paper chase

The one thing that causes me most grief, in the never-ending quest for a tidy home is paper. Piles and piles of the stuff. From bills, cards, school paraphenalia, magazines with articles I want to refer back to... it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I've been trying to deal with it as it comes, but I've still fallen back on my old, 'make a series of small piles, sort them, alternate them, move them...' mistakes.

But my in-laws, just back from the UK, told me a tale about my brother-in-law, Philip. As soon as he walks in the door, he sits down with the mail, a diary and the recycling bin. He opens the mail, notes anything of interest {such as bills to be paid} in his diary and then immediately throws the paper in the bin. If there's a magazine, he'll take it, read it after dinner, then, again, it's in the bin.

I'm inspired. So yesterday started my new habit of "deal with it, then ditch it". I have an exercise book where I write all my bills, including their statement numbers, due date and amount due, then I'll also put the date due on the calender. After reading through any statements and ensuring they're correct I can then shred them, and toss them straight in the recyling - saving any envelopes for notetaking.

With magazines, I'll give myself a week to read it, and if not - how important can it be? I now have a box in the study where magazines will go to be taken to the Salvos, and this, along with the clothing bag in the bedroom {for ditching clothes I don't wear, or that don't make me feel fabulous} will help streamline my home - and help the Salvos raise funds.

Baby steps - but I'm getting there...

fluffy love

My gal and Mulberry sure do share a special bond. Every moment we're blessed with our pets is precious, and as a dear friend had to say farewell to one of her closest feline friends today - I thought I'd best give the boofy boy some extra special love.

my favourite obsession

Allow me to introduce the coffee I made at lunch - a macchiato for my hubby and a frothy latte for moi. Double shots - naturally.

Damn, they were fine.

lavender love

Here's the little glass jug filled with my lavender, freshly picked from the garden. My desk is now beautifully pristine, and I even dusted the skirting boards and doors in the study - blissful. A couple of hours work in here and the room will be a zen-like oasis...

All I need on my desk now is a big glass of water on my pretty vintage rose coaster {one of a set of six that I bought for a few dollars from the Salvos a few years back}.

Now I just need to wait for the rain to abate, before picking up my gal and her bestie from school. We were meant to have netball training today, but the rain's rained on that little parade. I'll feed 'em up, set them in front of the wii - and will hopefully get a couple of hours work in before I need to boil up some potatoes to mash and serve with my beef and guinness stew that's been bubbling in the slow cooker since 11am.

desperately seeking inspiration

Oh my. It's yet another grey ol' day here and with the sun has gone my inspiration. I could barely drag myself from bed this morning, and if the threat of my daughter being late to school wasn't there - I'd still be snuggled in my sheets. I've tried all my usual tricks to bust the blues: my hair's freshly washed, I've read many a blog, rooms are tidied, dinner's bubbling in the slow cooker...

I need to bring some sunshine back into my day and banish my seasonally-affected blues.

I think I'll start by clearing my desk, wiping it down with some rose oil, picking a posy of lavender and placing it just so in a teeny little vase and making myself a cup of violet tea in my very best tea cup. Maybe painting my nails with my mother's day red Chanel nailpolish could do it... 

I'll let you know how I get on.

lazy dollars

It's not difficult to be thrify - but it can be too easy to be a spendthrift. Take me, thirty minutes ago for example. I was doing well, I'd waited an extra day to go shopping {with the aim to increase it by one day each week, multiplying the savings over weeks!} and had my list with everything on it in hand. I decided to call in at the Bottle Shop to buy my can of guinness for my guinness and beef casserole, when I noticed that the Australian-brand dark ale was half the price. Bargain. So I picked it up, headed to the counter, and realised I only had 35 cents in my wallet - $2.15 short. Damn.

Red-faced I muttered my "I'll be back{s}" and shuffled out to go to Coles. Now, as I had minimal money in my savings account I was planning on shopping with my credit card - so I couldn't withdraw money at the checkout for free - so I dashed to the ATM. As it wasn't my bank's ATM I knew I'd be hit with a $2 fee, but justified it as I was in a hurry, and it was raining so I didn't wash to dash outside the confines of the shopping centre. Hurridly punching in the numbers a notice popped up telling me I'd be charged $2 for using the ATM, which I quickly agreed to - and then realised that THEY were charging me $2, and then my own bank will charge me again, which means I just paid $4 for that $20 withdrawal.

Lessons: I could've bought the Guinness and paid an extra $2. I should've read the statement in full before blindly agreeing. And I would've walked outside in the rain to save $4. That's the price you pay for learning from your mistakes...

I'd best do something pretty dramatic for frugal friday now...

i think i love you

My loathing for blandness and cookie-cutter-sameness probably explains my love for Helena Bonham-Carter. Generally, when it comes to the Best and Worst Dressed lists, I'll tend to err on the side of the eccentrics {but never the scantily-clad attention seekers}. I'm also rather fond of Bill Nighy - I'm loving the cut of this coat - and those shades accentuate his glorious jawline magnificently... But back to Helena. She looks happy and content in her skin - and what she's clothed it in - and I adore it whenever I see a pic of her with Tim Burton, proof that soulmates can come together. 

Managing to look comfortably fabulous, when you've obviously made a helluv-an-effort, is a skill. Imagine how long it's taken to button, lace and layer that outfit. 

I reckon that this photo has made my day - and has inspired me to frock up for my trip to the supermarket. Now, where's my crinoline...

lest we forget

Some things stay imprinted on my memory forever - particularly when a visual sensation is accompanied by a tickling of my tastebuds. My first-ever ladurée macaron is the perfect example. Gazing in wonder at the divine array of pretty little morsels in the cabinet of the pretty store, it was tough to choose my premiere bite. Until I saw the word 'violette' - that sold it. 

One weekend, when I have plenty of time, I'm determined to master macarons. Surely it's a sin not to...

I think my memory needs a double whammy for it to work. I'm trying to improve it, but sometimes, no matter how much I say "Oh, I'll remember this" I just don't. Blogs are the perfect example. I'll stumble upon one, or a friend will send me a link {thanks Nikki} and I'll love on it, visit it for a while, then completely forget its name. I think it's made worse because my Mac will remember things for me. I only need type in a letter or two, and my most-visited sites will pop up. But sometimes, I think my Mac takes it upon itself to edit my sites - and forgets. 

That's why I've finally popped a few more links on the side. Not many, I was exhausted just typing in those few - and I'm determined to actually start work by 10am. But it's a start. Maybe I need to accompany my blog viewing with a few mouthfuls of delicious - or a spritz of my favourite scent {obviously I'm hankering for Chanel number 5 at the moment, and luckily, I have a bottle on my dresser...}

numero cinque

Oh my. I've just viewed the new 'film' for Chanel number 5, starring Audrey Tatou and, whew, one steamy French boy. Please check it out. http://www.chaneln5.com/en-gb/?x=0&y=119&width=1345&height=592#/the-film

bare necessities

There are some foodstuffs I can't imagine being without. I can't conceive of a dish without some type of allium - whether it's onions, shallots, leeks or garlic. As soon as I slice, dice or grate these little beauties and set them to sauté in a pan of butter or oil I know that dinner's begun. And the scent... mmmmm... that's what cooking's all about.

I'm also partial to a wee sprinkle of salt - the pink flakes from Murray River are currently sitting in an antique glass pickle jar next to my stove, and I can't imagine enlivening a dish without crushing the flakes between my fingertips and allowing their bittersweet tang to coerce any recalcitrant flavours from a meal. Similarly with peppercorns - a find grind is the punctuation point that concludes my preparations.

Lately I've been using nuts, just a few, in salads and on veg - I love their yielding crunch. Whether raw, dry roasted or baked with herbs and spices, nuts add vitamins, minerals and that certain something to a dish.

When it comes to citrus I just can't get enough. Grating zest or finely slicing slivers, squeezing the juice - that bittersweet tang works well with any meat - or veg for that matter. 

I get itchy and twitchy if I don't have the essentials on hand - lots of 'em. Flours, vinegars, oils, mustards, sugars, syrups, spices, herbs... No wonder I have more shelving space in my pantry than in my entire kitchen... Ah variety, you spice up my life.

whistling while you work

We had a superb weekend, with lots of cooking and family entertaining. It was my mother-in-law's 70th birthday on Saturday, so we had them over for a big bowl of split pea and bacon hock soup followed by a birthday rhubarb and yoghurt cake. Just right.

Then, on Sunday, it was a family bbq at my sister-in-law's home, so I made a roasted vegie and couscous salad and gratin dauphinoise {much posher-sounding than potato bake}. With garlic-infused cream layering thinly sliced potatoes this was a decadent side-dish just perfect for a family gathering. To top the roasted pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini and spanish onions on the couscous I poured a little more oil into the harrisa-infused pan I'd roasted the vegies in and quickly crisped up some pistachios and cashews. Then I dressed the couscous with lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander, mint, chilli and some top shelf olive oil. It was devoured.

But all that cooking and family-bonding meant that today, my house looked neglected and untidy. There were a few soaking pots and dishes that needed to be handwashed, a grotty kitchen and living room floor and a living room that needed a good tidy. So I leapt in at 11am and washed up, quickly tidied, vacuumed all the floors and then filled a bucket with hot water and lavender oil and mopped all the floors. Because I concentrated my tidying on the living room and kitchen, all this was achieved in an hour. Bliss. Now I have a tidy house, love in my heart from such a lovely weekend - and am ready to settle down to earn some money!

soooooo sleepy

Another grey old monday made sleeping in seem ever-so-attractive. But instead, I climbed on out, had breakfast, dropped the gal at school - and came home to make her lunch to drop off before 11am {whoopsies = no food in house!}

So now, chorizo and potato frittatas are bubbling away in the oven and I'm preparing to write up my menu plan and shop for the week. Any ideas...

musical magnifico

I'm a sucker for a good musical, so I have just avidly viewed the trailer for Nine and am in raptures. I can even forgive the presence of Nicole Kidman's frozen face as the worst of it seems to be covered by a long, thick fringe... But as for the rest of the stars - bella, bella, bella... Dame Judi, Sophia, Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz looking divine and, of course Marion Cotillard - my all-time favourite. It looks sexy, hot and utterly delicious - the perfect way to round off a good film year. With Coco avant Chanel, Harry Potter and now Nine, I could break my usual non-filmgoing record and attend more than one film this year. In two weeks there's a French Film Festival weekend - so I could possibly even reach double figures. Oh my!

neat, sweet, petite

Excuse me, but how precious are these French Endearment pendants? Le swoon...  You can find them on-line at supermarkethq.com/product/french-endearment-necklace

frugal friday is having a fashion moment

Why yes, it is somewhat odd to have images of Chanel's Autumn collection to illustrate my frugal friday post, but hear me out. I honestly think it's possible to look fashion forward merely by accessorising and choosing your colours wisely. For example, I've got plenty of black classics in my winter wardrobe, so unlike last winter when I jazzed the outfits up with accents of red, I'll use pale pink, pond green and cream. Layering will also serve double the purpose by keeping me warm, and looking like Karl's muse.

Keeping an eye on the beauty trends also helps keep your look fresh. Now, it's important not to take them too literally {such as  the Amanda de Lepore lips seen on modules at Alexander McQueen...} it's more a matter of assuming the essence. For my Chanel face I'd go for a pale face, pale eyeshadow {rose or cream} and lashings of black mascara and black eyeliner. As for the messy hair that's highly favoured on so many catwalks - easy peasy - I've already got that!

All I have to do now is weed through my wardrobe and work out how a visit to a haberdashery store might help me update some knitwear - and get ready to pile on my beads. Oh, and what I'd give for a funky bit of knitwear to perch upon my barnet - how cute are those hats!

penny pinching for paris

I must return to Paris - within the next three years. It's essential - so here's what I'm going to do:

Bust a move on my budget: I'm going to keep track of all my spending for the next two weeks, and ask hubby to do the same. Then we'll sit down together go through all the essentials {mortgage, utility bills, up-coming birthdays/holidays, events} and then work out where we can painlessly shave a little off each. I'd like to keep the phone bill down by using email as much as humanly possible. If I can interview subjects for my features by email or skype - rather than conducting costly mobile phone interviews, I'll save a bundle. 

Home-made with love: Every Sunday night I whip up a batch of chorizo and potato frittata's for my gal's school lunch. Single-serve frittatas made in a muffin tin are just the right size for a nine-year-old's appetite - I usually give her three per day, for the first few days of the week. From now on I'm also going to whip up a batch of muffins - oat and honey would be her faves - to round out the lunchbox - rather than filling her up with bought crackers. Of course, the rest of the space is already filled with carrot sticks and fruit - so I can't make that any cheaper or more nutritious. Luckily my hubby's also into eating fresh, so we're snacking on seasonal fruit - rather than his old fave of expensive muesli bars.

Frugal food: We rarely eat out, but sometimes I really can't even bear to think about what to cook - let alone do the actual cooking. Luckily the weekly menu planning is helping enormously with that. My next plan is to clean out some space in the freezer so I can freeze a couple of meals, ready to defrost in the afternoon and serve up for dinner that night. If we do eat out, we'll make it a good one - using Entertainment Book 'buy one main meal, get one free' vouchers and choosing a meal that'd be costly, or time-consuming to make at home.

Eco-economy: I'm already a fanatic about turning out lights when they're not in use, and all appliances not in use are turned off and un-plugged - but there's got to be more I can do. I'll get busy with the broom again, rather than using the vacuum and only use the drier in an absolute emergency - there are only three of us in the house - we really don't have that much laundry! And I'm going to pretend I don't have a car. Apart from the weekly grocery shop and the trips to netball, I'll be on foot - or on my bike - all I need is a fancy parisian basket to fill with baguettes.

kiss me kate

Oh Mrs Spade, you do fill me with joy. Look at these shoes - an interesting heel, a lowline, sexy curvaceous side, and bows - BOWS! I love the way the shoe curves around the heel too. A gal can never have too many pairs of black satin shoes...

persistence pays

Hey, guess what was delivered to my door this morning? A new crockpot inset for my slowcooker. A sad, yet firm email to customer service payed off and even though I was 12 months out of warranty, they agreed with me and sent me a free bowl free of charge. See, that's what customer service is all about. Yay Breville! Now, I'm onto Testra about the $200 they owe me!!

wacky wednesday

Okay, seriously, what is going on with time? It's zooming on by. I can't believe it's nearly lunchtime on a wednesday already! I guess that's because of my 4am start to drive to Sydney to pick up my in-laws from the airport yesterday. I now feel like I've got the jetlag - but without any of the joys of travel {apart from seeing their smiles and hearing their tales!} Oh, I have the travel bug something fierce at the moment. Driving down a street lined with plane trees made me crave Paris with an urgency usually reserved for champagne-o'clock on a Friday afternoon...

So here's what I'm going to do - secretly {well, not totally, as I've just put it on my blog...} I'm going to plan for our next OS trip. I'll be working my butt off {not totally, I'll still need some padding when I'm sitting in front of my computer} and saving with serious intent. Frugal Friday will now become Fiercely Frugal Friday - that's how hard I'll be saving! I'll set a date in my head to have paid off the backyard renovation and then I'll save enough to enjoy a good six to eight weeks OS. It won't be for a couple of years - but by then I'll be totally fluent in French, will have an itinerary planned and will be raring to go. 

Next step: find two more sources of income. I'm giving myself a week to work on this, so by next Wednesday I'll have pitches ready, contacts sourced and a kick-butt attitude. Woo hoo.

win win win

There's no point in cleaning out your clutter, if it's left in boxes and bags waiting for the right time to drop it off at a donation location. For the past few weeks I've had six boxes of magazines, a couple of bags of toys, and a bag of CDs that I meant to sell, all cluttering up my study. So today, when my hubby came home for lunch, we lugged all the boxes and bags down and filled the boot of my car. I then leapt straight in my car and drove to the salvos where a passing good samaritan helped me unload - making it only four trips each, rather than what would have been more like a dozen for me.

And wow, do I feel good. My study floor is now freshly vacuumed, and it feels like I have twice the space. I know that the Salvos will have no trouble selling the recent mags {plenty of House and Garden mags} and the CDs will make some indie retro teen very happy indeed {who needs CDs when you've got them on iTunes and your iPod. So it's a three-way win situation - and you've gotta be happy with that.

I'm still slowly working my way through the decluttering. I've now got to go through five years worth of my daughter's school books - the school sends them all home at the end of the year - and work out what to keep, and what to {sob} pitch. Next weekend's the Council Clean-up, so I'm determined to have all my clutter totally cleansed by then, surrounding myself only with beautiful or really useful stuff. Bliss.