Can we make .............?

Over the last few years I have gone back to basics when it comes to food. I have started making most of my own food from scratch. There are many reasons for this including wanting to know what is in my food and the enjoyment I get out of it amongst others. I was going through my pantry the other day for things to donate for various Christmas appeals and there were a few things that had actually expired because I brought them so long ago "just in case". Oops!

I have to laugh though when I mention things we need to B and he says "we'll have to make some". I think me making a lot of our food has created an expectation in him that that's how we do it. Not that I am complaining. I love that he has such a connection to his food and really understands processes on how food is made and where it comes from. I also love that his first thought is that we should make it rather than we should buy it.

I have blogged before about some of my home made goodies, including tomatoes, ice cream, lemonade and lemon butter. I have almost finished my tomatoes that I bottled in February and March. I'm glad that I have had such a good supply, however, I now know that I need to do lots more next year. I have also been assured that it ages well so if I do make more than I need in a year it will actually taste better.

So a few days ago he wanted to know about how to make butter. I have never made butter before but of course knew the theory and there is the wonderful Internet to fill in the gaps!!!

We started with some double cream:

Into the mix master:

And voila, butter (and buttermilk):

It was probably a tad too hot today to do the best job but it served the purpose of B seeing how it's made and he really enjoyed having a slice of bread with lots of our butter on it.

So above is a yoghurt maker. A few weeks ago I mentioned that we needed to get yoghurt and B replied with "we have to make some". There is a group that I am a member of on Facebook and there was a big discussion about making yoghurt about the same time. One of the members mentioned she used the Easi-Yo Yoghurt Maker. It's basically a large thermos which comes with a smaller container which fits inside and you can make yoghurt. They do sell their own brand sachets but I just do it myself with a small amount of yoghurt (which I save with each batch), milk powder and milk. Leave in the thermos overnight and you have yoghurt.

So there you have it. Some of the home made goodies we have been making in our house. We really need to get started on our Christmas baking. I can't believe I won't get started till December. I usually try to have most of it done by now.

I would love to hear about some of the home made goodies you make. Successes and failures!

RIP Hard Rubbish

I love Hard Rubbish collections!

However, I am really sad that most councils seem to have done away with them. I know they offer collections at the times you need them but I love everyone putting their stuff out at the same time and people going through to get what they want/need. I know that the streets look really bad for the week or so beforehand but to me it is the ultimate form of recycling. I have picked up quite a few things over time and have had friends collect stuff on my behalf when they know there is something in particular I need.

I have one friend who has made money selling stuff that she has found put out for hard rubbish. Another got a coffee machine that retails for quite a bit of money but spent a little on getting it repaired and it worked a treat for years.

Some of my hard rubbish treasures over the years:

Sand pit/pool

Car. In the background is a stove/washing machine/dryer which has been through a few friends but was also a hard rubbish find!

I would love to hear your thoughts on Hard Rubbish and maybe some of your great finds. Good, bad or indifferent?

More Kid's Crafts - Weaving

A couple of months ago we were at a market and there was a lady there selling hand-made woven scarves. She was also doing some weaving while we she was there and we stopped to watch. B was very interested and I thought to myself, "we could do this at home". So we have been.

We are definitely not going to end up with a scarf or anything, however, it has been a bit of fun and it's a great project that can be put down and picked up again.

I am not a weaver so I just made this up myself from material I had on hand. First I took some cardboard, cut slits at either end and wrapped wool around the cardboard.

Then using a ruler to lift up every second (or third, or fourth) bit of wool to give space to thread the wool across.



Pass some wool wound around another bit of cardboard and thread through the space created by the ruler.

Pull the wool through and continue.



This has been another lovely little craft project that we can do together and have a bit of quiet time. As I said I am no weaver so the technique is probably not great, however, I feel it has been a good introduction and learning for B.

I would love to hear your ideas for introducing kids to craft activities. We do love crafting together - as long as I don't put on my "crafting hat" that longs for things to be "just right"!!

P.S. For my previous post on sewing with kids see here

Surprise Day

Today being Thursday we often don't have things on and we sometimes do special things or do the ordinary running around shopping/jobs. I did have a haircut scheduled for today, however, I found out there was something on at Albert Park that I knew B would enjoy.

There is a classic car show on in Melbourne this weekend. It would cost me $20 to go (with B free). Not being really into cars myself and with a busy weekend ahead of us I thought "oh well" and didn't think we'd do it. However, I discovered that they were doing a parade of the cars from Albert Park Lake to the Exhibition Buildings today which was free so I thought I can't miss it! I was going to just go into the city and line up somewhere along the route but realised that you could see them all at Pit Lane at Albert Park for 2 hours before they started.

Pink Cadillac - the favourite for the boy obsessed with pink!

I have always told B what we are doing each day from a very young age. One because I think it's good for him to know what is happening and also being only the 2 of us it's nice to talk things through (even when he couldn't talk back). However, I decided that I would make today a "surprise" day and not tell him what was happening. I thought it would be good to make it into a special day and by him not knowing it would create this sense of excitement about the day.

Model T fruit & vegetable delivery truck - another popular one

We had a lovely day (apart from being a little under dressed). He got to walk amongst all the cars, see them arrive and take their spots. He was even offered a seat on a motorbike and in one of the cars but declined (he's getting a bit nervous about that sort of thing at the moment). I had packed our lunch and we put down the picnic blanket near where all the cars would be leaving so we had a prime viewing spot to enjoy our lunch and see them leave.

Aston Martin - James Bond eat your heart out!

He's already talking about our next surprise day. I think it will become a regular thing but not too regular so as not to lessen the meaning. It was great to spend the day doing something that he really loves even though it's not my thing. And best of all it didn't cost us anything except for petrol and parking!

3 Wheeled Car - it had it's wheels counted a few times!!

Garage Sale

Last weekend I had a garage sale. I had a lot of things that I needed to get rid of and there was too much to put on ebay/gumtree or to just donate to the op shop. So I decided to try and sell some with a garage sale. I had a friend who brought some things over too so we were able to combine our things.

Unfortunately I didn't sell as much as I had hoped, however, I did make some money from it. But most importantly it was a great opportunity to declutter and really go through my things. I have been trying to declutter for a while but it often seems to be too big a job. You also don't notice little bits when there is a lot to go. By having a date set for the garage sale it gave me a deadline for going through my things. I certainly didn't go through everything but I went through lots.

The best thing was that most of the stuff that didn't sell didn't then re-enter the house after the sale finished. We immediately loaded up a car which went straight to the op shop. Another load of kids toys went into my car to give to a friend who works in domestic violence for their clients. A few things did come back into the house but they are things that I will list on ebay/gumtree, etc to sell.

All set up and ready to go!

On the whole it was a worthwhile experience in that it was a good way to clear out a lot of unwanted things and to give me some impetus to keep going. It is an experience that I will not repeat, however, as I will not have that much stuff again that needs to be gotten rid of!

A New Direction

I am excited, nervous and a whole bunch of other things about my life next year. It has been a really amazing couple of weeks in terms of an idea popping into my head, realising that the idea was God's, praying about it and having others pray for me (thanks), talking it over with people to confirm that it was doable.

Just to give a bit of background. I returned to work when B was only 5 months old. It broke my heart to do so but I didn't feel like there was much other option at the time. I took comfort from the fact that he was an easygoing baby and it was only for 2 days a week. It has been difficult but we have muddled along for the last 4 years.

B is now just over 4 and we have been having a lot of clashes recently. We have been butting heads, yelling at each other and he has been saying he doesn't want to go to child care/kinder and just wants to stay home with Mummy. It has been really difficult for both of us and I have been really struggling with his behaviour and my response to it.

A couple of weeks ago after a particularly bad day I was at a loss about what I could do. Then an idea popped into my head of taking next year off work. I almost immediately discounted it as I didn't think it could be done. Then I got THE voice - the one that I have heard before and I know very well. It was the voice that God uses with me when I don't listen the first time!!!!

After that, I realised that I needed to give it some serious thought and prayer. I checked out how much long service leave I have and realised it was a full year at half pay. I then crunched some numbers and worked out that financially it was doable. I sat down with a (practical) friend who confirmed that financially it would work and emotionally for B and I as well.

It was all starting to become a bit more concrete and by this time I was starting to feel a sense of peace about the decision. I spoke to the principal at school to ask if it was possible and her answer was "of course" - another affirmation that I was on the right track. Everybody that I have mentioned it to has been really supportive and thinks it's a great idea.

I know that me being a SAHM next year will not solve all of our problems but I am confident that this is the choice that is right for us and what God wants me to do. I am really looking forward to making B's kinder year a really good one and spending his last year before school together.

As I said at the start I am nervous but mainly excited about what the next year will bring.

When life gives you Lemons make...........

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a few days with a friend at her family's beach house. We had a great time and it was lovely to get away.

I also came back with a bag full of lemons from the lemon tree in the backyard. Nobody had been at the house in a while so the lemon tree was groaning under the weight of all the lemons.

I am lucky enough to have a lemon tree in my backyard but as I have mentioned before I gave the tree a really massive prune when I moved in 2 years ago and it's only just starting to produce fruit. I use lemons quite a bit in my cooking and B loves to just eat them as is! We have been lucky enough to get a lot from friends and I haven't had to buy too many.

So as I had a few extra lemons I decided that today would be a good chance to do something with them. With the help of the CWA I set about making Lemonade Cordial and Lemon Butter. Yum!!

I'm having trouble uploading photos at the moment so I can't show the photo I took of the finished products :-(

I am only new to preserving and making sauces, jams, etc but am really loving it. I'm looking forward to when my lemon tree is producing a lot more and making more of these goodies. You never know - you may get one as a Christmas gift! I'm also planning to give Preserved Lemons a go. If you have a good recipe I would love you to share!