We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow

I'll have real food, thanks!

2012-01-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

The television is on in the background; I'm half-listening to a program about lap-banding for adolescents. In not too many years (I did say I was half listening) 80% of Australian adults and 1/3 of children will be overweight or obese. Hang on, we've almost all been eating 'diet' products and processed foods for decades.

Thanks for nothing, Big Food. From now on, I'll have real food.

From Inside and Out

Clever Ideas Using Squares of Fabric

2011-09-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to a baby shower on Saturday. I have some hemmed squares of flannelette fabric that I made a while back and stashed for new baby gifts. For this particular little guy, I've also bought a gift- handmade baby picture blocks from a clever seller on Made It. The flannelette will make a great gift wrap that can also be used as a burp cloth afterwards.

Here is a simple fabric wrapping tutorial, found on You Tube, that I will be using for the blocks:

Here's another:

And while I was searching, I found a great cross-body bag made from a large fabric square:

Not the Year of the Blog

2011-07-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

2011 has not exactly been the Year of the Blog for me. The days are passing into weeks, weeks blurring into months and half a year is gone and it's hard to fathom exactly where it went.

I've been living up to the "Knit" part of WKSB& G, though. The knitting bug has had hold for months now. If I need it, I knit it. A mobile phone cover; scarf; socks; headbands; a tea cosy; a purplish bag; a warm cardi; dishcloths. I finished this one this evening:

From Work in Progress

You can't see it very well but its a simple raised dash design. I've knit this one before and it makes a lovely soft, hard-wearing dishcloth. The yarn is Panda Cotton Blend 8ply. I always check the bargain bins at Spotlight for odd cottons for dishcloths. One skein is enough for about one and a half dishcloths.

As soon as I'd woven in the ends on that one, I cast on another. This one has the Star Trek insignia- because every kitchen needs a bit of sci-fi, you know! Ravelry.com has lots of free patterns, meaning my kitchen sink will never lack variety!

Sewing has had to give way for a while to my yarn obsession. Apart from emergency mending, the machine has been having a long holiday. The baking side of things is pretty slow too. That's probably not totally bad as I'm trying to cut down on white flour. Of course there have been soups and yummy warm dishes from the crockpot. Winter has to have some highlights!

My garden is sadly neglected. Truth be told, I'm not feeling very motivated when 80% of what I plant is decimated by birds, mice and insects. Even carrot tops are disappearing. Some cauliflowers are bravely battling on and have heads almost ready to harvest. They're my first ever caulis so its not all doom and gloom. Perhaps when its not so cold I'll find some incentive to get out there again and give it another go. What I wouldn't do for a really big rodent-proof greenhouse and somewhere to put it!

Mostly my days are spent doing what homeschooling SAHMs do all day. That's my 'other' growing project. Now that it's term break, you would think we'd get a bit of downtime but no, the first week was totally booked out with social engagements. We had lunch out or had people over every day. It was enjoyable- some of these are new friends that we're loving getting to know- but a little overwhelming too. Mostly for me. Even my less-social homebody child is getting to the age where he wants to be hanging out with friends a lot more. This week I'm insisting on some home-time to catch up on chores and prepare for the next term.

I'd love to hear from our (very patient) readers as to what you've been knitting, sewing, baking or growing.

Not Another Kitchen Gadget!

2011-03-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

What is it about kitchen gadgets and gizmos? There's always just one more that I 'need' in my culinary toolkit. As many times as I've said 'no more' I've eventually broken down and made that extra purchase. And I use all of them, truly I do. Okay, perhaps I do use some more than others. Some have been used once or twice, with full intentions of incorporating them into my regular repertoire.

As someone who is generally cautious of consumerism and the way clever marketers create needs we never knew we had, I think it might be time to drag this gadget thing out into the light.

Drawing from my long experience with crafting, which predates my time in the kitchen by a decade or so, having the right tool for the job makes a huge difference. Sure, you can make do in a pinch with the wrong type of needle but its usually more awkward, takes longer and often gives a lower quality finish to the work. I could cut patches for a quilt the old fashioned way with scissors but having experienced the ease and accuracy of a rotary cutter, why would I choose to? Sometimes not having the right tool can make me put off doing the task altogether.

In my kitchen, I've gradually built up a collection. The drawers are full, the cupboards are full. There's an overflow into the dining room. I really don't have room for more. Today I bought a manual meat mincer and an electric spice/coffee grinder from Aldi. Electrical appliances are the purchases I weigh carefully in my mind. So many of them are single use only. Rice cookers, ice cream makers, popcorn poppers, crepe and pie makers. The single use ones don't interest me at all. They take up a lot of room for one thing. My electrical appliances that I use all the time in cooking (I'm not counting the kettle and the toaster) are my banquet frypan, crockpot and breadmaker. The sandwich press is popular with hubby and kids and I occasionally use the electric steamer but not as much as I used to. The stick mixer is great for smoothies and purees and has a chopping attachment and I have a hand held cake mixer which I don't use often. Oh, and there's a coffee percolator. I broke the jug and need to op-shop for a replacement.

You would think that would be plenty but I can't make hummus without a food processor. The little chopperI have just doesn't break down the chickpeas. I'm hopeless with pastry and I think a food processor would be just the ticket. I periodically dream about a dehydrator but in reality, I don't think I would use it all that much so I'll continue resisting that one.

I admit, the meat mincer was an impulse buy. I went for the coffee/spice grinder (to grind the beans when I eventually replace the broken percolator jug!). The meat mincer was so...shiny, so.... kind of rustic looking. As if owning it would indicate that this kitchen belongs to a serious cook. Not an ideal reason, is it? But it will be such fun to make sausages! Perhaps we'll use it for homeschool home ec!

On my list of failures/dislikes/waste-of-space-and-money devices in the kitchen are the battery operated milk frother from Avon- it just doesn't work; the Tupperware 'olive spoon' with the prongs that broke off; dozens of cheap can openers until I found a mid-priced one that still works 3 years later and garlic press after garlic press that wastes half the clove.

On my recent favourites list are my thrifted cast iron frypans. L-O-V-E. They cook beautifully with a nice even heat. At the time I bought them I didn't know anything about seasoning them but it has happened naturally over time and they now clean very easily. My MIL and I share her large stockpot- it lives at my place most of the time. I use that for making stock and some soups. A set of stacking glass mixing bowls with lids that I picked up two doors down at a garage sale is coming in very handy for food prep and storage. Eventually I'd like to replace all of my plastic storage with glass and stainless steel. Isn't that interesting? The first few favourites I thought of cost next to nothing! I have a favourite knife too. Its just a cheapy and not as super sharp as some but its a well-known tool that is comfortable in my hand.

Do you have a lot of kitchen gadgets? What further purchases are you contemplating? What are the basics you would hate to have to do without?

(Its late, I don't have a pic relevant to this post so I'll show you what we're picking from the garden currently. I will use some of my kitchen gadgets to peel, chop, process, cook, serve and eat them.)

It Goes Way Back

2011-01-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, I admit it. I'm a little odd among my contemporaries. I was reminded of it today when I hosted my monthly Craft & Cuppa afternoon. I began waxing lyrical about the virtues of crocheted facial wipes. The idea came from a link on Ravelry. So quick and simple, I'm planning to whip up a bunch once I finish the dishcloth I'm working on. The particular friend I was raving on to is way too nice and polite to show it, but I could tell she wasn't as excited as I was!

Later in the day, I recalled to myself that a long time ago, when I was a child, I had a 'thing' for self-sufficiency. Strange that I've never realised it until now. For instance, even in Australia, girls of my generation were familiar with The Little House on the Prairie. An interest in the television show led me to the books. About the only aspect that I can distinctly remember was that of the family's domestic arrangements. Ma had a day for washing, for ironing, for food preparation and so on. I wanted to have days for things too!

In late primary school, our teacher read us My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. A boy runs away to the mountains, lives in a tree, finds his own food, makes his own clothes and tools and lives independently. I loved that book and recently bought a copy for my boys to read. For a while, I spent time imagining my own home in the 'woods'; it was a timber house with lots of ingenious (and highly impractical) devices to imitate the mod-cons but in nature-friendly adaptations.

For a few years, decades even, between then and now, life took several twists and turns and apart from enjoying sewing and craft and trying to grow a few vegetables in each place we lived in, I didn't give a lot of thought to self-sufficiency or frugality. Its nice to be coming back to it now.

Today I served my Craft group a really yummy rhubarb crumb cake made with homegrown rhubarb. I'd post a link but I can't remember where the recipe came from. As I mentioned, I've been on Ravelry a lot lately and am currently on a dishcloth-knitting bender. So many patterns...so little time...
I really like the way this smocking stitch turned out:

From Made by Me

This is a simple one with a 'slub' effect:

From Work in Progress

In my queue are more dishcloths, a placemat to go under my crockpot that will stop the rubber feet leaving black marks on my benchtop, the make-up wipes, scrubbies, the intriguingly named 'tawashis' (cleansing puffs), and of course scarves, gloves, wraps, cardis, blankets....hmmm. I could be knitting for a while! I have a pretty good dishcloth stash now so I think its time to start gifting some. Perhaps my friends and family can be taught to share my passion for all things reusable and homemade! Oh, and I even found a crockpot group on Ravelry and yesterday made a very tasty granola, better known to us Aussies as toasted muesli. Yum yum!

It was quite a revelation that this type of life is something I've wanted from way, way back!

Dishwashing on the net

2010-12-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

How to wash dishes by hand. Yes, there are pages and pages of articles on the net about how to hand wash dishes! Then there are the machine v. hand wash debates and the soap v. detergents arguments.

I was wondering recently what people used in times past to clean dishes. I can't find a lot of reliable information on this. I'm not talking about our grandmothers or any time post-industrial revolution. In a brief Google search, it was suggested that people in the past didn't use bowls and plates but used hard bread or even pieces of wood which were then burned. Perhaps some did, but there is plenty of historical evidence that utensils, crockery, plate and cutlery have been around in various forms for millenia.

It seems that in a few comparatively short years we've lost an awful lot of practical wisdom. After all, when people's lives were taken up with mundane tasks, largely getting food to the table and all that involves, they would hardly have had time or reason to commit the minutiae of those daily tasks to writing. In affluent households, new serving girls would learn the required techniques and in poorer households, daughters would learn from an early age the intricacies of household management.

If any of our readers are aware of good, comprehensive literature from any period of history that deals with housework please let me know!

I know some of you use Castille soap to wash dishes. I haven't tried this myself yet. Do you find it effective on grease? I'm using a commercial eco-product at the moment but it leaves a greasy film even after rinsing. I wonder if the secret is really hot water? Mum taught me to put some water into a badly soiled frypan or saucepan and reheat it on the stove to loosen burnt-on grime. Pouring boiling water over really greasy dishes works too (after scraping off as much solid matter as possible). Of course these methods require extra energy use and extra water.

I remember seeing a movie (Remains of the Day perhaps?) where the scullery maids cleaned a huge wooden kitchen table by scalding it with boiling water and scrubbing it down with a brush. I've wanted a table like that ever since, as well as the kitchen to go with it. I also loved this kitchen at the Hotel Carnarvon, Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasmania.

From Holiday to Tasmania, September 2010

Pantry:

From Holiday to Tasmania, September 2010

Stove:

From Holiday to Tasmania, September 2010

Kitchen garden (with a view!)

From Holiday to Tasmania, September 2010

My mother-in-law shuddered when I said I would like a kitchen like that! She had a wood stove in her kitchen and a wringer for the laundry when her seven children were young and she looks back on those times as hard work. Ironically, even though she had a dishwasher and of course, washing machine in the later years of her family growing up, she now prefers to wash dishes by hand and I think she hand washes some of her clothing too.

(Sorry if this post seems to have meandered a little. I'm mostly musing out loud. I'm also getting a little distracted by the sticky 'o' key on this keyboard and the time lapse of several seconds between typing and the words appearing in the editor!)

December already!??!

2010-12-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

How on earth did that happen? Where has 2010 gone?

We've had further, dramatic lifestyle changes this year. Learnt a stack of new skills and compiled a wish list of skills & tasks we want to accomplish in 2011.

The top 10 of my list is-

Grow enough of any one food to preserve some. (I have Vacola goodies ready waiting for action)
Build a food stockpile of at least 14 days supply. (Just in case...)
Create a seed collection and actually remember to plant them out in time instead of resorting to boring run of the mill seedlings.
Overhaul the backyard to get rid of grass and plant at least 6 fruit trees.
Redesign front yard to include natives and native food plants.
Learn to sew! (It's been on my list forever but never accomplished!)
Sit still long enough to knit a lace shawl (Just because...)
Learn to make Feta cheese.
Exercise for 30 minutes a day 5 times a week.
Save $2000.

These are not resolutions... more like challenges for the coming year. Some I'll cross off earlier than others, more are added as I think of them and some are removed as sanity prevails and I realise that my Wonderwoman costume no longer fits! LOL

Have you thought about all you've achieved this year or do you spend too much time thinking about what you didnt get done? What's going on your challenge list for 2011? Am I the only freak figuring this out in December? (Actually... dont answer that last one!)

Can You Juggle?

2010-09-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not so good at it. I suppose if I was to practise I might get better. What about life's choices- how do you go juggling those? Even within the framework of the topics this blog discusses, there are so many choices.

Here's the 'objects' as I see them-
1. Health- choosing healthy food, personal care products and cleaning goods
2. Budget- I love a bargain and need to keep costs low in our single income family
3. Sustainability- no explanation needed here
4. Self-sufficiency
5. The local factor- food miles, supporting local business and agriculture
6. Time factor/convenience

There are more, like education/homeschooling; matters relating to my Faith; concerns of the extended family. These impact in round-about ways on the above. All the 'balls' that need to be kept up in the air.Read more »

Here's Something I Prepared Earlier

2010-07-13T18:13:00.001-07:00

A quick repurpose that I've been using for a while.

Two bath towels, worn and torn at one end:

From Recycle, Repurpose

I cut away the torn part and made two same-sized rectangles which I then tacked together and added a piece of gingham as a border and to cover the raw edges.

From Recycle, Repurpose

This worked okay, although it was messy to work with, the frayed bits of towel coming away from the edges and was about as thick as my sewing machine can handle. The colours are a bit early nineties so it doesn't exactly match my current bathroom. Other than that, it does the job as a bath mat quite well.

Whatever Happened to Good Intentions?

2010-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm so frustrated right now at all the things I'm not doing. Like writing in this blog. Ideas for posts still come to me but I don't have the time to follow through, research, take photos, string thoughts together.

Of course the reason I don't have time is that I am doing heaps. Educating my son, caring for my family, a little gardening, a little cooking, loads of paper sorting in preparation for tax time, researching curriculum, keeping appointments, keeping in touch with friends IRL occasionally, trying to get washing dry without using the dryer, cleaning up after our rambunctious puppy and doing the everlasting housework.

The other night I went to bed thinking I was going to shut down this blog. I need to simplify (again!- I am a serial complicator. It comes of being interested in too many things and wanting to do everything!) There are already so many great, well-maintained and regularly updated blogs out there about simplicity, craft, frugality and home cooking. I felt I wasn't doing justice to the idea and to our followers and readers. But I've decided at this point not to do anything I may regret later.

Where it will go from here I don't know. Perhaps inspiration and a few spare minutes will arrive at the same time soon and I'll come up with something interesting to write about. Time will tell.

How do you store bulk foods?

2010-05-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for some storage solutions for bulk dry goods such as flour and sugar.

We have some uninvited guests at the moment- mice. I knew they were in my under-sink cupboard in the kitchen and this morning heard scritching and scratching in the corner of the dining room. Oh-oh, they're into the flour! Sure enough, my bulk bag of baker's flour has been broken into. Now I'm also worried about the paper bags of sugar and the plastic packets of dried fruit that are in wicker baskets in an open shelf.

I live in a c1950's weatherboard house. I love this style of house but it has its drawbacks. There are gaps and cracks in various places, making it difficult to keep pests out. Built postwar when materials were still scarce, there were no cupboards. Thankfully previous owners have added wardrobes to the three bedrooms. A later extension on the back has a laundry with a nice tall cupboard that holds cleaning gear, vacuum, light globes, empty jars, etc.

The kitchen has also been updated at some point and is nice and spacious with lots of benches. However, for reasons I cannot fathom, that kitchen renovation did not include a pantry. Two lovely big windows on adjoining walls and the placement of the sink, oven and fridge cavity make adding a pantry a major operation and we just don't have the funds for another renovation. That's why I have a free standing shelving unit that used to hold collectibles and 'pretties' standing in as a pantry. Food stuffs also spill over into a buffet style cupboard tucked away behind the dining table.

From Inside and Out

I like to have plenty of ingredients on hand in the house. Finding ant-proof, rodent-proof and damp-proof containers for bulk goods is proving tricky. Plastic is the easiest solution, although not all plastic containers are ant-proof. Its incredible where they can squeeze into! I'm not a big fan of plastic, though. With two growing boys in the house, I'm concerned about estrogen-mimicking chemicals in plastics. Storing food fairly long-term in contact with plastic isn't appealing. Most 'food-safe' plastic is transparent, letting in light and shortening the shelf life of my foodstuffs.

So, I have a question for our readers. How do you store bulk foods? Have you found any great solutions? If so, where did you get them from?

Further reading:

Why Synthetic Estrogens Wreak Havoc on Reproductive System

Just How Harmful are Bisphenol-A Plastics?

Endocrine Disruption

A sign of the times...

2010-04-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Last week my daughter's 6 month old portable DVD player suddenly refused to load any discs.. or even recognise that there was a disc there.

No problem.. I know that the receipt is safely stored in my filing cabinet attached to the instruction manual...

Hmm.. where has the receipt gone? This is just a blank piece of paper.. even though it is receipt sized & shaped!

Yes I became a victim of the vanishing receipt.. but not in a way I had considered! I've had several receipts fade and eventually become blank if left in the car and even in the black hole I call a purse... but never when carefully stored in a light proof filing cabinet!

Anyway.. on presentation of said blank receipt & DVD player to the store of purchase my fears were realised... no readable receipt... no warranty! Funny as the store stated that they would not accept copies or scanned images.. only the original receipt will get your item fixed or your money back... even though the store admitted that the blank receipt issue is known.

After making a few enquiries to Consumer Affairs I realised that this is a rather new issue but one that is on the rise. Stores do not have to refund without a receipt anymore and manufacturers do not have to fix the item unless you can prove it's within it's warranty period with that precious receipt.

I'd hate to purchase something with an extended warranty and then try to make a claim 2 years down the track! Big ticket items tend to have longer warranties as well as costing more in the first place.. that thought alone concerns me.

So what did we do? After much thought, many questions and a lot of research we bought the cheapest portable DVD player on the market. It has no bells & whistles, no added card slots or capabilities and no fancy swivel screens or inbuilt batteries... Instead it is a basic reliable unit that does the job we want.

This will increase the odds of it lasting out the year, making the receipt issue redundant... but I've also decided that in the future all larger purchases will be made secondhand or at stores where the receipts are still handwritten.. then maybe I'll still be able to use the warranty if the need arises.

Nothing is built to last these days.. not even the receipt!

A Review of My Progress

2010-04-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

If it wasn't for the internet, I think I would feel like a bit of an oddity. I sew and knit, have done since I was a little girl. More recently I've taken up quilting, collecting doileys and household linens, am happy to be a stay at home mum and am trying to make things from scratch. The simple fact is that very few of my real-life friends and family members, particularly around my age, do any of those things. I can think of one friend- she can't sew or do any craft but she does live frugally and makes food from scratch. That's all. My once a month craft group is mostly made up of women older than me. That doesn't bother me, we have a good time regardless. When I browse the net and especially when I read blogs, I forget for a while that the people in my immediate circle just aren't into the same things that I'm into. I'd love to talk to them the way I write here but you know how it is; the conversation reaches a certain point and their eyes glaze over and you can tell they're thinking of how to change the subject. There are several standard responses-

" I wouldn't have the time or the patience."
"Its easier for me just to buy it."
"I can't sew...cook...knit..."
"You are so weird" Yes, someone actually said that to me when I told her I wasn't 'into' any T.V. programs at the moment.
"Oh, you'll have to dye your hair," (I plan to grey naturally), "You'll change your mind the first time someone says 'Is that your grandson' when you're with one of your boys."

So thank goodness for the internet. :-)

I've been thinking about when I started this blog. I had great plans for it but many things have been put to the side while I deal with family issues and my own limitations. Reading back over past posts, I see that I promised to keep readers advised of the outcome of certain trials and endeavours. So I will update you now on some progress.

My very first post was about freezing food. I've used the Freezer book several times; its a great reference for deciding what to do with surplus food. My celery crop was frozen in small batches and goes well in soups and stews. I think I've only tried one of the recipes- and avocado dip which I liked but the kids didn't- something about the texture.

In this post on old clothes and manchester, I was beginning to think about refashioning and embellishing clothing to refresh and get more life from it. I haven't done much with this; still have the items in the bottomless to-do pile. Just this week, I did use some found doiley lace to jazz up a t-shirt for a '70's night. To go with it, I made a fake wrap-around skirt from some sheets that were in my fabric stash. So I have done a little re-fashioning.

Dishcloths. I love them! Some of my first ones are wearing out; becoming frayed around the edges. I'll downgrade them to laundry rags and then compost them as soon as I make a few more to replace them. Dishcloths are so quick and easy; I like to do them as instant-gratification projects when I finish a huge item like a quilt. I've got a brightly coloured bamboo/soy blend taking shape on the needles at the moment.

Also in the handy everyday item department are the grocery bags. These get commented on frequently when I'm shopping. I made 5 to start with and that's not enough. I need to make more soon.

Ah, the ant plague. I remember it well. I didn't end up finding a natural remedy so I paid a pest-controller. I did choose one that uses a natural ingredient that is supposedly not harmful to pets or wild birds. Occasionally we still get a trail but the man left small containers of the green goo called "Ant Cafes". I put a container on the trail and they're gone again in a day or two. It is a great relief not to be dealing with the pestiferous critters on a daily basis.

I still haven't found the perfect pot scrubber.

Aussie Farmers Direct are in town now but as yet I haven't tried them. I've had a little trouble signing up and placing an order and need to phone them to find out what I'm doing wrong. One of these days....

How dreadful! I still haven't used my nut loaf tin. But its not all bad news, I did find a lovely recipe for nut loaf. When I mixed it all up, it was way too big for the nut loaf tin so I cooked it in another pan. My MIL remembers having two of the round tins and splitting most recipes between the two. So I'm on the lookout for its twin!

I blogged about perspective. All good there; I still believe in what I'm doing and I don't need a lot of affirmation from other people anymore. Having a clean kitchen or a new dishcloth that I made myself gives me a little spark of happiness. Giving away cucumbers that I've grown or slicing still-warm homemade bread and putting together an outfit for a fancy-dress night from my stash makes me positively glow!

Homeschooling is going well. There is a fair bit of work involved; I'm sure I spend more hours on it than my son does. It's worth it, though, to see him regain his confidence. Rather than becoming totally withdrawn and unsocialised, he is able to handle situations, even crowds often with no signs of anxiety. I'm loving homeschool for its own sake now and hoping my younger son wants to join us some day. He is in his last year of primary school.

So, there's a bit of a review of some older posts. A few hits, a few misses and some still in the pipeline. Slow and steady- in the race of life I'm definitely more tortoise than hare!

Sometimes New is Better Than Old!

2010-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Take these new Blogger templates, for instance. I've been having way too much fun! Hope you like it.

Its time to put some more time effort into We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow. Posts coming soon.

News Flash: Entire Vegetable Crop Eaten By Life-Size Bug

2010-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

This year my son the Bug has really got involved in vegie production. He's been planting, watching, picking and eating all our crops. He has a new enthusiasm for eating beans and tomatoes since picking them for himself from the garden.

"Growing their own' is a really effective way to increase the range of vegies in your kids' diet. Vegie growing is great for the health of our bodies, our minds and our home and wider environment. It's also a good way for children to observe natural processes like germination, growing, ripening, decaying and so on.

At the moment we grow our vegies in self-watering pots. They're great during water-restrictions and are suitable for gardens, courtyards, balconies, even windowsills and doorsteps. Even the smallest apartment has room for a saucer of cress seeds on a windowsill.

Good vegies for little kids to grow:

Cherry tomatoes: our favorite is 'Sweet Bite', which grows well in Victoria. We grew ours from a seedling this year.
Green beans: they're the Duplo (TM) of seeds, big and easy to grow. You can get short 'bush' beans or climbing varieties. The climbing ones are space-efficient and are supposed to crop over a longer period, but the Bug planted two bush beans this season and we've been picking them for weeks. I'll definitely plant them again next season.
zucchini: they have big seeds and big male and female flowers, so it's easy to observe the fertilisation process.
capsicum: my Bug has been watching patiently as they ripen from green to red. We grew ours from a seedling.
Cress seeds on a saucer: pop them near the kitchen window and watch them germinate. You could put a few saucers in different places and watch how the different levels of light affect their growth, colour and taste.
if you have space, pop in a pumpkin for fun! The giant orange ones aren't great for eating, but kids could use it as a seat.

Things to do in the cooler months.

2010-02-28T00:08:00.000-08:00

I've felt and seen the unmistakable signs that summer is coming to an end. A chill in the early morning air, leaves beginning to turn on the apricot tree. Children still wrapped in their quilts emerge from their bedrooms in the morning, feet stuffed into woolen moccasins. The midday sun may still have a sting in it and we still have the occasional day in the 30's but there won't be many of them now. Before we know it trees will be bare, heating bills will be coming in and stews, casseroles and hot puddings will replace salads as the comforting meal of choice.

There are the less desirable trappings of winter- sniffles, runny noses and persistent coughs. For anyone with children at home (i.e. toddlers and/or home schooled kids of any age) another winter certainty is cabin fever. You don't need to be literally snowed-in to get cabin fever. Enforced time at home due to illness and the inability to meet up with friends because they have sickies in the house combines with inclement weather. The result can be feelings of isolation and frustration.

Experience has taught me that you really have to seize the moment in the cooler months. If the day is reasonable, the rain stops, the sun comes out and everyone is relatively well, that's the time to get out of the house. Rug up! Hats, scarves (worn over the mouth and nose as a muffler if cold air sets off a tickly throat), gloves, warm shoes or gumboots and a wind-resistant jacket will make a lot of activites do-able. We sometimes take a blanket in the car so that wind-nipped kids can snuggle in and warm up on the way home.

So you're rugged up- where to now? The beach of course! Seriously, the beach can be a beautiful place in winter so long as you keep dry. Children can still dig in the drier sand, search for driftwood, check out rockpools and watch boats and ships out at sea. There aren't many people cluttering up the sand so you can write huge messages in the sand with a stick or make sand sculptures. Many beaches also allow dogs in the off-season so even Rover can get some fresh air and exercise; just check with your local council.

Local parks or gardens can also present a totally different face in autumn and winter. Take along a camera and photograph textures- bare tree bark, winter grasses, seed pods and autumn leaves. Also amazing are huge expanses of turbulent winter skies. Collect fallen leaves, twigs and bark for collages or other nature craft. Winter may also be an interesting time to go for a tramp along a local creek or river- just be very careful, especially after rain!

Do you have a friend or family member with a farm? Would they welcome a visit? I have happy, messy memories of sloshing around in muddy corrals at a friend's farm when I was a child (and memories of being in big trouble when I got home because of the state of my clothing ;-))

Colder weather also means that getting warm from physical activity is a good thing! Plan a ball game in a local open space or park. Make and fly kites. Gather a few families and with a little planning and basic equipment you can have a round-robin sports day in a local park. Plan a hike or a bike ride along a bicycle path or local trail. Have a couple of non-riders prepare a barbecue at the end of the ride.

Check your local paper or entertainment guide for free or cheap activities. Fetes and festivals may continue through autumn. While there may not be as many major outdoor events in winter in your area there may be smaller galleries, special interest museums and the like that have exhibitions to visit.

Shopping can be another good cool weather activity. I'm not talking about shiny mall/chain store shopping (although if that's your thing, go for it!). Investigate smaller out of the way shopping strips where individual mum-and-dad businesses still survive. Study the directory and plan your own op-shop tour. Shop the ops for a purpose- collect craft supplies, restock the home library or source dress up costumes for a fancy dress night. Visit the local farmer's market or trash and treasure market. Inclement weather may even help keep the crowds away- more bargains for the brave!

And the winter evenings? Invite another family for a movie night. Make it an old fashioned evening- start with a short film or cartoon, perhaps an old family movie. Cook up some popcorn, serve lolly bags and start up your feature film. Hold an intermission- everyone can stretch and anticipate the ending of the movie. Make it a double feature if you're up for a late night.

Another great evening is a Games Night. The more people you invite the better. Last winter we had about 26 guests and didn't need a single heater- the windows were actually steaming! Set up all available tables and chairs with card and board games. Let your guests group up and find the games that suit them. This works well as a supper thing (bring a plate) or you could do it after a potluck dinner.

Winter is cold and it can be bleak but it doesn't have to be boring or lonely.

If you have any other no-cost or low-cost activities for the cooler months please add them in a comment.

Paradox Of Our Time

2009-12-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

As the year ends I always start to think about my resolutions and goals for the coming year & usually keep the following piece in mind as it resonates well with me.

Some attribute it to George Carlin... others to Dr Bob Moorehead.. either way I love it.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space.
We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less.
We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.
It is time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I wish you all a happy & healthy holidays & a 2010 with many breathless moments.

Preparing for Summer

2009-11-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Long hot, dry summers appear to be here to stay. Its only November and in the southern parts of Victoria we've already had several days in the mid-30's and nights in the 20's. As I'm sure Rialla-T could attest to, Adelaide's spring temperatures have been even worse. Go inland and the outlook becomes quite frightening.

Water restrictions have become a part of everyday life in many parts of our country. Even with restrictions in place reduced rainfall over many years and increased urban sprawl are causing water storages to fall. How will gardeners, particularly those intent on growing their own food, respond to these difficult circumstances?

For me, the answer is not replacing my green, leafy garden and vegetables with desert plants! When buying new plants, sure I look for those that are able to thrive with less water. But many fruits and vegetables require regular watering and I don't want to lose many of the existing non-food plants in our garden. Therefore, I need to find ways to keep the water up to my garden and make the most of the water that I can use.

There are several things we are doing. We've just switched the diverters on our gray water back to the backyard. Lengths of black pipe take the water from our washing machine and laundry trough to the back yard. The bath/shower is now plumbed to take water to the front lawn. Having diverters in place means that we can flip the valve to allow the water to flow into the sewers if we don't need it, such as those weeks in winter when we were getting regular rainfall.

In addition to the gray water pipes, I have a bucket in the kitchen sink and one in the laundry trough. Since we had our new solar hot water system installed, it does take longer for hot water to reach the taps. The buckets catch the cold, clean water and that goes straight onto vegetables and herbs. Then I return the buckets and catch the slightly soapy water from rinsing the dishes. (The laundry one catches hand-washing water). This water goes onto non-food plants that can tolerate a little soap.

Warm, leftover water in our drinking flasks gets emptied into indoor or outdoor potted plants. Water in saucepans that has been used to cook vegetables, rice and pasta is also used on pots and/or vegetables when cooled.

And last but not least, my husband has obtained a 2000 litre water tank which is soon to be installed. Lets hope we get a few good rainfalls to fill it. We will still keep the rain barrels to catch water from the shed and carport.

Once you have thought of all the possible water savings that can be made, how can you make sure that precious harvest isn't wasted? Adding organic matter to the soil and mulching will help retain water. Thinking about plant placement may also be helpful. Some plants are more hardy and may be able to shade more delicate plants in the heat of the day, allowing them to receive the gentler morning or late afternoon sun. Look at what is around your plants- are light surfaces like shed walls throwing reflected heat onto your plants? Could you grow a tough, quick growing plant like nastursiums over the wall? Plants respire, giving off water from their leaves which cools the air around them. Compare the shade of a verandah to the shade of a big old tree and see which is cooler on a hot summer day!

Last week I made up some portable shade cloths to completely cover the veggie patch. I had a roll of white calico and stapled it to some long tomato stakes. In past years, I've draped old sheets over the plants but in hot northerly winds, they soon blow away. The idea still needs a bit of tweaking- some brackets to hold the stakes to the fence perhaps. They worked well on a hot day last week but I admit there was no wind that day. Nonetheless, the plants underneath did not wilt anywhere near as much as on days when the sun beats directly on them.

From Inside and Out

One more thing to keep in mind- think ahead. I have some seedling starts in pots and was going to plant some out today. Then I remembered tomorrows forecast is for 39oC. The heat along with the transplant shock would probably kill them. Keep an eye on the forecast and don't plan plantings during heatwaves! Common sense, perhaps but I've been caught out before!

Are you planning ahead for summer? What are you doing differently with this crazy climate of ours?

Perfection

2009-11-03T04:31:00.000-08:00

In a perfect world we would all be carbon neutral non polluters who grew all our own food, cooked from scratch, decorated our houses with our handmade wares & clothed ourselves from our own endeavours and greeted our families with cooked meals, perfect hair and a huge smile at the end of the day. We would be chemical free, debt free and stress free.

Our families would be as passionate about our beliefs, hobbies and general interests as what we are & would support us 100%.... OK.. even I can't continue along with that rot!

Real life isn't as easy as "the dream".

There are time constraints.. family, work or general life (including traffic!) which mean that we cant always cook from scratch.... and some nights takeaway looks like the only way anyone will get fed!

We don't always have time to make all our own clothes... or the skills necessary to do so... and sometimes you just have to get THAT dress or THOSE shoes.

Carbon neutral can be tricky too... maybe you have to run the heater.. or the air conditioner more than you'd like because of illness... or disability. There may not be another way for you to commute other than driving... and maybe your car is an old gas guzzler that you cant afford to replace.

Growing your own food is a lot of fun & very rewarding... but what if you don't have much room.. or everything is wiped out in a storm... or ravenous bunnies descend & destroy the lot?

Chemical free may be your preferred state.. but sometimes insect attacks and household cleaning issues (like mould) can require a chemical arsenal.

Often the family support can be lacking too... our loved ones might not be as committed as we are. Teenagers might desperately want to go to Maccas with their friends... wear the latest sweatshop fashion & drench themselves in chemical body sprays (oh yes I have a teen in this house!)

Partners may not want to think about any of this & share a fondness for takeaways ... or they might not want to spend their downtime working on the vegie patch.

But does that mean we have failed?

Of course not! In my opinion (& it's the only one I can offer here *big grin* ) every action counts. Define your own perfection.......... do what you can do within your resources be they financial or personal. Choose your battles wisely... does it really matter if you have the odd takeaway if it shuts the rest of the family up for a few more weeks?

Take the opportunity to explain about your beliefs when possible but don't demand that others follow them (in the case of children & partners they'll often do the opposite if you try to put your foot down)

But most of all do what makes you happy and find your own balance.... then you'll know you've found your own perfection.

Claytons Post

2009-10-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling to find time and inspiration of my own to post at the moment. So this is a Claytons post. (The post you have when you're not having a post...)

Wendy over at My Green Australia has many thoughtful posts. This one is a good reminder on thinking before throwing things away.

I promise as soon as I think of anything original to say, I'll write it down for y'all!

What's Easier Than Take-Away?

2009-10-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had one of those days. You know the kind of day- you're busy all day and once or twice you think 'hmm, must get something out for dinner'. One task leads to another, scrubbing, washing, cleaning, sorting, putting things away, picking up kids from school, supervising homework. Then someone asks:
"What's for dinner?"
"I don't know."
"Its ten to five and you don't know what's for dinner?"
"Yep, sorry but I'll come up with something."
Plenty of times over the years the above scenario has ended in a trip to the Fish and Chip shop or to the deli of the supermarket for a "barbecue" chicken, which is almost as bad.
Gradually, I'm building up a few recipes that are easy and arguably as quick as that trip to the store or takeaway outlet.

Tonight we had Salmon Macaroni. It goes something like this:

500 g macaroni (or any small pasta)
one small onion OR 3-4 spring onions OR one smallish leek
a couple of sticks of celery
a clove of garlic
3/4 cup corn, fresh or frozen
2 x 415 gram cans pink salmon
handful of parsley
half a bottle (or more if you like it saucy) of passata (pureed tomato)

Heat a large pot of water for the pasta.
Finely dice your onion (or equivalent) and celery. Squish garlic. Fry these until soft and lightly golden.
Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain.
Drain the salmon.
Return pasta to the pot and stir in onion mixture, corn, salmon, parsley and passata. Heat through and serve with grated cheese and crusty bread if you have it, any old bread if you haven't! Too easy.

There are many variations on this simple dish. You can substitute rice for the pasta and/or tuna for the salmon. Use whatever vegies you have ie. peas, broccoli, cauliflower, grated carrot, champignons, tinned beans etc. Broccoli and cauliflower may need to be lightly steamed or boiled first to soften. Cheese sauce could be used instead of passata. Top with combined breadcrumbs butter and cheese and place under a hot grill or in the oven for a crunchy pasta bake.

Do you have a trusty take-away substitute? We'd love you to share it here.

Simplifying

2009-10-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Life has a tendency to get complicated. Have you noticed?

You set out your goals, decide on priorities and define the things that are important to you. You begin to put practical measures into place and start living those things. All good so far. But somewhere along the way, unexpected things creep in. Some of those things come from outside sources. Expectations, demands and needs of the people around you. Other complications come from within. Trying to do too much, overloading on information.

Its a bit like a fruit tree. You prepare the ground, plant it, water it carefully and then leave it to grow. But that's not all, is it? If you just let that tree grow it could be overtaken by pests or parasites. And even healthy growth could become a problem if the branches grow every which way, tangling through each other. For optimum fruit production, outside influences have to be carefully managed and branches need pruning.

From Inside and Out

Simplifying means different things to different people. For some it is getting rid of clutter and living with less visual and mental distraction. For others it is moving away from commercialism and towards growing and preparing foods, taking responsibility for the 'stuff' in their lives and where it is sourced and doing many things for themselves. For some it is a spiritual quest, to leave superficial things behind and search for truth. There are many more aspects to simplifying and for me, it is a combination of all these things. In my quest to simplify, I often search for those who have gone down this path before me. So I have quite a long blogroll, grab books from the library, buy second hand books, occasionally attend events and places and usually come home with pamphlets and links to websites. And 'simple living' isn't my only interest. There are all of my crafts, my religious interests and of course, homeschooling. Each of those things brings more literature, more links, more information. But I'm like that tree. So many branches that I get all tangled up and light can't get through to the inside.

So its time to prune a bit. There's only so much I can do with the outside influences. I don't want to become unavailable to family and friends. But I do need to think first before answering a request. If I can do it, I will. But if I'm feeling overwhelmed already and helping out will make it worse, I'm going to say no, or at least not right now, without guilt. I'm learning that I can't feel responsible for every one around me.

As for the infomation overload, I need to cut back. For the last few months, I've been reading up to six books at a time- home schooling, spiritual, general interest and usually a novel. So I am focusing for a while on things I need to know and not borrowing or buying any books until I've caught up a little.

About blogs- have you ever felt guilty when you remove yourself from following a blog? I do. I know how nice it is to know that someone is reading what I write and I hate to take that away from someone. But realistically I need to prune every now and then. I find new blogs every week. Some seem relevant initially. Some remain very interesting but if I kept them all, I would spend my life reading and not doing. (I've become a bit smarter now and follow anonymously for a while first. Then if I decide its a keeper, I may go public. If not, I don't feel so bad dropping it from the list). My DH would think this is all crazy, being worried about offending people I don't even 'know'!! But we are what we are, I guess.

Life is all about making revisions, looking at circumstances and situations and deciding what works and what needs to go. I think we all know that even the Simple Life isn't really all that simple. It takes effort to make it work.

Isn't it funny how that happens???

2009-09-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

It's been almost 12 months since we decided to change out lives.. initially due to my eldest's illness. To help the long term liver issues involved we decided to remove all the preservatives & artificial additives from our diets... that then lead to making better choices about cleaning chemicals and every day toiletries...

It also lead to us starting to grow some of our own food... learning to cook from scratch... trying out unusual foods & eating seasonally...... the side of effect of all this was the label of "weird" from a lot of friends.

The more we learnt.. the more we changed. Those seemingly simple changes snowballed.. quiet & sneakily at first but later down the track we noticed substantial changes in thinking.. we became more aware of our environment.. the number of hot days... the amount of rainfall.. the lack of small birds in our inner suburban garden.... and we started wondering what we could do to change things.

We educated ourselves.. changed spending patterns and consumption.. found new hobbies... learnt new skills (hmm although a lot of them are actually "old" skills) and as we changed we noticed our "world" changing with us. There are different people in our lives today than there was 12 months ago... our priorities have changed as has our quality of life.

Things that I never had considered have occurred.. I even have created a little financial nest egg for us without really understanding where that extra money came from.... we certainly haven't been going without or living on baked beans! Things have just seemed to fall into place & it's hard to believe that it's just been 11 months since I took the photo above.

Even now things continue to subtly shift...... we have new challenges to face.. new plans to put to the test... and more changes ahead unseen. It's funny how many years I spent with each being pretty much the same as the last... almost as if I was in stasis for most of my adult life.

Now at last I feel like I'm living... it's uncertain... it's hard work more times than I expected... but it just feels like it's meant to be.

Has anyone else ever felt this way..... or is it just me?

Orange & Almond Biscuits

2009-09-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Life around here has been hectic of late so I just thought I'd pop in & share what is prob the most hit upon recipe in one of my other blogs.. Sorry no pics as they don't sit around long enough here for me to grab a photo... seriously yummy stuff!

Ingredients:
125g softened butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 cup of almond meal
1 cup of plain flour
4tsps of orange juice
grated orange zest to taste

Filling:Vanilla bean paste or essence
icing sugar
water to mix.

Method:
Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, cream butter & sugar.. add egg & mix well. throw in zest, almond meal, and plain flour slowly whilst mixing & add juice to help combine. The dough is a stiffish sort of mix.Roll into small balls & flatten slightly on the tray with a fork... cook for approx 10 mins until golden brown but still slightly soft to touch. Cool on wire rack.
Mix Filling ingredients until you have a stiff icing paste.... then sandwich the biscuits together.

Yum!

Have You Heard About Sustainable House Day?

2009-09-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Cath, over at Rockpool Homeschool just put up a brief post about Sustainable House Day.
What a great opportunity to have a real-life look at how other people in your neighborhood are living sustainably! We take a peek through the computer screen at each other's blogs, but now we can take a literal walk through.
See if there's an open house near you.
I'll be going to the Hamlyn Heights home sometime Sunday morning. I'm one suburb over so I'm particularly interested in the native plants and having a sticky at the vegie garden!

Socialization

2009-08-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

so⋅cial⋅i⋅za⋅tion -a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position. Dictionary.com

Before I start, this is not going to be purely a pro-homeschool post. After all, we're just beginning home-ed and I have another child at mainstream school and I don't know where it will all end up at this point. But you can't talk, read, discuss, debate or in any other way contemplate home schooling without the topic of socialization rearing its head.

Our paediatrician and a therapist are very supportive of P being home schooled. Our GP is also supportive, but with a little more hesitation. She says she is sure P will do fine academically, but worries about his socialization. She says its important for him to spend time with other teens. The main objections raised by friends and family members to home schooling were also along the same lines.

Now I'm not a psychologist. Or a trained teacher. But I am a concerned parent and citizen. I went to school and had friends. Not the same friends for the entire duration of high school. I tended to hang around with one group for a while and then as our interests changed, the group would gradually break up and form new groups with new people. There were short periods when I was between friends. They were lonely times but not unbearable. Some other girls my age had just one friend and the friendship was intense. If a third party came along, there would be tension and one would find themselves on the outer and devastated. Everyone is different. Kids mature at different rates and interests change from week to week.

Okay, so that was me. Now I have a teenager. And he is different again, apart from being a boy! P has, from the day dot, been quite comfortable talking to adults. I'm not kidding- we would be pushing him in his pram and an old lady would walk past with a dog and we had to stop so he could talk to her about the dog. I'm shy with strangers so this was kind of confronting for me, but probably did me good! P would get very frustrated if an adult patted him on the head and said cute things to him when he wanted to ask them serious questions and get serious answers. Especially if the adult was a bit deaf like my grandmother!

P has always been interested in science and the natural world. While other kids were watching Thomas the Tank Engine, he was watching the BBC series of The Planets. Over and over and over. Early trips to the library soon established that he wasn't very interested in picture story books or early readers. He liked books on earthquakes, volcanos, stars and planets. So it shouldn't really have been a surprise to us that he didn't always relate well to other kids at kinder and school. I'm not saying he was smarter, just that his interests were different. Little boys liked football and superheros. Some were into pro-wrestling or were motor-minded. Some were already very interested in little girls...eeeeuw, how does that happen?!?

Not a lot changed as time went on. P went on to develop an interest in Star Wars and Star Trek (finally becoming a fiction reader, but only those two series!). For a little while, with the release of the new Star Trek movie, he became the resident expert at school. Very few 12-13 year olds knew anything at all about Star Trek! But most of the time at high school the topics of conversation are, and I quote, "girls, drugs and drinking". I'm sure there must be a fair bit of pop music and to a lesser degree with boys, fashion in there too. P is just not interested in any of it. Not girls, not drugs, not drinking, not music, not facebook or myspace, not texting, not fashion, not celebrities and not sport. Not at this point in time. What is he interested in? Concepts. Strategy. Building cities. Designing steam engines. Fishing and boating. The 'laws of physics'. Designing roller coasters. And he still likes talking to adults. About current affairs, the state of the world, the rights and wrongs of issues.

Getting back to socialization, (for anyone who is still reading this longish and personal post), by the definition quoted above, P is getting quite well socialized. He has his own unique identity, as well as a good idea of the 'norms', values, behaviour and social skills of his peer group. At this point in time, he knows he doesn't want to conform to many of those 'norms'.

As a child, P sometimes feels like he is alone in feeling this way. As an adult, I have a fair idea that out there are many kids like him who feel different. Some will pretend to be like everyone else to fit in, and may eventually succeed in conforming to the norms. Some will rebel and some will not cope at all. Some will be homeschooled :-) I just mentioned to my hairdresser today that I was homeschooling and she immediately opened up to me. Her son doesn't make friends easily, is happy to leave the friends he has at the school gate, doesn't like sport and social networking and generally isn't happy at school. I'm sure there must be many kids out there like these boys.

One more thing about socialization. As an adult, when we meet someone who has the potential to be a friend, how important is it that they be as close as possible to our exact age? 5 years, 10 years, even more in age difference really doesn't matter. What matters is how we relate to that person, things we have in common, whether we can trust them and whatever else is personally important to us. Often, young people are naturally drawn to each other based on common interests but they can equally gravitate to older or younger people if they have something to share, learn, or teach. One of the things that appeals to me about the homeschooling approach is the importance of belonging, first in the family and extending that out to the broader community, rather than being an age-focused thing. I read a very interesting article in Otherways magazine about how the modern school structure separates adolescents out from the rest of society. The time spent at school, doing homework, extracurricular activites and socializing with other teens leaves them very little time to interact with people of other ages. That could be why many skills are being lost- they are kept too busy and isolated to their own age group.

Anyway, this post is really just me clarifying certain thoughts in my own mind. I don't worry at all about my son being badly socialized. (I always think of puppies when I hear that term!) We have lots of contact with people of all ages. In time, he may want to do more things with age-related peers or he may continue not to discriminate. I won't mind either way, as long as he stays true to himself.

A Warming Winter Dish

2009-08-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

I bought some lamb shanks the other day, being about the only affordable lamb at the moment. I wanted to find a nice recipe for the crock pot, so went surfing the net. Just goes to show you never know where you'll find inspiration- I came across a page of lamb slow cooker recipes on a pregnancy website! And no, I'm not. Pregnant, that is. But the recipe "Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks #2" was the best thing I've cooked yet in the slow cooker. Its also a good recipe to stretch a little meat a long way- this meal will be enough for us for at least two meals or would be good for a larger family or when you have extras to feed. I had some tiny chat potatoes. I've never left skins on potatoes in a casserole or soup before but the little chats were perfect in their jackets in this recipe.

Now its your turn to share a warming meal idea- if its frugal, all the better. List a link below to a recipe that's a family favourite at your house.

P.S., I haven't given up on including photos with posts, just crazy busy and not getting the camera out much. I will try to lift my game. :-)

Your family's greatest asset

2009-08-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Also known as .. YOU!

Yes this is a "Nagging Mum" post but it's that time of year for those of us in the Southern hemisphere and always good for our Northern Hemisphere neighbours to get a little reminder before plunging into the winter weather.

So what am I talking about??

Your Health!

Whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, sister, brother or only child you are vitally important to your family,friends & even co-workers... and they need you to look after yourself!

Those of you who read my personal blogs would know that we have several health issues in our family but a few recent conversations with friends and specialists has made me realise that many people are putting their health at risk these days.

How many of us feel tired all the time? Lacking in energy? Hmm.. ever thought about mentioning it to a doctor? Well most of us would say no but it could be something as simple as an iron or B12 deficiency.

It could also be something more serious like blood pressure issues... or diabetes...

Another common one seems to be either gaining or losing weight for no apparent reason.. no change in eating habits or lifestyle.. this happened to my cousin & she put it down to laziness for nearly 5 years before mentioning it to a Doctor. It turns out her thyroid wasn't functioning properly and now on medication she is feeling much better (such a shame about those 5 years of feeling awful!)

It used to be that Men were the ones who avoided the doctor, ignored potential symptoms & suffered in silence until it was almost too late but now us women are often just as bad. We put a lot of our suffering down to stress, hormones, overcommitment & getting older rather than taking some time to go get things checked out.

So I have one request of all of you..... take the time for a check up... even if you feel fine. Many of us service the car before going on a journey or do regular maintenance on it without thinking twice... are you not worth the same attention as a piece of machinery?

It does not take long to go get your blood pressure checked & a simple fasting blood test can look for signs of cholesterol issues, iron & vitamin levels, thyroid, liver & kidney function plus it can also look at your long term blood sugar levels to see if there are any potential markers for diabetes.

If everything comes back OK then you are fortunate enough to have a baseline... something that future tests can be measured against so problems can be picked up quickly.

You should also make sure you've had those gender specific tests recently.... oh yes you know those ones I'm talking about! They may be embarrassing & uncomfortable to some but they are oh so important! No excuses now!!!!!!

Well what are you waiting for?? Go get that regular service out of the way then you'll know that you're in the best possible shape to keep on Knitting, Sewing, Baking & Growing along with the rest of us & continue investing in your family's greatest asset... You!

Oh. My. Goodness. We're on Lincraft!!

2009-07-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

Before signing off, I had a quick look at the Feedjit. There were a lot of views coming from Lincraft. What? How? So I click and guess what! We are the featured blog on Lincraft! Way to go girls! Rialla-T, Bellgirl, Honey Bear and BunnoGal, will you look at that!

Hello to all our visitors from Lincraft!

I love Lincraft. The Geelong store is right beside the Medicare office. Now why would I want to claim my Medicare rebates at the doctor when it gives me such a good excuse to duck into Lincraft? Now I love it just a little bit more.

Thanks Veronica- stop in and say Hi sometime. :-)

A Lot to Learn for this Newbie Homeschool Mum!

2009-07-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have read on my other blog, I have recently begun to homeschool my teenage son. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! Even though he had been bringing work home in terms 1 and 2, it barely prepared us for full time homeschool. Not that I am not enjoying it; it is exciting but a little daunting as well. And in the initial stages, tiring!

I'm reading Beverley Paine's "Getting Started with Homeschooling" and it has given me a lot of confidence. Even though we are starting home education a fair way into P's schooling, we have always given our kids opportunities to learn naturally outside of traditional school. School holidays usually find my house turned upside down- the dining table becomes an art studio, the lounge floor is an littered with lego construction and novels and non-fiction books come home from the library. We have accumulated microscopes, components for electrical circuitry, ant farms, pop- and match- sticks for building and lots more. So we already have quite a lot of 'stuff' that I've now put in one place near the study area.

Even with growing confidence, it is a huge task that I have taken on. I realise that, and the impact is in many areas. For a busy mother, those hours the children are away at school is usually when many things are done. Cleaning, cooking, shopping, bill-paying, form-filling, laundry and other duties. Its also the time when you may manage a little 'me-time'- reading, blogging, browsing, crafting. Now I have to radically rethink my day. A 13 year old cannot be expected to sit at a chair and work for 5 or 6 hours. Its important and necessary for me to be nearby when he is doing bookwork, to keep him motivated and positive and to answer any questions. We also cover some topics by discussion and some things are done away from home, like shopping for art/craft projects.

Then, when P has finished the assigned tasks for the day, I rush around and do some work. And evenings are now spent reviewing, correcting, studying curriculum, sourcing material and planning a program for the next day. Phew, long days! Last week I literally didn't have time to grocery shop until my DH came home Friday evening. And because I don't want to go back to a lot of prepackaged convenience foods, I'm often cooking or baking in the evenings. Long gone are the days of pulling up stumps at 8:30pm to sit and watch some telly or surf the net.

I know this intense phase will pass. It was the same when I bought my mail-order business. Getting everything set up and familiarising myself with the processes was very time consuming. Then when I went to bed, my head would be spinning and take a while to settle down. And as soon as my eyes opened in the morning, Bang! thinking about it again.

A common theme in both mainstream and home schooling is "Lifelong Learning". That certainly applies in my case! I wanted to be familiar with the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) so I have just finished studying the information from the website. I've learned about things like metalanguage, mensuration, interpolation and extrapolation; I've remembered things like prime numbers, infinite recurring decimals and the properties of sets and elements that were long forgotten. I've introduced myself to digital banks of evidence, the First Law of Thermodynamics and the emerging sciences. Oh yeah, I'm feeling the Lifelong Learning now. And it hurts a little, lol!

So I'll keep you posted every now and then on our progress as newbie homeschool student, and newbie homeschool educator. Next step is to plot out some long term learning goals and see what resources and/or networks are available to homeschool families in my area. By the way, if you are in the Greater Geelong area and reading this, and know of any activities, networks or services that are available locally to homeschoolers, please post info here! I just found out today that Deakin uni hosts science classes twice a year for teens (he'll have to wait, age starts at 14) and that Dymocks bookstores give home educators a 10% discount. (Thanks to Susan Wight from the Home Education Network, for a prompt reply to my email.)

Well, I still have to type up a quick schedule for tomorrow and then I'll probably stay up too late again. Or maybe I'll be sensible and get some sleep. Sleep/peace and quiet? Sleep/peace and quiet? Which one would you choose?

A Quick Question about this Blog

2009-07-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else having trouble accessing it? We updated to Internet Explorer 8 recently and since then certain pages don't load properly, including this one! I can't view my own blog. Grrrr. Another one I'm having trouble with is Towards Sustainability which is in my top 5 favourites. I can still view Julie's blog in my google reader but then you don't get to read the comments or the interesting little bits on the sidebar. My other blogs are fine.

(I've already done some research and apparently reverting back to IE7 is risky so there's no going back. I'm firing off problem reports to Microsoft everytime it happens... not expecting miracles though).

So if you have had trouble with IE8 or with We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow, can you let me know in a comment. If you can, that is. And if you have any suggestions on how to fix it or where to go for answers, please comment.

Computers are soooo frustrating sometimes!! I begin to dread updates of all kinds. You kind of feel like you don't want to get too far behind, technology-wise but every time there is a major software update there are problems. I think that's why we find ourselves updating computers every few years- its not so much the equipment itself that fails but all the outdated, superceded, updated software and bloatware (extra programs included with the software you buy that you actually wanted or use) that binds the pooor computer all up inside. Ha, that was technical! Maybe my computer needs All-Bran. ;-)

Thrifty Recycle/Repurpose Blog

2009-07-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

A link on Sewing Chick's blog led me to this fascinating blog:
Making Do With The Not So New.
If you hate waste so much that throwing out socks with enormous holes in them is traumatic for you, why not save them up and make a rug! Here's how.
Try the homemade oxi-clean solution for stain removal.
There are lots of ideas in the clothing section, to make your wardrobe go further.
I love the grocery bags made from t-shirts! Apparently this idea has been around for a while but its new to me.
There is plenty of thrifty, sustainable inspiration at the Making Do site. Site owner "MJ" also welcomes suggestions.
Now, I'm off to start an odd-sock collection. I wonder how that rug would look in multi-colours?....

Putting it all into Perspective

2009-06-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was going to title this post " I Don't Cry Over the Dishes Anymore" but that sounded a little dramatic. Its true though. I'm going to get a little more personal here than I am generally comfortable with.

I've never been career-minded. Never. Oh, when I was a kid I wanted to be a vet, or a cowgirl, or some other horse or animal related thing. But as I got older, I never had a strong desire to pursue anything in particular. In part that may have been because I had the goal of doing voluntary Bible work when I left school so I was only interested in part-time work to cover my board and expenses. But the one thing that I did want badly from when I was a child was to have children. I didn't grow out of that wish. I remember being about 16 and telling the high school career advisor that I wanted to be a Mum. She stammered and stuttered and told me that I just hadn't worked out yet what I wanted.

The voluntary work came about, as eventually did marriage and children. Over the years, I had various part-time jobs. They were usually what would be considered menial, but I didn't mind that as it gave my mind a rest on those days! After marriage, I alternated between not working and having part-time jobs to cover bills. After children, I didn't work for a couple of years. Then my sister started a home-based craft business and I would work odd days for her. That was until she had her children and couldn't keep up with the business. I ended up buying it from her. For three years I ran that little mail-order business as best I could but it was a struggle. We moved house four times in those three years. I was pretty much on my own with it as my DH was busy with shift work and renovations. In the end I had to give it up. It was heartbreaking as I loved the craft side and had built good relationships with some of the customers.

As part of the conditions of giving up the business, I told my family that I didn't want to be pressured to work for a while. I wanted to grow veggies, shop for value not convenience, cook more of our food from scratch and in short become an efficient, productive housekeeper. What happened? A couple of years (and one final house-move) later, I found myself every evening after dinner, crying at the kitchen sink. I was tired and miserable. We were still buying lots of convenience foods and takeaways, there were no home grown veggies and I had no creative desires at all.

I won't go through all of the miserable details, but eventually I came to a turning point. A friend, to whom I will forever be grateful, advised me to seek medical advice on the tiredness. I had just put it down to the stresses of child-raising. I had a range of bloodtests done and sure enough, there was a medical issue. I had borderline Vitamin B12 deficiency. This was definitely causing tiredness as B12 is necessary to unlock the energy from food. As it advances, it also causes mood swings and if untreated leads to pernicious anaemia. Thankfully, mine was fixed with a dietary supplement and after a few months I gradually began to feel better.

At about the same time as I was addressing my physical condition, I began to blog. And read blogs. To me, this has been as important as the other changes. I knew what I wanted to do, ie. the efficient housekeeping. I just didn't have a plan or direction to go about it. Other blogs on simplicity, housekeeping, homesteading and gardening began to nourish that part of my mind and heart that yearned for that kind of life. I began to implement small changes- in the kitchen, in the garden, when shopping, etc. Also, for perhaps the first time I felt affirmation that the kind of life I wanted to live was a realistic alternative that could be done. I began to be more assertive and less defensive. Its amazing what a difference believing in yourself can make!

I still feel like a beginner. I still use too much plastic! I have a long, long way to go. But I believe I have forever to perfect it. And I love my 'new' life. I still have down days but I know they will pass. I pace myself and allow myself to make mistakes. My family is slowly, subtly, becoming supportive. And its true, I don't cry over the dishes anymore!

Another Yummy Recipe to Share- Date and Nut Bars

2009-06-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

I picked up a simple little booklet at the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) opportunity shop just off Shannon Ave in Geelong. It is impressively called "Magnificently Simple Marvellous Slice Recipes 2" Proceeds from the sale of the booklet go to MS assistance and research. If your local auxilliary distributes it, try to get a copy. Its full of very delicious-sounding recipes.

This one will become a family favourite:

Date and Nut Bars
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with brown sugar, then add melted butter to beaten eggs and mix with dry ingredients. Add nuts and dates.
Place in greased tray (lamington tray size) and bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes. Cut into bars while still hot.

Very nice!

Feeling chilly?

2009-05-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

Winter is well & truly here for many of us in the Southern parts of Australia & the cold, wet wintry weather always make me turn to my knitting & spinning. I have been knitting on & off for 30 years having started at the ripe old age for 6.. but be honest most of my knitting love only happened since my children were born just over a decade ago.

Since then a lot has changed. Now there are whole magazines devoted to knitting instead of just a pull out pattern in a women's mag & there is a HUGE range of yarn available instead of just scratchy old acrylics. We can access knitting patterns.. both free & ones you need to buy.. online. There are many websites dedicated to knitting including the wonderful Ravelry where knitters from all around the world share patterns, advice & friendship.

Online shopping has also lead to the increase in the range of yarns available.. more modern styles of patterns and a bigger fashion focus on knitted garments. It has also made it possible to purchase your own fibre very easily in beautifully carded prepared plaits. dyed or undyed... from the softest camel, bamboo, alpaca & merino's through to the more sturdy lanolin rich fleeces for beautiful outerwear. Many textile artists also offer batts for spinning.. lush little fibre bricks, in glorious colours full of sparkly bits, flowers. paper, fabric and other treasure for you to experiment with.

But what if you don't knit.. or crochet.. or spin. I often hear "Oh I'd love to knit but it's too hard" Umm.. no it's not! You learnt to tie your shoes.. you can learn to knit, crochet or spin.. it just takes a little practice.

Sites such as You Tube are full of videos on how to knit, crochet & spin. Ravelry has groups based in most areas of the world which often meet to knit, crochet or spin together & help one another with their skills.. many of these "Stitch n Bitch" groups welcome learners. There are also guilds in most countries & states where you can learn new skills, improve existing ones and meet with like minded people.

But why bother learning?

Knitting & crochet are valuable skills... you can create clothing that suits your particular body shape & measurements.. in your own favourite colours, textures and personal style. You can select the cost of the materials.. esp if you check auction sites & op shops for bargains... you can recycle old jumpers & turn them into something new. Knitting & crochet are portable crafts.. smaller projects such as hats or socks can be done whilst watching children's sport.. waiting at the doctors.. on long commutes to work.

Spinning gives you the opportunity to create your perfect yarn.. dye your own colours.. add sparkle.. make it as thin as lace weight or super thick & bulky... you can blend your own combinations of fibres to add a touch of Cashmere... or angora... or whatever else you fancy.

But most of all they are crafts that are fun & where you can choose every detail & express your creativity limited only by your imagination.

Are you worried about swine flu?

2009-05-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

As of this morning, the state of Victoria where I live has 96 (actually, I have since heard another figure of 53 Victoria/103 Australia) confirmed cases of swine flu. No deaths thus far, fortunately. In fact there haven't been fatalities in Australia to my knowledge. I've been following the whole swine flu thing with detached interest but now that it is spreading, I thought its probably time to get some information.

This article in no way constitutes medical advice. If you have concerns, do your own research and talk to your own doctor or health care provider. These are just some of my observations and websites that I have found.

Lets begin with the official channels that are relevant to Australia. The Australian Government site on H1N1 Influenza 09 begins here. The government's pages contain update bulletins on the spread of the virus, countries of concern and targeted information to Health Professionals, schools, businesses and individuals. The page for Individuals and Households has some good, basic advice on disease prevention as well as what to do if you are sick. Much of this in common sense, but we are all prone to forgetting common sense from time to time. If you are in contact with children and adolescents, it may be good to review this information as they seem to be particularly vulnerable to this strain of the flu.

The Resources and Links page on the government site also has information for travellers.

Swine flu symptoms are similar to those of seasonal influenza. According to an ABC news article , there may be many more mild or asymptomatic cases in the community that go undetected. One of the reasons being put forward for the high incidence of the swine flu in young, otherwise healthy individuals is that H1N1 Influenza 09 is closely related to the influenza of 1918 and that many older people have partial immunity due to previous exposure.

One thing that becomes quickly evident when you talk to people about swine flu is that it provokes a strong response in many. Just mention it, and some people will laugh at you for panicking. There is the "It won't happen here. Remember bird 'flu" reaction. Then there are those who have already bought masks and packed their emergency action pack. In between there is the middle ground, people watching and waiting to see if it gets worse before becoming too concerned. I guess that's me. The media is accused of beating it up, (and I must say I find the nightly vision of intrepid reporters banging on sick people's doors and hanging microphones over the fence invasive and a little stupid.) The government is also accused of creating panic but also of covering up and doing too little. I suppose we are a society of critics. We like to think we know a better way of handling things, and perhaps sometimes we do.

I found an interesting article, the title of which echoes my thoughts:
"Swine Flu: No one’s talking about building natural immunity". I read this with interest, as I have a great respect for natural therapies. This article has some advice on supplements that may help build immunity. Now I know there will be sceptics. But let me tell you a little story. In my family, we are 'atopic'. That means we are subject to the related conditions of ezcema, hayfever and asthma. Actually we don't get asthma but we get plenty of the other two. On a visit to the doctor when my son had a flare-up of ezcema, the doctor had just finished telling us which foods to avoid that would aggravate the condition. She prescribed a cream. I asked her which foods would be good to help his skin become more resilient. She scoffed a little and said that food doesn't help- you need medecine. Now wait a minute. If food can aggravate a condition, surely it can help. By the way, she is not our regular doctor.

So if you feel it has value, by all means research immune building foods and supplements. Almost always these are the foods that are recommended for a balanced, healthy diet so there is a lot to be gained in any case. Exercise and getting enough rest are important factors. Now don't skim over that last sentence! All of you late-night blog-reading people. I'm guilty of not enough sleep and exercise. Really, isn't it the old wisdom coming through- early to bed, early to rise. Eat your fruit and veg. Keep active and stay healthy.

Of course, there are no guarantees that doing all of these things will completely protect you. But if they improve your chances...

What about Tamiflu? This is another area of controversy. Going back to that ABC article on the flu, remember these syptoms-

Cough
Runny nose
Fever
Headache
Joint aches and pains
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea?

Now take a look at the common side effects of Tamiflu-

nausea (feeling like vomiting)
vomiting
stomach ache
These are the more common side
effects of TAMIFLU. Mostly these
are mild.

On the Tamiflu website much more serious side effects are possible. Take note of this warning:

"People with the flu, particularly children and adolescents, may be at an increased risk of self injury and confusion shortly after taking TAMIFLU and should be closely monitored for signs of unusal behavior. A healthcare professional should be contacted immediately if the patient taking TAMIFLU shows any signs of unusual behavior."

If you google "Tamiflu side effects" there are some truly alarming stories. Of course some may have no basis in fact, but if Tamiflu themselves admit there may be severe adverse reactions there is every reason for caution.

An interesting article on the role of vaccines in this type of outbreak is at The Medical Sanctuary. Whether or not you believe that these type of vaccines are primarily about profit, its always good to get both sides of the story. Did you know there was a swine flu 'outbreak' in 1976? More people died of the vaccine; only one died from the flu.

As usual, there are many issues, many viewpoints and often conflicting information. Getting accurate information is critical, yet who to believe? For instance, what I would like to know is how sick are these reported cases? How serious is the illness that has been occuring here in Australia? Positive test cases are being described as 'victims'. Its a little misleading as some are apparently recovering within a few days.

For myself and my family, we will focus on improved hygiene, immune boosting foods, and just generally being sensible.

Yummy Coconut Biscuits

2009-05-27T22:44:00.001-07:00

The biscuit jar was looking a little empty so the kids and I decided to make something to fill it. I have about 7 pages of different biscuit recipes in my recipe folder so I made a few suggestions and the kids chose coconut biscuits. This was our first attempt at making these and they turned out great although next time I might put a bit more flour and a little less sugar in them.

Coconut Biscuits - makes approx 35

1 cup sugar

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup coconut

125grams butter

1 egg, beaten

pinch salt

Mix sugar, flour, coconut and salt together. Pour over melted (cooled) butter and add beaten egg. Mix well. Roll into small balls and place on baking tray. Bake in preheated 180 degree celsuis oven for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the tray for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Happy Baking!

Feeling hungry? You will be when you check out this site!

2009-05-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

Old Aussie Food Recipes

I scored a nut loaf tin at the garage sales on Saturday and I stumbled across the Old Aussie Food site whilst searching for a recipe.

From Circles, Square Format (Squircles)

There's so much good old fashioned food on this site! Lots of yummy slices and cakes like Grandma made. There are also soups, stews, all kinds of jams and jellies, offal (if thats your thing) and stacks more. You'll also be treated to a liberal helping of Australian poetry, folklore, memories, artwork and good old-fashioned hints and tips ranging from stain removal to using your cufflinks if you can't find your bicycle clips!

Quite a lot of the recipes I've looked at are going straight to my kitchen. I'll ust have to remember my Farenheit conversions!

Make Your Own Stock

2009-05-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

In my cooking, I have evolved. In the early days, I was a stock cube girl. Crumbling those messy little blocks and trying to dissolve them properly was all that I knew. Then, I was transformed into a carton stock user. Flavoursome, quick and easy and no blobs of goo that wouldn't break up. But often the resulting stew or casserole would be a bit salty and the salt-reduced version lacked in flavour.

So I have come to the peak of my cooking evolution. I now make my own stock (most of the time, ok!) Making your own stock (bouillon or broth), is not difficult. It does take several hours to cook though, so best to do this on a day when you can be at home for a while.

I've tried chicken and beef, the beef from a recipe book and the chicken from my head. I won't tell you quantities or specifics because I'm sure this would work well with a bit of tweaking to your own taste and ingredients to hand.

One thing I learned from the recipe was that you get the best flavour if you roast the meat or chicken bones first. So put your beef bones or chicken frames into a lightly oiled roast pan and cook in the oven until nice and brown. (You could add herbs before roasting). When done to your liking, place in a stock pot and add onions, celery, carrots, peppercorns, a little salt if desired and whatever other vegetables and herbs you think will enhance the flavour of your stock. With the carrots, onions etc., just chop them roughly into large pieces. Use the leaves of the celery as well as the stems.

Fill the stock pot with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for anything from 1 to 4 hours. The beef stock I made was a four hour recipe. I don't think its strictly necessary to cook it that long, but it was a very tasty stock! Skim any froth from the top if necessary.

When your stock is ready, strain out the meat and vegies and allow the liquid to cool. You could use it straight away or refrigerate for a couple of days or freeze for a few months (check your freezer's recommendations for freezing meat based products.)

I measure my stock into 1-cup, 2-cup and/or 4-cup portions. Then it goes into clean plastic containers.

From Inside and Out

These take-away food containers can be reused many times for this purpose. When the stock is frozen, I transfer them into freezer bags and can re-use my containers. The stock bricks stack nicely in the freezer. You can defrost in the fridge, or slowly heat the frozen brick in a saucepan before adding to your cooking.

Budget Helper Update

2009-05-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

About 6 months ago I wrote THIS post with just a few of my ideas how to gain a little extra $$$ or goodies. Today whilst doing a quick survey I started adding up the last 6 months in my head & I'm rather impressed (lol although I do seem to impress easily!)

So what has the last 6 months brought?

Well......

I'm currently waiting on a $100 Coles Myer Giftcard from Your Voice
I have just over $50 in my Pure Profile account (although there was $27 in it 6 months ago!)
I received a $20 Coles Myer giftcard from Valued Opinions
I received a $30 Cheque from Emailcash
I received Neutrogena items worth $60 from The Soup
I received 3 boxes of a new Allbran variety from Yooster to trial
I attended one focus group discussion on TV & was paid $80.

There are also a few other dribs & drabs adding up about the place & I'm looking at a few other programs to see who else is using them & what the feedback is.

Whenever I receive a gift card I go & bank the same amount of money directly into my Christmas Club Account.. purely so I can't touch it. Through doing this, a small direct credit of that account on payday & by saving loose change I'm already 70% to my savings goal. If you are fortunate enough to receive a stimulus payment perhaps consider putting a portion aside in a similar account. The interest is usually better than an everyday savings one & you never know when it might come in handy!

So is anyone else having much luck with these sort of sites? If so I'd love to hear all about it :o)

Oh & the links to the sites mentioned are in the original post (link at top of this rambling).. sorry but I'm a lazy sod! LOL

When Things Get Crazy

2009-04-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Do you have times when living a simple life becomes a lot more complicated? I'm in that situation at the moment. If there's one thing that becomes apparent when you begin to live a more self-sufficient life its that it is not easy. Especially time-wise. It can be a full time job to make food from scratch, grow vegetables, knit and sew your own clothes and dishcloths, in addition to what we all do in terms of raising our children.

Maybe its just that I'm new at purposeful simple living. I'm not new at knitting, sewing or cooking but I'm new at putting it all together into a kind of alternative lifestyle. I don't want to revert back to grabbing convenience foods when I'm busy. I don't want to let the weeds take over the vegie patch. I don't want to multi-task everything anymore. I want to take the time to do every task well, not stressing about what's waiting when I finish. This is something I learned from Rhonda at down---to---earth

At the moment, many of those resolves are challenged. My son is not well and can't go to school. We are still trying to get a diagnosis. It is beginning to look like an anxiety thing, with physical symptoms. I am very concerned about how much school he is missing, as well as the social consequences. Of course, I know I have to be patient and work through the process of elimination that goes along with a difficult diagnosis. I try not to 'infect' him with my own anxiety but I know he senses it. And having him home all the time presents me with new challenges. Now, as well as all of the homemaker tasks, I have to educate and to some extent entertain my son. Five days a week. I can still do a little housework, but I have found that he gets very discouraged and distracted from his school work if I am not in the room. Also, he needs exercise and social interaction so every day or second day we visit someone or go for a walk. A small portion of each day he is left to his own devices and is quite happy to play computer games. Even though he is old enough to stay home alone for short periods, I don't like to do it too often.

Don't get me wrong, I would do all of this again and more, in a heartbeat. I will do whatever it takes to get him well and strong again. But in the meantime it is difficult to stay focused on consuming less, cooking more, etc. On the other hand, I am so glad that I don't work outside the home. How on earth do working mothers cope with ill children? At least I do have the freedom to be at home and care for him.

Is there a point to this post? I'm sure I had one when I started but I think it has turned into a vent. Sorry about that! I think I just wanted to share the fact that it isn't always easy to live this life. The appeal of convenience is strong and I wouldn't beat myself up over giving in once or twice. I still want to stay on track and I think I will eventually get a rythym going that works for us. It just needs tweaking a bit with these new circumstances. I may need to delegate more and get over my dislike of asking people to help once in a while.

Have you ever had a rough patch in living a simpler life? How did it work out for you?

"Green" Crafting...

2009-04-07T19:20:00.001-07:00

As I'm currently working on a Eco theme for a new collection (in regards to colour, materials, inspiration & sourcing..) I have been taking the opportunity to flick through my vast "vintage" craft pattern & book collection and compare them to my recently kicked craft magazine addiction.

The results were eye-opening to say the least! The shiny new craft magazines draw a lot of attention thanks to glossy photos and an abundance of projects using "ready-made" components where the papers are printed for you.. stickers are already sparkly, shiny, pretty, embossed etc.. yarn comes in multiple colours, fibre combinations and thicknesses, cross stitch panels are printed and so on.

We now have more items at our creative fingertips than ever before... all you have to do is pop down to your local craft store (& most resemble a large supermarket!!) and you are set! Just grab a project sheet and arrange your pre-assembled goodies as such & voila.. craft

In the past the majority of craft supplies came from items around the home. Quilters used old clothing, furnishing offcuts and embellished with whatever else they could lay their hands on. Fabrics were often hand painted, printed, smocked or embroidered to customise simple outfits and knitters relied heavily on different stitched to create texture and other techniques such as fair isle to create colourways.

There was also a lot of recycling happening that doesn't seem to happen as often as today. Old jumpers were often unravelled & re knitted... or felted into other items. Newspaper, magazines, plastics, alfoil and cardboard were all reused to decorate the home, provide useful items and just for fun.

The best part of looking through the old magazines etc is that it opens your eyes to new possibilities & learn ways of crafting in a more frugal and creative manner. You consider materials that you may not have otherwise and are encourage to hone skills, learn new techniques and begin from scratch.

The other advantage is that by avoiding the big stores you get to reduce the amount of wasteful packaging that comes with those items, save money re-using items you might not have thought about for that purpose and generally "craft" with a lighter footprint.

Any recycled crafters out there? I'd love to have a look!

What a Great Idea!

2009-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

I wish I had seen this when my boys were younger-
Cubby House
This gorgeous cubby that is custom made to fit over a table could be tailored to suit boys and/or girls. Embellished to any child's imagination- a castle for a princess, a cave for a pirate to hide his treasure in, a barn for a cowgirl to stable her horse in, a cosy house for a little homemaker. This would be a great project to get your child involved with the making process- choosing fabrics, design placement, even some simple sewing by hand or machine. Ooh, I want to make one. Maybe I could measure up one of my nieces or nephew's tables and make one for their little kids...

In our house the boys would have us place the living chairs face to face with the sofa and pile up all the cushions and pillows in the house for walls with blankets over the top. Fine, except if you wanted to sit in the living room! Growing up we had a spidery old woodshed in the back yard that did us for a cubby for a while.

What are your cubby house memories?

Aussie Farmers Direct is Coming to Geelong

2009-03-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for this! In case you haven't heard about Aussie Farmers Direct, this is a franchised business where farmer's produce is delivered to your door by the delivery driver, (the franchisee).
The business has been running in Melbourne for a while now and I see in Friday's Geelong Independent that they are selling five franchises (is that the correct grammar?) in Geelong so hopefully I will get to try it soon.
I don't know if I would use it all the time, or even if I will be happy with the products but it is reassuring to think that the produce will be Australian, often Victorian. And hopefully much more of the profit goes back to farmers, which was the original intention.
The website has grown a lot since I visited last year. I see there is a recipe section now; you can be sure I will be searching through that for some much needed new, healthy, not-too-complicated family recipes.
Have any of our readers tried this business before? How have you found it?

P.S. Not all Aussie Farmers' prices are cheaper- low fat milk is still $4.10 for 2 litres; most supermarkets are now cheaper since the milk tax was removed. But if the supermarkets are under paying the farmer anyway...

Obamas to Plant a Kitchen Garden!

2009-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have been following the Kitchen Gardeners International website for a while now. Through a long running campaign, they seem to have achieved the result they wanted. It makes for an interesting and often amusing read! If the American President can find time to weed the vegie garden...

A little update....

2009-03-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty quiet here for a while now as it appears that both Joanne & I have been busy so I thought I'd bore everyone senseless with what I've been up to! LOL

The past few weeks have been a de-cluttering exercise... it actually started in Feb as a short term goal but has extended well into this month & is likely to go into April too as I realise the extent of clutter thanks to 12 years in the same place! It never ceases to amaze me how many "things" I've held onto, doubled up on and generally forgot existed just because they were stashed away for safe keeping.

Slowly but surely I'm getting rid of the extras, both selling & donating... and trying to work out what is REALLY needed. I admit I am a Collector (aka hoarder) of craft items but I really need to start using up my stash instead of buying more.

I've also sorted out the herb garden and started seeds for my winter veg pots... and am looking at hijacking my brother's backyard for some veg as he has actual garden beds instead of the giant patch of evil couchgrass that I have.

So there you go... doesn't that sound exciting?? LOL

For those who haven't seen my personal blogs.....I also finished the main part of my Toy Society project Only have an egg & basket left to make... not too bad for a first attempt at a toy (I hope!!!)

I might be the last to know but....

2009-03-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Just in case anyone else hasn't heard there's this fab bunch of people out there who deliver joy to many on a regular basis... They are called The Toy Society ....

For quite a while I've been reading their blog and seeing all the beautiful toys and at times tearing up at the found stories... but one in particular has made me put my name down to join up and have a go.

Try reading this one without a hanky!

Guess I'll be adding this to my list of things to try on the weekend... can I tempt anyone else??

In Search of the Perfect Pot Scrubber...

2009-02-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is the quest I am on at the moment. My kitchen stand-by used to be one of those foam type yellow sponges with the green scourer on the other side. Since reading that those sponges harbour harmful bacteria and in harmony with my desire to find non-disposable everyday household items, I have been searching for the perfect pot-scrubber.

One suggestion that I tried with limited success was using a mesh produce bag. You know the orange plastic mesh that you get onions or oranges in? It was a little more abrasive than the dishcloth but awkward to work with and didn't remove all of the grime from the pans.

So I got to thinking that if I can knit a dishcloth, why not knit a scouring pad? All I needed was to find a coarse material that would have a mildly abrasive finish. I remembered that Rialla-T had some straw-like yarns for sale in her AussieBid store so I trotted off and bought myself a ball of bright yellow ribbon straw! The lovely Rialla-T, when hearing of my quest, threw in a couple of extras for me to try. Thanks! :-)

Last night I knitted up my scouring pad. Here it is, along with the latest dishcloth (bamboo yarn).

From Made by Me

The result? I'm still not sure. I knitted it in garter stitch, (every row knit), folded it in half and stitched the edges closed to form a pad. Dry, it felt just like it should- firm and a bit scratchy. Unfortunately, when it is wet it becomes quite soft. I had some burnt casserole remains that survived the dishwasher so they were a good test. The grime came off, but so did tiny flakes of yellow from the scouring pad. So I don't think this material will last much longer than a bought sponge.

The quest continues. I'm hatching another plan using some knitting nylon included in my package from Rialla-T. I'll keep you posted!

P.S. Is it any wonder those non-simple-life people think we're a little crazy? A quest to find the perfect pot-scrubber??!! Is that just a little weird? ;-)

False Economy??

2009-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

I've just been reading THIS article on how the Fast Food industry is booming during this time of economic crisis and have been quite amazed at reading some of the reader comments.

Surely there are tastier, healthier, quicker and cheaper options then hopping in your car & idling in a drive thru queue for 20 minutes? Tania's tasty sounding casserole would feed more for less $$$ AND give you the perfect opportunity to play "hide the vegies" to feed the kids... wouldn't take much longer to prepare either.

Am I the only person who still whips up a Sunday night Omelet or does the Beans on Toast option when I cant be stuffed cooking?

Do people really have absolutely nothing else in the house food wise & have to resort to takeaway....

Maybe I'm a lot stranger than I thought I was.......

Re-Stash a Crafter- a Lovely Post-Bushfire Initiative

2009-02-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hi to all our readers. I'm a couple of days behind in reading my own ever-growing list of followed Blogs. I have just come across this initiative for crafting bushfire survivors. I know I can help with some haby and fabric that I still have left over from my mail-order venture.

Its all of those little things, that would be low on a day-to-day priority list, that you imagine it must take many months, even years to build up again when you have lost everything.

I admire the people who organise these massive undertakings, for their compassion and energy.

Have a lovely, safe day everyone.

Book Review- Super Sandwiches and Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

2009-02-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

"Super Sandwiches and Healthy Lunchbox Ideas" is a little treasure I bought for myself when I was selling Avon. Just a pocket sized paperback, it is 80 pages of clever ideas and the simplicity of the recipes from easily sourced ingredients make it a perfect starter recipe book for a starter cook in need of confidence!

From Inside and Out

As well as home-baked goodies, there are suggestions for healthy snacky things to pack and some basic dietary reminders.

The book is written by Catherine Proctor and published by Jane Curry Publishing. I have obtained permission to reproduce a recipe here. Honey Bread is a favourite in my house. It is a delicious, moist cake-like bread, incredibly easy and can be made with soy milk rather than regular milk. One of my tribe is lactose-intolerant. The rest of the tribe are soy-milk-taste intolerant and this is the only recipe made with soy that everyone is happy to eat as the honey and brown sugar overpower the soy taste.

Honey Bread

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup warm milk (can substitute soy milk)
280 grams Self-Raising flour
1/2 cup cold milk

Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Place brown sugar and honey in a bowl and add warm milk. Stir to dissolve.

Stir in flour to make a thick batter. Gradually add the cold milk and stir until mixture is smooth.

Pour into loaf tin (the mixture will be quite fluid) and bake in oven for 45 minutes- 1 hour or until cooked all the way through.

Turn out onto wire rack, remove baking paper from base and allow to cool thoroughly before decorating. (If desired...my note)

Other recipes in the book include Basic muffins, Basic biscuit recipe, fruit leather, several dips, a yummy Meatloaf, chicken strips that leave McNuggets for dead, fresh spring rolls and much more.

If you can get your hands on this little book you will have all the lunchbox ideas you need.

A must-read for Homemakers!

2009-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

down---to---earth: The secret life of a happy homemaker

Homemakers don't often get recognition or affirmation. Much has to come from within; learning to value your accomplishments, taking joy in little things, repetetive things and the seemingly mundane. We know those little things add up to make life a safer, softer, more harmonious place for our loved ones. Reading a post like Rhonda's today gives us that little extra encouragement. Feelings of isolation, misunderstanding and self-doubt are pushed away when we read that we are not the only ones walking this chosen path. Keep up the good work, Rhonda, and homemakers everywhere.

Helplessness........

2009-02-15T03:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a very dark week for Australians..... the devastation we've seen..... & unfortunately some have been involved in ....... has been like nothing ever experienced in our nation short history ( I mean "since Captain Cook landed kinda short"... the history of this land goes back much further but that's neither here nor there in relation to my current rambling!)

The bushfires are still causing concern for many in Victoria whilst the top end of our country (Queensland) is suffering from extensive flooding affecting homes, jobs, quality of drinking water. access to food & medical supplies.

After seeing all these images and hearing all these tales (both depressing & uplifting), it's hard not to feel helpless. There are so many victims and so little money (well at least in my case!) Now there is a lot of ways to deal with this thanks to many great donation drives, knit a square groups, telethons and other blogs all over the net with fantastic ideas and incentives.

The only point I'd like to make is please look after yourselves and your families..... at times of complete media coverage of events such as these we can forget just how much information is filtering through to our young ones... and how it is affecting them.

I know things are unbelievably worse for those involved in both Vic & QLD & am not trying to lessen the importance and horror of their situations but please ensure that your children understand what has happened.. that they do not have any guilt over it (one of mine felt bad that she has toys & wanted to throw them out) & perhaps look at helping the older ones get involved by donating something, making a card or anything to help them feel like they can contribute.

I hope that I have not offended anyone by writing this... I am just very concerned about how much burden those little shoulders can bear. I wish I could take the pain from all those affected but all I can do send is to continue sending my love & prayers to them & knit a few more squares.

Why I'm still buying it!

2009-02-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I look lately there seems to be another blog, book, news story or discussion about reducing spending, turning backs on a consumer driven society and trying to find a frugal, more self sufficient & meaningful life.

I am another one of those people.... I do not like the cheap shops full of mass produced, imported, plastic with flashing lights, I do not like the clothing that is made overseas for a pittance & often by people around the age of my own children.... I want my children's toys to e safe, not brightly coloured chunks of lead & other toxic chemicals.

BUT... I still shop.

I know there's a lot of things that we can learn to make ourselves.... and make them to a degree where we enjoy them & have satisfaction in the creative progress.... however... I have to admit a few things!

Sewing is defeating me... or rather the sewing machine is! Maybe sewing machines aren't designed for people with MS numb fingers & slower reaction times?? (That's my excuse & I'm sticking to it!! LOL)
I have NO interest in learning how to make shoes or hats... yet I insist on wearing them.
Making soap & cosmetics is fun but takes up a lot of time... time that I'd rather be doing other things.
Sometimes I just want something because it speaks to me, moves me in some way or just goes with my outfit! It's not the "greenest" attitude but it makes me happy!

My children like toys but I don't want to have to make every single one of them... fortunately there are alternatives!

Thanks to the Internet we have access to incredible crafters & artisans.. people who can create beautiful things, unique things, with quality products & a desire to fulfil each piece to it's own potential. There are also a number of shops & organisations selling Fair trade products where the people making the items get paid a real, livable wage. There are also local businesses & individuals to explore because each have their own set of talents, skills & interpretations

So instead of not buying it I have decided to shift my financial support. What I can not make... or do not want to make... will come from those who can & do willingly & for a better quality of life. When you add up those impact costs of a persons life, environmental effects and questionable quality those cheapie "bargains" really can cost the earth!

Shopping Links

Aussiebid- Yes I'm biased as I sell jewellery & craft items there but there's a lot of very talented people (cough *Joanne* cough) selling there also! :o)

Madeit- The Aussie version of etsy... a real showcase of Aussie talent!

Etsy- The international showcase for crafters & artisans alike!

Oxfam- Fair trade delights for all

Wahmania- Work from home mums selling all sorts!

Oh & I know I've left eBay off the list... mostly because they give no recognition for handmade & put items in direct competition with cheap imports & fake designer knock offs.. I could go on but I wont! ;o)

So anyone got anywhere else they like to visit? It's always good to have a few sites to ponder for those gifts and thank you's that come up through the year....

Snack Attack...Share Your Lunchbox Fave's

2009-02-01T02:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, its that time again. What to put in the lunchbox. I'm sure things must have been much simpler in the 'old days'. Now there are so many choices; too many. And each school or preschool has its own rules and regulations. Nut free. Healthy Eating. Nude food (no wrappers). Ice bricks for meat and dairy. Fruit only 'snack attack' mid morning or mid afternoon.

Don't get me wrong, I think all of the above mentioned rules are for the better. I've been steadily moving towards healthier choices for several years. The hard part is coming up with a variety of interesting, healthy lunches and snacks that stay fresh in the lunchbox until they are eaten.

Some of my boys' favourites are:

Chicken wraps. Defrost a chicken breast or couple of thigh fillets in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I fry them while shredding lettuce and grating cheese. (You could use leftover cooked chicken from dinner or if supremely organised, cook it specially the night before.) Eldest has his with mayo, youngest sometimes likes some sweet chilli sauce. Wrap up the lot in a deli wrap or tortilla. I'm still looking for a suitable reusable container for this lunch so it will all stay together and not dry out or become soggy with condensation from the icebrick.

Tuna or salmon with crackers. I drain a small tin of fish and send it in a small tub with a fork. They like Vita Wheat or Saladas. Saladas have a fair bit of salt though.

Popcorn. We microwave ours and add a tiny bit of melted butter and light sprinkle of salt. Wait until cool before packing to keep it crisp.

Vegie sticks with dip or light Philly (cream cheese). I need to find some tiny reuseable containers that will hold a small amount of dip.

Frozen grapes, pineapple or watermelon. Frozen watermelon has a texture just like icypoles. It tends to melt as it thaws, though so they would have to eat this as early as possible.

There. I've already run out of good ideas and haven't even covered the first week. Please add yours here and we'll see if we can come up with a good variety.

P.S. To make sure your own lunch is as healthy as the children's, why not make an extra wrap or fruit snack box in the morning. As a SAHM, I'm guilty of often eating a quick lunch on the run which is not always as healthy as the one I give the kids. I plan to do make my lunch when I make the school lunchboxes and get it from the fridge.

Keeping cool for less (hopefully!)

2009-01-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

As I write this, SA & Vic have just begun a rather sweltering stretch of heat. Here in Adelaide it was already 40 degrees Celsius at 9am this morning & parts of the state will easily be creeping ever so close to that 50 degree mark!

It's tempting to just try to suffer your way through it to save money, but that can be quite dangerous even for otherwise healthy adults. Dehydration creeps up on us all slowly & heat induced sleep deprivation can be a major factor in car accidents & workplace injury. Of course the heat also affects the young, elderly & all animals & birds too.

Running air conditioners 24/7 is expensive, bad for the environment & if you live in an older part of Adelaide like I do... well it's a sure recipe for instant blackout!

So what to do??

Set your air conditioner to 26 degrees and run it when you are all in the same room, close doors & windows, hang a blanket over open archways and just cool the space you are in. 26 degrees is a lot more comfortable than the temp outside and much cheaper to maintain than 18 or 20 degrees.
Use fans when just in one area as they are cheaper to run & just cool us instead of the whole room. So when I'm working I tend to have one directed on me (unless I am soldering of course!)
Make sure you keep your hydration levels up, your body copes better with the heat when hydrated & keep in mind that children often forget to drink enough so keep them topped up with fluids. Place extra bowls of water out for pets in shady areas if you will be gone from the house during the day so they will not run out of water, plus perhaps place some shallow bowls of water out of cats reach, or fill your bird bath if you have one.
Quick cold showers just before bed help to lower your body temperature & can make getting to sleep easier.
Remember to keep an eye out on the young, the elderly & pets. Our furry & feathered friends suffer heat stress very quickly. Make sure they have access to shade & plenty of water. Freezer blocks covered with an old tea towel can be used to help cool down distressed animals & my old boy kitty loves them on days like this. Please keep an eye on any elderly neighbours too.

Well that's how we're planning on handling the next week.... well that & crossing fingers that the garden survives! If anyone else has any fave methods to keep cool please let me know.... from the look of it I'll have time to try out 100's!!!!!!!!!

A Cry for Help!!!

2009-01-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is not your regular post. Its not a tip, not advice, not suggestions. Its a cry for help!

****ANTS*****

They are everywhere. My kitchen is black with them. I try removing all food but its very difficult in a working kitchen. This lot are not interested in my homemade ant-rid (borax, honey & water).

Cinnamon or paprika on their trail doesn't stop them.

At the moment I'm spraying them with my vinegar/water cleaning solution. This kills the ones that are on the bench but doesn't prevent millions more following.

Any suggestions? Please? Save the sanity of a flustered mum. Natural, non-toxic except to ants, of course.

I await your miracle solutions....

EDIT- taking the peanut butter bait:

From Inside and Out

A Thrifty Heritage

2009-01-16T02:40:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned in my blogs before that my mother was very thrifty, frugal in fact. I should also mention my dad. Being born while WW2 was still under way, he grew up when times were tough in rural Victoria. He remembers having only bread in the house, which they softened with a little tea. The couple of die cast toy cars he had as a child are still in his possession.

So, like many of his generation who have since made their own way in the world, he doesn't throw much away. He still has the purple pants and paisley shirt that he is photographed in in the '70's. My cousins have borrowed them for fancy dress parties! And he has a cupboard full of work shirts. Clothes get downgraded, the oldest reserved for the dirtiest jobs but they don't get thrown out.

Lately, he has brought me some shirts that have worn out at the collars. I unpick the collars, turn them out so the underside is now on top and stitch them back on the other way. I switch the button and make a new buttonhole. You can see the shirt with the collar removed, and the worn and unworn sides of the collar below.

From Recycle, Repurpose

Perhaps you are thinking that factoring in the labour involved, (I take in ironing and mending and dad likes to pay me for my work), that it would be more worthwhile to buy a new shirt. But to dad they are still perfectly serviceable shirts and he will get many more years out of them so they may as well look presentable. This is a far cry from some people today who literally discard clothes because they lose a button!

So I have a very thrifty heritage. Both of my parents follow the Wear it Out, Don't Throw it Out philosophy. Their decisions were born of physical necessity in the hard times of post war growing up. My thrifty decisions are partly economic, partly in respect for the earth's resources. I know I will never look at a worn shirt in quite the same way!

No! Not the Google Fu!

2009-01-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie before I turn into a total blog hog! ( lol)

Google is my friend.... I couldnt even begin to tell you how many times I see something offline, dont bother to get the web addy & google it later.

But it looks like I might have to rethink my Google skills (great as they are) as Google led me to this today!

PERFORMING two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate a similar amount of carbon dioxide to boiling the kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.
While millions of people tap into Google without a thought for the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of carbon dioxide. Boiling a kettle generates about 15g.

Full article

Guess I'd better start paying attention & writing things down!!!

School holiday ideas.......

2009-01-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

By this time of the school holidays it can be difficult for children to find something to do. The weather can be a little too hot for much time outside and there's only so much they can "help" you with before you are driven to distraction!

So I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite ways to help them pass the time... and hopefully someone else will share theirs (please?? LOL) I'm not a big fan of letting kids plonk themselves down in front of the TV, game console, or computer for hours so we tend to look for interesting indoor activities.

Where in the world?

My eldest is starting high school in a few weeks time & will be starting to learn Italian, so this game originally started from her interest in knowing about Italy.

Each week the kids pick a country and find out what it's like to live there..... what their cities look like, what they eat, how they live and the answers to whatever other questions pop into their heads. My youngest likest to draw so she makes flags & draws scenes... my eldest likes to try to learn how to count in that countries language & how to say hello & other basic communication words.

We borrow library books and search online for information, borrow CD's & DVD's (also from the library), grab cookbooks & make food from that country & have even had "fashion shows" where the girls have tried to make their own outfits similar to what they have seen in the books and movies.

The fun usually lasts for a few days, it keeps them busy, exposes them to new ideas and a greater understanding of how different life can be.

Sometimes though they enjoy a little computer time...... in fact they'd rarely get offline if they had their way! Especially thanks to the ABC science site & all it's games! I guess at least they are learning something!

The current favourites are:

Planet Slayer

Catchment Detox

2024

So has anyone else got any different ideas for passing the time?? My few shreds of sanity thank you in advance!

Re-using pays in South Australia!

2009-01-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

Just a little reminder for any other South Aussie readers.... and of course a good move for anyone else....

DON'T FORGET YOUR RE-USABLE SHOPPING BAGS!!!!
(apologies for yelling...)

Here in South Australia the super annoying, environmentally destroying supermarket plastic bag has vanished off the face of the earth since Jan 1st. Great news for the environment & all the little creatures within it buuuuuut......

Make sure you remember your reusable bags! Stick them in the car boot, shove a couple in the bottom of your handbag, make your own attractive ones that you will love to take everywhere with you because if you forget you either have to try to juggle the 4kg watermelon, large packet of chops, bananas, zucchini, milk & potatoes back to the car .....

OR....

Spend up to another $5.00 buying another 2 reusable bags! Hmm... all the bags have seemed to have jumped in price by well over $1 in my Coles.... they were 99c before Xmas but now are magically around the $2.50 mark. Ouch!

After today's little lesson I think I'll be super gluing one couple in each hand.... or learning to carry watermelon on my head!

The Amazing Vinegar- A Need for Caution

2009-01-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

At present I'm reading "Organic Housekeeping- In Which the Nontoxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity" by Ellen Sandbeck. It is very informative and covers all areas of household management and how to do it better and greener.

But something stopped me short yesterday and had me scrambling for the computer and Google search. In the chapter on cleaning tools is this little box and I will quote it verbatim:

"Distilled white vinegar is the solvent of choice for many nontoxic cleaning jobs. A few years ago I was astonished to learn that in some countries white vinegar is made from petroleum. The best way to make sure that white vinegar is not made from petroleum- especially if you are outside the United States- is to look for Made from Grain on the label."

Wow. I'm so out of touch that if anyone had asked me I would have said white vinegar was made from grapes!! In fact it can be made from a whole range of products, anything that produces ethyl alcohol that can be converted to acetic acid. So I took out the bottles of vinegar that I have in the house and it was not very reassuring. My white vinegar is Aldi's Maryland label. It says "Made from fermented spirit". Now that's not very helpful. Spirit of what? And my Home Brand brown vinegar lists as ingredients "vinegar" and "colour 150c". Okay, but what is the "vinegar" made from? I knew that Australian labeling laws where not quite as transparent as they pretend to be. But I could be consuming a petroleum product? Or using it for eco-friendly cleaning purposes? No wonder the oil companies don't look too worried.

Here I will list some of the articles I found and you can see for yourself.

From the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration):
"Questions about the suitability of synthetic alcohol for use in manufacturing vinegar arose as early as l948." Back then they stated: "We believe that consumers generally expect the alcohol in food products to have been produced from fermented food substances, such as grains, fruit, etc., and that they do not expect their foods to contain 'alcohol' produced from petroleum gas." However, their new position is softened considerably: "Questions have been raised as to whether we can or should continue to consider synthetic alcohol unsuitable for food use" and subsequently "POLICY: Synthetic ethyl alcohol may be used as a food ingredient or in the manufacturing of vinegar or other chemicals for food use, within limitations imposed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Alcohol Administration Act, and regulations promulgated under these acts. "

From The Dirt Doctor:
"Natural vinegar contains at least fifty trace minerals. Vinegar that is made from the petroleum derivative, 99% acetic acid, is not acceptable in an organic program."

From Associated Content(this one is advertising for Heinz):
"The difference in Heinz and other cheap brand vinegars is that Heinz vinegars only use sun-ripened corn or apples and water. The cheap budget-brands got their alcohol content in the vinegar from petroleum."

It is rather a frustrating topic to find accurate information on. Many of the web articles are forums, eco friendly sites etc. that state opinions or hearsay. Searching "ingredients in vinegar" is totally useless as the results tell you that vinegar is made from acetic acid, or distilled alcohol but don't go into detail as to what those products are derived from. I did come across a Chinese company selling fuel pumps and equipment alongside vinegar pumps. And an American company called Oil and Vinegar.

The next time I go to the supermarket, I will be searching for a white vinegar that is derived from grain. Isn't it ironic that the world is turning grain into fuel for cars and industry, and on the other turning petroleum into food.

If anyone knows anything more on this topic, please share it with us.

Tip of the Day... Shop Around

2008-12-30T16:17:00.000-08:00

Heard that one before? Of course! I've just been grocery shopping this morning. 2 litres of lite milk at Aldi was $3.90ish, a bit more, almost $4.00. I was surprised and thought milk must have gone up in the past week, but decided not to buy it there as I had to go to IGA for some things Aldi doesn't stock. Guess what? IGA Community Benefits lite milk was still $3.19 for 2 litres. Now that's more like it. What is happening to Aldi? They are still cheaper on certain lines, but not on everything. So it bears saying once again....Shop Around!

The Most Comprehensive Blog on these Subjects...

2008-12-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

...is down---to---earth by Rhonda Jean. If you don't have it bookmarked, you should! I found it after starting this blog, which is probably just as well. If I'd already known there was such a wealth of information out there I may have been over-awed and not bothered with this one.
Rhonda's post today, 20 Tips for Living On One Income is, as always, very practical and a perfect place to start simplifying. Even if you have two incomes, the information is still relevant in difficult economic times.
For interest sake, and to see which points I can still work on, I will list Rhonda's points and my progress in those areas.

* Track your spending. I have done this for the past 6 months, recording all receipts under categories in a spreadsheet. I know exactly where our money is going.

* Work out a plan with your partner. Still working on this one.

*Include the children. My kids know that I am working on being more money-wise and are generally supportive.

* Speak to the bank if in trouble. No need for this yet.

* Make a budget. The terrible "b" word. We've talked about it but never actually done it.

* Cut non-essentials. We've never had cable, have cut down on takeaway drastically, and rarely spend on entertainment. My six month spend-tracker showed me that our supermarket bill is way too high- more than the mortgage. This was a shock and I'm working on it now.

* Keep talking to each other. Hmm, interesting.

* Assess accounts and change to cheaper plans. Occasionally I do this but could probably do it more often. Changing plans can be a hassle because the companies can change their product after you've signed up and you don't get what you want anyway (phone companies have done this to us)

* Check bank accounts and statements. I usually do this. A few years ago I found an overcharge where a restaurant had accidentally billed us twice and was able to claim one back.

* Play your role. I'm the one at home so I'm not so often tempted.

* Shop smarter. I usually check catalogues for specials and am prepared to shop at several stores to get the best prices. This was too difficult when my kids were little but now I shop when they are at school I can be more efficient and effective.

* Stop buying chemical cleaners. Working on this one. I still like my mild lavender disinfectant for the loo... maybe if I put some lavender oil in the vinegar mix.

* Trip planning. In 2008 my boys got suitable bikes (and locks) and are riding to school whenever possible. I try to plan trips to do as many errands/visits in one trip. I know I'm fuelling the car less often; some days my car stays in the carport. With the downturn in fuel prices, this is a good weekly saving.

* Read water & electricity metres. I haven't done this- it is definitely something to look into. Power bills are rising steeply and our winter bill is a killer.

* Plant vegies. Yep, doing that one!

* Make bread. Doing this too. Its cheaper, healthier, yummier and makes the house smell GOOD!

* Buy smarter. I get what I can in bulk, or at least bigger containers. I'm not against generic but some products are definitely inferior and many are imported. Geelong has a once a month farmers market- I don't know why I haven't been but I must check it out.

* Organise yourself. You can never be too organised. This is something I seem to be continually working on. The housekeeping journal is a good idea. I have some info in files on the computer- a folder would be more accessible.

* Dont' waste anything. I'm getting better at this. Still got a ways to go.

* Rediscover the library. Love my library (even though I may complain about it sometimes ;-))

Rhonda's article fills out the details of these points. See how many you can check off. No, its not a contest, its a life changing experience.

Getting a head start............

2008-12-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

If your life is anything like mine you might find this time of year a bit of a financial stretch! All the bills seem to come in at once plus there are seasonal celebrations and upcoming school fees, uniforms and endless summer weeks of bored children on school holidays.

I started a little fund towards this time of year last year & have found it very helpful so I thought I'd share it along with some ideas I have to take it a step further to help out this time next year.

Step 1......... Open a Christmas Club account at the bank. I know not everyone celebrates Christmas as such but it's the only bank account I've found that gives a reasonable interest rate on small deposits PLUS locks your money away until November unless you are happy to pay a ridiculous penalty fee..... it's a very easy way to save money!

Step 2..... Set up a direct payment from your main banking account that will occur every week, fortnight or month (when you get paid) Even if It's just $10 a week then you will have around $500 to play with this time next year!

Step 3..... Get a money jar or tin... I have a sealed one for gold coins (it's too tempting for me!) & one I can open for silver coins. At the end of each day all silver coins except for change for one phonecall go into the open tin & at the end of each pay week all coins (gold included) go into their respective tins.

Step 4.... Find out if your bank has a counting fee.... some banks charge you to bank your change... in the case of my bank they take around 20% if you take in over $30 of change at any one time. To get around this I make sure I never take in more than $30 of change. This means I take change with me to the bank quite often but my bank is very well located. Inform yourself of what fees you are likely to face and work out what will help you best.

Step 5...... Dont be afraid to feed the account.... if you use internet banking it is usually free to move money around your own accounts. Transferring an extra $5 every now & then can make a big difference at the end of 12 months.

By doing all this I hope to be reduce the stress this time next year & hopefully spend more time enjoying my family & friends....... maybe it might help someone else too?

From The Romantic to the Mundane... Literally :)

2008-12-19T03:53:00.001-08:00

I'm spring cleaning late this year. I didn't start until summer. But then again, its so cool at the moment that I can pretend its spring. Anyway, while reshuffling stuff at the top of my wardrobe, I came across a garbage bag and in it, this:

From Recycle, Repurpose

A little squished and with that strange smell unique to tulle, it is (or was) my wedding dress petticoat. Did I ever have a waist that small??!! Way back then I never thought of myself as thin, but I suppose I was. I never was waif-like, that I know. But I was still surprised at the slender waist of that petticoat. Along with surprise it dawned on me that I really am too sentimental. I keep things way too long. I have carried that garbage bag with that petticoat through all 11 of my house-moves. So while I probably never will be able to part with my dress, the petticoat goes.
About the same time, I saw a picture in a blog about home sewn bags for fruit and veg shopping and I knew what the petticoat would become. So yesterday and today I was busy on the machine, stitching up the proto-type. Ta-Da!-

From Recycle, Repurpose

A simple rectangle of tulle, folded in half and stitched along the bottom and one side; finished off at the top with a piece of ribbon folded over the raw edge. The ribbon also serves as a casing for a piece of hat elastic. I have left enough room to fit a large apple, or head of broccoli, etc. through, but made it closed enough to stop fruit falling out easily. So far I have sewn five of these. Two have been made without the elastic, for lettuce, cabbage or other larger items.
So no more of those plastic-bags-off-the-roll for me! Over time, I will see how they wash and wear. There is still plenty of fabric from that old petticoat to make more.
You could use any light, sheer fabric for this type of bag. The tops could be hemmed, or even just zig-zagged if the fabric is pretty stable. Just remember to keep them light so you don't pay more when they are weighed and see-through is better for the staff at the green grocer.

A Milestone! First Knitted Dishcloth. :)

2008-12-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this seems like a big deal; its such a little thing. I've just knitted my first dishcloth and the plan is to phase out those throw-away Chux. Mind you, I've always washed and reused my Chux several times, then they become laundry/garage rags. However, recently they have changed the Chux so that they stretch to many times their original size in the wash and are almost useless.
So, here is the first of my dishcloths:

From Made by Me

I feel like this is a milestone along the road to a simpler, more frugal, less wasteful life. Dishcloth no. 2 is on the needles at the moment.

School Holiday Sanity Savers!

2008-12-10T11:56:00.002-08:00

They're coming.... and there's nothing we can do to stop them. No, not alien invaders, not a plague of locusts. Its the school holidays. Weeks and weeks of children at home. Your kids' school may have already finished for the year. Mine finish up next Thursday. Most years we go away to the beach for two weeks so the time leading up to that is rest and preparation; the two weeks are heavenly and then there are a couple of days until school goes back. Not this year. We are not going away so I will have to come up with interesting things to do once the boredom kicks in.

Here is a list of some things I have in mind so far:

1. They can host a lunch for their friends. The boys could invite a couple of friends over for lunch. A day before, they plan a basic menu and we shop for it. On the morning, they can prepare the food. They've been dying to use the punch bowl so they can make up a fun, fruity, fizzy punch. As well as being a novelty and lots of fun, they will be learning food preparation, the cost of food and how to entertain.

2. Go to This Post by Julie at Simple Green Frugal Co-op and brush up on your homemade messy-stuff skills. We'll be trying the paint and the salt dough. The thing about kids, even at preteen age is that they will stick at things longer if you do it with them. If I set up paints, sit down and start painting something it won't be long before they join me. They will often copy what I do first, then branch off on their own.

3. Eat al fresco. Every time we BBQ on the back porch the boys say "We should do this more often". Yes, its a little more work to cart everything outside and back in again but its worth it. We set the outdoor table properly and as the BBQ is right by the table, everyone sits around talking. In the school holidays there is no need to get to bed early every night so afterwards we may light the patio heater if its coolish and sit around swatting mozzies for a little longer. They love it! (And so does the dog, who gets the scraps.)

From Feathered, Furry or Finned

4. Spend a morning picking out books at the library. This has extra benefits in that they have the books to read when they get home. If your kids are younger, check out the in-house holiday offerings at your library. Ours has story telling hours and activities for littlies.

5. On the subject of reading, don't think your children are too old to have stories read to them. We got out of the way of it for a while when they were quite happy to read their own books in bed. But recently we have begun again and once or twice a week I read to them for half an hour or so. We are doing a Star Trek novel at the moment. During the holidays, we may read occasionally in the daytime. I want to find out what the secret of The Garden is myself!

6. Running and playing. Art, craft and reading are all very well but I have been blessed with boys! And they need to run of that there is no doubt. My husband will no doubt take them for a few bike rides and for a hit of cricket at the park. If he is busy with work, I will step up! I have a backlog of quilt mags to read so I'm quite happy to sit under a tree at a park while they play.

7. Local museums and places of interest. Check your local paper or council website for open days and cheap or free holiday deals. The Cement Works museum is a local volunteer staffed museum with many old and interesting artifacts, from everyday life as well as cement factory history. A gold coin donation is asked for entry, which I am happy to pay.

8. Veg about. If you have a vegie patch, most kids will be happy to spend some time planting and picking. Let them have some say in what is grown. Assign them watering duties.

9. Chill! Despite what the kids may think, every moment does not need to be planned. Yes, they will get bored. And sometimes you will need to do other things, like work. Or clean the loo. Or make phone calls. Kids need to know that they will not be entertained every moment of their lives. Boredom is a necessary step along the way to self-motivation. When they get bored enough, they will find something that interests them. "If you are really bored, I'll find you a job to do," is a powerful motivator in itself. Sometimes they will shock you and answer "OK, what do you want me to do?"

From Inside and Out

So there are a few ideas for no- or low-cost holiday activities. If you have any more, I'd love to hear them... please add a comment.

Transform Homelessness

2008-12-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

Help Mission Australia raise $60,000 to aid Australia's homeless. All you need to do is spent 2 minutes of your time to make a butterfly HERE and Bayer will donate $1 on your behalf.

Pass the link onto as many people as you can. A few seconds of your time can make a lifetime of difference to someone else.

Thanks :o)

A Few Thoughts About Trees

2008-12-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Warning: This piece may sound distinctly like tree-hugging. If you don't like tree-hugging, turn away now!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in any field, let alone horticulture, biology, geology, meteorology or any other ology. The thoughts contained in this article are purely that, my thoughts and speculations. If anyone has anything educated to add, feel free!

There, that's the legalities out of the way. Now to the trees. I like trees. They give us shade in the summer, branches for kids to climb or to hang things from, some give us fruit, some timber and they give budding photographers endless subjects to choose from!

From In My Neighborhood

From My Town

While I guess I'm not alone in loving trees; most people like trees on a mountain, in a jungle, palm trees on a beach; there has been a bit of a lag in their popularity close to home. Not many people have trees in their yards any more. Perhaps for safety issues, to make room for extensions, subdivision of house-blocks, too much shade, too many spiders.... whatever the reasons. And with many new subdivisions having the largest possible house on the smallest possible piece of land, the trend is not likely to be reversed. In fact, not only trees but also decent-sized shrubs are often missing from modern gardens. Now maybe you're thinking that Australia's dry conditions make this a sensible way to go. I'm not so sure.

Television garden gurus for several years have been promoting modern gardens that are becoming less and less to do with the plants and more and more about the structures and furnishings. Is this such a good plan? It may use less water. But here is where my thinking seems to differ from the current popular view. Plants are natural water recyclers. Yes, they take in water, but they also transpire, or release water back into the atmosphere, through their leaves. That's why its generally a lot more pleasant to sit under a shade tree on an extremely hot day than on a porch or verandah. The water from the leaves cools the air slightly as it evaporates. Now look at cacti and succulents. Their 'leaves' are designed to minimise the release of water. Sure, they don't need as much to survive, but they horde what they recieve. So does this mean that if we all planted cacti and spiny-leaved drought tolerant plants, we could be contributing to less water being returned to the atmosphere to fall again as rain???

Are you following me so far?

Recently, I have heard a garden guy on TV advocating a return to lawn. Not thirsty English style lawn, but tougher, hardier varieties that need less water. He reasoned that cities where everything is concrete and the few gardens that exist are the 'pebbles' kind, are always warmer than areas where there are gardens with real plants. He said that lawns actually contribute to cooling the air. Adding my thoughts to his, surely more trees, shrubs and lawns would also be able to process more carbon dioxide. Remote plantations of trees for this purpose are all well and good, but it needs to happen in every neighborhood to some extent.

I can't help but think that trees fell prey to the 'need' we had for everything to be more convenient. No messy leaves to clean up, overhanging branches to be removed. Smaller blocks, bigger homes. Using less water may have been a socially acceptable explanation. But the landcare people and 'greenies' have said all along to try to plant trees and plants that were originally native to your area. I think introduced species can work alongside them if you are careful. Pop-culture garden fads may give you the latest look but are they really in your best interest? If we all plant cactii, are we desertifying the world one backyard at a time?

And there are my thoughts on trees for today.

From My Town

Links Kidzone The Water Cycle, Wikipedia Water Cycle, Wikipedia Transpiration,
Transpiration- How Much Water Does a Tree Transpire in One Day?

Budget Helpers

2008-11-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

For most of this this time of the year can be a little tight... holidays, upcoming uniforms, school shoes. school fees, camps and other commitments can leave you feeling a little stressed over the family budget... add to this the fact that all of the utilities all seem to magically bill you at this time too!

So I just thought I'd add a list of a few little sites that can help out with some treats & some extra cash. You may already know most of them & I'd love to hear of any others! Every little bit counts... especially this time of year! (Can you tell I have one just about to start high school?? *Eeeek* at the cost!)

The Soup : This is a sample testing website/survey site... they do not contact you that often but when they do it's for quality products. I have 2 full size name brand skincare products coming shortly for me to trial and comment on.

Yooster: Similar to The Soup.. it is a site based on you trialling products. The 3 trials I've been involved in have included Dove haircare products, Blackmores fish oil capsules & Nivea Skincare. In all trials I received full size products (including 200 fish oil tablets). They also do not contact you often but you can go to the site and complete polls to help them build your profile (I dont bother but still get picked sometimes)

Vibe Village: Yet another product based site.. this one also has packs for people willing to hold little parties in their houses to share the product love around.

Survey Sites
These ones pay in "points" which you can cash in for vouchers or goods... or in cash.

Your Voice: Run by AC Nielsen.. a great site.

pureprofile: pays cash direct to your bank account.

Valued Opinions: Redeem via gift cards

My View: Pretty much the same as above.

There are a lot more out there but some of them come & go in the blink of an eye. If anyone else knows and reliable, reputable sites I'd love to know. None of the sites above send out any spam mail or screen you out for no reward 20 minutes into a survey! It might not seem like big rewards like some other sites may promise (like the dodgy ones that claim you can make $75 plus an hour!) but every cent helps! (Or in my case... free skincare to hide those stress lines!!!!LOL)

Breadmaker Success!

2008-11-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

For a while we have used the breadmaker for our daily bread. A friend of mine asks me every now and then "Have you made raisin bread yet?" It is a huge favourite at her house. So I finally got around to it and now its a huge favourite at our house!

From Inside and Out

It rose beautifully and was every thing good bread should be; a bit crusty outside and wonderfully soft and moist inside. The recipe was from the breadmaker's manual.

Selfsufficientish....

2008-11-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

Selfsufficientish.com is a website that I came across recently. Now it may not be Australian, but it is an entertaining look at 'urban homesteading' with plenty of tips and advice- some serious, some decidedly looking on the lighter side.
I thoroughly recommend that you study carefully 66 Uses for a Bread Bag by the ishers!
The recipe section has some promising low-cost meals and the vegie and herb advice could be adapted to local conditions.
There are lessons on homebrew and even buying your first sheep!

Easy peasy: starting with simple seeds

2008-11-22T01:54:00.001-08:00

Do you ever grow vegies from seeds? Why not- too risky? In fact, some plants grow faster, better and stronger from seeds than seedlings. It's also cheaper, especially if you share a packet of seeds with a friend. The trick is to choose 'simple seeds'. And by simple I mean BIG. Folks, let me introduce the Duplo™ of seeds:

Beans: Climbing beans are good value because you get lots of food from a small area. Ask at your local nursery about a suitable variety for your area. I'm in Melbourne, and I like Blue Lake, because they're tender, tasty and easy to grow. Pick the beans while they're quite small and they'll keep fruiting for weeks.

Beans grow better from seed because there's no transplant shock. They're big seeds, and you just push them into your prepared soil to a depth about twice the diameter of the seed itself. Water them in, then don't water them again until you see the shoots poking through the soil- if they get too much water before this point, they may rot. They need something to climb, and will twist around a string stapled to the fence, a stake or a wire trellis.

If you can grow beans, you can also grow peas. They prefer colder weather and are not as productive as beans. They need a trellis to cling to.

Zucchini (courgettes): These are fun to grow, and you only need a couple of plants to feed a family of four or five. They grow best from seed. Prepare soil and put in two seeds for every plant you want. Water the seeds in. If both seeds sprout, pull out the weaker seedling. Keep up the water and use a liquid plant food for vegies, such as Seasol or Charlie Carp.

Zucchini have male flowers,shown on the left of the picture, and female flowers, on the right. The female flower has a mini proto-zucchini beneath the flower. This proto-zucchini will grow when the female flower is fertilised with pollen from the male flower. You can leave it to the bees, or give it a helping hand by collecting pollen on a cotton bud and dabbing it onto the female flower.

Zucchini grow fast. Pick them they're small and the flowers will keep coming. Neglect them for a few days and you'll be able to hollow them out and sail them down the river.

If you can grow zucchini, you can grow pumpkins, squash and cucumbers. Good luck and buon appetito!

If you blog about your vegie patch, come along and join the Veg About!

Summer Sensory Overload!

2008-11-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Summer is a great time to get a healthy eating plan back on track. I know I am much less inclined to look for that heavy 'comfort' food when the weather is warm. On the other hand, in the cold weather I don't really enjoy cold salads but now that it is warmer, they are unbeatable.

From Closeup and Macro

And as for fruit- there is so much that is truly delicious to choose from. Walking through my favourite greengrocer this morning, I was aware of the sensory overload of the season. White nectarines- is there scent like it? And apricots with their fuzzy warm skins. Piles of cherries with their rich red hues. And figs with their unique sugary-seedy centres. Warm breeze on your skin, sweet scents in the air, flowers and sunshine, people out walking, the prospect of barbecues and picnics to come. Even the humble clothesline is improved; have you ever noticed how fresh the washing smells when you bring it in after a day in the warm sunshine?

So I'm going to make the most of summer. Sweet fresh fruits and crisp vegetables (hopefully many supplied from the MTV!). Lots of fresh air and exercise. Catching up with friends we haven't seen much of through the long sick months of winter. Getting our immunity back on track, and thinking up some strategies to keep it from slipping back next autumn.

Garden Update

2008-11-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

The vegie garden is coming along. I thought I would post some pictures.
This is where many little vegies begin their perilous life:

From Inside and Out

Its a converted aquarium which does tolerably well as a hot-house for seedlings. Initially, I would break up the egg cartons and plant them into the ground with the seedling. The theory I read somewhere was that the cardboard would break down and serve as mulch. I found that in practice, the breaking down takes too long and the seedling's root growth is stunted. The aquarium also allows for the occasional day when you forget to water as the seedlings stay moist for longer.
And now we move on. My husband is also keen to grow in the backyard and is a keen handyman. He is happiest when out in the yard, working on a project. And when something gets his attention, he is very thorough. Hence the "Monument to Vegies" (his own tongue-in-cheek title), from here on refered to as MTV:

From Inside and Out

Redgum posts, neat rows of inset bricks on concrete foundations, a crushed rock path, chicken wire all round and a welded steel gate, the latter not finished off yet.
In the MTV so far are:

From Inside and Out

A row of cherry tomatoes, capsicum, carrot and spinach sowed direct, some transplanted spring onions and a self seeded pumpkin. There are some red lettuce which are in pots to minimise bug damage.
Almost ready to pick are the peas:

From Inside and Out

I'm just waiting for them to plump up a bit. I don't think there will be enough in one go for a serve of peas at dinner, more like toss a few in with a salad. But its been fun and they were my first current project so I treasure them!
You may also have noticed in the MTV are two large blue barrels. These are catching rain and dew from the shed roof. We will also use this,

From Inside and Out

which was collected from last night's heavy rain off the house roof.
So I hope you are inspired- a bit of initial work at the beginning- not everyone needs an MTV- followed up by a couple of minutes maintenance each day and you're on your way to your own vegie garden!

A little challenge...........

2008-11-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

As I lean more towards becoming aware of where my purchases come from, how they are made & how they affect us & our world, I've tried to learn a lot of new skills.. from cooking from scratch, to growing produce, to craft based skills.

As I cant seem to focus on everything at once I thought I will pick 2 areas.. one food related & one craft related and set myself the challenge to achieve a desirable level of ability in them. I figured that I should be able to achieve this by the New Year.

My two challenges will be

Meat free Mondays - we eat too much meat! It's expensive, not overly good for us (esp with Miss K's heart issues) and the environmental impact is huge! So I will try to learn some vegetarian cooking skills & hope the girls will eat it!!!!
I need to learn how to sew!! Sounds simple to many but I am going to have to teach myself. I want to be able to make a simple dress or skirt by New Years Day.

I will update progress regularly over at Holding on with Both Hands (even if it's horribly embarrassing!)

Anyone else up for a little challenge?? 2 different areas & 2 new skills! I'd love to see what we can achieve!

Tip for the Day- Think Ahead Meal Planning

2008-11-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

I never have been able to plan meals a week in advance. For one thing, my Significant Other works irregular shifts and has an irregular appetite to match. Some days we don't feel like a heavy meal and some days its just me and the kids and we are happy with what I call "pantry food". If I was to buy a week's food supply based on a set plan, likely a lot would be wasted.
I have found that planning today and tomorrow works better for us. For instance, the other night we had lamb kebabs with rice and a salad. I doubled the rice and put half aside for fried rice the next day. The rice for Fried Rice is better cooked the day before anyway.

Food on a Budget!

2008-11-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

Yes yes I'm using that awful word... "Budget"... but as petrol prices, bills and food items all increase.. well lets just say that it will be a lot less scary to learn to love that word sooner rather than later!

Eating on a Budget usually conjures up images of baked beans on toast... or 2 minute noodles.. or even breakfast cereal dinners BUT the reality is very different! With a little planning you can eat incredibly well for much less than you ever thought. All you need is a couple of hours a week & some simple steps.

Find out what's available to you! Arm yourself with your local Yellow Pages and/or local newspaper and see what Farmers Markets, Food co-ops and Wholesalers/Factory Outlets are near you.
Look online. There are many online Fruit & Veg companies willing to deliver gorgeous cheap seasonal produce to your door.
Recruit Friends & Family- Many items are cheaper in bulk - from fruit & veg through to meat and dry goods. This also applies to pet items such as litter & food (especially from larger stock feed stores)
Menu planning is essential. Sites like Taste allow you to search for recipes by ingredient, making it simple to throw together a meal. By having a plan there is no need for the 5'o clock panic rush to the local takeaway.
Cook from scratch wherever possible! I spend most of Saturday afternoon cooking with my daughters. We make anything from cakes & biscuits through to sauces & homemade cordials. That way we are prepared for the week ahead.

By implementing these steps over the last 3 weeks I have decreased my weekly shopping bill by $50 a week and each shopping week is getting cheaper as I learn new skills. For the very keen even more savings can be had by

Growing your own food! Work out what your main vegetable expenses are & grow your own. Children love to watch their food grow before their eyes & it does encourage them to eat those vegies up!
If you have room (& council permission) why not have a couple of chooks... or ducks...or other poultry? They make great pets when handled from young and you will know how fresh your eggs are!

Just remember you don't have to eat Baked Beans on toast......... but if you really want to then please at least make the baked beans yourself... they'll taste so much better & be an even bigger bargain!

Tip of the Day

2008-11-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

Summer water restrictions have just come into force here- gardens can only be watered for one hour, twice a week. Its just not going to be enough for the vegie patch and we don't yet have a water tank.
In my kitchen, it takes a minute or two for the hot water to start flowing so for a while now I have been collecting that cold water in a bucket. It was pretty shocking at first to discover half to three-quarters of a bucket had been going down the sink each time! Now that fresh clean water goes on my vegies.
If you don't need it for the garden or have plenty of tank water, you could still catch that water and use it for rinsing the dishes or put it aside for drinking water.
I've also just started to save cooking water from vegies, pasta, rice etc. When cool, that can go on the vegetable garden too.
P.S. Some of you have probably already been doing this for ages.... I can be a bit slow to change my habits at times!!

New Feature- Links by Category in the Side Bar

2008-11-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that my co-authors and I will unearth many great links to features on our thrifty themes. So that they don't get lost in previous posts, I have introduced some link lists in the side bar of We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow. So you won't have to go searching through stacks of old posts.
The first couple of links are up, and I have quite a few more that are I'm still researching so stay tuned.
To Rialla-T and Honey Bear, you should be able to add your own links through the edit function.

New Uses for Old Favourites

2008-10-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I collect doilies. I'm not sure how it started. One pretty bit of lace from an op-shop, a couple picked up here and there at garage sales. Before I realised it, I had a collection on my hands. Some of them are catalogued in my Picasa album here.

Now I only have a couple of places where doileys are practical in my home, however I like to interchange my favourites so I can enjoy the delicate tracery of their varied patterns. But lets face it, unless you have old-time traditional decor, doileys can be a little out of place, even if your home is not overly minimalist.

So what other uses can they be put to? After all, household textiles like doileys, table-cloths and even the humble tea towel were made to be used. Here are some ideas for the lacy doiley:

~Overlay them onto romantic floral fabrics in one of the many beautiful fabric bag patterns available today.
~Stitch them onto contrasting plain fabric and use as a block for quilts or cushions
~For a particularly delicate vintage piece- carefully fasten to a backing and frame in a square frame. Hang several together for a striking display.
~Add beads to the edge to make a jug cover. A larger, rectangular piece like a runner or bridge cloth could also be weighted at the edges and used as an al fresco food cover.

Even old, stained pieces can be utilised:

~Cut away damaged parts and use the good parts as above, in bags or quilts, with the cut edge sewn into a seam
~Use an inexpensive or stained piece as a stencil; lay over calico or other plain surface and spray with dye or paint medium. Spray a little at a time, checking for desired effect and not saturating the doiley (or the colour will soak through where it shouldn't)
~Or, try dying the doiley itself. Be aware that some stains will darken as the fabric darkens so they may still be visible.

If your piece is very old, unique and handmade, it may still be valuable even if it has some damage so I'm not encouraging cutting up and dying of antique textiles here! But if we think outside the proverbial square, old can be combined with new and new life can be given to items that were made to be used.

Examples from the "Making Box"

2008-10-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Further to Rialla-T's post below, this is the latest addition to Paper City that my boys made in the last school holidays.

From Blogger Pictures

(I also put aside used computer paper. You know those ones that just print three or four lines at the top of the page. I trim the clean part away and put it out for scribble paper or for use with the "Making Box".)

Saving Money: Australian Freebie & Discount Websites

2008-10-28T03:47:00.000-07:00

This is my inaugural post as an author for We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow.

I have been thinking about what I could contribute to this blog that best meets it's objectives.

I came up with several things that I hope will be useful and of interest to readers:

Saving Money
Gift Giving
Gift Making and
what's available on the internet that can support these themes.

So, for my first post I would like to introduce readers to some of the websites that I subscribe to that offer either lots of free stuff, discounted stuff, offers or free shipping.

All the website's below have free subscription and are national, I have not included any international sites in this list.

FREEBIES:

1. Oz Bargains - emails of the latest freebies/discounts/offers. Great site.

2. Johnny Bargain - very similar to Oz Bargain - this site has divided it's offers/freebies etc. into categories.
3. Totally Awesome Freebies - similar to Johnny Bargain

GENERAL DISCOUNTS/DEALS/OFFERS:

1. Deals Direct - Australia's #1 Online Department Store.
2. Catch Of The Day - offers one different bargain every day.
3. OO - an online mega store
4. Top Buy - an online mega store - with subscription you also get an email with the "Steal of the Day"

PERFUME & BEAUTY:

1. Strawberrynet - free shipping world wide (except perfumes due to special shipping procedures), discounts and loyalty bonuses. See site for further details.
2. Perfume Shop - discounted perfumes
3. Skincare Store - discounted skin care & cosmetics - free shipping
4. Fresh Fragrance & Skin Cosmetics - free shipping and will price match.

Crafty Kids

2008-10-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

As a parent I am often concerned about the amount of time my girls spend in front of TV's... whether it be watching TV, playing video console games or on the computer. To try to combat this we looked at a few different crafts until we found ones that they could both try & enjoy.

The advantages of letting children take up a craft are many....

Unlike Video games, it doesn't have to be expensive
It's a great opportunity to recycle
It stimulates their creativity
It teaches problem solving & lateral thought
It's a great way to spend some quality time

Craft can be introduced from preschool years right through to teens. A simple "busy box" containing toilets rolls. pop sticks, pipe cleaners, fabric offcuts, magazines, brightly coloured cellophane & cereal boxes will appeal to most young children whereas pre-teens & teens may be lured by the thoughts of jewellery making (beading, wire work, silver smithing, plastics, polymer clay), fashion (sewing, knitting, spinning, crochet, millinery, leather work) or Art (drawing, painting, scrap booking, stamping, card making, embroidery, cross stitch, latch hook, stained glass, clay sculpture, wood work, metal work) just to name a few!

You never know.... you might not have to hear "Muuuuummmmm.. I'm bored" ever again. (hmm... but I wont make any promises there! lol)

What to do with old clothes and manchester.

2008-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I definitely take after my father. He doesn't like to throw anything out. Here's an example- when my husband and I moved into the first home we bought, I took down the curtains for washing. The shock was too much for the poor old things and they largely fell apart. Being a keen sewer, I bought some cheap fabric from the discount fabric store (Joy's Warehouse- look it up if you're ever in Geelong) and whipped up some quick replacements. Along comes my Dad and he sees the sad remains of the old curtains, on their way to the garbage. "They'll be good for my garage," says he and so the 'best' of the curtains go on to a new life in Dad's shed.

The older I get, the more I hate throwing things out. I'm not fanatical, but I may be by the time I'm 60 or so! I have to be careful that I don't end up one of those old ladies with every room stacked to the rafters with old junk. And cats. But that's not likely because although I love all animals, I am allergic to cats!

Getting back to the point of this post, here's what I do with old clothes and manchester:

If the item is in really good condition, such as little worn kids clothes, it goes to a friend or relative with kids of suitable age. Really good men's or women's clothing may be listed in my AussieBid store for sale. Anything else goes into the op-shop bag or box. Once every couple of months, this box is full and goes to the charity of my choice.

If the item is a bit too sad to expect someone else to appreciate it, it gets broken down into its smallest useable parts. Old towels get demoted to the laundry. Really old laundry towels get the raggedy bits cut off and become garage rags. Old sheets are also cut down for rags. Flat sheets (why do they still sell flat and fitted sheets in sets??) are stored in the laundry as drop sheets for painting. I have thought about trying to make them into fitted sheets while they are still new but haven't got around to that yet.

Old clothes have their buttons removed (into the button jar with you, my pretties!) Then I cut the pieces of the garment away from their seams. You can get 5 good sized garage rags from a shirt- the back, front left, front right and each sleeve. My husband really likes the stuff t-shirts are made from for polishing rags.

An avenue that I am just beginning to explore is in regards to clothing that is in good nick but just not quite right. I have a pile set aside for embellishing/ adjusting/ rejuvenating. I hope that with a few small changes I can turn some of them back into wearable items. Or bags. Or a range of kids' clothing. Or waggas. You get the picture.

What do you do with your discarded fabric items like clothing and manchester?

Practical Bulk Buying for the Kitchen

2008-10-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

You can save quite a bit in the long term by buying products in bulk and decanting into smaller, easier to use containers. I do this with olive oil, tomato sauce, rice, coffee and flour.

From Blogger Pictures

In addition to the bulk price being cheaper I don't run out as easily, which saves emergency trips to the supermarket. A few months ago I bought bread-making flour at Safeway (the high-protein kind especially for bread dough), and I paid $3 or $4 for 500 grams. Next time around I went to Penguin Foods, formerly the Belmont Bargain Bin, and was able to get a 25kg bag of baker's flour for $30.00. Penguin Foods is a direct-to-public freezer/ dry goods outlet. The large bags of flour aren't on show- you have to ask for them.

The downside to bulk buying is that you have to store the bulk product somewhere. If you have a large pantry that may not be a problem. Unfortunately, whoever built the updated kitchen in the house we purchased forgot the pantry! Unbelievable, especially as it is a very roomy kitchen. Ah well, I don't really need the refill items to be close by so they are in cupboards in other parts of the house. I just keep them dry, clean, insect free and away from chemicals.

Which brings me to the other possible disadvantage- loss of freshness. I would advise that you only buy what you know you will be able to use before the use-by date. If you wouldn't use a 25kg bag of flour, perhaps you could share it with a neighbor or relative. Instant coffee will lose freshness and flavour if you are continually opening the lid of a large jar or tin. Decanting into a smaller jar and tightly sealing the remainder will help it last longer. Store glass jars away from light.

Also make sure you turn over your bulk items evenly. Empty your smaller everyday containers completely, wash and dry thoroughly before refilling.

Oh, and another gratifying factor to all of this is that you are reducing overall packaging. Which is what we all want.

So why not seek out bulk foods at your supermarket, produce market or direct-to-public warehouse. Once you start, you won't want to go back to paying more for less.

Tip of the Day

2008-10-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Don't always wait until 5:00pm to start thinking about what to cook for dinner. If possible, prepare the meal in the morning every now and then. Refrigerate and just reheat. It is such a relief during those hectic early evening hours to have that one task taken care of.

Getting the ball rolling....using my freezer

2008-10-14T18:26:00.001-07:00

A visit to the MS op-shop (in a little off-street part of Shannon Ave, Geelong West), resulted in the happy purchase of the following book:

From Thrifted

In case you can't read the title well in the photograph, it is "The Complete Book of Freezer Cooking" by Mary Berry, first published 1975 by Octopus Books limited. What a fantastic book! It contains a very comprehensive guide to most of what you need to know about using your freezer as a valuable asset to saving money and feeding your family well. From technical information on how freezers work best, to how to prepare many different foods for freezing, to a recipe book section with starters, mains, vegie dishes, chinese food, desserts and cakes and baking.
I know this book will help me to use my freezer more effectively and hopefully result in a lot less waste. Some of the recipes use ingredients that are not readily available here (it was produced in Britain) but most are quite suitable and many look very yum!

I will keep you posted on how my future cooking and freezing endeavours go, and may pass on any particularly helpful tips that I come across in the book.

Don't forget when you are op-shopping or garage-saling or second-hand book-storing, to look for practical cookbooks. I'm sure I'll get back my $2.00 investment in no time at all.