Friday Brunch

Hello Friends!

Well how have your holidays been?  It has been so wonderful having my wonderful husband off work for a few days. 

Last friday, I had the extended family over (brother/wife/daughter, sister/husband/son & Daughter) for a long awaited family brunch.

It was a really nice day.
Everyone arrived at 10am.
We ate at 10.45am.  I had the newspaper, coffee and fresh flowers ready as I made the Hollondaise sauce for the eggs benadict,  while miss Mimi made the pancakes...all was wonderful as the morning progressed. 

Here are some pics...

 

I had a vintage, fresh, summer theme with lots of white, lace, glass and flowers.

 

I even used some of my own nannas milk jugs for vases, they were so pretty.

 

This particular one was my favorite!!!!.....

 

 

Here was the menu, placed on each plate...

 

 

 

I also had a mix of old plates to add to the vintage charm...

 

 

We had a very loverly morning/afternoon.  After brunch the kids swam in the pool and us adults lazed around, read, chatted and laughed.  It was so wonderful catching up with my siblings.

 

 

The benifits of coconut oil!

 About three weeks ago i caught up with a friend I hadnt seen in a while.  I noticed her skin was so super soft and silky.  So much so I had to comment on it.

She mentioned to me that she has just started using 'organic coconut oil' the cooking kind, lol.
I was like "wha...really?!"  she told me that it is such amazing stuff.  She uses it all over her body as well as her face.  She even told me she puts a handful in her hair at night and then washes it out the next morning...excellent hair treatment.

Im so glad she told me.

Well...I had to find out more!  So, I googled the stuff!  WOW, WOW, WOW!!
It really is amazing!  It does SOOO MUCH!
Today I purchased a one kilo bottle and already Ive slathered it onto my body, wiped it through my hair as well as swollowed a spoonful.

As time passes I'll let you know how it goes.

I found some info on this website here...www.organicbuenosaires.com that I would love to share with you on the amazing benifits...

Use Coconut Oil as a Body Lotion, Beauty Treatment or for Personal Hygiene

1. Age Spots: Apply coconut oil directly to help age spots fade.
2. After Shave: Coconut oil will help heal the skin and is great for razor burn.
3. Baldness: Apply coconut oil three times a day to hair loss areas to support cell regeneration.
4. Birth Marks: Coconut oil will help with healing after laser removal or after an apple cider vinegar treatment to help the fading process.
5. Body Scrub: Mix coconut oil with sugar, rub all over your body and rinse off.
6. Bruises: Coconut oil helps reduce swelling and redness when applied directly to the bruise.
7. Bug Bites: Apply coconut oil directly to stop itchiness and burning and speed up healing.
8. Burns: May help with healing and reduce permanent scarring.
9. Chapstick: Rub a little bit onto lips. Also contains SPF of about 4.
10. Cradle Cap: Rub a teaspoon of coconut oil onto baby’s scalp daily to help eliminate cradle cap.
11. Dandruff: Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm coconut oil on the scalp before showering, preferably the night before, covering your head with a shower cap so you don’t stain your sheets.
12. Deodorant: Check out our natural coconut deodorant recipe.
13. Diaper Rash
14. Exfoliater: Mix coconut oil with sugar or sea salt and use all over your body.
15. Eye Cream: Apply coconut oil under eyes to reduce puffiness, bags and wrinkles.
16. Face Wash or Soap: Mix one teaspoon each of coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, avocado oil and castor oil. Wet face, rub oil in and leave for two minutes, rinse and pat dry.
17. Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment: Coconut oil makes a great leave-in hair conditioner. Use about a teaspoon starting from the ends of your hair or from the scalp for a deeper treatment and leave on overnight.
18. Hair Gel/Defrizzer: Rub a little bit of coconut oil between palms and scrunch into hair for curly hair or finger comb for wavy or straight hair.
19. Healing: Apply to scrapes and cuts to protect the wound from dust, bacteria and viruses.
20. Lubricant: Very safe personal lubricant but not to be used with latex.
21. Makeup Remover: Remove with cotton bud dabbed with coconut oil.
22. Massage Oil
23. Moisturizer: Can be used all over the body, neck and face.
24. Mole Remover: Apply after apple cider vinegar compress over several weeks.
25. Nipple Cream: For cracked, sore or dry nipples. Can apply coconut oil to cotton ball and leave in bra between breastfeeds.
26. Oily Skin: Apply a pea sized amount of coconut oil underneath makeup or alone to reduce the appearance of oil.
27. Pre-Shampoo Treatment: Great to use on scalp and hair before shampooing. Find out more here.
28. Pre-Shave: Apply coconut oil before shaving.
29. Skin Problems: Coconut oil is great for psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema.
30. Stretch Marks: Coconut oil will help prevent and reduce stretch marks.
31. Sunburn: Rub coconut oil on affected area.
32. Sunscreen: Coconut oil contains SPF 4 and may be used as a sunscreen by people with dark skin.
33. Swimmers Ear: Mix coconut oil with garlic oil and apply a few drops in the affected ear for 10 minutes 2-3 times a day for one or two days.
34. Tattoo Healing and Moisturizer: Coconut oil can help with healing, prevent infection and stop the pigment from fading when used over a long time.
35. Toothpaste: One recipe you can use is mixing coconut oil and baking soda together and dabbing a little onto the toothbrush.
36. Wrinkle Prevention and Wrinkle Reducer: Apply coconut oil directly to wrinkles and sagging skin.

Apply Coconut Oil Topically for Health Problems

37. Acne
38. Allergies/Hay Fever: Rub inside the nostrils for quick relief.
39. Athlete’s Foot
40. Back Pain/Sore Muscles
41. Canker Sores
42. Cellulite
43. Circumcision Healing
44. Decongestant: Rub coconut oil on the chest and under the nose for cold or allergies.
45. Ear Infection: Put a few drops of coconut oil inside the ear twice a day for pain relief and to fight the infection.
46. Genital Warts: Topical application for 6 weeks combined with coconut oil enemas twice a day depending on the location.
47. Gum Disease and Gingivitis: Use coconut oil as toothpaste or rub directly onto gums.
48. Head Lice: Use coconut oil to remove lice after an apple cider vinegar treatment.
49. Herpes: You can apply coconut oil topically and take internally.
50. Hives: Use coconut oil to reduce itch and swelling.
51. Nausea: Rub coconut oil on the inside of the wrist and forearm for upset stomach.
52. Nose Bleeds: Coat your fingers in coconut oil, lie down and put your fingers inside your nose.
53. Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis): Apply coconut oil around and in the eye.
54. Ringworm
55. Toothache
56. Warts, Boils and Cysts

Consume Coconut Oil for General Health and Wellness

57. Breastfeeding: Mums can consume 3 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil per day to enrich the milk supply.
58. Bones and Teeth: Coconut oil helps you absorb calcium and magnesium.
59. Digestion: The natural saturated fats in coconut oil are great for controlling parasites and fungi that cause indigestion and digestion-related problems such as irritable bowel syndrome. It also helps absorb vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
60. Energy Boost: Coconut oil boosts energy and endurance and is great for athletes and those in need of a quick pick-me-up.
61. Fitness: Coconut oil stimulates the metabolism, improves thyroid function, and boosts energy levels.
62. Insulin Secretion and Blood Glucose Utilization: This makes coconut oil great for both diabetics and non-diabetics.
63. Lung Function: Coconut oil increases fluidity of cell surfaces.
64. Vitamin and Nutrient Absorption
65. Weight Loss: The saturated fats in coconut oil control cravings and increase metabolism.

Consume Coconut Oil for Health Problems

66. Acid Reflux/Indigestion: Take coconut oil after a meal.
67. Adrenal Fatigue
68. Allergies/Hay Fever
69. Alzheimer’s/Dementia
70. Asthma
71. Autism
72. Bowel Function
73. Bronchial Infections
74. Cancer: Coconut oil has been proven to prevent colon and breast cancer.
75. Candida Albicans
76. Cholesterol
77. Chronic Fatigue
78. Crohn’s Disease and Inflammation
79. Circulation
80. Cold and Flu
81. Constipation
82. Cystic Fibrosis
83. Depression
84. Diabetes: Coconut oil helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
85. Dysentery
86. Eczema
87. Edema
88. Energy boost
89. Epilepsy: Coconut oil has been found to reduce epileptic seizures.
90. Fever Support
91. Flaky, Dry Skin
92. Gallbladder Disease and Pain
93. Gas
94. H. pylori
95. Head Lice
96. Heart Disease: Coconut oil protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis.
97. Haemorrhoids: Apply coconut oil externally or internally twice a day.
98. HIV
99. Hot Flashes
100. Hyperthyroidism
101. Immune System Builder
102. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
103. Jaundice
104. Kidney Disease
105. Kidney Stones: Coconut oil helps dissolve kidney stones
106. Liver Disease
107. Lung Disease
108. Malnutrition
109. Mental Clarity
110. Menstruation Pain and Cramps and Heavy Flow
111. Migraines: Use coconut oil regularly to help prevent migraines.
112. Mononucleosis
113. Osteoporosis
114. Pancreatitis
115. Parasites
116. Periodontal Disease and Tooth Decay
117. Prostate Enlargement
118. Rickets
119. Skin Problems
120. Scurvy
121. Stomach Ulcers
123. Toenail Fungus
124. Thrush
125. Thyroid Function: Coconut oil can help regulate an overactive or underactive thyroid.
126. Ulcerative Colitis
127. Urinary Tract Infections

Coconut Oil Can Help Pets Too

128. Allergic Reactions
129. Arthritis or Ligament Problems
130. Bad Breath in Dogs
131. Cuts, Wounds, Hot Spots, Dry Skin and Hair, Bites and Stings: Apply coconut oil topically.
132. Diabetes
133. Digestive Disorders such as Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome and Colitis
134. Digestion and Nutrient Absorption
135. Eczema, Flea Allergies, Dermatitis, Itchy Skin
136. Energy
137. General Wellness: Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to your pet’s water bowl or in their food.
138. Hairballs and Coughing
139. Improve Brain Energy Metabolism: Coconut oil will also help decrease amyloid protein build-up that results in brain lesions in older dogs.
140. Regulates and Balances Insulin
141. Sleek and Glossy Coats: Coconut oil also helps deodorize dog odour.
142. Thyroid Function
143. Weight loss
144. Yeast and Fungal Infections, including Candida

Other Uses for Coconut Oil

145. Chewing Gum Remover: Rub coconut oil over chewing gum stuck in hair, leave for 30 minutes, then roll the gum between your fingertips.
146. Goo Remover: Form a paste from equal parts coconut oil and baking soda and apply to the sticky area, let it set for a minute then scrub it off with an old toothbrush or scrubby side of a sponge.
147. Insect repellent: Mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub over exposed skin.
148. Moisturize and Clean Leather
149. Oil Wood Cutting Boards and Wood Bowls
150. Polish Wood Furniture: Use coconut oil with a little bit of lemon juice to polish wood furniture. Make sure you do a test first.









 

Getting Organised with a Kikki.K workshop

Last December I decided to finally get around to sorting, organising and making our home office 'pretty'.

I tried to do it as low budget as i could.
 I used an old pine desk, as well as a very old pine bookshelf that had been sitting in the corner of our spare room gathering dust (and piles of junk). 
So one week hubby and i got in and finished painting the walls, and then the man inside me LOL, came out.  I pulled out the electric sander, paint gun and got to work.

 Once all done, we brought it in placed the bookshelf on top of the desk.  I had old black gift boxes that I repurposed into storage.  Printed my own labels and here is the end result...

 

Im happy to say that I was so pleased with the end result.  The room was light airy, fresh and beautiful.  I did most of the decorating with items i had.  Its amazing what a bit of paint can do.

 

Well, almost 12months on...its still there but just not so...um...neat and tidy...*sad face*

I had all good intentions of being organised and tidy this year but as the months rolled on, the paper piles on the kitchen bench ended up just getting placed on the desk...and after so long doing this im no more organised than i was prior to the makeover *sigh*

 

Last week I was at Robina town centre walking past Kikki.K...one of my most favorite stores in the universe.

I go in there and indulge in my fanatises and in total denial that my home office will and does look like that store.

 

Really...it doesnt, but one can dream, lol.

 

All the pretty white and blue boxes, files, paper, pens, diaries, calenders...ahhhhhhhhhhh..........H.E.A.V.E.N!

 

While I was there I noticed a woman siting down having a one on one consultation.  I also noticed close by a brochure for 'paperflow' workshops.  I asked the shop assistant about it.

I had heard about these before and wanted to do but in my denial thought "ive got it sorted, i dont need to do one of them...im the organised queen"

 

After talking to the lovely store assistant, I admited defeat and decided I DO need help.

So i booked in for the last workshop of the year.

That was last night. 

 

 The workshop was a cosy affair.  Just me and 3 other ladies (as well as the professional organiser and shop lady)

we were greeted with either a glass of champagne or sparkling water, and fresh strawberries, tim tams and crackers.

 

We introduced ourselves to each other and  told each other why decided we needed to be there.

It was an hour workshop which included a handbook and a kikki.k pen.  We also were entitled to 10% discount on the night as well as a one week after the workshop to allow us to go home and work out what we need.

 

It had some amazing ideas.  Their 6 step paper station is fantastic and I am going to implement it into our home...not just in the office either.

The principles could be applied to almost anywhere in the home.

After it was all done I purchased the 2013 family calender ~ great for organising and planning things individually and as a family.

 

I also purchased the kikki.k 'peek-a-boo' shopping basket.  it was suggested to leave it at the front door and place everything you need in the car.  All you have to do is pick it up in the morning as your walking out the door and your not searching for things like DVDs, Library books, signed forms for school etc.  As you remember (ideally the night before) place it in the basket. 

 

Along with the basket I also purchased the 5-tab plastic pocket.  This is also great to place in the basket for the smaller things like shopping list, mail, forms etc that I may need through out the day.  It also fits neatly into my handbag.

 

 

 

So today Im all set and keen to tackel the office.  Miss Mimi is home sick from school today so I am making the most of my time to start planning.

 

I think the problem I had origanally with my office is that I did all the decorating and put pretty boxes etc around but honestly...didnt realy serve a purpose other than to 'look pretty'.

 

Now my office will not just look pretty but will also be funtionable.

 

 

Today my goal is:

*Revising my notes

*sorting & cleaning office

*Planning what I need exactly to have a properly funtioning office

*making notes for what I need

 

The goal=

1.Have a fresher, tidier office that I can locate things at an instant

2. Have a smoother running home,  Finances etc.

3. Save money

4. Happy family!

 

If you ever get a chance to do a kikki.k workshop I would definitly consider it.

I feel it has given me a new lease on organising and will be much, much easier to maintain in the long run.

 

 

My rustic garden

HaPpY MoNdAy all!  I thought I would start the week off with a pretty blog about my new garden spot.  I found this georgouse little bench seat on ebay for a very, very cheap price...and I won! yay!

Isnt it just toooo cute??? It has such a rustic, homely, french farmhouse feel to it.

I had the perferfect spot for it outside my dining room window. I still need to tidy up around this are and I also want hubby to build a wooden screen to hide his 'beer fridge', not exactly somthing i want on display next to my pretty garden.
I had a ton of old terracotta pots and an old cast iron pot dug half way under dirt in the back yard where 'polly' our little chicky used to be.
Here is the result...

Below is One of my most favorite flowers EVER...daisies! Forever timeless and so homely.

an old tin with herbs, with my basil behind...

Little T and miss Mimi helped me, of course to plant.  They even wanted their own little plants that they grew from seed.  The first one is little T's {I just love that he's written 'daisy on his chalky part}...

...and the 2nd is miss Mimi's...

I'll update in a few weeks how they are growing.

 Below, my thriving mint.  It smells devine!

This is the old cast iron pot, growing my Italian parsley...cute huh?

Simply theraputic!  To see flowers and green outside my window with the sun dancing through the leaves gives me a huge smile everyday!

Happiness flutters in the air whilst we rest among the breaths of nature. ~Kelly Sheaffer

My new love...Pinterest!

I've been hearing all this hype about 'Pinterest' over the past year and a few months back  It seemed like my kind of thing...some described it as "Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes." and "Pinterest is an online forum for creativity. Users can create inspiration boards that link directly to the source of each project/recipe/photo etc. They can follow someone else’s boards, whose tastes and interests they admire. And there is space to open a discourse about what is pinned via comments and “likes”. 
I read more about it HERE
Creative, inspirational, arty...this sounds like my kinda thing!!
 I signed up for an invite (yes, you need an invite...for some reason you cant just join??)  (you can find me In this link) Once I got my invite Imust admit I was a little confused/overwhelemed by it.
I went off it for a few weeks and discovered a blog raving about it.  So I got back onto it and gave it another shot.  Ok, after spending a couple of hours 'playing' last night and I was pleasantly suprised.  Ithink Im now 'in love'...IGET IT!
You can get onto this site and click on a pic, save it and then it takes you to the place it came from (i.e if its a tutorial on DIY for example).
Pics like these...

It is just fabulouse and I am worried I may be just a bit addicted now....eek.

The stunning moon ♥

I had to share with all the beautiful moon our God has blessed us with tonight...

These pics were taken about 15mins ago in our back yard, {8.15pm Sat 12/11/11}

 I know the pic quality isnt the greatest but you get the idea.  Stunning huh?

Oh the craziness!  I have been totaly out of the loop with blogging this year!  My laptop died about 3 months ago and I have been using my husbands tiny little notebook that he uses on the road for work, as cute as it was....I hated it!  You can only see half the screen.  You need to scroll down to see the whole page, UGH!
Anyway, yesterday I was out and about and when I came home there was a shiny new laptop sitting on our dining table...woohoo!  I love my man! {and its a little more modern looking than that in the pic LOL}
So here I sit on my New Toshiba typing my blog...ahhhhh, life is good again!
So now I promise to be a better little blogger and upadate a bit more often than I have.
~I Promise!

CHALLENGE>$150 p/w for your family's food. WE CAN DO IT!

So Last Thursday I did my "montlhy" food shop.  When I say monthly I mean 6-8 week shop.  If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be shopping on a montlhy basis i would have said "Bahahahahahaha.....yeah right!!!"
It has taken me a while to get it right......firstly, to get my head around it, next to get myself organised and thirdly to work a strategy to make it work.
For the past 6 months Ive done it....it works....and I LOVE IT!
Let me explain how I do it.....
Originally, when I would shop...(back in the early days of marrage and no kids), It would be a weekly occurance.  I would spend about $150 per week, plus all those 'extras' that you either forget to get in the shop or the extra bread and milk you need through the week.

Then when my babies came along shopping was a bit of a hit and miss affair.  I would shoot out to the shops when I could and prbably get $50-$100 worth of groceries at a time.  Not very economical at all!!!!  But I 'thought' I had no choice as anyone with kids would know, you just gotta take each day as it happens.
Anyway....this sort of shopping became a bit of a habit and had stuck.
Personally I hated it as I like to know what Im cooking for the week ahead of time, and be organised But....it was hard to break the habit.
It wasnt until my husband sat me down and was almost in tears over the amount of money we waste esp on food.
I felt so bad as i knew exactly what he was talking about.  I had to work out a plan.  My children are now getting older and easier to work with when out.
I googled and searched for ways to save and be more organised... thats when I discovered http://www.simplesavings.com.au/
This site is an absolute livesaver.   It showed me ways to be able to do a shop and be organised AND SAVE MONEY!!!!!! 

Anyway...long story short, I now spend $900 for 6 weeks worth of groceries.  That equals $150 per week.  That is including Fruit and veg, fresh, free range meat, bread and milk everything you need to eat.  Also, I found the more times you enter a supermarket you wastew money.  Im one of those impulse buyers.  I run through the store grabbing things as I 'may' need them or think 'wow..thats a bragain, im gonna grab that while I see it" Bad, bad, bad, bad!!!!!!!
To break it down here is how I do it....

$900 for 6 weeks food shopping!
ALDI pantry basics such as canned items eg, toms, sauces, flours, salt/pepper, spices, stock, bread crumbs, pastas, tortillas, rice, noodles etc.
 Its also good to get a few frozen items such as pastry etc.
For my washing powder I spend about $70 and buy a huge big box and this last approx 6 months.
I also purchase my milk in UHT form.  I purchase 2 cases of this, one of normal milk and one of Soy milk as I prefere this. UHT is no different health wise than fresh milk...in fact it is in ways better.  For my bread I purchase flours etc and make my own....soooo much better than store baught.  We NEVER run out of bread and milk...no running to the service station for $5 milk and $6 bread....which adds up!!
 TOTAL=$500
Meat from http://www.superbutcher.com.au/ A bulk meat place that sells the most amazing quality, hormone free, organic meats.  Chicken, beef, lamb, kebabs, risoles, sausages pretty much anything you want, they got.  I buy this in bulk, devide in to meal size portions and freeze.  We have actually purchase a 2nd hand up right deep freezer off eBay to put to extra meat in.  This meat last for months.  TOTAL=$200-$250
For my fruit and veg, yes...I get them fresh on a weekly basis.  Instead of stepping foot into a supermarket, (which inevitably means spending way mor money than intended) I was going to the weekly farmers markets.  I love this....however I found that beacuse there was always soooo many yummy things that I love at the farmers markets...again I was over spending *sigh*  So now I make the farmers markets a treat....only going when I have the extra cash to splurge on yummies.
What my alternative is to fresh fruit and vegs is getting them delivered.  For $45 a week my little fruit and veg man deliveres market fresh goodies to my door every Friday morning...Everything our family needs for the week.  http://www.fruitvegies.com.au/ This ensures me that I wont go over budget.  I was a little weary doing this at first as I thought that I will get yucky stuff thats not fresh and I wont eat....quite the opposite. 
You can go online choose what you DONT want and request things you especially want and you got it.  Perfect.  The veg and fruit are also from the farmers markets....so i get the same high quality that I wanted.
So each week this is     TOTAL=$45 p/week ($200)

It is hard going the day of shop.  You are absolutly wreaked at the end of it but it is well worth it.  Shopping once every 6 weeks or so is a great idea IMO.
I cook alot of my own biscuits and cakes.  I make my own bread.  if you stock up on things like tinned toms, stocks, spices, fruits etc you can make pretty much anything out of your cupboard. 

Oh, also, your pantry, fridge and freezer looks like a supermarket at the end of it so is a good idea to clean out the pantry as well as an extra cupboard for extra storage space.
I also make sure my hubby is available for this one day to help.  When your in ALDI with a trolly that is about to topple and the speed you need at the checkout....its comforting to know you have another person there to help out.
Like I said...this one day every 6 weeks or so is full on....shopping, packing, unpacking, weighing meat, wrapping, packing meat, storing, finding spots, driving around...but it is good.  You feel so prepared and organised at the end of it.
What I like to do too is when you are getting to the end of it...nearing the end of the 6 weeks try and stretch it out and extra week, try to get 7 weeks or more if you can....after all at the end of the day it all saves money.
Here is a pic of my loaded pantry after our monster shop...

Vineger...the wonder liquid!

Does anyone know just how amazing this liquid is? 
Think about it...
you can cook with it
Clean with it
deoderise with it
rinse your hair with it
Use it as a softner for your clothes
Use it for colds and flu's
wash your windows
Use it on your pets
Use it on your skin for bites/acne etc
Relief for sunburn......
Oh I could just go on and on and on!  Honestly, it is the most amazing liquid AND it's all natural...no nasties.
I was curiouse as to just what vinegar could do and how many uses it has, so I googled it.  This little book kept getting mentioned in everything I read.  This book is an absolute life saver to me.  It's called "The vinegar book...Great uses for vinegar" There you will find hundreds and hundreds of uses for vinegar.  If you havnt yet had a look at it, you must!   Go google it now.
 I find if I have a problem with something I go there and look it up.  I will always find an answer. 

Vinegar...the elixir to life!

(p.s~I wasnt paid to endorse this book at all...I just think it is amazing ;-D )

I NEED MY OVEN...RANT !!!

I have been so inspired over the last few days to get back to baking and cooking...as I love it so, so much however halfway through December 2009 my oven (my 6 month old oven, mind you) decided to just simply stop working.  I thought all would be sorted by now, but 3 months on...we're still waiting *sigh*...I have been dying to cook some yummies for the kids lunches and yummy afternoon teas for hubby,New recipes are piling up in my cuboard for delishous dinners but....Im still waiting. 

Without going into it, I have had never ending dramas from the manfacturer. After a loooooong, drawn out saga...with all fingers, toes and knees crossed, a branspankn' new oven should be here in two weeks.

WOOPWOOP!! lets see if they actually carry out on their word *sigh* 

 I need to Bake, I really do!

My Free Ranging chooky's...

About a year ago (around the time We put in our vege garden) My husband wanted to get a pet for the kids. What we REALY wanted was a bunny rabbit. A big, fat, fluffy bunny..but as we are Queenslanders, we sadly arnt allowed.
My husband suggested getting chickens. My instant reaction was 'UGH...too much work, messy blah, blah, blah' anyway...after much convincing and enquiries to the local council, I was starting to cave.
As I was on an Organic, fresh, healthy free range mission, my husband convinced me that we could have fresh eggs that are 'free range' as well as have cute little pets.
SO...we ended up with 5 day old chicks. We got one each for Mr. Buzz Lightyear (our son) and Miss Mimi (our daughter). We decided on Silky bantums as they look so cute and fluffy.
Miss Mimi chose a white one, Buzz a brown.
They were so cute and tiny. They just fit into our hands and just chirped away. So cute.
We kept them inside for the first couple of months, in a box in the laundry. We placed a lamp in with them to keep them snug and warm. They didnt move much, just huddled.It took a few days for the kids to decide what names we were going to call our new family members. Finally they decided on 'Polly' and 'Zinger' (yes...as in KFC LOL...You can thank my husband for that one). Anyway, the names stuck and we now have 2 new members of our family.
After a few months they were getting ready to move on to their own home...OUTSIDE!
Mu husband had got them a little house and made it all safe and secure from the Neighbors cats, the birds and any other little rodent that might consider intruding. They settled in pretty quick and easy and loved their new found freedom.


Early one sunday morning hubby and I were awoken by the sound of 'ROCK-A-ROODLE-ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" a crackling sounding cock from our 'appent' Polly...Yes, Polly who was meant to be a girl was in fact a blossoming Rooster.
The thing is with chooks, you cant tell the sex of them untill they hit maturity. We were told from the local council we wernt allowed a rooster as they are too noisy, we can only have females.
So, that day (without knowlege to the kids who would have been devestated) hubby took 'Polly' back to the farm we got her and swapped her for an identical female version. LOL. The kids were none the wiser..and still arn't hehe. We might tell them when they are older.


A year on, we still have our little chooky's. The eggs are a little on the smaller side (apparently bantums are)but are delicious and fresh. The kids love talking to them, and collecting the eggs. They free range around our little home. (we live in the burbs but on a big block). When we're home or in the pool or garden they just potter around us.
They are so easy and Self-sufficient. They are also a great companion. I dont know what I was worried about. Im glad we got them. They truly are apart of our little family.

my fruit and veg garden has been ressurected.

Ok so last summer I got all healthy and wanted to go all free range, organic, natural rarara! So hubby and I built a vege garden. It was so much fun. I planted lots...however over winter (plus my lack of knowlege about a veg/herb garden) It kinda fell (or should I say died) away. This summer Im getting seriouse about it. I googled and asked my lovely friends on the simple savings forum (http://www.simplesavings.com.au/) for tips and and ideas on how to keep my little outdoor supermarket alive!
Last weekend My husband and I mulched cow poo, redug soil and replanted seedlings. We then watered seasol in and covered it all with sugercain mulch...all looking a little better. I didnt relise my food needed their own food (DUH).
So I am outside everyday babying my little garden now...I WANT TO MAKE IT WORK! There is nothing like chomping into a fresh salad picked fresh for lunch or serving your kids freshly picked carrot sticks for afternoon tea. Or strawberries with yoghurt for dessert. MMMMMMM....


So far I have Tomatoes, capsicum, lemon grass, zuccini, strawberries, celery, flat leaf parsley, birdseye chili, lettuce, basil, corriander, Rosemary, sweet potato, rocket, beetroot, garlic chives.


The days have been HOT here getting up past 30 degrees so I need to water very often. I will update as we go.