Today..... In A Nutshell

1. Wash bedding for number 2 son.

2. Make corned meat with Nanna's mustard for tea

3. Plant my Dutch Iris bulbs

4. Plant some more flowers out near the front steps

5. Make bread

6. Make a chocolate cake for afternoon tea

7. Make cookies to stock up the jars

8. Tidy the backyard gardening mess from yesterday's planting session

9. Measure space for the chook house and turn the sketch into a formal plan

10. Measure and design outdoor kitchen space ready for summer

11. Re-organise under sink garbage system - compost/ recycling/rubbish

12. Begin update of my household planner - focusing on budget.

13. Prepare for scrapbooking camp I am teaching at the end of August.

14. Juice fruit and make cordial

15. Tidy Office

16. Put bigger sign on front door that says "please make up my room" to see if there are any takers.

Time Out

This week I have been in Sydney for a couple of nights. ( wait for it.......) WITHOUT CHILDREN.

Hubbie went down to the Boat Show held in Darling Harbour and instead of going to the show I spent the time wandering aimlessly around the city. It was sooooooooo indulgent. I hardly spent a cent, but I indulged my greatest passion by spending hours in book stores. ( okay - I did make one purchase)

I love the ABC book shop in the Queen Victoria Building. Being a total fan of the ABC I have a wonderful sense of familiarity when I see all my favourite shows on DVD and see the books of many authors that I have listened to on Radio National.

The hotel we always stay in when we go to Sydney is the Citigate ( formerly the Charlton Crest) and it is right behind the ABC studios and across the road from Central Station. Being close to the ABC studios, we have seen a few of our favourite celebs hanging out. Last time we visited we sat across from "David" from the movie show discussing a film he had seen. I am such a groupie - I had to really stop myself from rubbing his arm and telling him how much I love him and asking whether he and Margaret get on in real life. Another time we saw Geraldine Dougue ( love Gerry) and .... the most exciting thing was when we opened our curtains and saw across into the ABC offices and a Banana in Pyjama suit was hanging up without any Banana inside it !!! Oh, the thrill of it all! ..... Was it B1 or B2 LOL !!!

Is it Kerry O'Brien in the suit ?

We dined in the restaurant which was having a Christmas in July special buffet and certainly ate our fair share of King prawns. The second night we realised that it was 9 o'clock and we were still sipping wine and eating slowly. At home it is such a contrast - early dinner, showers for the boys and all cleaned up and washed up before 7pm. It was so lovely having the time to actually talk to each other without filling the gaps with ' eat your vegetables' or 'use your fork'.

I went to Paddy's markets and was happy to get:

bulk sesame seeds
bulk poppy seeds
wasabi peas
a kilo of ginger roots
half a kilo of dried ginger

So, I will start saving now for next year's trip to the boat show, even thought I probably won't go to the actual show, I will wander the city without a care in the world.

For now it's back to reality. There is no lovely lady to come in and straighten up the house while I am out. I am thinking of hanging a sign on the door that says " please make up my room" and just see what happens.

Getting Ahead

"When you have time, you do things for times when you have no time".
This is what my Grandmother taught me about Getting Ahead.

We all seem to be so busy these days that we are always running behind. We are late for work, late home and then have to get something 'quick and easy' to slap on the table for dinner because we simply 'don't have time'. We run our children all over the country side, yelling at them to hurry up.

We flit from one appointment to the next, having quick catch ups with friends on the hands free mobile while swapping the kids from school clothes to soccer gear in the back seat of the car with the other hand.

Why don't we have time ? Over the years have they shortened the length of a day ? Was 24 hours in 1972 longer than 24 hours in 2008 ? If you believe the hype then you would conclude 'yes'.

In the 1950s women were told that they could have so much extra time by purchasing labour saving devices. Clothes washers, clothes dryers, dish washers, kitchen appliances - all saved the housewife a tremendous amount of time. BUT.... where did that time go ? What did we fill it with ? Work outside the house ? Coffee mornings with friends, shopping ?

Our lack of time is a cross between a problem of overscheduling and perception. If you were to make a list of your priorities in life and then compare it to your diary you might be surprised at the results. For example, you might say your spouse is the most important thing, but when you glance back through your diary you may find you actually spent more time having coffee with friends or shopping than quality time with your spouse. Honestly answer the question - do you do too much that is not really aligned with your purpose or priorities ?

The other reason we don't have any time is because of our perception. If you ask anyone, they are busy. It seems to be the standard answer. How many times do you hear people say "i'd love to do that, but I just don't have time". The truth is we all have 24 hours a day.

So, when I do have some time left over I do as my Grandmother says and try and do things for times when I know I won't have spare time. Last week I had planned to do so much in the garden, but the miserable rain kept me from venturing out too far.
Instead invested some time. I made huge batches of biscuits and muesli bars, made soup with leftover amounts and made cordial. I also got an extra loaf of bread on. I have been making crunchy cookies lately as they seem to keep a bit longer. I put them in glass Moconna Coffee jars on the bench -It gives me great satisfaction knowing that I have made them for the family and I know exactly what is in them. I also put a huge batch of dough into the freezer for stand by. I usually always make a double batch so that I can make cookies at short notice

























These muesli bars worked out well. It's the recipe that just uses rolled oats, crushed weet-bix dried fruit orange juice and honey.

 

Soaring diesel costs push truckies to the edge

Picture from Food Magazine

Did you see the 7.30 report on the ABC last night ? If not you can see it here: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/ or read the transcript here: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2311384.htm You can also google 'trucking industry strike' for the latest in news articles.

It seems that fuel prices are crippling many of the truckies. We have heard drivers saying that every time they go to fuel up it adds $100 to the bill. The difficulty for us as consumers is that EVERYTHING comes by truck. Most things you find on the supermarket shelf have travelled many hundreds of kilometres to get to the store. Eating Local suddenly becomes extremely important.

In all the articles I have read and watched the drivers are talking about a strike, 'go slow' or blockade on the 28th of July. There has already been one ' go slow' on a Sydney Freeway. The Transport Worker's Union say they are not in support of a strike, however other industry groups have formulated a list of demands to present to government.

Online forums are buzzing with people talking about their husbands, brothers, sons and cousins who are truckies that are going to strike. Diesel prices have risen 50c a litre since October and their runs are now unsustainable.

This has a major impact on us as householders. I do not blame the truckies, as there are numerous issues which must be addressed for them. Regardless of how those issues are resolved or played out, the matter of importance for me is the impact on households. Ask yourself this question..... How long can you sustain your household without going to a shop ?

QUOTE:

" Truck drivers are planning a nationwide two-week strike that could limit the supply of food and fuel. Requesting better pay and conditions, the organisers, led by the Australian Long Distance Owners’ and Drivers’ Association, are asking truck drivers to strike for two weeks from July 28.
The planned strike could have serious consequences on food industry supplies.One of the transport company owners said that the stoppage would highlight the impact the economy would be subjected to if the industry was to collapse. “On day three of the stoppage shops will run out of food, on day four service stations will run out of petrol, on day five we will run out of [drinkable] water … and on day 10 industry will shut down because there will be no power,” Hervey Bay’s Peter Schuback said. "

SOURCE: Food Magazine: Food and Beverage Industry News

Be wise. Apply the 6P principle. Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Always make sure that you have sufficient supplies on hand to lessen the impact of any events which prevent you from obtaining food. You never know what these events may be: power shortages, floods, storm damage, sickness in the family, trucking strikes, petrol shortages. Having a good supply in your cupboards is a great insurance policy.

Garden Update

The garden is coming along steadily. I can't wait until the weather warms up a little to be able to get right into it.

At the moment we are growing tomatoes, lettuce, corn, capsicum, carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, radishes, strawberries, passionfruit, coriander, parsley,mint, zucchini, silverbeet. The corn that I have in is starting to go well, so yesterday I planted a lot more.

 We also planted extra beans.

Once the weather warms up a little I will put in lots more so that I have some staggered harvesting. I have been really enjoying the garden. I close the front gate and in my mind I am on 3000 acres.

The day I can sit back and eat a cob of corn freshly picked moments earlier will be the day that I can sit back in a state of joy and say that all is well with the world!

My Most Used Kitchen Appliance

Who would have thought that a mix master could bring you so much joy!

This was a gift from Hubby a couple of years ago for our 10th wedding anniversary.

I use it all the time. I love it because the design hasn't changed a great deal in the past 30 years.

 I have a book for an older model and it hasn't changed much either. It is very good quality and I hope it will last and last.

This is What 101 Years of Simple Living Looks Like....

This is my Grandmother who turned 101 on the 15th July. She still walks around, has a wonderful memory and she certainly has " all her marbles". She lived in her own home up until 6 weeks before her 100th birthday.

When the local Newspaper were interviewing her they asked her what the secret of a long life is.

She said it was 'keeping busy'. I guess that is true. I have never known Nanna to procrastinate over anything. She was always prepared for anything. Her freezer was always stocked with freshly blanched vegetables and she had frozen meals she had made bursting out of the huge chest freezer she had. We always joked that if the Apocalypse came, it would be okay, because Nanna's freezer could feed all the survivors! LOL

When asked if she made a wish on her birthday she said she didn't need to make a wish because she had everything she wants and needs. She enjoys living in the nursing home because she doesn't have to do her own washing, cleaning and ironing. She views it as a luxury.

When asked about society today, she said the children are little brats. Her thoughts are that children should be put to work early for their parents so that they learn to do the right thing.

She was asked if she had ever used a computer, and told the journalist that although she had used my lap top, the only mouse she has ever known is the one you set a trap for !

So.... 'keeping busy' is the key to a long and lovely life ? What was she busy with ? In the earlier days it was milking, baking, cooking meals, washing, cleaning, gardening, ironing, farming, knitting, sewing. Then, when she moved to town it was ......... baking, cooking meals, gardening, washing, cleaning, knitting, sewing....... hmmmmmm I guess she was just too busy to grow old.

So, what can I learn from this ? Am I doing my best in the areas listed above? Am I seduced by the advertising devil that tells me to slacken off, rest because I 'deserve it', buy because I 'deserve' it and think about myself because, after all, I am the most important person in the world! No.......... I think I will adopt the more humble life. I will work hard for the joy and peace that comes in knowing that I am 'ahead' and prepared for the days to come.

Proverbs 31:21

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.