Obsessed

Yeah it is confirmed that I am addicted to the cushions as you can see here;

and here.

I picked up some retro material at a garage sale for the back of this one for $1.50, there was about a metre and a half in the piece. Do you love it or hate it?

The part I really love is the cutting out and sewing together. I think I maybe ready to do my quilt, my king size bed quilt. I have the material but have got to find the pattern that is just right. I want it to be browns, greens and aquas. Choc Minty!
Took the kids to see Brave today. I am not surprised so many people just wait till the DVD is out now, going to the movies is a financial commitment! Luckily my two kids have Movie Membership so they were $8 a pop but my ticket was $14.50 to see a kids movie! Then a small combo, sml popcorn and can of drink was $7.50 each - Total to see movie (an hour and 20 mins long) was about $46. Kids thought it was good but I think charging an adult to see a kids movie,when they are clearly chaperoning is wrong! Rant over.

I am off to make soap!

The Good and Bad

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?

Cracked

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.

Shopping

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.

Cheap Milk

I bought my last bottle of $1 = 1L of milk at Coles or from Woolies. I am going back to my normal buying habits. Why? Well cause this type of pricing is only going to result in either two things as far as I can see;

1. Dairy farmers will get less money than the pitiful amount they already do and
2. the stores will put prices up to ccompensate.

Actually I take that back both things will probably happen. Isn't capitalism fantastic?

In other news I have just finished recess baking for this week, we are having brownies and muesli bars. I have GOT to make banana bread tonight as the 'nanas that are left are overripe and now perfect for it.

Valentines day, hmmm. Dave has assured me that he hasn't bought me anything even a card going with our trying not to be spendy pants'. I did crack and get him a little box of Rose chocs (his all time favourites) for $3.88 and I wrote a lovely card which I printed off the internet, thank you WWW.

It's bad but I hope he did get me a card LOL! Can't please me!

Spendy Thursday

So I remembered that other item, USB key for Wes for school. He announced it was "urgent" this morning.... hmm how urgent? I asked, but alas it is needed for Friday. So away to Big W after work. It cost $10.93 for a 2G, I rang Dave to see if I was being ripped off but he reckons that is about right, I also got Amelia her scissors ($1.88), Wes a spare book ($1.42) and Daves valentines present ($3.98). I then went to Coles and got 3L of milk for $3. So I spent - $20.21. Not too bad.

However Dave had to use our CC to pay for some thing at work $18, and they reimbursed him in cash, now what did we do with that? Oh we got a cup of coffee and a crepe each - $15, maybe not a great choice and now I have to add an extra $15 to the CC payment. Stoopid!

Tomorrow I am aiming for another no spend day.