Catching Up

The last two weeks have felt really busy, though to say I had no time to blog would be a big lie. But finding where to start was a lot harder, so I didn't write but I read a lot of other blogs!

Have now been in the new work space for two weeks and I am still trying to decide if I like it or not. It has a lot of pluses going for it but of course there is a couple of negatives that I am going to have to learn to live with. I am really hoping it will grow on me cause I love my job!

I have made up some adult bunting for the back deck and bought a garden seat for the back garden. Ripped out alot of plants that have finished and started getting ready for the winter plantings.

My front porch is still coming along and the end is almost in sight! It is even better than I had hoped. We have organised for the house to be painted and now are trying to pick out colours. I had a specific colour scheme in mind, then I thought - If I had to sell the house tomorrow what colours would be ok?- so we are still thinking.

Buying nothing new in Feb went really well and we saved a good chunk - even in just four weeks! I didnt buy anything after we took the kids to the town show and think I did ok for the month. Mum and Megan just never got into the swing of it.

Tomorrow I am going to put up the before and nearly after pics of my porch!

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?

Saturday Sewing

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

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

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!

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!

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?