Eco-living

I was reading a post over at Mon Petit Poppet about eco-living goals and I was inspired to start my own list of eco-goals.



I think that we are quite a 'green' family already, but I know that there is soo much more that we could be doing. We always take our own shopping bags, recycle all our paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. We have a compost bin and a worm farm that collects all our food scraps. We have a veggie patch. I try not to buy anything covered in plastic packaging and I limit my showers to 2 minutes (Okay, I never manage to shower in 2 minutes, but I'm trying.. really.. I am!)



So this week I decided make my own eco friendly laundry powder. I followed the recipe over at Mon Petit Poppet and it was soo easy..

1 1/4 cup bicarb soda

3/4 cup borax

1 cup lectric washing soda

2 bars of finely grated pure castile soap

I managed to find all the ingredients in the cleaning isle of my local supermarket, except castile soap so I bought sunlight pure soap bars instead.



I grated the soap bars and added all the other ingredients..



and PRESTO.. you have your own eco-friendly, skin-friendly washing powder!

I know that it is hard to find time to sit around making your own laundry powder, but there is something so rewarding about it. Its a bit like sewing your own clothes or growing your own veggies. I don't know about you, but I get the biggest sense of achievement when I finish a dress for Sophie or pull veggies from the garden that I grew from seeds.. The satisfaction that I made this, or grew this myself.. its addictive!

Plus I am pretty sure that buying all the ingredients was cheaper than buying a box of laundry powder. So why don't you give it a go..

J'aime rouge

Did I tell you that I am currently obsessed with red?



I'm not exactly sure what happened.. last year I can honestly say that there was not a single thing in my wardrobe that was red. (I always thought it was just too harsh for my pale skin and mousy brown hair.) But something happened this winter.. I am constantly attracted to red things.. fabric, paintings, earrings, shoes, bags.. you name it, if it is red then I will 'ooh' and 'ahh' over it.

So I had a little impromptu shopping spree yesterday.. You know how it is, you pop over to the shopping centre for milk and come home with new shoes. No, actually I have a very tight budget (one of the few downsides of being a full time mummy and living off one income) and never usually buy things on a whim.. But I just couldn't resist..



Okay, so the reason I bought this outfit is that we have a dinner with Tom's work colleagues tonight and a friend's birthday dinner on Saturday night. (Yes, Tom and are going out more times this week than we have in the last year! Seriously!)

Since becoming a mummy, I seem to have misplaced all my nice shoes. I'm not quite sure where they went.. I used to own lots of nice shoes, but now my wardrobe is full of sneakers. All day, every day... sneakers!



And I really couldn't wear my battered old converse to dinner could I?

Wishlist Wednesday

Its my Wednesday wishlist.. but with a twist!

Last night Tom and I went and saw Ayaan Hirsi Ali talk at the Sydney Opera House. I have to admit that I did not know alot about her before we went and neither of us had read her books. Tom just thought it would be a really interesting talk.

So today I thought that I would show a little gratitude for the things I already have, rather than a list of things I want to buy (but don't actually need).

So here is my wishlist for this week..

1. More time doing things like this..




With this little person..


Not actually more time to do things like this. But more time to be completely immersed in things like this. I am always thinking of what needs to be done, making lists in my head.. whats for dinner? What do we have to do tomorrow? I want to spent more time just enjoying the moment with my little girl.. Just to stop and play and be in her world for a while!

2. More delicious food and dinner parties with friends..

(Although our dinner parties never look like this!)

3. More hours spent lost in a fabric store..

(Do I need to say anymore?)

4. More date nights with my husband..

Where I realise that there is still this whole, exciting world that exists outside of our home. Where interesting people are doing amazing things. Where there is great live music and a whole world that still exists outside of your laundry basket it makes you feel pretty good! Happy Wednesday everyone!

Flea market finds

I found this lovely little post over at 'Her Library Adventures' about flea market finds and I was inspired to share some of my latest finds with you..



I had been looking for some sort of table or stand to fill this corner for a while and I found it last weekend for $10.. and yes, it is now full of Frankie magazines!

I got these super retro patterns for 10 cents each at a salvation army stall..



And I can never resist anything this colour (especially cosy blankies for $5)..



Tom actually chose a sapphire this exact colour for the centre stone in my engagement ring because he knew it was my favourite colour.. Yes, I am VERY lucky to have such a thoughtful husband.. (Tom, are you reading this?)

Last but not least.. my favourite tea cups of all time..



I cant take credit for these though. Tom's sister bought them at a flea market for me last Christmas.. I love them so much. I have been looking for a 4th cup and saucer ever since I got them.

It always feels special drinking tea from these cups.. I think its the sunny yellow colour and there is something very nice about using a cup and saucer instead of a mug.

P.s Tom and I went a little crazy last weekend and bought a Canon 550D camera so I hope that the quality of my photos will drastically improve in the next few weeks.. Bear with me!

Sweet things

Good Morning! I had a lovely weekend but I am feeling a little sick today because I ate soooo much cake and pastry over the weekend.. ekk!

On Friday night my mother in law arrived from Perth. This was very exciting for me because I had lots of sewing questions to ask her and because she always wakes up with Sophie in the mornings and lets Tom and I have a well deserved sleep in!

So of course, on Friday night I made berry crumble.. It was delicious!



I changed the recipe a little as I added apple to the pear and berry base. I also used some lemon zest that was left over on the chopping board from the dinner Tom made. The lemon zest added a really lovely flavour to the crumble so it was not too sweet.



On Saturday morning we got up and made Bill Granger's baked eggs.. seriously easy recipe and sooo yummy, especially with the wilted baby spinach under the eggs.



We spent the morning wandering around various markets and sitting in coffee shops, which of course means more tea and cake!

While Sophie had her midday sleep I made some family place mats.. a little silly, but it was just a bit of fun..



Then we picked some lettuce and rocket from the garden..



Sophie made dinner..



And daddy helped a little..



Then it was time for some bedtime stories (and leftover crumble for mummy and daddy!)



On Sunday morning our beautiful friends Jinny and Michael came over and Tom baked a lovely orange cake. Jinny and Michael brought over some croissants and pastries and we all ate way to much cake (again) and drank several pots of tea in the garden.

Sophie made a mess..



Then we had dinner and guess what? Then I ate more cake..



Now I need a peppermint tea and a lie down.

P.s our weekend never usually involves this much cake.. I blame it all on my mother in law being here!

Berry crumble

Last night my mum came over with one of her home made apple pies. I don't know how she does it.. the pastry is always just so short and crumbly.. it's delicious! I have tried copying her recipe but it never turns out as good as hers.



So, tonight I am going to make this berry crumble from one of my favourite cookbooks 'Apples for jam'.. Ill let you know how it turns out!

Soundtrack of the month..

I always get stuck on one album that I play over and over until I am sick of it (Well usually Tom gets sick of it first and asks me very kindly to choose something else to play)!



At the moment it's Regina Spektor's album Far. I first saw Regina Spektor on rage one morning singing 'fidelity' and from then I was hooked. Tom and I were lucky enough to go and see her live last time she came to Sydney and it was on of the best concerts I have ever been to. She is one cool lady!

Dinner?

I was going to show you a photo of the dinner I made Sophie last night because it looked so yummy.. But by the time I went and got my camera it was all gone!



It was fish steamed in soy and ginger with brown rice and steamed greens (broccoli, green beans, snow peas, bok choi). I then chop it all up in pieces for Sophie and call it "fishy rice".

Its one of those dinners that I make when I can't think of anything else and I want to make a very quick meal that I know Sophie will eat. But the best thing is that Sophie eats it all and then asks for more and its full of vegetables! Mummy 1 -Toddler 0!

Wishlist Wednesday

Well, why not make it a weekly ritual.. Here are a list of the things that I am loving this week..

1. Linen, Wool, Cotton



This cute little book has caught my eye a few times. I believe it was translated from Japanese into English.. Definitely on my wish-list!

2. Murchison-Hume

I came across these cleaning products last year and bought some. The bottles have only just run out! Not only are they all made with natural ingredients (no nasty chemicals!) and are made in Australia by a lovely family run business, they also look good! And hey, if I'm going to spend a large proportion of my time cleaning the house I may as well do it in style right?






3. Frankie magazine



Oh I do love Frankie! I wish it came out every month so I wouldn't have to wait so long between issues. Now, I have a little confession.. I actually own every single issue of Frankie since the magazine started! That's a whole lot of space on my bookshelf taken up with old magazines! But I cant stop, so I would love a subscription... (hint, hint, Tom..)

Baby Space

My very good friend Bron has a fabulous website that I have to share with you.. It has become a bit of a ritual for me to sit down with my morning cup of tea and check out her latest post (right after I check the weather and decide if it's a gardening and bike riding sort of day or a sewing and cooking sort of day)!

Baby Space showcases beautiful baby and kids rooms. I must have similar taste to Bron because I always adore every single thing on the website!







And before you ask how I get time to sit down with a cup of tea every morning and browse my favourite blogs ill tell you.. Its called play school!

Our weekend..

What a beautiful weekend! This weekend we bought some new flowers to plant in the garden..


We went to the park..


We went out for dinner with friends..


We stole lemons from the neighbours tree..


We did some drawing..


We played with Charlie..


We made roast chicken with roast veggies.. (Well actually Tom did all the cooking, so I can't take any of the credit!)

We also did a whole lot of washing, helped my sister move house and cleaned the compost bin.. But I don't think you want to see any photos of that!

Grosgrain

Sometimes I feel like I am the last person in the world to discover cool things that everyone else has know about for ages.. Like Feist or Mad Men. I guess that's one of the problems with being a full time mummy who likes to spend most of her time at home gardening and sewing and doesn't get out much anymore!

So I might be way behind the eight ball with this one, but when I came across Grosgrain last week I was hooked! Do you ever find a website that you really like and then sit there reading all the archives until you realise its 1am and you have to wake up in 5 hours? (No? Maybe that's just me!)

Grosgrain is a haven for young and modern sewing, and the photos are just amazing..


I have no idea how this woman looks after 3 kids, makes a couple of dresses every week and then manages to get her husband to take these amazing photos of her wearing all the clothes she has made?!


Plus, after she has made them she gives them away to one lucky reader on her website.. That really is fabulous! Grosgrain Fabulous!

Click here for The Naiad Frock Grosgrain Giveaway!

Tea and sympathy

Some days I just don't seem to have this whole motherhood thing under control.. yesterday was one of those days! So today I will be keeping my eyes open with copious amounts of Tea! Luckily, a beautiful new teacup arrived on my doorstep yesterday..

It was my second Etsy purchase. The teacup is from a little Etsy seller called thimbly things. She also has a blog that I really love.

Speaking of Etsy, I came across a hilarious website yesterday called 'Regretsy'. I was told that this website would make me laugh out loud.. and it actually did! Its a little cruel to be laughing at other peoples home made items, but some of the items are just unbelievable..

This card is made from band-aids.. "It would be a great I love you card. but also a great I'm sorry card!" That was just what I needed to cheer up my day!