It's a Sunshiney Day

Gentle Breeze & Sunshine

A lovely day to get everything out on the line for a good airing. 

After the floods of the past week the house has that damp smell. 

Fantastic weather today, threw open the windows & doors like a women possessed and invited the wind to whirl through & through.

Caroline :) 

Some Changes

Remember a few weeks ago I talked about a few changes we would

(or was already) making in our home. I wrote about it here & where I mention my furniture shopping here. 

A while ago somebody dear to me gave me some money, not a lot mind you but a little that I have been able to add to if I've had left over housekeeping money,it is so true that every little bit adds up. 

So a few weeks back when the January post Christmas sales were on I was able to buy a few new pieces of furniture that were very much needed. Outstanding sales this year, all the pieces were under half price.

(With all the furniture out of the room it was easy to give it a good clean, lots of (nasty) surprises lurking under the old furniture) 

We needed a new lounge as we had always had a Sofa bed in this room but it had seen better days -please read getting icky! & like most sofa beds had never been the most comfortable of things to sit on but oh so practical when you have 3 kids & always having the mandatory sleepovers, kids laying around watching movies etc.

With only one child left at home things are a bit quieter to say the least, than the days of three teenagers. So this time around we decided to get something a little nicer -isn't that what you do when your kids grow up??

We managed to get an Italian Leather double recliner & a Lounge at an awesome price. I can highly recommend waiting till the sales we literally saved thousands, & remember don't forget to bargain even more if you are interested in buying several pieces at the same time like we did :)

With a little left over from our outstanding bargaining skills Lol! we were then able to buy a small new 5pce timber dining room suite. This will replace our big one & will allow more room as there are only three of us most times for meals now. We got this for a crazy $300, reduced from nearly $1000. I had to ask the sales person if the price tag was correct(it was)

I won't be getting rid of my big dining room suite though as I hate to think what it would cost me to replace now, it was nearly $3000 many years ago. When we finish redoing downstairs we shall set it up there & will use it when we have people over. 
One of the happiest bits for me was the new one is exactly the same style only smaller, so all the chairs etc. match.

Teenage boy liked removing all the furniture, kinda

 ties in with the destructive nature most teenager boys

 acquire for a few years ;)

I would like to get rid of the feature wall in the first photo, and also remove the wallpaper border then paint a very light colour through out, it will lighten the interior and add a nice contrast to all our furniture that is dark & rustic.

The trouble with our house is that one room flows to the next so that you've got to repaint the whole interior at once not just one room at a time. I don't think that will be happening any-time soon but something to add to the To Do/cum Wish List. 

Ditto, with removing the two blinds. I've been so disappointed in these blinds & the quality of them right since new & they weren't cheap. I made a mistake by purchasing them hastily when my curtains that were hanging were showing wear after I had them cleaned. I still haven't removed the old curtain rods (another thing for the list)

I would like to replace them with either White Timber Shudders or White Timber Slat Blinds. I think I will put a little more thought into it this time.

For the moment I will be giving this room a good going over -Cleaning, de-cluttering, sorting etc. 

Should keep me busy for awhile. 

Have you been doing anything around your home??

Tell me.... I want to know, I may steal your ideas! HA Ha!

Have a great weekend & a great Australia Day(to my Aussie bloggers)

Caroline xo

I Love old Houses but.......

.......they can be a lot of work.

I have lived in a lot of houses (about 25 by memory last count)

Brand spanking new, some where in the middle & the old. So I think I can pretty safely say I know what I like....give me an old house any day. 

You know the one's where the heart & soul of the house is held in the walls, where if they could tell tales there would be many to share. Where the floorboards creak one day in one place then another time in a different place. It's almost like some of these houses have minds(ghosts) of there own.The only drawback is that they are a lot of work maintenance, and this place is just that.

my yard looking like  the local council dump shop lol!

So what have we been up to?? 

Resealing the slab of the house.

Over time the slab has slowly began to leak moisture. If you happened to pick an item up off the floor it was most likely going to feel cool or even damp/wet during the flood season we experienced a while back. 

However we have had to wait this long for the extremely dry weather we are having now to dry out the slab right through and therefore the surrounding ground as well. When they concreted under these old hours years ago concrete wasn't like the super blend that they use these days likewise they didn't lay the plastic down under the slab either. 

Result...rising damp,moisture etc.

High pressure cleaning the slab before sealing

We started by taking the entire contents of downstairs out into the back yard, I swear it looked just like one of those council junk shops, you know the ones where they take all the things out of the tip, sell it to you for a ridiculous price then tell you what a good deal your getting. 
Seriously though I think it was a ploy by partner & Son to remind me of how much junk we have. 

Removing the carpet was fun yuck BUT really not as yucky as I thought(thank goodness) Straight into the Ute and to the dump it went. Next we had to clean the slab with a high pressure water cleaner (Gernie) & Chlorine. 

Then waited & waited & waited some more for it to dry. Of course a storm was brewing by this time and everything was dumped out into the yard. We started to prepare for the worse and gather the tarps. 

Finally it was dry enough to start applying the sealer, sweeping it in so we could fill any nicks or crevices in the concrete. Letting it dry between coats. Continuing this process three times over.

All sealed and dried AGAIN... and still no storm. Carried everything back in and piled it in the- I don't know where places as I haven't been able to find anything since. 
Never mind, it all needs to be transported back out into the yard again when we lay the new carpet.

New carpets will be a while yet though as Steve wants to replace some of the timber trim and we want to repaint. 
My daughter painted the orange feature wall(2nd photo) one Easter several years back. She had a lot of fun doing it but I think I'm going to go neutral this time around and open/lighten the place up a bit. Along with a fair bit of de-cluttering and organizing it should look good.

We will be doing it all ourselves through out the year. We normally do this as financial and time constraints allow. It ended up costing us around $150 to do ourselves with some product left over. In comparison a lady I know paid for this to be down and it cost several thousand. Better in our pocket I reckon!

So here starts my year of simplifying, de-cluttering, maintaining and hopefully organizing. 
Years ago when the children were young we used this area as a playroom, it has been used as a teenage retreat & as bedrooms for my eldest two when they wanted some independence before moving out. 
My office is down there too but since sealing the slab I have moved it upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms(but that's for another post)

Now, to go and sort some of this downstairs STUFF. 
Me thinks it would be a good idea to mark a Garage Sale somewhere into the calendar this year.

Interesting to see if I'm sitting here this time next year eating my words? Seems like we're off to a good start though.

Caroline

Cleaning Saddles

Cleaning Saddles

And boots

and even MORE boots

Sitting in the warmish winter sun, drinking coffee and enjoying the smell of Leather, saddlesoap and horses.

Caroline.....

This & That?

I've dropped out of blog land for a few days, I have been busy busy busy. My Granny's house went under in the floods & at 87 she is finding it very hard to cope. Family First right!!

I have also been having a massive clean at my own home, with a leak in the roof last week & a small amount of water getting in under the house. Everything has grown massive amounts of mould. Did you know that mould even comes in different colours, we have had the white looking dusty mould, the black/grey mould and even to be a little bit artistic(yuk!) a blue & a pinky colour.

Everything & I mean everything has had to be wiped clean. I have found Vinegar & a good dash of Oil of Cloves to be the best. I have also been running the air-con on the "DRY" air setting and if you go outside where the outlet pipe is the amount of water that is running out of the pipe is amazing. Didn't think to use that setting when it was teaming with rain all last week but I'll be sure to remember from now on it may help to eliminate the mould problem. Although living in a hot humid climate like ours I may just be "DREAMING"

Luckily, although we have had storms the last two afternoons there has been plenty of sunshine in the mornings to put things out in the sun for a good air. Nothing like a good old air in the sun!!

I find the kids old trampoline is great for putting items out in the sun that are difficult to hang on the clothes line. I pull the trampoline over close to the house & because the mat is a mesh material it has good air flow from all sides.

I realize I am much luckier than most- my grandmother included, all her worldly possessions have been put out on the footpath as rubbish for removal.

Hope to get back here soon & to get around and answer the growing amount of mail in my inbox. I have had a few new followers of late -Thank you. I hope to be able to get over to discover your blogs soon.

Emerald has her operation scheduled for this Friday for her Sleep Aponea so wish us luck. we are hoping for the best outcome, meaning hopefully she will not have to sleep on a machine for the rest of her life.

Caroline xoxo

MORE RAIN & OTHER STUFF

It's been a wet old year for us to date, with the promise of a wet Spring & Summer to come. We have had 30ml in the last day with more rain predicted until Friday.

It has been great for the garden. I have not had to water for 4weeks now, which is a big saving. I did use a bit of water today though as we washed the exterior of the house. We use a high pressure water cleaner so we don't use as much as we would otherwise but I still try to be concious of it. We usually wash it down every spring, today though I also had to clean down the driveway & front path as with all the rain we have had it has become slippery & dangerous with the green stuff!!

Also had a call from the Soldier Boy which was lovely & Emerald cooked a delicious meal of Meat Balls 'n' Sauce with Pasta. She even cleaned up the kitchen afterwards, BONUS!!

Em was over the moon today as her new cowboy boots arrived from the States. We only ordered them 10days ago, so someones been doing their job well. I don't know what the Australian Air Express man thought though when he pulled into the drive, Emerald dived out the front door screaming "There here" before he even got out of his van.

No doubt we will be doing lots more photos with the new boots. I still have some more Cowboy pics from the other day when we were mucking around taking photos so I will post them soon. The Soldier Boy has asked to see them, so if I put them on here it's a job easy & done.

Caroline xoxo...

PS-Not long now Soldier Boy. Love Ya!!

SPILT MILK

You know what the saying is :- " Never cry over spilt milk"

Well I can honestly say in our family we never do.............................

We just call in the Mutts!!

Caroline xoxo...

THRIFT SHOP FINDS!!

Have a look at my beautiful thrift shop finds for today.

These 2 lovelies cost me a grand total of $1.50 & while they are not in the best of condition they have come up not to bad with a little TLC.






I will wash them again and add some borax to the water as this can help restore softness.
(2 Tbsp per 10L water)



I usually make my own Wool Wash here is the recipe-



WOOL WASH

4 Cups of Pure Soap Flakes
(I grate sunlight soap but if you want to you can just buy a box of Lux Flakes)

1 Cup of Methylated Spirits

2 Tbsp. of Eucalyptus Oil

Combine & store in an airtight container. I usually use about 2 Tbsp. dissolved in hot water then added to the cold water in my laundry tub.

Here is another recipe for Wool Wash that someone gave me. I haven't had the chance to make it yet as I still have some of my usual homemade wool wash left. So I can't vouch for it, sounds nice though. I love the smell of Lavender on fresh laundry.

If anybody has tried it let me know what it's like???



LAVENDER WOOL WASH

4 Teaspoons Dried Lavender


1Litre boiling water

500g of Pure Soap
(Once again I guess you could use Lux Pure Soap Flakes but I will grate & use Sunlight Soap) It really is much more economical to grate your own.

1 Tablespoon Borax

Steep the Lavender in boiling water overnight. The next morning strain it through some muslin. ( When things call for this I just use a large men's hankie) Retain the Lavender Water.

Combine the grated soap, Lavender water and borax in a saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until blended. Remove from heat. This will cool to a soft white jelly. Store in a jar & seal.

You will need 1/2 cup of this to hand wash woollens or 2-3 cups in a washing machine to wash blankets.


That's all for now, time to get down off my soapbox LOL!!
CAROLINE xoxo

AUTUMN CLEANING

I have been Sorting, De cluttering, Simplifying and just basically starting my good old clean up.

Forget Spring Cleaning, Autumn is the season that works for me.

Spring is such a busy time.

Busy working (Time for all the babies (Foals) to be born, time to re bred all the mares for next springs arrivals, busy in the garden-getting ready to plant spring veggies before the days get to hot.

Spring for me is a time to shake free the confines of the indoor winter hibernation, the days lengthen and we enjoy many a long day at the beach followed by picnics & BBQ's that continue well into the night.

So that is why I Autumn clean.

Autumn is a time to prepare my house for winter. A time to wash all the Rugs, Quilts, Pillows & Cushions while there is still enough warmth in the air to line dry my washing. It is Essential for me to smell the sunlight in my fresh clean washing.(Heaven)

A time to Sort, Rotate & Replenish my stockpile.

A kinda primitive form of hunting & gathering I think.

Almost like a bear or akin to a squirrel gathering food to store for the winter.

Fun sorting through all our old Board games, Books & DVDs ready for family nights cuddled up warm together with an essential comfort food. Warm Creamy rice with a good dollop of fresh cream comes to mind.

So this is what I will be doing this weekend and over the following weeks to come. I am a little late to start this year. What with all the dramas that have come of late.

A ritual I usually start sometime after Anzac Day(25April) as usually this is when the weather starts to cool.

Alas life is a journey and preparing my house for the coming cooler months gives me much pleasure. A feeling that I am lucky to be able to provide a warm, secure loving home surrounded by our treasures & mementos that help shape who we are and what we like as a family. Oh and plenty of warm creamy rice too!!

Have a GREAT Weekend.

CAROLINExoxoxo

MY BEST EXCUSE YET!!

I couldn't possibly disturb these two's beauty sleep to simply

make the bed, Could I??

Well until they have now decided to hop on it AFTER I make it.

I always knew cats were fussy but.......

Darn that has wrecked my best excuse yet.

Have a lovely evening

CAROLINE xoxoxo....

FLOWERS

Well looking at the first picture your probably baffled on why this post is titled "Flowers"

Easy let me explain.
Today I was cleaning & re-arranging things "as you do" and thought I would put some of my utensils next to the stove. Wooden in one, Stainless Steel in the other.
So I grabbed these two pottery vases that I got from Spain. I've had them for years & have always filled them full of blooms. They do the job perfectly & are just the right size for my needs.

So now I will be using this clear glass vase that I have had in the cupboard and never used.

The only thing that worries me is, Sometimes I am not the best at changing the water.

Aggh yuk. You know what I mean it ends up looking like compost soup. At least the pottery vases hid my domestic weakness!!

Anyway suppose I'll have to wait for someone to give me flowers to try my new/old glass vase out.

Hint Hint.

I think Valentines Day is soon maybe I will have a secret admirer??

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Yesterday I got stuck in and braved cleaning my linen cupboard. I really wanted to get this done before Christmas for several reasons.

1. I was having trouble shutting the door. (always a good reason to tidy something)

2. Every time I have visitors they always end up having to get a fresh towel or something out of there. (and if momma can't find it in there no one can)

3.I try to but my new linen etc. at the post Christmas sales. I had to see what I need.
(probably nothing really but have I told you I'm a sucker for linens, sometimes I would rather buy that than clothes. I don't need that much I tend to strip the beds wash it all and have it back on the beds same day. So really I only need two sets of anything. A linen fetish (is that a recognized disease)

4. Probably I should admit to you about now this is only a smidge of it. I have loads of those cheap stripey bags packed downstairs with linen.

5. Whoopee there is always benefits to every deep clean. Today I found material still in the spotlight bag I had bought last year & had forgot about. One brand new tags on table runner that I will use on the Christmas table. A set of curtains that I will hang in the lounge room and clean the ones that are hanging up now.

I know this cupboard will only stay looking like this for a few weeks for some reason it is the one that gets real messy real quick. So enjoy the photo it will give me something to look back and reminisce.

And if your real lucky and I am real brave I will take and post a photo of it after New Year!!