AT THE OP SHOPS

I went for a look in our local op shops this week and picked up a few things.

2 sweet pyrex dishes that cost $2 each

A set of new flannel sheets for $5 and 2 vintage pillowcases for $1 each

1 vintage cot size sheet for $1 (I love this one as a tablecloth)

A pair of skinny leg jeans and a winter knitted top for Sophie, a total of $5 (yet to be modeled).

I am really happy with my purchases, everything has been washed then dryed out in the sunshine and has been tucked away in their new home.

ON MY MIND

I want to get rid of my drier, ideally I would like to sell it as I can't give it to the Salvos as they don't accept electrical goods. This has been playing on my mind for ages. I know I can do without it, yet having it sitting there, I sometimes use it for convenience.

Some would say that it is a neccessity where I live, I disagree. When our last drier packed up, I had children in cloth nappies and at the time thought that way too. Now the children are older, I have other alternatives for our cold, wet climate. Of course on days when there is no rain, I use our old hills hoist in the middle of our yard where every clothesline deserves to be in an Aussie yard. When things are a little damp, I have another line under shelter that I use for things I may not need that day.

Our other option is our inside clothes horse. I love this fold away line and use it constantly. Yes, for most of the year our home can sometimes look like a chinese laundry.

So why do I use the drier? Well I guess I don't plan well enough and sometimes it's laziness. Underwear is probably the main thing I pop in there as I sometimes can't be bothered pegging it all up. When I think about it, there are so many clothes I can't put in the drier anyway, so it's time to ditch it. Has anyone else ditched the drier for another way of drying?

I KNOW, I KNOW....

it's been a while but I do have an excuse. I love school holidays and my kids take up an awful lot of my time when they are home. I mean I have to be chef, taxi driver, referee, craft mama extraordinaire, chief accountant (so much more to factor into my budget in the holidays) and mega cleaner. Whew!!! I'm tired just thinking of the last 2 weeks, now my babies are back at school, I'm back at work and can't wait to get some gardening and renovating done around here.

Yesterday I had a win!!!! I was looking through a second hand store when I saw the table and chairs I have wanted for a long time. I couldn't believe my luck and quickly bought them. Our old dining table is just way too big for the area we have, not to mention, completely the wrong style. I smile whenever I walk past my 'new' purchase and am seriously considering painting each chair a different colour. The fifth chair in the photo is one I have had for a long time and I think it looks awesome with the others.

I will sell off the old table as well as a few other antique pieces to an auction house in a few weeks. These pieces of furniture just don't fit into our home anymore, it will be sad to see them go but I really need some room.

Now for some new curtains........

MAKING IT SUIT OUR FAMILY

I certainly have the renovation/shifting furniture around bug. Today after putting on the final coat of sealer on the stairs it was time to do something about our eating arrangements.

We have a tiny dining room which was actually our kitchen until about 8 years ago when we built on a new one. The dining room is also my sewing room and is in the middle of the house, no natural lighting and a bit of a walk-through from the lounge to the kitchen.

I don't like to eat in there as the table is normal piled high with sewing projects and it's very claustrophobic when we are all in there, so the dining room table got kicked out today.

Here is the sewing room/library/playroom now.




It's now an easier space to navigate through.

Now for the dining table. It's in the kitchen, it doesn't really suit the kitchen but I don't really care. The important thing is that we can sit around it and enjoy our meals together, the kids can do their homework or drawings and be able to talk to me at the same time and there's room to move!


The table needed a bit of dressing up and this quilt top is a perfect size.

I finally have my favourite cooking books back out in the kitchen too.

We don't have a lot of space in our humble little home so I try to think up new ideas to change it around to make it suit our family's needs.