The truly wealthy or blue blooded, all of them have someone to perform the more menial tasks for them.
I suggested recently, putting your towel out on the end of your bed or the edge of your vanity, beautifully folded with toiletries tucked inside.
You can extend that idea to much of your daily routine.
The trick is to think 8-12 hours ahead.
What will be happening eight hours, twelve hours, twenty four hours from now? What can you do NOW to make that run more smoothly or make it more luxurious?
For me, it will be dinner time in six hours. So I've just prepared a green salad in a pretty bowl and set the table with placemats, dinner plates, polished cutlery and linen serviettes. I even had time to iron the serviettes at this time of the day. Not essential but a nice touch. I've put a vase of greenery in the centre of the table too.
The gluten free Chicken Parmagiana is sitting in the fridge ready to pan fry and bake for a few minutes, and the potatoes are peeled, diced and soaking in water ready to be roasted.
Likewise, I had lunch ready early today. It's my Quinoa Salad, and it was like going to a café` to have it all ready to go, in a pretty bowl in the refrigerator. I ate it in the sunshine on my back verandah and felt very pampered.
Eight hours from now, we'll be heading off to bed. Our towels and toiletries are already laid out and fresh pyjamas are floating on the line in the sunshine, lightly scented with homemade Sunlight (Velvet) soap laundry detergent. They'll be neatly folded and snuggled inside the folds of our towels, perched on the end of our beds.
Twenty or so hours from now, we'll be going to breakfast at a friends house, so our clothes are already ironed and ready, and I've done a Bircher Muesli in a crystal bowl to take with us, and some gluten free currant buns, and butter whipped with icing sugar and lemon zest to go with them.
Berries need to be purchased at some stage today to add to the top of the Muesli, and I'll tackle that while I'm out collecting my daughter from school.
So here I sit now, the next 24 hours pretty much under control, and now I just have to find that cleaning pixie to do the dusting, polishing, mopping and vacuuming. Oh right....that's me.
Mind you, with home made Jasmine scented furniture polish and Eucalyptus cleaner, that task isn't all hard either.
...Mimi..
Mimi I feel like this about climbing into a bed of clean lined dried sheets. Or using fresh towels. Yes I am the person who did the washing but the effect is so nice!
ReplyDeleteI try to anticipate my worst times and have a meal ready or half ready as you do. Its such a relief.
I look at my appliances as my maids... so my crock pot cooks me a meal, my washing machine does all the hard work, my dish washer does my dishes. If you get them all going then all the maids are working! (bread maker, drier, mix master etc included)
When you look at it this way it is amazing that once it would have taken several people or several days to do all these things!
My evening bath is my "thing". It makes all the difference to how I feel. I throw in some bubbles and light a candle.
What a difference some nice things make to an ordinary day. xxx
Clean, line dried sheets are one of the great luxuries in life, aren't they. Planning for the worst day is a good line of attack actually. And being able to turn the worst day into a pretty good one can be done with forward planning. If you have all your maids or ladies-in-waiting working for you, as you say, with the slow cooker, dishwasher, oven, and good planning all doing their bit, you really are prepared for anything. I find that getting the chores out of the way early helps too. I just put my (imaginary) maids cap on, and off I go. The rest of the day is then mine. An evening candlelit bubble bath is a great way to end the day too. Thanks for some lovely ideas...Mimi xxx
DeleteI love this concept! It is fun to prepare ahead of time when the energy levels are good and then coast the rest of the evening... Right now I have peeled potatoes in a bowl waiting to be roasted with chicken and made into a batch of soup for our freezer. I also made a large batch of cabbage salad that will be a side dish for the next couple of meals. Oatmeal muffins are waiting to be eaten for breakfast :) I just need to work on the clothing being ironed, what an accomplishment that would be! :) Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJES, I think that's an important one. Know your own energy levels and work with them, not against them. For me, it's first thing in the morning, so that's when I plan my most physical tasks. For others, that might be late afternoon. Know when your 'ladies-in-waiting' (energy levels) are at their best and make that work for you. Great list of accomplishments there! Mimi xxx
DeleteSuch a great post Mimi.
ReplyDeleteIn my house the maid doesn't do her job at all well, she needs to pull her socks up I think or else!
Great tips, I will take some of these on board. I always learn something new when visiting your blog...
Have a lovely Mother's Day and weekend :)
xTania
Yes, sometimes that cleaning pixie (me) loses the plot here too. But she always gets going eventually. Sometimes the cleaning pixie just needs a day off ;-) Mimi xxx
DeleteMimi, reading this post made me feel so serene! :D And I bet you don't put commercial containers on the dining table either. My friends make fun of me for transferring condiments from their jars to serving dishes!
ReplyDeleteOh Jean....a kindred spirit! No, never ever do we have the sauce in it's plastic bottle...always in a little crystal dish with tiny spoon. Likewise the salt and pepper in crystal shakers. Placemats and linen serviettes are a must...yes every night....and flowers or greenery and candles...absolutely! You stay true to yourself. My hubby finds it amusing as well, but I know that what pleases the eye, pleases the heart, and I'll stick to my funny ways. I hope you do too~Mimi xxx
DeletePlanning ahead and just doing it make all the difference in the world! It was lovely to read of all your accomplishments already today - so wonderful, and I agree that we can be our best "maid in waiting" when we just do what needs to be done, and not procrastinate! Enjoy the rest of your day today and tomorrow too... :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou SpicingUpIdaho. I love your comment about not procrastinating. Procrastination is the enemy of the best organised lady-in-waiting (ourselves!). Get in, get it done, and then do one more thing. That's my philosophy. Mimi xxx
DeleteHi Mimi,
ReplyDeleteLove this post, and think you are so right about trying to prepares things ahead of time,
I try to do that all the time too, and it truly does make like easier, and I think we should
take some time to pamper ourselves in sweet ways, like having a cup of tea and coffee and taking a few mins. to put our feet up and read a magazine or book we have been
wanting to read, or to make something we love to eat, and I love setting a pretty
table and do so often and sometimes just for myself at lunch time. Listening to contemporary christian music is a wonderful lift for me too. I think too it is important to
be looking for someone to encourage or be good to daily, whether in your family or
outside your family or even while blogging. There are hurting people every where,
I love a saying I read somewhere and have heard many times, the gist of it is
"Be kinder than usual to everyone you meet, as everyone is fighting there own
battles..........so very true............
That is amazing that your son lives in his own home and has a support team, how wonderful for him..........I have none quite a number of parents who had children that
were challenged and have had the same thoughts and concerns that you have, only
normal.........but the Lord has seen him this far, he will see him all the way until he
gets to Heaven, as the Lord loves our children more than we do, which is so hard
for us to comprehend..........
A few years ago when my hubby got laid off I was laying in bed and just before falling
asleep I started being barraged by all these fearful thoughts, and I knew it was indeed
the enemy of my soul, so I prayed Lord help me, I know where this is coming from
but I feel engulfed in fear, and the Lord gently spoke to my heart and said Nellie,
you are 61 years old.....have you ever gone without anything you need......and I had
to say a resounding NO......and then the peace came and I fell asleep.
What ever your son needs, in your absence the Lord will see that he has,,. so try
not to worry sweet friend.........
Hope you have a Wonderfully Blessed Mother's Day!!
Love and Blessings, Nellie
Nellie, I love what you say about looking for someone to encourage. This is so true and I think blogging gives us all a wonderful platform to do this and not even know whose lives we've touched. Why would we write sad things and terrible things, when we can spread peace and encouragement. My son is an example to many. Not just disabled people but other young people. Here he is, 24 and living independently, volunteering and running his own business, while many able bodied young men his age live at home and do nothing! It's a sobering thought, I think. Thankyou for your advice, and your sweet, calming words regarding my son and his needs. They truly have soothed me, and I will do as you say. You are such a wonderful friend. Mimi xxx
DeleteI feel so wonderful just reading this post Mimi truly a wonderful way to live You have really inspired me to put these ideas into action I call it "designing my life" Enjoy tomorrow you are an inspiring mother Love Shelley
ReplyDeleteThankyou Shelley. I love that term. Designing my life. Yes that is what we do, isn't it. I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you will again. Mimi xxx
DeleteThis is something I needed to read. As one who is home all the time, I'm never 'away' from work at all. I need to remember to set up a tray for my dinner on days alone so that food is ready to heat and eat and serve immediately as I work often right past dinner time and then must prepare...which means I often eat poorly rather than bother at all. I do set up clothes ahead. I've been trying to stretch my wardrobe by not buying anything new for a bit and so I've been setting up outfits for each week. When I need to leave home I can just pull an outfit from the closet and be dressed nicely in a few seconds without dithering about what to wear or seeking accessories etc. But yes, I see I can do more to pamper me each day.
ReplyDeleteTerri, it's so hard to treat ourselves as well as we treat others I think. As women, our priority is always the other person, and not often enough, ourselves. Being kind to self seems selfish, but it's actually necessary so that we can continue to be kind to others. When someone is snippy or unkind towards me, I always feel sad for them, and wonder what has made them so unhappy. Prepare a lovely meal, and set the table for yourself. It can make life special. Mimi xxx
DeleteThis is an absolutely delightful idea, my friend :) Like you, I love to prepare ahead of time....it makes life run smoother. You are such a beautiful inspiration and I greatly appreciated you sharing this with Roses of Inspiration.
ReplyDeleteHugs and blessings to you!
Thankyou Stephanie. This is such a compliment from you. Your blog is an inspiration to me every day, so I appreciate your comment all the more. Mimi xxx
DeleteMimi, as a mum of small children this can honestly be the difference between a great day and a day that is merely survived but not enjoyed. For me, if I have not made dinner and done the dishes before I pick up my two oldest from school, then I can really only blame myself if the afternoon turns to custard. If not, I am madly trying to do those things after school, as well as bathing my younger kids, reading with the school aged kids, get the washing in... So I guess for me at this time in my life being prepared is more about running my household smoothly than creating luxury, but that said, a laid back afternoon often makes bedtime a bit easier, and increases my chance of being able to put my feet up at night, and that certainly keeps me happy!
ReplyDeleteYou've hit the nail on the head there Jen. It's the difference between a day of just getting through, and a day of sailing through every task with a smile. I love the rhythm of moving easily from one task to the next, knowing what I have left to do, and not feeling under pressure, because I have planned my day. You sound like a kindred spirit! Mimi xxx
DeleteI loved this post. It made me look at things differently today. Thank you. By the way, if you'd like your sidebar to stop jiggling, just put your GFC widget at the bottom of your page. Only things under it jiggle. I found out by trial and error on my blog.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Laura
Thankyou Laura. I've not noticed the jiggling, but I'll know how to fix it now. You are a gem. Mimi xxx
Delete