Small things amuse small minds?

School started again for me and Tammy today. I had so many plans to do this holiday - and what did I do... apart from the Easter Drama and Franco's birthday party, mostly small little things... but things that gave me great pleasure all the same. Activities that may not be in the same league as scrapbooking, but still creative in a smalll sort of way.

I washed my mohair blanket - it did not really look dirty, but I was surprised at the dirty water: Here's how you do it:
Fill the bathtup with some cold water and imerse the blanket in it. Sprinkle about 500g coarse salt over the blanket and let it soak. No soap. No stasoft. Turn the blanket over now and then. Then push the blanket into the laundry basket. Drain the tub and then fill it again a few times to rinse the blanket thoroughly. Then let the water drain out of the blanket by letting the basket lie on its side. Then easily lift the basket, blanket and all and hang it up - the blanket is like new! (It is really 35 years old!)
I got the tip from my sister in law, Tiela. (Dankie Tiela, dit werk soos 'n bomb, soos jy gese het!) It really works and there's no strain on the back!

The bath tub is also an excellent place to scrub dish racks - almost the same age as the blanket. I can do with new ones, but in the meantime it gives me pleasure to have racks that are as clean as I can possibly get them.
My grandmother used to say that her grandmother used to say that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing it well. She (my grandmother) often resented that saying and would take off a button from my oupa's pajamas if it had been sewn on with the wrong thread. Who cares really? But if its worth doing... it worth doing it well! I too resented this saying a bit, but nonetheless took great pride in cleaning my oven until there was not a speck of brown to be seen on the racks. Did anyone notice? Of course not, but it did make me feel sort of like the woman of Proverbs 31. Luckily my oven is only two years old and not used tooooo often! (Ek's nie daardie soort meisie nie.)

I spent a lot of time cleaning tiny bottles and filling them and labelling them - often by peeling the original sticker of the original container and sticking it onto my minute bottle. It was not always possible, so some products just got boring old handwritten labels. Why all the fuss? We're going to the sea for 5 days and later this year we are going overseas for 10 days. I did not like my previous cosmetic bag, so I got a new "cosmetic" bag and filled it. The sea holiday is my cosmetic bag dress rehearsal. If I use more than half the bottle, I'll know my bottle is too small.

My new cosmetic bag (a six pack cooler bag) packed with 26 products (excluding the make-up in the outside pouch). All that is still lacking is my hairbrush. Preparing for a holiday - especially an overseas one - is for me almost as much fun as the actual trip.

I also sewed on several buttons (took off the remaining 3 buttons on a shirt of Hendrik's and sewed on five new ones - all on the wrong side.... will take them off again and sew them on again on our way to the sea), I sorted socks without partners and put together 14 pairs between Hendrik and Jan's socks! I started shortening two pairs of Jan's pants: I undid the side seams and pinned up the hems, now I just have to do the sewing and will do that when I have company.

As for the Proverbs 31 woman - did she like all housework? I hate vacuuming and sweeping - no satisfaction in that. Desia referred me to the flylady website (Thanks Delia). I'm taking baby steps in housework, and it's not killing me (yet). But now I've got to fly go and get Jan something to eat and to shine the sink! Tonight at 21: 30 (bedtime really) there is a programme on Russia and I do not want to miss it. (Guess where we're going...!)