So we are almost all packed, last walks taken, garden planted, pantry stocked...here we go..
See you in a little....
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
London calling...goodbye for 2 weeks!
At 5pm today my elder son and I leave for 2 weeks to go to the UK. We will be spending most of the time with my darling sister and her family on their beautiful farm. We are also spending 2 days in London and 3 up in Scotland, travelling to Edinburgh, Glen Coe, the Highlands and Loch Ness.
So we are almost all packed, last walks taken, garden planted, pantry stocked...here we go..
See you in a little....
So we are almost all packed, last walks taken, garden planted, pantry stocked...here we go..
See you in a little....
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Slow Living Month 3 - March 2012
Can March be over so quickly? In 4 days time I will be flying with my son to the Northern Hemisphere to visit my sister and her family. March has flown by in the many preparations that have had to be made...here are some of the highlights from this past month.
Nourish
My Superman was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes some while back and we had to make some changes to his diet. This past month he heard an interesting discussion based on a no-carb eating lifestyle (don't you hate the word DIET!) which he wanted to try. March has seen me implementing a new way of cooking but has deprived me of all the yummy carb rich puddings, cakes and cookies. I have however lost 3kgs in the process which makes me feel quite good. I needed to take this diet that was presented to him and make it as healthy as I could possibly make it. This meant staying with fresh living organic vegetables and free range protein sources. We have been eating a lot of sustainable fish, free range pork, beef and chicken. Our chickens are giving us their beautiful eggs which are used daily for high protein breakfasts...omlettes, scrambled, fried, poached or in frittatas...delicious.
Prepare
The only preparing that has been going on is to make sure that the trip to the UK was well organized and that the 4 left behind have everything they need to run the home. I feel so blessed that Superman is again making it possible for my son and I to travel and that my older girls are equipped to pick up my slack at home.
Recycle
I decided that I needed a new wardrobe...well not completely, but I am tired of being frump mom because I just never have time to clothes shop. And in fact I don't like trying on clothes in shops...those changing room mirrors...grrr...need I say anymore? I wanted to stand on the shores of Loch Ness and feel good about my clothing...so I used a book called "What I Wore" to plan mix and match outfits. I took all the older clothes that I will no longer use to a missions shop to sell to raise funds for their projects. Win-win!
Green
Last night we again took part in the annual Earth Hour. Superman and 2 children were at the rugby so my younger two and I lit candles and placed them through the house. We watched a movie earlier in the evening so that at 8.30 we could power down the home. The lovely candle lights danced across the ceilings and walls and my littlest one said he wished we could live like this always.
I have also been looking for a way to protect my daughter's heirloom quilt made by my mom. We have placed dried lavender in its folds and then in the cupboard we put sprigs of Bay and Tansy. No yucky mothballs here!
Grow
My garlic is growing so beautifully - I am so excited about this! We also planted our peas today as well as Calendulas, Chives, Butter Lettuce, Red Onions and more Beets.
Create
I took part in an apron swap and used a pair of old jeans to make two aprons. It was great fun to see something new take shape out of something old.
Enhance
What I share here is very particular to South Africa. In this country we have such a great need due to the extreme poverty that most people live in. We cannot escape it as no matter where we go there are people begging. At the traffic lights our cars can be surrounded with a mother begging for small change to feed her family, a man selling the Big Issue magazine or Funny papers for donations, you can have Northern African immigrants selling their beaded wire work, guys holding out black bags to take your rubbish that collects in your car for a couple of cents. The need is so great that one can become overwhelmed and not know where to start helping. This is a personal thing for each person, some drive by not even acknowledging the person standing there who has chosen not to steal, not to do drugs but to try and scrape a living together begging at traffic lights. Amongst other things, we set aside a certain portion of the grocery money to buy for the "poor box". Cans of baked beans, tuna, bully beef, spaghetti, bags of pap, samp and rice...all these go into the box for those in need.
Discover
My sister encouraged us to try the deep litter method for our chicken coop when we made the girls a new one. This involves much less cleaning than the traditional style. So we have had shavings down for 6 months now and it needed to be cleaned out. The boys raked and picked up all the old litter today and redid the new layer. The old shavings with the poop is now lying in heaps on the fallow beds to compost over winter. These beds are in the shade for the season. In spring we will turn the shavings and manure directly into these beds before planting.
Enjoy
One of the things that brings me great joy is the walks that I take with my dog, Lucky, and any of my children who join. One of the walks we do every week is to Dreyersdal Farm. This is a private farm that allows dog walkers. The bird life is fabulous to see. As we have walked their all year long we have watched the changing seasons like none other. The dam is completely dry now, the birds have moved on, the dam bottom has cracked and dried. But we know that soon with the rains everything will become lush again, the birds will return and the cycle of the seasons will continue.
Linking up to Christine @ Slow Living Essentials.
Nourish
My Superman was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes some while back and we had to make some changes to his diet. This past month he heard an interesting discussion based on a no-carb eating lifestyle (don't you hate the word DIET!) which he wanted to try. March has seen me implementing a new way of cooking but has deprived me of all the yummy carb rich puddings, cakes and cookies. I have however lost 3kgs in the process which makes me feel quite good. I needed to take this diet that was presented to him and make it as healthy as I could possibly make it. This meant staying with fresh living organic vegetables and free range protein sources. We have been eating a lot of sustainable fish, free range pork, beef and chicken. Our chickens are giving us their beautiful eggs which are used daily for high protein breakfasts...omlettes, scrambled, fried, poached or in frittatas...delicious.
Prepare
The only preparing that has been going on is to make sure that the trip to the UK was well organized and that the 4 left behind have everything they need to run the home. I feel so blessed that Superman is again making it possible for my son and I to travel and that my older girls are equipped to pick up my slack at home.
Recycle
I decided that I needed a new wardrobe...well not completely, but I am tired of being frump mom because I just never have time to clothes shop. And in fact I don't like trying on clothes in shops...those changing room mirrors...grrr...need I say anymore? I wanted to stand on the shores of Loch Ness and feel good about my clothing...so I used a book called "What I Wore" to plan mix and match outfits. I took all the older clothes that I will no longer use to a missions shop to sell to raise funds for their projects. Win-win!
Green
Last night we again took part in the annual Earth Hour. Superman and 2 children were at the rugby so my younger two and I lit candles and placed them through the house. We watched a movie earlier in the evening so that at 8.30 we could power down the home. The lovely candle lights danced across the ceilings and walls and my littlest one said he wished we could live like this always.
I have also been looking for a way to protect my daughter's heirloom quilt made by my mom. We have placed dried lavender in its folds and then in the cupboard we put sprigs of Bay and Tansy. No yucky mothballs here!
Grow
My garlic is growing so beautifully - I am so excited about this! We also planted our peas today as well as Calendulas, Chives, Butter Lettuce, Red Onions and more Beets.
Create
I took part in an apron swap and used a pair of old jeans to make two aprons. It was great fun to see something new take shape out of something old.
Enhance
What I share here is very particular to South Africa. In this country we have such a great need due to the extreme poverty that most people live in. We cannot escape it as no matter where we go there are people begging. At the traffic lights our cars can be surrounded with a mother begging for small change to feed her family, a man selling the Big Issue magazine or Funny papers for donations, you can have Northern African immigrants selling their beaded wire work, guys holding out black bags to take your rubbish that collects in your car for a couple of cents. The need is so great that one can become overwhelmed and not know where to start helping. This is a personal thing for each person, some drive by not even acknowledging the person standing there who has chosen not to steal, not to do drugs but to try and scrape a living together begging at traffic lights. Amongst other things, we set aside a certain portion of the grocery money to buy for the "poor box". Cans of baked beans, tuna, bully beef, spaghetti, bags of pap, samp and rice...all these go into the box for those in need.
Discover
My sister encouraged us to try the deep litter method for our chicken coop when we made the girls a new one. This involves much less cleaning than the traditional style. So we have had shavings down for 6 months now and it needed to be cleaned out. The boys raked and picked up all the old litter today and redid the new layer. The old shavings with the poop is now lying in heaps on the fallow beds to compost over winter. These beds are in the shade for the season. In spring we will turn the shavings and manure directly into these beds before planting.
Enjoy
One of the things that brings me great joy is the walks that I take with my dog, Lucky, and any of my children who join. One of the walks we do every week is to Dreyersdal Farm. This is a private farm that allows dog walkers. The bird life is fabulous to see. As we have walked their all year long we have watched the changing seasons like none other. The dam is completely dry now, the birds have moved on, the dam bottom has cracked and dried. But we know that soon with the rains everything will become lush again, the birds will return and the cycle of the seasons will continue.
Linking up to Christine @ Slow Living Essentials.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The boy and his chickens
This year our littlest one took over the care of the chickens. He has more time in his day than our elder son who now is in Gr 9 and working really hard at the books!
David is such a good steward with his "babies". He has even managed to gain their trust and often dissapears into the coop to sit and hold them. He has one favourite chicken called "Favourite" :) that cuddles into his neck when he holds her.
They are thriving on all the attention and except for 3 of the hens (two broody ones and our old gal) we get eggs from the others - 3 on one day, 4 on the next. This gives us enough for our daily eating needs, unless we need to bake, which I am not doing a lot of recently.
They seem to be happy in their new coop now that they have the human boy visiting many times each day, initially though they went completely off the lay.
The old coop was right next to our home and I am convinced they missed the noise of the kids and their passing by the coop so often.Thank goodness for David...
David is such a good steward with his "babies". He has even managed to gain their trust and often dissapears into the coop to sit and hold them. He has one favourite chicken called "Favourite" :) that cuddles into his neck when he holds her.
They are thriving on all the attention and except for 3 of the hens (two broody ones and our old gal) we get eggs from the others - 3 on one day, 4 on the next. This gives us enough for our daily eating needs, unless we need to bake, which I am not doing a lot of recently.
They seem to be happy in their new coop now that they have the human boy visiting many times each day, initially though they went completely off the lay.
The old coop was right next to our home and I am convinced they missed the noise of the kids and their passing by the coop so often.Thank goodness for David...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Curing soap...so good!
Yesterday's soap making endeavours has yielded lots of lovely soap...we cut it this morning, now it cures for 5 weeks.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Trying two new soap recipes
I loaned a soap recipe book from the library a while back and made copies of the few recipes I wanted to try. I didn't make note of the book, but I think it is this one: The Handmade Soap Book.
Today my daughter and I tried two recipes for our next batch of soap. Our Calendula and our Rooibos soaps are still plenty, but when making all your own soap one needs to plan 5 weeks in advance to allow curing times.
Oatbran Soap
400g coconut oil
350g plam oil
250g olive oil
5ml wheatgerm oil
5ml Vit E oil
6 tablespooons oat bran
10ml vanilla essence
158g caustic soda/lye/sodium hydroxide
365g spring water
Measure oils into a large stainless steel pot, heat to 49 deg C.
Measure water and CS into a plastic bowl. (Remember to add the CS to water not other way around). Wait for it to reach 49 deg C.
Add the water/CS to the oils when temperature reached, stir with wooden spoon to blend then use your stick blender to bring to trace. Add oatbran and vanilla essence, stir in well.
Pour into greased mould, cover with towels so that it cools slowly overnight. Tomorrow I will cut it into bars and store for 5 weeks.
Cucumber soap
Very excited about this one!
395g coconut oil
282g shortening
226 olive oil
5ml grape seed oil
15ml essence (I used Ylang Ylang)
1 cup diced fresh cucumber
415g spring water
143g CS
Measure oils and heat to 49 deg C.
Add water to cucumber and use stick blender to make into "soup". Add lye to this. Wait until 49 deg C is reached.
Add water mixture to oils, blend with spoon, then use stick blender to bring to trace. Add your essence, stir and then pour into mould. Cool overnight as described above.
NOTE: this came to trace VERY quickly!
On the weekend I hope to make the last batch of Lavender soap when the buds I cut off my plants today have dried.
Today my daughter and I tried two recipes for our next batch of soap. Our Calendula and our Rooibos soaps are still plenty, but when making all your own soap one needs to plan 5 weeks in advance to allow curing times.
Oatbran Soap
400g coconut oil
350g plam oil
250g olive oil
5ml wheatgerm oil
5ml Vit E oil
6 tablespooons oat bran
10ml vanilla essence
158g caustic soda/lye/sodium hydroxide
365g spring water
Measure oils into a large stainless steel pot, heat to 49 deg C.
Measure water and CS into a plastic bowl. (Remember to add the CS to water not other way around). Wait for it to reach 49 deg C.
Add the water/CS to the oils when temperature reached, stir with wooden spoon to blend then use your stick blender to bring to trace. Add oatbran and vanilla essence, stir in well.
Pour into greased mould, cover with towels so that it cools slowly overnight. Tomorrow I will cut it into bars and store for 5 weeks.
Cucumber soap
Very excited about this one!
395g coconut oil
282g shortening
226 olive oil
5ml grape seed oil
15ml essence (I used Ylang Ylang)
1 cup diced fresh cucumber
415g spring water
143g CS
Measure oils and heat to 49 deg C.
Add water to cucumber and use stick blender to make into "soup". Add lye to this. Wait until 49 deg C is reached.
Add water mixture to oils, blend with spoon, then use stick blender to bring to trace. Add your essence, stir and then pour into mould. Cool overnight as described above.
On the weekend I hope to make the last batch of Lavender soap when the buds I cut off my plants today have dried.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Aphids, ants and coffee...
Tonight I was asked what to do with used coffee grounds besides throwing them in the compost. Well it reminded me that I have been meaning for ages to treat the aphids on my lemon tree.
The tree was transplanted from a pot where it stood for 2 years and supplied me just one lemon in that time. It recieved a new lease on life with the transplanting and we picked a good few lemons last season. At the moment it has about 10 green fruits.
But under the leaves we have the tell tale presence of aphids, being farmed by the ever industrious ants.
If you treat the ants, the aphids decline and ants hate coffe...so the coffee grounds from my machine go around the base. I will add each days grounds to the trunk base and eventually the ants will dissappear and we can then wash the aphids off the leaves with a home made spray.
Simple Lives Thursday.
The tree was transplanted from a pot where it stood for 2 years and supplied me just one lemon in that time. It recieved a new lease on life with the transplanting and we picked a good few lemons last season. At the moment it has about 10 green fruits.
But under the leaves we have the tell tale presence of aphids, being farmed by the ever industrious ants.
If you treat the ants, the aphids decline and ants hate coffe...so the coffee grounds from my machine go around the base. I will add each days grounds to the trunk base and eventually the ants will dissappear and we can then wash the aphids off the leaves with a home made spray.
Simple Lives Thursday.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
What makes you quiver in your boots?
Well, for me it is knitting! I work myself into such a tizzy that I often wonder why, every year in Autumn, I start to plan a project or two?!?
It's not like I can't knit something basic, I can, I have! Beanies, mittens and even a pair of socks...but as I look at my stash of wool I start to panic.
I am trying to figure out why I feel like this and I think the biggest thing is time. I honestly don't have time to sit and knit everyday, I don't even watch TV anymore so I cannot do it then. I have no where to sit and wait for kids at sports etc as I always add errands in the same area and am running around doing them.
It all comes down to one night a week - Friday, while my children host a Bible study with their friends. I have a knitting friend, so we sit and chat and pray for the 2hrs, and in winter we add needles and wool.
I have two 12hr plane trips coming up soon, but knitting needles are taboo on the flight, so it will be reading, hopefully sleeping, and talking to my son.
So, now that I have had my whine moment, these are my planned winter knitting projects....
Boys beanie This one is scary as it means I have to figure out how to knit in the round.
Waffle Weave Dishclothes Don't you love those colors! Scary new stich to master.
Socks like last year I have another two balls of self striping sock wool to work through.
Big softie which is last on the list. It's the biggest project I have made up my mind to undertake but will not be finished this season, that's for sure.
It's not like I can't knit something basic, I can, I have! Beanies, mittens and even a pair of socks...but as I look at my stash of wool I start to panic.
I am trying to figure out why I feel like this and I think the biggest thing is time. I honestly don't have time to sit and knit everyday, I don't even watch TV anymore so I cannot do it then. I have no where to sit and wait for kids at sports etc as I always add errands in the same area and am running around doing them.
It all comes down to one night a week - Friday, while my children host a Bible study with their friends. I have a knitting friend, so we sit and chat and pray for the 2hrs, and in winter we add needles and wool.
I have two 12hr plane trips coming up soon, but knitting needles are taboo on the flight, so it will be reading, hopefully sleeping, and talking to my son.
So, now that I have had my whine moment, these are my planned winter knitting projects....
Boys beanie This one is scary as it means I have to figure out how to knit in the round.
Waffle Weave Dishclothes Don't you love those colors! Scary new stich to master.
Socks like last year I have another two balls of self striping sock wool to work through.
Big softie which is last on the list. It's the biggest project I have made up my mind to undertake but will not be finished this season, that's for sure.
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