Today, I am

Feeling quite proud of the little pin cusion I whipped up last night  when I was suppose to be in bed.

Glad I started sewing again.

Waiting eagerly for the postman to arrive with hopefully another new piece of bunting.

Preparing for weekend birthday celebrations, that is if I finish this post before the soon to be 2 year old awakes!!

Loving the feel of the new little bubba wriggling around as I sit quietly at the computer.... only slight, but it's there, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...

 Finally sharing a photo of the new lambs, 

better late than never!

Not surprised that I have already forgotten nearly all the chooks names and we haven't even finished naming them all yet! 

Sorry folks, it'll come back to me...

Excited about our first ever Banana Flower just about to pop out 

 Guessing that someone is getting ready to visit the Veggie patch again...

Glad that my children LOVE their Veggies... 

Googleing more pine cone craft ideas for playgroup next week.

 Pulling my first lot of homegrown garlic...

Not Mowing the Lawn!!

Hoping to remember to feed my Ginger beer bug later in the day

Wondering what the little ones will bring home from kindy or school to hang up in the Hall of Fame

 Trying to work out what glue is best to mend a broken head...Ooops!

 Trying to forgive Hubby for starting a Kitchen Renovation!*@#$!

My lifeline has been cut off

Secretly Screaming with excitement, but have you ever had to do the days dishes in the bathtub! I'm just so over it!

 Hoping to unwind tonight with a bit of crochet before bed...

It's been another big day!


Linking up with our creative spaces

Organisation in the Garden

Today I'll be working on categorising my seeds into months, then pinning them up on the new Seed Board for easy reference when I need to restock the garden.

Pulling Veggies out like this every week has left a few bare patches that need to be filled...and it's prime growing time at the moment...

Okay girls, I've taken the photo . . .

Now you can eat all the Peas you want!!

  You would think there was a chocolate cake hiding in this goodies basket they way they dive in... Sadly our sugar snap peas are almost at the end of their production cycle.

Not to worry, by the time the peas are all gone, the beans should be ready and some of them are Purple!

I didn't realise these guys climbed so high, I'll need to add an extension to my trellis today too.

 I do love the look of a Lush & Productive Garden

 Seems like some little grubs may have found my Cauliflower and Cabbage, so these will have to come out today as well!

 Newly planted Cucumber, and Spinach, starting to fill in a bit of space.  Doctor says I need to up my iron intake at the moment!!

Ooh, and it looks like another little grub found the ripe Mulberries as well . . 

Interested to hear how others sort their seeds, and plan their gardens, It's quite a full time Job!

A Bunting to Go...

  A swap with a deadline! What was I thinking?  

 Squiggly Rainbow has hosted  a Bunting Swap.

Send out a piece of bunt and receive a piece back...

I took on the challenge, cause you know I really needed something extra on my plate at the moment!! 

The 'Bunt' had to be made out of whatever scraps you had, any shape, and any material other than paper, send one piece, you receive one, send seven you receive seven, sounds easy enough just had to find the make the time to whip them up and mail them out by October 15th.  

So into my stash I went. 

My mother was a dressmaker however I did not inherit her patience for sewing. Becoming part of this Bunting Swap has been a real personal challenge, it has encouraged me to once again persevere with the dreaded sewing machine and much to my surprise I have found it to be very rewarding and most enjoyable.  I still have a lot to learn, another new journey just beginning for me.

I don't know if it was allowed in the rules or not but I did have to go out and purchase myself a new sewing machine!! 

So finally,  a little bunting love has now been sent out across the world with much Handmade Love... 
(and only two days late in the post...Sorry!)

If your a lucky recipient I do hope you like it and it finds a special place in your home.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my bunts, I'll hopefully show you next week... It's so exciting! Did you take part in this swap?  Have you taken part in any other blogger swaps, I would love to hear about it!  

Bloggers Block or Baby Brain?

For the past few months most of my blogging time has been taken up with much needed extra sleeping/resting time.  I’m not complaining!   But I am missing it!  

I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to catch up {comment}, but I have been popping into your blogs as often as possible to see what your up too...  I hope you have left a comment here at some stage so I have had the chance to meet you and follow your journey too.

As busy as ever here attending to my ever growing family, I’m still baking, new and old recipes, preserving, gardening,  hanging with the girls in the Coop, feeding the sheep and the new seven lambs, Yes, sorry there has been no update. I have so many posts I could write, but when it comes to blogging time I feel so overwhelmed and just can’t think of a bloomin thing to write!!  I have even bought myself a new sewing machine and have started on several sewing projects I will be sharing with you sometime soon....

Although I may not have much to say at the moment nor the desire to take photos, upload and post, I have been homemaking more than ever and I have never felt more content and relaxed. 

Pregnancy hormones and me just go so well together! 

 Like Bee’s and Honey!   No wonder I keep having babies...

The house needs a really good clean, the washing is piled a mile high (that's no exaggeration), the fridge is empty, hubby has started major kitchen renovations and I still haven’t finished the past years Tax return...

BUT I’m not worried, I’m hanging in the garden today, the little ones dancing naked under the sprinkler and I’m just stopping to smell the flowers... 

One Step at a time...

 If you’re climbing the ladder of life, don’t look too far up, set your goals high but take one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t think you’re progressing until you step back and see how high you've really gone. 

~ Donny Osmond

Saving for a rainy day!

Freezer Preserving

I picked up loads of specials at my local fruit and veg market last week. 

Anything with a price tag of $1.99 usually very quickly gets my attention, I just can't go past a $2 Bargain!!

4 cobs of Corn $1.99

1kg bag of Beans $1.99

1 Bag approx 1 &1/2 kg Broccoli $1.99

and 1/2 kg Button Squash, you guessed it $1.99
Not to forget the big bag of Beetroot also $1.99.

A bag of each was purchased for the week plus an extra bag for the freezer . My local f&v market is a good 1/2 an hour drive so I don't always get there as regularly as I should. My backyard vegetable garden provides us with some great tasty crunchy afternoon snacks and plenty of fresh salads but as much as I would love to grow all my vegetables for the table, I would need to have a good couple of acres of  progressively grown veg to keep us all going all year round. Not to mention an electric fence to keep out the pack of veggie gobbling children. 

By keeping a stockpile of frozen fresh vegetables, it means I can enjoy a good variety when I need it and when bought on special it means that I am not paying a fortune for frozen packets from the super market.

To freezer preserve your veggies, you need to blanch them first, I usually pop mine into a pot of boiling water for about 2 - 3 minutes.

You can find more info on blanching here and a time table for the different vegetables if you wish to be a bit more precise.

Once blanched, remove from water and dry on paper towel or draining rack.

Divide into portion sizes and place in freezer bags

Remove as much air as you can and tightly seal the bags

Stack neatly into your freezer.

When your ready for Dinner, simply remove the bag from the freezer and place in a saucepan or steamer and cook as you would with your fresh Vegetables.

Remember to save your blanching water, which has now transformed into a tasty Vegetable Stock, cool it and drink it as a multi vitamin boost or freeze it to add to your next soup or casserole.

Freezer preserving is a great way to save money and keep your favourite prepared foods for times when you just can't provide them fresh. 

Happy Preserving!

More freezer tips, recipes and links