The Cupboard Under The Stairs

When we moved into this house last year one of the first jobs Mark did was to add some pretty paper and some shelves to the under-stairs cupboard , (aka Nana'a shop, as named by Oliver!), so that I could use it as a pantry.  I love seeing all the things lined up, plus it makes it easier to see what I need when I go shopping.

On Thursday I was getting a bit numb from all that sitting so gave it a tidy up and a move around.

This little cupboard has more than one use, it also houses the ironing board and Oliver's toy box.  Eventually, when the kitchen is done (It's last one the list at the moment), it may become a cloakroom / shoe / bag storage cupboard, providing  I can have something similar for storage in the kitchen.

While I was in the mood I also gave a couple of the kitchen cupboards a clean out and tidy up :-)

I moved my baking supplies from the 'shop' and moved all the sauces

we use the most to the lower shelf.

If anyone is interested the shelf stacker's on the lower shelf and the ones with my cans on in the pantry are from Lakeland.

Oh and yes, all my cans and jars have to face forwards  :-)

The refreshment cupboard :-)

The middle shelf is reserved for bread, but we ran out, lol

As I've been walking around the house a little better the last few days I wanted to try and go for a walk, yesterday was an awful day, never stopped raining all day, this morning is the complete opposite so I've took myself and my crutches around the block.  If I take it slow I'm ok, can't do a proper stride yet but defiantly better than a few days ago, if I tried to go too quickly I got a sharp pull in my calf, just for a second, but don't want to do any damage so I will have to remember to take it steady!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the garden, it's all looking very lush after all the rain yesterday, just don't look too closely at the grass, it needs cutting!

-X-

Early Morning Ramblings

It's almost 5am on a Sunday morning, I decided to get up instead of keep tossing and turning, first I'm hot then I'm cold, can't get comfortable, these hormones have a lot to answer for. 

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We started to hang the wallpaper in our bedroom yesterday, it was late afternoon we were both tired so we ended up having a few choice words to say to each other about how things should be done.  I hate all the mess that decorating brings with it, Mark hates decorating, things were bound to get fraught.  In the end we found a system that worked, me finding the match on the paper and cutting, him pasting and hanging, it worked, we managed a whole wall before we called it a day at around 8.30pm.  

I admit I'm finding it hard adjusting to living here, I love the area, I like the garden,  but the rest of it is taking some getting used to.  Ok, number one thing, (these are probably going to sound like silly things to some people, to me they're not, we all have our niggles of what and how we like things).

I miss the kitchen in my old house, and my cooker, I really miss my cooker.  That might sound silly but I spent a year thinking and planning that kitchen and it worked, all of it, it was easy to work in.  This one, nothing makes sense, no thought has gone into where things are, and the cooker, well less said about the the better.  I cook in batches when I can and freeze, that way I'm spending less time with it.  

No dishwasher...I didn't think this would bother me too much, after all most of the week there is just me and just the two of us at weekends, but it does, It's not the washing up, it's the stuff on the draining board after and the stainless steel sink taking up too much space and being being wet, I hate it, I'm forever cleaning it.

No built in microwave...Free standing one on the worktop, taking up space, enough said.

Fridge...In the wrong place, or perhaps the fridge is in the right place and the kettle is in the wrong place, but the kettle can't go by the sink and above the fridge because there is no plug socket there. 

The door...Really, really awkward, when it's open it takes up a lot of space.

The cat's litter tray has to be in the kitchen too, no where else for it to go, not ideal but nothing else for it at the moment, the washing machine, again has to be in the kitchen glaring at me from under the worktop, (I don't like appliances on show).  I know these things can be changed, and they will, eventually.  I'm just feeling so overwhelmed with all the things that have to be done, It's not just the kitchen, there are other rooms I'm not happy with, and when it's all done will I be satisfied, or will I still not feel settled here. 

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I think we did the right thing in moving, it's just taking time to get used to less space and getting things how we want them.  Maybe it's more to do with me and how I'm feeling than the house, I went to the local shopping centre yesterday, I only had to go to one store but had to walk through a large part of the mall to get to it.  It was a Saturday so there were lots of people and I was so irritated with all these people just ambling along, and the noise, I started to panic a bit, I just wanted to get to the store, get what I wanted and get out of there and back home, I'd no patience for people strolling with nothing  better to do than wander aimlessly round a shopping centre.  I do feel like that quite a bit lately, I want to shut myself away, not bother with anyone, haven't got the patience with people.  

I'm not depressed, just overwhelmed and irritated, very easily irritated sometimes, that's the only way I can describe it.

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Day two of paperhanging will be happening today, lets hope we can get through it without swearing and any mishaps.

If you've read my ramblings, thank you, and If you made it this far, a BIG thank you.  I am turning off the comments though, this is not an 'Oh woe is me please feel sorry for me post'   I wanted to get some things out, and now they are, I might feel better for it, or I might feel just as frustrated tomorrow, who knows, either way I'll get on with it, I always do.

-X-

Finally the painting in the dining room is all finished and my tree is up...yaaaaay it does look a bit bare at the moment though, i couldn't find the little thingies to hang the baubles on with, i will get some tomorrow when I'm out and it should look a bit better then.So, how do you like my red wall?? I have always fancied having a wall in red but never been brave enough to try it, hubby said just go for it, so i did! and I'm so glad:) it warms the room up lovely and i love it. As you can see i even managed to persuade dh about the sofa in the dining room! and it make the room more cosy and usable.

I found the little stars hanging from my light in the local Tesco, also came across these little felt decorations, all at a reduced price and they look great hanging from the cupboard doors.

We bought some chestnuts on Saturday and they are sitting in Santa's sleigh ready to be roasted on the fire over Christmas.

Another bargain picked up at Tesco was this Noel which is sitting on the side board

I actually bought 3 of these, they are so lovely, i have one on the mantle in the sitting room and the other on the fire place in my bedroom. One last bargain buy was this reindeer, star and bell garland on string, it's quite primitive and simple looking

I've done quite well for bargain buys in decorations this year, i have a lovely table cloth for Christmas day from Ikea and some charger plates , but those belong to another post... so for now, tara-a-bit xx