Organisation - areas that need to be covered

OK, so my word for 2011 is yet again going to be organisation.

These are still on my list from last year, but we've made some progress. The cooking plans work really well, when we skip this step we find that we waste food as we forget what is in the fridge. The most difficult thing to keep on top of is sharing these lists, so time to find a method using our new Windows 7 phones to keep consistently synched. Freezer is now here, I've been treated to a new slow cooker as our 20 year old wedding present has finally died on us. I've also got a mincer attachment for my Kenwood Chef, so can make lots more of our own meat products. It's a shame that Littlemoor's Farm shop is no longer, so we now buy most of our meat from Ferndene Farm Shop near Bashley and Waitrose.

I'm also going to get much more active with my Crafty Cooking Blog, creating and sharing more of my own ideas.

Areas that I need to tackle

• Clutter - must start to clear surfaces, but this will involve clearing out cupboards
• Cupboards - these need to be cleared and reorganised, be ruthless and Freecycle/ebay what we don't need.
  
• Cooking - plan meals ahead to better use ingredients and minimise waste
• Shopping lists - keep lists of produce we have, use them to highlight areas needed, keep to strict lists and don't over buy.
  
• Gardening - both greenhouse and garden, must get this properly operational to increase produce and save money.
• Washing - replace the washing machine, save money and get better results.
• Housework - produce a weekly rota so all areas are covered.
• Recycling - better bin, with two sections, then I don't get hit around the head when the bag get's full.
• Assignments - keep up-to-date with the marking, break into small tasks that can be marked as they are done and not wait until submission date to be marked.
• Technology - use it effectively, make sure that it all connects together, so that true picture is available at any moment of family commitments. Not to lose track of time whilst "playing" on the web etc.

I'm sure this list will change, but it is a good start.

Oops, seeds sown, variety and care now problem – Help?

The sun streamed through the window straight onto my face, it was a lovely way to wake up. It is cold and showery, the odd ray of sunshine and then some heavy rain, even a touch of hail I think, I can’t really tell as I was in the greenhouse at the time, but it sounded like hail on the glass.

The plants need a boost, I found the seaweed solution, filled up my sprayer and managed to foliar feed everything in the veg garden and flower  borders before it started raining again, leaving me in the warm greenhouse to spray in there. It’s amazing stuff and really helps the plants to grow strong and resist attack from pests.

OK, I’ve got an organisation problem…

I very carefully labelled all my plants in the greenhouse with the type and variety, also listed on my blog, but… I now don’t know which aubergine is which, what I mean is, which was the small little egg sized fruit and which is the large variety. Of the tomatoes, which will need to be in the greenhouse, which outside and do I pinch out or not. Just as well I realised now.

Ideas on how to solve this..

• Do I scan in the packets front and back and attach them to each of the blog entries?
• Shall I research on the web and hope that I can find the information already exists and I can just link to them?
• Do I simply find the packet when I need to and then type up the basics
• Perhaps I need some ideas from other expert gardeners?

Today is going to be a day of more than one blog entry, I need help and guidance, does anyone have any tips?

A day of variety

They say that variety is the spice of life, well today is one of those days.

I started in the greenhouse, re-jigging the pots around to try and give some of the plants more light. Then I pricked out the Okra into 3 inch pots, not sure how these are going to work as they need lots of sun (keep your fingers crossed we get a better summer this year).

Spent 2 hours logging up the rotten trees we felled over the Easter holidays and stacking them in the wood store, the poor electric chainsaw is struggling, it can’t cope with the large diameter trees, so hoping Dad can work his magic this week and get the petrol chainsaw working again before the bank holiday weekend, then we can clear all the remaining trunks.

A trip to Castlepoint (local shopping centre), new carry all for hubby who has a business trip to London this week, jeggings for daughter and some food bits and bobs from supermarket, can now make Dundee cake, carrot cake and coffee and walnut cake.  The weather is changing, some sunny spells then threatening rain, it can’t make up it’s mind.

I decided to make the carrot cake today, it’s now baked and cooling, I can then ice it tomorrow.  Also popped some dough on in the breadmaker, turned it into some luscious foccacia, I used the pestle and mortar to pound some fresh rosemary with garlic and olive oil, it produced some fantastic herby oil which I squeezed over the dough (I used a swiss roll tin and flattened the finished dough into it), then sprinkled over the rosemary and garlic, plus some chopped black olives and finally some maldon salt crystals. It was so scrummy, over 2/3rds gone with dinner, a definite success and added to the yummy list.

A quiet evening recharging the batteries before a busy week at work.

Spring is sprung, loads of sun

It was a lovely sunny day, temperatures reached 17 C on the forecast and as we are surrounded by trees it must have pushed that higher.

Time to take off the 2 large cloches covering the radishes, turnips, peas, spinach, onions and carrots. Hopefully the forecast is correct and no ground frosts forecast over the next couple of days so that they can properly hard off, I’ve been leaving the cloches open at night, so they are half-way there.  Not too many weeds, but hand weeded amongst the rows, put in the pea sticks (the plants are already 6 inches high) and then watered. Also managed to squeeze in a few pak choi plants next to the onions as there was a larger path than needed due to the cloches.

Herbs are so important, I really miss having the full selection available, so have collected a few different ones over our trips to the garden centres, now I need to prepare a herb bed. Started by getting the edging tool out (Dad is obsessed with crisp cut edges to gardens so he can mow easily, I can’t let anything grow over the edges or they get mowed off), then I started to clear out some more of the bed closest to the back door where Mum can get access to. It’s going to take more than one session, there are brambles and nettles (show’s it’s healthy soil) still to clear out. We’ve worked out where to move our rambling rose to, also going to put flowers and veg amongst the herbs and country garden, it’s amazing how watching Geoff Hamilton’s Ornamental Kitchen Garden always inspires me.

The greenhouse is beginning to show lots of life, I just wish I had more space with maximum light to bring everything on.  Think my cold frame needs moving too, it’s in full sun at the moment and I think it needs to go in a shaded area with good light to bring on strong plants.

Another day in the garden tomorrow. Now, where do I plant the shallots, veg garden or flower bed, think the flower bed may win!!

The greenhouse beckoned

Yippee, I left work in daylight and got home before the bewitching hour of 5pm. So after getting into jeans and scruff order, I was in the greenhouse by 4.30 and started sowing seeds. One of the best things about the greenhouse is being able to grow lots of salad leaves which can’t be beaten for freshness and are great for mum to pick as she wants. They are a fortune in the supermarket and aren’t as fresh, just a few leaves here and there and we have a really varied salad.

So planted some large pots of mixed salad leaves, mizuna, land cress, rocket, parsley, sweet basil, pea shoots and also to get ready to go in the garden 2 trays of broad beans plus some Webbs wonderful lettuces.

Turned the hose on and got soaked, the multi-sprayer was left outside over winter and has been damaged by ice, it’s splitting all over it and water was spraying everywhere, yuk, now drying off in the warm.

Add new sprayer to list and also some different varieties of beetroot, saw them on Raymond Blanc’s cookery programme and they looked brilliant. I only have the traditional variety Boltardy at the moment, so need to find some different ones when I next go shopping.

Time to put a garden shopping list in my app on my phone and make sure I don’t forget.

The seed potatoes also arrived, so need to get some organic potato fertilizer now, then they can go in old compost sacks in the garden.

A nice cup of tea is needed now!

I need a planner

Every Christmas I use my special handmade planner, it is amazing, I have records of all the presents we’ve previously bought, all the recipes I use, my card lists, even the shopping lists (held on One Note on my PC which I reprint every year).  The family are trained to pick it up as we leave the house, if I’ve forgotten it, but it is our lifeline over the festive period to ensure Christmas runs smoothly.  We’ve been using the planner since 2005 and it’s great.

So why do I use the planner, to make sure I do everything and don’t miss anything out. Then why don’t I follow on this idea and create one for the rest of the year. 

This is going to be my first step in my year of “Organisation”, there is no point starting anywhere else, I need to have somewhere to keep the lists of food in the cupboards, fridge and veg box, and to plan the meals for the week that the whole family can refer to. An easy starting point in my mission.  I’ve done some research, found lots of useful sites and will be getting my crafting things out today to make a start. I’ve got new toners for the printer (I don’t want to leave it empty or I will be very unpopular).

I’m going to print my inserts before making the cover, I can then work out the size to ensure that the tabbed dividers fit.

Organised Home

OK, so this is what I need ALL year to keep me organised.  I started looking yesterday and have found a great starting point on the Organised Home website. This explains the Household Planner and everything that could be included, ideas for the dividers, pages to be downloaded and printed.

I also found the planner below with some great pages.

Brenda Arnall’s planner

This is the front of a lovely planner that Brenda Arnall has made on her blog. I love the look of this, there are lots of templates available to download, you need to go near to the bottom of the November pages to find all the details, but very easy to follow.

I want to keep the binder flexible, so will use some bookrings to hold it together and then tie on lots of ribbons (same method as my Christmas planner). I do need to make it easy though to add pages, so will remember this time to use a standard hole punch so that the holes are all in the correct place.

I suppose I could use a standard A5 ring binder, but it doesn’t feel “mine” in the same way.

I will print her pages on paper, I don’t want the planner to become too thick, if producing a bound book (what a great present for someone) then I’d use card and my Bind-it-All.

Martha Stewart

There are also loads of excellent tips on Martha Stewart’s website. I’ve also added her calendar’s into my outlook, so that I can choose to do or ignore her suggestions for the week. Simple things like checking smoke alarms etc.

Time to have some fun at the same time as getting organised.

Enjoy

Technology is the future and boy I love the future

I've been browsing my favourite sites for the last few days, Facebook, UK Scrappers, watching Tweetdeck alerts, keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances, and have discovered some interesting websites, concepts and ideas, plus I've added new applications to my phone (Window Mobile).

So what have I learnt?

• Through a post on Facebook from one of my friends, I saw a fantastic idea called postcrossing where you can send and receive postcards to random people across the world, I've just got my first 5 addresses, ranging from USA, China, Finland, Italy to Holland. I've now got to get some local postcards to send off. Once they start getting logged as received, I can then send more and I will then start receiving postcards in return.  I've decided to create a scrapbook of the places and locations.
• Whilst looking on UKScrappers - I spotted a thread about "One Little Word 2010", this is inspired by Ali Edward's.  Well I've done my thinking and my word is "organisation", if I put more effort into getting and keeping organised, my whole life and family should have a better balance, the garden will get planted, our home might be tidier, in my work I will not be overloaded, my time will be well spent, there will be less waste, more money and I'll have more time to play and relax. This needs some more thought and perhaps I need to dedicate some time to putting my thoughts and ideas into a specific blog, pulling together ideas and websites that help me, the ups and downs the successess and catastrophies. My hope is that by this time next year, I have benefitted and our lives are more fulfilled.
• I have signed up to Windows Marketplace and now have some new applications on my HTC phone, (all free so far), I have a shopping list manager (well that fits with the step above), a great weather forecast application and Google Maps.
• I've also started to add tasks and manage my calendar on outlook more efficiently, lets hope I can get a complete list of the tasks that need doing and then start doing them. I've got the rest of the holiday to catch up and get ahead.
• OFSTED - love them or loathe them, we've got to be ready for them, we were told on the last day of term, that they now only need to give between 3 days and 2 weeks notice that they are coming in to do an inspection. I am determined that all my files and paperwork are going to be ready. More to go onto the task list.

There's no point in dwelling on what could have been or how things have gone pear shaped, draw a line under it, move forward and change the future.  I hate wasted energy, picking holes in what could have been, worrying, criticism, all negative entities, that drain energy. This year is going to be filled with positivity, opportunities to be grabbed and used, more forward steps than backward. Things will happen that are going to halt our lives, but they must be taken as small hurdles that need navigating and not huge fences that force you to turn back. We aren't going back, forward all the time, whatever route it takes.