Do I Really Need This??

 

I enjoy reading what other people think I do or do not need in my home or life. Marie Kondo I am NOT. Some of these points I agree with, though.

 

Most of the stuff that applied to me was in the kitchen—

 

All those plastic bags from the store!! Yes, I was guilty of this, but I DID reuse them as liners for my waste baskets. Now that you have to pay for the ones you use at the store, I bring my own bags and buy liners for the waste baskets.

 

Past their prime spices. I did go through mine some time ago and got rid of most of them. My main spices now are salt, pepper, celery salt, garlic salt and seasoned salt. That seems to cover it all quite nicely.

 

Mismatched Tupperware. I was brought up to reuse the empty margarine tubs, cottage cheese tubs, etc. I got a nice set of generic containers with lids many years ago and use those along with the containers that lunch meat comes in. When they start piling up, I do a purge and keep only the ones in good shape that have matching lids.

 

The microwave??!? Seriously? The article says the stove/oven does the same job without taking up valuable counter space. Most homes now have the microwave above the stove, but mine is on the counter. I use it ALL THE TIME!!! Especially in the summer when I don’t want to heat up the whole house.

 

Specialized cleaning solutions. This one I fully agree with. A good all-in-one cleaner will do just about any type of cleaning you need. I also use Bar Keepers Friend. That stuff is amazing.

 

About the only things I could really go through and downsize is the number of mugs and glasses we have. Obviously, all the cat themed ones stay…

 

The rest of the suggestions were pretty much common sense. Wire hangers from the cleaners. Old magazines. Dead plants. Old electronics. Half-used cosmetics that have dried up or crumbled. Pens that don’t work anymore.

 

The only thing that is still a painful thing for me is: BOOKS!! I LOVE my books!! I have gone through several purges in the last few years though. I try not to buy new ones. But it’s hard…

 

Cooking Hacks

 

Stuff to make life easier and delight your friends and family.

 

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but it bears repeating. When you get to the end of a jar of Nutella, pour hot milk in the jar to get that last bit of chocolaty goodness. Or pour hot coffee in it and add some creamer.

 

Rotisserie chicken every couple of weeks. Give yourself a break. Since it’s just Marv and me, any leftover chicken can be added to ramen noodles for a later meal. I also add a can of mushrooms.

 

Garlic salt and onion salt. You’re going to salt whatever you’re cooking anyway. I also use celery salt on steaks and pork chops (when we can afford them). The only other seasoning I keep around are pepper and season salt.

 

Lemon juice in one of those cute yellow containers. Some recipes call for just a tad of lemon juice and this is so easy. I also put a few drops on my fish fillets or fish sticks.

 

Instant mashed potatoes….I have NO shame in using this. It’s usually going to be covered in gravy anyway.

 

I’m also a big fan of pouch bags of soup, especially potato soup. Add a can of chopped ham and one of mushrooms and a handful of frozen corn and you have a really good meal.

 

I know instant pots are all the rage, but I find the only thing I need is a slow cooker. Best invention ever, in my opinion. Throw whatever you like into one and forget about it for a few hours. You can even make an awesome chocolate lava cake in one.

 

Now…about the picture above of Kitty Forman…WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THROUGH ONE MORE MEAL!!!

 

Dream House

 

This is my little dream house in a small village in England. You can’t see the front gate, but it’s painted bright blue and has a little oval sign on it that says “Binder”.

 

The front garden always has something growing in season. I like to go out each day and pick a small bouquet for the tea table that is right off the kitchen. If there aren’t any flowers at the moment, I will pick a few stems with leaves for my bouquet.

 

The large tree on the left is in the back garden. There is a sweet little flagstone patio with a small iron table and two chairs where we have tea on nice days. On the right are several raised planters with vegetables, herbs, strawberries and melons. The back gate opens to a little walking path down to a stream. The neighbor children sail paper boats there in the summer.

 

Looking at the front of the cottage, the bottom left window shows the sitting room where the piano is. In front of the window is a small table with a lamp where we put our keys and mail. At Christmas, we put the table in the attic and set up the tree in that spot. In front of the small fireplace are two comfy chairs and a love seat. The fireplace shares a chimney with the one directly above. That’s the main bedroom.

 

On the right, the bottom window looks in on the small dining room. The fireplace there was closed off and only the one above it is in use. That’s the guest bedroom. There is a bathroom at the back of the second story that has a magnificent claw-footed tub, just the right size for a good long soak.

 

The front door entry takes you between the two front rooms to the back of the house. Behind the two rooms is the kitchen area which takes up the whole space from left to right. There is a small powder room, the area with the tea table, a pantry and a large kitchen. From the kitchen you can access the back garden.

 

To the right of the main building is the portion that was added on that is almost as old as the original. I think it was for general storage and perhaps a workshop, but it’s now where the den/library is and has a fold out sofa for extra guests. There is also a small half bath. The den leads directly into the room with the TV and computer.

 

On the far right of the building is a small driveway that leads to a car port in back next to the garden.

 

It’s a very cozy place in the winter, and the summers are usually nice enough that we can open all the windows for the nice little breeze that comes through in the evenings.

 

I must stop now. It’s almost tea time. Orange spice tea, sticky buns, cucumber sandwiches and fresh raisin scones from the bakery. Would you like to join me?