Blogtoberfest last day

i havent had a garden Veggie/Fruit update for a while, so camera in hand i went for a walk



Apples no idea what sort its a fairly old tree, i am going to try & save them from the birds this year


Apricots


Blueberries


Lettuce/ Great Lakes


Endive


Bush Bean


Carrots, laying the hessian over them has really done the trick, i will be planting more this weekend


Cauliflower


Butternut Pumpkin, Zucchini/Black Beauty, Lebanese Cucumber



& last but not least something pretty
the first Cornflower, i have grown them from seed, they have taken quite a while but i think they are well worth it, cant wait until the whole patch is blue

Thursday Quick Tips

as the weather is warming up its time to think about changing from the warm flannelet sheets to your soft cool cotton sheets, swapping heavy doonas & blankets to light weight feather or summer doonas.
as these items are quite expensive you want to keep them in tip top shape so they last for years

either air out or wash depending on the type of blanket
if washing you can add 1/4 cup of bath salts to the final rinse it will make them smell nice for months.

if just airing out before you store them, think about storing in plastic bags/vacuum bags or plastic storage boxes & placing a bar of soap in between the folds, when you come to using them again they will smell fresh.

for woolen blankets like knitted / crochet use a wool wash & store with a bar of soap. wool wash is also good with your flannelet sheets before you store them for the summer.

when storing in plastic make sure they are dry all the way through even a little damp will cause mildew.

blocks of Camphor in your linen cupboard & wardrobes will keep away moths & smells better than moth balls.

EDIT: you can buy Camphor blocks in the supermarket & chemists

On My Desk Wednesday

On My Desk Wednesday on a Thursday :o)

i ordered the dress & skirt patterns last week, so i am hoping this weekend to make a start on at least one of these.

also picked up some fabric last week dont know what i will do with the mushroom one but the blue cherry is either going to be a dress or a skirt dont know which yet

Day 25- Winners are Grinners

We have a winner-s for for the Christmas card give away
2 names came out at once so i will send 6 cards & some gift tags to each
& the winners are

Megan & Emily
please email me your addy & ill get them in the post tomorrow

thanks to every one who entered & to those who also sent me tips :o)

Day-24 Secondhand Shopping

first full day at work 7am til 4pm,
dont feel too bad tonight, tired but not falling a sleep on the couch :o)

here are a few things i picked up from the salvos last friday, all were $3 each

single bed flat sheet, lov the green :o) reminds me of my nannas sheets when i was a kid



sunny yellow table cloth




kitchen cafe curtains, how fab are those mushrooms

Day 23- Tired

got up at 4.45, left the house at 5.30, train at 5.56, off at 6.35 walked for 25 mins, packed fruit & veggies until 1pm, walked 25mins to train,{supper hot, got a head ach} train 2pm, off the train at 2.32, home at 3pm. now im tired. tomorrow i dont finish until 4pm.

enough about that, how about a cute crochet baby blanket i made up over the last 2 weeks

Day 22- New Shoes

as some of you may know i pretty much only wear Crocs
{they truly are the most cumfy shoes in the whole world}.
you may ask yourself why am i posting a pic of my new shoes, well they arnt just new shoes they are new shoes to wear to my new JOB, just got the call a little while ago. dont really know how i feel about it but time will tell. im working 3 days a week & i start tomorrow.

if you wish to do the Pay it Forward please leave a comment on that post :o)

Pay it Forward

i was visiting over at Sparkly Green Knickers & joined in on her Pay it Forward

The rules are simple:
I will send the first three people to leave a comment on this post a handmade gift within the next 365 days {probably in the next couple of weeks definitely before Christmas}

I am willing to post only in Australia {postage is a killer}

The catch is that you have to have a blog and be willing to do the same thing....

So if you'd like to participate, then leave me a comment and make sure to leave me a valid email address/link to your blog so that I can contact you for your address.

day 21- Chickens Big Day Out

having a look around, it took nearly 2 hours before they had all left the shed




getting them back in was fun, we pretty much had to corner them to catch them, they are quick & they let me know for about half an hour how unhappy they were to be put back into the shed.

Day 20- 6 things

so i was tagged by Jacqui who is the sweetest :o) from over at life in the dome
6 random things

1* Red is my fav colour but i love to wear Green, i am drawn to it.

2* i hate to cook tea but i lov to make sweets {but i never eat them}.

3* i detest people who talk loudly on mobile phones, it is rude & no one wants to hear your conversation. besides i think they cause brain tumors/cancer.

4* i lov to learn new things.

5* i use to be an inside person, now i spend more time outside than in.

6* i lov to hang out the washing.

dont forget to add a comment to day 19, to go in the draw to win 10 handmade Christmas cards

Day 19- Thursday Quick Tips

The Weather Forecast
yesterday was Cold, Snowed down to Lawson
today it is Sunny, Windy & Cold {feels like winter again mmmm}


i have decided to start something new called
Thursay Quick Tips
each thursday i will add a tip could be a cleaning tip, sewing tip or anything really

these tips will be things i have tried or use regularly. if anyone has a tip they would like me to try & then add please email me.
so lets get started shall we.

Thursday Quick Tips

today will take us into the bathroom

to Unblock a Sink or Drain* 1 tablespoon of Bi-carb into drain followed by 3 tablespoons of white Vinegar, allow to fizz & then pour a kettle full of boiling water. this should clear most blockages.

Shower Mould* 2 teaspoons of Tea Tree Oil & 2 cups of Water in spray bottle, spray on Mould & dont Rinse.

Mascara* if your Mascara has gone a bit hard & clumpy, put it into a glass of hot water & leave for a few mins, this should soften it up & make it like new again.

Chicken update

it has been a little cold in the morning & late in the afternoon, so my little hens have been having a warm meal. either bread with warm milk or quick oats with warm milk. they make a bit of a mess, walking in the bowl but they do enjoy it & it fills up their belly & keeps them warm.

Give Away

my blog counter says 1972 hits & as this is the year i was born i think it is time for a little give away. so leave a comment.
if you leave a comment & email me a tip to try out you will get 2 entries
i will draw this on Thursday next week Oct30, all comments in by wednesday 29th

so i hear you saying what is the give away, well as Christmas is nearing how about something Christmassy {is that even a word}
10 different handmade Christmas cards with envelopes
they may not be these exact cards but they will be along the same lines

Day18- On My Desk Wednesday

Time & Place, Map Book & Organic Gardener Magazine

what do these 3 things have in common you might ask, well
today i went to an interview at Abundant Organics, part time job just 3 days a week. wont know until the end of the week so fingers Xed.

http://www.abundantorganics.com.au

ON MY DESK WEDNESDAY
http://kootoyoo.blogspot.com/
the link to join in

Day 17- Sewing

The Weather Forecast
overcast & cool

spent most of the day hand sewing my single bed quilt, if i had known how long it would take i probably would have machine sewed it. i have just finished a 200 metre reel of cotton so i will have to buy another one on friday. i am onto the outside row, when thats finished i will do the binding.

Day 16- Monday Baking

The Weather Forecast
Sunny- tried to rain a couple of times

i was out on friday & then again on saturday & forgot to buy eggs & as i only had 1 egg left in the basket i had to find recipes with no eggs.

ANZACS {you know you lov them, well my boys do anyway}
Lemon Fingers- new recipe
Jam Cookies {1 egg}
Custard Short Breads

while i was baking i turned up the stereo :o)
playing was John Fogerty- Premonition, singing along is a must

Day15- Save Water

National Water Week 2008
19-25 October

• Nearly half of all water consumed in the home is used in the bathroom so limiting your shower to four minutes will go a long way to reducing your water usage.
• By merely turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, a person can save over 4,000 litres of water per year.
• Only run the dishwasher with a full load. A full wash cycle can use between 10 and 30 litres of water per load, depending on the machine.
• Monitor how much water you use in the coming week by checking your water meter

http://www.savewater.com.au/

Day14- The Hen House is Jumpin

The Weather Forecast
Sunny & just a little too warm for me today

so 2 more new arrivals today 1 Silver laced Wyandotte 1 Blue laced Wyandotte they are 7 weeks old the silver is a little larger than the blue & she is very bossy, pecking all the other birds, steeling food out of their beaks & running at them, i do hope this is not a sign of very bad behavior, the 4 little ones are a bit scared of her & running to the corner when she comes near. someone please tell me this is normal & she will settle in with the rest.

Blue Laced Wyandotte


Silver Laced Wyandotte

i also picked up a box of patterns from a lady on Freecycle, will go through them later in the week.

day 13- Fav Friday- Chickies

The Weather Forecast
Fine & Sunny {think i got burnt in the car}

What's one of your favourite songs ever?
mm that is a hard question, so instead of fav song ever how about fav song at the moment
Eagles- Long Road out of Eden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCf1VpJFXVU

today i came home with 4 chickies 2 Rhode Island Reds & 2 Australorps
they are only 5 weeks old so it will be a while before i get some eggs.
tomorrow i will be picking up another 2 chickies ??????
the Hen House finally has residents

Day 12- Swaps & Paint

The Weather Forecast
warm & sunny { oh where did the rain go}


i went out into the garden this morning to find this
Grrr bad bad bad possum has found my peas


i also had another visitor today, the very sweet Jacqui from over at http://www.lifeinthedome.blogspot.com/
popped in for a chat, a bad cup of tea {what can i say im not a very good cupper maker} & a swap.
i knitted these dishcloths for Jacqui & in return i got 3 native plants {i think i got the better deal}



put a coat of paint on the new chicken run gate, nesting box & ramp
fingers Xed that ill be picking up some chickies this weekend

Day 11- Sew much Fun

The Weather Forecast
cool & grey but no rain :o(

i have had this night dress for a few years {it is my fav} & it has been in my mending basket for quite a while. it has been mended more than a few times. the cotton has gotten so thin from washing & wear, fixing it again just wasn't the answer. but there was an answer, i cut it apart, adjusted it {i have lost a lot of weight since i bought it} & used it as a pattern. now i have 4 new nighties, Mint, Lime Green & 2 white {they just need the trim added}. i was originally going to use a pattern i have made before but decided not to as i didn't want to fiddle around with buttons & button holes.




we get a lot of birds in our yard but we don't get many White Cockatoos we usually get the Black ones. here are 3 that came for a visit late yesterday afternoon.

On My Desk Wednesday

Sewing Sewing Sewing
on my desk today is sewing, well its not really my desk its one of my work tables.
what am i sewing you might ask, well you will have to wait for the next post :o)

Day 10- Sock Darning

The Weather forecast
Grey & Raining {yeah ha love that rain}

in my Treehugger email this morning there is a story about a man who goes around mending peoples clothes including sock darning. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/door-to-door-darning.php

i found it very inspiring so i thought i would share.
as some of you who read my blog would know i just recently acquired a sock darner, i looked high & low trying to find one & finally asked my brother in law to turn me one on his wood turner, no more holes in our socks & im giving them a longer life. i hope that this story will inspire someone to mend rather than throw out & buy more.

Day-9 For Sale or Trade

i came accross this site
http://www.mulchnet.com/postcode.php
over at ALS this morning & thought id share. Free mulch :o) dont know if ill ever get any but you just never know your luck.




also if there is anyone in the Mountains who is after a foot stool i have this one For Sale
the seat comes off so you can recover it. i am asking $20 or a trade of equal value



also this Suitcase- $15




Metal Hat Box $25 the lid comes all the way off

all items pick up only
you can email me {on the side bar} for any questions