Goodness no posts for ages!

I'm sorry there hasn't been any updates for ages! You know how it is, the end of year and lots of loose ends to be tidied and parties to attend :o)

Great news on Mum, she is home and recovering slowly. She is walking and slowly talking. How happy she must be to sleep in her own bed! Dad is very happy to have his wife back too :o)

Here is the kindergarten end of year performance. All those little cuties. I have to say our little guy had the most wonderful teacher this year, the woman is a saint! Thank you for your input into his impressionable life :o)

I have to show off a gift a girl friend made me, I don't know how she finds the time, she is the busiest person I know. How clever is this.

I made a cute little card holder for my girls friends, you know those store cards, ones that get punched etc

Next year I hope to spend a lot more time sewing, I really miss it. We have exciting savings plans for next year but I'll keep the gory details for it's own post.

I've been to the best op shop ever, Here is my $2 outfit, skirt, under top, over top and knitted jacket/cardigan.

And for Tan who wanted to see the full dress, ta da...

Year 10 formal

Doesn't she look gorgeous :o)

Tea towel Apron

I got the idea for this cute and easy apron from  Waldorf craft book. I've forgotten which one. These are so nice as gifts and include a home-made cook book for little people. They wash and wear wonderfully.

Fold corners of a tea towel and pin as shown

Close  up of the pinning, when sewing leave a casting on the outer edge to  thread cord through

Sewn and soft cord threaded through.

One cute 4yr old modelling above apron. It covers them so well, it gathers around the arms.

Dried Mushrooms

We have a zillion mushrooms again so we have resorted to drying them. Here's about 6 kg fresh in dried form, about 350gm! The little ones are eating them like that. Ick! LOL

Running a drier is really inexpensive and a brilliant way to preserve food.

18th with Blacksmithing family.

Our son is blessed to have the most wonderful group of people in his Blacksmithing class. It's the end of their 3rd year and celebrating DS's 18th birthday. They are absolutely tops.

New Do!

What do you think? It's a bit different, think of the shampoo I'll save! I decided I couldn't live with the grey just yet!

Single serve casseroles.

We have one child with allergies. It's a pest as most meals I make have tomato or potato in it. So I have started to plan ahead and have a friendly meal in the freezer for him. I found the most adorable little casserole pot and as luck would have it, the texas sized muffin tins are a perfect fit. So here's the first serve. In the freezer and waiting to get dumped into a freezer bag and then I'll refill with another casserole. I could reheat in the microwave but I don't like them, so the tiny casserole dish is perfect.

Chicken Casserole

This would be such an easy way to prepare meals for a single person. I know if I was just feeding myself I'd be lazy and tempted to have toast or something. This could be the answer :O) 

One less supermarket item.

For some strange reason I had not made peanut butter. I have made jams, pickles, jellies etc and always knew how to make peanut butter but never actually did it!


Peanuts, shamelessly I chose roasted and salted and a small amount of oil, I ran out of sunflower and used peanut oil. Say 4 cups to 1 TBS. Whizz in food processor for a few minutes.

It is very cheap too!

1958 Dresses

Here are Mum's 'going away' and a special honeymoon party dresses. Aren't they gorgeous and still in perfect condition. I've forgotten the name of the lady who sewed them, she was an older lady in Bendigo.

Sorry, it's been a hard week :o(

I've been away all week, my dear mother has had a stroke. She is still in hospital.
Praying for you Mum. Know that God is actively working by His spirit in you each day, you are not forgotten but precious to Him. I do pray that we might have you a bit longer here, basically because we are selfish and love you. We; Dad, Simon and I, Wess and grandchildren want to talk to you and hold your hand a bit longer.

2 Corinthians 4

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling

 ¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

It takes time!

This self sufficiency gig is SLOW! It is so easy to read books and think that it can happen quickly but honestly I have to say from our experience life gets in the way!

I just updated a garden bed post that we started back in May. It's now October and there hasn't been a huge advancement, well, really I there has been work but I still can't plant in it. But we had to get it welded, gather rocks, get the pipe etc, it just takes time and money and if you don't have it, which is most normal families, we just have to be patient.

Changing habits takes time. Convincing the rest of the family of a good change takes time! Weaning children from screen time, takes time!

This is our southern orchard, it has been planted for 5 years but we only learnt how to prune properly this year and  finally it looks like we might get more than one or two pieces of fruit.

If you are a normal family with normal time, money and health constraints please be encouraged IT TAKES TIME! For all of us, it's one step at a time.

Retro patterns. Op shop fun!

I had a great find at my favourite op shop last week. I have no idea if I'll get anything made up, so I'll store them as little package of future hope ;o)

The man is on a roll! Scarf Display and Holder

On top of fly screens (post below), Pooh has cleaned off the most gorgeous old ladder, I think it was his grandfathers (just over 100 years old) for me to hang my scarves and wraps on. How delicious is this! Handy too, I forget what I have when they are in a drawer.

I should add I've got a talented family, the painting was by Mum, it's the church of St John the Baptist, 1846 in Tasmania and the candle holder was via blacksmithing son, also the blacksmithed shelf holder and eldest son thicknessed and shaped the timber shelf.

I've married a genius! Fly screens at last!

We moved into our home 8 years ago and it was a dump. It was a garage with very few windows and dearest Pooh has slaved away with his bodgy eye and made me an Eden! Today after many summers of mosquitos he made fly screens! I'm stoked and can now have the window open into the evenings (Well I hope I can, yet to be tested I suppose!)

This wall was brick, no window at all. He cut the brick, put in a lintel, made the chunky timber surrounds out of a fallen tree on the property and added recycled windows we pulled out of an old house about to be demolished. Today he came up with sliding fly screens!

Anti bacterial wipes -homemade

When I'm out at the shops or else where and we are having lunch, whether bought or brought, I like to use wipes for our hands before eating. I used to buy them but it added up even though they are a few dollars, so here's a homemade job. If I can't take a bottle, I can just damped a cloth and put it in a ziplock bag :o) 

Anti bacterial wipes: 

100ml white vinegar 
20 drops lavender 
20 drops eucalyptus oil 
10 drops tea tree oil 
Blend and store in spray bottle with some cloth squares (or paper towel if throwing away) Ziplock bags to carry cloths or dirties to wash at home.