Getting Back on Track

I have had 2 weeks back at work since my holidays and I still feel as though I am chasing my tail at home.  Somehow everything has been done but the smooth process seems to have flown the coop.  In fact, last Friday morning I had to iron a shirt for The Duke as there were no business shirts in his cupboard.  That was not good.

This weekend has been pretty busy as Miss O and Izz came to stay and that certainly limits what I get done.  However, I have managed to finish the washing and ironing, written a menu plan and have the meals prepared for Monday and Tuesday.

Do you plan your meals?  What is your process?

I have have also decided what I will wear to work tomorrow so I feel as though I am ready to start the week.  How about you?

Transformed

What a difference 75 minutes can make!  Yesterday I showed you my small bit of organising.  I had sorted the tangle of unironed clothes from earlier in the week into piles of shirts, skirts, t-shirts and so on.

This morning I caught the slightly later train so I decided to get as much of the ironing done as possible.  There is no doubt that, not only am I a ‘fowl’ (morning person), I do perform better when I am working to a deadline.  I knew that I had a window of 75 minutes, so naturally the challenge (in my head) was on to get as much done in the allotted time as possible.

Here is the result.

All I have left to do are the 3 pairs of trousers for The Duke which are on the left-hand end of the ironing board in the photo.

Because I use a steam iron and we live in an area of high humidity, I always hang the ironed clothes to air and dry thoroughly before putting them in the wardrobe.

Ironing seems to be a universally hated task, however, I actually do not mind it – especially once I get started.  I find a great deal of satisfaction in having crisp, clean clothes hanging in the cupboard ready to wear.

I know many people choose not to iron most of their clothes and some do not even own an iron.  That is not an option for me as both The Duke and I work in a corporate environment and almost all of our clothes are either 100% or primarily cotton/linen.

There are stories of people who iron everything – including underwear and bed linen.  I think that may well be from a time when clothes dryers were not commonplace and it was a way of ensuring that everything was totally dry.  I do iron handkerchiefs, pillowcases, tablecloths , serviettes and teatowels which some would regard as extreme but I guess it is a matter of each to his own.

What is your ironing story?

Small Steps

During the week I do not have much time to do housework but some of the smallest things can make a difference.

I have managed to do 2 loads of washing since we arrived home on Sunday evening.  The folding is done and put away but I have not got near the clothes that need to be ironed.

Last night I quickly sorted out the pile which had been upended on the single bed in my sewing/ironing room into piles of similar items – The Duke’s business shirts in one pile, my skirts in another etc.  It now looks much more manageable and I plan to do at least some it tomorrow morning before I catch the slightly later train in the morning.

Do you have any tips and tricks that make a task seem less daunting (and look more organised in the meantime)?

Chasing My Tail

It does not take much to get the organisation out of sync.

On the weekend I spent most of the time outdoors.  I was helping The Duke with the fencing and my hands and legs bear testament to having done battle with the wire.

So, naturally the the jobs which I normally do on the weekends were neglected.  I still cooked meals but the kitchen was not properly tidied.

The washing was done but not the ironing.

Floors were swept but not mopped.

I made a concerted effort last night and this morning and have mostly caught up.  Now I need to give some thought to packing as we are going to Melbourne for a few days.  There may be a couple of gaps between posts while I get on with my ‘real’ life but I will be back on track soon.

Sunday Sewing

Today I took a break from the patchwork and did some other sewing.

First though, I did the ironing.  While I was doing it I discovered a tear in the ironing board cover.  I had noticed recently that it was getting close to wearing out.

So it was time for a new one.  I decided that it could not be that difficult to make one so set about deconstructing the old cover.

Here is what I salvaged: padding which I reused and also used as a pattern, bundle of polyester binding from the edge, elastic and clip from the edge, 2 velcro straps from underneath, edge strip which I used as a pattern.

The fabric I used for the new cover is part of an op shop quilt cover that I bought last year.  I used the front to make a tablecloth for a work event and I had the backing left over.  I don’t think the quilt had been used and the fabric is 100% cotton.

This the almost finished cover.  I just had to do some adjustments to the velcro straps which go underneath the board.  They were not long enough to go across my board so I had not used them previously.  I replaced the short end with some cotton tape so that I could use them.

Just like new.

This is the view under the board and you can see the modified velcro strap.

I re-used most of the original cover when I made the new one.  The pile on the left is the cotton fabric which has gone into the compost.  On the right is the rubbish pile – remnants of foam which has almost disintegrated in places, the polyester thread from the unpicking (not visible) and the 2 short lengths of velcro that I replaced with cotton tape.

And a preview of things to come – starting from tomorrow and continuing each Monday for several weeks, I will begin a series  titled ‘Project Streamline’.  It is a natural progression (for me) from my participation in Project 333.  Please drop in and feel free to offer your thoughts/advice or you may like to join in.

See you tomorrow.

Multitasking – Friend or Foe?

As our lives just seem to keep getting more pressured we often resort to multitasking in both our personal and professional lives.  There are several reports now that seriously question of effectiveness of such behaviour.  I read recently that there were recommendations that we close our email when we are in the office and only check it twice per day.  How often are you derailed from a task by an email that pops up in your inbox?

The other day I had an afternoon with no particular things to do.  I thought of doing the ironing and contemplated taking it into the lounge and watching a DVD series.  I decided against this and opted to recline on the lounge and immerse myself completely and utterly in the mini-series, “All The Rivers Run”.  I was transported back to the early days of river transport on the Murray River.  I enjoyed the DVD at a level which simply would not have been possible if I was ironing at the same time.

Later in the afternoon I did the ironing .  I spent a little over an hour on it and completely finished a basketful of ironing.  I was able to do it quickly and efficiently by concentrating on the ironing.

I am going to consider other instances where multitasking is not really beneficial.  What do you think?

Small Steps in the Sewing Room

I made a start on my sewing room today.  I did about half a basketful of ironing – still heaps to do.  I also attacked the mending pile – buttons replaced on 2 dresses and a t-shirt for Izz as well as unpicked the trouser hem on a pair of Miss O’s corduroy trousers.  I will be putting an extra piece of fabric on the bottom to lengthen them so hopefully she will get plenty of wear from them this winter.  After that I decided to reward myself by sitting and doing some knitting – a dishcloth, so it is not difficult but nevertheless, a sense of accomplishment when it is done.

We have had guests staying with us so not too much detail in this post but there will be more photos soon.