Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Home keeping...and then some pampering.

Some days it feels like I spend most of my time home keeping.
Cooking, tidying, cleaning, doing laundry, ironing, grocery shopping...

I like the results of a little elbow grease and everything looks so much better.
The Humble Bungalow is actually a nicer place to relax when the mess is less!


I have entire days where I get out and about to walk, play bridge and go out to meet friends for tea! Playing catch up can take its toll but if I put on some music and wear my fitness clothes (with a few pearls) and my trusty French Linen apron I find that I have way more energy to tackle the jobs that need attention.

Today I tended to my orchids...
I watered them, removed the wilted flowers and cut away some of the brown stems then tied up the new shoots to the stakes in the pots.


I wiped down the counter tops and cleaned out the fridge.
Polished the silver and cleaned out a few cupboards and drawers.
Did some laundry and ironing...
love the look of my linen tea towels all pressed and ready for service.


My hands got a little special treatment...
before putting on my cleaning gloves 
I applied a layer of this wonderful hand cream,
  moving about doing chores added extra warmth inside the gloves.
The cream worked its magic and it felt like a Spa Treatment!


With the fridge cleaned out the few bits of leftovers were turned into soup.

~ Leftover Soup ~

Cook and soften in a few tablespoons of oil
 a couple of onions
a diced carrot
2 -3 stalks of celery 
1 cubed pepper (I used a yellow one)
5 sliced mushrooms
cooked about 15 minutes then added

a piece of cooked steak (about 5 ounces) cut into small pieces
tetra pack of stock (beef or vegetable)
leftover broccoli
salt, pepper, thyme (to taste)
Simmer for a few hours so the flavour really blooms
add
a handful of dried noodles
cook until soft and serve or cool and freeze for a later date.


While the soup was simmering I took a wee break and gave myself a facial.


The aesthetician at the Spa mentioned that this was her favourite formula for her clients that have rosacea so I figured it was worth a try...
you mix the mask with a wee bit of water and leave it on 5-10 minutes
(while lying down with eyes closed relaxing and breathing deeply)
 then gently wipe it off with a warm face cloth.

I loved how soft and clean my skin felt after this mask.
I used the Eminence Coconut Age Defying cream after and did not put any make up on for the rest of the day.
except for
~ Mascara and lip gloss ~ 

My home day spent productively actioning domestics and focusing on my skin...

~ life feels better with a wee bit of pampering ~

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

19 comments:

Splenderosa said...

I love this post !!!
I love to spend my day this way too. And, orchids? My favorite, and I even get them to rebloom for me from my breakfast room window. Taking care of the home is very renewing, but YOU get more done in 1 day then I ever could. Brava !!!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I had to stay home because of the painters so I decided to make it a worthwhile home keeping day... Besides I felt like I was in a fishbowl with the crew on their ladders painting the wondows...and if they saw me lying around eating chocolates my reputation would be tarnished...at least they did not see me with that mask on my face!!

Julie said...

You're a cleaning inspiration. 'When the mess is less'. Good motto.

BeachGypsy said...

Beautiful orchids! I use arnica as well. It's good stuff. And I LOVE TO IRON. I dont run across many people who do. I've always enjoyed it.

Patricia said...

Your white orchids are wonderful, and I like your approach to home keeping (and the term itself). I rarely get a full day at home, and really you get such a lot done when you put your mind to it. We need to have some tradesmen in so I shall take a leaf from your book and really plan a good days cleaning + pampering!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Sounds like a lovely and productive day. There are ways to make those home keeping, housecleaning days feel special; sounds like you hit the right note. And what a pleasure, when it's all done, and the soup is simmering and the flowers are blooming and you can put your feet up and enjoy your home . . .

La Vie Quotidienne said...

What a fun day! Productive yet enjoyable on so many levels. I am totally impressed that you wear your pearls while cleaning...the quintessence of elegance!

Jeannine said...

How do you get your orchids to bloom? My son has an orchid that hasn't bloomed again after the initial blooms. Any tricks would be appreciated! Thanks for the inspiration to clean and tidy.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

If i can inspire cleaning that is a good thing!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

There are a few bloggers who have posted about their love of irnong...Faux Fucshia is one who comes to mind.
I used to despise ironing but I decided that I loved my linens pressed more than I disliked the process....thankfully a shift in the way I looked at it was all that I needed.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Doing a little bit everyday works just as well...if I am home waiting for service people or renovations are taking place I try to make myself useful...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Today with my home tidy and clean I was able to go out and run errands and have some playtime! I think it is all about balancing work and play...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I think I subscribe to that theory that if you don't wear them you should not have them...but having said that I would probably not wear a diamond tiara to clean house or a heavy ornate gemstone necklace...but then I don't own anything quite that luxe...so maybe I would!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I water mine only once a week letting the water run through the pot and into the sink...they do not like their roots to sit in water...they prefer a rainfall or shower! My orchids sit on window sills, several above the sink facing north and one in the south window and they all have re bloomed. I only buy the "window sill" orchids...they bloom twice a year for me. After 4 or 5 years they need repotting so I put them on the boulevard with a free sign on them and someone always scoops them up!

Carol in Denver said...

Re soup from whatever's in the frig: I used to work with a gal who called this "Sweep the Floor with Noodles."

Karen said...

I love a clean tidy house and find it impossible to focus on relaxation if things aren't right. I do find since I have retired I never spend a whole day cleaning preferring to break the jobs up. I've always loved ironing but again since we are retired there is less to do. Making headway with sorting my wardrobe out and your post reminded me to pamper my hands. Thank you for another lovely post.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

A great name...and the imagery is there too!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

We retirees are so fortunate...being able to do things at a slower pace and if we feel weary we can put it off until tomorrow...as long as we do not procrastinate too much!

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I love your pure white orchid! It's so serene and beautiful. The Apricot Rose in your sidebar is wonderful, too. I have been on the lookout for a pure white orchid for a while now, and haven't seen any around here. I'd love to add an Apricot rose to my roses. Do you know what the name of your Apricot rose is?

My home needs a good cleaning right now. It's been a busy couple of weeks, doing other activities. It needs a big dose of serenity and a complete cleaning right now. I don't know how two people (my husband and I) could get everything so out of place in the house (mostly I am the dis-organizer). Tonight it looks like a bunch of monkeys has been set loose in here. Tomorrow is the big Clean Up day. This kind of jumble really doesn't encourage serenity.

Your post today was very inspiring, just when I needed it most. Thank you.