Febraury is almost over but here I am!

Well, it has taken me a while to get back here but never mind.Hope you are happy to be reading a little about what I've been up to recently?

I purchased some pom pom makers and have begun a project to make a rug for the house we finally move to! I am not counting how many I have made so far, but the boys like emptying the bag to see where I'm up to -  I have some way to go yet as you can see.
 

I have also begun sewing a pair of jimmers for myself. Inspired again by The Great British Sewing Bee of course. The fabric is yellow gingham winceyette kind of and cost me £1.50 from a charity shop - it's actually a cot blanket. I'm doing my best to take the pattern off a pair I already have so wish me luck as I have it cut out and hope to get them sewn some time this week. Photo of the finished item to follow later.

On Monday as part of my home organisation I decided to plan the boys' breakfasts as well as already planning their tea meals. Therefore yesterday morning I got up, had a bath in our bedroom bath which I really should do more often, then came down and made the batter for American style pancakes. I cannot do the crepe type so these work really well for us at breakfast or any time, soooo easy! Today was easy too, porridge and yoghurt tube for Alfie and peanut butter on Tiger bread for Harry also with a yoghurt tube. 

I love baking, as you know, and I absolutely love having fresh things baked for breakfast so I am just about to make Lemon muffins to go with fruit salad for tomorrow morning. I've decided to just make half recipes of biscuits, cakes and bakes then I can regularly indulge my passion, things don't go to waste and the boys, and hubs, get a selection of yummy eats and treats!
  
We recently went to the dentist during half term and Alfie unfortunately has a tiny hole in one of his teeth. I was mortified but then pleased in a wierd way that it is caused by him eating so much fruit. The idea of planning the breakfasts along with other meals is so I can keep a handle on the amount he eats instead of him just diving into the fruit bowl at any time of the day, which seems to be the problem. Here are the job charts for the boys and my expanded meal planning sheet.

The boys went back to school on Monday and so I am getting back into my usual routine, just about. They have been asking for pocket money recently so we now have job charts on the fridge for tasks such as feeding Jake, helping with taking out the recycling, plus the usual like keeping rooms tidy. They are keen to earn some spending money now and for when we go away in the Summer holidays.

Corned beef hash for the boys'  tea tonight; quick meal as we are going climbing I think. However last night we went to the first of two Judo sessions this week for extra practise in readiness for their next level belt grading  on Sunday so they may pull a sickie and I can't say I would mind!

That's all for now so catch ya later!xxx

January is in full swing.

Hello!

Okay, January is properly back in full swing. My boys have just started their third week back at school, we are now into after school activities having gone back to both climbing and Judo plus I've attended my first Weight Watchers meetings of the year and have managed to lose 3lbs fo far. I'd like to give you a cooking tip about the fantastic Lasagne I make using a yummy white sauce of Quark - don't knock it 'till you've tried it - and fat freee fromage frais. Check out the result of my efforts!

This is such a versatile sauce as can be used for lots of things including said Lasagne plus Mousakka and fish pie.

My post Christmas home organisation/de-cluttering of various places and rooms and so far I am happy with what I have achieved. I have sorted, tidied and cleaned out under the kitchen sink, the baking tin/jar cupboard, the place I keep miscellaneous things like plastic and lunch boxes, flasks and spare ice cube trays, the shelves down to the cellar (cellar itself is a blue job for Jon!), crafting supplies and both the boys' rooms! Phew! January is such a cleansing month and one to seriously for looking forward and planning ahead. 



On January 14 I cancelled my Twitter account and I'm more than happy about that. I really am done with too much technology; I am tired of contstantly looking down! I know this means I will be out of the loop with some things but if I was that bothered I wouldn'thave cancelled it.Some friends think we are crazy, saying we live in a soial media world, but our point is that you don't have to! The same day I was baking some blueberry and chocolate muffins. These are great for snacks and even for breakfast as there is only a little chocolate in them!

We have been to the theatre to see Spamalot and we had a fantastic meal at a fantastic Tapas bar in Manchester and I also had a nice girly lunch out which was lovely.

I am now caught up with my Post Circle and just yesterday have bought an ink pen, something I've been meaning to do for ages, to make my letters look a little more special!

I think I am all caught up now and look forward to seeing what the next few weeks bring us!

I look forward to any comments or contributions you might have to my ramblings!

Catch you later.xxx
 

Positivity and Optimism - why I love the start of a new year.

Good morning!

I am typing this post at my kitchen table on our new laptop which we treated ourselves to at Christmas. It is lovely to be downstairs typing where I can keep an eye on people coming to the door, but most importantly be near the coffee pot!

Hands up those who don't love the beginning of a new year? 

I absolutely love it because of the chance, second or maybe third, to make a fresh start. I love the optimism, positivity and energy of the new year.

Here, we are working through the house de-clutter and home organisaion and it is going really well. The charity shop has benefitted from Harry's room getting a tidy up in readiness for a new bed and school has received three good bags full of books. We still have Alfie's room to do later today and my craft things have been thinned out as I really do not do as much as I used to.


On a personal note I've begun a Journal of Gratitude combined with a daily journal. I'm enjoying this as I could never manage a full on Project Life, would not have the time, but this way I can be thankful for what I have and keep a few memories, even if it is just when the boys make me laugh, like the other morning when they were singing to a song from Despicable Me! I have also made the decision to return to Weight Watchers. I love my baking and cooking so much but it needs to take a bit of a back seat for a while, apart from making things for the boys.

I have just finished catching up on most of my backlog of #Postcircle letters - only two to go now. I am looking forward to sending and receiving more letters this year. This will be quite important to me as I plan to cancel my Twitter account soon. I have come to the conclusion, as I did with Facebook, that my life does not need social media to the extent to which it interferes with my life. Don't get me wrong, I talk to some lovely poeple on Twitter but I hope I can maintain some relaionships by post or other means, maybe even face to face, you never know, it does happen they tell me!!! Anyhow, I hope you will continue reading this blog and look out for when I decide to start new one which may be in the summer. I'll let you know herewhen this happens.

That is all for now as I have a lasagne to make for tea tonight so we are ready for the boys to start back to Judo for the first time since we finished at Christmas.

I would love to hear about your plans for January and beyond and if you arein a positive mood like me.

Hope you stop by soon.xxx 

Crimbo Limbo!

Hello there!

I have been very, very absent from here recently through being very busy in the run up to Christmas. I was all set to do one last post on Christmas Eve when I had trouble posting photographs. In short I gave up, and now I appear to be having the same problems!

Anyhow, we now find ourselves in that strange in between time which is not strictly the festive season any more but there is a little while until the celebrations for the New Year begin.I've already started thinking about the New Year and what it may bring plus how I can plan for it. I do absolutely love Christmas but I also really love the start of the new year and the positivity and possibilities which come with it and I've been searching Pinterest for ideas of how to start the New Year with a bang. During 2014 I have kept a Journal of Gratitude which has been great and I look forward to reading back through some of the entries. I don't go in for personal goal setting but I do try to think how I can improve myself, make myself think a little more and consider the lot of others, too. 



The whole thing about the New Year DOES also have something to do with the requirement of a brand spanking new calendar, a lovely blank diary and journals waiting to be written in for lots of reasons, be they important or trivial - I love either! I've also been getting my lovely Household Notebook spruced up a little with some new pages, these all being part of my home organisation which is so important to me for a well run house.

I'm in the process of covering my daily diary - can't do electronic ones. I have my calendar at the ready and it already has high days and holidays marked on it. (We just get over Christmas and then it will be Alfie's birthday - 7 this year - at the end of January!)

We are very hopeful we will be living a different life next year as we are filled with optimism for being in our new home by the autumn, if not before if we are lucky. House moving slows down during the run up to Christmas so we are keen to give it a push once January is here.

I have been neglecting my sewing which I was really getting into, apart from the table runner I made for Christmas Day, and my sister has bought me a great book which helps with the basics of sewing so hope to use that alongside some new projects. I have so much lovely fabric I don;t know where to start so need to focus! I also have to have a sort out of all my craft things with the hope of moving ever on my mind I need to downsize a little bit. Things are spread out a little too much but I have acquired a basket/hamper which may come in useful as I already have my fabric in another of these.

I must go as it is time for another pot-luck-from-the-fridge-left-overs-lunch. Mmmm, cold pork pie and cranberry sauce!
 
For what reasons are you looking forward to the New Year? I would love to hear your plans so do let me know.

Catch ya later! xx




 


  

It is that time of the year I love!

Hello.

It's been a little while since my last post but my very favourite time of the year is upon us. 

         

I just love the new beginnings which come with September. The boys went back to school yesterday and I can't quite comprehend that they are in years 2 and 3! I'm slightly sad they will not see out their primary education in their current school because of our moving plans, but I'm making the most of things whilst we are still here. Two different playgrounds, a new book bag to buy and all the necessary lunch, PE kits etc made for the usually interesting morning at the beginning of a new term. Can't wait to get the raft of letters, which will duly arrive over the next week or so, about all the exciting things they will be doing, new class topics and field trips to be made. I tweeted a timetable I found yesterday so we all know what everybody is doing, seperate to the main home organisation calendar we have on the wall! Call me particular if you like! So,what have I been up to lately?                                                                                                                                                                                          

 I finally got round to a bit of sewing and decided to replace my ancient peg bag so ta dah!

 

I love the material and, though slightly wonky at the top, I am chuffed with it as it does the job. 

I've been working on something else recently but can't share it as it is a gift but pictures will follow later, I promise.

 

I found I had bought excess red onions and decided to make one of my fav recipes to use them up - red onion and balsamic vinegar chutney. Some of you may remember my tweeting about the last batch I made, once you get the onions but it's a piece of cake and very rich and yummy, possibly something to do with the glug of red wine the recipe calls for! I put the chutney in these oh so cute Kilner jars as they just give that extra zing when you have made something yourself and I love seeing them in the fridge. Have to check I open the right one as I use them for lemon curd too.

                                                                                                                                                                                   


Well, must dash as need to get some lunch and am having coffee with a friend via the post office before the afternoon school run.

Catch ya later! xx

 

 

Pinterestingly Addictive!

Pinterest is frequently described as the crack cocaine of the internet. It only take one pin and you're hooked; people have been know to lose days searching for pictures of pandas.

I admit at times to limiting how long I spend looking at pantry organisation. The problem with Pinterest is that pins of interest are originally shared so far back that you can get side-tracked by practically any subject searching for the blog or website from which it originated! I have felt like reaching for the Bach's Remedy on occasion because the stress of finding the initial architect of the the pin was so overwhelming. This is the time to stop, for a little while at least!

But there is a positive side to this addiction. I have come across the most wonderful pins such as a company who will reproduce an picture your child draws of an animal or beast of their imagination. Take a look at http://doodlesoftie.com where treasures can be kept forever.

Also I now know I suffer from only a mild form of OCD compared to when I see the lengths people go to in organising every aspect of their lives! However, I now have a Household Notebook don't know what I did without it, but that is another story entirely!

Hey, thanks for stopping by!

To all of you who have taken time to look visit my blog very recently, thanks so much! I just love knowing you are seeing what I am getting up to  here at Chez Houghton!

My boys broke up for half term yesterday so I have been arranging play dates, thinking of activities to keep them happy and checking  which extra curriculas are still on over the holidays, like Beavers and Judo - may be a few less taxi trips for me and hubby!

I use this great planner from Netmums to help organise our days.  

Sometimes we don't stick to it completely, but at least it gives us a bit of an idea of what we can do, as this site gives lots of hints for days out, and in, over the school break.

I hope you find it useful and I am always keen to hear about ways you organise yourself and your brood! I am a bit of a fan, to say the least, of blogs and websites about home organisation. Here are a few links but some are included for inspiration here on my blog listings.

Organized Junkie


I Heart Organizing

 A Bowl Full Of Lemons

I hope you find some inspiration here.

Look forward to you stopping by again soon. Louise.xx