - eek!
Have a great week!
x

Busy New Year and an appreciation for modern gadgets.

2010-01-11T20:19:00.010Z

Happy New Year lovely readers! It's been a busy, but productive start to the new year here in Oxfordshire. For one thing, I've been hand washing all our laundry because it's been so cold that the pipes to our washing machine in the garage have frozen up. It has really made me appreciate having a washing machine, but with the cold and snow creating such a beautiful winter wonderland, I don't mind at all.

I'd also like to show you my new housekeeping gadget...

Well, actually it's my new running watch, but I've found it as, if not more useful for house keeping. This past Saturday morning I wanted to spend one and a half hours cleaning before getting on with my crafting and relaxing, so instead of using my timer I thought about trying my watch and set the alarm to go off after 90 minutes, and the timer on 15 minute intervals, giving 15 minutes in each of the six rooms I needed to clean (we don't have a 6 bedroom house, our six rooms include the hallway, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom 1 and bedroom 2). It works a treat, and by the end of the hour and a half I can relax and do my crafting guilt-free. Also it meant I didn't have to carry a timer around with me, or be within earshot of the timer. It's the small things in life eh?

Talk of running, another reason to get a running watch, is to star running. I am what I call a non-runner. I've never been any good at running... at all. But for Mr.L's birthday I bought him a book called Chi Running, and some funny barefoot shoes called Vibram Five Fingers. Funny looking, I know...

Anyway, I ended up reading the book too, got some shoes and now I'm out there 3 times a week running at 6:30 in the morning, and wait for it, enjoying it. Okay, well, I enjoy it when my toes aren't freezing in the snow and admittedly I'm only running short distances, only 1.3 miles, but I think that's pretty impressive for a non-runner.

And what crafting have I been doing with all that free time on my Saturday after cleaning the house in 90 minutes? I've been sewing like a madwoman, and I managed to make these two lions for my friend who recently gave birth to twins (a boy and girl). I bought the pattern for them off this website where you can buy patterns for all sorts of sweet stuffed animal toys, I'd love to make the elephant.
Oh, and remember when I showed you a photo of our bedroom with it's new colour scheme here. well, it has now been wallpapered and looks like this. Yes, look at that naughty creature asking if he could get up on the bed.

And after all that snow, cleaning, running, and general business it's always time for a lie down... look how I found these two the other day... bless 'em.

I'll be back soon with a post about hand washing laundry and delicates.
Have a great week!
x

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-24T10:03:00.004Z

Just a quick post to say Happy Christmas everyone!

I'll be taking a week's break over Christmas and New Year, and am planning lots of useful informative posts for next year. In the meantime, have a really lovley time, drive safe if you're on the road this Christmas, and thanks for reading my little blog and to all of you who leave comments... thanks for the support!

I'll leave you with a picture of a cold Greyhound wearing his brand new Pajamas that I made him for Christmas (he got to open his present early becaus it's so cold). Oh and the stuff on his feet are bandages, we're still having his troubled feet treated - poor thing!

xxx

Beanbag Chair Sewing Pattern

2009-12-17T19:32:00.016Z

Phew, I've finished my nieces' beanbags in time for Christmas. They were such fun to make!
And as promised, below are the instructions to make them.

I recommend also making a lining so that the outside cover can be washed without having to empty out the polystyrene balls separately- I used some old sheets and just made the lining in the exact same manner as the cover minus the handle. The lining also gave me a chance to test how to sew the bag before using the more expensive nice fabrics. The hardest thing about these is pinning and sewing the circles at the top and bottom, but practice on the lining if you need to. And if you're nervous about sewing in a zipper or can't find the right colour/length, use Velcro instead - just as effective.

I did the letters using the fantastically quick 'fusible interfacing applique' method - see this tutorial for help.

The beanbags basically consist of 6 panels sewn together to form the sides, and then a circle and strap at the top, and two half circles at the bottom with a zip.
It's also a little bit more complicated sewing with two different fabrics because you have to get them to alternate when all 6 panels are sewn together - just pin and test as you go along.

They are small children's sized beanbags (as in for 2- 6 yrs), but you could easily adapt this pattern by slightly enlarging the measurements and adding more height to the side panels to adapt it.
To make one child sized beanbag you will need:

About 2.5 -3 metres of fabric (I used two colours so bought about 1.5 of each) - it also depends how frugally you can place your pattern pieces on the fabric.
Extra fabric for letters applique & fusible interfacing (optional)
a 50cm zip/ 60 cm Velcro
polystyrene beans (I bought some old beanbags off eBay for this, but you can get them from fabric stores. A 5 cubic foot bag should be enough)
plain fabric or old sheets to make lining + extra Velcro/zip

1) Measure and draw out the patterns onto some brown paper. Once cut, pin the paper pieces to the fabric, remembering that the side panels are cut on a piece of fabric folded in half, so line the edge up to the fold. Cut the pieces of fabric.
Click on above image to enlarge.

2) Pin the zip/Velcro in place on the two large half circles, turning over an edge to conceal raw edges. Sew the zip/Velcro on one side at a time, then close the zip/Velcro to make a full circle.

3) If you're doing an applique letter, sew that on one panel now before sewing all the panels together. Then sew together the side panels by sewing along the edges only until it forms a complete circle (like a skirt). Leave it turned inside out.

4) Fold the handle piece of fabric in half, and sew along the long edge to make a tube. Turn inside out and press

5) Pin the handle piece in the centre of the top circle piece. With the handle on top, pin the top smaller opening of panel skirt to the circle and sew together. When you turn it right side out the handle should be visible on top.

6) Now pin the large opening of the skirt to the full circle with zipper/Velcro, and sew together (if using a zip, leave it slightly open so that you can open it from the back to turn inside out).

This is the liner version

7) Turn inside out... and ta-da! Place the liner inside the cover before filling (or you will struggle to get the cover over the already filled liner).

8) Fill the lining bag and cover with polystyrene beans until nearly full and close both liner and cover properly.

I hope these instructions aren't too complicated, I do have a tendency to be a bit wordy in my instructions. Email me if you have any trouble... I hope you enjoy!

Where am I?

2009-12-14T15:50:00.006Z

Hello lovely blog readers. I'm so sorry for disappearing and not posting, nor visiting in the land of blogs. I have been busy with all sorts of things (you all know what this time of year can be like) including some Christmas get togethers, Christmas crafting, taking the dog to the vet for his still troubled feet, I've also been doing my twice a week yoga class for my yoga teacher training,

Ha ha - not like this though... I'm still training remember.

I've been shopping in London, and yes I went to the absolutely gorgeous Anthropologie shop...

where I treated myself to this teapot (a girl has got to treat herself every now and then)...

I've been Christmas shopping with a friend of mine and her beautiful baby boy in Reading,

I went Christmas shopping in Oxford

and not forgetting what I ought to be blogging about I, have actually managed to squeeze in a bit of cleaning and laundry. As a matter of fact, just this Sunday at 5:00 in the morning you could find me on my hands an knees scrubbing the kitchen floor. Ha ha, now you must be thinking 'this woman is a mad one'...

... believe me, I believe we all ought to be sound asleep at 5:00 on a Sunday morning, but alas I had no choice. We are currently dog-sitting for friends of ours, and their Greyhound who is friends with our Greyhound had an upset tummy on this very early Sunday morning. The smell was pretty bad, so I really had no choice but to wash and scrub the floor as soon as it was discovered - it was Mr L who went to check on the dogs when he heard one walking around and discovered the unpleasantness... I found out about it pretty soon after hearing some swearing coming from the kitchen. But hey, who could blame the man, most people would swear on discovering that sort of mess at that hour, especially as this is where he wanted to be... (yes, you see, there is no space for me!)

Aha, I feel a post coming on about cleaning pet mess, yes, not the prettiest subject, but those of you with pets will be all too familiar with doing this at some point... so pet owners I will be back with some help, I am well rehearsed now!

I'm also currently sewing some children sized beanbag chairs for my nieces as Christmas presents, and in the spirit of Christmas I will be sharing full instructions and how-to's for sewing these beanbags as soon as I finish them (I'm hoping by tomorrow). They are so easy, and such fun to make.

And lastly, I'm having a small Christmas lunchtime party with Christmas tea and mince pies at our house for my work colleagues... so expect a post about hosting a Christmas tea party too!

Have you been cleaning the house in anticipation of Christmas guests? We're going to Mr L's mom's house for Christmas, but in the meantime I'm getting the house ready for the tea party whilst trying to teach two naughty Greyhounds to stop messing biscuit crumbs all over the living room rug!

I hope you are all well and I promise not to disappear for so long again without warning.

I'll be back soon... lots of love and Christmas wishes for now!
x

Counter bad habits with good ones for a tidier house...

2009-11-15T14:31:00.007Z

As I'm typing this, I'm watching 'How Clean is your House?'. I know I've mentioned the show before, but I think there is allot to be learned from these shows to show how quickly a house can get so out of control that it poses a health threat. Not that a bit of dirt is dangerous, but a buildup of dirt, dust and damp is. Most people who's houses are dirty say things like "I'm not unclean, I'm just untidy" or "I actually hate living in an unclean house" and "It's so bad I don't know where to start".

The problem ALWAYS starts with untidiness. Once the clutter takes over, the surfaces are unreachable and things need moving before you can clean, so things just don't get cleaned. You cannot clean an untidy house, and an untidy house is daunting! But can all these untidy people change? Untidiness is normally a result of bad habits, habits that people can't seem to change.

Photo from and episode of How Clean is your House

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have said before, I am not naturally tidy, at all... my bedroom as a child and my student flat both had at times, a floor covered in clothes/wet towels etc. So what has changed? Well, I haven't changed, I still have very bad habits, the difference now is I admit I have bad habits, and I've developed good habits to counter the bad habits. Yes, at times our house does get very untidy, especially when there's a bit of DIY decorating going on. I can sympathise with the above statements, but the secret to a clean house, really is being tidy and clutter-free. Let's be honest there is no such thing as a 'clean untidy house'. So what can be done? The solution lies in first identifying the bad habits.

Here's an example of how a chaotic house starts off.

Let's start with a clean slate and imagine I've just finished my spring cleaning and the house is perfect on a Sunday night. This is what happens.
1- Sunday night I go to bed, and leave my clothes from that day on the floor after I get into my pajamas.
2- The next morning Mr L has a shower, and leaves his towel on the bathroom floor.
3- When we get home Monday evening I leave my coat on the sofa, sit down with a cup of tea and kick my shoes off. Mr L gets home, and after dinner he too kicks his shoes off when he sits on the sofa, and takes his jumper off because the house is nice an warm.
4- Then we take the dog for a walk, and it's raining outside, so he treads through the house with his wet feet, and chews his post walk biscuit on the rug.

In only one day we have gone from a perfectly clean house, to a bathroom that has wet towel on the floor, a bedroom with clothes on the floor, a living room with a coat and a jumper on the sofas, 4 shoes on the rug (and probably their socks too) and muddy footprints along with biscuit crumbs on the rug. And this example doesn't even include the cooking in the kitchen, the toothpaste in the sink or the dog hairs on the sofa. Now imagine another five days like this passes, and you can imagine that you already have a house that feels out of control and daunting to clean. so how do we change this scenario? All it takes is a bit of time to remember to look around and see what needs doing. Here's how we can change the same scenario with the bad habits still in place.

1- Sunday night I go to bed, and leave my clothes from that day on the floor after I get into my pajamas. Just before I put the lights out, I fold my jeans that are were only worn once, and put my undies and top in the laundry basket.
2- The next morning Mr L has a shower, and leaves his towel on the bathroom floor, I walk past and remind him nicely to hang it up and wipe the shower door down with the squeegee.
3- When we get home Monday evening I leave my coat on the sofa, sit down with a cup of tea and kick my shoes off. Mr L gets home, and after dinner he too kicks his shoes off when he sits on the sofa, and takes his jumper off because the house is nice an warm.
4- Then we take the dog for a walk, and it's raining outside, so I put a doggy towel at the front door to wipe his feet on. The dog then chews his post-walk biscuit on the rug. Before our favourite program starts, I set my timer for 5 minutes in which time I tidy away anything that doesn't belong in the lounge, and do a quick vacuum of the rug whilst Mr L unpacks the dishwasher in the kitchen so that we can use it the next morning.

Taking time to look at what is out of place, is a great way to start cleaning. so stop feeling guilty for the bad habits, and don't get mad at your partner for theirs either. Some bad habits are so ingrained that you're better off developing a new good habit than trying to un-learn a bad habit. With your good habit in place (give it time, actions take between 20-30 days to become a real habit) without realising it you might unknowingly stop the bad habit, and if you don't, oh well, you know you'll do something about it. And once your house is tidy, well then the surfaces are quick and easy to clean, and the vacuum cleaner can glide over the rug without the risk of getting a sock stuck in it.

Have you got any bad habits you'd like to confess?

Have a great weekend!
x

Cooking with oils & a warning about pine nuts from China

2009-11-08T13:54:00.001Z

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. Mr L & I are trying to be healthy at the moment, and through our attempts we've stumbled upon some interesting information regarding cooking with oils (perhaps you already know this). We use to just drizzle some virgin olive oil in all or pans, thinking we were being healthy... aaah, but it turns out that virgin olive oil is not always the healthier better choice... it all depends on what temperature you'll be cooking your food at. If you overheat your oil, not only will it make your food taste bad, but it looses all it's goodness too, and could contain free radicals that contribute to the risk of cancer. Scary stuff!

It turns out that it's all got to do with the 'smoke point' IE. the temperature the oil can handle. Some oils start smoking at a much lower temperature than others. So leave that extra virgin olive oil for your salads, and use a healthy coconut oil or Ghee for stir fries and believe it or not, bur you are better off with refinde oils for deep frying (who knew?). Follow this link for a list of oils and their smoke point so that you too can make sure that you don't cook all the goodness and taste out of your oils!

Warning: do not purchase Pine Nuts from China!
On Wednesday last week I bought a packet of pine nuts from a Tesco store here in the UK. Tescos import their Pine Nuts from China (and I admit I did not look at the label when I bought them). After nibbling on this lovely healthy snack (or so I thought) between Wednesday and Friday, I suddenly yesterday noticed all my food tasting bitter. At first I thought it was the grapes I was eating, but then all my meals were tasting this way. After doing a bit of research on Google, i found out I am not the only one. There are plenty of people out there who have been experiencing the same horrible after effects (believe me, it's really unpleasant - so much so that even wine and chocolate tastes foul). It seems that it might be due to these nuts from China being oxidised, but there hasn't been enough research done to confirm this. The symptoms can last between 3 days and two weeks, so I'm afraid my meals for the next few days wont be anything I'll be looking forward to too much. Please don't eat pine nuts from China dear readers, I'd hate for you to experience the same thing until this has been sorted.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T18:44:00.004Z

A day late I know, but I hope you all had a good weekend, and that for those of you who partake in Halloween festivities, that you had a fun time.

This year we hosted our very first Halloween party at our house. But let me tell you, Mr L and I are not party-throwing people, we're more the small dinner party sorts. But this year we were very social and threw a Halloween party for about 20 people and 5 kids... all squeezed into our lounge/dining room. I was planning for weeks, and by the time the party came around I was exhausted and nervous, but I can also say that I really enjoyed it (and yes... with all those guests attending, I cleaned the house, especially the bathroom, as best as I could). Would you like to see some party photos? Well, I'll share them just in case you'd like to see some Halloween decor (inspired by the Martha Stewart website of course) and some silly costumes.

Lots of black cardboard silhouettes was the theme, and this is our front window.

Mice on the stairs...

The drinks table guarded by our New Zealand masks...Can you tell who I am? I am meant to be the ghost of Marie Antoinette, with my mummy dog...

The food table...
Some more scary decor...The cobwebbed fireplace...

And finally, from Mr.L, Banjo and me... Hope you had a wonderful Halloween!

Cleaning a kettle

2009-10-25T19:46:00.003Z

When I initially moved to the UK I always laughed at how you get asked if you would like a cup of tea as soon as you step into someone house. You see, in South Africa, as I suspect in many other countries, you just offer people 'a drink' or you 'go for coffee' at a coffee shop.
I've been in the UK for almost 5 years now, and on Thursday this week I received my British Citizenship...

and I'm glad to report that I can indeed make a good cup of tea, and I now too automatically offer people tea when they step through the front door. England is very much a tea drinking nation, and kettles here work overtime. Combine non-stop tea drinking with the hard limescale water most of Britain has and you end up with a furry kettle. Kettle's need cleaning, so here's how.

Inside
Let's work from the inside out because it's more important how your tea tastes than how your kettle looks (well, it should be anyway). I've tried all these fancy gadgets to help reduce limescale in the kettle, but the limescale still builds up rather quick. So the best and easiest way to keep your tea from being crunchy (eugh, it's horrible when you get a piece of limescale in your mouth) is to clean your kettle regularly. How often depends on how bad the water is where you live, but this is simple to do, and once a month should be plenty!

Half fill the kettle with water and half fill it with clear vinegar. Leave it to soak overnight, then wipe it out with a sponge or soft wash up brush and rinse. Refill the kettle and boil it once more before using for drinks (unless you like the taste of vinegar in your tea).

Outside
Kettles seem to get grubby on the outside quickly too and I'm never sure how or why, but they just do. But a regular wipe down with a microfibre cloth will usually do the trick. If it's a bit dirtier, try these. Plastic kettles ought to be wiped down with some warm soapy water and a soft cloth - anything abrasive will scratch the surface. Metal kettles can be washed with soapy water and polished with a microfibre cloth.

So much to do, so little time eh? This week I am preparing for Halloween - we are hosting a party which I am really excited about. I'll make sure to post some pics of how the house looks when all decorated. I'll also be posting photos of our new updated bedroom soon - yup, Mr L has wallpapered our bedroom, and I LOVE it! Thank you Mr L.
Have a great week, and for those of you who like spooky things, enjoy preparing for Halloween.
x

Colour choices for a bedroom

2009-10-18T16:34:00.008+01:00

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, I've been cleaning, crafting (for Halloween), shopping and sewing. My reason for doing shopping and sewing was because we are re-colouring our bedroom. The colour choices you make in a house is not only a reflection of you, but can affect your moods, and dramatically change how a room 'feels'. I'll start off with my bedroom story, and then I'll move onto some more information that you could apply yourself, so here goes:

One thing that has bothered me ever since we moved into our house and started decorating is our bedroom. Our bedroom is on the darker side of the house, and initially I was inspired by a photo of a wall painted gold, and thought it would reflect some light into the room. Unfortunately the gold wall, for most of the time, looked like a brown wall and made or bedroom feel really really gloomy. So the gold wall has to go...

Mr L and I have been ordering wallpaper samples off the internet, but the more samples we got, the more confused we became. Then I came across this picture on the Martha Stewart website...

... and I thought 'that's it, we need to use a bright colour like yellow to bring some sunshine into the room'. Of course, yellow is a happy colour, but it's also quite an energetic colour, which makes teaming it with a calming blue in a bedroom perfect. I also fell completely in-love with the yellow bedskirt on the above photo, and knew that with my white bedding it would be a perfect way to bring some extra yellow into the room. And that's why I've been sewing away this weekend to make a bedskirt and some cushion covers (6 metres of bright yellow fabric for £23 from IKEA!).

The shopping we had done was for wallpaper, we decided to try one more time ad go to a shop rather than looking online, and lo and behold we came across this wallpaper that we both finally liked (not too girlie for Mr L, but still nice and soft - and the love bird design is a good omen for a bedroom ;) .
It's quite a heavy pattern, but it's very pretty and the colours are spot on!

So after my sewing frenzy this morning, here are the results so far (I've only made one cushion cover, but there will be two)...
I'll post the photos once the wallpaper is up, and I'm also planning on painting the bedside cabinets an off-white and adding pretty drawer pulls.

Below is a close-up of the bedskirt - it's such a simple project, 3 flat panels, with the tops tucking in under the mattress. I did the edges with a 5cm seam. (I still need to iron both the bedskirt panels and cushion).

The cushion cover has a piping border made from powder blue velvet ribbon. I love cushions with a piping edge, it makes them look a bit more glamorous, especially if the piping is a different texture to the rest of the cushion cover. Click HERE for a great tutorial on how to sew piping (the tutorial is for a handbag, but can easily be applied to cushion covers).

So that's my bedroom looking and feeling sunnier already. I really can't believe what a difference it has made adding the yellow - even with the gold wall that still don't like.

COLOUR
It really is true that different colours have different affects on our emotions, and how we interpret an image, room or object. But it seems that the effect of colours vary between different cultures. Red is considered a relaxing colour in China, whilst in America most people see it as an energetic, even aggressive colour. So choosing red for a bedroom if you feel energised in a red room is probably not the right choice if you value your sleep. Remember that the colours you choose will also be affected by the room itself depending on how much light it gets. A dark room in red can feel cosy and romantic, whilst a room with plenty of light painted in red will feel energised and bright.

Combining colours are the best way to get a balance in a room right. A white and silver room can feel starkly clinical, but add some coral pink accents and the room will feel fresh, modern and welcoming. We're so lucky that with the internet and all the lovely blogs out there we have access to some wonderful inspiration, so start collecting photos of rooms you like to give you an idea of what would suit you best. Here are some wonderful examples of bedrooms that manage to be fresh, warm and relaxing.

What colour is your bedroom? Do you like it?
x

TOTW: Storing Boots

2009-10-14T08:19:00.004+01:00

Hello! I'm back after having a wonderful time with my mum visiting us here in the UK. We went sightseeing in Oxford, relaxed at a spa, then had afternoon tea in the Cotswolds and finished the visit with a trip to Windsor Castle... all in 5 days! More on the Windsor Castle visit later.

For now, here is the TOTW - Tip of the Week: Storing Boots.

When not wearing boots, try not to let them flop over, it will make creases in the leather or suede and will generally distort the shape. You can of course buy boot shapers, but the easiest and cheapest way to store them upright is with a rolled up glossy magazine per boot.

Newspapers work too, but I find with magazines that the keep the shape better. And when you need to wear a pair of boots, just pop their magazines inside another rolled up magazine of one of the other pairs of boots - they can easily double up, like this...

How or where do you store your boots?

I'll be back at the weekend with a longer post!
x

Vanity space

2009-10-04T15:18:00.006+01:00

I hope you're all having a good weekend! I'm doing some cleaning and organising because in 4 days time I'm picking my mum up from the airport. She's visiting us for 5 short days from South Africa, and when my mum comes to visit I always make sure the house is super-tidy and clean.

So part of my sorting out has led to me re-organising my make-up.
I love make-up, not because I like buying cosmetics, but because I honestly think I look better with a bit of foundation, mascara and a bit of pink on my cheeks. My make-up routine is such a part of my morning routine, and because of this I have always loved the idea of having a dressing or vanity table... you know, a little table with pretty bottles, a vanity table set with matching brush and hand mirror, a small pretty box for earrings etc. Like this sort of thing...

This photo from Anthropologie is almost like a doll's house set - cute!
Simple, but perfect.
And this image from country living features the most beautiful bottles.That's it, if I ever have a vanity table I want this fairytale mirror from Anthropologie, fittingly named 'who's the fairest mirror'.
And I'm in love with this chair!

Dreaming is all very well, but unfortunately that's not something I can really consider having in our house because we lack the space. The bathroom is also not ideal for make-up because it's a bit dark, and Mr L would not be impressed if I had to rush him out the bathroom because I need to 'put my face on' as we call it.

However, I have found a nifty solution which works wonderful. My wardrobe (which is in our spare room) is nice and deep, so I'm lucky that I can use the inside of the wardrobe doors. On the one side I have a full length mirror - very important for seeing whether the shoes match the bag. And on the other wardrobe door I have a small mirror, below which is a little jar for all my brushes, and below that is a perspex shelf holding all the products I need to 'put my face on'.
(Oops, I better clean that mirror!)

And because I now have a mirror on the inside of each wardrobe door I can position the doors so that I can see the back of my head (or how big my bum looks in a particular outfit) with the two mirrors. It's like my own make-up centre in the wardrobe, and I love it! I think having limited space can sometimes be a blessing, it means you really have to focus on what's necessary, and can help you avoid clutter. So until I one day get my very own dressing table, I'm ever so pleased with my wardrobe vanity space. Oh, and thank you Mr. L for putting the perspex shelf in for me!

What have you been up to this weekend?
x

Buying a tablecloth

2009-09-21T17:38:00.010+01:00

Have you ever needed to buy a tablecloth, but you were unsure what size to get, not to mention if it's the correct size for the correct occasion? Well, so it's not something most people worry about as such, but I think it's a handy thing to know in home keeping. So here's a rough guide to help you find your perfect tablecloth. After all, after freshly laundered crisp bedlinen, a crisp tablecloth can really make any day feel extra special!

Breakfast or lunch tablecloths ought to hang over the edge of the table by 15-20 cm (6 - 8 inches)
A dinner cloth on the other hand ought to hang over by 20 - 30 cm (8 - 11 inches), and the more formal the occasion, the longer (I seriously did not know that until now), but you need to avoid the cloth draping on the chair seat, so it's recommended that you steer clear of an over 30cm overhang if possible unless it's a floor lenght round tablecloth - and those cloths are reserved for very formal occasions such as a wedding. Most linens shrink after laundering, especially in the length more than the width, so do take this into consideration when buying table linen, therefor allow for a 5 - 8 cm (2 - 3 inches) shrinkage. Here's a chart to help you next time you buy a tablecloth, it's really useful to refer to (click on it to enlarge):

Chart taken from the Anna's Linens website

I'm so glad that lace edged and Broderie Anglaise cloths are all making a comeback. I found some lovely vintage tablecloths on EBay recently, and most you can get cheaper than polyester tablecloths cost in the shops. Oilcloth tablecloths are great for big families, or doing crafts at the dining room table, but linen and cotton will make a lunch or dinner feel a bit smarter. I love crisp white cloths with a bit of detailing, but I also like cloths with big bold blue patterns on them... so much to choose from. Here are some of my favourites from the web...

What's your favourite?

Have a great week!
x

Goodbye Mould!

2009-09-18T20:39:00.005+01:00

As promised, here is my post about mould... and boy have I had enough of mould. Maybe you don't or never have had a mould problem in your home, but please dear blogging friends, I urge you to read on and be prepared for when it might strike. Mould and damp is so destructive... but not to fear... it can be dealt with!

So I've mentioned previously that we had a water pipe burst - the water ran down through the ceiling, and down the back of the kitchen cupboards. This only happened for what we think was a couple of hours. All was fine when we went to bed, but when we woke up, there was the sound of dripping, and water on the kitchen worktop overflowing from some canisters against the wall that had filled up with water. Mr L quickly fixed the leak, and we dried the counters as best we could, emptied the kitchen cupboards, leaving the doors open so that they could dry. We were so grateful that we were home and could stop the leak because it seemed like there was hardly any damage to the kitchen or ceiling.

A couple of weeks passed and I noticed that the back of the kitchen cupboards were no longer sparkly white - and then the smell started. Every time you walked into the kitchen there was a faint smell of damp... we sort of knew something was happening, but we were in denial. Finally a month after the leak, we decided to take down the kitchen cupboards that Mr L and his dad worked so hard putting up a couple of years ago. This is what we found...

It was so much worse than we ever imagined! We never realised that so much was happening behind our kitchen cupboards with only a faint smell to give it away. We're heartbroken at being without half of our lovely kitchen, but we're looking forward to getting it sorted out soon too. We will have to replace the plasterboard on the walls, and then replace the kitchen units again, all I can say is thank goodness for house insurance! But poor mr L has allot of work ahead of him.

So, here are a couple of steps to take if you ever have a water leak, or discover mould! Don't hope for the best like we did, act quickly!

Step 1: If you have a water leak in the house - all surfaces need to dry-out properly. It seems obvious, but in the UK with high humidity almost year round it's much harder than you think. Carpets will need to be lifted, furniture needs to be removed from the area, and cupboards or selves will need most probably need to be taken down for drying out. Don't hesitate to hire a de-humidifier. This is the one thing that will help most at preventing mould!

Step 2: If you are at a stage where you discover mould - act quick! Mould will spread fast, a small area of mould is not too much of a problem, but when it gets bigger than a metre square area, the house occupants can suffer ill effects caused by mould. More specifically, asthma sufferers are at risk of having their asthma worsened. So once discovered, the mould will need to be cleaned away. If the area is manageable here is how to tackle it, but large areas of mould are best handled by professionals. The best non-industrial product I found here in the UK is the Dettol Mould & Mildew remover. But whatever product you choose to use, always wear a mask and gloves when cleaning mould. In order to prevent the spores from spreading too much, you will need to mist it lightly with a liquid such as the Dettol cleaner. This is to prevent the mould spreading around in the air as you wipe it off. Once you have sprayed it, use a cleaner or soapy water and a sponge to wipe away the mould. Keep rinsing the sponge and change the water regularly.

Wipe down all surfaces and areas around where the mould was, then use an absorbent cloth, or towel to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Using a de-humidifier at this stage will also help greatly (de-humidifiers can be rented in the UK for approximately £15-25 a day, but are worth it if you can save having to replace materials).

Step 3: Replace areas and surfaces that are irreparable, or potentially have more mould that you cannot reach. Then you will need to keep the area well ventilated for a week or two until you are sure that all surfaces are thoroughly dry, and mould areas have been cleaned and treated before replacing furniture, cupboards or shelves.

I hope this post will be a handy resource for anyone dealing with mould. Remember that untreated mould can pose health risks including allergic reactions, sinus infections and asthma attacks. It really boils down to drying wet areas out, and keeping damp areas well ventilated and clean before the mould has a chance to grow. But, mould happens, and when it does, it' handy to know that it can be treated.

I'll be back soon with another tip of the week. Thanks to Ivy for all her useful post ideas!
x

Tip of the Week: cheese storage

2009-09-09T20:23:00.004+01:00

Welcome to my new weekly posts that I'll be doing on top of my regular longer posts. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I no longer have the time to do a long post three times or even twice a week, so I thought a great way of making sure I post at least once a week is to have a quick weekly tip post. Suggestions of things you would like covered are welcome.

I'm starting off with storing cheese only because I recently got an email with household hints saying that cheese is best stored in aluminium foil. I wasn't so sure about this and went on a cheese and foil Google adventure. The tip was not quite right because storing cheese in foil can actually increase its chances of moulding. But boy oh boy, is there some controversy out there about storing cheese!? Everything from parchment paper to Tupperware. Here's what I could find out that seemed the best:

For hard cheeses, avoid plastic wraps, apparently the cheese starts tasting of the plastic. Instead wrap the cheese in wax paper, and then store in an airtight plastic container. This should be kept in the refrigerator drawers where it doesn't get too cold. Each time the cheese is unwrapped, re-wrap in fresh wrapping (seems a bit of a waste I know). Soft cheese is best kept in their original packaging but well sealed.

If cheese does become mouldy, cut away 1/2" around and below the mould. Soft cheeses however should be discarded when mould appears.

Let me know your thoughts on cheese storage. Ha ha, it's amazing what topics are useful for home keeping.

I'm back with the Miele S7 review

2009-08-31T18:40:00.007+01:00

I'm finally back online - we have been without Internet for over a week! Not only that, but half our kitchen has had to be taken down because of the mould caused by the water leak ... more details on that sorry story to come soon.

For those of you who wanted to know how I got on with the snazzy Miele vacuum... here is my full review.

To start with I left our downstairs rug un-vacuumed for a week... that meant a week's worth of dog hair, dirty doggy paws, dirty shoes and general dust accumulation (best not to think about it too much). So here is a close-up of our rug before.

I gave the rug a good sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda... (do you like my fireplace chicken? :)

And this is how it turned out.

Yes, I was well chuffed with how well the Miele performed. I felt it sucked up all the dog hairs, human hairs, bits of garden soil, and dog biscuit crumbs in a jiffy. Although I felt that the Miele did a quicker job than my Vax did on our rug, I couldn't really be sure if it was more thorough and if it was worth all that extra money. So I continued playing around to test it, here are some other great features I found.

Front lights: I really did wonder why it had light on the front, because surely nobody vacuums in the dark right? Well I wondered until I pushed the vacuum under the sofa - ta da, I could see if there were any shoes, odd socks or hairclips (how do they get there?) as I went around. So yes, it's a nifty little function, not a necessity, but nice to have it (nodding head enthusiastically).

Going flat: How did I get under the sofa? The Miele goes completely flat! Amazing stuff really, I mean, it really goes flat, as in can get all the way under the bed flat... impressive.

The bag can take loads of dirt: Now personally I will say I prefer a bagless vacuum (I know it's not as hygienic), but I like to see what I've vacuumed up. However, I will say that this bag takes loads! I vacuumed, and vacuumed, for three weeks. I dusted the blinds, the windowsills, the lamp shades etc. And still that bag does not need emptying. By now I would have easily had to empty my Vax about three times.

It has an automatic setting or you can adjust the suction to be stronger or weaker: This was handy especially whilst dusting. I don't bother dusting with my vacuum because I feel it dusts in narrow lines, but the Miele did a superb job of sucking up dust beyond it's reach when on full power. This setting is also handy if you have fragile or expensive rugs... so not a function I particularly need.

I also did the "mess test" where I was supplied with some oats, talcum powder and sugar to scatter on a piece of rug that was supplied by Miele. I scattered all the bits, and then proceeded to really rub them into the pile of the carpet. This is the before shot:

This is after I did a single line in one direction once with the Miele.

The scattered oats were displaced after the vacuum went past.

So, as you can see, it did a great job, but struggled a bit more with the talcum powder (maybe I shouldn't have rubbed it in quite so vigorously). Although after vacuuming over the rug a few times it did seem to get most of it out. What fun, I ought to volunteer to test these products out more, ha ha, not sure Mr L would be that impressed, he finds it a bit strange that I get excited about trying out a vacuum that I can't keep.

I guess by now you must think I sound like an advertisement for the Miele, which I kind of do. So to show that I can be objectionable, and that I'm not just swayed by it's good looks and pretty lights, here is a list of pros and cons.

PROS

* It's quiet in comparison to other machines, especially considering the power.

* Dusting with the Miele is fantastic! My blinds look as good as new, as do my lampshades.

* The hose stretches really far, and pops back into shape really easily.

* The machine switches off automatically if it sucks something up that prevents the air flow (I found this out after a facecloth fell out of the laundry basket as I vacuumed past it).

* The cord wraps around high at the back making it so much easier to control.

CONS

* It's heavy, not much heavier than my Vax, but it's not a breeze to carry up the stairs.

* The cord at the back, as much as I loved having it up high so I didn't have to bend down, got in the way of the hose whenever I tried to take it out. I was so pleased that the hose just had to be taken out to use unlike the Vax, but this was just as frustrating as disconnecting and reconnecting the hose.

* At times it felt heavy to push around on a rug, especially a plush pile carpet.

* It's expensive! Well for me anyway. I'm just not the sort of person who's happy to whip out over £200 for a vacuum cleaner.

So all in all, it's a great machine. And if you have the money, or you like pretty gadgets, I don't think the Miele would disappoint. But if you don't mind a bit of extra effort like bending down to connect a hose, or spending a bit more time sorting out the cord, then the Miele is an expensive option. Would I like one? If it was on sale, definitely!

But for now, bye bye pretty Miele!

(sorry about my creased top, it was the end of the day).

What vacuum do you use? Are you happy with it, and would you be happy spending on a vacuum?

Pumpkin treats

2009-08-24T20:41:00.004+01:00

So what have I done with my pretty pumpkin? Well... firstly, thank you so much for all the good advice! And I'm so sorry for not having popped around everyone else's blogs to say hello, I'm hoping to have some time this coming weekend to catch up with everyone. Thank you especially to Victoria for the link to that delicious pumpkin cookies recipe. So that's one of the things I did with the pumpkin, the other was to make pumpkin fritters... yum!

Unfortunately I decided to steam the pumpkin after cutting it into pieces instead of roasting, and then I didn't drain enough of the water out, so in both instances I ended up with very runny dough. The fritters turned out soft, but tasty...

And the biscuits, well they were absolutely delicious, but not really biscuits.

He he, I managed to make something similar to a Jaffa Cake but pumpkin flavoured and minus the chocolate and orange.

And funny enough, Mr L loves them! I'll definitely be trying that recipe again, but next time with roasted pumpkin pieces instead. If you would like to try the delicious original pumpkin cookie recipe, you can find it here.

Oh, and I've been playing around some more with the MieleS7 vacuum cleaner - I'm almost ready to do that post. Phew, it's a busy time of year, but now I'm off to watch an episode of "Monday Monday" with Mr L, it's our Monday night switch-off time.

I'll be back soon with that Miele S7 post.
x

A Beautiful Pumpkin

2009-08-18T21:40:00.003+01:00

Some of you might have been expecting my next post to be about that fancy Miele vacuum cleaner that I'm trying out. Well, I still have the vacuum for a couple of weeks and I'd rather right a 'final review' about it along with some tips about vacuuming and looking after your vacuum cleaner at the ens of the trial. So, for now, I have a couple of other things I'd like to blog about. One of them is about MOULD! Mould can be so troublesome in a damp country such as England. Even worse is that we recently had a pipe burst and the water ran down the wall behind some kitchen cupboards which have swollen and gone mouldy. It's a bit of a disaster, but it's not a total loss that can't be remedied, so keep a look out for my next post all about dealing with mould... I hope yo will find it comes in handy at some stage.

In the meantime I'd like to show you a lovely gift given to me... my friend Steph from the The Green Grower Blog (if you're into growing your own veg or fruit you must pop by and see her lovely photos!) gave me a present from her allotment. She gave me a pumpkin, and it's soooo pretty! It's a lovely warm yellow colour - so lovely in fact that I'm tempted to take it to the hardware store to have paint mixed in that exact colour. The photos really don't do it justice.

So now it begs the question, what to do with this pretty pumpkin? I wish I could just display it all year round, but I've already got enough mould to deal with as it is, so I suppose better use it. Maybe I'll make some South African sweet pumpkin fritters?

Or a delicious orange and pumpkin soup?

Or should I simply roast some slices?
So many choices.

I'll be back soon with that post about dealing with nasty mould.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
x

Exciting delivery...

2009-08-09T09:39:00.005+01:00

I was recently emailed and asked to participate in a Miele S7 vacuum cleaner touring the UK. Basically they send the vacuum cleaner and I have to try it out for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I also have to send it back (boo). But I thought - why not!? A vacuum cleaner has to be on of the best household appliances (okay, okay, along with a washing machine, and refrigerator... but I'm kind of excited about vacuuming right now). Currently I have a VAX, I like it and it works well, but that's not to say I don't long for a powerful Dyson, cute Henry, or in this case a posh Miele that feels like I've just been handed the keys of an Aston Martin and told to test drive it... scary!

The task at hand is to really put it through its paces and see how many miles I can do. So far I cannot comment on how it works, because since it's delivery on Friday it's been standing on the landing like a prized possession and I've only glanced at it thinking 'ooh, pretty!' and 'Oh, so tidy'. It's a pretty neat machine in terms of looks. I reckon it's the Bree of Desperate Housewives in appearances ... not a hair (or cord) out of place. But today, I will switch it on and make it work, because although it looks like Bree, it might not clean like Bree.

I shall be testing this Aston Martin of a vacuum cleaner alongside my trusty, dusty VAX and I'll keep you posted. I've (purposefully) not been vacuuming our rug downstairs for the past week - gross I know, but I need to do this properly. Any more suggestions for putting a vacuum through it's paces (without of course damaging or breaking it)?

Hope you're having a good weekend!
x

Healthy Homemade Granola

2009-08-02T19:24:00.007+01:00

I've just returned from a week's holiday with Mr L & the in-laws in Somerset. It was a lovely break, but goodness me, we could have done with a little less rain. But because of the rain Mr L and I built a tricky 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, what fun! Neither of us have built a jigsaw puzzle in years! When last have you tried building one?
But now after lots of unhealthy eating, we're trying to be healthy again, and what better place to start than breakfast!?

This morning I decided to try and make a homemade Granola (granola is muesli, but baked so it's crunchier) after finding a video on how to make it. The supermarkets do have some great varieties of muesli and granola, but boy oh boy can they be expensive? Plus, freshly made granola with only ingredients you like is so much tastier and this recipe only uses a bit of honey, so no added sugar! This recipe so easy, and extremely tasty, and costs less for the amount you get. But do experiment with different ingredients to get it just the way you like it! I used dried apricots and sultanas, as well as adding chopped Brazil nuts, it was delicious!

I've posted the video showing how to make granola right here in this post for you to try too. This is not me in the video, but a lady named Sophie Uliano.
Even better, below that video is another one which Sophie shows how to make Almond Milk, I am going to HAVE to try that too... have any of you ever made Almond milk? I've never even tasted Almond Milk, so I'll let you know how I get on with making and having some. Enjoy the videos!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

ALMOND MILK- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

Table Manners

2009-07-22T18:01:00.005+01:00

This past weekend Mr L and I went for afternoon tea at Blenheim Palace of all places! It was actually a gift from my mother-in-law at Christmas, and we've only got around to doing it now.
I felt like a real lady who lunches, and I put on a dress for the occasion even if it was a bit windy.

The palace and gardens were beautiful and well worth a visit, but the cakes, well now, the cakes and sandwiches were just perfect! They were served in the beautiful Indian room, overlooking the fountains... pure bliss.

We even finished every last scrap! And I have a photo of me with my elbows on the table ...

What terrible table manners! I happen to buy a book in the gift shop afterwards called 'The Lady's Book of Manners'. It's a book about politeness and etiquette from 1890.

It's so fascinating, so I thought I'd share some table manners from the book with you, and then we'll move onto some more up-to-date table manners. Seeing as I was caught sipping tea with my elbows on the table I could do with a reminder!

The Lady's Book of Manners says:

It is looked upon as the height of vulgarity to use your knife to convey food to your mouth.

I love the use of the word vulgarity throughout the book!

And a hint that I think can still be applied today...

Avoid too slow or rapid eating; the one will appear as though you did not like your dinner, and the other as though you were afraid you would not get enough.

Do you think table manners still apply today? I think they should. Sure, family meals are allot more relaxed, but it's nice to still have some form of etiquette, even if only used at formal events or at Christmas. So here's a reminder (as much to myself as anybody else) of what is considered 'proper' (as opposed to vulgar) conduct at a table, these are just the basics, but they are also the important ones!

Wash your hands before sitting down, it's a good habit.
Sit up straight, slouching looks untidy
Don't speak with food in your mouth - nobody wants to see food flying accross the table.
Chew quietly and with your mouth closed, this is of course easier to do if you take small bites at a time.
Keep your elbows off the table, it generlly leads to slouching and takes up table space (that's me told then!).
Excuse yourself from the table or you might look as though you are storming out on a conversation, or you were displeased with something said.
Wipe your mouth before drinking or your glass will be full of smudges... eek!
Never reach across a table, as well as glasses that can be knocked over, you might be cutting someone else off from their conversation.
Don't wave utensils about in the air, for obvious reasons this could be dagerous.
And yes, don't put your knife in your mouth!
Don't start eating until everyone is seated.

Good 'ol table manners. I hope they never fall away completely!
Have a great week everyone!
x

New uses for old things...

2009-07-12T14:35:00.009+01:00

A busy couple of weeks again. I'm afraid I don't get a chance to post quite so often anymore because I am now officially enrolled in a yoga teacher's training course. I've been doing yoga for a bout 5 years now and thought it would be good to learn to teach it. But it means that as well as working full-time, I'm also doing 2 yoga classes a week, and some weekends away. However, I am NOT giving up on my blog, so I'll try my best to still post as often as possible.

I thought today I'd do a post about recycling some household waste into make-shift cleaning supplies. Recycling has become very fashionable in recent years, even to the extent that we now just plonk some household waste into a recycling bin. But what about recycling some of your waste yourself? I have a few ideas... so here goes. Can you think of anything else you could re-cycle to use for cleaning?

Old toothbrushes

It's advised that we replace our toothbrushes every 6 months. I never throw away a used toothbrush, because they are essential for cleaning around the house. Here's how you too can use your old toothbrushes.

* For stubborn limescale deposits, soak some paper towels, or a cloth in white vinegar. Apply to limescale area and leave to soak for 2 hours. Remove and use your toothbrush to scrub away the softened deposits, very helpful for nooks and crannies around faucets.

* The next time you clean your refrigerator, don't forget to clean the rubber seal. Pour some warm water into a bowl along with a drop of washing up liquid. Dip the toothbrush in the soapy water as you go around scrubbing the rubber. Wipe with a damp cloth.

* If your children draw with crayon on your walls, use a bit of toothpaste on the toothbrush to scrub away the crayon. Wipe away the toothpaste with a lightly damp cloth.

* Use the toothbrush and some diluted bleach to remove mildew from window frames. The bleach will also prevent the mildew coming back.

Old and odd socks

Aah, the Anthea Turner way! Use old socks (clean ones only please), over your hand to dust stair banisters, ornaments, plants etc. You're less likely to miss out on tricky corners if you use your hand to dust this way.

Old towels

It goes without saying that if you have pets, keep every bit of old towel you have... they are so handy on muddy days. But old towels are great for a couple of other things too... read on.

After mopping a floor. Wrap an old towel over the end of a broomstick, push around the floor to speed up drying and prevent slippages. It has the added bonus of buffing the floor.
Have a designated bathroom cleaning towel (perhaps even mark it with a permanent marker, or if that's too tacky for your linen cupboard, go ahead and embroider). Use that towel to wipe and clean the bathroom once you've finished in the shower. You wont need any chemical, and you'll never again have to use elbow grease to scrub your bathroom because you'll be preventing limescale and oily deposits buildup.

Newspaper

Use old newspaper to clean windows. Read more about getting streak free shiny windows here.

Used spray bottles

I never throw away a spray bottle. They are great to use for making up your own cleaning concoctions. Try some of these chemical free ideas. Also, I use one when I iron... simply add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil and you'll have lovely smelling laundry.

Mismatched china

Use an old teacup, or a pretty bowl to freshen a room. Fill it with a few spoons of bicarbonate of soda and a couple of drops of an essential oil, and place it on a shelf. The bicarbonate of soda will absorb any nasty smells.

Banana skins

Use the skin of a banana to clean leather shoes before you throw the peel into the recycling. Or you can also use it to polish the leaves of a houseplant.

Flat Cola
Don't pour flat cola down the sink, instead pour it into you toilet bowl and leave for an hour before flushing. It'll get rid of any limescale deposits and stains. Best not to think what this means for your stomach :)

Well I hope that's given you some new ideas, so get cleaning!

Oh, and one more thing...
We had some friends over for dinner and I needed to make a starter that would be tasty but quick to put together. I ended up doing a Tomato and Pesto tart from the BBC Good food website. It was delicious, and SO easy! I highly recommend it. Find the recipe here.

South African 'Melktert' recipe

2009-07-05T09:59:00.007+01:00

This weekend I again attempted to make a tart that I've failed to make successfully before. It's a traditional South African recipe called 'Melktert' or directly translated as milktart. A melktert is usually a shortcrust pastry base with a filling not dissimilar to a custard tart, but much more milky and softer than a custard tart and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This really is comfort food although South African, the recipe has some Dutch influences.

For a bit of history on this tasty dessert:

Before the Suez Canal was built, all ships travelling east to the spice islands of what is now Indonesia had to sail round the tip of South Africa. The Dutch and their East India Company were a force to be reckoned with along the spice route for a large part of the 17th century, and South Africa was a convenient stopping place on the long journey from Europe to Asia.

The first permanent Dutch settlement was established at the Cape of Good Hope around the middle of the century. The cinnamon used in this recipe would have been imported from Indonesia; and the milk would have come from the increasing number of Dutch farms that sprang up around the Cape to supply the Dutch ships and their scurvy-ridden crews with fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products.
Extract taken from an article by Cecily Layzell on Suite101.com

I'm happy to say that for the first time I have made a successfull melktert! This is with thanks to a new recipe I tried that I adapted from here. However, I used my own shortcrust pastry recipe which I'll share with you too. If you're not up to making your own pastry, just buy those ready made pastry cases or bake a ready-rolled shortcrust pastry from the supermarket... but give pastry making a go, it's fun! Just remember to keep all your ingredients as cold as possible, and it will help if you have a blender or mixer.

I'm also dedicating this recipe specially to my blog friend Ivy from Little Ivy cakes... she always does great recipes on her blog and loves trying new things, so this one is for you Ivy - I hope you get a chance to try this one yourself one day.

Melktert
This recipe is enough to make 2 tarts.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

200g unsalted butter (cold)
300g plain flour (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes on a hot day)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 small chilled eggs beaten

Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor or mixer (use a flat blade in the mixer) along with the flour. Blitz the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter. Add the sugar and blitz again. Now add the beaten eggs only a little at a time (you don't have to add all of it, instead check the consistency, it musn't be too wet) until the mixture binds into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and form it into two discs and cover with clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Butter two pie/tart dishes. Now roll the two discs out to about 3- 5mm thickness or to fit the dishes. Once the dough is in, prick liberally with a fork to prevent the pastry rising. Put some parchment paper and beans inside to blind bake the crust.

For the Filling

4 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 tablespoons of corn flour
2 1/2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
cinnamon to sprinkle over the top

Mix the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and then slowly add the dry ingredients whilst whisking.
Bring the milk to boil in a large saucepan, then remove the milk from the heat and add the mixed ingredients slowly into the milk whilst stirring to avoid lumps. Turn the stove top down low, and return the saucepan on the stove and slowly boil, stirring until the mixture has thickened - do not be tempted to remove from the heat before the mixture has thickened to a thick custard consistency or the filling wont set. Remove from the stove again, and add the butter and the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the two pastry cases whilst the mixture is still hot. Note: This tart does not get baked again, the heating of the milky filling is sufficient for the tart to set.

Allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and put the tarts in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Once the tart filling has set, sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon. Serve cold on it's own or with fresh berries as a dessert, or enjoy it as a teatime treat!

And now I have to show you my poppies that I have grown from seed... I am so excited that they have opened! They are Laura Ashley seeds, and I was expecting them to be more pink than dark purple, but I still think they are gorgeous! I'd send you all some seeds if I could. Well, actually, if any of you do really do want some seeds, leave me a comment before next Sunday saying you've emailed me, then email me with your address at laundrybasketcase @ rocketmail .com (remove spaces) and I will try and collect some when the pods have dried in the autumn and post them to you with instructions how to grow. I can't guarantee they'll be exactly the same, because the bees might be cross-pollinating them, but it' worth a try.

Have a great week!
x

Setting a table the correct way...

2009-07-01T08:39:00.013+01:00

My work on the site is done and as you might have noticed a couple of things have changed on my blog. I've been working very hard to add a few extras, update some of my labels, and change the layout with a new template. It's fairly busier than my clean layout from before, but I hope yo enjoy it nonetheless.

I'm excited about today's post because I love learning about etiquette, you know, doing things the 'proper' way. Generally speaking I can set a table correctly for informal family meals, but when I recently served up some tea and scones to work colleagues of mine, I had to go look up how to set the table for a tea party. Whilst doing my research I went the whole hog and looked up how to lay a table for all sorts of occasions. I am no expert, I'm merely trying to learn myself, so I can't claim that these images are 100% correct nor do I have all the necessary glassware, forks and spoons... but then you might not either, so I hope you find this post useful. And if you'd like to correct me on any of these, please do so and I'll update the pictures.

Let's start with laying the table.
Tablecloths look smart, but they are not essential. Instead you might want to show off your glass or antique table and use place mats instead. This is also a good option if you don't fancy ironing a tablecloth. Because, of course, a creased tablecloth looks very untidy unless you're going for a very creased linen rustic look. But saying that, it's only for formal dinners where the tablecloth needs to be immaculate IE. showing only one crease line that runs the length of the cloth. Unlike shown in my amateur photos, a white damask cloth is used only for dinner (silly me!). Prints and coloured cloths are great for ordinary home meals where you might like to re-use the tablecloth more than once (that is a clean cloth for dinner to take you through breakfast and lunch the next day).

A centre piece is not essential, but makes an occasion out of any meal. Using a simple centrepiece of picked garden flowers is elegant, and will make even the simplest family meals feel special.

Now, onto the specifics...
These are of course basic guidelines only. Place settings should be adapted depending on what is served in what order. Cutlery should always be laid with forks to the left, knives to the right with two exceptions: the fork goes on the right when there is no knife, and an oyster fork goes to the right or on the plate. All utensils should face upwards, with the sharp edges of knives turned towards the plate. Spoons go to the right of knives. The utensils that are to be used first are laid at the outer positions. Water glasses are set above the tips of the knives, wine glasses are to the right of water glasses. And if two wines will be served, three glasses should be set in a triangle. Dessert utensils are placed above the main plate, and teaspoons are placed on the saucers. Never lay out any utensils at a setting that do not have a purpouse during a meal.

Breakfast
I've only set out a bowl here, but actually, it should be a plate for hot food, a bowl for cereal on top, toast plate with butter knife on the top left. A glass for water, a glass for juice and a cup and saucer to serve tea or coffee to have with the breakfast.

Lunch
This setting is for a lunch serving that includes a small plate at the top left for salad, and a large plate for the main course. Two glasses above the knife and spoon are provided for juice and water. The napkin can of course be placed to the left of the forks as with other settings.

Morning or Afternoon Tea
I've shown a setting that would be used with serving cake and scones. The knife is for the butter, and the fork for cake. It is preferable to use a small cake fork of course, but I don't have any. Generally a smaller 6" luncheon napkin should be used, and looks ever so sweet in a neat triangle.

Informal Dinner
This setting has a small plate and knife for bread and butter, a soup bowl and soup spoon, a main plate with knife and fork and two glasses, one for water, the other for wine.

Formal Dinner
Once again, I'm afraid I don't quite have all the necessary utensils. But this setting has a bread and butter plate with knife, soup bowl and spoon. There's also a salad fork, main plate and a the teaspoon for use with tea or coffee that is served after the meal. The teaspoon can also be placed on the saucer (I have found evidence of both uses, but perhaps one is wrong?). The glasses are set so that either white or red wine could be had, and a water glass.

Extras:
With formal meals, or meals where guests are attending, try and avoid commercial packaging on a table (jars, cartons, butter tubs etc). Three things I think are essential to add to your dinner services are a milk jug (my mother-in-law is particularly oppose to having a milk bottle at a table), a butter dish or small pots to put butter into and a pretty oil and vinegar set. For serving tea, there should be an extra pot with hot water and for the sugar, sugar cubes are ideal or a pretty sugar bowl and spoon set. Remember that when serving tea, if milk is taken, it is the 'proper' thing to add the milk before pouring the tea. Also remember that water glasses are filled three-quarters full, and wine glasses half full (I'm sure that rule goes out the window as the evening progresses).

So there you have it - a quick basic course on setting the table. Have I left anything out? Do let me know. Oh, and is there anything else you as a reader would like to see added to my blog?

Speaking of which, I'll soon be starting a new weekly post alongside my normal ones about doing one odd-job around the house a week. You know, little things that might not get done normally, so kind of a reminder of one cleaning odd-job to do every week.

I've also found a new home-keeping blog called This Home Sweet Home. Pop over and say hi, there are some great informative posts there about all things home related.

Have a lovely week!
xxx

Many of my tips are adapted from Cheryl Mendleson's "Home Comforts" - an excellent all rounder weighty book for home-keeping. A favourite of mine.

Under Construction!

2009-06-27T09:03:00.003+01:00

Image from this website

Hello, just letting you know I'm doing some re-construction to my site, to make it better, more up-to-date and hopefully more useful to you all. I'm also working on a BIG post about setting the table for all sorts of different occasions, a post I'm rather excited about... so watch this space!

xxx

The Village Fair

2009-06-14T10:40:00.008+01:00

Sorry, a non home keeping related post for today. That's because this week there's hardly been time for any home keeping (shock horror! - just kidding, we all need a break). It's been the once a year Village Fair week.

It's just one of the things I really love about living in a village. Our village is not very big, but since we are a full time working couple without kids, we don't always get to see or meet everyone here... but for one week a year, everyone seems to come out of the woodwork. It's kind of a 'twee' village fair, nothing too big, elaborate or fancy really (as you'll see from the photos). During this week villagers open their gardens for some tea and scones, we have the big breakfast morning in the village hall, and of course on the Saturday we have the float procession (all the floats being pulled by the local farmers on their tractors) that ends at the school field for the main event which includes performances by the children and stalls selling plants, food and homemade goods.

Every year I like to bake a cake for the Fair (the cake stand collects money for the Church), and this year I made some pink cupcakes with white fondant roses - sorry, I forgot to take a picture. But I thought you might like to see some photos of the marching band and some of the floats.

The Village Fair Queen on a sledge

The nursery float - sweet!
We were so lucky to have had good weather this year, it makes all the difference to the fair, and today being a lovely day we went and had some scones in the most amazing garden I've ever come across - it certainly has inspired me to make more of our garden. So while we're on the subject of good weather and gardens... some of you might remember that I planted some seeds a while ago, and posted this picture.

Well, look what has become of those seeds now! I am so pleased that my seeds have actually grown into something and I've managed to keep them alive. I'll be planting them out soon and will keep you posted. There are some Verbena, Cephelaphora, Laura Ashley Poppies (yup, you can get Laura Ashley seeds!) and Evening Primroses in my greenhouse.

And I hope you don't mind, but I thought you might like to see what else is growing in my garden...

I have a tomato plant...Some broad beans...
Coral coloured poppies out the front...

Geraniums given to me by some friends...Oh, and... sorry, this one isn't from my garden. He's just a tired dog because he too went to the Fair and ate too much.
I hope your week is filled with some sunshine and lots of things to eat too.
x

How often to clean what...

2009-05-31T18:59:00.005+01:00

I hope everyone in the UK has been enjoying the lovely sunshine! It's been scorching hot yesterday and today, but lovely... just what we need really.

I've been bad at getting into my old routine after our holiday (hence not posting regularly). Even our healthy eating seems to have gone out the window since our return. So every now and then I think it's a good thing to be reminded of the basics around that need to be done, so I thought I'd do a post about how often what needs to be done about the house as a reference for others and a reminder for myself. Of course this is only a rough guide, and every household would need to adjust it accordingly. For instance having a dog with muddy paws probably means vacuuming or mopping needs to be done more frequently than in other households. But a basic guide is a great way to help write up a cleaning routine. I myself find looking at these daunting, but the point of them is not to make more work but rather to help create a schedule so that work around the house can be done efficiently and regularly enough so that no job becomes a major task. I'll start from daily tasks through to tasks that need only be done yearly.

Just a small note: Please don't allow this list to make you feel bad for not doing all of these things all of the time. I certainly don't get all of this done, but if you try an do as many of these just as regularly as you can you certainly have nothing to worry about. I remind myself that it's not a requirement but just things I could do to show that I appreciate my house.

Daily tasks

Make the bed
Put dirty clothhes in the laundry bin, and hang up or fold the rest
Sort out laundry, whether it's puttin on the washing, hanging it up or ironing
Wipe the bath, shower and sink after use
Wipe down kitchen surfaces after use, and clean the sink
Wash the dishes/ load and unload the dishwasher
Tidy away books and magazines in the sitting room/bedroom
Sweep or vacuum floors as needed

Once a week tasks

Thoroughly vacuum carpets and rugs
Dust all surfaces
Change the bedlinen
Clean and disinfect the toilet bowl
Clean surfaces and fixtures in the bathroom
Clean mirror
Shopping for food and non-food items

Tasks for once a month

Clean the windows (or every other month depending on where you live)
File all papers
Turn and vacuum matresses
Wash mattress & pillow protectors
Wash the inside of the dishwasher and washing machine (vinegar is perfect for the job), and wipe down the rubber seals with some vinegar
Wash hair and make-up brushes
Wash scuff marks on walls and paint work
Wipe down the oven, microwave and fridge shelves and kitchen cupboard doors

Spring cleaning tasks for once a year

De-clutter by discarding old magazines, outdated catalogues, clothes you no longer wear, and electronics that don't work.
Check and replace batteries in torches, remote controls, alarm clocks etc.
Polish furniture
Wash ornaments
Dust or vacuum books
Clean light fittings, shades or chandeliers
Shampoo carpets, and have soft furnishings, curtains and blinds cleaned
Turn-out and clean the loft/attic/garage
Empty and clean all cupboards that are rarely used.

I know! Other than the shopping for non-food items (now that I can do!), this is quite a list and probably reminds you that housework is never done. And well, okay it's not really. But if you have a routine or a list of things to do at a time, or even if you do 10 minute timer cleaning, you will be done for the day and put your free time to something else. For me it's about changing my mindset about housework from seeing at as a chore, to seeing it as just a daily thing I do because I appreciate that I have a roof over my head, and a lovely space to which I come home to. Without wanting to sound airy fairy, we need to love our homes and enjoy them regardless of it's size or status.

Have a great week! I hope to catch up with you all soon
x

Sources:
The Housewife's Handbook by Rachel Simhon
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendleson
How to be the perfect Housewife by Anthea Turner

Holiday & a birthday cake

2009-05-17T20:07:00.006+01:00

I'm back from Egypt now - we had a marvelous time, just what the doctor ordered really!
Egypt is such an exciting, interesting and sunny place to visit, I'd highly recommend it. My favourite was the Nile with it's beautiful green colour and dusty sunsets. I'm also really pleased I cleaned the house before we left... coming back from holiday always a bit of a downer, but allot better if you step back into a fresh and tidy home. Here are some highlights from our trip....

A kiss for the Sphinx

The temple of Philae on the Nile

Coming back from holiday, it's all been a bit of a rush, and I quickly had to get my apron ready because it was our one niece's 1st birthday! (we have 6 nieces and nephews between us).
My sister-in-law sent me a photo of a cake she liked, I adapted it a bit and voila... a girly 1st birthday cake for a special young lady.

Well, actually it wasn't voila... it was hard work! My mum use to make wedding cakes, not to mention the most amazing birthday cakes for us, and still makes birthday cakes for all her grandchildren, so I'm lucky that I've picked up some great tips from her. It's nice to know I can ring her up and say 'mum, the icing is cracking, what am I doing wrong?'. It's certainly not perfect, it has some cracks, lumpy- bumpy bits and is even a bit wonky - but hey, it's a homemade cake, and that's what matters.

Fondant icing can be a real pain to work with, but here are some tips if you decide to try it yourself:

Always knead and warm the fondant with your hands before you roll it out.
Use both your hands to lift up the rolled fondant to avoid it stretching - stretching will also cause cracks!
Adding a tiny bit of egg whites can help prevent cracking and smoothing it.
I don't buy ready coloured fondant because you can achieve the exact colour you want and you'll need to work the icing anyway before you can roll it out.
To test if the icing is ready, when you tear a piece off it should make a nice 'thump' sound as it breaks.

I hope you like the cake, I wish I could share a slice with you all (it's a vanilla Madeira cake).
I'll have to do a proper 'cake making' post some time.

Thanks for stopping by!
xxx

Herbs in the home

2009-04-25T19:39:00.008+01:00

I'm very late with this post, mainly because we've had some trouble with our Internet connection, broke down in my car on the motorway yesterday - long story - and we've been packing for our holiday. But today's post is one I feel passionate about. I love herbs, growing them and using them for cooking. But herbs are also great to use around the home. In fact, have you seen the BBC show 'How to grow your own drugs' ? Sounds a bit dodgy I know, but it's not at all. The presenter is a botanist showing how to make basic health remedies from herbs you can grow in the garden... I've got my eye on the book, and it's on my Amazon wish list now. One of the great recipes shows how to use hops under your pillow to relieve insomnia - so simple, but apparently is works.

As you might have noticed before, I am not a fan of chemicals and generally prefer 'natural' solutions. I've gathered some great simple and natural recipes for using herbs to clean and freshen the home, I hope you can make use of them. I've not tried all of these myself, but do let me know if you use any of these successfully. And I think Spring is just the right time to try them out!

Many of these recipes include Eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus is a great oil that every household should have alongside a bottle of Lavender oil. It's also readily available from supermarkets and chemists. Eucalyptus is not only a disinfectant, but will also keep pests such as moths and fleas out of your home, and it smells really fresh too.

Lavender fresh carpets
The first recipe is one I saw on the program "How Clean is Your House?" with the brilliant and funny Kim and Aggie. Mind you, it's a pretty grim program, and I reckon most people watch it to be able to say 'at least my house isn't THAT bad'. Goodness, I hope there aren't many houses around as dirty as those ones - some of the houses shown on the program makes me feel ill, yuk! This recipe is to freshen up carpets in preparation for vacuuming...

Mix some bicarbonate of soda with some fresh lavender that has been slightly bruised and crushed in a pestle and mortar. Add them to a shaker pot and sprinkle over the carpet surface. Leave for approximately 30 minutes before vacuuming the carpet thoroughly.

The lavender not only makes your carpet smells nice, but as it gets vacuumed up, the lavender scent will be spread around the room through the vacuum's air outlet... lovely!

All Purpouse Thyme Cleaner
Thyme is a disinfecting herb that can be used safely around the house.

2 1/2 cups water
1 handful thyme (fresh or dried)
Vinegar
Liquid castille soap (squirt)

Boil the water and then add the thyme. Simmer for 3 hours over medium-low heat, covered. Cool, then strain. Pour the water into a spray bottle, top with white vinegar and add a squirt of soap. Use as needed.

Herb Disinfectant Cleaner
This spray cleaner disinfects surfaces, kills mold, and discourages its return. Eucalyptus,
lavender, and tea tree are all known for their antimicrobial properties.
1 tsp. sodium lauryl sulfate
1 tsp. borax
2 Tbs. white vinegar
2 cups hot water
1/4 tsp. eucalyptus essential oil
1/4 tsp. lavender essential oil
3 drops tea tree essential oil
Mix all ingredients together and stir until dry ingredients dissolve. Pour into spray bottle. To use, spray as needed on any surface except glass. Scrub and rinse with clean, damp cloth.
*Source: The Herb Companion, September 1999

Lavender Laundry
A brilliant Martha tip: Add a Lavender Bag to your dryer when drying your linen and sheets. Can be used at least 25 times.

Lavender Gentle Scourer
3/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/8 cup (one-eighth) liquid castile soap
5 drops lavender Essential Oil

Combine all ingredients and add enough water to make a smooth paste. Apply to surface, then wipe area clean with a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse well.

Linen Spray
1/2 cup Distilled Water
1/2 cup Vodka
10 drops Eucalyptus oil or any other favourite essential oil

Mix the ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Shake before use.

Tub Scrub
1 cup Baking Soda
15 drops Eucalyptus oil

Mix the baking soda and oil well then scrub onto bathroom tub and sink with a damp sponge. Leave sit for a bit before rinsing off with clear warm water. I can personally vouch for this recipe working a treat! It really does take the hard work out of cleaning a dirty bathtub and leaves the bathroom smelling clean.

I hope you enjoy and try out some of these - do let me know how you find them in comparison to the usual chemicals in brightly coloured bottles you can buy? I still get sidetracked and end up buying some, but I'm always sorry when I smell those nasty smells.

I found many of the recipes from this fabulous website, take a look for some more:
http://tipnut.com/homemade-herbal-cleaner-recipes/

And a great website to buy bulk cleaning basics such as borax and castille soap in the UK is Summer Naturals.

I'll be away for two weeks - we're off to Egypt! It will be our first ever visit there, and I'm ridiculously excited about it, walking around the house singing 'walk like an Egyptian' over and over. It also means two weeks to get me out of my cleaning routine, so I'll need to remind myself how to do things by the time I get back, so right now I'm off to clean the house before our holiday. Getting back from holiday is always a bit of a downer, but less so if you return to a clean and fresh home. Have a great couple of weeks!

xxx

The best Steak Salad...

2009-04-15T20:29:00.005+01:00

We've had some internet troubles at home, so I've not been able to post this recipe on Monday as I hoped. But better late than never.

My sister owns and runs a Medical Spa and Guesthouse in South Africa. At the restaurant they serve the most delicious salad I've ever had, and I am genuinely not a fan of salads in general (lettuce is for rabbits!). But this steak salad is filling, tasty and healthy and would probably be enjoyed by most men too. I've been dying to make it myself and got my mum to interrogate the chef about how he makes it. So shh, don't tell my sister I'm sharing this recipe with you. It is actually a very simple recipe and can easily be adapted, but I think it's the sauce and dressing together that makes this work, so pay attention to those bits!

Steak Salad
Makes 2 large portions to be served as main meals

2 Sirloin steaks - fat removed
1 Diced onion
Mixed salad leaves (I used spinach leaves, and a mixed bag of lettuce)
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Red/Yellow Pepper, cut into strips
2 Rounds of feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 Carrot grated
olives
1 Lemon
Olive oil
BBQ Sauce
Herbs
Salt & pepper

Prepare the fresh salad by washing the salad leaves, slicing up the peppers and tomatoes, and grating the carrots. Mix in a bowl adding the feta cheese and olives.

Fry the diced onion gently until slightly soft, then add the steaks to the frying pan cooking them to your preferred taste. Add the BBQ sauce to the pan covering both the steaks and onions with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, slice the steak into smaller strips and toss the steak strips again so that they are covered in the sauce.

Top the salad with the steak and onion. Now squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl, add some olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs of your choice. Mix it up, and drizzle over the salad to serve.

This is such a perfect recipe for a warm summer's evening - the warm steak goes surprisingly well with the cold salad, and the lemon and BBQ sauce is a great taste!

Enjoy!
x

Scrub-a-dub-dub

2009-04-10T15:52:00.004+01:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter weekend. We are definitely relaxing a bit this weekend, but we've also still been busy with our spring cleaning. This morning we did a quick 10 minute tidy downstairs, and 20 minutes upstairs using the timer - it worked great and means I can put my feet up for the rest of the weekend. As promised however, here is my post about scrubbing a floor...

I'm not sure if I should admit this or not, but here goes... I have never in my life scrubbed a floor. Mopped, yes of course, I have mopped my floors many times, and may I just add that my floors are mostly pretty clean because I sweep them with a hard bristle broom before mopping. But since it's spring and I've kind of always wanted to try this (probably because I watched the Cinderella movie too many times as a child), I decided to try it myself and blog about it. The majority of our house downstairs has laminate floors, and they don't need scrubbing. Our bathroom floor is a shiny tiny tile floor that I simply wipe clean along with the rest of the bathroom. But our kitchen floor is a lovely uneven slate floor. It's probably about time that it has a 'deep clean'. So I'm on a mission to find out what all the fuss is about scrubbing on your hands an knees, and will it really leave my floor cleaner, undamaged and sparkling?

Before we get started, let me just say that even my Martha Stewart Homekeeping Handbook mentions that scrubbing is not something that needs to be done on a regular basis... phew, I almost started feeling guilty. Secondly, never scrub a surface that cannot handle being waterlogged, or is prone to scratching (eg. wood, laminate, vinyl).

Some people claim that scrubbing a floor on your hands and knees is therapeutic, and having literally just finished I can kind of agree, but I'm more impressed with the amount of calories I must have burnt doing that - bring on a slice of Easter cake!

Let's get started with the supplies, and of course, please do let me know if I have got any of
this wrong, I am after all just a novice at this.

You will need:

Floor scrubbing brush
Knee pads or a kneeling cushion (even if you are young and spritely, knees are sensitive things - I used an old cushion that I popped into a plastic carrier bag)
6 or 7 drops of dish soap in a bucket filed with a gallon of hot water.
A second bucket filled with clear water
Absorbent sponge, an old towel or a big floor cloth

Starting in a corner and working your way towards the entrance of a room, dip the scrub brush in the soapy water and scrub floor in a circular motion paying particular attention to grubby bits and grooves.
Dip the scrub brush in the bucket with plain water before re-dipping it in the soapy water to repeat step 1 as you move along the floor.
When you've covered all of the floor surface, rinse both buckets and fill one with fresh clear water. Roughly go over the floor surface again using long circular strokes, dipping the scrub brush every so often.
Use an absorbent sponge, old towel or a floor cloth to mop up excess water to allow the floor to dry quicker.

This is me having a go....

So what's the verdict? I'm pleasantly surprised how quick it was (okay, so my kitchen is quite small), and that I didn't feel at all like Cinderella, boo. The kitchen floor does however look cleaner for it, but once again, I don't think this is a task I would add to my weekly cleaning routine (I love my mop too much), but it sure was a great spring clean task. Now, with a stronger back and a distinct lack of guilt I can go have an extra Easter egg for my effort.
xxx

PS: I might just share my new favourite recipe with you on Monday - the best Steak Salad ever!!! Yum.

Today's to-do list

2009-04-05T10:26:00.003+01:00

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend with a bit of sunshine. It's nice and sunny here in Oxfordshire, but it's still a bit on the cold side for my liking.

I have a big to-do list for today. Now I'm not much of a fan of to-do lists, maybe because I don't like the disappointment if I don't do all of it, and because I'm a bit forgetful and end up forgetting to look at my to-do lists. But seeing as today is Sunday, and I have plenty of things I'd like to get done before the start of another week, I've written out my list. Here's how it goes:

1. Gardening

Weed front garden
Plant seeds
Dig bed in front of Shed

2. Food

Plan weekly menu
Write grocery list
Do grocery shopping

3. Cleaning

20 minute floor clean downstairs
15 minute vacuum downstairs
10 minute kitchen wipe-down
Water house plants
Put on dark washing

It's not too bad actually. As you can see I've given myself time limits on my cleaning, because it's easy to get carried away or overwhelmed by tasks at the weekend, and if I use my timer to do a quick clean I don't feel as bad about doing cleaning on a Sunday. I've also not written the list to do in that particular order, but it does help to clearly define the three main areas I'll focus on today (other than relaxing that is - that's my main focus!).

One of my tasks is to water all the houseplants today, and I thought I'd share some handy tips I've learnt about feeding your plants as you water them:

When you boil or steam veggies, use the left-over water to cool down and use it to water your plants - a lovely nutritious treat for them.
You can use cooled down chamomile tea to water young plants if you would like to prevent mould.
If you own a fish tank, don't throw away any of the smelly water when you clean the tank - the water is full of nutrients that your plants will love.
Nettles growing in the corner of the garden? Half fill a bucket with nettles and add rainwater. Cover the bucket and leave to infuse for 2-3 weeks. Drain the water (which should have a strong odour), and dilute to 4 parts water for watering roots of plants or to enrich the soil - voila! A nettle manure.

I'll be back soon with a post about scrubbing floors! Watch this space...
Have a great Sunday!
x

Rhubarb Crumble and gardening

2009-03-29T12:02:00.006+01:00

It's been a bit cooler here this week, but my spring cleaning is still underway. Mr Laundrybasketcase was in the mood for a Rhubarb crumble and I found a delicious recipe by Gordon Ramsay which I highly recommend. Rhubarb is of course in season now in the UK, so it's perfect timing, and you should be able to find some delicious fresh rhubarb from a farmer's market now. My gardening skills are not quite good enough to grow my own, but I'm hoping to try it next year. In the meantime try out this recipe - it's got a couple of tweaks from the original.

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble

500g rhubarb, trimmed
2-3 inch piece of ginger
100g golden caster sugar
40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Splash of Calvados

For the crumble

50g oats
100g plain flour
Pinch of ground cinnamon
45g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
75g demerara sugar
Clotted cream or ice cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/gas 6.

2. Cut the rhubarb into 2 inch pieces and halve lengthways if the stems are thick. Peel the ginger.

3. Gently heat the sugar in a pan until dissolved and beginning to caramelise. Add the rhubarb and grate in the ginger. Toss to coat. Gradually add the butter and shake the pan to combine. Allow the rhubarb to caramelise evenly, turning if necessary. Add a splash of dark rum and stand back as the alcohol may flambé. Cook for a further minute until the sauce is thick and syrupy and rhubarb is breaking down.

4. To make the crumble topping place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly combined (if you want to make your crumble mixture a little stickier also add a splash of water at this stage). Transfer the mixture to a bowl until ready to use.

5. Spoon the caramelised rhubarb into the bottom of 4 small individual serving dishes. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

6. Remove from the oven and serve with a spoonful of clotted cream.

Mmmm... it really is tasty, and I think the reason this recipe is so great is because of the caramelised sugar, yum!

As I mentioned before, I'm a bit of a novice to gardening, but I'm keen to learn. Our back garden has allot of work that needs doing, so I started last year with the front garden. This is what the front looked like when we first moved in.

And this is how it looks now. My next plan is to replace the front path with some stepping stones.

I've also bought a propagator and I'm attempting to grow some verbenas. I've only just planted them last weekend, so I'll keep you posted as they are growing.

Are you any good at gardening? And how's your spring cleaning coming along?
x

Freshen up!

2009-03-22T17:29:00.007Z

I'm back from my trip to South Africa... as well as having some lovely moments with my family, some sunshine and excellent food I've come back very relaxed and too embarrassed to post because my housework has been so behind. But never mind because in the northern hemisphere Spring is officially here! In the UK we have had some lovely sunny days for the past week, as a matter of fact it feels like I'm still in South Africa some days. With spring in full swing there's no hiding from the fact that's it's time to thoroughly clean the house.

So have any of you started the Spring clean routine? I have started a bit today, I say a bit because I was distracted yet again by the gorgeous sunshine and ended up doing this for half the day....

What's better than a good book in a hammock under the sun? Not much I tell ya!

So as the title of this post says, spring time is time to 'freshen up' the house. It's a time to open all the windows so that air can circulate, hang the laundry outside again, and get rid of clutter. This really is the one time of year when the days are getting longer and our energy levels increase, so there really is no better time to de-clutter than in the spring. And what a great time to clean those places you don't get to clean regularly. But just starting to spring clean without a plan is like trying to do grocery shopping without a planned menu... it could work, but you might not get through everything or have everything that's needed to get you through. So if you haven't got a plan just yet, then here are some ideas to get you started (and me of course because I need to get off my backside and do this properly before Spring is over).

Make a list of things that really bother you around the house (that Tupperware cupboard, or under the stairs for instance?) Prioritise, and decide which tasks are achievable for a spring clean. Start with these tasks.
Shake any rugs outside and sweep or vacuum underneath them.
Move all the furniture, cleaning behind and under it - doing room by room.
Dust and wash walls removing marks and stains.
Thoroughly vacuum upholstery
Go through items in the wardrobes and throw out items that have not been worn in the past season and store away any winter clothing if you need the extra space.
And my favourite task: hang all quilts, pillows, cushions and blankets (without their covers) in the bright sunshine - it gets rid of those nasty dust mites and brings the smell of the sun back into the house.

There are of course lots of other tasks that can be done for spring cleaning, but it can be daunting if you decide to tackle your entire house at once. Because I work full-time, I have decided to dedicate two evenings a week to spring cleaning. And some tasks that I don't feel are urgent I am writing on a list to do in the autumn (washing curtains and re-organising our house filing drawers are just a couple of examples).

What have you done for your spring clean so far?
I hope you have all been well, it's good to be back! I've got lost of post lined up for this season... some more recipes to share, as well as a post about using herbs around the house, a post about South African home keeping and a post about scrubbing floors the old fashioned way - sometimes it just has to be done.

Have a lovely week!
xxx

PS: Happy Mother's Day to those mum's in the UK (and anywhere else that's celebrating today).

Procrastination...

2009-03-01T19:46:00.004Z

Sure, there are many moments on life when tasks just don't take priority. But they are not that often, and most of the time, for things to work we need to do certain things even if they are not our idea fun.
I know that I am way too tempted by new exciting creative projects that also make me think 'I'll do that other task later'. So I also have to start off with apologising for not posting as regularly recently - I've actually not been procrastinating with my blog (I love it too much), I've just been pre-occupied with all sorts of other things... probably due to the fact that I procrastinate and leave other things to the last minute - ha ha.

Actually I've become allot better in recent years, for instance only tonight I finished dinner and immediately set out to pack the dishwasher - even before I had my after-dinner cup of tea. But then I've also come to realise that trying to persuade myself I'll do it later only leads to frustration because 'later' becomes 'too late'. My worst moment was only a couple of weekends ago - we had friends coming over for lunch at our house and I wanted to mop our floor after a naught muddy pawed dog had trailed his way through the house. I had the whole Saturday morning to do it, but put it off until 20 minutes before our friends arrived. They of course arrived early and I found myself staring at them through the front door window mop and bucket in hand and they had to walk on a wet floor to come in. Not my best moment.

In the times we live with the hundreds of distractions available to us with a flick of a switch or a click of a button, procrastinating is easier than ever! And procrastination is probably the biggest problem in keeping a home clean and tidy and presentable. So is it possible to overcome procrastination? Well, I'd love to try, so I've been researching this topic a bit and I'd like to share with you what I've found.

Good 'ol Wikipedia says:

Procrastination is a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. ^[1] Psychology researchers also have three criteria they use to categorize procrastination. For a behavior to be classified as procrastination, it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying.^[2]

Okay, so I realise that not EVERY task left undone in a house is due to procrastination - but it certainly does play a part. If you know that you put tasks off without a real valid reason, then read on.

Routine

Putting tasks off for 'later' happens when we don't have a routine. I've written about routines previously, and mentioned that it takes 21- 30 days to create a new habit. So it's important to turn a routine into a habit ... just part of everyday. That way you will do tasks without having to think about them or give yourself the choice. Flylady.com is great for setting up a home cleaning routine through baby steps.
The trick with a routine is to realise that it's easier to get out of a routine than it is to get into it. Illness and holidays are two real routine breakers. Next time you are ill or on holiday write a to-do list for when you are better or back home. Give yourself a deadline to get back into your routine and stick to it.

Perfectionism

This is one big reason many of us procrastinate. We are so adamant to do a task perfectly, that if we don't have ALL the time available to us that we think we'll need to complete a task perfectly, we'll just put it off hoping the time will come. This is where we need to change our mindsets and realise that picking up just that one pair of shoes from under the sofa is better than not picking up any of them. A good way of overcoming the 'perfectionist procrastinator' is to use 5 minutes available to you to do a task regardless of whether you will be able to finish that task. For example, if you have 5 minutes of waiting for a friend to pick you up, start sorting out your book pile next to your bed - you don't have to finish it, but at least you've made a start.

Rewards

This is the trick I use most often. I know that I procrastinate because I can ALWAYS find something better to do (like reading all your lovely blogs!). So I tell myself that I can have a cup of tea after I pack the dishwasher, or I can surf the net for 1/2 hour after I vacuum the rug in the living room. It works, but don't make it too serious and tell yourself 'I can't have x until I've completed y' - try and stay positive and just tell yourself you are doing this task so that you can relax with your treat.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Another big reason we procrastinate is because a task often seems to big to handle right now. This can also be linked to perfectionism. Have you ever had a pile of laundry at the end of a weekend or holiday that made you think it's just too much to do? And that you'll never have the time to get through all of it? In this case I try and break the task down into smaller tasks. For instance I'll separate the laundry into small piles - one for each day of the week. And then I make sure to put that pile of laundry allocated to that day on first thing in the morning. Even if it takes a couple of weeks, as long as you do the smaller tasks regularly enough it will get done!

Most importantly, try and remember how nice it is to relax after something has been completed, you feel all the better for it!

Do you procrastinate? And what's your favourite distraction?

I sure hope to become better and better at doing things as they present themselves. Do it now, then it's done... I'll keep telling myself that.

Another great resource for overcoming procrastination is:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/overcome-procrastination-once-and-for-all.html

I'm on holiday! Sort of...

I must just take the time to let you all know that I will be flying to South Africa this week to spend some time with my mum who has suffered from a bad knee and has had two operations on it now. I will also be seeing my brand new niece back home! My next post might only be in a couple of weeks as a result, but I'm hoping to do a post about home keeping in South Africa, and pick up some tips from my mum's home. I hope you all have a lovely two weeks!!!

Venison Pie & Sauteed Potatoes

2009-02-16T21:54:00.007Z

Our house is in order, but truthfully only because we had visitors at the weekend. I'm amazed how a cold can throw out a whole routine and create chaos. It took me ages to clean the house on Saturday purely because I haven't been keeping on top of it when I was ill. And even though all is back in order, I feel guilty to preach bout housework when I've not been doing that much practicing. So while I get my 'housework mind' back in order, I thought I'd share with you a lovely recipe from the weekend.

Mr L and I decided to stay put for Valentines evening (partly because the rugby was on - clearly a woman was not involved in the decision behind having the 6 nations rugby on Valentines day). We decided to cook for each other - I made a venison pie with sauteed potatoes on the side, and Mr L made us some chocolate souffles for desert, it was his first desert ever! Unfortunately it was so good that we ate it before I managed to take a photo. But the Venison pie was also a treat - warm and comforting the way only a pie can be. So here is the recipe for you to try too.

Venison Pie
I didn't have enough meat for the original recipe, so I had to improvise with some veg, and actually it turned out wonderful!

Serves 3 - 4 people
300- 500g Venison cut into 1 inch cubes
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of All spice
Salt and Pepper
80 ml red wine
40 ml red wine vinegar
150ml venison or beef stock (or more depending if it is enough to cover all the meat and veg)
1 onion peeled
2 medium carrots roughly chopped
1 leek sliced
Half a teaspoon chopped Parsley
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
Puff pastry - enough to cover your pie dish & decorate
1 egg beaten for brushing the pastry top.

Wash and clean the meat, remove any fat and gristle, and tenderise with a mallet or rolling pin
Mix the flour with the nutmeg, salt & pepper. Pat the meat in the flour until all pieces are covered.
Pour the wine, vinegar and enough stock to cover the meat into a pan. Add the meat, bring to the boil and simmer gently for one hour.
Remove from the heat, add the onion, carrots, leek and parsley (and extra stock if needed) to the broth and return to the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Remove from the heat again, and allow to cool. Skim off any excess fat and scoop the broth into the pie dish. Add the redcurrant jelly on top, or mix it in.
Roll out the pastry so that it will be big enough cover the pie dish, as well as have extra sides to make decorations with. Don't forget to put your pie bird in now if you have one.
Brush a bit of water on the rim of the pie dish, then cover the dish with the pastry, pinching the sides and trimming the excess.
Make a whole in the centre allowing for steam to escape, and decorate your pie, finishing it by brushing the top with beaten egg.
Place in the oven and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Sauteed Potatoes

These are easier to make than deep fried chips, a tad oily, but just lovely!

100g-150g waxy potatoes per person
1 tablespoon of olive oil
15g unsalted butter
Chopped or dried Rosemary

Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Place in slightly salted water and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.

Drain the water away in a colander, then heat up the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
Next is to fry the potatoes in batches. Place some of the potatoes (they should all be touching the surface of the pan) and some rosemary into the pan, only turning them once they are brown underneath until they are all golden and browned on all sides.

Turn the done potatoes onto a cloth or some kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil, and keep them warm in a low oven. Continue frying the rest of the potatoes as before.

And there you have it - a lovely wintry meal! Enjoy.

A Workable Kitchen

2009-02-10T20:39:00.011Z

I'm back after the nasty cold got me down for a week. So I do apologise for not stopping by your blogs very often! I am feeling much better now, and I'm almost back to my cooking routine. Which brings me to the kitchen.

Kitchen's are often described as the heart of the home, and a nice sized kitchen is something most of us aspire to when looking for a new home. I am very much a 'visual person', so I like nothing more than a 'pretty' kitchen. But getting more into cooking I have realised how important it is that a kitchen functions well.

Style in a kitchen in a kitchen is great, and can actually become part of how the kitchen functions. The great thing about a rustic looking kitchen is you can have everything to hand on open shelves and racks. But even minimalist kitchens work really well if all the equipment is well organised. In some regards, I think minimalist kitchens work well too because there's a distinct lack of unnecessary items. But the basics of any kitchen should be a space in which you can move around systematically. I'd like to share some tips that I have picked up along the way (one of my favourite sources being my Jamie Oliver cookbooks) and some photos of how we got our small and modest kitchen to work hard for us.

Most of us are stuck with the kitchen layouts we inherit from the previous home owners, but if ever you are lucky enough to start from scratch, remember the 'work triangle' system. It's not an absolute must, but basically it boils down to the most used items (IE cooker, fridge and sink) should be grouped together so that you can easily move from one area to the next. Examples of how this works are shown below.

The majority of us do not have enough cupboard space in a kitchen. But think logically, and put things you don't use often higher up out of the way and those that you do use often, put them closest to the area you use them in. You're only making things hard for yourself if you have the cups and mugs stacked in a cupboard on the opposite side to where the kettle is.

If you have a small kitchen, or just too many kitchen utensils, here are some space saving techniques:

Buy stack able mugs and glasses. We have only one narrow shelf for glasses, but because they are stack able IKEA ones, space isn't an issue.

Use a turntable in an awkwardly shaped or deep cupboard
Do the Jamie thing of using a pan rack (or laundry rack) on your kitchen ceiling to hang your pots and pans from.
Store equipment that you don't use often (blenders etc) out of the way.
Make use of wall space for utensils, spice racks and recipe book storage. Most recipe books are beautiful and deserve to be on display.

I'll share with you what makes our kitchen work, I always enjoy seeing what others do with their kitchen spaces, and I hope you find something new here too.

This is our kitchen when we first moved into our house.

And this is it now... as you can see, we are not minimalists (probably because I have a hoarding habit).

Our kitchen is not big, but we have made the most of the space with the following:
As you can see, we replaced low wall cupboards with ones that reach all the way to the ceiling for more storage space (and it means I don't have to dust the top of the cupboards!).
We added extra shelves alongside the window for displaying and using. We installed a shelf above the cooker from which to hang pans we use regularly, and a wall rail for utensils. All of this has made cooking such a joy!

A few other things I can't go without in my kitchen...

Plates stacked in the corner cupboard near the cooker & toaster. Essential that they are close to the action.

My coffee, tea and sugar tins (they are from a Laura Ashley sale).
These little pots are from those ready-made deserts that we have bought from the supermarket over the years (a bit naughty having so many!). They are so useful for cracking eggs in, mixing spices or herb, and a quick melt of butter in the microwave. They are the things I use most often.
Below you can see my little shelves. They are now in what was once a hatch that went through to the lounge. Instead of closing it up, Mr L put up a little shelf for me. This houses my other favourite items... my sugar shakers. These beautiful glass shakers are from Debbie English Treasures' shop. They are SO handy, and I was lucky enough that Debbie sent me an EXTRA one in our kitchen swap. I have one for icing sugar, one for flour (as you can see I dust flour directly onto my work surface for rolling out dough), and the other one I am going to use for cocoa powder (great for sprinkling on hot chocolates), and my new fourth one is going to be a cinnamon-sugar one for pancakes! I keep them covered with a round piece of cellophane and an elastic band.

Another idea that I came up with after seeing it in an expensive kitchen catalogue, was for Mr L to make us an organiser for our knife drawer. It use to drive me bonkers that the knives were sliding all over the place in the drawer and you could never see the actual knife you wanted. Mr L used 2 pieces of wood cut to sit inside the drawer on a thin piece of board, and made slits to fit the knives in. Oh, and a bit of leftover wallpaper for the base. Perfect!

Lastly, I love Jamie's idea that you draw an aerial view of your kitchen and where the main things are that you use (spices, plates, fridge etc). You then imagine yourself cooking a meal... now draw the route you would take to and from areas to cook the meal. If there are many lines all over the place, you'll be exhausted by the time your meal is cooked, and you should look into re-organising things. I hope this has inspired you.

How do you use your kitchen? Have you got anything you can't do without? And have you got any more ideas for us all to streamline our kitchens?

Thanks for stopping by!

A swap, some snow and a nasty cold...

2009-02-03T08:50:00.008Z

Good morning,
This is just going to be a quick post because I'm sick in bed this morning with a really nasty cold and I feel as though my throat is on fire. But I also know that if I don't do this now, the Lemsip medication will wear off and I might not have time to post until the weekend again.

We've not had as much snow here in Oxfordshire as the lucky Londoners, but we did have a nice dusting covering the village where we live. It was a bit scary driving!

Banjo enjoyed the snow, and even ate a little snowman that next door made. We thought he was just sniffing the little snowman, but before we knew it he was eating it like an ice cream. Naughty Banjo!

My cold started comming along yesterday, but then I also got a lovely surprise yesterday. Debbie and I decided to do a little kitchen swap. As anyone who has done a swap, or bought anything from Debbie's lovely shop knows, she wraps everything beautifully with ribbons and beautiful handmade tags. I didn't get a chance to take photos of the gifts before they were opened because I was too nosey!
But here you can see the beautiful tags that Debbie makes.

This is what I got for my kitchen...

A Cake Decorating book, perfect for those special occasions!

A beautiful red mug with some hand creams tucked inside, yum, they smell nice!

A gorgeous tin with a cute baking ornament on top! So lovely.

A glass sugar/flour shaker (oops, I didn't add it to my photo because I've already added it to the rest of my collection of shakers, which I love!!!!).
The most beautiful 'tea for me' teapot cup and saucer... I LOVE teapots! And this one is soooo pretty.

And my favourite has to be the beautiful cross-stitch cupcake picture which I assume Debbie made (she is talented that Debbie). It's just so sweet, and even has some lavender tucked inside the frame.

How lucky am I?

Thanks you so much Debbie! It's even made my cold feel better. I promise to take a picture of my glass sugar shaker collection soon and post it on here! I really love my new vintage treasures!

I hope you are all well! I'm off to bed now.
xxx

Folding clothes

2009-01-31T11:31:00.018Z

If you like the look of tidy shelves, and tidy drawers in your wardrobe, then folding your clothes the right way will make a big difference. The best advice I can give you is to try and fold similar items to the same size. That way they will make a nice stack. But folding clothes well is also important to keep laundered clothes from creasing and needing re-ironing.

I wish I could say that I was some kind of a folding genius, but truthfully, I've just been sad enough to search the Internet and various books for folding techniques and learnt how to do them. Some of the methods below I have learnt from some clever online videos made by Linda Koopersmith from the Beverly Hills Organizer website where you too can see some of her videos, it's a great resource. Also, I would hate to be accused of plagiarism, so I'd rather confess to nicking these ideas than claim them as my own.

See this pile of clothes?
I'm going to show you how to fold each one of these items and pack them away nicely... so get your pile of laundry ready to try these ideas for yourself. Some of the folding methods might seem obvious to some, but I hope there is also something new here for you.

I'm starting with the intimates to get them out the way first...

Bras
Bras are relatively easy to fold, it's really just about tucking the straps and stacking them in the right sized container.
Start off by folding the bra in half, then fold the waist strap in by half.
Fold the waist strap in again so that it tucks into the cup.

Now fold down the straps.
Make sure all the straps are neatly tucked into the cup.And stack in a container wide enough for a single row of bras.
Pants (or panties if you like)

My intention really never was to show my pants on my blog, but for you dear reader I'm using a new freshly laundered pair (and creased I know, because of course I don't iron them!). This method can be applied to men's underpants and ladies bikini bottoms too. Start off with the pant bum down. Fold the one side in and over again so that it makes a straight line on the left.

Fold the other side in the same way until you end up with a rectangle. Fold the crotch area up, and fold down the waistband. That gives you a nice shape square shape to put into an organising box or stack up in a drawer.

Socks

These are especially for Ivy and Judy.
Start off with both socks on top of one another. Fold in the heel, then fold the sock in half. That leaves you with a clean rectangular shape.

Fold the rectangular shape in half again. That's basically how you fold socks, and now you can stack them up in a drawer organiser, or a cardboard box that's the width of your folded socks.

Or, you could take the cuff of the sock on the outside, and pull it over the sock. But remember to keep the tidy square shape as you pull the cuff over rather than forming a ball of crumpled socks. I know that they say this stretches the cuffs of the socks, but I've never noticed any misshapen socks yet. I prefer to do it this way because it's easy for Mr. L to keep them tidy.

Vets and Sleeveless tops
I'm demonstrating both at the same time, because the method is the same for both.

Fold the top part where the straps are down, leaving you with a rectangular shape.

Then fold the left side in a third of the way.

Fold the other right side over making a long rectangle.

Now fold the bottom of the top upwards so that the folded part is a square.

Keep folding upwards in a rolling motion until you end up with a square shape.

This method works well for stacking in drawers or organisers.

Jumpers
Once again, this is more or less the same idea, however there are the sleeves that also need folding in.
Fold the jumper to the right by a third, then fold the sleeve downwards to be parallel to the folded side.

Do the same on the other side, and start folding upwards as you would with a vest.

Trousers
Fold the trousers in so that the seams in the legs match up, all on top of one another.

Once you have the trousers laid out flat fold them upwards in half, then in half again.

And voila! You have a neatly folded pair of trousers that can be stacked on a shelf.

That's it for now, as you can see the basics of good folding comes down to trying to get a rectangular or square shape (so fold all the awkward straps and shapes out the way first), once you have that, it's a case of folding in thirds or halves. I hope you've enjoyed the folding lessons. Most of these methods (except for the trousers) work best for drawer storage, but don't forget that I have a video clip to show how to fold a t-shirt so that they stack nicely on a shelf from a previous post.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Feel free to send me any photos of your tidy wardrobes! I'd love to put up a collection of 'inspiring wardrobe' photos in time for Spring.
Enjoy!
xxx

Spring is on its way...

2009-01-27T19:31:00.006Z

Oh yes, I can smell it in the air. Here in the Northern Hemisphere the days are slowly getting longer, and the snowdrops are just about starting to make an appearance. I do realise we are a few months away yet, but it's getting nearer. You don't only have to look outside to notice these things... generally I can feel my energy levels slowly rising and that feeling to sort out the house is thawing.

On Saturday I was meant to do nothing, just take a day to relax, read and do a bit of quilting. Instead I had the slightest urge to sort something out in the house. In the end I spent the entire Saturday unpacking my drawers and re-folding my clothes neatly. Now, I know some of you must think that I've wasted a chance to do nothing - a chance to have some 'me' time. But actually folding and re-organising things can be very therapeutic. I also realise that at this point I am sounding like I may suffer from an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for organisation. But truthfully I am a born 'untidy person'. If you don't believe me, go ask my mum on her MammaLalla blog - she had years of trying to get me to not step out of my clothes, leave wet towels on the bed and simply rummage through my wardrobe as if it was a big laundry bin. So that is how I know Spring is approaching, because in the Spring even us 'born untidies' have the urge to straighten things out.

Drawers have always been my downfall. I can never see what are in the stacks of folded clothing, and as a result my impatience gets the better of me and I mess up the folded items. So this time I thought I need a different solution. I did a bit of 'folding clothes' research again, and decided that side-by-side stacking of all my tops and jumpers (the ones that don't need hanging) is the solution. Unfortunately I forgot (on purpose) to take a 'before' shot. But here you can see how I've folded and lined up my 'tops' drawer. And yes, I would like to point out that if I was Obsessive, I would arrange things by colour - but I'm too much of a realist, and know that that system won't last long.

But I didn't stop there, I continued until all the drawers that belong to me were sorted out... including my underwear drawers. There is however no way that I am going to post photos of my nickers drawer on a blog, but I will show you a peek of how I've stacked my bra's in an IKEA wardrobe organising box (yes, I wear flesh coloured bras when the occasion arises and that is a 'shock absorber' at the front, now lets move on please).
Phew, so after all that folding, I have become very familiar with various folding techniques. Coincidentally, Ivy from Little Ivy Cakes left me a comment asking about folding socks. So for all you Spring organisers, and for Ivy, I will be posting at the weekend about different folding techniques (not just t-shirt) for drawer and wardrobe organisation, including socks, trousers, underwear etc. All of that just in time for a bit of early Spring Cleaning.

Have a lovely week!
xxx

All about ironing...

2009-01-20T19:35:00.005Z

Finally, I'm back with the long promised post about ironing. I have managed to get through my ironing that piled up over Christmas, but after the past week, I have another load already (although not quite as big). There's no denying it... ironing is time consuming. But it really is worth doing a pile of ironing freshly laundered, rather than ironing what you need when you need it. It takes more time to set up the ironing board than ironing one garment, so get them all done while you are at it.

Before I get stuck into the actual act of ironing, I have to mention that by hanging up washing well and removing items from the tumble dryer before they are bone dry will mean you can avoid having to iron all your garments. But work-shirts, smart trousers, 100% cotton and linen items are the exception, they will almost always need ironing. Cotton and linen items are best ironed when still damp. These items will also turn out better if you avoid the spin cycle on your washing machine and allow them to drip-dry.
If you would like a reminder of how to hang washing up, take a look at my previous post about Drying Clothes.

But back to ironing. It is important to have the right equipment, so let's start with that...

Equipment

Do yourself a favour and buy a sturdy ironing board that has many heights to adjust to. That way, if you have allot of ironing to get through you can sit and iron whilst watching a movie (I find Jane Austen dramas particularly good for this!).
Next, buy the best quality iron you can afford, and one with a steam function. The more water it holds, the less you will have to refill the water reservoir. Of course, if you have the space a continuous steam iron is even better (sadly for me my linen cupboard is already filled to the brim and I don't have a laundry room)
Use an empty spray bottle to fill with water and a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil. The spray allows stubborn creases to iron out easier.
Have some hangers, pegs or paperclips (to keep pleats in place), and spray starch at hand.

Method

Set yourself up near a table or a bed so that you can use the flat surfaces for folding and stacking. Also, make sure there is somewhere nearby to hang items onto hangers to avoid walking back and forth. It's best if all these are within arms reach.
Put on some music, a radio show, even a movie. I love watching old movies while I iron.
Organise your pile of ironing so that you start off with the items that need ironing on a cooler setting (usually this tends to be synthetics and silks) ending with items such as linen and cotton that need the hottest setting. This way you can avoid waiting for the iron to cool down and re-heat.
Use the steam setting and a spray bottle on stubborn creases.
Always immediately hang up or fold items neatly. This is very important, because if you don't do this correctly, you will only need to re-iron items. To see how to fold a t-shirt, go to my my post on Folding t-shirts and Neatly stacked towels (this method can be used for sheets and tablecloths too). Folding items is my favourite part of the laundry process. Make sure shirts are hung up with at least the two top buttons done up.

I really feel that the most important thing about ironing more efficiently is getting to know the correct order and way of ironing. Most people despise ironing shirts, but once you've learn the correct method and practiced it a few times you will be able to do it quickly without even thinking. Randomly pulling at this end, and tugging it over that end takes more effort and means you will need to check which bits have been ironed. Because I iron a shirt in a particular order ending with the collar, I know that by the time the collar is done the whole shirt has been ironed without having to look. Take a look at this post here where I explain how to iron a shirt.

Improve your ironing skills...

Don't use lots of pressure via your arm when ironing. If you are standing and ironing (sitting is acceptable too), stand up straight and move the iron over the garment in a relaxed manner. Most people tend to think they have to put their weight onto the iron, but really the iron itself, and the heat is enough to get rid of creases. Don't put your back into it, it's unnecessary. Just relax and let the iron do the work for you.
Always move items away from you to avoid creasing ironed areas. For large items, place the ironing board in front of a table and move the item onto the table as yo iron to prevent it from draping on the floor.
Items of a double thickness will need ironing on both sides, starting on the underside.
I don't bother meticulously ironing duvet covers and large sheets, instead I fold it in half and iron it through the layers. Then I open it out, give it a good shake and fold it very neatly. The warmth from the iron and being folded makes for a very smooth duvet cover or sheet by the time you unfold it.
Iron trousers by placing seams and legs together. Pull the top trouser leg away to iron the bottom trouser leg.

Tips to ease the amount of time you spend ironing:

Don't put items that are hard to iron on a spin cycle in the washing machine.
Take garments and sheets out of the tumble dryer before they are completely dry.
T-shirts can be given the quick once over with the iron and folded while still warm.
Always flatten out the garment on the ironing board first to avoid the garment distorting and the iron creating extra creases.
Shake all items as you take them out of the washing machine, give them another good shake and a tug at each corner as you are hanging them up.
Fold your items before putting them on the ironing pile. The neater you fold them before you iron, the less time you will spend ironing them.

And that's it for this post. I hope you have found the ironing tips useful. I know that sometimes ironing unexpectedly piles up... but take that time to watch a movie you haven't seen in a long time or use it as an excuse to watch that trashy daytime show you are too shy to admit you like. However, don't let the urge to do everything all the time make you too proud, if it's just been too hectic or you have been ill (this time of year there's allot of sneezing going on) hand your ironing over and pay someone to do it. I don't suggest you do this all the time (unless you have the cash of course). But as a treat once or twice a year, it certainly wont do any harm.

The rest of the time, I still say 'practice makes perfect'. ironing might seem much of a muchness, but really it takes a bit of skill to do it right (ask any man who has been in the army). So learn the right way, practice it that way and treat yourself to a hot chocolate when it's all done.

Thanks for stopping by!
x

Lunch box sorted!

2009-01-12T20:08:00.005Z

Before I finally do that post about ironing that I have promised, I thought I would let you know how I solved our lunch box dilemma...

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my last post, I love getting comments and they certainly do help! In the end I found some good solutions in the form of Klip-it containers. It's still not perfect, but at least they are big enough for our appetites. My ideal lunchbox would still be the Laptop lunch box, but bigger. Mr Laundrybasketcase and I have each got a different sort for now, I'm still testing them to see how they work out. I'm also looking for some funky cool bags in which to keep Mr L's lunchbox cool (thanks for that tip Josie-Mary!).

Before you look at the pictures, I would like to add that I don't normally make white-bread sandwiches (I prefer wholewheat pittas, wraps and bagels). However, mr Laundrybasketcase did us some Sunday sausage sandwiches, and did some extra for us to take in our first packed lunch in our new lunchboxes. Just so you know... ;) However, I am also not at all someone who can cope with a lettuce salad for lunch (unless you want to see me grumpy), so I need a good combination of things to fill me up, bits to pick on and things to add to my five a day fruit and veg portion, and of course a little something sweet too. All things in moderation I say!

So let me stop waffling and finally show you our lunchboxes.

This one is mine, it is the Klip-it lunch cube. Basically it's a double-decker sandwich box that unfolds. Handy for separating things, but unfortunately the separate compartments aren't water tight, so I'm having to take houmous in a separate little box.
There's my lunch and snacks for the day: Sandwich, red peppers and carrot sticks to have with houmous, yogurt, brazil nuts and a mini Toblerone. (I don't take fruit because we get some at work for free). It might seem like allot, but I'm a hungry lady!

This is Mr L's lunch box. It's part of the klip-it picnic set. It's a bit bigger than mine, and only has one level. But in the entire set consists of two big containers, two little containers for dips, and two round containers for a salad or pasta portions.
In Mr L's lunch box is: An apple, yogurt, sandwich, carrot and pepper with houmous and a mini Toblerone. So as you can see, the benefit of Mr L's bigger but simpler lunchbox is that I can cram everything into it!I have lots of other ideas for our lunchboxes, ideas that are much better than a sausage sandwich on white bread. I love baking, and I'm hoping to make us some mini banana loafs, bran muffins and bagels. I'm also planning our evening meals so that I'll have enough leftover for lunch the next day. Tomorrow Mr L is away for work, but I am having wholewheat pittas with homemade guacamole, a muffin, some nuts and a yogurt. That should keep me awake in front of the computer.

Here are some more good ideas for some lunchbox inspiration:

tortilla wraps with leftover veg and meat.
Corn, tomato and pepper salad with balsamic vinegar.
English muffins halved, spread tomato paste, ham and cheese, bake under the grill (they make mini pizzas.
Tuna, cream cheese and corn spread on a bagel.
Slice of banana loaf (keeps you full for ages)
Rice salad
Potato wedges with guacamole and salsa dips

What's your favourite packed lunch?

Before I forget, I have added some photos of me and my mum (Ma)'s cooking on her blog Mamma Lalla. Unfortunately Ma has had to go have an operation on her knee and has been unable to blog, so I did a post on her behalf.
There's a recipe for a Gammon and Turkey pie if you're interested, as well as pictures and links of making marshmallows. If you have a mixer and a candy thermometer I urge you to try and make marshmallows, they make wonderful gifts to impress, and the kids will love them too! The best bit is when the mixture sets and you have one BIG marshmallow.

I'll be back soon with my lecture on ironing better and faster.
xxx

Lunch box dilemma and some exciting comments!

2009-01-06T15:03:00.006Z

I do apologise, but I am putting the ironing post on hold. Instead I am writing today about a subject I try to succeed at every year... packed lunches. It's not a real problem for us because we don't have kids, both of us have access to sandwiches and canteens to buy lunch from, and I actually go home at some lunchtimes to eat leftovers. But I really would like to do a packed lunch and snacks for both Mr Laundrybasketcase and I to help us maintain a healthy diet as well as cutting down on wasteful packaging.

My dilemma with packed lunches is always the packaging. I detest stuffing a plastic bag in my handbag only for my lunch to get crushed and squashed on the way to work. I have in the past used paper bags, but once again it requires lots of bags for snacks, sandwiches etc. So I am determined to find a good compartmented lunchbox to help me on my way. Not only that, I want a compartmented lunchbox that is big enough for an adult lunch, and with no silly pictures that will make mr Laundrybasketcase too embarrassed to take it into work.

Do you do packed lunches? Have you found a good system? Do let me know.

Here are the options I have found via the Internet so far. Have you tried any of these? Or any other suggestions are welcome.

Option 1
First off, there is the Bento lunchboxes that I keep reading about.
Bento is the Japanese version of a packed lunch, usually taken to work and school by adults and schoolchildren alike, as a convenient and nutritious meal.

There is the Zojirushi Mr Bento lunch jar.

At first glance it looks great, but where do you put a sandwich. I'm definitely not convinced by this product, because I'm not so sure about the plastic containers being safe, they aren't dishwasher safe and we don't really need our lunches kept warm because we have access to microwaves at work. So probably not an option.

There are also these very funky and good looking melamine Bento boxes...

...lovely as they are, they aren't microwaveable, nor dishwasher safe. I love pretty things, but practicality is more important to me. Also, I'm not sure they are leak proof, nor about the bottoms of the top stack I have yet to find a dishwasher safe Bento lunchbox (available in the UK may I add) that is big enough and without Little Kitty or other themes on the lids.

However, if you like the look of a Bento lunchbox for your little ones, you must see this site. http://www.bentobusiness.co.uk/

This takes a Bento lunchbox to an art form, inspirational.

Option 2
These nifty lunchboxes I am seriously considering.

They are Laptop Lunch Bento Boxes . They are made from safe plastics (IE no carcinogens), they are dishwasher safe and microwaveable, and look at the colour combos you can choose from. Brilliant! My only concern is that they look fairly bulky, only have one lidded tray, and most importantly look like they may be designed for children's appetites. It's okay for me, but Mr L would not cope with such a small amount of food, and would head for the canteen anyway. But this is still on my list of considerations. Does anyone know if this will be big enough to accommodate food for a man?
They are from:
http://www.beckyandlolo.co.uk/product/laptop_lunch_boxes

Option 3
Then I found these. Perfect!

They are just what I am after.... only, I cannot for the life of me find these in the UK!!! I really do envy my friends in the US who have access to all these lovely things. The whole range from 'Fit & Fresh' looks amazing and comes with ice packs to keep food fresh. And yes, they are dishwasher safe!
Maybe I should just move abroad to solve my problem? I mean, they even come in blue for mr L.

Option 4
Option four is to buy individual little plastic containers, and one big container to make my own compartmentalised lunchboxes. It will take more time and effort, and may take a while for me to fins all the bits. On the other hand, I can customise them depending on the lunch that is packed. But oh, the effort! And time? What time?

Have you, dear blogging friends, have any advice for me?

Now for some exciting news... I have recently had two comments from some brilliant Authors to thank me for mentioning their books/ linking to their websites. I never thought either of them would even ever be aware of my blog, never mind leaving me a comment! Blogging really does open up doors!

Firstly, I got a comment a while back from the author Stephanie Denton of the book The Organized Life. This is what she said:

I'm so glad to know that The Organized Life has been so helpful to you. Thanks
for including it in this post - and the previous one where you listed it as one
of your favorite organizing books! All best,Stephanie Denton

Wow! And how lovely of her to leave me a comment. I was so pleased to get a comment like that from an author I admire! Thanks Stephanie.

Then only yesterday, I got a lovely comment from THE Janey Lee Grace. I've always been a fan of her website http://www.imperfectlynatural.co.uk/ and her books Imperfectly Natural Woman, and Imperfectly Natural Home!

Janey promotes living an environmentally friendly life as well as using natural products, however, she's not at all preachy, nor does she believe in spending more to be green. Janey wrote:

Hiya
Fab blog !thanks for linking to my site http//www.imperfectlynatural.com I'm
sure theres lots we can link up on ! Are you a member of my lovely
forumHappy
n3w year

How excited was I to get another comment from another great author! I am so chuffed that both of these busy ladies have taken the time to write to me! Thank you both of you!

Have a great day!x

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T16:00:00.005Z

Happy New Year to everyone... I hope you've all had a lovely time over Christmas and the start of the New Year.

I'm officially back now, and my mum (or "Ma" in Afrikaans) is also back in sunny South Africa. She arrived here in the UK on the 26th and flew back a couple of days ago on the 2nd. We had such a lovely 7 days relaxing, shopping and keeping busy in the kitchen. Ma helped me make marshmallows which I hand out to the neighbours, and we made a delicious pie from the leftover turkey and gammon after Christmas. It was lovely to have Ma help in the kitchen and I thought I'd share some photos from our 'holiday'. I don't yet have all the photos, but as soon as I do I will put up some more.

We collected Ma at Heathrow early (very early) morning on Boxing Day. We decided to indulge fully in the festive spirit and dressed up in our Santa Suits. A really good idea we thought, until we arrived at the Heathrow arrivals terminal and realised that there were plenty of other people there dressed normally and already over Christmas. One lady came up to us to tell us that her son said "I didn't know Santa had a wife!"... bless him! At least Ma thought it was funny an grabbed her camera to take this picture of two slightly embarrassed and tired Santas.

We took her straight home, this is the first time Ma saw the house and met Banjo! She loved both! (Even if she looks a bit serious in the photo)

We then sat down for a movie while Mr Laundrybasketcase got busy in the kitchen making us a very good Christmas lunch. He does the best roast potatoes!

And that was just the start of our holiday! I'll post some more photos of the foodie stuff we did in another post.

So, have you all kept up your home keeping routine over the Christmas period? I'm glad to say that mostly I did, the only thing I totally and completely neglected was the ironing. So today, I had to suffer the consequences, and spent about 5 hours ironing away. At least I got to watch some TV as I went along.

Have you got any New Years resolutions? I've decided to keep mine simple this year, I only have three:

Wear more dresses (I'm sick of jeans and trousers everyday - it also means I get to go shopping).
Do more yoga.
Read more Afrikaans books.

The third resolution I decided upon is an important one. Although I was pretty much bilingual from about 6 years old, living away from my home country has meant that I don't speak much of my mother tongue, Afrikaans, anymore. Although I still speak Afrikaans to my family on the phone, and I have an Afrikaans magazine subscription, I'm not often exposed to it anymore and as a result I often get a bit tongue tied when I switch over into Afrikaans. It's such a privilege to be bilingual, and I never want to lose the confidence to read and speak the language I was brought up in.

Have you got any New Years resolutions?

Ironing is not on my New Years resolution list because it's just something I need to do.
But I'll be doing a post soon about Ironing - how to do it faster, more efficient and what the best ways are to get through a load quickly. I certainly need to learn about this myself!

Have a great 2009, and I hope to catch up on every one's blogs this week.
x

All those Dirty Dishes...

2008-12-21T18:23:00.005Z

Before Christmas is upon us, with the never ending food feasting resulting in stacks of dirty plates, greasy trays and well used drink glasses I thought I should do a post about washing dishes. Yes, I realise most people know how to do this, but at Christmas time it can all seem really daunting. This post is more of a reminder about how to do it properly to save time, effort, water and our nerves.

Now I suppose there is going to be a divide between those with a dishwasher, and those without. But I will be addressing both of these, because even a dishwasher has a right and wrong way to be used. Plus, everyone knows that at Christmas time, it's impossible to fit everything into your dishwasher, and some items are too fragile or valuable to be put into a dishwasher.

Let's get started with hand washing dishes...

Start off by arranging all the items that are to be hand washed on one side of the sink. Scrape off any food, check that all glasses and mugs have been emptied and rinse any greasy pots and pans with hot water, then fill with hot soapy water and set aside to soak. Utensils can be left inside these pots for soaking too. And finally rinse any particularly dirty items under the tap. There should be no items left in the sink.
Make sure the sink is clean and free of food and grease. Fill the sink with hot water, but not so hot as to scold your hands. The temperature for water to kill germs at are higher than possible for hand washing dishes, but the warmer the water, the easier it will be to get rid of grease. Add dishwashing soap, remember that you don't need much soap. Clear the space on the other side of the sink for draining, or use a draining board.
This is where we might have a differing opinion, but if you have a second sink, fill it with clear hot water for rinsing. Alternatively use a large plastic washing up bowl (like the ones you use for camping). I prefer to rinse my dishes and glassware because I don't like soap suds staying behind, but I also realise that doing this under a running tap wastes allot of water.If you don't believe in rinsing dishes for water conservation purposes, just make sure you dry the dishes well with a dishcloth to get rid of the soapy deposits.
Start off with washing the fragile and cleanest items first with a soft cloth. These will normally be glasses, and so they will need to be dried with a cloth to prevent soap and water spots from forming.
Next up is the silverware. Place all items into the sink and wash each piece as you pick it out of the water, then dipping into the rinsing sink and putting aside for drying.
For the plates, start off again with the cleaner ones such as plates that were used for bread of butter, stacking them all in the sink and working your way through the stack with a sponge to make sure you get rid of the grimier bits. Don't forget to wash the back of the plates since they have most likely been stacked on top of the other dirty plates. Keep going until all the plates have been done.
The next lot to go in the sink are the mixing bowls and not-so-greasy bowls and serving dishes and utensils. You might find that the water has now become too filthy and needs changing, but give any bowls and serving dishes left a swish in the water anyway before you empty the sink. Once the sink is empty remember to pour out any water that you left in the pots and pans to soak.
Now tackle the pots, pans and roasting trays starting with the cleanest. Never use a scourer on non-stick surfaces, I find a washing up brush is brilliant for quickly and easily removing stubborn food and grease from pots and pans without damaging them- I get mine from IKEA. For extremely greasy pans and trays, you might want to drain the water and scrub them on their own, rinsing when all the bits have been scrubbed off.
After all the clean dishes have been packed away (well done!), drain, wash and rinse the sink. Wipe down the counters, stove top, and even cupboards where spills have occurred with a sponge or damp dishcloth. Then dry everything with a clean and dry cloth (including the sink and taps!). Collect all the dishtowels for washing.

Aah, a lovely clean kitchen ready for the next meal, and of course next set
of dirty dishes :)

Our dishwasher broke last week. Very frustrating just before Christmas, and even worse when we found out it would cost £100 to get someone to come and look at it! In the end, Mr Laundrybasketcase started taking it apart and realised that although we were occasionally cleaning the filter, the spray mechanism had become packed up with bits of food (raisins from my breakfast muesli in particular - I didn't even realise that I left any raisin behind in the bowl). So lesson learnt... unless your dishwasher states that it is amazing and you don't need to clear off any bits of food before it goes in, always scrape off any bits of food before you pack the dishwasher! So this weekend I am buying us one of these:

it's a silicone bowl scraper, how convenient!

Anyway, onto how to properly use and load a dishwasher.

The most important thing about loading a dishwasher is to leave just enough
space between items so that the water and soap can get to all the surfaces, so there are some steps as to the correct way of loading the dishwasher.

Don't waste water to rinse dishes, but rather scrape all dishes clean of food particles with a bowl scraper or use some old scrunched up paper or packaging that's bound for the bin anyway. Certain have been cooked or baked and dried onto items (and rice particles definitely need to be scraped off). These items will need pre-soaking or hand washing. foods don't always wash off in the dishwasher, in particular proteins that
Fragile as well as plastic and Tupperware items need to go in the top part of the dishwasher, these include mugs, glasses, small, bowls and any awkward items that don't fit anywhere else.
Cutlery can go into the basket, put like with like, so all the forks go in one compartment, the spoons in the next etc. To create more space so that the items come out clean, place utensils in the basket with the handles one up one down (so for every fork with a handle up, put a fork with the handle down in).
Bigger utensils can be placed on their sides in the top rack, once again making sure they do not lie against each other preventing them from getting clean. Good knives, especially wooden handled ones should be hand washed because the can be dulled in the dishwasher. Wooden spoons and cutting boards should also not be placed in the dishwasher because they can split.
Plastic chopping boards and thin roasting tins can go sideways on the sides of the bottom rack. Plates should all be stacked parallel in the slots. Once again, putting like with like will make unloading the dishwasher easier.
Pots and pans go in the bottom rack facing downwards. Don't pile things over one another or they won't get clean.
After adding detergent and rinse aid there are three things you should routinely check before switching on the dishwasher: 1- No breakables should be touching the sides of the dishwasher. 2- The rotating arm is not obstructed and can spin freely. 3- the detergent cup is nor obstructed and can open freely.

And there you have it! You should end up with a dishwasher full of lovely sparkling items by the end of the wash cycle.

I've just finished the cleaning and dishes in the kitchen after the mess I made with the mince-pie making (Lesley, I saved you one- but Banjo ate it! So sorry :) Aah, it's so nice to have a clean kitchen.

I'll be taking a Christmas break from now until the new year. Although I'll not be blogging, I will most certainly try to keep up the home keeping.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and leaves me comments!
To all my loveliest blogging friends including Ivy, Lesley, Lorilee, Judy, Melmel, Kelley, Steph, Mary Poppins, Victoria, Debbie, Mary, lovely Vintage Kitten, Josie-Mary, Caroline, A Thrifty Mrs, Lori, Claire and Clare (and everyone else who reads) have a wonderful Christmas! And I will catch up with you all in the New Year!
Merry Christmas, and remember to love your homes over the Christmas period!
From Mrs Laundrybasketcase, Mr Laundrybasketcase, and of course Greyhound Banjo! xxx

References for this post
http://interiordec.about.com/od/howtodothings/ht/handwashdishes.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Load-a-Dishwasher

I've finished the wrapping!

2008-12-19T21:48:00.006Z

Hurrah, I've managed to wrap all my presents. I thought you might like to see them.

I decided to keep them simple, and did stick to the brown paper, some pretty ribbons with a home-made tag and a felt Christmas tree decoration. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. The tags have been handwritten with a little clue to what each gift is.

Do you see the blanket in the background? It's a baby blanket I picked up for sale at John Lewis! We don't have any babies of our own yet, but I liked this so much that I bought it anyway and we're using it as a festive knee blanket. Maybe one day there will be a little someone else to use it too.

Here's our Christmas tree, we bought real one again, and yes, I'm already having to sweep the floor daily because the needles are dropping. But they look and smell so nice! I love traditional simple decorations, and gentle twinkly lights. (I'm s sorry about the blurry spot on the lens, just pretend it's that misty romantic look). The tree is a little bare, but we try and buy only a few decorations a year to add to our collection. Last year I made a popcorn garland, but this year we have been unable to put anything edible on because a certain Greyhound would just eat it all up!

This picture is of our Fireplace display. I made that little reindeer from pipe cleaners - I have seven of them and I just love them! The tin is from Debbie's English Treasures, I bought three vintage Christmas tins, and they are all beautiful, but the other two are being used as gifts. This one was too sweet to give away! I just couldn't.
And below is our stair banister berry decorations. They fit in so well with our woodland wallpaper.

I have one more post lined up before Christmas, I've been working hard on a post about washing dishes... not extraordinarily exciting, but I thought it was a worthy post to do before the mayhem of Christmas washing up starts! I'll be posting this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled if you dread the thought of all those dirty dishes and greasy roasting tins.

Tomorrow I am baking minced pies, making soup and cleaning up a bit.
Have a lovely Saturday! I hope you are feeling festive and happy.
x

Gift Wrapping & keeping busy

2008-12-12T20:45:00.005Z

So, have you all wrapped your Christmas gifts just yet?
I certainly haven't, we're still doing our final Christmas shopping this weekend after lots of busy weekends finishing the house in time for Christmas.

Anyway, I got thinking about what I'm planning to do this year for gift wrapping. There are so many nice ideas out there (not to mention the amount of talented people who share their ideas). The problem is choosing which one to do?
Well I thought you might like to see some of the inspiring ideas for gift wrapping your Christmas presents (that is if you are as behind as I am with my Christmas preparations and you haven't wrapped your gifts either). You can click on any of the pictures to take you to the website where I found these cute ideas.

I love this simple look of coloured brown paper with raffia.

Such a simple sweet look. A bit minimalist for my taste, but easy enough to do with a bit of coloured paper under the cut-out bit.

This is such a fab idea from the Martha Stewart website. These sweet/candy tins and boxes have been wrapped so that the wrapping doesn't need to be removed to access the sweets. Great idea!

How pretty is this!?This is on of my favourite ways to wrap a gift... I'm obsessed with tissue paper, and it's perfect to make pretty flowers with to top presents. But I might save this idea for birthday gifts.
These are also lovely. They have been done using tissue paper folded lots of time over coloured wrapping paper.

These are so fun. It's from the Chez Larson blog's flickr photostream. I really like the bright wrapping paper teamed with the shiny ribbons.
This gift is wrapped using all recycled materials, simple and pretty. You should be able to find an online tutorial on how to do the bow, I never remember, so I always have to look it up.
A very sweet idea to use buttons and string.

This is not strictly a 'gift wrapping' idea, but this has made me think that buying big brown paper bags would make brilliant gift wrapping bags if accessorised with some ribbon and a tag.

Seeing all the pretty brown paper wrapping ideas, I think I'm going to use brown paper, and add a pretty tag attached with two strips of shiny ribbon. I'll post pictures here once I'm done. I hope you enjoyed these ideas as much as I did.

Now for the keeping busy bit. I have been running around the house non-stop tonight (and yes, I realise it's a Friday evening). Do you sometimes feel like you are very busy, but you've not managed to do that much, well thank goodness tonight was the opposite and I managed to do quite allot. Since coming home from work I made a lovely Sweet Potato soup, took the dog for a walk, then made a pudding, cleaned the kitchen, re-organised two kitchen cupboards, hung up some washing, sweeped the floors and now I'm sitting down for a cup of tea and some blogging time... phew, keeping busy, but it feels good! The best bit is knowing that I don't have to fret about cleaning the kitchen tomorrow, nor do I have to worry about dinner tomorrow night (soup leftovers it is!), which means I can go Christmas shopping without worrying about what needs doing at home.

I hope you're having a lovely time this weekend, and that you manage to get all your Christmas shopping done in time.

x

Christmas Swap

2008-12-07T19:01:00.006Z

For the Christmas swap organised by the two lovely bloggers Melmel and Lesley, I was teamed up with Claire from the Serendipity loves new York blog.

I had never done a swap before, so after a few days of trying to figure out what I was meant to do, I really got into the Christmas spirit to come up with a lovely 'night in' package for Claire. I almost forgot that I would be getting anything myself. So I was dead excited when a box arrived for me on Thursday evening!
Once I got past the sticky tape, our Greyhound was furiously wagging his tail and running around me (he loves a cardboard box to tear to bits when we're done with - so he thanks you for that Claire!). Claire wrote me a lovely card and apologised for not including anything handmade... and of course I don't mind! But you just wait and see, Claire spoilt me so much, that I couldn't have wished for anything more!

Inside the box were some beautifully wrapped gifts with an 'H' ornament for my name!
And slowly as I unwrapped each gift, I got more and more excited! Would you like to see some of my gifts? They are so lovely...

The first one I unwrapped was a gorgeous chunky mug with a picture of a star and the words 'star light' on it and inside Claire tucked a pot of Divine Fair Trade cocoa! Even better is that I love making hot chocolate with cocoa powder rather than 'hot chocolate' mixes, how did you know Claire? Next was the Divine strawberry and white chocolate.... Mmmmm! Then I opened the lovely smelling package containing a White Pear and Fig soap and some Cath Kidston hand cream. I did not even know Cath Kidston did hand cream, and this smells lovely! After that I thought, that's got to be it right? But oh no, I also found the Christmas socks! Wow, they are so super soft, so I immediately pulled the tags off and put them on my feet. Please excuse the stray dog hairs you can see on the photo below, but our dog is ever so nosy, and came over for a sniff as soon as I put them on. I love them , and they are just the thing to make me feel even more festive (they also have non slip soles for walking around the house in, how clever).

But that wasn't all - Claire also included a Christmas magazine, it has some brilliant projects in, everything from cooking, to decorating! I LOVE magazines, and this one has me sorted for the holidays.
So here, for you all to see again, my complete Christmas swap parcel!
Thank you so much Claire! I feel utterly, and totally spoilt, even more so than our boy did after he had a good tear and chew of the cardboard box and claimed the sofa to himself (not to mention the footstool - he spreads himself out, you see.)
A note for those of you who think dogs shouldn't be on sofas: Please don't shake your head in disgust... have you ever tried to keep a 36 kg Greyhound off a sofa? They are the biggest (literally too) couch potatoes, and I was warned from the start not to even try and deny him the sofa, for it will be a losing battle. Greyhounds sleep on raised benches in their racing days, so when they are re-homed, they think sofas are those raised benches. *sigh* I gave up on day one after he looked at me with those eyes!

But back to the swap... I really enjoyed doing it. I'm sorry for taking so long to post about it all, but I hope you all enjoyed seeing my lovely new goods. And Claire, once again thanks for all your effort, I adore everything you included in the swap!

Claire will be blogging about her swap parcel soon too if you want to have a nosy at what I got her, I hope you enjoy it Claire!

Don't forget to also take a look at Claires lovely and tempting online home accessories shop called Patsi Bea. You can tell by Claire's lovely assortment of gifts that she has good taste, so you're bound to love her shop too!

Hope you're having a festive time too! Have you put your decorations up? We haven't just yet, but I'm dying to get the Christmas lights up!
x

"Saving one minute, but wasting two"

2008-12-04T14:03:00.005Z

I heard this phrase from one of my neighbours recently and I thought, that's exactly what happens in home keeping when there's no routine. But this really is a post about habits - good ones and bad ones. We really are creatures of habit, and we should use that to our advantage... let me explain.

By now you all know that I am not the prefect housewife, and struggling to set up a routine has always been the difficult part of home keeping for me. Some people seem naturally tidy and able to keep their homes clean, and I reckon it's because they have some sort of a routine that has become a habit. Some people are basically 'habitually' tidy. I've mentioned before that it takes 21 days for a routine to become a habit - so sticking to doing a little bit of cleaning everyday can become a habit if you do it for 21 days! I realised the power of the '21 day' thing when I finally got myself to habitually make the bed every morning, I now really do it without even thinking about it... as a matter of fact, I can't even remember doing it this morning but I know I have. The key is to do these things at the same time everyday. I wanted to share with you what I've learnt so far with my newly formed habits, what good habits have you got around the house? Do you think they save you time?

There are no REAL shortcuts to keeping a house clean, but by not doing it regularly because you don't have time, means you actually waste more time, because by the time you get to the cleaning you have to scrub extra hard.

I've recently been determined to get my daily routine of home keeping right and make it a habit, and guess what, I'm succeeding! Many of my routines I have adapted from the Flylady system (for those of you who don't know, Flylady shares her tips for taking small steps in setting up daily home keeping routines -and she does all of this on her website for free). But once I got my head around the system, it was easy to see why it works and how I coudl taylor it to my lifestyle.

And these are these are my new good habits (I'm terribly proud of them):

Checking for and putting on a load of laundry before I leave for work.
I really struggled with laundry before. I use to think I would notice when the basket is full, but often I thought - oh I'm running late I'll do it later. Eventually I had to do huge loads at the weekends, and my entire Saturday would be taken up by running to and from the washing machine. Now I check for laundry every morning, if there is some, I put it on. When I get home from work, while my coat is still on (the washing machine is in the cold garage) I go collect the laundry and bring it in. Then I hang it up. The next day I take it down and put the ironing items in a basket, the rest gets packed away. Checking for and dealing with laundry is now a habit for me and it has meant that our sock and underwear drawers are now always full.

I love these Retro laundry machines! I found them here.

Drying the bathroom after every use
I'll be honest with you - I LOATHE cleaning the bathroom. I use to think people who clean their bathroom everyday must have a lot of time (and are perhaps a bit obsessive compulsive). But you know what, cleaning the bathroom has never been easier than doing it everyday! This is a classic example that by trying to save time in the mornings by getting out of the bathroom as soon as I'm done, I wasted precious weekend time. It meant that at the weekend I would have to scrub the bathroom where the limescale has gathered. Now I simply grab a used towel, and wipe everything down after I'm done. Hey presto, except for the odd squirt of cleaner and a wipe down, I've not had to scrub the tub or use smelly limescale remover on the taps since! I'm even 'habitually' wiping down the bathroom sink after I've used it, and it's still pleasantly surprising me everytime I walk into the bathroom to see how shiny the taps are.

While we're on the subject of bathrooms, I thought you might like to see what our bathroom looked like when we first moved into our house, as to how it looks now. Mr Laundrybasketcase did all the tiling himself (with some help from his dad). We weren't planning on having a modern suite, but in the end it's what fitted best into the space, and I really like the tiles - they have a pearl like magical sheen to them that doesn't show in the photo.

Cleaning the kitchen sink daily
Now this tip also comes from the Flylady system, because this is how the Flylady system starts, and it's a brilliant tip. Of course my mum taught me this too, I just didn't listen. By making sure the kitchen sink shines and sparkles before bedtime everyday means that there's never that sinking feeling of seeing dirty dishes piled up in the morning. So now ever night after dinner, I make sure there is nothing that needs washing up, because I need to shine the sink. Once it's been washed and cleaned, I wipe it down so that it's dry. I love or shiny big white IKEA sink.
Meal planning once a week
Finally I have this one sorted too. I was always planning meals that were way too complicated, and as a result the shopping would take long with a long list of ingredients, it would be expensive and because my confidence when cooking meals weren't so great I'd give up and let Mr laundrybasketcase take over. He of course only gets home way after me from work, and it seemed unfair to let him do the cooking all the time. But alas, I have discovered a gem of a book! It has a fabulous title too. It's called "How To Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy, Balanced Diet with Very Little Money and Hardly Any Time, Even if You Have a Tiny Kitchen, Only Three Saucepans (One with an Ill-fitting Lid) and no Fancy Gadgets – Unless You Count the Garlic Crusher... " - great title! It's not for those of you who are already good at cooking, the recipes are quite basic, but for me, it's just what I needed to give me a kick up my backside to do some simple meal planning and cooking. Mainly it helps you to get started with weekly meal plans, and a budget aiming for about £30 a week. So far, so good. Now that I'm into this habit of planning and cooking I'll be trying out more of Ivy's recipes over at Little Ivy Cakes - I love her recipes because she always shows loads of 'real' pictures of how the food looks.

I still have a habit 'wish list', but every time I learn something new and I feel proud of myself, I realise that it IS important to me to have a clean and comfortable home. And my blog has proved to be a big help, not to mention all the lovely people I've met via it! We mustn't take our homes for granted, and to love our homes we need to take care of it and the things within it. I'm still amazed that a little bit of work everyday means no mre scrubbing away before guests arrive, it's a great feeling!

Have you got some habits you are proud of, or a habit wish list that you haven't yet got to grips with?

I'm away this weekend, but my Christmas swap partner Claire from Serendipity loves New York has told me my swap parcel is on the way! I'll take some photos when it arrives and look forward to sharing it with you all.
I've already sent off my Christmas parcel to Claire too, I hope she likes it!

Have a great weekend!

Pests in the home: Moths

2008-11-27T10:30:00.005Z

By this time of year, most of us in the Northern hemisphere will have unpacked our winter blankets, scarves, hats and thick jumpers. Unfortunately that also happens to be the time you might discover your favourite jumper has partially been eaten by moths. I dread finding holes in my clothing or blankets. So what can we do to keep our clothing free of moths whithout resorting to the horrid smelling and potentially toxic moth balls?

It helps to know what attracts moths, and more importantly what deters moths because it is difficult to prevent moths from entering your home. So firstly, moths are attracted to natural fibres. By natural I mean wool, cotton, linen, silk etc. It's because they eat the food proteins within these, and especially love eating the food proteins in the form of hair and skin particles that we leave behind on fabric items. For that reason in order to prevent moths, never store worn or unwashed fabric items away in a dark dusty wardrobe, loft or basement. .

Luckily there are things you can do to deter moths from your wardrobes, and without resorting to pesticides. But anti-moth repellents will need to be replaced seasonally to ensure the smell is strong enough to deter the moths. Try the following natural products to protect your garments and home.

Cedar chips or cedar oil on in and absorbent cloth will deter moths. But it needs to be 'fragrant cedar' or also known as Juniper in some areas.
Lavender, Rosemary, vetiver and rose petals are all moth repellents (basically potpourri)

Dried lemon peels scat erred in a chest or tied a muslin cloth can be used.

But using deterrents alone will not suffice to completely protect your clothing.
If you discover moth holes in your garments (bless your soul, I grieve with you), you have to face the fact that you have moths in your wardrobe/storage area. All fabrics or garments withing that wardrobe/area will need to be washed and upholstery and carpeting will need vacuuming thoroughly (and the vacuum bag emptied immediately). Hard areas can be washed with warm soapy water and dried. Once the storage area has been thoroughly cleaned, only put back freshly washed/dry-cleaned items and then also add a moth repellent such as lemon peels. Larger items such as rugs and curtains can also be steam cleaned if you have a steam cleaner.

Regularly used clothes are not at a high risk of moth infestation because moths hate light and being disturbed. Their life cycle is about 21 days, so clothing used regularly should not be at risk. Therefor an alternative treatment for moth infested items is to hang your rugs or clothing outdoors for a day in the sun. Larvae are strongly repelled by light, and will fall from clothing when they cannot find protection. Freezing also kills moths. For items that cannot be hot washed, wrap in plastic and place in the freezer for a day.

It is tempting to store clothing within plastic bags to prevent moths from getting to items, but clothes and fabric items need to breathe, and storing them in plastic bags can cause mildew damage. However, you may wish to store items in a vacuumed bag where air has been removed. In this case make sure that all items are clean and dry, and expect them to be creased when you remove them from the pack.

If you decide to store clothing in a chest, make sure the chest shuts properly and has no holes where moths might get into.
I do hope none of you have to find those dreaded holes in your favourite jumpers. Remember that cashmere is particularly attractive to moths, so it's worth storing that expensive cashmere item or your favourite wool coat properly and safely... and remember to clean them before you do!

Hope you are having a great (and moth-free) day!
x

References:
http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Homes_and_Gardens/Article/How_to_Get_Rid_of_Moths.html
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm
http://www.totalwardrobecare.co.uk/acatalog/Handy_Hints_and_Links.html