Weekend Wanderings.......

Sweet Chai Lattes at 'Little and Friday' 

Cash Purses

About a year ago, we switched to using cash to keep control of our everyday expenses, and it has been working brilliantly for us. The only problem was that the cash would get mixed up in my wallet and I would lose track of how much I had left in each spending category.

Then, last week I was stoked to stumble across this easy Lined Zippered Pouch Tutorial, it was a great project to use up some fabric scraps and solve my little problem of mixed up banknotes.

Now, I divide our money for the week into 4 categories:

Tucker: Groceries, Coffees and Cafe Lunches ( I also pop my drivers licence, eftpos & library card in here)

Good Times: Sewing & knitting supplies, Things for the house, Gardening supplies, DVD hire and  Outings

Mama's Treat's: Clothes, Haircuts, Girls nights out, Makeup and Shoes

The Not-so-Often: Mobile Phone top up, Doctor/ Dentist/ Osteopath appointments, Gifts and the unexpected

Loving......

Megan's inspriational blog EcoMilf, I have been reading it for about a year now and always look forward to her daily posts.

Pondering.........

"Be the Change you Want to See In the World" Mahatma Gandhi

I read this quote a couple of days ago, in a different context, but it got me thinking........

Everyday there is a little girl watching Dave and I. She is absorbing everything that we do, say, feel and think. When I do something as simple as hanging out the laundry, she is by my side handing me the pegs because she wants to be 'Just like Mama' when I talk, she babbles away and tries to copy some of my words, even laughing 'Because Mama did'

But when there is something on the horizon that is making my heart race and my anxiety levels sore, she clings to my leg because Mama in not at ease. Then, when I lose my temper she bursts into tears and drops to the floor devastated because in her innocent little mind, she has done nothing wrong, she can't understand why the person she has complete faith in has suddenly become full of haste towards her without reason.

Children learn from example, I look at myself I see traits from both my Mother and my Father and it makes me wonder what am I teaching my child? Am I teaching her how to live a calm, peaceful and balanced life, regardless of adversity or a chaotic, unbalanced life that can be thrown off-center by circumstances? All I need to do is set the example for her learn from.

I must admit, I am usually on the more calm and peaceful side of the equation, but the times when chaos does strike I want to be able to "Be the Change I want to See in the World" so that one day, when I am old and grey I can sit back and watch my girl being that change.

When Retro Sheets become a Change Mat

I saw some fabulous 1970's floral sheets in the Op Shop and simply had to make something with them! so I put together an easy little change mat to put in my nappy bag.

Here's How......

What you need:

• Lightweight cotton for the inside of the mat 
• Contrasting cotton for the outside of the mat
• Thin quilting batting for the inside of the mat
• Ruler 
• Fadeout fabric marker 
• Scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• Iron 
• Sewing Machine 

1. Measure and cut the two fabrics and batting to your preferred size (approx 70cm x 114cm)

2. Pin the batting to the wrong side of the fabric you are using for the inside of the mat and sew them together using a 10mm seam around the entire piece

3. Using your fadeout marker and ruler, mark the lines to quilt the batting to the inside fabric at even distances. Then machine stitch down the quilting lines you drew.

4. Pin together the quilted piece of fabric and the contrasting fabric for the outside of the mat with the fabrics right sides facing each other and the batting on the outside.

5. Machine stitch along all sides using a 10mm seam and leaving a 15cm opening on one side.

6. Clip the corners to a 45 degree angle 

7. Turn the mat right side out through the opening.

8. Top stitch around the entire mat, securing the open piece with the top stitching 

Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem Artichokes haven't been the prettiest looking vegetable to grace our dinner table this winter but we have enjoyed the unique taste of these knobbly tubers. They can be cooked the same way you like your potatoes, my favourite being either roasted or fried in butter.

And on the health front, they are one of the better tubers to eat as they are surprisingly low in starch. Starch is very high in fellow tubers Potatoes and Yams (Kumaras are lower) and can have the same effect on blood sugar as refined grains and sugar.

As I am finding it hard to describe the taste of Jerusalem Artichokes to you because they are unlike anything I have tasted before, the best I can do is ...... Nutty, with the texture of a potato. I guess you will really have to try them yourself!

Weekend Wanderings.......

Off to the Devonport Craft Market on a drizzly morning to find some goodies.....