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Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Laundry


Some years ago I found in a blog a Chalenge called  "21 Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife".
It didn't mean that we had to come everyday at our blog and make a repport  of how well we were doing, we only had to say it every Monday.

I was reading what I posted about it then and realized that I still have the same problems.

Here it is the first post I made about it then:

Her Southern Charm is doing a 21 Days Challenge called 21 Days To Becoming an Effective Wife.
She says we must write about things we want to change and make a new habit in 3 weeks. So we must think on something that is really important to us and come here each Monday to tell about our progress – or not progress.

On April 5th we post about it also but not about the end of it, if we managed to accomplish something and reached our goal(s).

This comes very well and in the right time as I am strugling with some aspects of my life. They are things that are a part of my life but I’m falling off the wagon.

First of all, it’s laundry connected.
This a field of homemaking that I like sooo much. Nevertherless, as we are six and I work outside – yes, another thing to deal with in due time, God help me – I always have lots and lots of laundry to do. I must say I like veeeery much to wash, I like to put it on the line – when I am overwelmed my big girls help me – and I don’t mind , I quite like actualy, to take them out of the line. Folding, I don’t mind because I can do it seated down. Now it comes the big problem: put it away. I can’t stand it!

Well, now let’s beging the listing:

· Get up at 6.15.
I get up at 6,30 or 6,25 or – now – 6,20. I want to get up ealier. It was always important to me.
She rises when is still night.
It means a lot to me.

· To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.

· Put away those folded clothes everyday too.
If I fold it in the night I’m alowed to put away the next day but everyday I must take the baskets full of clothes upstairs and put them in their places.

· Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.
It is so much in need of a bit of atenttion...

· Pray the Rosary everyday.
Now I must explain. I try to pray it everyday but as in a lot of things, sometimes the day is gone and I didn’t pray it completely.
By Rosary, I mean one thirth of it, as in portuguese Terço and in spanish Tercio, the five Mysteries of it not the fifteen.
Pray the Rosary everyday, Our Lady said in Fatima. I must


And then, some days after:

Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife

This post was for Monday but, after I have tryed, I couldn't post any pictures, so I tried each day and now I gave up and here it is today.
In the 21 Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife at Her Southern Charm, we must have some items that we want to improve in our life and come here every monday to tell about the progress - or not.
Here they are mine.

Get up at 6.15.
Done most of the days. Sometimes I get up some minutes later but in the whole, is quite good.

To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.
Put away those folded clothes everyday too.
Quite well to the part of folding but not the one to put away. Let's see if I can improve this week.

Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.
Bad. Not big progess yet.

Pray the Rosary everyday.
Most days, done. I need to give more atention to Our Lady and Her Son through Her. Apart from the Three Hail Mary Devotion - everyday in my life since I was a child as my grandmother teached me - not much prayer.

Well, I hope to have more progress to report next monday.

---
Now I still fight with myself to have the Laundry done on time - there are always loads to wash, fold and above all to be put back in its place. I still need to declutter the Laundryroom and still there are days when I don't pray the Rosary in all the five decades.

Time to REALLY try to get on track !

Friday, October 18, 2013

Declutter and tidy up the fridge



The Kitchen is one of my favourite places at home, not only to cook but also to clean and tidy up.
So many things in the house that need to be done but I keep procrastinating about it. Not the kitchen. Or at least not so much. It feels really good when I have the trouble to get out of my comfort and procrastination and decide to get things done there.
So, today, after work, I will tidy and declutter one of the fridges. It's clean, only needs a bit of care. A clean, tidy fridge really makes me feel good.
Most times, homemaking is so anti-depressive.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Falling off the wagon

Do you know what is it falling off the wagon? Maybe it never happened to you, being full of good intention and then... But I will not feel down about it, I will try again even if I have to play catch up a bit. We will see how next day will be.
Image from AllPosters

Monday, October 14, 2013

Sunday is not a working day

Sunday it's not a proper working day at Alfazema's house, other than those things that really must be done. Monday yes, not Sunday.

Saturday

So, Saturday came and went away. The morning was full of nice and good house workm mainly in the kitchen and I was quite happy with the results. The problem was in the afternoon. With so many good things to be seen in Rome ( by internet, I was not there) all my good intentions went away. The good thing of all this is that after some days in the week, we will have again another Saturday.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Making plans

Weekend again and I made a lot of plans.
Kitchen, Bathroom, Master Bedroom.
Laundry.
Gardening.
Cooking, maybe Baking.
What an adventure awaits me. I'll tell you on next post how things went.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Recovering

Thursday was a whole day of recovering of my strong cold so not much work at home done either. Oh, well, never mind, tomorrow is another day and teh weekend is approaching - which makes me feel better already.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Not much work today


No work today at home, other than making dinner. I have been all day long in pain with a strong cold so when I arrived at home, at last, after doing some errands when I finished work, I just wanted to dive in my sofa and rest. So, after making dinner, no work today. At all.

Some Laundry

Today I was not so energetic as yesterday when I arrived at home after work, in the evening. So...

I put some clothes to wash, then I hanged them on the line, picked up the ones that were there already dry, folded and put it away. Forty pieces.

That's all. And made dinner. Shepard's Pie.

Picture by AllPosters

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Work after work

So, yesterday after work, when I arrived at home I:


- hoovered seven rooms, including the bathrooms
  

                                           (no, not the deck of a boat, just my stairs :) )
- sweeped the stairs
  

- cleaned two bathrooms
  
- dusted
  


- and, in the end, I made the dinner.

I will see what I can do today but usually I'm not so energetic in the end of the day, I'm more a morning person.
I dream with the day I will not work outside anymore !
Pictures from AllPosters.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Lord's Day


It's the Lord's Day so I will not do anything that it can be avoided, I'll do only those things that really must be done.

It's Autumn and the leaves are turning red and brown. I do like the Autumn, not hot anymore, just nice.
I don't like Summer at all, if I could I would skip it every year.
But now it's Autumn and I feel I want to live and do things  - or just stay quiet and give thanks.
Blessed be Our Lord. 

Saturday


Well, Saturday so well planned come and went away and I didn't do half of the plan !
In the week I get frustrated with all the things I want to do and I can't because I'm out all day working. So, I arrive at home so tired that, other than those things taht I really have to do, I just can't do anything. So I think: on Saturday I will do it.
Yes, and then it arrives and there is no time for so much.

Oh. well, never mind, I managed to do some things anyway, even doing some gardening.

The important thing is that I must not beat myself for that. It's very important that we are good for ourselves and learn to forgive ourselves too, not only others.
And, you know, there will be a lot of other Saturdays - God willing.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Planning




Oh, well, as everybody knows because I'm always saying it, I work outside, which means I am NOT a Stay At Home Mother. Painfully. I really don't like it, I wish I was a 100% housewife. But I am not and I have to live with it.

So...it means I don't do much each day of the week, except on Saturdays. I do like Saturdays. I do like Fridays too because when I wake up I always remember what day is and that makes me jump out of the bed very happily.

All this to say that my mind was wondering all Friday about things I intend to do.
I plan to play in the kitchen for hours, cleaning it , tidying it and prettying it.
I will do also a lot of laundry and that means wash it, put it on the line, picking it up and fold and, the part I don't like, put it away. And ironing at least some of it.



Thinking on that makes me plan also to sped some time on my bedroom tidying and puting some clothes on its places. And dusting. It will be fun.
Obviously I can't forget the entrance, on the outside. I need to sweep. And the inside too.



Back to the house, the inside, I need to vacuum and mop, dusting everywhere.
What a lot of work I have to do but at least it means I will play house all morning - I can't stay in bed till late.
And in the afternoon I will seat in the sofa watcging a movie and because it's Autumn already, I will be so cozy with a throw drinking hot chocolate.
Saturdays are such fine days. And then it comes Sunday. No hard work on that day because it's the Lord's Day, just Mass and not much more - other than one more movie to watch. Or two.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Laundry time

Well, I like to do the laundry.
The problem was that it was raining for several days. Yes, I have a dryer but as we are used to the sun, we like to dry our clothes in the air. I use my dryer only for emergencies - and if the rain stayed for some more days it would have been an emergency !




But no, here is the sun and clothes are on the line.





There is something about clothes on the line that make me feel good. I like to go in the street and see people's houses on a sunny day with their clothes on the wind. It shows that there is life inside that house, there is a family. It look so colourful and nice.

Off now to do some more.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Cleaning the fridge


We have two friges in my house because we are lots - well, for european standards we are, in our house there are six people.

So, two friges mean the double of work and I often clean just the basic but now I decided that I would take everything out and clean it well.



I put my apron on and began cleaning but as I work outside is not everything done. I will say that is a work in progress but at least I began.
I will post a picture of it probably tomorrow, maybe it will inspire somebody to do the same.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

31 Days

The Nesting Place is hosting a challenge where people will, for 31 days post about something they choose. It can be about Home, Food, Family whatever we choose but it will be around the same subject for the whole month.

I will post about  my home so it will be called 31 Days At Home.

My home is in great need of a lot of attention and I'm decided that it wil be now. I have so m any things to do that it will be easy to chose. So, each day it will be a new adventure for me.

Come back here tomorrow and there will be a new thing I did or will do in my home.

For several reasons I couldn't post for 31 days. Maybe next year.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

A corner of my kitchen


The kitchen is a place in my house I like very much. It's not picture perfect as some I see in other blogs, it's not ready to be pictured in a magazine and it will never be but it's my kitchen.

I have great plans for saturday related with my kitchen.
Sometimes I see posts by people that, when they say they have plans to their kitchen, they mean to build a new one or to redecorate a part of it. Not me. I have plans to clean and tidy it. It needs and deserves more attention.
Life has been taking me to so many places and I was forgetting my house. Now I'm back. I'm expecting a lot of help from above and a good deal of peace so I can concentrate on the good things of life, like reclaiming my kitchen back.
I hope I will post more about it soon.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

What's for dinner?


I was thinking about what I would do for dinner and it came to my mind a post I made here some years ago. I was talking about a favourite of mine: Blonde Potatoes. It's a recipe from my grandmother and I like it so much since I was a little girl. Better than chips. It can go with roasted meat or meatloaf. Or a steak. Very good also with a sauce made with onions and tomatoes. You can find the recipe here in this post Blonde Potatoes.


Have a good dinner.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Maybe it's this time

For almost a year  I have been away. Many things happened in my life and I neglected my blogs, my Flickr account, everything. The only place where I have been able to go it was my FB account.

Now I'm trying to get back again. Almost a year ago I tried to be back but I had not enough strength yet.
Now I'm trying again - I'm even giving some steps on Pinterest.
Maybe it's this time.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Autumn pleasures: chestnuts and apples

 There are many things that I like so much in Autumn and two of them are chestnuts and apples. The chestnuts, not like most people who like them roasted, I  prefer to eat it boiled. And I do eat them all Autumn long.

Apples. Not that I eat a lot of them raw. In this I am also unlike most people because I really prefer them in crumble. And if I eat apple crumble every Autumn!
So today I will make it again. If it will look nice maybe I will post a picture of it. One thing I know, I will find it very good to eat.


43 days for Christmas and I'm back.

Christmas countdown banner

Yes, 43 days for Christmas. And I'm back.
I've been away for almost an year. Last post I did was last year and I was talking about Christmas. it was December.
I have been on other places and now I'm missing this little corner. So, girls, I'm back.

Monday, December 12, 2011

I must hurry


No, they are not from this Christmas, but I have to hurry doing something. I bought already most things but I didn't wrap them yet! So, let's move on.
And yes, it's a load of presents but we are a big family.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It has been a long absence


I will come back. I'm just cleaning and decluttering the blog.
Meanwhile, I leave you with this beautiful music.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Canterbury



So many things happened and I didn't come here. It was Christmas, then a new year. And then, in the beginning of March, we went to England!


Now it's April and I didn't post anything yet!


So, here I go, with some pictures of wonderful Canterbury, were my husband was born and were I didn't go for so many years.


It was rather cold but nice.


I'll try not to stay again so much time without posting.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I'm still here



I've been very busy in other corners of the blogosphere but so you can see I'm still here, here you have this music, now my favourite one.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

22 and counting


Can you see me in that round thing? It's me with my camera and an orange apron. The best we can see is my hand holding the camera.


Most things are ready. Tree is up since the beginning of December. Also the crib. Presents are bought and wrapped - most of them, tomorrow I will buy the remaining things. My mother is in charge of ordering the cabbage to the soup of Christmas Eve - Caldo Verde, a portuguese institution for that Holy night - and also the "grelos" - another kind of cabbage to go with the cod. And because we are a portuguese-english home, she is in charge of ordering the lamb kidneys too, to our Christmas breakfast.


Time now to get off the computer and do some cleaning and tidying.


Monday, December 20, 2010

Today is already 20


So many things to do and so little time.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I'm feeling good


Today it's Independence Restauration Day. It means that's in 1640 we kicked the spanish off once again.
First time it was in the 12º century and then again in the 17. Yuppy!

So, today we are not going to work. Day to be at home and to be a full time house wife.
Ah! That feels good.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Goods things



Yesterday I managed to do some homemaking, thanks God, and my house is going better.
No need to say that I took frequent breaks to go to the Internet and see how things were doing in Rome.
Lot's of pictures on lots of sites, videos, etc. I was happy.
Today the party goes on. Ah, if I could be in Rome.
But that's ok, I can't say nothing after being there for three weeks in July.

Now, another thing.
I leave you with a music I like very much and I heared today.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Being more Mary than Martha



I've been so away of this blog because I've been very active in my This Burning Fire blog, all happy with my fellow catholic warriors.
Christmas is coming and I have still so many things to do and to think about. I've been so emerged on the life of the Church, with so many things happening, like the amount of Anglicans crossing the Tiber and the Consistory tomorrow, I can't take my eyes from the Internet to know more things.
Ah!It's a good time to be a Catholic, with this Pope.
Now, I promised myself that tomorrow I will try hard to put my feet on the floor and be a good homemaker.
We need to be Martha as well, not just Mary. I feel Our Lord could say to me now " Mary, Mary..."and not "Martha, Martha" because I easily forget to be Martha and my home is showing the signs of it. Our Lord wants us to be good homemakers, taking His mother as an example.
See you tomorrow for a report on my behaviour.

I found this picture at http://deusbibliaepoesia.wordpress.com/

Saturday, November 6, 2010

It's time for this already !



I find myself now singing this all the time.
And I began to buy things for Christmas already.
I bought napkins, kitchen roll, Christmas tree balls, nice strings and bows...
I'm in the spirit of the season.

What about this one?

A bit of Advertisement

Would you like to see how the place I live is beautiful?

Go to my blog here.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Two birthdays

Two birthdays in my house this month:



Girl nº2, who is now 16



and mine.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

22 years



22 year ago it was my wedding. It was the day 15.October.1988.
On the 16 we went to England (Canterbury) and then to Paris. We went also to Vaux-Le-Vicomte.
Then we came back to England and to Sintra.
It was such a happy time.
Thanks be to Our Lord for that time and all these 22 years.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Isn't this a beautiful music?

Alla Notte



Adapted from the Adagio de Albinoni.

You must see and hear the original too.



Magnificent! I like it so much since the beginning of my teen years!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Is this a busy mom?!

Too Busy for Family?

It’s 6 a.m. You begin your day with two cups of coffee, feed the kids, and grab a granola bar as you run out the door to meet the school bus. Then you make a mad rush to do errands. By 10 a.m., your blood sugar is dropping so you stop by 7-11 and grab a high caffeine drink (
never! ) and a couple of cookies (maybe). Then it is home to do laundry and clean up from the morning rush. You have a meeting at the school and the dog needs to be seen at the vet so you run by the fast food drive through, grab a burger and fries (you are really hungry now) and a Coke. The guy in the car in back of you cuts you off and you scream out your window—Jerk! (I would never do that, I just wave and smile as my grandmother used to make when she drived. This makes them crazy!)Back home to meet the kids and start thinking dinner. As you meet the kids at the bus, taxi mom begins her route. ( Well this I what I do all day long) Dinner is out because one kid has soccer, the other has ballet, and the other is in a school play; no one will be home at the same time. ( In the evening we are all at home) You decide to grab pizza on the way home because you haven’t had time to prepare dinner. Everyone eats whenever they are finished with schedules. Homework help is given and then the kids get ready for bed. At 10 p.m., you flop down on the couch exhausted and grab a bowl of ice cream to relax a minute. Your husband asks you a question and you snap at him.( This is bad!) He wants time with you, but you are tired and just realized you need to throw in a load of laundry and pay a few bills. Finally, around 1 a.m. (around 1 am?! ), you crawl into bed and set the alarm for 6 a.m.What’s wrong with this picture? ( A lot! )

The red sentences are my comments .
More at http://blogs.cbn.com/familymatters/archive/2010/10/07/too-busy-for-family.aspx

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Mind that this mother pictured here it’s not an working outside mother and, even so, she is too stressed to give some time of her to her husband and goes to bed in the a.m.!

I wake up at 6 am. I wash and dress and then I wake up my big girl. Then I empty the washing machine ( the dishes washing machine, not the clothes) and iron two shirts or any similar amount of clothes while I wait that my girl is ready. When she is I take her by car to the station so she can take the train to the university. She does that everyday and everybody in the several universities here do the same. I take her by car because I don’t want she goes on foot alone in the dark at that early hour in an empty street to take the bus to the station. We live in a very good and safe place but even so, we never know.

I come back home. Wake up the other 3 girls. While they wash,dress and have breakfast, I prepare their mid morning and mid afternoon snacks – lunch is made by the school.

We enter the car and after dropping each one in each school and taking my husband to his work, I go to work and there I stay till the end of the afternoon, some times till the evening.

Because the two middle girls haven’t the same class time everyday, some days they don’t go in the morning so, because I must have a compulsive hour rest around 1 pm, I run home and take them to their respective school.

When it’s only the nº2 that needs a lift, being a teenager, I let her go by bus.
Usually, she comes back home by bus and so does the older one – in the end of the day. It’s very safe at that hour with lots of cars and people of several ages going around. Meanwhile I went to pick girl nº3 and 4.

If there is a day that the big ones come home earlier, they pick the little one.

Twice a week, after ending my work day – outside working day, I mean – and after picking the younger ones, and taking my husband from his work and taking him home, I go to my mother to stay a bit with her and, on the way, to do some shopping.

Arriving home,  exhausted, I put the shopping in places – sometimes the big ones help me, if they arrived already, and I put the laundry to wash. Later on I need to put the clothes on the line and on the day after take it out of the line, fold and put away - in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the season and weather.

All the other chores? Hoovering, dusting, washing the floors, cleaning, etc. ? I find some little spaces between arriving home and going out again in the next morning. Most things are made on Saturday. Some little things on Sunday, not much, because it’s the Lord’s Day. We go to Mass.

Meals? My husband makes them to ease my load.

I never go to bed late, otherwise I would be crazy.

Now you are asking: why this woman works outside her home? Why doesn’t she stays at home as she should ? For the money, quite a nice income to a big family.

But I dream about staying at home. One day, God willing, I will be a stay at home woman!

Image from http://www.millan.net/