Making time for what's important....

Today I made time to go and see my son perform his Christmas performance at school, he is just about to finish Kindergarten and I am beginning to become aware of really how precious and fleeting these times are. My eldest is turning 14 in March, she's no little girl anymore, where did that time go? I was promted to reflect on these fleeting times when I watched "The gift of an ordinary day" which is an insightful account of how one mother moved through those times and her perception of the 'specialness' in the 'ordinaryness'. It has helped me realise it's those simple precious moments which can perhaps be the most treasured.

Gluten Free Goodness!

Today I have finally made the leap! I am attempting to bake a 'gluten & dairy free' cake, yep I've tried it before but it was a dismal, crumbly failure. I then stumbled across this site 'Gluten Free Goddess' and decided to try Frosted Banana spice cake which is baking in the oven as I write. One small problem.....I forgot to add the Xanthan Gum which is the vital ingredient in gluten free baking ensuring "added structure to the bread and so the dough will rise and also helps improve the structure of cakes and scones"........um whoops. Oh well I'll let you know how it goes in about 15 more minutes......smells pretty good I must say.

Ok so final verdict is you do require Xanthan Gum for a successful outcome, we had to resort to using bowls (with the added bonus of chocolate soy icecream) but the taste omg, so sweet, fruity, rich and moist! My five year old who is none the wiser about all this gluten free jazz absolutely loved it, so did my eldest daughter.....so its a thumbs up for this receipe, just don't forget the xanthan gum.....

The beginnings of my very humble Vege and Herb patch!

Ok, so I don't have that much space to work with (1.5m x 2.5m) but what I do have I want to make the most of! I have planted some basil, coriander and rocket. In the next spot is some coloured spinach, then Lebanese cucumber and yellow capsicum. I also dotted some Marigolds around to deter pests and for some colour. I also noticed this morning some tomato seedlings that planted themselves, so I left a few to grow. In the pots is rosemary, Thai basil, mint, parsley, thyme and a chili plant. These pots have been attacked recently by Indian Myna birds, that have been a real pest around our place lately. Would love to know how to get rid of them - ethically if possible! Anyway will update the progress of my little garden in time....

Some new Marigolds after my last one's mysteriously disappeared out of the ground!

I also potted some yummy Mustard and Cress

Hopefully in a few short weeks this patch will be bursting with green...

The Spending Monster Within....

Ok, I feel the need to explain myself.....when I said 'budget conscious' and 'frugal' I didn't mean shopping for 20kg sacks of flour and rice once a year, making all my children's clothes, never using deodorant and cosmetics again. You see I'm an old free 'n easy spender from way back with a very relaxed attitude about it. The truth is I was spending unconsciously, almost driven by some underlying urges beyond my control which I could forever justify. Well, I have now chosen to take a stand, a conscious stand against the feverishly hungry spending monster within. You see nothing would satisfy it for long. Now I know this sounds kind of extreme and well, maybe it is but I find it difficult to explain it any other way. I am now making a choice to become a conscious shopper. I am for the first time, actually recording everything I spend, which I am finding very empowering, I am actually loving the feeling of control it's giving me. I am feeling great about saying 'No' to stuff I know we don't need. I am enjoying feeling happy and satisfied with less, appreciating the things I have and focusing on what really matters to me, my family, their happiness, their health and that of my own.... I'm also starting to realise money isn't all it's cracked up to be. So no, it's not about being the perfect little greeny, although I am all for it, it's about being realistic in terms of me and my journey.

Today is the first day of..........

my new Blog!

I am writing to inspire, mostly myself really. I would like to share, to express and also explore. I am on a constant crusade to improve, grow, learn and discover.

I am a simple girl with a fairly simple life. My 3 children, my husband, a passion for humanistic therapies, for all things natural, for healing, and for learning. That is my life at present, Phew!

This blog will be about my voyage of discovery in the following areas:

* My family
* Employ a more Esoteric lifestyle

* Gradually becoming more conservative (Budget wise or dare I say frugal!)

* More wholesome cooking (Gluten & Dairy Free)

* Sewing

* More vege and herb gardening

* Soap making

* More craft

* Painting my home

* Exercise that aligns naturally with my gentleness

* My study

* And finally, Learning how to 'do this blog' thing!

Follow me.....