Tip for Today – on TO DO lists
2
Jun
The countdown has started.
It is the last week before the school’s summer break and two weeks before we take off for our summer holiday.
There are a lot of things on my TO DO list!
I usually keep tabs on my to do items in my  workplace’s window.
But I have neglected them for a while… I often do…
Untill I realize that the clock is ticking..and what is not done by D-day, will remain un-done, for at least 2 months.
Sometimes you need to take your usual format of your to-do list and just throw it around in a different format to kick-start your actions again and get your “you-know-what” in gear !!!
So, here is my tip for today of what I do on a day like today when I want to make sure I don’t go into a panic and try to do EVERYTHING in one go or leave TOO many things too late!
What works for me when it is crunch time and I don’t have time to get my lists on a fancy computer program, with priority rankings and deadline dates etc…. I simply re-engineer my lists temporarily. I call it TIME-OUT for TO-DO’s.
I make my list on the computer – by simply typing as fast as I can as and when they pop up into my head …. but instead of then editing them there and putting them on calendar and having reminders and all the other fancies that will take another day to orchestrate…..I take any big, flat book and put big post-it notes in calendar format – each sticky paper representing a DAY.
While I keep an eye on my calendar showing my  “appointments”, I assign the items to the days of the 2 weeks I have left, more or less according to my availability on certain days. Just roughly.
The calendar format of the sticky notes as if they were “days’ give you the immediate feel of what is achievable in one day (you simply can’t have 5 sticky notes for one day ! ). Once that sticky gets a little crowded…better find another day for that !
SO, just take the to-do list and plot a short version of the items on the sticky note “days” so that the bulk list gets sorted and organized in a fast, quick way. It spreads out the tasks and automatically assigns priority as you shove them into days. It is magic when you see your 2 page list dissolves into little do-able daily chunks.
Suddenly the list is not so overwhelming…. and things that might have been bottom of the list and forgotten…automatically moves forward according to the day-order where it will be attended to earlier.
And then I keep one sticky note “off the book” – for things that needs to be done straight away as and when I will get off my chair… things that I should really do ASAP  and should not really have sit on a list.  Sort of  – DO before you get busy with other things again… .
..yes, almost like this !
Now, there is no REAL sense of achievement if you simply shuffle-around lists. You have to at least get some things DONE while you are at it !
So what I do during this TO DO LIST marathon is that I sit next to my computer and anything that simply needs a mail or phone call, gets done straight away…. An item  ONLY gets from my initial list onto a sticky, if it can not be done from the seat where I am sitting right that moment.
Nothing fancy – but it works for me.
It organizes your mind and spread the load.
Only thing left is to grab my sticky note every morning from the book and start putting it into action.
Hope it made sense and hope it helps you  if you also feel a little inundated with your way -too-long year-end list for the little time left!
Ilze
Fabulous Find – notonthehighstreet.com
1
Jun
Today I would like to tell you about a great website that I love and I am sure you will too.
Okay -my secret is out !
I would have loved to just keep it to myself, so people can just always wonder where I find lovely things !
This is just one of those places where you can surely find great items.
But that just won’t be fair to the founders of this wonderful web-business.
It was the brainchild of these gorgeous ladies…..
Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish.
They started their business  in 2006 to bring together hundreds of creative small business into one online marketplace.
Their story, which you can also read on their website…as follows:
Hunting out the great and the original is second nature to founders Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, and it led them to have a sparkly idea back in 2006: to create a place where you could find all those charming, unique and carefully-made things that you sometimes stumble across in cool urban markets, village fairs and tucked-away boutiques. A place that was quick and easy to get to, where shopping was simple and fun, and where you could always find the most inspirational and wonderful things.
But that’s not all. Every single one of them would be designed, made or selected by an independent small business. A creative and wonderfully talented small business whose passion for quality, innovation and style shone through in every little detail.
And so, for all the style seekers out there, notonthehighstreet.com was born.
You really need to go to their website to check out the hundreds of shops and the brilliant collection of vendors they host…as well as their blog.
I think they have done a superb job – and others think so too… their reward list is proof of that !
A few very cute items I spotted there today….
(london map picnic rug by just a joy | notonthehighstreet.com.)
(doodle tablecloth by stitch designworks | notonthehighstreet.com.)
(‘blom’ paper flower by life’s a party! | notonthehighstreet.com.)
(personalised oak chopping or carving board by the oak & rope company | notonthehighstreet.com.)
….. but it just won’t do justice to all the fab shops and sellers if you don’t visit them.
Go, go, go…..!!!!!
You will be happy with what you see and you can thank me afterwards !
Enjoy browsing and shopping…. but please come back here soon and tell me if you liked them !!
I would love to hear if you also consider it a Fabulous Find.
Ilze
Does it ever end?
30
May
Dear Friends
I have now been trying to get my blog up and running for months… and yet it feels like the end to the techie manual before I can really sit back and get to what really matters – the posts!!! , is still nowhere in sight for me…!!!
I have no idea who to give credit for this photo, as I know it is circulating as the “BOOK of HOW TO UNDERSTAND WOMEN”… but since I believe  – you never will..only women do and they dont need a book on that… I feel it rather inappropriate and in any event the book would be outdated before it goes into print…so I see it more fit to use as my “manual” on how to get things 100% on my blog !
Yes – I admit – a LOONG way to go….like my very incomplete blogroll.
In the meantime – please bear with me – I am going to now start ignoring the glitches and the fact that the header changes daily…and hope that you will be happy to ride along untill me and you find a happy place for the blog.
Too much time being wasted on getting it perfect !!
Time to start blogging and hope the rest will catch on soon…
If any of you bloggers are reading this – are you also feeling a little inundated with techie stuff sometimes??
Not being a pro at graphics etc and yet, love blogging so you can’t let it get in the way???!! Let me know – we can share the pain !!
ps – By the way – please let me know glitches you experience… I will find the input rather helpful right now and not critical at all….be nice though??!!
Sending you my best….x
Ilze
Storing Kids Art and Posters
13
May
Kids work really hard at school on their art work ….. and which parent is not proud of their kids’ creations ?!
They create really cool pieces !!
…AND THEN THEY BRING THEM HOME !!!!
Soon it will be the end of the school year and you will greet your kids on the last, or second last day of the school-year with huge, oversized art works that the teacher decided to keep in her studio UNTILL that last day ! Oh, what to do that day?? No cupboard in the house big enough to simply put away a PILE of art work safely untill the holiday rush is over. Art work is one of those papers you want to keep protected from spills and water and dust and to not get wrinkled…but those pieces usually don’t fit into any sort of filing system I have seen before.
Well – you can frame some of them -Â like these 2 my son did when he was 6 and I thought it deserved a place on the wall.
His Russian bear – actually a wax medium …and kind of hard to tell from a picture behind glass….
And this was one as an impression of Picasso.
Framing some of their best pieces certainly gives a sense a value and worth to their efforts and does show the child that they can take pride in displaying their work – good enough for your walls. It does not need to be a real Picasso to make it up the wall ! 😉
Or this one my daughter did, same age – also loved it !
Oh, my future artists !!! Mommy is so proud. (and can not afford the real paintings anyway… , but don’t tell !)
So, better back to storing it….let’s  be honest – we don’t have enough walls in the house to frame 15+ years of school art (for each of the 3 kids) that made its’ way into the house.
Yes – it will be lovely and adorable and never-to-throw-away pieces with huge sentimental value of what your little Johnny or your  little Sarah could do when they were ONLY 6 !!!! And it would be a crime to not keep all that creativity somewhere safe.
The solution today – DIY ART FOLDERS. Nothing fancy, but highly functional !!
This can be  a fun, DIY project at home to keep the kids busy (in case you stay home this summer break)…. or maybe they can start doing it now already and you will have it ready when those pieces arrive home !
We did this last summer and I can’t wait to just plop this year’s pieces in there with the rest !!
Putting it together is real simple ! A ribbon glued onto the sides and bookbinding tape to hold the two pieces together at the bottom.
Bookbinding tape on the inside of the boards prevents the papers from falling through at the bottom. You can put the two boards flat next to each other and put the bookbinding tape centred to where they connect  – do it on the inside so your tape doesn’t show…or like in this case, I used black tape, so you don’t even notice at the bottom.
I found that polystyrene board worked best…poster board is obviously too soft and bendy…and hardboard makes it too heavy to carry by the ribbon/ tape or to store up high. The polystyrene is enough protection for the posters/ papers but lightweight at same time.
and VOILA – one done in no time at all !
While I made the folders, the kids started sorting their art, since we had all the way from First Steps to year 6 in one pile.
Not all the art would fit into one folder, so we sorted them into bundles of 3-4 years at a time and made several folders for each child.
Get out the paint, spray paint, stickers… whatever..to decorate with …..
and let the FUN part start !
Oooh – did I remember to mention that you need a HUGE big sail/ plastic to cover your beautiful wooden floors !…. and their oldest clothes?.
Each child can put their unique identity onto their folders. It becomes part of their ART !
…and while the paint dry, you can use the time to get some cleaning up going…..
I may have to warn you that this is the point where my kids tend to start to wander off and you find them elsewhere… like here…
or when you think you will take a picture of the final product…. you may find that you have misplaced your camera….which was in the room all the time…?? Strange how nobody knew at the time what happened to the camera?
While the kids drifted off, I made a folder for myself too, for some posters I had that I did not want to get damaged and some unframed art that I had to keep safe.
I decorated mine with some wall stickers that I had left over from before.
But mine was definitely not as creative and adorable as the designs some people came up with!
The nice part is that it is part of their creativity and art and will one day be a reminder of what they came up with design-wise. There is no right or wrong.
SInce the folders have hard sides, they can stand on their own…but with the precious decorations on them… I felt like storing them more safely. I bought this bag from IKEA. It is perfect to put all the folders in one place, protected from dust etc and with a handy carry-handle so you can carry all the folders in one go! You can find the bag at your nearest IKEA.
Hope you enjoy making some art folders.
Or do you have some ideas up your sleeve on how to deal with these huge pieces? Let me know how you stored yours?
For some of the pieces that are not so oversized and which did not make it onto the wall, I filed them in showcase A5- files and keep them a little more handy on top of the shelf to enjoy !
Keep creating little ones !!
Ilze
Ilze
Turquoise Thursday
12
May
I
I love the colour TURQUOISE. It is such a universal colour and at the same time, SO unique. Blends with everything and yet stands out from the colour crowd.
Few items on Etsy caught my eye while browsing and it must have something to do with the fact that I always spot something which has the T-colour in it !
I think the necklace at the top, from Elegantknit , will just look superb with a summer dress.
And doesn’t this next item just make you want to go on holiday on an island ?
anklet foot jewelry bracelet crochet hippy chic by nerina52.
Next one is this totally adorable lampshade. What do you think? Like it – or no? ….Come on – even if it is not your style – you have to admit, it is pretty cool. It is by  Shepherdofthesea.
baby newborn hat photography prop handmade knitting by nerina52.
Now, how cute is this?? A baby hat for a newborn ! Love it.
If the first necklace is not for you – how about this one by PashaBodrum…very intricate…but would be lovely with a crisp, white buttoned shirt.
Maybe you are not up for something to hang on the neck…how about a little something to hang on the wall then? This clock will certainly brighten up a fun playroom or a cool teenager’s room ! It is from onedayatatime.
Maybe not for the teenager – but this print  Modern Illustration Flowers Print Black White Red by TwigsAndLace will certainly work for me a wall that needs a little help to get noticed in an all white room.
And when I saw these… well, too bad they already got sold..but still they are well worth showing you !
They are from the 1950’s – an era in which turquoise was very popular !
Retro Melamine Cups Boontonware Turquoise 4 by coconutroad on Etsy.
Now, don’t let me even start on my own collection of turquoise items in the house…maybe on another rainy day….
But I can show you just my latest addition, this armoires, that I recently got in Morocco.
Maybe wondering today what I should put in this armoires is what got me started off on the wonderful world of Turquoise this Thursday.
Happy Thursday everyone !
Ilze
Ilze
Picnic Party
5
May
The weather is just gorgeous today. It makes me want to be outside and not stuck indoors.
And picnic is what comes to mind first !
So, if you have a special occasion planned…why not take it outside?
It can be as stylish and pretty as any indoor occasion.
All you need is a few details…
To turn your picnic from an ordinary outing into an unforgettable occassion…don’t take the easy route of simply pulling out store-bought items. Trust me – it is not too much effort to fill your own bottles with a mix like rooibos punch to which you can add a little passion fruit pulp, put the water in a pitcher with fresh lemon and leaves, add a vase with flowers even if you are in a beautiful park or forest… and you can be sure that your guests will notice  that you did not simply “show up”…they will know that you are happy to be there with them  and you were preparing for this day long before they got their picnic blankets out !
Do I even need to say this?
Colour-co-ordinate – yes, EVERYTHING, including the food…..it is KEY …. it brings your picnic all into one spot without being lost in the big open spaces.
Keep your eyes open in the shops and soon enough  you will easily find foods that fit the bill for your colour scheme of the day!
Add some really special touches by reminding everyone what or who the event is for, by adding a name to a vase or container or any item on your table (especially if it is for someone as cute and adorable as our dearest cousin who was the guest of honour at this event !).  In this case, scrapbook letters were stuck onto the vase – they are ready-made (forget tracing and cutting – because let’s  be honest – who has time for that??!….., they are pre-glued and they can be removed easily. Instant glamour. What more do you need? Find them at any scrapbook supply store.
And no special occasion can be complete without putting a fabulous cake forward – and because it is a picnic, this topping was perfect remembering that you are out there in Nature! Â Fresh lavender and strawberries…..with chocolate flakes … yum !
(All photo credits : Grethe)
To give credit for this topping idea, I need to point you to the recipe book where I originally found it – called PASELLA (found in bookstores in South Africa).
It is a butternut cake – doesn’t that just sounds interesting to start with?!
If you want to give it a try:
Butternut Cake
Pan size – 15×15 cm square or 23 cm round
Sunflower Oil – 250 ml (1 cup)
Sugar – 375 ml (1.5cup) (300g)
Eggs – 3
Pecan Nuts, chopped – 125 ml (1/2 cup)
Sultanas – 125 ml (1/2 cup) (80 g)
Butternut Squash, grated – 1 small (500g)
* can replace half of butternut with apple
Canned pineapple, crushed – 125 ml (1/2 cup)
Flour – 500 ml (2 cups) (240 g)
Cinnamon – 10 ml (2t)
Baking powder – 5 ml (1t)
Bicorbanate of soda – 5ml (1t)
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 160 C.
Place baking paper at bottom of cake pan
Mix the oil, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl.
Mix the sultanas, nuts, butternut and pineapple into the sugar/egg mixture.
Sift the dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mix till well-mixed.
Scoop into prepared pan.
Bake approximately 45 minutes.
Topping:
200 ml soft butter
1 l (4 cups) icing sugar (520 g)
15 ml (1 T) vanilla
250 g cream cheese
Method:
Cream butter and sugar together.
Add vanilla and then stir cream cheese in.
Add topping over cake till it runs over the sides.
Top with cinnamon sticks or chocolate flake, strawberries and lavender.
Sprinkle with powder sugar.
And wait for your guests to ooh and aah after this ! I repeat – wait for the ooh and aah’s – especially your health conscious friends.
But you can use any alternative cake under this festive topping. In this case, it was substituted by a Guinness cake from Nigella Lawson. And worked wonders. What else can you expect from Nigella’s kitchen?
If you dont’ get hung up on having walnuts and little carrots on your carrot cake, I am sure a carrot cake will do the trick under that topping as well!
And another winner for the day were these Cinnamon Crunch Cobbler Muffins. They are yummy and they pull apart … great for replacing an ordinary muffin into one that have your guests asking for the recipe ! With chopped pecans and lots of butter, this picture can really not tell you how yummy and gooey they are…it is after all a PARTY !
If you want the recipe – e-mail me at ioblog@me.com and I will be more than happy to mail it to you !
Your party can be perfect – even as a picnic. The difference is really just in the details !
Enjoy the lovely weather everyone.
And do tell me if you love picnics ! Or where your favorite picnic spot is !!
Ilze
Ilze
ROYAL WEDDING DAY
29
Apr
With 58 million  hits in 0.07 seconds when you google ROYAL WEDDING – who is going to read yet another blog about this today??!
Nobody. I get that.
So, I am not going to share one tiny bit more on the Wedding other than saying – it’s a BIG day…. I love Kate’s style…and I am certainly not missing it!
This post is to say that I am sharing in this big event – from very, very far…..and I do hope that they will turn out to be a “happy ever after” couple to take away some of the sadness surrounding everything about lady Diana and the people watching Kate to fold under pressure.
I bought these items yesterday for tonight’s party – in the spirit of the wedding….
…..and in honor of our fabulous hostess who is hosting a ROYAL WEDDING PARTY for us all to watch together.
What better excuse for expats in far away places to have a party and turn into Royalists ! Sorry that I can’t share any photos of our RW-party with you on my blog…. but I don’t own the rights to cover the event and publish the photos of all my friends who will be wearing their blue, red and white !! Â 😉
Are you going to watch?? Tell me – where or with who??
And if you read this only after the event – what did you think of it all?? The dress???  Anything else??  Share, share, share !
Have a lovely weekend everyone – if not in London….in front of your TV !!
Off to go make my cucumber sandwiches for tonight !
Ilze
Ilze
A special way to say…
27
Apr
Sometimes you have something really special to say.
And flowers don’t always do the trick….yes, they are beautiful when fresh…but they die…very prematurely sometimes.
And if you want your message to last a little longer than the average bouquet…you might want to consider this !
There is still something very romantic about postcards …
And these ones for today are called – “Princess Fancypants  Copper Postcards” by catbird.
.
Isn’t that sweet? Â You order a copper postcard with your own personalised message on it.
It will last and will surely get the message across that it was a longer lasting thought or thank you, than the usual.
The recipient will absolutely LOVE you for doing that  – especially in a world where 90 % of thank you’s now get send either via e-mail or text messaging!
Nothing says more “you are special” than somebody who has gone out of their way to show their appreciation of something you did or their support for something you are about to undergo.
If you’d like to see more of this or any other item, visit catbird.
What do you do when you have something special to say to someone?…. Let me in  – maybe I get to know a few ideas.
Ilze
Ilze
Be kind to yourself
21
Apr
Part 1:
Yesterday I got a text from a dear friend.
“Be kind to yourself. You have a lot on your plate. x”
That thought lingered on…
Part 2 of the story:
I love stationery and I recently bought this little note-book I just loved.
I had no purpose for it until yesterday.
So, the happy ending to part 1 & part 2 of this story, is the following:
I plan to write little notes to myself of the many ways in which I can and have been kind to myself on a given day.
I do know that I should be more kind as I can be extremely tough on myself….but I tend to forget.
So I will write down when I did myself a favour by going to bed early….by taking my vitamins…by being happy with myself that I actually used the leftovers from last night for tonight’s dinner instead of chucking them in the bin after a week in the fridge – I am not such a bad housewife after all. I should pat myself on the back !
Starting today !
We need reminders…. we need friends….and we need to be kind to ourselves.
Ilze
Ilze
Love defines beauty
15
Apr
“A woman feels beautiful to the degree that she feels loved.”
(or you can pay five US dollars at Bobby Chin’s restaurant in Vietnam and they will tell you that you are throughout the entire evening!)
Back to my point…
I hope you feel really beautiful today !
You are.
Ilze.
Ilze
My name is 
