The things we're doing.....

I felt that I had nothing to blog yesterday or today.  It felt a lot like this:

"What have you been up to lately?" asks friend/family member/random acquaintance bumped into

"ummmm..... not a lot really" answered, while thinking "But I have been busy just living!  I've been doing so much, but feel like I have nothing to report - how is that possible?!"

So, I thought I would share a little list of the 'not a lot really' things that we've been up to.

• Stu and I re-taught ourselves how to play Gin Rummy and played late Saturday night while drinking Baileys.
• I danced at an 80th birthday party, where the guest of honour was thrilled to have us there and danced with us for 10 minutes.  It was the best gig ever!
• I started to hack into the pittosporum hedge that runs the side of our block.   We're going to gradually replace it with citrus and avocado trees which will also give privacy but with the added bonus of food.
• I hosted the AGM for our belly dance group at our house.  It was a pretty straightforward meeting, but the afternoon tea and company was exceptionally good.
• I found some kids yoga sessions on You tube and can't wait to share them with the boys.
• I've had each of the boys home sick from school for a day.  Neither of them were terribly sick, but a day on their own/with me seems to have been good for them.
• I received my Digger's club order.  I was so excited!  I have now planted my tammarillo tree and my kiwiberry and am looking forward to starting to plant my huge pile of seeds.
• I've discovered (a bit late) River Cottage and am enjoying watching the first season on DVD with the whole family.
• I enjoyed having my teenage brother stay with us for last week while he did work experience.
• I have been talking to my sister-in-law regularly for baby updates.  I am getting very excited about its upcoming arrival.
• My chooks are slowly starting to lay again as the days are getting slowly longer - an egg a day this past week.
• I started washing my face with honey as I had run out of cleanser and needed an alternative.  I love it!
• Stu has been planning and thinking a lot about his brew shed and we've been plotting to use homemade alternatives for expensive items he'll need.

See.... not much, but a lot at the same time.  Thanks for listening :)

12 months of Greening - March - Recycle, Repurpose, Restore

Time for another back track post about our six months of greening (before this month is over....).

March was the big month of renovating our kitchen, so it seemed apt to set this as our recycling and repurposing month.  Repurposing or upcycling items saves on landfill and also on the energy used to produce brand new materials and items.  It is also a great way to save money and create unique items that have character and charm.  We recycle and repurpose things a lot, and we wanted to set it as a theme in our kitchen.

We had done a lot of research into our kitchen design, and threw out a lot of plans that would need significant work that we couldn't do ourselves, and also designs that were all new.  It had to be recycled and it had to be on a budget, but it also had to be practical and stylish with the following list of must haves - a dishwasher, a comfortable place for the family to sit and eat, a pot rack and a plate rack.  In the end I think less than half of the items in the kitchen were new, and these we built ourselves as much as possible.  The finished results were even better than we could have hoped for.  These are some of the recycled and repurposed things that we included in our kitchen (the photos were taken throughout the renovations).

Our pot rack was made with a broken sash window that we picked up for free

Our blind and the matching rag rug were made using vintage sheets from the op-shop.  And the tiles/splashback in our kitchen we kept, updating them with a coat of tile paint.

This sideboard was an ugly piece I picked up at an opshop for $65.  We painted it, added a new top and these vintage handles that I bought on ebay (you can see it in the kitchen below).

Our island bench was another solid wood op-shop find, $60.  We removed the doors from the cupboard, painted the bare shelf unit and added a timber slab to the top of it.  It is a home for all of my electrical appliances and a great place for family and/or friends to sit.  And the cork board on the wall (which was there before the renovation) was made with leftover cork tiles we found in our shed when we moved in here.

The 1970s spice rack on the wall next to the window was found in the op-shop, complete with jars for $5.  I painted it to match the kitchen and added new labels.

Our pantry was the original pantry in our kitchen, but it was a peach colour and plain flat laminex.  We painted it and added some timber trim and the old handles so it would tie in with the overall look.

We were going to have new lino floor laid, but decided to work with what we had, pulling up the old lino and having our baltic pine floors sanded and varnished (see the beautiful finish above).

We also recycled items that we took out of the kitchen.  The old lino went to my mum and to the kids cubby house and the old kitchen cupboards became shed and laundry cupboards and will also be used in the brew shed and as a potting bench.

In addition, we chose to keep items that were fine in our old kitchen like the oven/hob, the window, fridge, etc - why replace things that don't need replacing?

The work we did on our kitchen was hard, but very satisfying.  I love knowing that many of the items in the kitchen had a life before.  The entire kitchen reno also came in well under our frugal budget and I love the result every day when I'm working in there.

You'll find lots of other recycling projects on my blog, and many more to come.
I'd love to here about your favourite recycling/repurposing projects too.

When will I ever need to use Pythagarus theorem??

Ah, the wisdom that comes with age.  The moments where you fondly recall something taught to you by a parent or teacher and realise that it was indeed useful afterall.  I was a good student, but even I occasionally succumbed to the obnoxious teenagers' rant of "When am I ever going to use that?  Aren't you supposed to be teaching life skills?".  It wasn't often, but some things just did not seem worth learning at the time.  My teachers would just smile and tell me to just do the work - infuriating!  I did the work and passed the tests and then promptly forgot the lessons...... or so I thought.




Image from here

Fast Forward 15-20 years from high school, and I've now been on the receiving end of those questions.  As a science teacher, you get them a lot.  But as a maths teacher, you get them even more.  Most students don't question basic arithmetic, money, time, fractions etc, but algebra, Pythagoras theorem, trigonometry, probability and quadratic equations are not only harder to learn, but harder to anticipate ever using outside of the classroom. 

Guess what?  I think I've used them all.  Every single one of those crazy maths things plus the knowledge I picked up in every one of my high school subjects (English, science, geography, woodwork, metal work, cooking, sewing, agriculture, and even my least favourites - history and PE!).  And every time I find another use for one of those things I chuckle to myself and wish I could go back and tell my teachers.

Image from here

So thank you Mr Peck for making me do all of those Pythagoras problems.  I only wish you could have answered my question..... "When will you ever use Pythagoras theorem?  Why you'll use it when you are designing experiments at university in your early 20s; you'll use it when you build a cubby house for your twins in your late 20s; you'll use it again when you are designing a cold frame made of recycled materials in your early 30s; and you'll surely use it countless more times in between and into the future."

My newly made cold frame is made of recycled pallets and window and will be used to grow my own seedlings this summer.  I will think of all of my high school maths teachers each time I use it ;)

Do you find yourself using your lessons from school in unexpected places?  Or does this make me a bit of a geek? :P

Pre-baby home day spa

My sister in law is going to have a baby really soon. I simply can not wait to meet and cuddle my new niece or nephew, but in the meantime I needed to spend a special day with the mum-to-be.  When I was pregnant she and my mum took me to the city for the weekend where we  ate, shopped and did some girly sightseeing. But Amy is not only somewhat further along in her pregnancy than I was, but we are both older and more interested in relaxing and being pampered than checking out the city.  We discussed day spas and cafes, but neither of us felt like spending a tonne of money and driving around for the day, so we had a home day spa experience. (sadly, mum was busy working, so it was just the two of us).

I planned the day and did all the preparation so Amy didn't have to do anything. We both wore our comfy home clothes and spent the day in her lounge room.

The day started with a cup of tea and I presented her with a tray of homemade chocolate cupcakes with mousse icing (plus a couple of baby sock cupcakes for the baby bump). We ate and drank and relaxed, talking about anything, nothing and everything.

Before lunch, we gave ourselves purifying clay masks and milk foot spas while watching an episode of 'Up All Night' (which was hilarious).  Our faces and feet felt fabulous.

Image from here

Lunch was simple but delicious, some of my homemade fettucini with pesto and herb bread (followed by more tea and cupcakes).  I gave Amy her homemade hospital survival kit (a book, headband, muesli bars, mints, lip balm and chocolate), and she showed me the work they've done on the nursery. We talked and talked about parenting, birth, our family and home life. Finally we took a walk around the block and picked some wild jonquils.

The whole day (including the gifts) cost under $50, a massive saving on the cafe and day spa alternative. Was it as good? It was better! I came home feeling relaxed and pampered and closer to my SIL than ever. I think we're going to have to make this a regular occurance after the baby arrives.

A weekend away

We've just had a very busy weekend without our kids. The boys went to my mum's for the weekend to be spoilt rotten (junk food, late nights etc) while we went away to participate in the Ballarat belly dance bazaar.

I learnt lots  in a couple of belly dance workshops while Stu learnt lots visiting the homebrew shop and gathering items so he can  start brewing soon. We then took the opportunity to shop for bulk bargains that are hard to find at home, stocking up on cans and dried beans to get us through several months of from scratch cooking.

After delicious cuppas and cake with Kim, who was to perform with us, and her hubby, we readied ourselves for the evening. 
It was a great night.  We caught up with dancers from all over Victoria, watched some terrific dancing and helped raise funds for the Ballarat NICU. I love being able to watch and support the range of amateur and professional dancers at these concerts and then have them support us - that's what its all about, sharing in the dance community. 
At last it was our turn.  We dumped the nerves beside the stage and did our best.  I think we did very well.... You can watch it on our website or youtube if you like. 
It was wonderful to share the joys of performing with Stu and then celebrate together afterwards. 
Tired but relaxed on Sunday, we said our goodbyes, pottered around a local market (bought a new plum tree for the mini-orchard) and came home.

At home we managed to get some more work done on the new veg beds before the boys were dropped home. It was so good to see them. 

Needless to say, we all fell into bed very early and slept soundly in preparation for a new week.

How was your weekend?

Inspiration in the blogging world

I finished my morning jobs today, and as is now my morning ritual, popped online with my second cuppa to see what the blogging world had to say this morning and found that I'd been nominated for an award! Naw - thanks Charlotte!

The terms for accepting the award are......
1. Display the award certificate on your blog.

2. In your post, link back to the person who gifted you the award.

3. Present 7 awards to inspiring bloggers. Create a post linking to their blog and leave them a comment to tell them.

4. Post 7 interesting facts about yourself.

So I accept! 

I do have a bit of a problem awarding 7 bloggers though as not only would my awarder Charlotte from The Old Milk Can be at the top of my list, so would some of the others that she has nominated!  But, my blog reading list is long, and I read so many inspiring posts per week, I will manage.

So I hereby award the following (I am saying this in a pompous voice) inspiring blogs and their clever and fabulous writers this award:

A Sweet Scented Path
Little Eco Footprints
Inner Pickle
Born again Creations
Little Green Village
Urban homestead South Africa
Slow Living Essentials

I love reading all of your blogs and am constantly inspired - thank you for sharing!

Now - interesting facts about me!

1. I love making lists (apt I know).  I make lists for holiday packing, for what to do today/this week/this month, lists for what to plant in the garden, shopping lists, meal plan lists, song lists etc.  I feel safer and so much more organised with a list.
2. My resume is packed with a range of eclectic jobs including: Secretary, High School Science teacher, Education Officer at Melbourne's Sewage treatment plant, cleaner at a hospital, lab assistant, governess on a remote cattle station in the Kimberly and now Belly Dance teacher and performer.
3. My favourite food is definitely chocolate, but I can't tell you what my favourite meal is. As a kid it was fish fingers, chips & peas, but now it varies from a vegetarian curry to Mum's roast lamb to pizza!
4. When I was at uni I used  to chat in online chat rooms. One night I arranged to meet up to go to a nightclub with a guy I chatted to (I took a friend and so did he). He was the same age as me and lived in the next suburb. We hit it off (though his friend was annoying) and he ended up being my boyfriend for all of 6 weeks! We stayed friends for years after though.  But his annoying friend? I fell in love with him and ended up marrying him :)  He's still a bit annoying, but I wouldn't swap him for the world.
5. I am scared of heights, but love flying, especially takeoff.
6. I would love to travel around Australia with my family, homeschooling the kids and taking odd jobs, but the thought of leaving my home and pets keeps me here.
7. Before I started belly dance classes, I read the book 'Bellydance for Beginners' and daydreamed about dancing at parties and in restaurants.  Just goes to show, dreams can come true.

Thanks again Charlotte!  Have a great day everyone.

 

Monte Carlos - a recipe

My kitchen (AKA my lab) has been very busy lately producing lots of yummy (and practical, but not so yummy) things.  I love it when I make something that we used to buy and can happily declare that we won't need to buy that anymore.  This year I've added tortillas, naan, plain dry biscuits, choc ripple biscuits, yoghurt mix, ricotta cheese, vanilla essence, sliced bread and more to the list of homemades, but I still have a few things to conquer.  Eventually I would like to only buy basics at the supermarket and make everything else that we use (except maybe chocolate.....).

Biscuits (aka cookies) get eaten a lot around here. I've made choc chip, Anzac etc for years, but have a desire to find recipes to replace the shop bought favourites.  I found this recipe for choc ripples which is great and I plan to try this one for crisp milk arrowroots this week.  But on the weekend I made a cream biscuit favourite - Monte Carlos and they're so good, I thought I'd share the recipe. These biscuits are similar in taste to the Arnotts ones, though smaller and less sticky around the jam (both positives in my opinion).

They're not pretty.... let's call them 'rustic'.  But absolutely delicious!

My friend copied the recipe from a cookbook, but I don't know which one.  I will write the recipe exactly as it was in there, but 'correct' it with my changes - if you make them, feel free to do theirs, mine or a combination.

Monte Carlos

185g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups 1 cup SR flour
3/4 cup 1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Simple pantry ingredients = delicious homemade biscuits!

1/2 cup raspberry jam homemade strawberry jam
3/4 cup 1 cup icing sugar
60g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk

• Preheat oven to 180c and grease/line oven trays.
• Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.  Stir in sifted flours and coconut.
• Shape level teaspoons of dough into oval shapes, place on trays and roughen with a fork.  Roll teaspoonfuls into balls (for larger biscuits, a heaped teaspoon) and place on tray, press flat with a fork one way and then the other to create a rough cross cross pattern.
• Bake biscuits for 12 minutes. Cool on trays. Biscuits are firm enough to cool on cooling racks. Bake next batch.
• Make the cream filling by beating butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
• When biscuits are cool (no, not before!) place 1/2 1/4 teaspoon of jam on a biscuit, top with 1/2 teaspoon of cream icing and sandwich with a second biscuit.  Allow icing to set.
• Makes about 50 cream pairs (less if you make them bigger)

The first batch I only pressed one way and they were too high.
The second batch pressed both ways on the tray and another lot of balls ready to go.

Scavenging, garden work and a busy weekend

You know those mornings when you sit around with your morning cuppa and find that instead of wanting to sit and enjoy a few more cuppas, you feel inspired and itching to get things done?  We had one of those mornings on Saturday.  Stu and I were browsing the recently arrived Digger's club Garden Annual and started listing the seeds we wanted to sow this year, and then one thing led to another and......

We made two trips to the timber recycling skip up the road and collected a HUGE amount of pallets and timber things that we plan to use to make a range of garden things with.

We took some of that timber and made frames for the garden beds for my melons and pumpkins to start in (they will be allowed to ramble out among the fruit trees).

We took some more of the timber and made these -

I know they look like pens (we had a lovely time with me joking that I would buy piglets to put in them and the kids telling me I'm not allowed to get piglets), but they are going to be the new raised vegie beds for summer.  I just need to line their sides with these feed bags (which are chock full of more feed bags) that my mum kindly dropped around to me yesterday and then fill them up with soil.

I also have more timber which will be used for making my planned cold frame (needs to be ready for my seed planting soon!) and perhaps also for a chook tractor.

On Sunday, Stu was still inspired to scavange, and he took a load of rubbish that's been hanging around since the kitchen renos to the tip and came back with two windows!  One is going to be the top of my cold frame (hooray for my now FREE cold frame) and the big one is going to be used to enclose the end of the verandah where he intends to start his home brewing back up again.

I like scavenging things.  I used to think it was a terrible thing to do, but now I understand that it is saving something from going into landfill, and also giving us items that we can turn into useful things for free.  Nothing wrong with that!

In amongst all of that we managed to bake, get in some dance rehearsal, teach the kids to play Cluedo and guzzle down lots of pots of tea.  We also ate lots and lots of delicious chicken soup and shredded chicken concoctions made from the rooster - he was delicious!

I love a good productive weekend and am looking forward to lots more in the coming months - I've just ordered my spring/summer seeds from Digger's and Stu is off getting the rest of the materials for his "brew shed" this week, so we will have lots to keep us busy.

Chook happenings

I've been busy with the chooks the last few days. 

The first big chicken event came about because one of the school's roosters had started to attack people (there were too many roosters in the pen) and needed to be "dealt with".  My friend who cares for the school's chooks had accidently let him out of the pen when she was trying to catch him, and he spent a happy couple of days living behind our back fence, perving on our hens and waking Stu and I up early with his crowing.  When he moved himself into our front garden, I rang my friend to ask if I could "deal with him" for her.  You see, I have plans to start raising and preparing our own chicken for eating and have been reading a lot about the process, but not having ever done it,  I saw him as a good opportunity to see if I had the stomach for it.  My friend was more than happy for me to take on the task and so I did.  I'm not going in to details, but I will just say that it is a physically hard thing to do!  I had steeled my mind to the process, so in that sense I was OK (this was a better option that him dying for nothing), but it was just plain hard work, and the rain didn't help much.  But I got the job done, and while I don't expect he will make a great roast, I will be making chicken soup this week.

It seems I have to stomach for preparing my own chicken for the table.  My reasons are clear in my head (we have decided we are omnivores and need some meat in our diets, but would like to know our meat has had a happy, healthy life and minimise food miles), now I just have to work out the logistics of the process.

In lighter, happier, more vegetarian friendly chicken news, we bought ourselves some new egg laying girls yesterday! 

We went on a road trip with my Mum and teenage brother and sister to visit my Grandma.  We had a lovely day, lunching, op-shopping and visiting the Maritime museum and then stopped off at a local free-range egg farm on the way home.

L&J with my Grandma in the whale skeleton at the Maritime Museum

There were some dramas at the farm (we won't be going back there!) but we managed to leave with 4 new Isa Brown hens for us and 4 for my Mum.  By new, I mean 18month old girls who have been busily laying for the shops for a while and are just starting to reduce their productivity.  They are perfect for us though as we should get just the right amount of eggs from them.

We introduced them to our other girls (who have not been laying at all) when we got home and they had a few spats and then settled down to eat together.  I went out after dark and collected them from their various stupid roosting places (none inside!) and put them into the house.

They are very quiet and happy to be handled and stay near me chatting away peacefully.  But they are not particularly attractive (and camera shy too!), but nothing a few months of the good life won't fix.  They seem to be settling in so nicely this morning.....

These two came to chat to me at the back fence

And this one likes this shrub to hide in

One clever hen found the nesting boxes in my (recycled pallet) chook house and made herself comfy.......

And produced this!

Hooray!  Fresh eggs on the Wright household again!

12 Months of Greening - July - Make it, Don't buy it

This month in our 12 months of greening challenge we are aiming to increase the number of things we make from scratch rather than buying. From food, clothing, and gifts to hygiene and 'beauty' products and things needed in the  garden/home.  Why? Homemade means we can control the ingredients/materials, using Eco-friendly or recycled as much as possible. We tend to buy ingredients in bulk meaning less packaging.  The items made are what we want and we know the work put in, so we use them more mindfully. And as a bonus, the products are better for us, cheaper, and we have a real sense of achievement and being in control of our life.

We've already started on this journey of course, cooking most things from scratch and making all of our gifts and many things for around the home, but this month is just an added challenge to see how far we can go.

Today I thought I would take you to the bathroom and talk about what I've made and my future plans.

Soap
I made my first batch of soap in March, simply following Rhonda's recipe but I added some oats.  It's nice soap, but the oats annoy us.  We've nearly run out, so I made a second batch on the weekend, this time infusing the olive oil with calendula and adding about 20 drops of pure lavender oil. The molding worked better this time too - can't wait to use it!

The white rectangular bar is one of the remaining bars from the first batch
The wedge and small hearts are the beautiful new calendula batch.

My 'no poo' routine
I haven't washed my hair with shampoo for months. I won't regale you with the whole story, but I will tell you my current routine which works really well for me.  I only need to wash my hair about every 5 days.  In between, I either give it a rinse, or use a shower cap and give it a good brush.   On hair washing mornings, when I make my morning cuppa I also make a brew with dried rosemary and lemon verbena leaves from my garden.  This brews while I have breaky, then I strain the leaves and add a splash of white vinegar* - and this is my conditioning rinse finished.   I have a bottle of water mixed with a few spoonfuls of bicarb in the shower to wash my hair with - this lasts me ages and just needs a shake before I use it. In the shower I pour some bicarb mix onto my roots and rub until it feels slippery, then rinse out.  At the end of my shower I pour all of the rosemary brew over the ends of my hair - I don't rinse itout.  My hair is happy, healthy and shiny and the routine is so cheap and easy.  As a bonus, the reduced shampoo and conditioner in the shower means less soapy scum all over the inside of the glass shower cubicle! 

* I know most people use Apple cider vinegar for this, but I didn't have any the first time I made it, so I just used white. By the time I remembered to look for ACV at the shops, my routine was working so well I decided not to muck with it.  White vinegar is also something I always have and it's cheap!

Hairspray
I use hairspray when I do my hair for special occasions or performing.  I had run out of the horrible chemical in a spraycan variety, so made some on the weekend, vaguely using this recipe.  I tossed about 6 squeezed orange halves into a pot (leftovers from making a cake), covered them with water and brought it to the boil.  I boiled until the liquid had reduced to about a cup.  The strained liquid (which tasted like weak orange cordial) was then allowed to cool, and mixed with 1/4 cup of vodka and some lavender oil.  Does it work? Sure does! It's not a super strong hold, but  good enough and it smells nice too.

Love my all natural bathroom shelf!

Calendula salve
I made some of this using Christine's recipe a few weeks ago.  Lovely for my sore winter hands and the eczema spots in our home.

Toothpaste, Deodorant and more on the To-Do List
These are the next items on my to-do list.  I have seen a few recipes around, and would love your thoughts.  It would be good if I could make toothpaste to put it in a pump pack so it is neat and easy to use for the kids.

I am going to try making a roll on and a manly spray deodorant for Stu. I don't like the idea of the stick deodorants.  I plan to try these recipes (the spray one here and this roll on) and will let you know how I go.

There are a few others in my list to try - a facial toner, hair gel for Stu and lip balm to name a few.  I like the idea of a wholly homemade bathroom (and medicine cabinet?).  I would love to hear about other people's experiments - even failed ones!

Home Hairdressing

If you've been reading this blog, or you know me, you might have started to get the feeling that I'm rather fond of a bit of DIY.  If something needs doing, and there is a chance that I can do it, I'm prepared to give it a go instead of paying someone else to do it.  Whether it is making a costume, cooking something, plumbing in a sink, building a cubby or cutting hair, I will, and usually do, do it myself.

I got this trait from my Mum who is a serious DIY-er!  I grew up watching her build, fix, cook, grow and do just about everything.  She has always called herself a 'Jill of all trades' and I'm proud to say I am following in her footsteps.

Growing up, 90% of our haircuts were done at home by Mum.  We would go to the hairdressers when we wanted a complete change of style, and then Mum would copy the style from there.  As teens, she started to colour our hair too - a rinse here and there just for fun.  Most of the time, I was happy with my hair.  There were a few tragic moments in my youth, but since I've never been a terribly girly girl, these weren't too big a deal.  When I left home I had short hair, and either had to rely on the budget hairdressers on campus at uni, or wait for a trip home for a haircut.

When I moved in with my (now) husband, we were pretty broke, and one of our early purchases was a set of clippers ($20 from the supermarket) so that I could cut Stu's hair.  I've kept cutting his hair most of the last 15 years, and most of the time he has been happy with his style.  For a while (when babies were a priority) I sent him to the hairdressers, but found I wasn't happy with how they cut it and after two fix-ups by me, we were back to only home hairdressing for him.

My beautiful babies didn't bother growing hair until they were two years old, so haircuts were not necessary until they were about 3 and then Lachlan grew his hair long for a while anyway.  I have done all but one of the haircuts they have had over the last 4 years, and after the drama of the hairdressers visit, we won't be returning for some time. 

I cut Jamie's hair this morning.  I love that he can say "Mum, I need a haircut" and within the next few hours I can get out my hairdressing kit (a plastic smock for them, an apron for me, a comb, two pairs of scissors, clippers and a few clips), prop him up in the bathroom and do it.  I know how he likes his hair, and he feels comfortable telling me how to do it.  If something doesn't quite work, I fix it up.  Today was the first time I used the clippers for Jamie's hair and he is very happy with the results.

Scissors first to trim and cut his fringe

Clippers around the back

Clippers make it easy and so neat!

Another happy customer!

As for me, I had short hair until about 4 years ago.  Sometimes Mum would trim it for me and once, while we were camping our way around Australia, Stu cut it for me. But most of the time I had to go to the hairdressers.  I know a lot of women like the hairdressers, but I don't.  I don't like letting a more or less stranger style my hair into something that they think will work.  I hate looking into a mirror while wearing a smock for so long and I really don't like the chemical smell of my freshly styled hair.  So I avoid it as much as possible - I didn't even go to the hairdressers on my wedding day (short hair + a bit of product + a small tiara = simple!).  So I am happy that my hair is now long and I can cut it myself using the very technical 'front pony' method.  I have also coloured my hair regularly over the years, but find that since I have gone 'no poo', the rosemary hair rinse I use keeps my hair a nice dark glossy colour.

So I cut hair for my whole family.  It saves us the trauma trouble of trips to the hairdressers and a lot of money each year and most people don't even know that we have home haircuts.  A win win win DIY task I believe!

Does your family do home haircuts?  If you don't and would like to give it a go, there are lots of tutorials on the web - try Youtube.  My recommendation for starting out would be to include a hat or bandanna in your home hairdressing kit - just in case :)

Compromise and priorities - work, home and family

I feel as if I've been lost in the haze of school holidays!  It is lovely having the boys at home - playing, chatting and learning with them - but I feel as if I've lost my routine and can't fit in all the work and home tasks around the family.

I had a little panic attack the other day because I wasn't ready for my next term of teaching/dancing (lesson plans, choreographies and performances) and I was't able to get closer to ready because I needed to be with the boys and I couldn't just sit and play with the boys because I needed to do a multitude of jobs around the home and somewhere in there I needed to find time for me! Aaaagh!

So I took a spot of me time first (cup of tea) and thought about it.  As most stay at home mums would agree, there is very little time for thumb twiddling in our daily routines.  While my children are at school: I do the grocery shopping; clean and tidy the house; work in the garden (both for visual appeal and for growing food); plan meals and gardening calenders; pay bills and budget; cook food for that day and for the week ahead (all from scratch); wash/sort/mend clothes for the famil;, shop for any items that we need; make the homemade presents that we give; and do all the preparation that my part time job requires.  I also take some time for me - to see friends, read/write blogs and sometimes craft for my own pleasure.  I believe that the role as housewife/homemaker is a full time job, and my family and I are all very happy with the way the roles in our family work.

But every time my husband has holidays or there are school holidays, a spanner gets thrown in the works.  How am I supposed to get through all of the things on my list when I also need to spend time with them?  I want to spend time with them.... I love spending time with my family and my kids are growing up way too quickly to miss.  So something has to give.  Holidays are a time for compromise.

I chose to do less preparation for next term and to spend less time on my personal things - I'll find time when the boys go back to school.  In return, the kids have helped me with some of my jobs, and they are great at entertaining themselves while I'm busy.  And this weekend, Stu has helped me get through the list of homemaking tasks so that the burden feels somewhat lighter.

Slinky apples and a 'Where's Wally' puzzle - perfect family time!

My little mountain climbers!

And because of that, we've been able to enjoy the holidays, while still meeting our family's needs.

We've been to the library and the shops.  We bought new school shoes and pottered in the toy section of the shops.  Lachlan came with me while I donated blood (he wanted to see what happened and was a great support person).  We have all chipped in on a puzzle and played board games.  We spent the day at the Fun4Kids festival (courtesy of me teaching two workshops there), where the boys rockclimbed, fenced, cooked, hammered, danced and played until we were all exhausted.  We've written and read lots of stories and had cuddles galore.  We've been for walks and played in the garden.  And we've had time to just 'be' in each others company.

I've remembered that being a homemaker/housewife is a full time job, but it stems from being a wife and a mummy and they have to come first.  I wrote the title of this post before and find it interesting the way I wrote it - work, home, family.  We need to remember our priorities are the other way around - family, home and then work.  My boys aren't babies anymore, but think I should print myself a copy of this old poem - especially for school holidays.

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth

empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

hang out the washing and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Linking up with the Accidental Housewife today for a housewifely post - perfect timing Mrs A - just when I felt like writing about being a housewife... :o)

Strawberry patch upgrade

I love strawberries. 

When I was a little girl I would visit my grandma on the farm and she would always have strawberries and cream for me.  When the boys were two, we visited a strawberry farm in Tasmania. I have great memories from that day.... Oh the smell! And some of my favourite photos of our family were taken there.

Not long after, the boys were given strawberry plants for the garden.Each year we have harvested a punnet or two worth of strawberries, while the snails and slater bugs eat kilos of them! I've tried a few things to stop this, but it is hard to find advice when most gardening forums declare that slater bugs don't eat strawberries.  Well I say they do... I've seen them eat them!

http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/post-2155216.html

Last summer, I took the boys to the Timboon strawberry farm.  We picked a huge bucket to take home to eat and make strawberry jam, and I asked the farmer his advice.  He put me onto a particular snail bait (I don't like using it though, and plan to find an organic alternative this year) and said I should use black plastic as a 'mulch' instead of straw (the slater bugs live in decaying organic matter).
I had every intention of following this advice until I went to actually buy the plastic and faced two problems. 1. I am terribly frugal and hate spending on anything and 2. I'm trying to rid our lives of plastic, not buy more!

So I did more research.  There is a weed mat available that is phytodegradable.  That would do the job, except it is pricey (see point 1 above).  So I looked for alternatives and found someone selling cardboard mulch.  It was cheaper, but still pricey, and what was it? Plain old Cardboard!

And so, I went to my pile of boxes that were still hanging around from all the flat pack kitchen cupboards we bought from Ikea, and I used it to redo my strawberry patch.

Will it solve my problems? No idea, but it was free! I'll let you know next summer.

Juggling balls Tutorial - two ways

Following on from my post about homemade gifts, Wendy from South Africa asked how I make my juggling balls.  Juggling balls make a great gift for boys (and girls) in that hard to make for age - ie. 7-adult!  My kids go to a lot of parties for 7 year olds at the moment, so these are a popular gift in our household, but I know my teen and adult relatives would also like a set.

So here are two ways to make them.  Note the second method makes nicer and sturdier juggling balls :)

The first is a no-sew method - VERY easy and probably with items you have hanging around.

Materials (per ball)

• 1 small freezer bag
• 3 balloons
• 2/3 cup rice (or bird seed)
• sticky tape
• Scissors

How to do it:

1. Put your rice into the freezer bag nd tape the bag over to make sure the rice is secure
2. Chop the tail off your balloons
3. Stretch one balloon over the bag of rice and mould it into a round shape with your hands
4. Stretch your second and then third ballon over the top, covering up the hole in the first with the second and finishing with all balloons overlapping for a decorative effect.  You can cut an extra hole or two in the third balloon too to allow the other colours to show through.

NOTE: these are great, but won't last forever if used a lot.  The next ones are better for that.

  

The second is a sewing method.  Also easy (if you have a sewing machine) and made with small fabric scraps, so budget friendly too.

Materials (per ball)

• rectangle of fabric about 22 x 11cm - could be any non-stretch fabric (I used denim and cotton poplin, both either recycled or scraps from other projects)
• sewing machine threaded with matching thread
• about 1/2 cup of rice (or you can use bird seed or the plastic beads from craft shops)
• scissors
• iron and ironing board
• funnel

How to do it:

1. Cut your fabric into rectangles about 22cm x 11cm and iron flat.

2. Fold your rectangle in half lengthways (you will end up with a square) and using a straight stitch, sew around the bottom and side of the square.  (you can do 2 lines of stitching for strength if you like)

3. Fold over about 1cm all around the open end of the pocket and iron it down (don't skip this step or it is too much of a pain to sew!)

4. Turn your pocket back in the right way way, then take the two sides and hold them together.  This will make your triangular shape.

5. top stitch along the opening, leaving a section open at one end big enough for the end of your funnel to go in.

6. Fill up your triangular (kind of) shaped sack with rice.  Use the right amount of rice so that the sack is fairly full, but also so that you can finish sewing up the gap.

7. (this is the trickiest bit) Fiddle around a bit to get your juggling ball back under the sewing machine and stitch up the gap. 

8.  Make a couple more in the same or different fabrics and then either package them up with juggling instructions (lots of the web) or start juggling!

I'd love to eventually crochet some juggling balls too, but I'm thinking that will be less quick and easy......

Let me know if you make some and post a photo! :)