A Bittersweet Weekend

My supposedly long, restful weekend became a long, stressful one as a member of our household got very sick (I will tell you all about that in another post). But in between doing errands and holding my breath, I was able to catch up on my bedside reading, eat my favorite spaghetti with meat sauce, bond with my cats and daydream a little. At least the weekend was not entirely lost.

Food for Thought:

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend.

-Chuck Palahniuk

The Weekend List: Breakfast Oatmeal Bake, Homemade Air Freshener and Organized Pantry

Yay! It’s another long weekend! This means I’ll have extra time to do more things such as prepare breakfast that we can eat for a whole week and  clean and organize the house.

For starters, I’ll give this Breakfast Oatmeal Bake one more try (last time I baked it, it was a bit bland).  Click on the image for the recipe.

Next, because it’s been damp and smelling moldy around the house lately, I’m going to make air freshener.  I got the idea from here.

Lastly, I will organize my pantry like so. (As you can recall, my pantry was booted out of the maid’s room recently.)

How about you?  What are your plans this weekend?

Choosing House Plants

Have you heard of Midas?  You know, the guy who had the ability to turn everything he touched into gold? Well, I’m like that with gardening, only the opposite is true.  It seems that everything I touch withers. That’s why I  gave up gardening a long time ago.

But recently, my  interest was once again piqued when I came across an article discussing the merits of having plants around the house. The article listed several house plants that supposedly clean the air of harmful toxins.

(1. Bamboo Palm  2. Snake Plant 3. Areca Palm 4. Spider Plant  5. Peace Lily  6. Gerbera Daisy.  Click on the image for the source.)

Studies show that these plants act as natural air purifiers and humidifiers.  Peace Lilies even remove mold spores, perfect for damp days.

After reading the article, I went to work right away, looking around our garden for similar plants.  Luckily, I found a pot of Peace Lilies and lots of Snake Plants. I then cleared out the clutter in my home office and set up a potted garden.

 

It may be psychological but I find my potted garden so calming, especially in the mornings when the plants are bathed with morning sunshine.  It just looks so peaceful. I hope I don’t kill the plants, though. 😉

PS: There’s a TED Talk on “how to grow fresh air” given by researcher Kamal Meatle.  Check it out!

How about you? Have you done any gardening lately?

Repurposing in the Bathroom

While cleaning the bathroom over the weekend, I realized that a lot of things inside my bathroom are actually repurposed objects.

This palo china shelf, for instance,  is actually a discarded headboard  I found lying around the house.

The mason jar is home to my collection of seashells, while I use a shot glass to hold cotton buds.

Meanwhile, I use these transparent shoe boxes to store my supply of toiletries and feminine products.

Finally, the vintage Everest tool box which I found at a second-hand shop hides bottles of lotion, deodorant and other toiletries that would otherwise clutter the space.

How about you?  Have you repurposed anything lately?

Read more about repurposing here: The Wisdom of Repurposing

The Weekend List: Iced Tea, French Braid and Greek Salad

What a wet week it has been!

I,  for one, couldn’t wait for it to be over. The weather forecast for this weekend sounds promising so I’m certainly going to try out some new things while the sun is up:

First, I’m going to try to make this Pimm’s -style iced tea.

Then, I’m going to braid my hair the French way.

And lastly, I will (try my best to) make a mean Greek salad!

If you want to try these too, just click on the images for the recipes / instructions.

Here’s to a stress-free and relaxing weekend, everyone!

Food for Thought:

Weekends do not count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.

-Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes)