The Utility Cart Set-up

I recently posted about the heavy duty commercial utility cart I assembled for the kitchen.  Pictured is the utility cart all set up in the intended location.   It is a nice, sturdy and practical addition for the kitchen.  I hung two fry pans on the top shelf under the handle.  The upper shelf can be quickly cleared to provide extra prep space during canning or bulk cooking sessions.  Now that the potted herbs have been brought indoors I will likely use the top shelf for them.  When entertaining I can easily clear the shelves and set up as necessary.  The cart can then be used on the patio or moved to the room where the bulk of the entertaining is held.

Of interest is the pie keeper on the top shelf, the Anchor Hocking Fire King peach lustre custard cups and casserole dish on the second shelf and the pressure cookers on the lower shelf.  The pie keeper was made by my husband during our heavy ceramic making phase in the 1980's.  The Fire King casserole dish was made in the 1960's and the custard cups were made between 1942 and 1945.  These pieces are part of my larger collection of antique and vintage glassware.  They are in still in regular use.  My two pressure cookers are a 6 qt Jasi (aluminum) in the middle on the lower shelf and a 4 qt Fagor (stainless steel).  Both pressure cookers see regular use as I prefer them to the microwave oven or slow cooker.  They are actually cheaper to cook with than a slow cooker.    I also have 2 pressure canners (not pictured).  A pressure cooker operates at 15 lb pressure whereas pressure canners operate at 5, 10 or 15 lb of press.  A pressure cooker cannot be used for canning but a pressure canning can also be used for cooking.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Hubby's Slippers

The main living area of our house is below grade.  As a result the floors are cooler so slippers keep our feet warm and toasty.  Pictured are a pair of slippers I recently made for my husband.  This is my favourite slipper pattern.  I make several pairs of these in various sizes each year.  They are great for gift giving.  It has a shaped heel and is knit from the back of the heel to the toe.  The original pattern includes an optional pom pom as well as an optional cuff.  I use neither, leaving the slippers plain for the guys and a crochet bow for the gals.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The 27 Fling Boogie

I recently wrote about the 27 Fling Boogie, a decluttering method I learned from Flylady.  I have used this method for on and off several years and am so impressed at the effectiveness I wanted to go into a bit more detail.  The real beauty of this method is it is so simple to implement.  It costs nothing but about 10 minutes worth of time and if you keep at it a good chunk of your clutter will be gone in no time.  When it comes to having your house on the market this decluttering technique really does work!

Essentially what you do is grab a plastic shopping bag of small wastebasket and go through a room our your house gathering 27 thing that will be tossed.  What happens is you end up getting caught up in the moment so the bag fills rather quickly.  It ends up being a bit of fun while decluttering.  Once you get to the point you can't find 27 items in a day to toss switch it to finding 27 items for the donation box. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Old Man Winter is a Howling!

Old Man Winter is a howling and yet we can't complain since autumn has been rather on the mild side.  As a result we have only used our natural gas fireplace a few times.  We haven't put the furnace on yet which is nice.  Yesterday we had a large, rather nasty storm cell go through.  It was not near as bad as they were predicting.  The winds were high but at least here I don't think they hit the speeds predicted.

This is the time of year where my mind turns to winterizing.  I'm over the busiest part of the canning season so aside of canning dried beans, soups and stews can focus on winterizing.  This year will be a bit different in that the house is up for sale and a good chunk of the draft sealing has already been done.  Since it has been milder we will leave the upper screened sunporch open a bit longer that will help with any viewings without hurting our pocket book.  Still the caulking gun is right handy ready to use anytime I find a draft.  I'm thinking of hanging quilted covers on the windows this year as well.  They will look nice for house showings yet serve a practical function.  More on those to come.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Decluttering

Decluttering is a normal process for any household but it becomes even more important when trying to sell your house.  Removing clutter serves two purposes in this respect.  First it makes your home look more spacious to the prospective buyer which is always a good thing and second it means less stuff to move if you sell your house.  So either way it is a win:win.  There are several ways of dealing with getting rid of clutter:

• rent a storage unit - I really don't like this idea as there is a tendency to hang on to some things that would be better culled from your belongings.  It also costs $100 or more per month and you end up moving the stuff a couple of times BUT if push comes to shove and you really need to get the clutter out of the house to help it show this can be a viable option.
• three pile system - Separated your clutter into three piles: keep, donate, toss.  It makes it easier to deal with.  Once separated quickly box or bag up the donate and toss piles.  Get them out of the house!  Put away the keep pile.  If you can't find spots for what you want to keep, cull through the pile again.
• 27 Fling Boogie - This is a decluttering method I learned from Flylady.  Using a plastic shopping bag or small waste basket go through and quickly gather 27 items to toss.  Do not stop until you have 27 items in the bag.  Once you have 27 items in the bag, tie the bag and put it into the trash. 
• the one year rule - If you haven't worn an article of clothing or a pair of shoes in the last year chances are very good you aren't going to wear it.  Gather these items and donate them.
• horizontal hotspots - Horizontal surfaces have a natural tendency to gather clutter.  Clear these hotspots daily.
• new in, old out - If you buy or bring a new item into the house, remove an old item you are not using.
• donation box - Place a donation box in an easily accessible place where you will see it daily.  Try to add one item to the donation box daily.  When the box is filled take it to wherever you normally take donations.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Staging Homey Smells When Selling a House

This is not the first time we have had a house on the market.  In fact this is our fifth house we are selling so we know pretty much what to expect.  We have also been through a lot of houses as perspective buyers.  One thing the real estate companies encourage is staging a home with homey smells.  This is usually done with scented candles, fresh brewed coffee or fresh baked goods mainly bread.  Is this a good idea?

Staging a home with homey smells can be a positive or negative thing depending on the buyer.  On the positive side it may help a buyer relax a bit to enjoy the viewing.  It may help them picture themselves doing the same thing in the house so that may influence their decision whether to buy or not.  On the other hand it may make a hungry buyer not focus on the viewing and not everyone likes the smell of fresh baked bread or similar.  Certain odours especially cinnamon can trigger asthma attacks in some.  In my opinion a house should smell clean but not have any staged odours, synthetic or otherwise. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Back to Getting the House Ready for Showing

The house has been on the market for most of 2010.  We took it off temporarily at the end of the real estate contract the end of August and now have it back up for sale privately.  Since a lot of the clutter was previously dealt with there is a lot less work this time around but there's still work.  Most of it is straightening and putting things away.  I'm still working on reducing clutter further to lessen what we have to move if we sell.  We are doing a few things differently with the new private listing.

• We are doing a bit more staging.  
• We are correcting some of those faults mentioned during the first round of trying to sell the house.
• The emphasis is on neat, tidy, clean and clutter free.
• Viewings will be by appointment only.
• Listing on more than one online 'house for sale' site.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010