At Home

The Good and Bad

2012-02-26T15:02:00.005+11:00

Ahhh finally the zucchinis are done. Lets pause for a moment and think of all the zucchini meals I won't have to cook this week..........nice.

So they are pulled out, as are the squash and also the rogue potato plant that gave me 8 potatoes when I had forgot to buy any! Most of the beds have also been turned over and weeded as well. This is all good.

I have been re-reading Linda Woodrows permaculture book (again) and have decided to change up the garden a bit as per her suggestions. No matter how many times I read her book, everytime something different strikes me - love it. What I have started to do is fill the bed under the clothes line with my herbs but much more than I would usually put in. I am also going to put in some groundcovering herbs too, as what Linda says about bare dirt is so true, that if you dont have something there, something you dont want will fill it ( I am paraphrasing by the way Linda is much more eloquent than me).

I am also going to mulch much much more heavily than I do now. Much more. I am going to use a combination of thick newspaper, which I will get friends to keep for me and sugar cane mulch. My Uncle Ronnie told Mum about how he does this and in turn Mum told me after seeing the results in her own garden. I have also been more loving towards my worms, I have not been the greatest and still they thrive for me so I am going to baby them a little.

Now for the bad. This directly relates to not buy anything new for February and in the interest of FULL disclosure here it is - last night Dave and I took the kids to the local show, Dave had told the kids ages ago that we would take them and we had fun. Though I think the Ashford show last year was just as good (and heaps cheaper). On the good side Amelia got first prize in "An Article Machine Sewn, 10 Years and Under" - she is very proud and should be! This is the first time we have taken the kids to our local show and they thought it was pretty good. I am TRYING to feel bad about spending the money but am failing miserably.

Also thank you to the lovely honest person who handed my lost purse in last night at the Show! I thought it was long gone but was handed in with money and cards all there. Love that there are still honest people out there. Thank you.

And because I love putting a picture in - here is tonights dinner, roast pork! Whats cooking at your place for dinner?

Saturday Sewing

2012-02-19T07:34:00.004+11:00

This lovely cushion was made by Amelia with me helping. We had to use whatever material was on hand due to me not buying anythng new, the pattern came from here and it was fun to make and comes in three different sizes - we made the largest one.

It was all made on Amelia's sewing machine too which she is very proud of! I did the cutting but we both did the pinning, sewing and Amelia did just about all the stuffing. She has it on her bed and it looks cute!

She has now made a few things on here machine - 2 bags, sandwich wrap and now a cushion!

Now confession time. I have bought something new, I bought a nude food lunch box for Amelia as her lunchbox wont fit all the containers, it cost $3.50. I am ok with it. Dave has not joined in though I have to say he is not a big buyer and we managed to save quite a bit of money this month. I am keeping track so it will be interesting to see how much it is by the 29th.

Upcycled Paint Shirt

2012-02-15T19:24:00.004+11:00

Last paint shirt that Amelia had I made out of a secondhand table cloth, you can see that here. Now that one doesn't fit and I am not buying, the other problem is I have purged nearly all of our wardrobes of old shirts that don't fit or are now dust rags.

I did find one t-shirt of Wesley's that doesn't fit anymore. So in one of the easiest paint shirts ever I made this:-Yes it's the Tardis on the front! We are all Dr Who fans here even Amelia (actually especially Amelia since his newest companion is named..yep you guessed it Amelia!)

All I did is cut up the back in the middle seam the openings and then added a strip of velcro to the top for fastening. Easy as and she will definately know which paint shirt is hers!

No Buy New Check In

2012-02-08T20:22:00.002+11:00

So it's been just over a week of buying nada new for February and I have done really well. I haven't bought anything new at all (not even sneaking in anything in the grocery trolley!) and I have only bought one thing secondhand. That was a girls sewing pattern in the Legacy Op Shop for the princely sum of 50c. I have to say my bank balance is loving it!

I sadly have had the school fees slowly rolling in, $75 for fees for the second grader and Wesley's Food Tech fees of $68. The rest of Wes's will trickle in over the next few weeks. I don't begrudge the school fees but please don't try to tell me public education is free, cause it's not.

One bummer for this week was my electricity bill, I desparately wanted it to be under $400 but it was tantalisingly close. The GST put me over by $16!!!! How rude is that?

Happily the kids are happy back at school and Dave and I are trying to be happy at work. I got a lunchbox cookbook out from the library this week to look at some more options. Lunchboxes are the hardest things to pack as the schools have lunchbox expectations!!! Ah for the old days when a sandwich, piece of fruit and a couple of biscuits were ok! What did you have in your lunchboxes?

To Do List Done!

2012-02-05T14:23:00.008+11:00

I am so happy that the three things I really wanted to get done this weekend are done and dusted! I even sneaked in another little thing I have been wanting to get to!Here is my Worcestershire sauce. It made about 2 litres which equates to 10 bottles of normal sized bottles of the sauce. Some of my bottles are bigger so I got 7 bottles of it but that should do us about 12 months as I am the only big user with the rest being added to slow cooker recipes etc.

Wesley's apron is done. He would only model it if I "cut off his head" - Nice mother to agree, aren't I? I like it as his will certainly be one of a kind in Food Tech.

Zucchini and Corn fritters made by Amelia with me helping. Dave loves them, Amelia not so much. Sh is not a fan of zucchini and I thought this might bring her around but alas it was not to be. At least we had fun making them and Dave and Wes will love them in their lunches.

Finally here is a bunny I have made for my nephew Evan's first Easter. He will only be shy of 6 months old then so choccy stuff is definately out. I got the pattern from here - http://blog.revoluzzza.com/2009/04/06/lets-sew-a-revoluzzzionary-easter-bunny/ , there is also a version with arms and legs but I thought this was okay. I am making a pink version for my niece as well, it was quick and fun to make.

Of course I have had the other jobs to do too, you know the crappy ones, washing, ironing, cleaning - but doing what I want in between that makes it ok - don't you think? Did you get all your weekend jobs done?

Thank God It's Friday!

2012-02-03T18:21:00.002+11:00

What a very very long week! Maybe it's just the first week back from time off or maybe the rain but this week has dragged something awful!

It still feels weird being in 2012, I just can't seem to get back into the flow of things. My office is moving in a few weeks so there is that but it is more than that. I will have to have a think on it.

Plans for this weekend? Finish Wesley's apron for Food Tech as their first practical lesson is next Friday. I am going to make some worcestshire sauce, I am going to try the recipe from Amanda Brooke's blog which you can find here. And I am going to make some zucchini and corn fritters with Amelia.

Happily I got past payday without buying anything - haven't even gone into Target!!!

What's your plans for this weekend?

Tomato Sauce

2012-01-31T07:01:00.006+11:00

On Monday I got home from work and got stuck into making some homemade tomato sauce, a first for me.

I got 3 kgs of tomatoes from my parents and the 500g onions were ours, plus added sugar and spices and cooked for four hours. You do need to keep an eye on it as it will stick a little if you don't give it an occasional stir. Sieved it all (which will also give you an upper arm work out - at least for one of your arms!) and reboiled for another 5 minutes, pour into your sterilised bottles and Daa Daa - Tomato sauce!!

I had Wes taste test it and he told me it was spot on! The recipe is yet another one from A Year in a Bottle by Sally Wise, though I left out the whole cloves because I am just not that keen on them and instead of just white sugar I mixed in some brown sugar too. I also halved the mixture as it calls for 6 kgs of tomatoes but if you could get hold of a box at the markets you could easily do it.

Buy Nothing New - February

2012-01-31T06:45:00.002+11:00

Next month (February) I will be trying to buy nothing new whatsoever. Not a thing. I can buy secondhand or barter for anything we absolutely need, though I just don't know if I am out there enough to be a serious barterer. Joining me in this is my sister Megan and my Mum. We have worked out the rules so to speak which is pretty much commonsense, no sneaking stuff into the grocery shop, yes we can still buy food and pay our bills but its the grey areas that will have to be up to each of us.

Like is going to the coffee shop for a cup buying something new? I am more of the thinking that it is as you are "buying" the experience if that makes any sense at all. Though if you had to buy a sandwich for lunch that wouldn't be. Anyway that will not be my biggest issue, mine will be the fact that the kids have gone back to school today and a lovely long list of all the things they must have will be sent home. As usual.

The other hard thing will be walking past a bargain. I work next to Target and usually have a look through for anything we need that is really reduced that we need. I have gotten Dave a pair of $50 jeans for $1.80 and tshirts for both him and Wes for less than $2 each. So walking past a good bargain will be very hard, though I suppose the answer is - just don't go in there!!!

I am hoping that this month will show me how to be more creative with working with what I have and also saving a bit of money. Wish me luck!!

Refilling the Cupboard

2012-01-28T16:29:00.008+11:00

Things were looking pretty grim when I went to the jams/relishes/pickles cupboard this morning. We were down to one jar of tomato relish from last years lot, 2 jars of marmalade, 1 jar of pear chutney, 1 jar of apricot jam, 2 jars of mixed berry and 4 small jars of strawberry jam. No pickles, no onion marmalade, no more beetroot (have we really eaten all of it already?) and no plum jam!! That cupboard is usually brimming with jars of yummies but through gifts and eating it has become quite sparse. Disturbing.

This afternoon I have added 7 jars of plum jam, 5 jars of tomato chutney and 4 jars of zucchini pickles. I hope to make the red onion marmalade tomorrow, I love that on everything. I will have to have a look at the grocers for some beetroot to pickle if not i will have a look at the markets next Sunday.

Do you have a cupboard full of yums? And how much do you keep on hand?

In the Garden

2012-01-28T07:45:00.007+11:00

The garden is looking good and we are getting some good produce out of it but now I wish I had planted more. We have an abundant supply of zucchini (no surprises there), tomatoes, squash, basil and lettuce. We are still eating our own carrots, beetroot, garlic and onions too.

Four days away from home and a you get a monster zuc!

However there have been a couple of failures too. I have only had 2 cucumbers off my plant! Last year I planted Richmond River Apple and they were prolific this year I planted a different variety and it has done nothing. I'm not sure whether it is the spot I planted it or what.

The other not so great grower has been my nugget pumpkin bush which was going to be my compromise in not having a full patch this year. It has grown flowers and looks healthy but nothing has happened. The flowers must not be pollinating. I thought their lack of growth was due to all the rain we had but now I am not sure. Gardening is a learning experience!

I picked the first of my beans yesterday and still have more to come but I am really happy with how that experiment came out and can't wait to make a casserole to put my beans in!! If i had more space I think I would definatel plant more and I think I may even be able to do that if I fiddle with the garden space a bit more. I will definately try different types next year.

Aren't the beans pretty?

I am planning my Autumn planting now, I want to have a really great productive garden this winter, so it is all in the preparing and planning!!! Cross fingers!

Hospital and Holidays!

2012-01-28T07:17:00.004+11:00

January has been very eventful in this household so far, not in all good ways either.

I had a three day stay in hospital in the middle of the month due to an inflammed gall bladder which will now have to come out sometime in the next few months. The pain was really awful and not something I want to repeat so I am on a no fat diet so my gall bladder doesn't have to work too hard. On the good side I had just started Weight Watchers so that fits in well with the eating plan - got to find a bright side!

Thankfully I got to spend some of my daughter's 7th Birthday at home with her after being released in the evening. She had her birthday on the Saturday at the locat RSM club which you paid per child and everything was done for you. I wouldn't do that again as I think I could do just as well for a lot less money but it turned out to be a blessing as I was in no shape to host a birthday party for 10 girls.

Then we headed off on holidays to Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid north coast. It was relaxing and fun but it rained the WHOLE time one day we had over 100 mm!! It started raining about 90 mins after leaving home and stopped when we were about 60kms away from home on the way back. AND its raining here now.

View from our balconey

We did get to have fun though. We went to the Pet Porpoise Pool, Solitary Islands aquarium, ice skating at the Big Banana, bowling and luckily the place we were staying had an indoor pool and games rooms so we took full advantage of that too. We did miss out on a few outdoor activities I had had planned but you got to work with what you got.

Sadly we all have to go back to work or school on Monday. Holidays just aren't long enough are they?

Cleaning Up and Cleaning Out

2012-01-08T15:50:00.006+11:00

How many clothes do two children need? Apparently a whole heap! This morning I went through Amelia and Wesley's wardrobes and these four large garbage bags are the result. The cupboards are a lot cleaner, though Wesley's need some more work mainly chucking last years school junk. Three of the bags went to Vinnies (a charity shop) and one bag to a friend of Amelia who is two years younger. With a big clean up you can clearly see what they do and don't have and how much they DO NOT need!With Mum sending me daily Glitz & Blitz emails my cupboards are looking a whole lot better. Here is my platter and dish cupboard.
And my lovely pantry - you can see everything!!

And lastly one of my two pot drawers, its so lovely when i go past I am known to have a peep at their loveliness!

I made two purses today, one for Mum and one for Megan, it is to hold their cards.

Amelia made wrapping paper this afternoon, her friend is having a party next sunday and she wanted to get started straight away.

And keeping with my "no buying cards" this year, here she is making the birthday card.

It has been a really warm Sunday, I am just waiting for it to cool down to go mulch the garden. I was really happy to do a bit of sewing, after Christmas and New Year I am having trouble settling back into a normal routine (probably like everyone else!) I have only 7 more working days until I get some time off and I am way way way ready for it.

I haven't got any quotes for the fence or for the house to be painted yeat but we did have a builder around yesterday to get a quote for a front porch. Our house has a big porch area but no roof so if you do sit out there it feels like a fishbowl (cause it is). I think too that because it is high off the ground it is even more exposed. I want to sit out there in the evenings and catch the cool breezes and not feel like everyone is looking. I wonder how much the quote will be? I am guessing more than I want to pay!! It is still hot. Are you hot where you are?

Walking Around an Ashford Garden

2012-01-07T17:37:00.009+11:00

Out the back door into the garden...

Looking into the courtyard....

Cock-a-doodle doo

Mum and Dad have no idea what this is, any takers?

Looking back at the house...

Fruit trees

Compost areas

Vegie-mania

Love this colour!

Around the side...

The front - paving is awesome..

BBQ Area

Garden, Cooking, Making

2012-01-05T20:51:00.003+11:00

Here is Amelia's sewing machine, isn't it too cute? It works well too.

This material will be turned into some purses. I love the pattern. The red colour is more a cranberry colour and is gorgeous.

More zucchini and squash. I haven't got sick of it yet! Going to do a stuffed zuc come the weekend, should make a really nice lunch.

Grapes - somehow the birds have not gotten to them yet!!

Bertolli beans, this is the first time I have grown beans to dry and store. I am hoping it will be a good trial and one I may be able to expand on next year.

Wes made this self saucing pudding. Oh yum!! Saturday morning he is planning to make breakfast - Baked tomato with an egg inside, sounds good hey?

Oh thank heavens I can hear rain!!! The first rain of 2012.

2012 To Do List

2012-01-02T15:58:00.003+11:00

After some debate here is the 2012 to do list. If not everything gets done so be it but we will try our very best.

1. Become more healthy.
2.Eat out of the garden more.
3. Financially our priority 1 is our mortgage, getting it down as much as possible.
4. Replace laserlite on the deck.
5. Get a few quotes to get the house painted next summer.
6. Get a few quotes for a front fence.
7. Get the kids more involved in chores, gardening, cooking, activity etc.
8. Get the parents more involved in chores, gardening, cooking, activity etc.
9. Have more fun.
10. Buy no birthday cards this year.

What do you think? They are a bit all over the place but this is what we came up with. There are of course a few personal goal such as both Dave and I wanting to lose weight, Dave wants to go for his 2nd Dan and I want to get my P's etc but we are happy for those above to be householdy ones.

I was going to put be more organinsed but my Mum is kind of doing that for me. Everyday she sends me and two of my sisters one job to do around the house. It's easy when its only one job.

What is on your "to do" list?

New Year New Pets

2012-01-01T11:55:00.005+11:00

Santa gave Amelia two guinea pigs for Christmas! So Sparkles and Glitter have joined our crew. They are small and are still getting used to us but they are very very cute!With some of his Christmas money Wes bought himself an aquarium. There are three goldfish now in residence. Their names are Steve, Bob and Jimmy - yes we are assuming they are all blokes.

Happy New Year to everyone!! I have to admit we didn't see the year in at all, fast asleep in bed! Last of the party animals we are not!!!

Dave and I have set down some goals for this year that mainly focus on health and fiscal matters, both I know I will come to love and hate in equal measures. I am really hoping to plan my vegie garden more so that it will evolve into the "dream" garden that I have in my head. We also want to do some housey stuff like fix the laserlite for the deck, a front fence and maybe have an awning over the front porch.

Mostly I am hoping for a happy, healthy and safe 2012!

Carrots & Cups

2011-12-30T21:51:00.007+11:00

Amelia and I picked 2 kgs of carrots on Wednesday. They are the last for a little while as I am fiddling about with the beds and having a good think about them. Wesley and I blanched and froze the lot on Thursday afternoon so there is a good lot put away. I also pulled another heap of beetroot and pickled them. I think we should have enough now to last us the summer.

I bought these Eco cups about 6 weeks ago and have been using them everyday. They are made out of bamboo and are 100% biodegradable. They have the look of melamine and are not dishwasher safe though you can use them for hot or cold drinks. I paid $20 for the 6. It will be interesting to see how they go with long term use! Part of you kind of expects them to go soft sooner or later!!! Ha!

A First & Evan Almighty

2011-12-27T13:18:00.006+11:00

Amelia received a small sewing machine from Santa. She wanted to make Aunty Megan a bag, so we used a 70's style cloth placemat and a leftover extra strap from one of my aprons. Here is Aunty Megan modelling her new bag!
And here is the bag by itself. I think she did a really good job and she is quite proud of herself too. This afternoon she sewed Wesley a bookmark that he had requested, its green as Amelia thought that green is more "boyish".

It's very nearly a smile... really it is! Master Evan is a bit tight fisted with his smiles so close enough is good enough. Look at him trying to flex his almighty muscles, what a strong nephew!!

Christmassy Things

2011-12-19T21:01:00.003+11:00

I love Christmas! I loved it when I was a kid and I still love it now - What's not to love?

I know some people find the jolly season a crazy time, full of stress and worry. A lady today told me that she just refuses to buy into all of it. She loves Christmas but she just refuses to ruin it with worry. Love that. This year has been very cruisey for me, whether its because a lot of the gifts are homemade or whether I had a very clear idea of what everyone was to get or maybe cause we have eased back on the kid presents too. Maybe its a combination of all of them but I am relaxed and really enjoying it all.

I do have one more pressie to make as I changed my mind and Im not making my new nephew bibs after all, I decided to make him some wetbags (really for mum but hey he is only 7 weeks old). And I have a little pack of boy face washer I got, 3 for $1.50.

I absolutely can't wait till my presents get opened!!! Specially the home made ones.

My niece Kelly got me this awesome recipe for a nibbly that she had at her Engagement party. I am the nibbles person for Christmas night so I am doing the blue cheese/pecan/fig thing, white choc and macadamia rocky road, a couple of dips and some very retro devilled eggs.

Just so you know what type of family I come from, we are all about the nosh. We are having FOUR desserts at Christmas dinner, yep four!!! We love our food, oh yes we do!

How's your Christmas preparations coming along?

Cleaning out the Fridge

2011-12-12T06:43:00.002+11:00

Last night I needed to clean out the fridge so I got out the slow cooker! I went through and chopped up older vegies and tossed them all in with some browned mince. It cooked on slow overnight for tonight’s dinner – we love savoury mince!

Into the slow cooker went the last of the peas from Wesley’s Ag plot at school, from Mum and Dad’s place there was zucchini and green & yellow beans, our garden contributed carrots, onion, garlic, squash and capsicums. I’ve no idea where the tomatoes came from, either the market or
Coles I would say.

I have to say it is still gives a great feeling when the majority of a meal comes from the garden or rather gardens!

Zucchini

2011-12-11T14:16:00.003+11:00

Is this the saddest zucchini in Australia? Way way too much rain has resulted with us actually wishing for zucchinis, if you can believe it! Usually the zucchini love is already waning for the kids but not so this year. Hopefully with a little sun one might actually get to the table!

Over Work

2011-12-07T18:40:00.002+11:00

I don't know whether its because the year is winding down or because my work is going through some big changes but I am completely over it. I am sick of going, of having to go everyday.

I really like my job as it is now but due to changes I can see it evolving into a role that I am less than excited about. I hope I am wrong!

I like the money that comes with working fulltime but it does mean that everything else, everything I want to do has to be squeezed in at night or on the weekends and I am running out of time. Hmmm. I suppose it's the lament of every full time worker.

I think its good for your soul to have a whinge, so I am having mine here.

I booked us a holiday today for a few days in January and am looking forward to my five day break over Christmas, I am hoping both these will recharge the old batteries.

Do you find that as the end of the year draws to a close you too become "over it"?

Around the Garden

2011-12-04T17:38:00.004+11:00

Beware that some of these photos might be a bit off centre, my camera has decided to take pics but not show anything on the display screen so you dont know whether you have actually got the photo you wanted to take. Noice.These gardenia's smell absolutely lovely every time you step outside.

This is a dwarf pumpkin, it is more of a bushy type. It will be interesting to see how they go.

Cucumber growing. A few things such as this and the zucchini seem to have not grown as much as last year. I think it is to do with the huge amount of rain we have had. Hoping that now the weather is looking to get back to normal we might have a bit more oomph.

Beetroot. I always seem to have some.

Capsicums - both normal and purple varieties

Turning purple.

Beans have too been slow growers. They did get a lot of rain not long after planting which I know is not a great thing.

Cherry tomatoes - you can see out homemade fly traps.

Zucchini - I have for but not one zuc yet.

Lots of squash though.

The garden is looking good and with a bit more sun will be a lot better. Cross Fingers!

Babies

2011-12-04T17:18:00.003+11:00

Yesterday we had a flying visit to Gunnedah, to deliver Christmas presents and see my new niece and nephew!

Both my sisters had babies last month, only 12 hours apart but they each still have their own birthdays. Too cute!
Here is Dave holding Ava Rose, she has just had a bottle and is in a milk haze I think.

Here is Wesley Patrick holding Evan Patrick! Both have the same middle name as their Pop. Evan has long arms and legs and Amelia swears he did a Superman move!

They were so lovely and happy babies. Love having them to spoil!

The Rain

2011-11-28T18:17:00.003+11:00

Over the past days we have had a LOT of rain. A real lot.
McIntyre River - it had broken it's banks

Trying to get a pic without getting drenched!

Drowned backyard.

Happily today is about 29 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

Cracked

2011-11-26T06:45:00.004+11:00

I have been participating in Gavin's Great Kilowatt Challenge and we have been doing pretty well. On average we have been using 8 kw per day, i know this because even when it is pouring rain I have been standing out in it to get my daily readings. Such dedication!

Yesterday we even managed a day with only 7 kw usage, which was great. However, after five days of unrelenting rain last night I cracked and used the dryer. Yes I am ashamed. I havent used it for at least three weeks (maybe even four?) but last night I couldn't walk pass the mountain of washing without doing something. Dave reckons we minimised the usage by only putting it on late at night.

So it was on for two hours and I will just have to suck it up and deal with it. It will be interesting to see how much the usage will go up and whether it uses the phase three bit.

Yes I am doing more washing as I type but I am going to get Dave to string up a line in the garage. Which I am aware I should have done yesterday but I am telling you its a MOUNTAIN of washing!!!! LOL.

Vegemite & Cheese Scrolls

2011-11-22T19:30:00.003+11:00

The kids last couple of lunchboxes have had their sandwiches returned in them. I think the heat is having a icky effect on the bread. So I found a couple of recipes and fiddled with them and made these tonight. They probably could look nicer but they taste delicious!!! The kids have approved them too! Yum!

Recipe -

3 1/2 cups SR flour

4 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 milk

Vegemite

Grated cheese

1 egg

Rub butter into flour til is crumby. Add milk and bring dough together, give a light knead on a floured bench. Roll out into a rectangle shape. Spread vegemite over pastry. Sprinkle cheese all over. Roll up from the long side and cut. Brush pastry with beaten egg. Lay on tray with cut edge facing up. In mod oven for 15 mins.

The Great Kilowatt Challenge

2011-11-19T14:00:00.003+11:00

Gavin from The Greening of Gavin is hosting The Great Kilowatt Challenge! I would suggest for everyone to click on the above link and participate. You will learn how to read your meter so when you put some energy saving actions into play you will be able to see how much you are saving!

Gavin explains it far better than me so pop over and have a squiz!

More Chrissy Presents!

2011-11-19T13:30:00.003+11:00

Yes more aprons - that is the theme this year! I will add jars of jams, jellies and relishes to go with as well! I can only post the pressies of the people I know don't read this blog!This one is for a workmate and she will love it. She loves homemade stuff - which is very lucky for me!

The one above is for a guy. I found the proper straps at the sewing shop and the ties wrap around the body like a chefs apron.

This one is cute! Amelia slyly hinted that this one could be hers!

So I have had a busy week with sewing and sick children. I loathe high tempretures for no reason!

Jam

2011-11-13T15:38:00.003+11:00

Strawberry jam is done. Smells and tastes delicious, I wonder if it tastes even better because we, as a family, picked the fruit ourselves this morning? I think so! I love jam making so much and can't understand how anyone could not. It is fun, rewarding and easy. And as long as you are using seasonal produce its pretty cheap too! Love It!

Another Apron

2011-11-12T06:52:00.002+11:00

Yes its ANOTHER apron and no it won't be the last! I am having way too much fun making them. This one is for someone in particular and I think will appeal just to them. Amelia is being my model though it is a bit big for her.
Here it is laid out. The bows are stitched on so they aren't going anywhere. My fashion consultant (Dave!) and I thought it needed a little bit of something extra so we decided on bows.

See how lovely the colours are in it? I very nearly made a skirt with the material instead!

This weekend we are hoping to do a little Christmas shopping since we only have about 42 days! Our list seems bigger every year though alot of presents are homemade. Sunday we will be strawberry picking again as I will be making jam in the afternoon. Have a great weekend!

Done and Finally Done!

2011-11-07T15:00:00.002+11:00

I have finished off one of my Xmas presents. It is the blue and green half apron.

Wes kindly modelled for me as long as I didn't put his face on here in the apron! Ha! I am sure he will happily be modelling on Tuesday afternoon when his braces come off!

And here is the fruit and vege bags that I was going to make...oh about a YEAR ago! I have had the mesh since then patiently waiting for me in the cupboard. They are really light - 4 to 9 grams depending on the size and much stronger than the plastic bags provided in the stores. Looking forward to using them this week!

Strawberry Delights

2011-11-06T19:51:00.002+11:00

Of course I just had to whip up some strawberry goodness with all that fresh produce to use!
These are strawberry and passionfruit muffins. This is the first time I have made them and they are delicious! Definately will make these again.

I also made this strawberry shortcake. First time making this recipe too and this is divine. Absolutely glorious.

Don't you just want a piece? The cake part is rather scone like in a very very good way and the strawberries are so flavoursome.

Sunday Strawberry Picking

2011-11-06T12:07:00.006+11:00

In Friday's local paper there was an ad inviting people to come and pick their own strawberries this morning for $6 a kg. Yep only $6 a kilo! Well we went out this morning (minus Wes who had important teenage boy stuff to do) and it was really fun!Strawberries everywhere! Yum!

Amelia was picking, she restrained herself - we all did - and didn't have any taste tests!

Dave started loading up his shirt at one stage!

The smell is so gorgeous - really strong.

We ended up with 2.8kg of strawberries. You bring your own containers and they weigh them empty so that you don't pay for their weight. Not that they care too much as she only charged us for 2.5kg.

Thinking strawberry shortcake or strawberry muffins or strawberry milkshakes/smoothies or pavlova or any yummy strawberry thing. We will head out next Sunday and get another lot as I will make a batch of jam with them!

Mad Millie Mozzarella

2011-11-05T16:30:00.005+11:00

This is my SECOND attempt at making mozzarella cheese. This first one was a complete disaster, though I do know why and it was completely my double boilers fault! I don't have a proper double boiler so I just stuck two pots together and unfortueately the pot slipped insided the other and brought the bottom of the top pot in contact to the water. Oops!!!Today was MUCH more successful. But there is room for more tweaking. The unhomogenised milk tastes awesome, and as a treat I would suggest everyone to buy it just to taste it! It is pricey though.

Here is my Mad Millie weapons of mass cheese constructions!

Cutting the curd. It went really well, though I think next time I will leave it another 15 mins or so to firm up.

Here is my curds draining. I got a bit too swish happy with my spoon and my slotted spoon was a bit small so the curds separated by falling off the spoon. But its all good.

My hot and cold salted water waiting to go!

My very unglam mozzarella ball.

But it taste's yum!

Also a happy welcome to the world to Evan Patrick!

Work in Progress

2011-11-02T22:11:00.005+11:00

This is my current work in pr0gress. It is a half apron and its wider than normal and it will have long ties that will be able to be tied in front. Kind of like chefs apron - I hope!

Also a big Welcome to the world Ava Rose!!

Last Gift

2011-10-30T20:14:00.003+11:00

Here is Amelia modelling the last birthday present I need to make for this year. It is an apron for my niece and I also have a cupcake book to go with it.

Here is a closer picture of the cupcakes. So cute!

The weekend was really good and really quite relaxing, I didnt get anything done in the garden except pulling some onions. Oh well there is always tomorrow!

Whats in the Garden?

2011-10-25T15:02:00.001+11:00

I read alot of different blogs and sigh over their abundance. Sometimes the vegie patch looks alot greener over the proverbially fence. I decided to look at what I do have, what I can pick now and what I have growing for sometime(hopefully) soon. The list actually makes me feel better about what I have been achieving in the garden, here it is;

Silverbeet, celery, onions (white & red), carrots, beetroot, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples (not that this one has come to fruition yet, but its there and its growing), squash, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grosse lisse tomatoes, capsicums (two different types), zucchinis, basil, garlic, chives, lettuce, shallots, mint and two little potato plants that have sprung up all on their own.

Whats in your growing in your garden?

I Love Parcels!!

2011-10-24T22:16:00.003+11:00

Two parcels arrived today, my plain broadcloth from Spotlight and two print fabrics from Craft Depot. They make my fingers just itch to get started!

First Go at Ricotta

2011-10-23T14:47:00.007+11:00

For my birthday I was given a Mad Millie cheese making kit. It has the gear and instructions for mascopone, ricotta and mozzerella. Today I made the ricotta and later this afternoon I am going to try the mozzerella. Here is my first go at ricotta.One of the most time consuming bits is the constant stirring until the milk reaches 90c.

Then its just putting in the dissolved citric acid and giving it a little stir.

Waiting til it cools and popping it into the draining basket. This ricotta will be used in a spinach and ricotta canneloni for tomorrow nights dinner. Dave is making me the pasta from scratch and the spinach is our silverbeet from the garden!

Making Butter

2011-10-23T14:22:00.006+11:00

Yesterday I was making dinner early, a delicious chicken pasta dish from the $21 Challenge book that I borrowed from the library, and I was making it because my 600ml of cream was just about to go beyond the use before date but the recipe only called for 250mls so decided to make butter.I have never made it before, not even by accident. It was super easy and tastes quite different from the usual bought butter.

Basically all you do is beat your butter to very firm peaks and then turn the beater on to a low setting and beat some more.Once it starts yellowing up and clumping together keep beating and you will get the milk coming out of it. This is buttermilk and can be used in cooking too. Drain it off and beat it some more. Drain and give it a squeeze. I then added some salt and beat that in too.Then I just patted it into shape and stuck it in the fridge. It is very nice on fresh bread.And finally I shelled the very last of our peas yesterday. I think next year I will put them in a sunnier spot and plant full size ones. Yummy.

Mum, Can We Do Craft???

2011-10-19T19:41:00.005+11:00

Most of the time I really enjoy hearing those words and luckily Sunday was one of them! I was already in sewing mode so when Amelia asked me it was easy fabric bookmarks. She got to cut, iron and sew them, though i guided the second one and she just used the pedal. Easy peasy.
Cherries are coming along! Yummy!! So decadent!
First onion pulled yay!

Crafty Saturday

2011-10-15T17:57:00.005+11:00

Here is Harry's Christmas present - Bunting for his room. I hope he likes it!
This is the material for Megan's birthday present - can't say any more as she reads this blog.
No matter how many plastic bags I don't accept we STILL keep getting them. We have been just throwing them into a cupboard but this was giving me the cranks so I whipped up this bag keeper. I saw them in a kitchenware shop this morning for sale at $15.95.These are Amelia's stars. Her and Grandma finished them off last weekend while I was away. I cut all the stars so that they could just sew and stuff them. I sewed the ribbon on today and then we put them up. I like them.

Check Your Receipts

2011-10-15T17:44:00.003+11:00

I saved $42.90 today just by checking my receipts!

Went to a surf shop to get Wes some new shorts for summer, one "good" pair and a few wear anywhere pairs. If you have a teenager you will know that brand clothing is not cheap, hell it's not even good value for your money, it is an unadulterated rip off. That said I got the shorts 50% off so now they were only a slight rip off. I paid and checked my receipt and found they had charged me twice for a $40 pair, so I got that back in a flash. They were apologetic but I am glad I checked.

Second receipt was from Coles. I had to do my groceries and they had some 1L milk reduced to 95c, the first one went through ok but the second came up as $2.89. I didnt notice as I was still packing the stuff onto the checkout but I did check before I walked away. They refunded the $2.90 and gave me the milk for free - Cheering!!

It certainly pays to check. Last fortnight Dave spied our checkout operator putting our apples through at $4.29 per kg instead of $2.99, she just didn't know what type of apples they were and had had a guess! Makes you wonder how many times it happens when you DONT catch it.

Labour Day = Lazy Day

2011-10-03T22:20:00.008+11:00

Last day of the long weekend - boo hoo back to work tomorrow. Ah well I suppose you got to pay the bills! These are Harry's triangles for his bunting. I am loving the cricket material aptly named "Howzat". The repetition of cutting them out was very relaxing - even on an absolutely freezing night. Didn't have any room to grow button squash so I made this garden this afternoon. Its green squash in there as Dave thinks the yellow tastes yuck. I dont know that my palate is quite that discerning.

Here is my basil planted in olive oil tins. They are up the back where they can get the sun they need. I have tried to plant more herbs this year.

I planted cherry tomatoes, radishes, beetroot, more carrots and two types of capsicum - sweet and a purple variety for something different.

We had a pretty wild storm the other day and it battered my peas about. There are still plenty to be picked though and they are delicious.

My celery is just about ready to be picked. I didnt tie them up as I just dont think it makes that much difference. I know some people do to get that supermarket look, I just don't see the point.

I love my rainboe chard. I never get sick of looking at it and it is a vegetable that just gives and gives, like the humble zucchini will do in a couple of months. See my weeds? Bloody clover. Thats what rain and sun and rain and sun give you - great plants and great weeds!

Busy Busy Busy

2011-10-01T07:22:00.003+10:00

Woo hoo! Three days off! I love the October labour day holiday! Always a Monday. Thank goodness I dont work in hospitality or I would have to work.

Got a few things planned for this weekend. Pull the last of the cauliflowers out and blanch them as well as blanching a bunch of silverbeet, plant more carrots, pick-blanch-freeze some peas and make some cheese.

I also have the material to make Harry's Christmas present and will look for a pattern for Megan's birthday present. On top of this we have to keep the house looking fairly nice as we will have a valuation Tues/Wednesday next week - oh joy!

Megan's shower was really good and I am sure the table was bowing under the weight of all her gifts, even though she told everyone not to bother. I have to say that she loved Evan's bunting and I will get her to send me a pic of it to put here. Mums quilt is gorgeous and I will get a photo of that too. And here they are!!!!! Looks like my washing is ready to hang - hopefully it will dry before the black clouds get here!

Tychus

2011-09-20T17:23:00.006+10:00

This is my sister's partners birthday present. I forgot to give it to him when I saw him over 6 weeks ago - yes I am that slack. I have made one before for Dave, the pattern is easy, quick and looks good. It's from the online knitting mag Knitty, www.knitty.com

Happy to say that he should have it this week, if I remember to pack it! (I did and he did!)

We got worms!

2011-09-18T10:32:00.007+10:00

Not the nasty ones! We finally got our composting worms happening now that the frosts are gone (crossing fingers). We don't have a worm blanket so we are using dampened newspapers. Bit exciting.We had to move it a little further back so that the sun is fully off it by 10 am. Thats at the moment, so I will keep an eye on it as summer comes on, dont want fried worms. This iris is in the fairy garden, it is so beautiful. Happily the weeds you can see in the photo are now gone!

Primulas - Dave's favourite
Strawberries are flowerring - go go go!

Cheese & Bacon Puffs

2011-09-13T19:57:00.007+10:00

Firstly let me point out that these delicious treats are in no way healthy, however the portion size is small, so working on the 'a little bit of what you like won't hurt you' theory these are okay for treats. Also they are super easy and quick to make. If you like cheese and bacon rolls you will like these as they taste just like the top yummy bit! Mum gave me the recipe and she was given it by Aunty Wilma so its origins are unknown but I imagine its a pretty generic recipe.

Cheese & Bacon Puffs
1/2 cup milk
1 lightly beaten egg
2 cups grated cheese
1 cup diced bacon
1/2 finely diced onion
1 cup SR flour

1 teaspoon mustard

Combine egg, milk in large bowl & mix well. Add cheese, bacon, onion, flour & mustard & mix well. Drop rounded teaspoons of mixture onto baking tray. Cook in hot oven 200 deg for 15 mins or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Yum!

Weeding

2011-09-11T17:24:00.003+10:00

When you don't think you have anymore jobs to do - there is always weeding! i spent about three hours today doing just that. All the vegie gardens are done and part of the fairy garden, if i can spend an hour in there after work this week I will be good for at least oh....three or four days!

Remember how I took over the strawberries? Well i'm not bragging or anything (not much anyhow) but not only do they look fabulously healthy but they also have fruit on them! I wonder how long it will take Dave to notice...??

I also planted a small pot of petunias today, I know have a few spotsof colour in the backyard, its manageable and easy to replace and the potz don't need weeding - perfect!

Check!

2011-09-10T15:35:00.003+10:00

Another project checked off my list! Ages and ages ago I started this for Wesley as he really likes this video game and it is really hard to make things for a teenage boy that he will actually like! I just have to frame it.

Both my cucumbers and zucchinis are up, with frosts predicted for this week I will have to remember to cover them before I go to bed.

Here is the dwarf peach tree. I love how it looks and I am hoping we will avoid leaf curl this year.

Might go find some other project to do.... or finally finish!

Bannerama

2011-09-10T13:59:00.003+10:00

Today is sooo cold! It feels even colder after a couple of weeks of absolutely gorgeous days. Hopefully this is Winter's last hurrah.

So after reading about half a dozen online tutorials on how to make a banner I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. My triangles are 8 inches wide and 10 inches long.

This one is about 3 metres long and is going to hang in Amelia's room as soon as I can find the drawing pins to hang it up hence why it is laying on the carpet at the moment. I LOVE this pig print that I got in Toowoomba! The rest of the materials are leftovers from other projects like skirts, bags and purses, it makes it pretty cheap and the bias binding was only $3.30, it makes it a cheap yet really nice gift.

Happenings

2011-09-07T19:47:00.003+10:00

Yesterday was Wesley's 14th birthday - yep 14! I told him I am too young to have a fourteen year old but he assured me I was wrong - gee thanks Wes! Its really hard to get pictures of Wes as he is camera shy. He had a great day and got gifts that he loves.

The other news is Amelia passed her grading and is now the proud wearer of a yellow belt!
Couldn't resist a few bargains in Target today, got Wes 2 t-shirts for $2.70 each, a 2 pack of baby jumpsuits for $3.88 and 2 toiletry packs for $2.48 each of which one will be Amelia's teachers Xmas gift.

Speaking of teachers, here in NSW we are having a teachers strike tomorrow. Wesley's high school is closed and only about a third of the teachers at Amelia's are working, unfortunately one of them isn't Amelia's. Its a massive inconvenience and makes it VERY hard to feel sympathy for the teachers.

Harvest

2011-09-04T18:51:00.005+10:00

Guess what I picked and pickled today???? Not hard to guess beetroot is it? Ha! Ha!
I got these jars out of it and I used a different pickling mix than I did last time, this one has cinnamon in it and all spice - I left out the cloves as I'm not that keen on them. This is a bit sweeter than the usual.

I also harvested all the broccoli and some of the cauliflower. I blanched the lot and now can't buy any more freezer stuff unless I turn on the big freezer and I don't want to do that as we haven't had the seals redone on it yet and the frosting up drives me nuts! We also picked some carrots both orange and purple, though I couldn't use some of the purple ones as they were affected in the same way as the parsnips. I only have a few more things to pull from that garden and once they are out I will give it a good build up and deal with the too much nitrogen issue.

We also picked peas, spinach and celery! It was pretty fun. Wes helped me do some weeding and Amelia planted her sunflowers. I could have had a sleep in that warm afternoon sun. It was a struggle not to just lay down and snooze!

Ashford

2011-09-04T16:27:00.009+10:00

Yesterday we headed off to Ashford for a picnic with Mum, Dad, Uncle Ronnie and Megan. We went out to MacIntyre falls again, though this time somewhere must of had some rain as the water was really muddy.

The wattle was out everywhere and it was looking really lovely.

We stopped at Lemon Tree Flat on the way home and the kangaroos were having afternoon tea!

A couple of them had joeys in their pouches. I was hoping that one would poke its head out but it was not to be.

I took these pictures of Mum and Dad's garden while we were waiting for them to get back. They turned the wrong way at a T junction and after a while when they hadnt seen our dust they went all the way back to see if we'd had any trouble. Lucky for us (unlucky for them) we had turned the right way. The turned up about 45 mins after us. For the record apparently Dad was going to turn the correct way and got shouted down! :)

Us relaxing on the verandah. It was a lovely day had by all!

My first Pea

2011-09-04T16:13:00.005+10:00

Here is my first picked pea. I picked it on Friday afternoon. Isn't it glorious?

I have picked some more today, so the pea is not so lonely anymore. Wesley tasted garden peas for the first time today and now loves them! So I had alot more then what I have now - I know better to put myself between a growing teenager and food!
It makes you wonder how many other foods on the "yuck" list would make it to the "yes please more" list if they tried the home grown type.

Rooty Parsnips

2011-08-30T11:01:00.003+10:00

Here are my "rooty" parsnips. I was talking to my Mum about these at lunch yesterday and she told me it was due to too much nitrogen in the soil. So that is something I am really going to have to address.

Arent they gross though? Sneaky too, looking all good on top!!!!

August Gardening

2011-08-27T15:40:00.012+10:00

Today (as I have said) we are having our first real rain of the month, twenty seven days into it! There have been some great successes and some failures.
On the failure side - or rather "learning experience" side we have the parsnips. The looked great, leafy with good looking tops, then I pulled a couple. They grew for about an inch then went all "rooty" for lack of a better description. I have left the others in there for another couple of weeks in the hopes of a miraculous recovery - i'm not hopefull.

Also the dwarf peas have failed to fill their pods. I am thinking that next year I will plant them in a different spot as the place they are in is very shaded. Its a learning curve. UPDATE! Today I found a few pods with peas. How long does it take for the pod to fill with peas?Happily there are lots of good stuff, onions and garlic are looking good, carrots, spinach and beetroots are giving a steady stream of yummies and the broccoli is ready to be picked. Still waiting on the purple carrots, rainbow beetroot and celery they should be good by mid September and the first cauliflower has been picked.

Time to start thinking Spring plantings. I am thinking of going for cherry tomatoes, grape and black russians. Potatoes ... maybe Desiree and Kipfler, last year the Atlantics didnt do too well at all. Going to have green and yellow zucchinis and planting the apple cucumbers again.Spring is full of possibilities, maybe even chooks if I keep working on Dave!

Spring!

2011-08-27T15:33:00.008+10:00

After the past three days of absolute gorgeous weather today it is raining which lets me do whatever I like guilt free as I can weed in torrential downpours or do the washing - how marvellous! I have been doing a bit of mending and pottering about and its great. This week I finished my sister's toiletries bag, which has been ready to post for four days and I am definately going to do that Monday. Amelia also had book week parade on Friday where they had to come from another country, she went French! So that entailed me making a beret and hemming up a kercheif for that classic French look. It came together really well and she thought she looked pretty good tooo!And here is a bit of my applique-ing! I will end up with 25 20inch blocks for our bed. The applique bits are all things to do with our family, the kids initials, a book, a snowflake when we went to the snow, ditto for Tasmaina, a coffee pot etc. I want the quilt to be uniquely ours. I still have a couple of materials to pick out and about 8 appliques. I am loving it.

Shopping

2011-08-23T20:52:00.002+10:00

Last weekend Dave and I plus another couple went to Toowoomba for my birthday weekend. My parents watched the kids and we left after work. Had a lush dinner at Warwick and got there at about 10.30 pm. Saturday was a great day and I was NOT very frugal at all but I have tried very hard to justify all of my purchases!!!!

I bought a pair of Summer shoes, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a few metres of material for my quilt (yes applique pics are coming but I have a son who keeps using my camera batteries in his XBox controllers!) and this is the exxy one - a $70 shirt. Its a really really nice shirt and I love it. However I know I didnt NEED it but I wanted it bad! I will definately wear it to death come Spring. It was not a frugal purchase but I love it.

Toowoomba is a really nice city and I am thinking of going back with the kids as I think its only a couple of hours to BrisVegas from there and you can catch the train in there too.

Back to Blogging

2011-08-13T16:59:00.002+10:00

After a small hiatus from blogging I am back to it! I am currently obsessed about applique and will have to show you some of the squares i have done form my king size quilt. Loving it bad!

Being winter the garden is slow but steady. My lettuce is growing well and my broccoli is close to picking. Still picking silverbeet, carrots and beetroot. My wheelbarrow pansies are flowering as is the camellia out the front - gorgeous hot pink flowers.

The last couple of weeks have flown and I have been busy though not feeling like I am getting anywhere! Running on the spot so to speak. I have had a birthday so will have to update the bit about me on the side. 37.

I got some great presents and loved everything I got. I will post pics tomorrow after I get home from seeing my mum on HER birthday. We are making a lush morning tea to take.

Until tomorrow-have fun!

Landcare

2011-08-13T16:46:00.003+10:00

Today we went to a workshop called Starting in your own Backyard that was run by our local Landcare www.gwymaclandcare.com.au . It was really interesting, hosted at a local reserve we went for a weed walk, talked about sustainability and native habitats. the guy from Primary Industries was a walking weed encyclopeadia and being able to actually see the weeds in real life is much better than a book!

i have been wanting to put native plants in my frontyard and now will do that sooner rather than later as one lady talked about how pockets of native vegetation make "stepping stones" for fauna to get to established habitats. Which makes sense but was something I had never thought about. When finishing the day they gave us all a small bag of compost and a wattle tree - isn't that great?

I also met one of the people who are trying to get a community garden off the ground. I gave my email address so i could be kept up to date on where they are at with it.

Spring is coming!

2011-07-24T14:22:00.002+10:00

Surely. We have had two gorgeous days in a row, which has prompted me to do something that is probably going to end in tears. I planted capsicum, chilli and tomato seeds. I have them in a plastic greenhouse during the day and am moving them indoors at night. How hot is too hot in a greenhouse? I am not sure, anyone know? I only planted a few, just to see - but I am hoping really hard. I also went and got some shallots and lettuce. At coffee this morning we discussed seeds with the Eden seed catalogue between us, we are running out of space. We are now going to plant cucumbers in the front yard to climb the side fence and Mum suggested we plant the lettuce between the roses and that will work well as the front yard near the roses is substantially cooler than everywhere else in summer and may stop them running to seed.

Then I found this. Isn't is gorgeous? This is the flower of my Helleborus, which was the first plant I planted in the fairy garden. It is certainly worth the wait.

Save Power Kit Results

2011-07-24T14:05:00.002+10:00

The results were actually pretty good overall. The fridge/freezer was more energy efficient then the specs said, though this is winter so it would be interesting to see the results when its working a lot harder through summer. Both the fridge and freezer temperatures were set at the optimum for efficiency.

The biggest user was the tv system in the lounge. We have a tv, dvd and austar hooked up. We think it was the Austar box that was the big sucker, we had been turning the whole unit off every night and then only putting it on the next evening but then the Austar people told us they update at night so its best to leave it on. Well not anymore, over a quarter the cost to run it on standby and to actually use it came to more than $60. Thats more than 10% of our last bill. Wow! So we are now turning the whole thing off every night.

Surprisingly Wesley's tv/Xbox system didnt use much at all, the microwave is now being turned off when not in use after we read that over a year the digital clock can use more energy than the actual microwaving.

Draft wise it wasn't too bad but we definately need heavier curtains in our bedroom as the infared thermometre dropped quite a lot when it hit our curtains, which isn't good when your having -7 nights!

We will get the kit out again in summer and check everything again. With the recent 17% increase in electricity rates we are hoping that the combination of being more pedantic with turning everything off and our solar hot water, we will see a decrease in our power bill. Hopefully.

Holiday NSW

2011-07-21T20:57:00.006+10:00

This may seem like a big travel ad but what the hey! The first day we had a short hop to Gunnedah where we stayed with my sister. She had made cheesecake slice - there was none left after we had gone!

We headed off to Coonabarabran. Went to Siding Springs observatory which has a exhibit and a view platform of the telescope, its massive. That night we went to Tenby Observatory which was excellent, we got to see Saturn, rings and four of its moons. We also got to see a heap of other starry things and while freezing I would recommed anyone to go.

We went to Forbes next, it is a real country town. I think its how they have retained the old stile buildings that really gives it a great feel. We stayed at a great cabin which was overlooking a weir on the Lachlan river. On the way there we stopped at the Parkes radiotelescope, which is where the movie The Dish was set and was about. It was really good and totally free!

Forbes

Lachlan River

The Dish at Parkes

The Fam at The Dish

The next night we stopped at Yass and there was lovely scenery on the way. It was a pretty cold and windy day so we didnt end up visiting the Cowra Japanese Gardens as we had hoped.

On the way to Yass

Then it was onto the snow! One word - AWESOME!

On the Tubes

Sledding slopes

Snow angel

Wes and Ewan making a snowman

The Chairlift we rode up on

We stayed for three nights and then headed to Bowral and the International Cricket Hall of Fame which, for Dave and I, was really good. For the kids, even if they are into cricket, they have heaps of interactive touch screens, games and things to try.

We did stop at Cooma on the way to Bowral at the SnowyHydro discovery centre. This is also free and we spent about 2 hours there, it is informative and tells the story of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme which was a huge engineering success.

Then is was two stops til home. One at Newcastle to visit a friend and the other at Macksville to visit Dave's parents.

It was so hard to come home, though my dodgy mattress feels gorgeous after a heap of strange ones. Sadly back to work on Monday.

2834 Kilometres

2011-07-20T21:20:00.001+10:00

Hi, We are back after a really fabulous holiday. I have some great photos and a whole spiel on some great places to go in New South Wales. Will post tomorrow!

State of Origin

2011-07-06T22:09:00.001+10:00

Ahhhhh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. There's always next year.

State of Origin

2011-07-06T19:47:00.002+10:00

Tonight is the third game of the State of Origin, it's the decider! I have to say that in recent times I haven't been that fussed about State of Origin, but this year it's very exciting! I hope the Blues win.

Go the Blues!

Toys

2011-07-03T21:35:00.004+10:00

You know when you find something out that you know you should of known but it just never had hit home? Umm did that make any sense at all? probably not!

Anyway, Dave and I went browsing on Saturday and we had a look at a toy sale one of the big chain stores are having, heaps of toys everywhere not even just in the toy department. I must have picked up 20 - 30 different toys and everyone was made in China. Every single one...all different brands and types. How does one country have such a monopoly? We are trying to buy more locally and even though I knew lots of toys are made in china I did think I would be able to find ONE that wasn't. But alas no, Dave was surprised that I was surprised, there were a lot of "designed in ....." on the packs followed by "made in China".

That's a bit depressing, that unless you search and search you can't buy a locally made (and I'm talking anywhere in the country) toy for your child.

Amelia was getting in the swing of things saying on top of her voice "is this one china?" while holding a toy in the air. Ha! Kids are sponges!

BTW this post is about how the option to buy locally has been taken away from us through companies choosing to manufacture overseas for economic reasons, not a stab at China for being the place where they are manufactured. It's kind of like how more and more food is produced overseas and options for local buying are growing smaller. Somethings just can't be bought locally anymore.

Green Stuff

2011-07-02T16:03:00.008+10:00

Firstly for the garden green stuff ~ I found these bulbs near the fence, I have no idea what they are, I don't remember them from last year and I didn't plant them. So I have shifted them to a bit further up the back. I hope they continue to grow.

The garlic has sprung up and the four boxes all look like this. Like happy soldiers all straight and tall.

I just felt like planting something, so I filled this planter with some soil, a line of lime and planted some more dwarf peas. I just put the planter against the wire fence so the peas have somewhere to climb. Here is our cherry tree before pruning. I don't think it's every been pruned as the shape is a bit weird with the centre not very open. This is after we pruned it, we had to get it low enough to net and to pick the cherries. We tried our best.
Now on to other green stuff. We got our save power kit and it's a little bit exciting.
There is a power thingy that tells you how much power each appliance uses in kilowatts and $$$, it also tells you how much greenhouse gases your looking at too. There is a thermal thermometre, stopwatch, a compass and another thermometre to test that your fridge, freezer etc are at the correct tempretures. You get a worksheet too. Not too shabby. The "audit" will take a few days as things like the fridge need to be tested for 24hrs as they run in cycles, so you get a better idea over a full day.

I will report our findings here. I found out how much a kilowatt we actually get charged, 22.1c, I had no idea which is not particularly smart of me!

Spending

2011-06-29T23:25:00.003+10:00

Or rather not spending. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but I haven't spent any money for three days and neither has Dave! We have made bread and biscuits and put what we had on sandwiches rather than buying cold meat or caving and eating lunch out. Dave will have to spend tomorrow as he has a physio session. But that's medical and I don't count it! Go us!

Garden Plans

2011-06-26T16:28:00.009+10:00

What to do, what to do? I don't like my front yard, especially in winter, but generally all the time. I don't like the roses that grow along the front of the house. I don't like the May bushes, I don't like the "lawn" area, I don't like the front garden that runs along the council footpath.

Here is my dead plumbago that I had such high hopes for just a month or three ago. Another reason to dislike my front yard.

Side passage. I am thinking just planting a bunch of natives and making a stepping stone path through to the side gate?

A friend said for a about $120 I could get a bobcat in, it's sounding very attractive. The only things in the front I like are my two lavenders, two moruyas and my apple tree. Its a depressing barren waste land. Grrrrr......

Op Shop Finds & Saving Some Moola

2011-06-25T19:14:00.005+10:00

We went to a Vinnies garage sale this morning and we got us some loot! I love love love a bargain!! We got a Holly Hobbie butter dish, which says Good Company is a Special Treat - how cute! And a cut glass bud vase, a decanter, 2 sherry/port glasses, a pretty rose plate, a glittery box and a coffee plunger.

And we got 2 pairs of cuff links and a nappy stacker for Megan. All for the princely sum of $5.80!!! BARGAIN!!!

As for saving money, this week I have done something rather radical (for me) and given my debit and credit cards to David. I got my spending money and that is it. Its not as though as I was wasting money on rubbish but rather that I would see things on special (eg socks, undies, tea towels, groceries) and get them, thinking that I had better get them now rather then later at full price, whether we needed them or not. So I am card free - only cash for this girl.

We also have emptied our drawer freezer and turned it off. The seal isn't working properly so its always running. We can squash everyintg into our fridge freezer so thats what we've done until we get the seals re-done. I thought this would be a good idea after reading that after the hot water system, refrigeration is one of the biggest electrical users.

At the library today we put our names on the list to get there energy saver kit to borrow. It has a tester that allows you to check the efficiency of all you electrical appliances. I hope our turn comes soon.

Lastly here is a pic of the material I put over a bit of the garden, its frozen solid! Wes spotted it when we were hanging out the wash on Friday morning. I checked the outdoor thermometre and it was minus 1. You can see a bit of the frost in the background. Brrrrrr!

In the Kitchen

2011-06-25T19:01:00.005+10:00

This week in the kitchen it has been, as usual, delicious. The scones below were made by Dave, since he is the master scone maker around these parts. He has put in white choc bits. Yes they are as beautiful as they sound and look. I took one to work to have with my lunch and just warmed it up a little and the taste was extraordinary!

Today I made jam. Not that we are running out by a long shot but we had no "berry" jam left, only peach, plum, apricot and crabapple (aren't we hard done by?) I made 6 jars of each Raspberry and Mixed Berry, the house smells lovely.

Tomorrow I have a hazy plan of doing a batch of onion marmalade as I am all out of that one and I eat it on everything!

Sunday Gardening

2011-06-19T19:32:00.003+10:00

What a lovely day! It was sunny and the wind was not so bad! The back deck was a real suntrap this afternoon, which I took advantage of. I emptied all my boxes into the wheelbarrow (thanks Dad & Mum!) and added compost, a little blood & bone and a bit of leftover potting mix and mixed it all up and refilled them. I planted garlic in them, Dad gave me a heap yesterday and now they are in their happy home.

Since we got a new wheelbarrow, Dave drilled holes in our old one, I filled it with dirt and planted pansies, just to give the backyard some colour, as it is very much all business out there.

Sadly this is all that is left of the loquat tree. The fly infestation was incredible last year and the flowers had the WORST smell I have ever smelt. We reckon they smell like death. The fly is the main reason it had to go, we had to put the tomatoes in the front yard just to get some. So now we have to think on whats going to replace it. I'm thinking wither an orange tree or another raised bed. Thoughts?

Dwarf peas are coming along, I spent two hours doing all the weeding which was completely relaxing, some days weeding is not a chore.

Dave tried to make a foccacia for the first time - this is obviously the before.

And this is after! We had some with dinner which was a slow cooked beef rolled roast. Everything was yum!

A Wander Around

2011-06-18T20:53:00.003+10:00

Today we went to my Mum and Dad's place at Ashford. They have the inside and out looking so homey that you wouldn't think they had lived there only 6 months! The wind was very cold today but it was warm inside! This fuel stove is lovely and warm! Mum's ben making some fab cakes in it and it's so nice to stand in front of.

This is Dad and my "Field of Dreams", our wheat 'field'. It looks great! And healthy!Mum still can't work out how we are going to turn it into flour and truthfully I haven't either yet in any detailed way but I will! So if anyone has a home flour mill I could borrow or buy let me know.

Brassica's with a tin can windmill.

Looking down - you can compare in a previous post and see the difference.

This is the newest garden so has only a couple of things in it.

Mum's is the chief chook looker afterer

This is NOT their egg pecker chook!

Looking up the back

Makings

2011-06-18T20:39:00.003+10:00

I have managed to get a couple of things made. Which is nice as that side of things has beeen a bit of a struggle to fit in. I finally got Wes' curtains made. The rubberback is a nice thick one and was only $5 a metre. The girl serving us was very generous and we got nearly an extra metre! They have made a big difference and have made his room much warmer.

I made Amelia this skirt. Its a Burda pattern, which I have now found I dont like that much to work with but it is done now. I bought this pink cord a few weeks ago, last week I asked Amelia did she want me to make her a skirt to wear for her walkathon. She happily told me that she was wearing trackpants to be warm, which I was happy with - one less thing to do. Then Thursday morning comes and she tells me how tomorrow she is going to wear her new skirt......Um that would be the one I didn't make. So that was Thursday night taken care of and it turned out ok. The skirt yoke is done with a orange and pink paisley.

She did 13 laps at the walkathon.

Italiano!

2011-06-18T20:25:00.004+10:00

Italian night was a roaring success! We are thinking of having another themed night very soon. Maybe Greek or Indian. Everything was so delicious and everyone had fun cooking. Here are a couple of the dishes; This is Bron's penne e fungi con prociuetto. The sauce was gorgeous, made with Parmesan cheese melted and reduced in chicken stock. This is something I will definitely be making.

Dave's world's famous lasagna.

Raining!

2011-06-12T14:14:00.005+10:00

For once the weatherman is right, it's raining. We have had about 20mm or so since this time yesterday. I am loving it - keeps the below zero temps away! Here are our Cauli's and Broccoli's ~ they have been going really well and haven't yet been mauled by the caterpillars. I have been trying to get out there every couple of days and brush any eggs off them and squish any baby caterpillars I see.
This garden is a bit of a jumble, its got parsnips, carrots (I hope), purple carrots - which I read about in Grass Roots and just wanted to try, beetroot - both the regular and the coloured varieties, a few onions and a couple of pansies. A real mixed bag.

My celery are growing well and the dwarf peas have pods on them. I am going to use some of my silverbeet tomorrow morning to make this recipe from The Witches Kitchen. Looks yum.

The Italian night's menu is shaping up real nice! Bronwyn is doing Penne con Funghi e Procuisetti and a Berry Tiramisu, Jody is making Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni and a Tort di Mele, Dave is making a garlic pizza and a lasagna (claiming its his world famous lasagna) and I am making a Fettuccine Carbonara. Sounds fab doesn't it? Plus we bought some Italian wine. Its going to be such a fun night!

Hope everyone's having a good long weekend!

This Week

2011-06-08T19:49:00.005+10:00

This week has felt rushed. I don't think it actually has been but I have felt rushed, like every time you are doing something you feel like you should be doing something else. Does that make any sense??

Mum and Dad came over on Sunday, Mum cut out some squares for my quilt. And the lovely woman did a heap of ironing for me too. What a great Mum! Below is the pineapple upside down cake I made for morning tea - it was yum! I have had to use my dryer this week. Which I don't particularly like as I can just SEE the dollars flying out of it. I did a load of wash this morning and got home and they were still wet! I shouldn't have washed as it is freezing today.

This is Tuesday nights dinner - beef meat pie - and a quick Madeira cake for the lunchboxes. Last night I made the kids sausage rolls for lunch today and is there anything more disappointing then having something homemade come home? Amelia wasn't keen on them and only had a little bit. At least Wes came to my rescue and loved them!

I was having a whinge about there isn't much in town for my age group to do, so I organised for two couples to come over for dinner on Sunday. It's an Italian theme and everyone's bringing something so no one bears all the cost. I haven't decided what to cook other than Dave is making a garlic pizza to be eaten as garlic bread would. I think Jody is going to make Cannelloni!!!!

With the long weekend ahead I have GOT to set sometime aside for sewing and appliqueing and maybe some jam making. I need more time!!! LOL!!!! I end up planting primulas in the dark tonight. I hope they take ok. Now I am off to menu plan and write my grocery list - the joy never stops around here!

Mystery Solved!

2011-06-08T19:40:00.002+10:00

The plastic bag mystery was solved when MultipleMum from And Then There Were Four left a comment! Thanks! It was slowly killing me thinking about it. As for the plastic bag challenge - I have only had one bag come into the house and that made it in by me being unprepared. Actually maybe the count is 2 as Dave let the butcher put our meat in one. So yeah two. I have had to send Dave out to the car for our reusable bags and on one occasion we carried our groceries in our arms to the car! Thankfully it wasn't too many!

I have got the bags permanently in the car as well as carrying an enviro bag in my purse all the time. Its working.

Telstra - Changing your life!

2011-06-01T22:29:00.003+10:00

Tonight I got a call on my (non-telstra) mobile. Since I was baking a cake I let the call centre lady do her spiel. She asked me questions about my current phone, which was a present and is also prepaid so I only pay what I want, and then told me about this great offer she had for me - for only $36 a month I could have this great phone and all these 'free' calls!! So I asked how long is the plan for? Ahh 12 months I was told. So I said "say i spend $20 a month on calls, that would be $240 a year, but your plan will cost me over $400 for a phone to use just like I already have, wouldn't that cost me at least $160 a year more??? Poor girl had to agree. As she signed off she told me "Sorry we couldn't change your life tonight"

I think I will survive.

Plastic Bags

2011-06-01T22:19:00.002+10:00

I am a massive blog surfer! Those listed on the side are only a fraction of those I read, mostly daily. I love having a little peep in other peoples lives and hearing their messages of what they feel personally in touch with, what they love and what they do. Its great!

I recently read on one blog that the blogger was going to try and have no plastic bags come into her house (I have tried to find the exact post and failed though I will continue to search so I can give the right person the shout out) for a week. I am not a massive plastic bag takerer so I thought I would give it a go. I started today and had to say no to three plastic and one paper bag. I said no to paper as well as I didn't need it as I was reading my Grass Roots mag before I even left the news agency. One shop wanted to put a little deodorant in a grocery bag sized plastic bag! Crazy!

I have to say Yay to Target Country though as they will only give you a bag if you pay for it! Though quite frankly those bags rip if you look at them so you are better off with out them I think. I really will have to remember my reusable bags, so wish me luck!

I am still searching for that blog! Grrrrr!

Red Door!

2011-05-28T18:42:00.011+10:00

Our door is finally hung! This is Dave's baby, he has put one coat of primer on it and 3 coats of topcoat. He was really worried that the previous door could be quite easily punched or kicked in. Now this door is solid. You can actually feel the weight when you swing it open.

We have also replaced the handles. The last one had a knob style handle on it and it was completely annoying.

Here is our solar hot water system. We timed it today and it got full sun from 7.00am to 4.00pm (at least as we didnt check after that). So we are looking at at least 9 hours of full sun a day. Woohoo! It is electric boosted and we are now on off peak which we werent previously, David would have to physically switch our hot water on/off at the switchboard to save some money.

This is the hot water holderer and pump. It holds 400L, we decided on the big unit because it was only marginally different in price from the next one down which was about 300ish L and this was only about $60 more. Isn't it beautiful?? LOL???

Another Weekend

2011-05-22T20:05:00.002+10:00

I started working fulltime last Monday and it has made for a few changes, some I have done, some are works in progress.

I have started cooking the next nights dinner. So tonight I am cooking a beef and potato pie for Mondays dinner, I will just have to cook a few veg when I get home. It seems to be working well, I have been using the slow cooker alot and Wes has been helping out too which is great. Last week he made a couple of batches of biscuits for the school lunchboxes!

I am also slowly going through and organising everything so it will be easier to keep tidy. I have done Amelias cupboards and wardrobe, the linen cupboard, pantry, spare room cupboards, utensil drawer and the plastics cupboard. I am also - and I can not believe this - up to date with the ironing!!! Yay!!! I always feel like I am on top of the housework if the ironing is done, whether I am or not.

Our solar hot water system was installed on Friday. I went out and hugged it! Everytime I see our panels it makes me happy. It will be interesting to see what the next electric bill is, and how quickly the rebates come back.

Gramma-licious

2011-05-15T08:07:00.007+10:00

Doesn't it look good? Mum gave me half a Gramma on Thursday to make pie. This is the first time I have made it and I have to say it was yum. I have had gramma pie once before but so long ago I couldn't actually remember what it tasted like.

We had two friends over for dinner (Dave made pizzas again adding a pepperoni one this time and they were just as fantastic as before) and they knew what it was meant to taste like and loved it. Donald even took a piece for morning tea at work! The pastry was the Lazy Jane one Mum gave me years ago from I dont know where but the filling I got from Best Recipes. I would definately make this again.

Markets are on this morning, so we will be going down to grab our fruit and vegetables. I really do love spurning Coles and Woolies when I can, their fruit and Veg prices are mostly ridiculous.

Nice Stuff

2011-05-12T21:49:00.003+10:00

Lots of nice things today! My Aunty Wilma sent me a food processor!! It is great and I have already made a whole orange cake with it - so yum!

Here is the homemade part of Mum's mothers day present. She will need it with our current temperatures, which have been Brrrrrrr!

Wes and I picked our two pumpkins. These were the ONLY ones on the vines. Though I planted them in the wrong spot altogether and these two only grew cause the vine took its self into a more sunny position. I just realised the photo is blurry, obviously I wont be getting a phone call from National Geographic to do the cover shot anytime soon...

This is a great book. It arrived in the mail from my wonderful, gorgeous, fabulous sister Megan (did you like that description Meg?) and it is good. I am definately trying the oven dried tomatoes and the red onion marmalade. There is even a method for doing ccandied citrus rind which would be a different thing to try.

In other news it looks like my job may be going full-time. Which would be good moneywise though time wise perhaps not? I guess its just juggling stuff around to fit a new routine.

Paid all the bills and have stuck to the budget which shouldnt be hard since we have been only doing it for 1 day but sometimes you can start snicking in stuff straight away - i know.

Wayne Swan and Me

2011-05-10T20:08:00.003+10:00

Who would have thought we would have so much in common! We are both putting forth our budgets tonight. Of course I am pitching mine only to Dave but still... lol! Though I am hoping we will get back to surplus (other than our mortgage) before 2013.

Dave and I kind of go in cycles of spending, for a while we will be very aware of our money then we slide in to Mr & Mrs Spendy Pants. I think we are heading the spendy way again, so we are focussing on the budget again. Focussing on sticking to our menu plan. Focussing on saving.

I am also going to do a spend diary for the next fortnight. I am writing down every cash, eft and any bank transfer from thursday. I am hoping for a few no spend days in there too.

It so easy to spend. You see something and suddenly you can't imagine life without it. Or you see a little thing that only costs a few dollars so you get it and then you see another liitle thing that's only $4 or $5 and then your at the till forking over $20! I find this happens to me a lot when I go into Coles. I will buy stuff that I don't need plain and simple. I got to stop it!!!

BTW the federal budget doesn't really effect us in any immediate way though it may trickle our way in time.

That's my money jumble for tonight!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:23:00.008+10:00

Happy Mother's Day! Especially to my mum Joan - I will give you your gift on Thursday when I see you.
Dave and the kids got me a tonne of dirt for mothers day. I was pretty happy with it, we all had a turn behind the shovels.Wes weeded the garden bed out for me too.

Here it is filled and with pansies, cauliflowers and two different broccolis in it.

Amelia got me this from the school stalll. Its very cute.
Peach tree has a new home!

New home for strawberries

Fairy hole filled

New mat for back door - only $2 from Bunnings

The plastic moths from last year are back in action!

Looking back at the house

Dinner! Dave's pizzas were so good we got him to make them again!

Update on List

2011-05-07T16:29:00.004+10:00

As you can see the pickles are done, though it does seem runnier than usual for her recipes (A Year in the Bottle), I followed the recipe exact...well I will see how it goes once it is cool.

I have pruned the roses, though some might say decimated them. I think you are either a rose person or not and I am not. When we moved in here I though I could be but its just not happened. Don't get me wrong, I like them when they come in bunches but not so much the growing as a plant. Just not for me.

I transplanted the strawberries, sowed more carrot seed, planted the onions and cleaned out the linen cupboard. Dave and I pruned the crepe myrtle and tidied the deck up too. I even got some weeding done so my list is looking good for completion this weekend!

Dave made this for lunch, the right side is BBQ Hawiian Chicken and the left is Ham and Olive. They were divine and we have some left for dinner!

Weekend List

2011-05-06T14:28:00.005+10:00

I was so happy with being able to check off my Easter list, that I am giving it another go.

Clean out linen cupboard
Make choko pickles
Find gramma pie recipe
Move strawberry plants
Plant red onions
Sow more carrot seed
Prune roses
Tidy deck
Bag leaves for mulch
Fill fairy garden hole
Weed

I wont be making Brandied carrot jam as Dave couldn't resist have a nip - not that I am surprised mind. And I do have a few other things I would like to do such as plant our dwarf peach in the ground rather than the pot its in. But they are only if I get to them.

In other news looks like the federal government is going to slash the rebates on solar panels/solar hot water in the Budget. Apparently its working TOO well and TOO many people are taking up the solar effort. Isn't that ridiculous?? Shouldn't that be a GOOD thing? Arghh, its so upside down logic that it does my head in. The worry is that if a large enough number have solar then there wont be as many people buying electricity they electricity prices will go up even more. I say that the state government needs to buy back the utilities and start working for us again!

Discloths

2011-05-06T14:17:00.005+10:00

I have finished two discloths for my buddy in the discloth swap over at Rhonda's Down to Earth blog.
I did a basketweave pattern and...

one with a 'C' on it as my buddy's name is Claire! I hope she likes them. I will post these of on Monday as she is in Texas, not Texas Queensland but rather the one in America. Not too sure how long snail mail will take? Guessing about 10 days???

This is what I see as I sit on our back deck. It is lovely out there today and that is where I am taking myself to as soon as I am finished here! I think I will end have to make a cuppa to enjoy in the sun.

Solar and Savings!

2011-05-04T15:43:00.013+10:00

Winter is certainly coming! Brrrr! Monday night was one of those nights where until you go to bed or jump in the shower I could not get warm! This morning all I could see was fog outside. I love having four seasons!

We still haven't got a date for our solar hot water system to be installed, though they did say they would put us up the list 'cause we having being waiting on them to organise their finance. See we paid a 25% deposit and then have 2 years to pay the rest off interest free. We are actually hoping to pay it off with our tax return. I hope it's soon as our HWS is crappy, with us only getting about 200l of hot water from a 415l tank! We also got the electricity bill yesterday - $528, thats about average. Thankfully we get money taken out every fortnight for that so we only owe $53. It will be interesting to see how much of a difference the solar makes as they say hot water accounts for 40 - 60% of the electricity. I heard that the cost of electricity is going up something like 17% which would take my $528 bill to $618ish! ouch! Though I have heard of people - people we actually know - getting bills over $1000!!! I think I would resort to candles!!!

I have cleaned out Amelia's cupboard and cleaned out 3 garbage bags of clothes! Some went to be passed on to a friend and the other to vinnies and a few school things to the clothing pool. Thankfully Amelia is tall and that alone save me $80 yesterday! The school is phasing out the winter uniforms with one pleat in the back which usually sell for $30, they are going with the 2 pleat in the back design from now on (though most kids will be wearing the older ones for years) they sell for $60. Luckily they were selling the old size 10's for $20 each and while they are the tinest bit big they fit her lengthwise perfectly. I grabbed two and saved $80, and a friend gave me some pants and blouses for her that their daughter had outgrown so that is money saved too!

Muesli Bars

Maiden voyage of my love heart cake tin

Organised sewing gear! Finally!

Happy Things

2011-04-30T16:17:00.003+10:00

Last night Mum rang me to say her and Dad were coming in to go garage saling and did I want to come - YEP! We had to have a little discussion about the Royal Wedding, we both agreed that her dress was really nice.

I watched the whole thing, from the arrival of the guests to the balconey kiss. How tragic am I? And I am not even a royal lover! The ceremony dragged on for a bit and I didnt love the headress of Princess Eugenie or Beatrice. On the bright side they were a great foil for everyone else! Ha!

Now on to all the good stuff. The first sale was the best by far. I got two dessert bowls, one cream and one blue, now I got these as I am going to slowly change over our crockery PLUS we have dessert in cereal bowls so we are always having way too much. I also got a heart shaped cake tin, they had quite a few others there but I restrained myself.

Amelia got a domino set for free! We have already had a half a dozen games or so.

I love this! I know it is meant for onion keeping but we are using it for our garlic cloves. It is sooo cute and is already doing its job on our kitchen bench.

I also got 3 lots of materials. The pink paisley is a flannel which I will make Amelia a winter nightie from, the red and white will be made into a winter dress as it is quite a thick cotton, I guess a drill cotton if you know what I mean, and the other material will be a dress for next summer. Now altogether the above stuff cost me $5!!!! Now that is goooood.

Other happy stuff is all my jars! I sorted them all and they are now just ready to go. Mum and Dad's next door neighbour sent in a back of chokos for me so guess what is on the to do list?

Here is my newly cleaned pantry. It is so beautiful and tidy! I am happy to say I only had one thing in there that was out of date and unuseable. I did find a bit of brandy, so if Dave can keep his paws off it I think I will make some Brandied Carrot jam.

Aunty Wilma sent me down a box of wool - which is fantastic as the nights are getting ccooler so we are primed for knitting season! Not that I dont knit ear round just that knitting in winter is extra special!
Last happy thing is my garlic. Doesn't it look great? You can just see the onions in the background. Garlic is an easy crop to grow, it is very nearly plant and forget.

So that it is all my happy things for today, except for one other, I got 4 gardening magazines for 50c at the Legacy shop. What a good day.

Long Weekend Roundup

2011-04-26T18:04:00.008+10:00

Here are some of my photo's from the weekend. I have heaps more but Blogger is REALLY slow tonight!
Wes on the shovel, getting all the weeds out from where the cucmbers and zucchinis were growing.

Wes posing on the shovel now!
Zucchini Pickles - bit orangey cause i grapped paprika instead of tumeric but only added a teaspoon but it changed the colour but not the taste!
Out they came - my long giving zucchini and cucumbers. I got 2 cucumbers of the vine the day I pulled it out - what a good vine!

Pear Chutney - gave my niece a jar and she was into it about 5 seconds later!

Here we are at McIntyre Falls, you can only see a little of Wes' blue shirt as he tried to scoot out of the photo and just Megs back and bum!

The rocks were just as gorgeous as the falls - maybe more so.

Dave's scones (rather what was left after we had a massive pig on them) he made these this morning for Megan on her way home.

Getting There

2011-04-24T20:07:00.003+10:00

Weekend list update number two!

The pear chutney is done and I have given two jars away already! It has a really nice flavour and I think it will go very nicely with pork. Thank you Debbie.

Wesley's stitchery has been started. Though I bought this tracing pen from the material shop and I think I might have made a mistake. It is meant to go through your tracing paper straight onto the material. I am not loving it for two reasons, firstly you have to go over the pattern quite a few times quite firmly for the pen to go through and secondly, it fades very very very quickly. I did the trace this morning went back tonight to start and 75% of it was gone! Plus the stupid thing cost me $9.90 so I feel like I HAVE to use it now.

We had a lovely day at the Ashford caves and McIntyre Falls. It was fun and relaxing. I took some pictures but have got to get the camera out of the car, so will do that in the morning. The Easter bunny was very good to all the kids (and Dave and I too). The kids were up at just past six to see what they got and then went for an egg hunt in the garden. Lovely.

Thinking off doing more stitching tomorrow and I might go feed the ducks! Though I will watch the Anzac march first. Have a great Easter Monday.

List Update

2011-04-23T06:53:00.003+10:00

So I have made the zucchini pickles, planted the garlic, pulled out the cucumber vine and zucchini plants and have made a start weeding the veg garden. Today I am hoping to make the pear chutney, finish weeding and start Wesley's stitchery. I have also got do the usual stuff like grocery shopping, washing and cleaning.

We went out to Mum and Dad's yesterday for Good Friday. It was a really nice day, we did take a load of pavers out there too. Ashford is such a nice quiet town, it just feels relaxing,

I have other little projects that I want to start - have you noticed the more you looking around blogs and I guess the Internet in general, the longer your 'must do' list gets? It's crazy! I have sewing and craft that I want to do but firstly I MUST focus on the garden so everything is good to go. Our first frost usually comes around ANZAC day so I have got to be ready soon..

Righto I am off to do some ironing - how exciting is my life? LOL!

Slack or What?

2011-04-20T19:24:00.005+10:00

I have been completely neglecting my blog and this is a bad thing! I have been working full time and that is my excuse! I don't have enough hours in the day to do everything I want.

However, I have five whole days off work coming up and I am so going to utilise by playing catchup! My Easter weekend list is thus;

Make Debbie's Pear Chutney

Make another load of zucchini pickles

Pull out my zucchini and cucumber plant - they are officially done.

Weed the vegie garden

Plant the garlic - finally!

Start Wes' stichery

Make a dishcloth for Down to Earth dishcloth swap.

Sort out Amelia's wardrobe

I think that's it for now. I also need to re-do my budget and pull myself in a little as I have been a bit spendy lately.

Have a great Easter long weekend!

Patterns

2011-04-10T14:57:00.003+10:00

How are these for retro?

Pillowcase Dress

2011-04-10T14:26:00.008+10:00

As I mentioned we had a recent trip to Bellingen. In one of the shops was a simple dress made in vintage material (I think it was a sheet) and it had a doily sewn on to the front, which I have seen in about half dozen spots on the web attached to different items of clothing. This dress was about a size 4 and was selling for $57.

I wanted to have a go and the results turned out pretty well and it cost a lot less. Firstly this dress is in a size 8, I bought two pillowcases ($1 each), a doily (50c), extra material for the bottom as the pillowcases werent long enough (20c) and two buttons ($1.25 for both). So for a grand total of $3.95 I made the dress. I haven't counted the pattern I bought for $5 as I will use this heaps but even adding $1 for the pattern (based on using it a minimum of 5 times) the dress still came to $4.95. Time was not very much as it really is an easy pattern and would have been even easier if I hadnt made my own binding for the armholes.

Amelia first asked me 'you want me to wear a pillowcase?" But now she loves it and wants to wear it to Bronwyn's tomorrow. Since she is a showpony she happily posed for the pics.

On gardening news this has brightened up the fairy garden - isnt it gorgeous?

I also had to remember (thanks Google!) how to make a chatterbox, apparently I look like a monkey! (Tip: Don't pick number six).

Lastly here is the new bits of decking done, so though it isn't very handsome, it IS structurely sound with no chance of falling through!