February home wise has been all about getting into a good routine, decluttering and seeing all the jobs that I want to get stuck into as the weather starts to improve.
Adam went away to Norway last month and in the week he was gone I somehow got into a really good routine with things like tidying away after cooking, sorting the dishwasher and even getting rid of our mountain of washing that's never been clear for the past few years. I've managed to keep it up pretty well and the house has been such a nicer place to be. I feel less stressed and much more able to cope with the day to day jobs that need doing, without this mountain of dirty washing or constant trail of toys.
I've managed to declutter so much throughout February, with piles of clothes going to the charity shop I can finally see what clothes the kids have that they can actually wear and their toys are much more organised, with space previously taken up by old ride ons and baby bits that they can now enjoy their current favourites in.
So with the house on the way to actually being organised and less chaotic, it does have me thinking about what needs replacing in the house and what needs to be done to get it looking good. There's so much painting that needs retouching it's unreal, as well as a big hole in Alf's ceiling that needs urgent attention! We are hoping it's where the plaster has dried out making it crack as we did have someone in to fix it last year, but we will have to get the ladder up and investigate. I'm really hoping it's not a big job!
As soon as the weather warms up I want to get the kitchen, conservatory and garden areas up to scratch as they seem like such a wasted space at times and it's all been a bit of a bodge after having emergency work done on the house around four years ago. It's hard to get motivated with the DIY stuff when we only really have the time the kids are in bed, so the years just fly by!
I've been looking at the things I'd like to replace that don't take up much time or effort and there is so much in the shops that I like at the moment. Asda always has lovely affordable home buys and their new bits for Spring are no exception. Here's a few bits I'd love to brighten our house;
1. Pasta bowls | 2. M&S Teal dining set | 3. Mustard leaf towels | 4. Plant bed covers | 5. Hanging Wall Succulent | 6. Dining chairs | 7. Teal curtains | 8. Floral embossed vase | 9. Cactus plant | 10. Geo throw
The main things we need to update in the kitchen (except for gutting the whole thing and putting a new kitchen in) are the dining wares as we have a mismatch of all white but mostly chipped bits at the moment and I'd love something a little nicer. I have a thing about not eating of patterned plates, I like to see a plain bowl/plate at the bottom, so I love the set from M&S with just a touch of colour, as well as the teal pasta bowls from Asda. I can deal with colour, but no pattern! Anyone else?
The other major thing I can't wait to upgrade are the kitchen chairs. We currently have old pine ones that I'm hoping to upcycle at some point, and something like the plastic seat chairs would look so different, contrast with our small farmhouse pine table and brighten up the dining space in the conservatory.
We like to refresh the towels every now and then and I love this mustard set with leaf detail for a splash of colour in an otherwise monotone bathroom. Asda also have a range of ceramics in mustard with embossed floral details and as I found out recently we have no proper vases in this house so that one is firmly on my list.
I'd like to make our bedroom a bit more fun, it's so boring at the moment. Adding the plant theme covers, a wall mounted succulent and a whopping great faux cactus (that's right, even I can't kill it) would make a huge difference. It's also where my desk/work space is so I need it to be a room that makes me feel happy and relaxed day and night.
The living room is absolutely freezing all year round. We live in an end terrace at the top of the hill, with one side partially underground up to about 1.4 metres, so it does get very chilly which is great in summer, not so much in winter. I already have a few blankets but I do like to replace them regularly to keep them warm and fluffy. I love the double sided throw, it would be like a duvet on the sofa, with plenty of room for a child or two to come snuggle. We're also in dire need of new curtains in the living room, I know what I'd like but I think something like a plain teal would work best and if possible some thermal ones as you can feel the cold from the windows even with them closed at the moment.
What's on your home list this month?
