Irony

Last week, I packed the kids into the car, kissed Hubby goodbye and headed off to join the Pacific Climate Warriors in their battle against the coal ships.  The boot was full to the brim with our tent, little stove, clothes etc.  This particular protest meant a lot to me.  For a start, our damaging use of fossil fuels desperately needs to change and NOW but more than that, we were heading off to protest with the very people who are already impacted by rising sea level.  I spent my formative years growing up in Vanuatu and I am angry that so many people choose to ignore the plight of those in the Pacific.  The bitter irony is that the islanders' lifestyles didn't cause the issue;  nor did they benefit from the use of fossil fuels, yet they are now bearing the brunt of our actions.

Here in Australia, many would like to pretend that the effects of climate change are something in the far off future, something that can be ignored for a long time yet.  Clearly, this is not the case.  If Aussies aren't capable of looking beyond their own backyards and noticing those in immediate peril, then surely they would be aware of what is happening right under their noses!

We had planned on an easy trip up to Newcastle, using the time away as an opportunity to have a bit of a holiday.  We set up our little tent at Goulburn, planning to continue on the next day.  We were aware that rain was predicted for Newcastle but figured we could tough it out or spend a night in a cabin for shelter.  

What we didn't count on was the ferocity of the weather.  Climate change, with all its power and might, saw us sheltering in a cabin at Goulburn on the second night while thunder shook the walls.  The next day we braved the trip to Newcastle knowing another storm was on the way.  We found more cabin accommodation but woke to see the State Emergency Service helping a couple in a van across the way from our cabin.  Then we heard reports of mayhem in Sydney.  Flooded train stations, snow in the Blue Mountains, over two thousand calls to the State Emergency Service for help with fallen trees etc., one hundred and seventy millimetres of rain in some areas.....  The predictions were that the wild weather was heading to Newcastle.

 Our plan to have a cheap journey to join in with the flotilla was falling apart.  The tent was not an option.  The wind was blowing us away.  So for all my passion and commitment to fighting climate change, with the children's safety to think about, we gave up and drove home. 

 I was so disappointed to have used so much time and energy to get to Newcastle and turn around without even meeting the Climate Warriors, but more so to not even get to add our voice to the protest of the coal leaving the harbour.  It felt scary though, to be so far from home with not much money, knowing no one locally and being aware that I was responsible for keeping my children safe.

There was a sense of relief to be heading back down the highway for home.  I felt worn out from driving and from trying to make decisions on the hop.  I had also struggled with providing for ourselves in a sustainable fashion while we were on the road.  We ate organic tinned baked beans one night, tinned soup with bread another.  We had to buy boxes of milk and breakfast cereal.  The caravan parks didn't have recycling facilities.  I thought about bringing our rubbish home but there wasn't an inch of spare space in the car.  The children were already drowning in a sea of pillows, blankets and tourist maps so I guiltily placed our rubbish in the bin.

As we drove home, I reflected on the irony of not being able to participate in the protest for action against climate change DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE!!!  The very areas that snow fell had been battling bushfires at the same time last year.  The previous year to that, snow!

I also reflected on the fact that we have worked very hard to minimise our personal impact on climate change and travelling away from home threw me back into a world of convenience.  I looked forward to arriving back home to our bulk foods in our own containers, our veggies from the garden, our eggs from the chooks and milk from the goats.  Year by year, we have reduced our packaging and our waste; we have reduced our personal demand on energy used to package and transport our food to our kitchen.  

So while I couldn't take part in a public and dramatic demonstration to shake the people into awareness (and they sure need to wake up to themselves) I can fight climate change here at home with my family.  I can fight in a way that is very effective yet gentle and positive.  I can fight by fertilising my veggie garden, composting our food scraps, tending our animals and poultry, by teaching my children practical life skills, by sharing our goats milk, by being part of a larger community of environmentally aware people.  Tonight we will dine on spatchcocked chicken grown here on our property, potatoes from the farmers market, spinach from Mum's and pavlova made with some of our eggwhites.  These are left over from the yolks I used to make custard, which will become ice cream for the children later today.  It's certainly not an uncomfortable way to fight climate change!  It just requires commitment to make personal changes and a bit more thought and effort into providing for our needs.

So one way or another, please join with the Climate Warriors, please join with me....  Let's fight this fight together whether it be by joining protests, signing petitions, letting your politician know how you feel or simply by growing some veggies!

Secret girly business - reusable pads

You may have noticed a button appear on the right of my blog.  This button leads to the Rad-Pads site.  Rad-Pads is the company from which I first bought my reusable pads.

I've been writing here for four years now without any thought of benefitting from my blog.  While I need money just like everyone, I don't like the stuff very much!  Money seems to do strange and very unattractive things to many people.  It kinda revolts me that people can be thoughtless of others or the environment due to love of money or material 'stuff'!

I am motivated by the idea that we can do things for ourselves, work together as a community and make do with much, much less.  I read a lovely quote the other day, "Some people are so poor that all they have is money".  It really resonated with me because there are so many things that I value above money or owning things.

Perhaps I should spend a little more time thinking about money though.  I'm pretty sure I frustrate close family and friends as, every now and then, we go through what I like to term a 'rough patch'.  Luckily they don't happen too often!

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I didn't want to advertise on this blog and encourage people to add to the problem of everyone buying more than they need.  We try very hard to buy only what we actually 'need' (a word that is misused so often).

However, I've now decided it would be okay to affiliate with a couple of companies that I use myself and feel comfortable with.  Rad Pads is one of those companies.  I love re-usable pads.  Firstly I love them because they are re-usable.  Using these pads doesn't create much of a footprint at all, whereas the store bought disposables waste energy, have been transported and come wrapped in heaps of plastic packaging.  Secondly I love them because they are nicer than the disposable alternatives.  When people ask me about their comfort, I always liken it to wearing paper knickers.  Wouldn't that feel horrible!  Well I think it is the same with pads.  My cloth pads are really comfortable.

Re-usable pads are very easy to make yourself.  Some friends of mine just made a heap of them.  They researched several different types and then came up with a style that suited them.  The material was op-shopped and they look great!

There are plenty of instructions online.  I found this site which has links to several different styles of pads.

If you are time poor and would prefer to buy your pads ready made, then I thoroughly recommend Rad Pads.  They pay for themselves over time and are well made and last well.  It works out heaps cheaper than buying disposable.  Do the maths and you'll be amazed at the savings.  They sell different thicknesses of pads and liners.  They can also be used for incontinence issues. If you choose to buy them by clicking through on the button on the right of my blog, I receive a small percentage of the sale. 

My pads are mainly purchased from Rad-Pads but I also made a couple myself.  I don't find reusables to be difficult to manage.  I just have a little bucket with a lid that I keep in the laundry cupboard.  When I need it, I just soak the pads in water until I'm ready to wash them.  Then I give them a rinse and pop them in the washing machine.

The only time it has been a bit awkward was when an occupational therapist wanted to go to my clothesline.  He was working on Buddy's fine motor skills and every occupational therapist loves pegging activities that encourage pincer grips and strengthen weak hand muscles.  I can't remember what excuse I mumbled but there was NO WAY I was going to let him near my clothes line at 'that time of the month'!

I hope you already use reusable pads or that you'll get on to making or buying some straight away.  You won't regret it!

Slow Living Monthly Nine - July 2014

How exciting!  I'm hosting the Slow Living Monthly Nine link-up today.  Christine, at Slow Living Essentials, began this link up early in 2012 and I have regularly been taking part.

It's a lovely way for people to record their months and share their ideas, acheivements and news.  If it's inspiration you're after, you will love reading through these posts!

It has been wonderful to watch a connected online community form throughout the process.  I have got to 'know' many new people and formed some great connections.  I'm often amazed at how thoughtful bloggers can be, even offering assistance and advice to each other via email outside of the link-up.  This little group of people have become friends!

I am honoured (and a little bit amazed) that Christine has gifted me the custodianship of this link-up!  I hope I can do it justice.  While I will really miss popping over to Slow Living Essentials to join in each month, I totally understand the point Christine has arrived at with needing to blog less.  I am glad that her idea will continue on and the community can continue to grow!

 Thank you Christine for choosing to keep this forum alive.  I hope to hear about your happenings often and hope that one day you will decide you are in a position to take your blogging baby back.

The Monthly Nine format is perfect as it is, so you will see little change.  I will probably rename it but am reluctant to do so without some thought.  So for now it remains the Slow Living Monthly Nine.

Please join me and many others as we relate our achievement and joys. I look forward to reading your posts.

If you are new to this link-up, welcome!  You will find all the details here.

Slow Living Monthly Nine - July 2014

Nourish

We've been enjoying continuing on with winter warmers.  There have been plenty of casseroles and soups appearing.  I've been making a conscious effort to choose meals that I can cook in huge amounts so that I can freeze some.  It has paid off BIG time!!  Do you know how good it feels to go to the freezer on a disorganised evening and find a precooked meal waiting.  It's even better if you have a terrible memory like mine.  I am often surprised by what I find in there; it feels as though someone has gifted me a meal!

Rhubarb Pudding

While our lemon tree has not been at it's best this year, lemons are something that are often shared by others at this time of year, so we've been enjoying lemon slice, pancakes with lemon and sugar, lemon cordial and lemon and vinegar to soothe colds and sore throats.

Prepare

Ah ha!  I've already covered this in the last category.  My frozen meals are serving us well.  We've also been dipping into the preserved fruit that we bottled in summer and autumn.  The kids are loving eating fruit on their puffed rice, puffed sorgum or just in a bowl with yoghurt.

Reduce

I participated in Plastic Free July.  The aim is to reduce and track the amount of single-use plastic that enters our homes.  To be honest, I think we did worse with reducing plastic this month than we normally do.  We always shy away from plastic when we can, but July saw lots of plastic sneaking into the house while we weren't looking!  The best outcome this year has been the kids involvement.  They have been very aware of the challenge and have shrieked, "PLASTIC!" whenever we accidently acquired some.  They treat it as though it is poison entering our home, and so they should!!

Green

The idea was that I would be telling you all about the soap I made in July but I never did get around to it.  Again. 

I've been using a little bit of castor sugar mixed with some lovely, local olive oil as a facial scrub.  A couple of times I have used honey or yoghurt as a mask, much to the children's amusement.

Grow

My garden has been sorely neglected of late, yet I am still enjoying broccoli and plenty of rhubarb.

Buddy and I have begun the task of weeding and making compost in preparation for spring.  We've had a lovely time.  His favourite job is shovelling and it works well for me.  He carts compost and manure wherever I want it!

Create

I actually have stuff to report this month!  Yay!!  I made Rosie a belated gift for her birthday.  The intention was to have it ready on time but I was too preoccupied with organising the party.  So early in July, I finished the book I was making her and popped it in the post.  The photo's from Rosie's phone because I forgot to snap it!

I made some draining board cloths too.  I hate using dish drainers because they harbour so many germs.  Now I drain my dishes on the cloths and at the end of the day I can use the cloth to wipe over my sink before I throw it in the washing basket.

I have a jumper on the go for Buddy and am half way through a sock for me.  Wow!  I hadn't realised I had done so much (for me) in this category!

Enhance

I have a great group of like-minded friends and we work together with trying to source food outside of the major supermarkets.  Sometimes I receive a phone call offering me excess fruit from a glut (yes, I know....  It's only a dream here too!  I've never had excess yet) or someone might contact me to see if I have spare flour to see them through until the next bulk food day.  Together we co-operate and share where we can and it feels lovely!

Discover

I attended a course on beekeeping and how to put together a bee box.  The presenter was a very experienced bee keeper and I learnt so much!  Some people just love to share knowledge.  I have volunteered to work alongside him in spring.  I can't wait!

Photo of a queen bee cell - courtesy Clare Watson

I even received a book to take home.  Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees.  It's fascinating!  The children and I had a bit of a giggle over the mating process.  I had no idea!!  Apparently he pops with "an audible pop" and part of his doodie falls off!

Hmmm.  Who want to be a boy bee??!  It's also amazing how each type of bee has an individual role for the good of the hive and, if the need arises, can reactivate past functions to keep the hive in good health.  I'm looking forward to getting back into beekeeping in spring.

Enjoy

While I didn't lay eyes on my older girl's in July, I enjoyed great chats on the phone and saw some lovely photos on facebook.  Aren't we lucky to be able to communicate in so many ways?  I was also delighted that my parents had the children to stay a couple of times.  It's so nice to spend time with Hubby without feeling like parents.  Nice to remember that we are people in our own right.

A photo of my granddaughter that I was able to enjoy via face book

I really savoured the cool weather.  The contrast between the biting cold outside and the cosiness of sitting near the fire, reading a book to a child, enjoying warm meals and the occasional hot pudding, drinking hot chocolate and even doing a bit of knitting if time allows, is just wonderful.

I particularly enjoyed milking time with the goats.  Belle has taken over this task most nights so I do the manual work of feeding and watering and then sit on the hay and listen to Belle chattering happily away.  All in all, July was a fantastic month for me!

Did you have a lovely July too?

CERES excursion and Plastic Free July report

We are well into the Plastic Free July challenge and I can confidently report a huge fail in my efforts to avoid single use plastic!

I've stopped saving my plastic since taking this photo because I managed to completely fill and even overflow this plastic bag.  I think I know all I need to know to convince me we need to try harder.  I'm even contemplating saving my plastic every month so that I can monitor how we are going.  It concerns me that we have done better in the past.  We should be moving forward, not backward!  To add insult to injury, do you see the discoloured patch on the table?  Me, who never, ever irons, decided to iron our hankies this morning.  Seeing as they are small, I thought I'd be clever and not get out the ironing board.  I just ironed them on a hand towel on the table.  Not thick enough obviously!!

We've had a great week all in all.  I've been meaning to take the kids to CERES for an excursion for a long time now.  I kept putting it off though because I find it very tiring taking the kids on a trip by myself.  While they are (usually) pretty good they still require a great deal of energy in supervision.  So when Hubby had a day off this week, we jumped at the chance to go even though it's school holidays.  It wasn't a very schoolish excursion anyway.  We basically just had a good look around.

I suffered strong pangs of chard envy!

 The children had so much fun on the play equipment!

 What a clever use of recycled materials. Buddy has taken to trying to ruin my photos with face pulling of late.

 So then I tried to take one of just his sisters, without him in it.  He didnt' like the idea of not being in the shot, so decided to be sensible.  LOL  He does love a photo of himself!!

 They also climbed on this great piece of bamboo equipment.

CERES has community garden plots, a scheme for restoring broken bikes, a market, permaculture nursery and so much more.  The children were so well occupied that I forgot to keep snapping the camera.  Hubby and I actually *gasp* held hands as we strolled along!  The kids usually keep us far too busy for those sorts of shenanigans.  We'll be going there again, for sure!  Apparently they have music playing on a Saturday morning.  I'm not sure if that's part of the market or separately but it sounds very appealing.

Have you visited CERES?  Maybe you're lucky enough to get there on a regular basis if you live in town.

Cheap and easy yoghurt

My mother rang me this week to discuss the way I make yoghurt.  She used to always make her own yoghurt but it was many years ago.  In fact, she used to make her own bread, keep a garden for veggies and cook what we needed.  It was through necessity because we lived in a place where there were no shops.  I believe there was a monthly trip to get supplies but then she made do.

Now she wants to have a go at making yoghurt again but doesn't remember the process.  I pointed her to Rhonda's link at Down to Earth.  Rhonda has easy instructions.  I made some yesterday using this method and it worked perfectly.

However, if you want to try a cheat's method.....

Do you have a yoghurt maker?  There are sachets for yoghurt making in the desert aisle at the supermarket. You are supposed to use a full sachet to make up one batch of yoghurt in them.  I like my yoghurt to be cheap so if I'm using the purchased sachets, I do it differently.

I put one cup of powdered milk in the container and add water but not right to the top.  That way I have room to stir the mix.  Add two tablespoons of the mix from the sachet (the natural one, not flavoured), do it up with a rubber band and pop it back in the fridge for next time.  Stir until well mixed, then add more water until the container is completely full.  Give it a good shake to mix the contents thoroughly and put into the yoghurt maker, following the instructions on how much boiling water etc.

A few hours later you will have yoghurt.  The sachet last for several batches instead of just the one!

I prefer the proper method of making yoghurt but if I'm short on time I use the cheat's method.  It is certainly better than buying yoghurt.  Shop bought can never be as fresh as homemade, accumulates lots of food miles and wastes material on packaging.  Mind you, I do love the bucket my last bought batch came in!

Do you make your own yoghurt?

Paprika biscuits, plastic and a nice surprise

There's no missing the fact that these school holidays are the winter holidays!  We have slushy areas underfoot, it's been bitterly cold and one day last week the sun failed to show through the fog.  That's almost unheard of in these parts.  The Bureau of Meteorology predicted a 'mostly sunny' day but it didn't eventuate.  The temperature only reached seven degrees!

It was on this particularly biting day that Buddy Boy and Pumpkin took part in a football holiday program.  The idea was for the parents to drop the children off and leave.  I was looking forward to a rare day alone with Belle.  However, it wasn't to be.  Within an hour I received a phone call to say Pumpkin was crying with cold because the cuffs of her pant were wet.  I was still in town so I raced to the op shop and bought a complete outfit including a long sleeved thermal singlet!

The poor little girl was sitting in a car shivering when I arrived but a change of clothes and a cuddle and she was ready to play again.  I didn't want to leave again in case I was needed.  After all, the day was not improving. Hence Belle and I found ourselves outside for most of the day on the coldest day for ages!

I did decide though, to take Belle to a local coffee shop for a nice, warming hot chocolate as a bit of a treat to get us through the day.  As it was an unexpected visit, I was unprepared and had no cash.  Our purchase was under ten dollars (the minimum allowable for use of a card) so I quickly looked around and saw a packet of freshly baked short breads.  That took our purchase to around thirteen dollars and I could pay with my card.  And that's how easily it happens!!  It wasn't until we got outside that I realised the biscuits were prettily wrapped in plastic.

At the end of the day, the children were presented with show bags of goodies.  Rulers, a football, all wrapped in plastic.   And again, that's how easily it happens.

I'm taking part in the Plastic Free July challenge and thought it would be easy this year, having done it before and being relatively happy with our efforts.  I thought it would get easier each year.  So much is dependent on what you are doing though.  I had my eyes wide open for the supermarket, expecting this was where I would need to avoid plastic.  I was caught off guard with the extra activities we participated in.  I wasn't about to tell my children that they had to miss out on the show bags that every other child was receiving.

In a similar way, Belle and I brought plastic home yesterday.  Hubby kept the younger two at home so that Belle and I could have some time together and we headed of to a charity craft day.  Lots of little raffles during the day saw us gather several little gifts covered in plastic.

At home it's a different story.  It seems fairly simple most of the time.  Most ingredients we need are already on hand from our bulk food buy.  With the addition of butter (paper wrapped) and milk (straight from the goats) I can provide cakes and biscuits galore without a scrap of plastic rubbish.  A large pot of soup full of veggies and herbs wasn't too bad either.  The shanks were plastic wrapped but I cooked enough soup to see us through three meals.  Yay!

A large casserole (three meal size too) and enough snacks baked to last several days meant limited plastic use.  The diced beef also came in single use plastic but that was the only piece for three meals.  Cooking in bulk is a great way to reduce rubbish and it also means less work later in the week.  Bonus!!  I made sure I had savoury snacks as well as sweet by cooking some cheese and paprika biscuits.  They remind me of a particular brand of small cheese biscuit that I used to love snacking on years ago.  But no packaging, no palm oil, no preservatives and very easy to make!  I'll give you the recipe so you can try them but be warned, they are more-ish!

Paprika Biscuits

85g butter
85g cheese (grated tasty)
1 cup plain flour
1 tspn paprika
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn dry mustard
poppy seeds to sprinkle

Beat together butter and grated cheese until soft and creamy.  (Beat for a few minutes)  Sift together dry ingredients, add to cheese mixture, beat until well blended.  (The recipe I used, suggested dessertspoons rolled into balls but I made mine much smaller.  I find them a better size for nibbling on.)  Place on greased oven tray, flatten slightly, sprinkle poppy seeds lightly over each biscuit.  Bake in moderate oven 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Loosen and cool on tray.  (Made about forty little biscuits for me)

This recipe is taken from the ancient copy of The Australian Women's Weekly,1970, that I bought at the op shop once.  I have converted the ounces to grams.

Now for my nice surprise.  One of my dorking hens often refuses to sleep in the pen, choosing to perch up a tree instead.  Well, she wasn't up the tree over the last three weeks, unbeknownst to me!!  Out she came the other day with ten little charges.  Although we don't want 'moggy' chooks (these are crossed with the Australorp rooster) you can't fail to be happy when you see these little chickies.

 Daisy was most surprised to see ten little chickens running around in the milking shed in the morning!

Here's hoping your life is giving you nice surprises too!

Slow living in June (Monthly nine)

Brrrrr!  I hope you've found your beanies, scarves and thermal underwear.  It has been sooo chilly this past week!  I'm snuggled in front of the fire as I look back fondly on June before I rush headlong into July.  The winter solstice has passed so I'm savouring the cold weather while I can.  Before we know it, summer will be back.

I'm joining Christine at Slow Living Essentials as she hosts our bloggy records of our achievements in June.  Click on the button below to see what others have been doing.

Nourish - We ate cheese, cheese and more cheese as I experimented with flavourings for my newly learnt skill.   We celebrated two important birthdays in the last week of June.  Hubby turned fifty and Rosie turned twenty-one!  The focus of everything in my month was organising a celebration while still continuing with teaching my children and caring for the animals.  Our June nourishment revolved around preparing party food for others while I cooked enough to entertain large numbers.  My poor family didn't get much TLC in June.  Hubby and the kids had to get used to smelling the aromas of dishes wafting from the kitchen while being told not to touch!  I fed them on the quickest, most basic food I could throw together.  Oh, and cheese!

And how could I forget!  I had to perfect a mulled wine to serve our guests.  The temperature was only eleven degrees on the big day so the warm wine was a hit.  I ran a practice batch at home and loved the results.  The house smelled beautiful and it was deliciously warming!

Prepare - A generous family with an olive glut meant I finally had the opportunity to try my hand at olives.  Daily rinsing is still taking place.  The pot smells so good and olive-y as I tip off the rinse water each day!

Reduce -  With Plastic Free July firmly in my mind, I was very conscious of not producing too much plastic waste.  Plastic Free July starts today and I'm really looking forward to the challenge this year.  I encourage all of you to take part.  It is just a personal challenge but really gets you thinking.  By preparing party food in advance and by choosing a menu around ingredients that I already had on hand, I was able to feed many people without creating too much rubbish.  I did buy several packs of those disposable takeaway type of containers, a packet of paper straws, a packet of paper napkins (plastic wrapped of course) and three packets of pastry which created plastic waste.  I'm sure there was more rubbish that I've forgotten to mention but all in all I was very happy with our efforts.

I enlisted the children to help label home made drinks

Green - I made some soap with our goats milk.  It looks lovely and I'm looking forward to trying a few more recipes. 

I made labels for party glasses from old wine corks.  They looked quite effective on the kid's drinks.

terrible photo but just to give you the idea

Grow -  The garden did it's own thing this month.  I didn't really give it a look in.  It still served me well by providing rhubarb for my fizzy rhubarb drink and I managed to weed my way to some chives that I used for one of my cheeses.  I thought I'd lost them forever in the jungle but some persistent pulling out of grasses revealed a lovely healthy patch of yummy chives!

Create -  Sorry, not much to report here.  Just many ongoing projects.

Enhance -  I was on the receiving end of this category as many friends pitched in to make our celebration a success.  Friends and family cooked dishes, set up a kids play area, helped on the night and one even brewed some beer!  Thank you everyone!

Discover - The children have been learning about Australian history and I have become very interested myself along the way.  I've been borrowing books from the library about family life in the early 1900's.  I've also been delving more deeply into Pat Coleby's Natural Goat Care because one of the goats has developed foot rot.  I thought I had been doing such a good job of caring for them but it's a huge learning curve!  I've also begun a new Coursera course about... (you guessed it) changing the world.  I do enjoy a small challenge!! Lol

Enjoy - I've enjoyed family, friendship, rain and bitter weather which served to emphasise the cosiness and comfort of our home! 

I hope your June was lovely too!

Fun and games

Brrrr!  Well that caught us by surprise, didn't it?! Just when we thought we had avoided the true winter climate that wild weather came out of nowhere.

Normally I welcome miserable weather no matter what I have planned.  I'm happy to rejoice in the fact that moisture is falling from the sky.  Not this time though!  Hubby and Rosie have big birthdays this week.  Hubby turns fifty and Rosie twenty-one.

We have planned to celebrate here at our place.  We don't do parties.  In fact, I rarely entertain even on a small scale.  Life is busy and there is always too much happenng.  However these two occasions were too important to let them slide by.  I've been planning and preparing for a large party (I originally pictured small and intimate but there are so many special people in our lives) and doing my best to do it without creating heaps of waste. 

The seating arrives

I've been cooking, making cheese, freezing and writing lists madly!  Oh and getting excited!  Every time I completed a task, I would take a moment to picture the big day.  More often than not, I would jump up and down on the spot and say, " Oh it's going to be sooo good!"  I must have said it quite a few times because Pumpkin has told me that I've already said that and "are you going to keep saying it forever?!"  Haha.

Throughout the process I've been continuing with the children's lessons, milking goats, washing clothes that I can't get dry in this weather, etc. 

So far I'm happy with my efforts at sustainability.  We've only bought the crackers (Australian) and two packets of takeaway type containers.  Though it could go pear shaped from here on in.  I've suddenly been hit by the enormity of what I have committed to doing!  I'm exhausted, falling into a dead sleep at night, only to wake and remember several jobs I want to get done the next day.  We were really looking forward to having our family and friends here at our home.  Lots of thought has gone into how it will work.  Now it looks as though the weather won't cooperate on the day and we might need to go to a local hall instead.  It will still be fun but not the same. :-(  It will feel more like 'hosting an event' than having our friends over.

So now it's panic stations.  I planned to continue with everyday life, lessons included, right through the prepartions but that's just gone out the window.  I think the kids have officially started their school holidays today through sheer necessity.  Possibly I'm panicking unnecessarily and I'm well prepared but it's really hard to know until all the jobs are done.  Thank goodness for wonderful friends and family who have offered to help with various preparation!

The kitchen as I woke to it this morning

Wish me luck and a fine weather miracle and I'll tell you all about the party next week.