domestic joys

this post is dedicate to my mother...

So today I found myself mending my clothes... this isn't inherently amazing, but this is something I never actually did back home. I always had a pile of clothes with tears, but this 'to be mended' pile never really was dealt with. Sometimes things didn't even make it to the pile, it just stayed on my clothing shelves with a mental note in my head that read “do not wear you will only make the hole/tear/rip worse.”

But now that I live in New Zealand and find clothes to be quite expensive (but the minute the NZ dollar falls to 50 cent to the US dollar I'm taking some of my American saving and buying some nice merino wool shirts – think smart wool and 300 count sheets!), I realize that mending is very very worthwhile, even if I have to do it by hand. It also helps that I left behind much of my wardrobe, so just about each article of clothing serves a functions and when it is in the mending pile it it is sorely missed.

 

My friend Laura recently asked about my laundry set up here... I am thrilled to have graduated beyond the laundromat, not that I've seen any here yet. Also I'm lucky that my landlord provided a washer and dryer because typically you have to provide your own white wear when you rent (a pain for moving). One thing of note is that my washer shoots water on to the laundry as it agitates... new one to me.

   

I also have told some of you about this incredible mop I bought. For those who haven't spent much time sharing living spaces with me, I HATE to sweep. Mostly I know I am bad at it. I have a very difficult time getting that dirt pile into the dust pan. I also realize that I only collect about 70% of the dirt on the follow with my sweeping techniques. I gave up on sweeping and typically only vacuum, and even then don't do it enough...

But now I have a solution... I found this great mop for less than $20 at the local grocery store. It combines mopping with sweeping and makes our flat a very happy place for bare feet.

Let me introduce you to the various bits..

the microfiber mop cloth, much easier to clean and reuse than the standard mop sponge or rag head

 

 

the mop bit, which consists of closed cell foam (like what the Grays use for snow camping) with these nifty fastners

 

and then you attached like so...
 
Now some may not think this is cool, but for those of you who love vacuuming and the positive reinforcement you get from seeing the dirt collected in the canister (say perhaps some honorary aunts residing in ohio...) and others who share my issue regard the work of sweeping/mopping not being worth the piddly amount of dirt collected, here is the results of my mopping adventure today:
 

Now there were other moments of domestic joy today... the best was Traveler helping and then making us lunch. I don't know what he calls this recipe by he placed it on the table with this proclamation “it has everything a body needs including YUM!”

 

For those interested this is how you make enough for 2:

saute ½ red onion in lots of olive oil (at least 3 tablespoons)
When soft, add the following and heat through
½ can chicken broth
1 sliced fresh tomatoe
2 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
1 can of mixed beans (our can today had cannellini, butter, green baby lima, borlotti, and red kidney beans)
juice squeezed from 1 lemon
just before serving add a pile of chopped fresh parsley