Taking a page from the Christmas Book

[cybermathwitch]

To some degree or another, it is still hardwired into our cultural DNA that this time of year (Fall) is a time for preparing for winter, nesting, and community. 

 

Over the summer, the Housecleaning Co-Op some of us did was, overall, a resounding success... but with changing schedules, stress-levels, job requirements and daylight to nighttime ratio, it's not a workable solution right now.  That said, the idea for something a little more flexible, organic, and less specific came to mind... based loosely on the "Christmas Wish Lists" that float around blogs during the holidays.

 

We all have different skill sets.  We all have different things we're good at.  Also, one man's trash is another man's treasure, so to speak.  So here's the idea.  Post a list of your Needs.  It can be anything from ideas to assistance to items to basic company.  Then, peruse everyone else's blogs, and see if they've posted a Need that you may be able to fulfill.  No pressure, no requirements - just assistance if it's possible.  Feel free to repost and refine your lists as you need to throughout the fall and keep checking on other people's lists. 

 

To start:

 

1. I Need to have more shelves and storage space arranged.  I don't know what supplies I'll need or how to do it - I just know where I want shelves and approximately what size shelves I want.  Nothing as fancy as building cabinets or anything, just basic stuff.

 

2. Company in the evenings, to help keep my energy up and keep me on task while I work on getting my home cleaner and more organized.

 

3. Simple recipes that involve a negligible to mild amount of cooking so that I am better equipped to handle dinner-making responsibilities now that my husband is working nights.

 

4. I'm currently very allergic to our couch.  It's got several years of set-in allergens that using the carpet/upholstery cleaner hasn't really helped with much.  Right now we can't afford a new couch, so suggestions as to how to minimize the allergens would be appreciated.

Comments

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

For number 3, I've been making a lot of the following:

** Baked chicken or pork, couscous, and baby spinach **

1. Chicken or pork: Baste chicken or pork in bbq sauce or put canned cream of mushroom soup on chicken, bake for 30 mi on 400F.
2. Follow directions on box, but I boil 1/2 cup water, add 1/3 cup couscous and take off heat, cover, and let sit for 5min.
3. Add raw baby spinach as the veggie

It takes 30 min total and you can spend 20+ of those minutes doing other things around the house.

** Japanese-style curry (with S&B Golden Curry packets) **

Also really simple: cook chicken, tofu or beef with veggies and add water and some S&B Golden curry. It takes 15-20 minutes and is very yummy. You can buy the packets at many grocery stores and there are directions on the box.

See this for an example of the package.

** Spaghetti with ground turkey **

Brown the ground turkey, add sauce and put on spaghetti. If you add other stuff like green pepper and mushrooms, it tastes great and is still pretty simple.


http://www.realsimple.com has some great recipes too.


For 4, would adding a plastic cover to your couch help? I use pillow (fabric, non allergen) covers at home, but don't know if that works for couches.