Bedroom Makeover

We re-organised/ re-furnished our bedroom late last year. Having moved into a quite small, basic 3-bedroom house with a growing family, I have been determined to make every bit of space work well. Our bedroom and bedroom furniture was not working well:

Our previous bedroom furniture was very budget-friendly. We were actually given our bed-frame as a very generous wedding present from a couple at our old church. The chest-of-drawers and filing cabinet were mine, from my high-school days. The bedside tables (which didn't match), were picked up at op-shops. That furniture served us well for over 8 years (and is now residing in one of the spare bedrooms at my parents' house). 

Since people don't really see the main bedroom very often, ours was becoming a bit of a dumping ground. It was crying out for some attention...

Our first step was to create a workspace for Matt and I (not that Matt uses it much - he prefers the dining table!). Of course, we went straight to IKEA. You may remember I posted about that last year. (And, despite easy access, the sewing machine has still received remarkably little use).

After the workspace was complete, I got thinking about the rest of the room. We decided to fork out for a new bed with added storage (IKEA - $339 + blood, sweat and tears to assemble):

... which led to new bedside tables ($99 each, IKEA) and wall lights ($19.99 each, IKEA)...

I made the covered canvases for our bedroom at our old house. They are now sitting on a picture ledge ($14.99, IKEA). It was good to cover this wall (which contained some picture hooks/ holes from the previous owners) and add a bit of prettiness to our room.

Our bedroom now feels like the "calm oasis" that Oprah (or someone like that) tells me it should be! If you have a small space and/ or small budget, I don't think you can go past IKEA. I am slowly IKEA-ising our whole house...

Are you an IKEA fan? Or, more importantly, are you NOT an IKEA fan? If not, why not?! 

My 4-year-old's princess party

I have never been too keen on the whole princess/ Barbie/ fairy/ pink thing for girls. But it took me less than 3 years as the mother of a daughter to realise that this was inevitable (actually, the pink part was inevitable as soon as I started buying and receiving clothes for my first girl!) Now I have embraced the pink/ princess/ fairy thing. I'm still not too keen on the Disney princesses, but again... inevitable, and not worth fighting over. 

Miss 4 had a princess afternoon tea party yesterday. It was significant in that it was the first party where Miss 4 chose her own friends to come... not necessarily the children of our friends and family (though I am also friends with all the mothers) And, embracing the pink/ pretty/ princess thing was lots of fun!

The cake was made following a You tube clip (gotta love the Internet!). If I'm being a perfectionist, I can see a few things wrong, but all in all, I was pretty happy with it.

The very sweet spread included jelly cups, fruit, pink and gold fairy bread, pink cupcakes, and pink-iced shortbread biscuits (hearts and star shapes). There were some party sausage rolls throw in for good measure (just the frozen ones, not home-made).

I got some of the decorations and the invitations from a cute online store - Lovely Chubblies. They also have some great pirate-themed things. Hard to resist the urge to have a 3rd birthday party for Mr 2. (We are trying to stick to parties for even years).

I followed another online tutorial from "Mum's the Word" to make the tissue-paper pom-poms.

We prettied up our day-bed (which is usually covered with dog-fur and mouldy cushions), by adding a pink fitted sheet and some indoor pink cushions (from our bed and Miss 4's bed)

The girls were so cute in their princess outfits. I won't post any clearer pictures of other kids, for privacy reasons. Dress-ups was a last minute decision, but it seems every 3 or 4 year-old girl owns a princess or fairy outfit! There were also two boys - one came as a dinosaur, and the other had a storm-trooper mask. Mr 2 was a "pirate in shining armour" -half in a pirate costume and half-knight costume. (Matt couldn't find the pirate shirt and I didn't have time to dig around).

We played "pin the crown on the princess". And, the kids also initiated their own games of "Duck, Duck Goose" and "What's the time Mr. Wolf?"

The birthday girl was just thrilled with the day, and had a lovely time. Thanks everyone who came!

One of my favourites

Around the time I got married (almost 9 years ago), I purchased myself a stab blender. I wanted to be able to easily blend soups. Perhaps the manufacturers of saucepans would advise against this - but, when making soup, I use my stab blender in the same saucepan (or slow cooker pot) in which I have been cooking my soup ingredients.

As much as I loved and used my stab blender, I was always a little bit bemused by this additional contraption which came with my blender: 

For at least 5 years, my food processor sat lonely in my cupboard, while the stab blender was used again and again. I even considered throwing it away. I am so glad I never went through with it.

I first discovered the joys of my food processor when I was making pureed food for my eldest baby. It wasn't long after this, that I discovered the multiple uses of the food processor. There are many days when I use my food processor frequently. These days I use my food processor to:

• Grate/ finely chop vegetables (e.g. zucchini, carrot, onion). This sure cuts down preparation time for a zucchini slice.
• Grate cheese (when cut in small segments). Have I mentioned how much I hate hand-grating?
• Cream butter and sugar for cakes etc
• Make doughs/pastry (for sweets and savoury pies)

I am seriously considering upgrading to a large, whiz-bang food processor like this one. Of course, I would rather buy a red Kitchen Aid standing mixer first!

But, here is one of my favourite (and my husband's favourite) food processor recipes:

Rich Herb Quiche

Ingredients:
 (Pastry)
1.5 cups plain flour
125 g butter, cubed
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup water

(Filling)
1 tbs olive oil
200g bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk OR 1 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup grated cheese
2 tsp mixed dried herbs (or 2 tbsp fresh herbs)


Method:
Preheat oven to 200c
Lightly spray a quiche dish with oil
Combine the plain flour, butter and salt in food processor. Process until mixture appears as fine breadcrumbs
Add egg yolk and water. Process until a soft dough forms
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth
Rest dough in refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for 20 minutes

Prepare the filling - Cook bacon and onion over medium heat for 2 minutes
Remove pan from heat
Add the cream, eggs, grated cheese and herbs to the pan and stir to combine


Roll out the pastry and place into quiche dish to line the base
Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, or until golden
Pour in the filling and turn oven to 180c
Bake quiche for 30 minutes or until filling sets

Rainy day ideas: Muffin-tin Lunch

Rainy weather (for more than a day or 2), living in a small house and having small children does not make a good combination...

After a morning of rain, attempted toilet training (not too serious yet, but our Mr 2 has been wearing undies at home for the past 4 days), and a painting activity which ended up much messier than expected, by 11am there was one frazzled mummy around here.

In my Internet travels quite a while ago now, I found a link for muffin-tin lunches. Muffin-tin lunches were a welcome mood-lightening treat around here today. Here is what you do:

1) Grab a 6 or 12 hole muffin tin (I suggest a 6 hole tin, otherwise you have to come up with too many ideas!)

2) Fill each hole with a different food. This is a great opportunity to introduce a small amount of non-preferred foods. I used rice/corn cakes, cucumber, cheese, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, and a huge strawberry!

3) Serve for lunch.

(Yes, I ended up polishing off the cucumber)


Have you ever served a muffin tin lunch?

Someone lovely has nominated The Useful Box for the Circle of Moms' Top 25 Aussie Blogs list. I feel very honoured to be nominated. If you would like to vote for The Useful Box, click on the button, scroll down the list until you find my blurb and click "vote". You can vote every 24 hours. I know I don't stand a chance, but it is a nice way for some new people to find their way here, and offer their insights, ideas and opinions too.

A little space of my own - the (almost) end product

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about trying to find a little space of my own. I was basically looking for somewhere to organise paperwork, keep our printer (we only have laptops, no desktop computer) and a few office supplies. But, we were actually able to do more with the space than I had hoped for, and now I can definitely share with my husband.

Before:

After: 

Before:

After:

 

The desk is a combination of VIKA ALEX, VIKA AMON, VIKA CURRY products from IKEA. The chairs are hand-me-downs we already owned.

We also used Bygel rails and containers from IKEA

Magnetic Grundtal storage containers

and the EKBY ALEX wall shelf with drawers...

Last night I enjoyed my first evening in my little space, listening to my (grown-up) music, sorting out paperwork and surfing the 'net. Love it. 

And, lest I deceive you regarding my sewing abilities (only good sew-ers have their own sewing space right?)... Since my high-school days I have made exactly 3.5 items - a dress for Miss 3 (with much help from my mother-in-law), 2 library bags (I did manage those on my own) and half an apron. I am hoping that having the machine and equipment easily at hand will inspire me to do more sewing (and hopefully get a bit better at it!)

Do you have your own space? What do you/ would you prioritise in your space?

Wordless Wednesday: Sydney Wildlife World

Linking with My Little Drummer Boys for Aussie Wordless Wednesday

I *heart*...

Gumption is totally old-school. My mum used it when I was a kid. Until recently, I wasn't even sure if you could buy Gumption anymore.

I have an old tub of Gumption. I think it came from my mum's place or maybe my mother-in-law's place. At our previous house, it found its way to the back of the cupboard under my kitchen sink, then stayed there for about 5 years.

When we were preparing to move house, my Enjo gloves were not cutting it. I had 5-year-old grease (*cough*) on my range hood and the bottom of my kitchen cupboards. I needed something stronger. In desperation I reached into the back of the kitchen cupboard and pulled out Gumption. (There must have been some reason I didn't throw it out). Watching Gumption at work was like watching magic happen. The grease just dissolved before my eyes. (I am receiving no payment to endorse this product).

Somehow Gumption made its way to the bottom of our cleaning box again at our new place. Last week I found myself unable to remove the ring around the bottom of our bath-tub using my conventional methods. I tried hot water and elbow grease. I tried white vinegar and water. I tried straight white vinegar. I tried my Enjo marble paste. I tried some bicarb soda. (The bicarb did make a difference but still not perfect). 

Then I tried my old friend Gumption. Perfection.

The tub of Gumption I have is so old that it gives no indication about its environmental credentials. But it is non-toxic, and you only need to use a small amount on a damp cloth to get almost anything clean. You can use it for stainless steel, bench tops (stone or laminex), painted surfaces (walls), on bonded leather lounges (ask me how I know?), etc etc. You can get it at most major supermarkets.

Have you used Gumption?



I love to hear your opinions. Please click on the title of this blog post if you would like to view comments or add your own comment.

Wordless Wednesday: Mummy's little helpers

I love these steps from Aldi - we got one for each child (even Miss 7 months) and they match our decor perfectly!

Check out more pictures in Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys

(I love to hear your opinions. Please click on the title of this blog post if you would like to view comments or add your own comment).

Wordless Wednesday: Picture wall

 

This is the first wall you see when you walk through our front door. I am slowly working on this project. I plan to expand the picture gallery gradually as we get more photos, meaningful words or gifts worthy of and suitable for framing. 

My husband isn't a fan. He thinks the wall is too "busy". He is surprised that I like it, given I am generally more of a minimalist. I am enjoying the contrast of the "busy" wall against our general decorative style though. (And besides, this means I don't have to be too choosy about which photos I want to display).

What do you think? 

I'm joining Wordless Wednesday with My Little Drummer Boys

(I love comments! Please click the title of the post to view comments or write your own comment)

Baby wearing

I didn't really use slings with Miss Chatterbox or Mr Cheeky. I never found one that I could wear comfortably, and I was also worried that they would want to be worn ALL THE TIME if I got started. It is different with Miss Chilled though.

1) I was given this AWESOME sling. You can find it at www.sleepywrap.com. It is so comfortable. It doesn't have any buckles to dig in, baby is secure (I have sometimes felt like bub is going to fall out with other slings) and, although it may not look like it in this photo, baby is very comfortable in there. Thanks Mary and Lauren!

2) Miss Chilled has decided she doesn't like to sleep in the pram. As we are out most mornings, this was becoming very inconvenient. Miss Chilled would stay awake all morning, then get very cranky. By the time we were home for lunch, Miss Chilled took AGES to settle. She sleeps perfectly in the wrap.

3) I have my hands free. Good when you have 2 other toddlers to chase!

Disadvantages:

1) I have to take it all off to feed. You are supposed to be able to feed with it on, but I personally need more access!

2) It takes a bit of practice initially to get good at putting it on, but once you have done it a few times it is much easier. If I am in and out of the car though, (such as preschool drop off, popping to the shops then play group or something), I just leave it on and take Miss Chilled in and out as required. That way you don't need to fold it multiple times.

3) I prefer using it now that Miss Chilled has more head control. When she was really little I was still a bit worried about her having her face smushed into my bust!

Do you "baby-wear"? What do you think?

And then there were three

More wonderful photos from Hannah Jayne photography. Miss Chilled @ 4 days old: