Not Quite Creamy Potato Bake

There's a really great recipe here for potato bake that I've cooked before and loved. A few months back I decided to tweak it a little with what I had on hand and it ended up becoming something that very slightly resembled the original recipe if you turned sideways and squinted at it.

Each time I make it I forget to take a pic and by the time I remember it's pretty much been demolished and looking a shadow of it's former divine glory. So I'm going to give you the recipe and hopefully remember to take a picture.

Vicki's Creamy Sweet Potato/Butternut Pumpkin/Feta Cheese Bake

I use:

A small carton of pure cream (300ml)
Please use pure cream. Thickened cream is pure cream beaten with a whole lot of additives added to keep it thick. If you ever need thickened cream buy pure cream and beat it for a few minutes. It will taste ever so much more delicious without all the additives and your body will thank you.
A mixture of diced sweet potato and butternut pumpkin

Usually half a butternut pumpkin and a small sweet potato. Or feel free to have all sweet potato or all butternut pumpkin. Use what you personally prefer or have on hand.

A large onion (or couple of smaller onions) sliced
180g package Goat's Milk Feta Cheese diced or crumbled
Grated Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan Cheese

Again, use whatever cheese you personally prefer. A note on grated cheddar cheese: it has added flour to keep the pieces separated so be mindful if you are gluten intolerant. If you grate it yourself you know exactly what's in it.

This is what I do:


Preheat the oven to 170 deg C. If it's too hot the cream will separate so don't be tempted to cook it faster at a higher heat.

Grab a casserole dish (preferably one with a lid).
Throw in the diced vegetables, the sliced onion, the feta cheese and mix it around. Get in with your hands. It's great fun.
Pour over the cream.
Sprinkle over the cheeses.

Put the lid on the casserole dish or cover it with foil/whatever heat tolerant cover you have.

Bake for one hour. Take the cover off and bake for another half hour.

Done. Simple. Delicious. Eat it. Thank me later. ;)

A few other combinations you might like to try:

Throw in some diced bacon/prosciutto/ham/salami.
Add some pine nuts.
Basil would go beautifully with this.
Make it a one dish dinner and add some broccoli and diced chicken.

Enjoy and keep cooking!! Pure, simple food as close to natural as possible.

Managing Menstruation Mindfully

Menstruation.

Half of the World's population will experience it and yet it is shrouded in shame by many. Viewed as dirty, only discussed in whispered voices with a nod towards the offending area and never in polite company.

Billions of women across the world are menstruating. At an average of 4-5 days 13 times a year for 40 years. That is about 2600 days in a lifetime. 7 whole years.

Menstruation is natural. It's a healthy process of a functioning female body in preparation for childbearing.

What does bother me is how we deal with it and the devastating effect we are having on the environment and our bodies because of the way we choose to deal with it.

"Female Sanitary Products" are, for a start, not sanitary. They are NOT required to be manufactured in a sanitary environment. Whatever contaminants are in the factory are in the products. Bleaching does not sanitise. It only makes the products white thus making them look sanitary. The wrapping they come in is not there to provide a sanitary environment until you open it. It is provided for convenience (so you can pop them in your handbag) and to give the illusion of being sanitised.

Tampons cause Toxic Shock Syndrome. Google it and see exactly how devastating this disease is to the body. It is a large enough threat for each packet of tampons to be required to carry a leaflet telling you that tampons can make you sick.

But aside from the health issues there is also the landfill issue. Each menstrual cycle most women will use 4-5 tampons a day along with a few disposable pads for night use or maybe more as a back up for tampon leakage. Let's assume 2 a day. Given that they will menstruate for about 2600 days in their life that is about 12,000 tampons and 5,000 disposable pads. That is about the equivalent of a whole garbage truck's capacity for every woman who used tampons and disposable pads. And there are billions of women!

What about the cost? In Australia tampons attract a luxury tax. Yep, you read right. A luxury tax. A packet of 16 tampons cost about $5 (31c each). A packet of 14 pads costs about $5 (35c each). So over a lifetime that is $3700 in tampons and $1750 in disposable pads. A total of $5450 per lifetime.

Let me show you some alternatives.

A menstrual cup such as Diva, Lunette or Keeper Cups are made of medical grade silicon. They can remain in place for up to 8 hours. You can wear them overnight. There is zero risk of contracting Toxic Shock Syndrome from them. They are reusable and from first hand reports will last in excess of 10 years. For the initial outlay of around $55. Over 40 years the total cost would be around $250.

If menstrual cups aren't your thing try reusable pads. They come in all different sizes, some really funky patterns and need a simple rinse out, throw into a bucket of water to soak and then in with the normal wash. At around $12 each they will last until they wear out at around 3-5 years. If you have a stash of 8 pads that will work out at about $400 over 40 years.

The big bonus with these is that if you are so inclined you can make your own. There are many free patterns available on the internet along with full instructions from the materials required to how to construct them.

Neither of these products will create any landfill apart from the usually biogradeable packing they arrive in through the post.

Neither of these products will make you sick.

Neither of these products attract a luxury tax.

My personal thoughts and feedback:

The first thing I noticed was that the cloth pads and menstrual cups do NOT smell. So I can only assume that the smell that is normally associated with menstrual flow is caused by the menstrual flow reacting with whatever the disposable pads and tampons are made of or made with.

They are very easy to use.

I love that you can use the menstrual cup overnight.

I have NEVER had leakage from the menstrual cup.

The cloth pads do not irritate genital regions as disposable pads might for some. The cloth is very soft and absorbent.

Cloth pads could very easily be used for bladder leakage.

So before you reach for the next packet of tampons or disposable pads think about the alternatives. Be kind to your body and be kind to the environment. There IS another way.

Little Things Like Making The Bed

Making the bed! This has been pretty much an optional activity for me since I moved out of home. ;) I figure I'm only going to get back into it and I'm not here anyway when I'm working so why bother?

Let me tell you.

I now spend a large majority of my time organising, planning, scheduling and making sure things run smoothly for the entire family. A large chunk of my day is spent at home. It's my office if you will and I am the Brunner Family CEO and one of the four board members. Which gets me to thinking I really need to employ a PA. Preferably one who would work for tea and cupcakes, be on call and work split shifts when necessary.

I'm also a visually creative person. I don't learn well reading a text. The information seeps gently through my visual cortex, into my brain and then evaporates into the mists of time and magic. I'm sure this is what unicorns are made of. I learn best by watching and doing. I'm also at my most peaceful and my energies are most centred when I'm not surrounded by visual clutter. Which is why you won't find an overload of knick knacks and frou frou in my living space. I do love beautiful things just not a lot of them in one space. :)

Our house is designed with the master bedroom at the front of house with a bay window. It opens off the entry directly across from the lounge/dining areas. This means that you can see the bed from the living area and also from the front driveway/path through the windows. (I'm a blinds open kinda girl. I don't like living in a cave. Give me breezes and light.) I discovered one day that every time I saw the messy bed it bothered me. Ever so slightly. But it bothered me.

A month or so back I decided to run an experiment and make the bed every day to see how it made me feel. It made me feel good. I can now see the beautiful black and gold bedspread I bought last year. There aren't any pyjamas strewn around the bed. We are less likely to leave things on the bedroom floor. It makes me feel good. It adds visual beauty to my day. I like it.

So when I'm at home, pottering around the house or I walk in the front door from a busy day out and about it's lovely to stop, look around and see a neat, tidy house. It makes me feel calmer. It doesn't need to be perfect but I've discovered that taking 2 minutes to make the bed makes a positive contribution to my everyday.

I'm in Love!!!

I'm in love with my car Gerni 110.2! Freddy Mercury eat your heart out.

I've had my eye on this little baby for a while now. Did a bit of research and decided that 1400W of pure, awesome cleaning power was EXACTLY what I needed. Long hose, long wand, enough attachments to keep the boredom of cleaning at bay and light enough to move around without the need to lift weights for five years beforehand. Gerni has a metal motor which means it can be repaired rather than scrapped and is a wholly owned Australian company to boot! Ticks ALL my repurposing/shopping local/sustainability loving boxes.

Last summer it rained. A lot. All the time. As a result the pavers which have the house surrounded are now mostly covered with a dark green coloured mildew/moss/mould/alien growth and are patiently waiting surrender by the inhabitants. (Some may say it's Army Green which would work in perfectly with my theory that the pavers are dressing in army camouflage in order to lay an ambush. This would also explain why the cat has taken to walking across the roof rather than the pavers.)

Now that the dog has moved on to greener pastures and summer is just around the corner I thought I'd spruce up the pavers/general outdoor area in preparation for the bbq/pool party season. So after a morning coffee with Bob & Cynthia I popped into the auto shop on the way home (who would have thought you could buy high pressured cleaning gear in a male dominated domain???) and picked one up. I got a bargain!! Not only was the price reduced to under $200, it came with a handy dandy attachment thingy with a spinning arm designed especially for cleaning pavers. Blow me down! Gerni must have women/men who realise that women use Gerni's/magic, mind-reading elves working in their design department!

So with a spring in my step and high hopes I set off to repel and conquer the invading army. OH MY LORDY!! With a simple wave of the wand the pavers emerged one by one shaking off the shackles of inhibiting mould and emerging fresh and rejuvenated. *Sigh* I love my Gerni.

Death - The Final Farewell

Death. The culmination of the cycle of physical life for every living organism on this planet. A natural, integral part of existence. Yet one of the most difficult to experience and be at peace with.

I've encountered death over my 45 years in this lifetime. Pets, friends and relatives but I was witness to the actual death process for the very first time a few days past.

4 months ago we adopted The Hubby's Mum's dog. She was moving into a retirement unit and didn't have the capacity to house and care for her large dog anymore. So we offered to care for her beloved Lucy who was becoming quite frail herself at 13 yo. Over the weekend Lucy's health deteriorated dramatically and on Monday the vet visited her and it was decided that Lucy was in a lot of pain, could barely walk anymore and had lived to her fullest potential.

I had decided beforehand that I would sit with Lucy until her very end so that someone she knew cared for her would be with her. The vet was very gentle and kind. He explained exactly what was happening as we went along and suggested gently a few times that he was happy to be with her if I felt I couldn't stay.

I witnessed her last breaths and surrounded her with all the love I could summon. It was one of the most profound and touching moments of my life. It was gentle, peaceful and dignified. A fitting transition for a fine, grand dame who had brought many years of companionship, happiness and love to The Hubby's Mum.

♥

Dearest Lucy,

I know that you are resting and are no longer in pain.

I know that you have brought love into your carer's lives.

I know that you are at peace.

I know that you will be missed.

I send you love.

I bid you a Final Farewell.

♥

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Roasted Chicken

I sit here sipping on my chai tea ruminating over what was one of the most awesome roast meals I have cooked to date. Start with one fabulous chicken allowed to roam free with the wind in it's feathers chasing insects, scratching in the dirt, swallowing grubs and everything else required for a heavenly chickeny existence. Let it grow to a healthy size 18 and then sell it to me. For the extremely tiny price of $12. Local primary producers now occupy a serious chunk of my food loving heart.

Now take your free range, organic chicken and rub some soft, creamy butter over and under the breast skin of this gorgeous bird and run your hands over her legs as well. Cut an Aussie bush lemon in half and see if you can fit into the cavity. (A simpler and just as tasty version of Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Chicken.) If not, no matter, slice it into chunks and put in as much as you can. Gently place her onto a rack inside a roasting dish. I don't have a roasting rack.... I just use a cake cooling rack. Let her steam in a 200 deg C oven for 1hr 20 minutes. After the hen has been in the oven for 20 minutes I like to add in the vegetables and let them cook for a good hour.

Tonight I excelled myself and made real gravy like Mum and Grandma used to. Brown 2 tblsp of plain flour in a hot, dry frypan. Add in the juices from the roasting pan while continuously stirring so that no lumps form. Skim off the fat because it won't blend in. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the gravy to the boil and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes until the flour cooks. Taste the gravy. When it's ready you can't taste the flour.

Serve this glorious, fresh, delicious food at your table. Grab your fork and tuck in!

Grass Fed, Free Range Beef on the BBQ

*Edited 10/1/2013

Quite a while ago I reluctantly stopped ordering from Happy Cows Butchery. I loved their product, the pricing was very reasonable and their service was excellent. The only problem was the delivery service.

Chill Refrigerated Couriers were contracted for the delivery. I ordered through Qld Natural Beef and Happy Cows Butchery 3 times. Every time I had problems with the courier. Every time the problems could have been rectified with a simple phone call. The very first time there was a problem the courier was efficient and called through to say the delivery would be delayed. Easily dealt with.

The second time the manager rang to say it would be more convenient for them to delivery my order on Monday morning rather than Saturday and quoted a delivery time of between 10am and 12noon. I happily agreed as I did not require the meat for the weekend and it wouldn't inconvenience me. Unfortunately, the meat was not delivered at the quoted time. At 1pm I rang to enquire about the whereabouts of the delivery. It transpired that the delivery driver had no information about a specific delivery time. I was on his delivery list but he couldn't give me even an approximate time of when the delivery would be made. I eventually received it at 4pm.

The third time a delivery was expected I stayed at the house on Saturday morning to receive the order while the rest of the family went about their regular activities. The day came and went with no delivery and no phone call. I eventually contacted the butcher who had also not been informed that my order would not be delivered. To say I was livid would be an understatement. We contacted the couriers and the order was eventually received late Monday afternoon.

I rang the butcher and explained that while I loved their product and service, the courier had let them down and I wouldn't be placing any more orders. I then emailed Chilled Refrigeration informing them that their delivery service had failed a family business and they were the sole reason I wouldn't place more orders. I didn't receive any reply.

Unfortunately, the Happy Cows Butchery were unable to secure an alternate refrigerated delivery service. Sadly, It appears they are no longer offering their product online.

Edit:

Qld Natural Beef is now owned and operated by the butcher who worked with the company. The new name is:

The Happy Cows Butchery

That picture is seriously fun and cute!

*****************************************************************

I placed my very first order with Qld Natural Beef and had it delivered yesterday in time for a BBQ last night. We decided to throw Tbone steaks and sausages on the barbie.

I can't describe to you how much flavour there was in this beef. It was tender, it was beautiful. The sausages were out of this world. Melt in your mouth I've gone to heaven and I'm not coming back goodness.

I'll explain how it all works.

This is a family run farm. The cattle are grass fed free range. The way they are naturally meant to be. The family uses a local butcher and sells their beef themselves so they can trace exactly what has happened to the beef through the entire process.

The online ordering process is simple, easy to navigate and easy to use. There is a $15 delivery fee so I decided to clear out the freezer and place a bulk order. I ordered 17 kg of meat/chicken/bacon for the princely sum of $225.00 That averaged out to $13/kg. This is included a 2.5kg bulk pack of Tbone steak for $45. As a comparison... the local butcher/supermarket sells Tbone steak for $20-$25 a kg. The local organic butcher sells it for $50 a kg!!!

Some more comparative pricing:

Sausages from the local organic butcher $9/500g - I paid $8/kg

Organic Chicken Thighs from the local organic butcher $14/500g and Organic Chicken Thighs from Coles Supermarket $14/kg- I paid $13/kg

I think there is a pattern/trend emerging. I'm happy to pay a little more for a good quality product (in Coles's case it was less!!) but I refuse to pay such astronomical prices and have believed all along that there must be a cheaper option. Now I've found it. Even taking into account the delivery price, I paid less for beef/chicken/bacon that I would at the local supermarket/butcher. The quality is better, the flavour is better and I'm supporting local primary producers, reducing my carbon footprint and providing quality, healthy food at my table.

I would urge everyone to keep searching, keep looking for information. Primary producers are recognising that people are looking for an alternative and are starting to provide it. If at all possible, talk to primary producers. Tell them what you want. Get your family and friends together and approach them to see if they will supply a bulk order. It is worth the effort.

Possibly The Best Birthday of All Time

It was my birthday. On Wednesday. I had the best birthday I could ask for. Let me explain.

Every time it rolls around to a Birthday/Christmas/other culturally gift-giving appropriate occasion I get the same question. What do you want? What can I buy you? You know what? I don't want anything. I have all I want and need. What I'd rather you give me is a wonderful meal, great conversation, laughter, an enjoyable outing and beautiful memories.

The Hubby delivered. Big time. Let me describe my day to you.

It started with Birthday greetings and hugs from The Hubby and our beautiful children! The Hubby had decided to give me a gift. A beautiful, thoughtful gift. I'm a creative person. I love beautiful things. I particularly love red, metallic colours and dark neutral colours. He knows this. Because he cares enough to pay attention. There was a beautiful card. Black. With a red satin ribbon and small bow framing a picture of the bust of a woman dressed in 1920's clothing with feathers in her hair. The picture was red and silver on a black background. Beautiful to behold.

It accompanied a bottle of champagne. Very special French champagne. You see, today is our wedding anniversary. We were married 11 years ago, 2 days after my 34th birthday. The Brilliant Hubby decided that a bottle of Moet and Chandon would be perfect. He tried specifically for a 2000 vintage - the year we were married, but had to settle for a 2002 vintage. Who's complaining? Not me!! This was a fabulous gift. It was carefully thought over and lovingly selected. By someone who cared enough to give me a gift that was meaningful.

This was followed by great coffee and croissants for breakfast with our family all together. The rest of the day was spent in a peaceful, relaxing way enjoying each other's company and doing things together. Dinner was Indian takeaway from our local, family owned Indian restaurant that prepares the most delicious food!

You can't buy a day like that. It's created. With love. Thank you Sweetheart for a most perfect day.

How to Iron A Business Shirt in Less Than 2 Minutes!

I hate ironing. It's a long standing, well known fact in my family that Vicki detests ironing.

I just don't see the point in smoothing out wrinkles in clothing that only reappear as soon as it's worn and laundered. Then you have to iron it. AGAIN!!!! Madness. Complete and utter madness.

I'll let you in on a secret. I detest ironing so much that when I used to wear a suit to work I only ever ironed the front of my shirts!! The back and sleeves never saw the heat of an iron. ;) I look at everything that might need ironing. If I figure that those wrinkles will return as soon as the wearer puts on a coat/pulls on a seat belt/sits on the train for half an hour then I don't iron it. I hang it up just as it is.

So I give to you Vicki's Complete Guide to Ironing for those who would rather be cruising the Caribbean, sipping coffee or creating their next masterpiece.

1. Make sure that as much clothing you buy/borrow/make/receive as possible is made with non-iron fabric.
2. If you wear business shirts and can't get them in non-iron fabric get ones with well stiffened collar and cuffs. You'll never have to iron a collar or cuff again!
3. Launder them gently. And I do mean gently. Use the gentle cycle on the washing machine with a slow spin if you have the option. A regular wash and a fast spin will have those long sleeves tangled around everything within a 30 metre radius creating even more wrinkles.
4. Use the dryer. Horror!! I know!! Let me tell you why I use my dryer. It costs the same to run the dryer as to run the cook top/oven. I use the dryer only for clothes that need ironing and use small items to fill it up to a full load. Don't dry a small load. It's uneconomical... says so right there in the instruction manual. Which I read and then promptly put in a safe place. Somewhere. I think.
   
   Anyway. I'll let you in on another deep, dark secret. I never iron the kid's school uniforms. EVER. Wash them, give them a really good shake out and then put them through the dryer. Shake them again and hang them up while they are still warm. NO wrinkles. Do the same with microfibre clothing. And business shirts. Some shirts will actually not need ironing. Swear to God. And the ones that do need ironing can be ironed in under 2 minutes. You know why? Because they aren't wrinkled to buggery by the washing machine and then have the wrinkles baked in by the sun. Using the dryer saves me about 2 hours ironing every week. That's about 100 hours a year. 100 hours!! That's more than two whole working weeks.
   
   Now let's do the sums. It costs about 50c for a dryer load which takes about an hour. It costs about 20c an hour to run the iron. If I hang all the pj's, trackies etc, I use the dryer for about 2 loads a week costing $1. I can save two hours ironing a week which would cost 40c. Using the dryer costs me a total of about 60c a week. That's $30 a year to save 100 hours of work. That's 100 hours I don't have to spend doing something I hate. 100 hours I can spend doing something more productive and enjoyable.

Doing all the above has made ironing more manageable for me. I just ironed 8 business shirts in 15 minutes. You know how? Because they were hardly wrinkled and just needed a run over. And I didn't need to use any ironing aid spray or starch. Saving me more time and money. That's less than 2 minutes a shirt. I spend less than an hour a month ironing. Seriously!

And that, folks, is how I manage the ironing.

Self Sufficiency - An Urban Myth? or Why I Don't Think It's For Everyone

"Self Sufficiency" is the buzz. Grow your own fruit and vegetables, raise chickens, eat less meat, make your own everything.

Over time we've made the progression to a greener household. We have 12 solar panels on our roof feeding into the grid. They are designed so that if we move we can unclip them and take them with us. You won't find many harsh chemicals, food additives or the like in our house and lately it has become even more so as I've discovered a passion and joy for creating more of my own foods and goods.

The reality is though we will never be self sufficient. The Hubby isn't a gardener. He's an electrical engineer. He's a thinker and he loves physics. Not everyone is born to be a primary producer. Which is why communities moved away from self sufficiency in the beginning. Someone needs to build bridges, design new technology, run the government, provide our health care, install and maintain infrastructure, fly the planes, drive the trucks, maintain law and order, a myriad of other needed functions in society and in The Hubby's case plan and manage new infrastructure for communication systems (including faster and more reliable Internet connections).

On a typical work day The Hubby is gone at 7:30am and not home until 6:00pm. He's busy. I'm busy too. I have children to raise, cooking to do, along with all the laundry, cleaning, planning, shopping etc needed to keep the house and family running smoothly. There's no spare time to grow our own food and we don't want to. That's fair enough. I've been able to source plenty of local fresh produce, eggs and meats for our needs from primary producers who DO want grow their own and sell extra to people who prefer to fill other needed functions within our society.

Self Sufficiency isn't a total truth unless you don't have modern communications, don't drive a car or operate motorised machinery and make and produce absolutely everything you need in your life including fabrics, tools, utensils and the like. I think you can see my point. Not everyone on the planet can be completely self sufficient. Most of us rely on outside supply for something and we all possess different skill sets. That's how society and community operates. We support each other. It's pieces of a puzzle slotting together to form a whole picture.

I don't think self sufficiency is the answer. I think forming, linking and working with a local community works better. Let's focus on community, supporting local business and forming relationships within that framework.
 

Chocolate Weet-Bix Slice

One of my favourite slice recipe as a kid was what my Grandma called Kabs. It's really a chocolate slice made with Weet-bix/VitaBrits/whole wheat breakfast cereal brick thingys. I made some for the school tuck shop tonight so of course it made sense to double the quantity and make some for home as well. Mr 10 LOVES this slice.

Chocolate Slice (with Weet-Bix/VitaBrits)

3 Weet-Bix or similar, crushed

(What I do is keep all the crumbly and flaked bits from the bottom of the packet when it's finished rather than tossing them out.)

1 cup coconut

1 cup self-raising flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tblsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

150 g butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the butter and add in the vanilla. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix it together.

Press the mixture into a greased and lined slice tray. Bake at 180 deg C for about 15 minutes or until browned.

If you want to ice the slice:

2 cups icing sugar

1 tblsp cocoa

2-3 tblsp hot water

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa. Mix in the water. Ice the slice and cut it while it is still hot. Otherwise it will crumble when you try to cut it.

You can sprinkle coconut, 100's and 1000's or your favourite sprinkles on top of the slice.

The slice is perfect to savour with the cuppa of your choice. ♥

Skin Care

Your skin is amazing. It protects, regulates body temperature and prevents water loss to name just a few of the important functions of this incredible organ. It is also able to absorb some substances. Two years ago I switched from branded chemical cosmetics to natural based skin care and cosmetics and my skin improved dramatically. Some changes were immediate, some were more recognisable over time.

Due to my genetic heritage, since I hit puberty I have always had oily skin prone to continual breakouts. The very first thing I changed was my makeup. I don't wear a lot of makeup. I don't like the feel of it on my skin and I think it's mostly a part of the whole unnecessary process of "fashion and beauty". I switched from a leading brand of cosmetics that used to cost me a fortune to replace and needed 2 different cleansers to remove to a completely natural mineral makeup. I buy all my makeup from MAD not only is their makeup 100% natural, it is economical and their service is fabulous.

I was amazed that I could apply my make up in two minutes flat and it looked natural while covering the redness I have in my skin. I was also surprised that it didn't take long to see a change in my skin. I had lost almost all the blackheads I had and my skin had cleared up slightly.

Then I was on the hunt for natural skin care. Sukin is the best, economical skin care range I have found. Check the prices for yourself. The cleanser I used to buy was $30 a bottle. Sukin is $10. If the local chemist has a sale on it is $8!! It is also 100% Australian. This skin care makes my skin feel sooooooooo soft. After using harsh cleansers for decades to try and control the oil in my skin it was absolutely lovely to have my skin feel soft. The moisturiser is beautiful and glides beautifully on my skin. The lip balm is heavenly. All through winter I have had soft, smooth lips and I hardly ever wear lipstick.

So I now use and wear skin care and makeup that feel glorious on, makes my skin soft, doesn't irritate my skin, keeps it beautifully clean and healthy, and costs less. Worth it? Absolutely no doubt about it.

I sewed!

My Sunday went a little like this:

I sorta feel like sewing but I'm not in a hurry and I want to wander around the net/read a book too. I have that beautiful fabric I bought to make a copy of this favourite singlet top of mine:

But I haven't cut a pattern off it yet. I know.. I'll start cutting the pattern and see how I go. I cut the back pattern. Man, I've had enough of this.. I'll get a coffee and wander through facebook land. I'll go back and cut a front pattern and facing pattern. That's enough.. it's raining outside so I'll read some of my novel. The Hubby is picking up Mr 10 from a sleepover... I'll cut out the fabric while he's gone. That's done. Time for some lunch. I fancy a little nap on the couch. Hmm... I might start sewing that singlet top together. Yawn.. had enough of that. I'll potter around the house and straighten up a bit. I might sew some more of that top now. The hubby is reading up on relativity again (my brain goes cross-eyed) I'll go sew the last bit on that top.

And before I knew it I'd enjoyed every bit of my meandering Sunday and had a brand new singlet top made. It looks like this:

I wore it yesterday and got a few compliments. :)

Wrap Up Paintbrush Holder

Little Miss going on 8 will be 8 soon. I know... you guessed didn't you? She loves nothing more than to draw, colour, collage, paint and make stuff. Let me tell you what she decided to do on the weekend.

The cat has an olive green, fake fur covered cat box thingy that cat's just LOVE to play in, hide in while they're stalking their prey and use the pole to sharpen their claws. Except our cat has never been in the box. ON the box inside the warm, lounge room window... yes. IN the box? No. She loves the pole thingy though. So much so that she has been sharpening her claws so vigorously the pole fell apart. Oh, you know that fake mouse toy hanging on a string to entice cats to play? She rolled her eyes, looked at me disdainfully and said, "How unsophisticated do you think I am?" and never touched the thing.

So Miss 8 decided that the box was actually a jungle scene. All it needed was some trees, vines and assorted wildlife to make it so. She drew some trees and vines, coloured them in and put them inside the box. Next for animals. For this she turned to her trusty friend Google for a little research to find out which animals would be lurking in her forest. The first animal she drew was a lion, coloured it in, cut it out and blow me down if it didn't actually look like a lion. I can draw lions. You might not be able to recognise them as lions but I can draw them. Miss 8 can draw lions that look like lions. So she spent a good two hours on a Saturday afternoon stocking her jungle. THAT's how much she like to create.

In an effort to encourage her artistic talents without fobbing her off onto the wonderfully talented Bob I've purchased some real art supplies as a birthday gift to replace the tacky, cheap kids artistic stuff that we seem to have an endless supply of. I thought she needed a box/container/bomb shelter to keep her brushes in so that they wouldn't become damage and wouldn't be lost.  In a previous post I linked to a tutorial for a crayon holder and I've adapted that to make a paintbrush holder. Only I'm kinda lazy and did it the easy way. ;)

Vicki's lazy tutorial for a paintbrush holder wrapper upper thingamabob.

Materials:

The original tutorial calls for fabric, wadding, stiffening.. yadda, yadda, yadda.. it's all too hard already.

Go to Lincraft or similar store and buy 2 heavy cotton placements that are reinforced with stiffening. Cost: $2

Go through your stash (if you have one) and find some matching ribbon/ric rac/lace/shoelaces/anything else to use as a tie or decoration. If you don't have a stash.. go through your Mum's/a friends or buy something suitable.

Cut one of the placemats in half lengthways like so:

Use a zigzag stitch on the cut edge to stop it fraying. This will be for the little pockets. I sewed crossgrain ribbon onto the cut edge with a fancy stitch on my brand new Janome. *sigh* Love my Janome.

Place the half placemat on top on the full placemat. Line up the bottom edges and the sides.  Stitch them together along the sides and the bottom.

Now for the pockets. What you need to do is stitch vertically starting at the top of the half placemat, sewing through both layers of placemats right to the bottom of the placemats. Leave a 3cm gap and then stitch another row exactly the same as the first. Keep stitching in 3cm intervals across the width of the placemats. I deliberately kept one section about 8-10 cm wide in case Miss 8 wanted to store something wider in the wrap in the future.

Finishing touches: Sew on some ribbon/a shoelace/next appropriate thing to make a tie. Decorate the wrap if you wish to. Taaa Daaa. You now have a unique wrap perfect for keeping long, thin stuff in. I reckon you could use this for: cutlery (keep it in the picnic basket or near the bbq), hair brushes and combs, tools (use leather or vinyl instead of fabric for the complete Malboro Man look), whatever else would be handy in one of these.

The pretty flowers on the outside of the case are Fozz Felt from my craft stash. It is self adhesive. Just peel off the back and stick it on. 

This took me less than an hour to make from start to finish and included time to stop and talk to the cat, take some photos and chat to the delivery man. Enjoy!

Cupcake Recipe

My tried and tested cupcake recipe:

This recipe makes 3 dozen regular cupcakes or 2 dozen muffin sized cupcakes.

You will need:

250g soft butter
1.5 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups of milk
4 cups of self raising flour

Get the electric mixer out of the cupboard and make yourself a coffee. Drink it while the butter and sugar are being whipped into soft, creamy goodness.
Drop the mixer back a few gears and add the eggs one at a time.
Throttle the mixer right back to low and add 1 cup of the flour. If you don't do this you will be shrouded in a soft, white cloud of flour and your batter will be tough. After it's mixed in, pour in 0.5 cup of milk and let it mix in. Keep alternating the flour and milk until everything is mixed in.
Fill some patty papers about 2/3 full and bake for about 15 mins at 180 deg C.

Make another coffee to enjoy with your freshly baked cupcakes. If your cupcakes survive long enough to cool down, you can ice them. Enjoy.

It Went A Little Like This....

"Hi Guys, how was your day?" Followed by the anticipated, time honoured traditional responses of "Good" and.... "Good" in a slightly different pitch. In most households this is the usual, run of the mill after school greeting.

Today was slightly different. *I hear your audible collective intakes of breath.* I know, right, I couldn't believe it either. It went like this:

Master 10 going on 40, "We have to dress up tomorrow. In a New Caledonian Theme. And we have to take a plate of food to share. It could be something French if you like."

Let me translate for you. "Mum, I need the most awe-inspiring New Caledonian costume complete with beach and palm trees. While you're at it, can you whip up some French pastries filled with lots of whipped, soft cream, topped with some hip-defying chocolate with some Camembert made in the South of France by French maidens with soft-skinned hands on the side. By the way, I need it two days ago."

My mind automatically locks on to the beach scene only it places me squarely in the shallow ocean water reclining on a deck chair. The cool, gentle waves wash gently over my legs whilst I sip upon something with a little umbrella and bendy straw in it. My eyes drift lazily closed behind my humongous, designer sunglasses. I wave a lazy, indifferent hand. Wake me when it's all over.

Only to be jolted back into reality when Miss 8 going on 8 adds, "Oh, I'm dressing up too. Only mine is an Australian Aboriginal theme and we need real aboriginal food like witchety grubs!" Now read that again and at the end add in the most animated face to ever grace a Broadway Musical complete with big, blue eyes opened as wide as they can go without her eyebrows getting lost in her hair. Witchety grubs????? I'm sure that neither Coles nor Woolies stock them. Not even in the Deli department.

What does a mother do? She finds the nearest tshirt with a palm tree and "Wave Rider" or similar screen printed on it for Mr 10 and some black pants, a red jumper and a yellow flower brooch for Miss 8. TaaaDaaa... instant culturally correct costumes. Now, for the food. Hmmm.... I'll fall back on the trusty cupcake!!!  Everyone loves cupcakes. How to make them culturally correct?? I know! The kids can make toothpick flags to decorate them with! Hell, I don't even have to Google the flag design.

Voila! I'm sure that if I had a cape and pretty tiara I could save the world! How was your Monday? :)

Quick, Easy, Cheap Dinner

Dinner!

It's a photo!!!  Yes, a real, live photo. Of my dinner taken in my kitchen. :)

Let me describe how wonderfully simple, fresh and tasty this was.

The food!

Look at those glorious eggs! Check the colour! Fresh from Pete and Guy's backyard hens.

Plump, ripe, juicy tomatoes - $1.99 a kilo!

Avocado! This is half an avocado... there were 6 avocadoes in a bag for $1.99!

Wonderfully spicy Spanish Chorizo sausage. $10 a kilo... this is about 80g.

Sweet basil from the garden.

Dinner for 2 cost less than $5. Add a slice of toasted homemade bread and this is a well rounded, fresh, gorgeous, sharable meal any time of the day. And the very best thing... it took about 15 minutes to cook. Gotta Luv It! ♥

Creative Sausages

Our household loves sausages. The ones made with real, quality ingredients. With some small changes Tray Baked Sausages is one of our favourite dishes. 

Tray Baked Sausages a la Me!

Grab a baking dish. If you're wanting to impress anyone use a nice one coz I serve it in the same dish it's cooked in.

Collect together:

8 sausages
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of chicken stock
1 can butter beans
2 punnets cherry or grape tomatoes
Rosemary
4 large potatoes

Then do this with them:

1. Cut up an onion, throw it in the baking dish.
2. Crush a few garlic cloves, toss them in with the onion. We all know garlic and onions is like peas and corn. The go together. Small tip from Jamie Oliver. Don't peel your garlic if you're going to use a garlic press. The peel will stay in the press!
3. Open a can of whatever beans you have in the pantry. Give them a rinse and throw them in to the mix. I like butter beans or 4 bean mix. But don't go past chickpeas, kidney beans or whatever is handy in the cupboard. If you don't have any in the pantry - rummage through the fridge or freezer and see what you can come up with to add in.
4. Add a cup of chicken stock.
5. Lay about 8 gorgeous, thick, delicious, gourmet sausages atop the mountain of natural flavour enhancers.
6. Sprinkle over some rosemary. I only have the dried variety and it works just fine.
7. This is my favourite part... Get two punnets (one seriously is NOT enough for the avid roast tomato lover) of ripe, sweet grape or cherry tomatoes and with gay abandon place them around the sausages. My love of roast tomatoes surpasses... almost... my love of 10yo red wine! Almost. ;)
8. Now for the potatoes. We like our potatoes crispy so I cook them separately with their skins on coz naked potatoes means extra work and the skins crisp up nicely and crunch in your mouth. Cut them up, throw them on an oven tray and spritz them with some oil. A sprinkle of salt if you like. And they're ready.

Place everything in a preheated oven at 200 deg C (have you noticed I cook almost everything at this temp??) and leave it to cook for an hour to develop into delicious, nutritious goodness. Serve at the table in the dish.

Total prep time about 5-10 mins. Now tell me that cooking nutritious, delicious meals from scratch is time consuming. I dare you. ;)

Remember the fussy eater? She loves sausages! Only not mixed with other stuff. So I keep a few sausages aside for her and put them on the tray beside the potatoes for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Vegetables... to grow or not to grow...

That was our question.

The Hubby is NOT a gardener. By any lycraesq cross grain stretch of the imagination. Light reading for the husband is entitled: Tensor Calculus, Relativity and Cosmology. Which makes my brain go cross-eyed. I don't mind a little garden pottering as long as it doesn't involve too much heavily laboured breathing and sweating until I'm a dry husk of myself holding a shovel. If I can wander out to the backyard and turn some soil with a good thunk of the shovel (although I'd probably be using a spade) I'd give it a shot.

Being concerned about the state of our planet and sustainability, I was kinda keen to give the small backyard vegetable patch a bit of a go. That was before I realised our block was mostly rock. With soil that had hardened to rock-like properties. Apparently getting soil (I use that term very loosely and am throwing it in here with gay abandon) in that state into a workable, viable gardening state involves more hard slog than achieving world peace by Wednesday. Doable? Sure. By me? Not anytime soon. I'd rather gnaw off my left hand.

Then I discovered another option. Raised garden beds. Better still... gardens in pots. Golly, I could do that. Armed with my newly acquired knowledge it was time to research what exactly this gardening for a family kitchen caper requires. Apparently quite a bit more time and attention that I'm willing to invest. Planting, thinning, feeding (I have enough pets thank you), protecting (shining armour is far too hot for a sub tropical area), rotating (don't ask!) and starting all over again. Gee... that sounds like far more work and time that I'm really ready to invest at the moment.

Fruit, however, is a different proposition. The local nursery sells dwarf fruit trees! Get out of here! They are so darn cute and I can put them in pots on my front patio. A bit of a water with the hose, keep an eye on them for invading armies intent on mounting a siege and starving them out, and you can pick fresh fruit straight off the tree. Just by stepping out the front door. And those of us a little on the height challenged side won't need a death-defying sprint up a ladder or have to wait until The 6'3" Hubby got home  to grab an apple. Best of all, the kids can get their own! Now THAT type of gardening appeals to me.

Let's face it. Not everyone's cut out to be a Farmer. The same as not everyone's cut out to be an Astro Physicist. If you can't or just don't want to be fully self-sufficient, don't be. Do as much or as little as you like and buy your produce from a local, environmentally conscious farmer who DOES. ♥

Inspired Living

I've had an epiphany.

I've decided to live an Inspired Life. A beautiful, wise friend of mine talks about doing what you are inspired to do. I dedicate this post to her. ♥

Many things have fallen into place this year. The kids are at a new school which suits them much better and caters for and supports them as individual, whole people. The hubby has dealt with some family situations and is in a much less stressful situation. The friends I have around me love, respect and support me as I do them. All of a sudden I don't have much to fill my time. Seriously. I've never had so much free time. This has given me an opportunity to sit back, weigh my options and make some choices.

At the moment I donate baked goods twice a term for the school to sell at tuckshop. I participate in excursions and class activities. I attend ALL school events in which the kids are involved. I'm happy with that.

I have a whole lot of scrapbooking/stamping/crafts supplies which aren't inspiring me much at the moment. I'm thinking of selling some of it but not all of it. I have some arty ideas forming in my head that will need to be given life sometime soon.

The thought of going back to work full-time to the Accounting/Management work that I used to do fills me with dread and is as appealing as poking my finger in a black hole.

I've discovered a whole new delight in baking and cooking. Sure, I've baked and cooked before but I really enjoy it now. Really!

We eat takeaway food once a fortnight now instead of 3 or 4 times a week.

I cook as much food as possible from the simplest and freshest ingredients possible.

I've developed a whole new understanding of where our food is sourced from and what many manufacturers try to push upon us that is disguised as food in order to make a few bucks.

While society was busy working two jobs, accumulating stuff, over-achieving and over-scheduling their families, others were planning how they could work that situation to their advantage. They decided to sell us a whole lot of cheap stuff that they can tweak so that it look likes food. Then they sell it to us at prices waaaaay higher than what it would cost us to make it ourselves. They justify all this by by claiming it will enhance our life by saving us time or making us feel like we are treating ourselves and having a good time when we consume it. And we buy it. And we pay for it.

Most of the time it is not real food. Check the label.

Let me tell you what I've discovered. After I have eaten real food cooked without additives after a while a few things happen.

• Prepared, packaged food tastes god awful.
• I can smell the chemical additives in the "food" and "drink".
• I feel physically ill after eating it.
• Real food tastes amazing. Simply amazing.
• Sourcing and preparing my own food gives me a whole new appreciation of food.
• I feel good. I feel lighter, I have more energy, I sleep better.
• I have developed an appreciation for the farmers who provide the food that I eat.
• I have saved a whole lot of money.
• It doesn't take any longer to prepare a meal from scratch than it does to prepare a meal with "prepared foods".

 As always, I don't ask you to blindly believe me... try it yourself.  Just for a few months cook your own food with real food ingredients. It's not hard. There are plenty of recipes out there. Do some menu plans if it helps. Whatever works for you. Then see how you feel. See how much money you've saved by not buying takeaway or processed food. You may even be able to quit your second job. ;)

So for now I'm inspired to:

• Create - by making stuff whether that be with food, art supplies or cloth.
• Source the freshest, most reasonably priced quality food for myself and my family.
• Continue to nurture the wonderful friendships and relationships I have in my life.
• Continue to recognise and let go of what doesn't inspire me.
• Appreciate the real, uncomplicated, authentic things in life.

Live with Joy. Live with Love. Inspired Living. I'm lovin' it! ♥

More on Uncomplicated Living

There is so much on the internet about Simple Living. I prefer to think of it as Uncomplicated Living. These guys call it Minimalist Living. Whatever you call it, no matter the label these young men have something to say that's worth listening to.

This is a particularly favourite post of mine.

Enjoy.

Stuff makes thing complicated

Stuff. There is stuff about stuff going around my head.

When did having more stuff become more important and more sought after than things like: conversation, writing letters, spending time with family and friends, walking barefoot on the earth and other simple pleasures? And when did working long hours that prevent you from seeing your children/being with your spouse/spending time appreciating the world around you, in order to get the stuff become a normal, acceptable, expected way to live? And when did that then extend to TWO people having to live like this to get the stuff we think we need to own to have what we think is a good life? And now the children are growing up to repeat this cycle!!

When we moved from Townsville to Brisbane we panicked. House prices in Brisbane were more expensive. We couldn't afford to buy the equivalent of the house we lived in and might even have to settle for much smaller!! The horror!! So we went through the house systematically disposing of everything we didn't consider a necessity. We gave away/took to the dump shop/donated to lifeline 5 loads of stuff. 5 two tonne truckloads!! 10 tonnes of stuff!! That we had lying around not being used and not needed. As fast we unloaded the truck at the dump shop people were picking it up and taking it home for a little fix up to be given a new life.

As it turned out we didn't have to settle for a whole lot smaller and we even gained a pool. The house we have now has about 1/2 the storage space the other house had. I love this because every year I go through and sort it out and have not needed any extra storage other than a chest of drawers that the kids share for their clothes. Have we missed any of that 10 tonnes of stuff? Not one thing.

Downsizing not only saved us money in shipping and storage costs, it has saved us money in that we haven't needed to replace it. None of it. Because we don't need it. We didn't need it in the first place and we won't need it in the future.

Not only have we downsized our stuff we downsized our cars. We had two cars in Townsville because there is no viable public transport system. One of them was a car we bought second hand at auction and was still under a new car warranty. The other we bought new and paid cash for. Moving to Brisbane meant access to a train system that works brilliantly for us. So much so we sold the bigger, older car and survive quite nicely with our 4 cylinder Lancer. Our everyday living is getting the kids to and from school,  scooting out to get groceries/run errands and visiting friends. I'm continually confounded by the number of really large cars and 4 wheel drives I see during the school and shopping runs. I don't need a 4 wd to traverse city streets. I don't need tonnes of boot space, just enough for groceries and school bags. I don't need an 8 cylinder motor to get me from one set of traffic lights to another or to drive 3km to school. Our 4 cylinder often takes us on holidays away. It handles highway driving really well and has plenty of space for luggage and other paraphernalia we need to take with us. A smaller car means cheaper to buy, smaller fuel costs, smaller insurance costs, smaller registration costs, smaller depreciation costs and smaller maintenance costs. We saved ourselves thousands of dollars (if you don't believe me, do the sums - there are plenty of websites that give info on the costs of owing a car) and the environment a whole load of carbon gasses by downsizing our cars.

We are living very comfortably with less stuff and with smaller stuff. It means I don't have to work, we know we can pay our bills because we are debt free and we know that if life throws us a yorker (for those cricket fans among us) we can live very well with exactly what we already have for an extended period of time. It's a nice feeling. Downsize your stuff and you'll downsize your stress.

You'll also have more time. Time for family, time for friends, time to cook dinner, time to be. I know that many people have trouble with that. Living at a fast pace for an extended period of time gathers momentum. It can be difficult to transition to a slower paced life. Especially when most of the Western world is bombarding you with the message that you need to do and have more, more, more. Less is more. You will stop looking for validation from others. You will begin to feel just fine the way you are. You won't need to have lots of stuff to feel good about yourself and the life you are giving your family. You won't need approval from others to feel worthy. You'll seek out people who accept you for who you are not who you are when you have lots of expensive, shiny, new things to admire. You'll stop feeling the need to justify your choices. You'll feel happier and more at peace with yourself.

Life isn't a contest. There are no winners and losers. Life is a journey. Don't spend decades chasing "stuff". Spend decades enjoying the earth, it's peoples and it's joys. When the journey ends I won't be saying, "I wish I'd had bigger and better stuff." I'll want to be saying, "I'm thankful for the joy, the love, the earth and the precious moments. I've enjoyed my family and friends and laughed a lot. See, I have the wrinkles to prove it!" ♥

Solar Power

A few months back we decided to put our money where our mouths are and install solar power. The hubby knows a bit about it as his company uses it in rural and remote areas to ensure that telephone and Internet infrastructure is kept functioning as best it comes. I just know that we have this huge, natural resource available to use and we aren't using it to it's full potential. I think it would be a better to spend money on determining how to harness and store solar power than working out how, where and when to store the toxic waste from nuclear power stations.

So we have a spectacular array adorning the roof of our abode. I don't even know it's there and completely forget about it. Except when it's windy. When nature gets up a bit of a breeze now it whistles and moans around the solar panels like the house is a portal to another dimension.

So I was reading this post on Gavin's blog and was hit smack on the forehead with the realisation that I've been using the solar power all wrong!!! Armed with my new knowledge I approached the hubby aiming to contribute a new piece of knowledge to his already considerable knowledge bank. Turns out he knew that. (Of course he would, why did I think he wouldn't. O.o ) But he neglected to mention it to me. The person who's in the house all the time. He assumed I would automatically figure that out myself. :) So.. here's my new routine and why I changed it.

I'm not going to provide lots of facts and figures... I'm not good at that... I'm going to keep it simple. The government pays us twice the amount of money for our solar power to go into the grid than it costs us to draw power from the grid. While the solar power is going into the grid we are earning money from it. That happens during the day. So it makes sense to use electrical appliances when the solar power is not being fed into the grid which is at night. The hubby tells me the solar power feed stops at around 4pm so now the dishwasher, oven, washing machine, pool pump and dryer all get used after 4pm as much as possible. Which is not hard to do.

This will save us money, make us money and by way of feeding power into the grid, prevent the need for coal-fueled stations to make more electricity. Win, Win, Win!