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On the Weekend…

by on February 20, 2012 in Adventures, Daily Life

On the weekend…

We spent lots of time with one wonderful old friend, and a bunch of wonderful new friends.

We laughed until our tummies hurt.

We had two picnics in parks with the Daisy dog.

We visited our favourite shop.

We wandered about at the markets and found a dreamy (yellow!) vintage couch and 2 matching chairs (more on that soon!)

We bought an embroidered vintage apron that perfectly matches one of our tea towels (also yellow!)

We made pompoms.

We watched movies from our childhoods.

We ate pizza, mexican food, hot chips, raisin toast and macaroons (though not all at once!)

We (unsuccessfully) tried to make paper mache things using paper doilies and balloons.

We had breakfast for lunch at one of our favourite cafes.

We got a teensy bit sunburnt.

It was a good weekend. A really, really good weekend. Unfortunately we were so busy enjoying the moment and soaking up all that goodness, we barely picked up our camera. That’s ok though. Sometimes you have to take a step back from documenting life and just live it.

We hope you all had a wonderful weekend! What did you get up to?

Katie and Reuben x

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In our Kitchen

by on February 14, 2012 in Daily Life, Food

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Lately, in our kitchen, we’ve been taking more time to plan our meals and cook from scratch.

We’ve been feasting on Broccoli and Basil Mac and Cheese, Pumkin and Feta Muffins and Broccoli Cheddar Soup from our favourite food blog.

We’ve been munching on fresh figs and plums from some local markets.

We’ve been planning to make this cake with the leftover plums. (First seen here.)

We’ve been eating lots of our favourite easy peasy pasta, as well as our favourite quick lentil dish on nights when we are tired.

We’ve been a little better at finishing up our leftovers.

We’re still a long, long way off achieving all the foodie plans and goals we talked about in this post, but we are trying to be better. Baby steps.

What’s been happening in your kitchen lately?

Katie x

PS This post was inspired by this one.

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Summer Fades

by on February 10, 2012 in Daily Life, Food, Gardening

(Pictures from my mum’s garden. Those itty bitty strawberries are the yummiest things you will ever taste!)

To be very honest, I’m not really a summer girl. I don’t like being hot, I’m happiest wearing cardigans and tights, and I prefer the beach when it’s cool and quiet so you can take a long, peaceful walk alongside the crashing waves (without frying!) I spend most of summer hibernating inside and looking forward to autumn, but the last few days I’ve felt a very gentle shift in the weather, and it has reminded me that summer won’t be here for long. The days are a now a fraction shorter and the evenings ever-so-slightly cooler, the peaches and nectarines have all finished on the fruit trees and there have been a few nights this week where we haven’t needed to switch the fan on.

Before we know it the mornings will be frosty, the days will be short and dark, the nights will be bitter cold, and wrapped up in a cocoon of crochet blankets and cups of tea, I’ll be craving just a little warmth and sunshine. So rather than count down the days until the end of the season, I’m going to do my best to soak up and enjoy the end half of this summer, with walks in the sunshine, strawberries fresh out of the garden and bowls of melty icecream. After all, nothing lasts forever. Summer fades. Autumn will be here soon enough.

Katie x

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Valentines DIY: Love Birds Diorama

by on February 7, 2012 in Craft, How To

It’s almost Valentines Day! That means it’s time for candy hearts, holding hands, secret love letters and lovely dovey craft projects. Yes! To celebrate the snuggliest of all holidays, I made a little love birds diorama. This project would make a cute gift for a beloved, a sweet holiday decoration sitting on a pretty shelf, or a nice centre piece for a Valentines feast.

To make your own love birds diorama you’ll need…

Materials

  • Large Glass Jar (The mouth of the jar needs to be large enough for you to easily fit your hand in.)
  • 2 Feathered Birds (Vintage birds are available from Etsy and new birds are available from craft stores.)
  • Stick
  • Fabric Scraps (I chose red and blue scraps to match the colours of my birds. You’ll need a few tiny pieces for the miniature garland and one bigger piece to cover your jar lid.)
  • Embroidery Thread
  • Iron-on Adhesive
  • Faux Grass (This is used in scale modelling and is available from hobby shops.)
  • Rubber Band
  • Ribbon

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Needle
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Fine Sandpaper
  • Small Plate
  • Pencil

Instructions

1. Find a nice stick and snap it so that it’s the right size to comfortably sit across the width of your jar. Give it a gentle rub with the sand paper to clean it up and smooth any rough edges.
2. Use your glue gun to stick your birds into position on the stick.
3. Follow the directions of your iron-on adhesive to fuse your tiny fabric scraps so that they are back to back. This will prevent your miniature garland from fraying and make the garland double sided, so your diorama will look cute from every angle.
4. Cut small triangles out of the fused fabrics.
5. Use your needle and embroidery thread to thread the triangles together. Just sew one long stitch along the top edge of each triangle.
6. Tie the ends of your miniature garland to the ends of the bird perch and trim away any excess thread.
7. Put a blob of glue on one end of the bird perch and as quickly as you can, stick it to the inside of your jar. You might like to practice the motion of manoeuvring your perch in and out of the jar without glue first, as this can be a little awkward. It also helps to make a mark on the jar where you intend to glue the perch, so you know where you are aiming.
8. Pour some faux grass onto the floor of your jar and screw the lid on.
9. Use your small plate and pencil to trace a circle on your larger piece of fabric and cut the fabric circle out.
10. Secure the fabric circle over the jar lid using the rubber band, then cover the rubber band with ribbon and tie ribbon in a pretty bow.

Wishing you all lots of Valentines treats and a little time with those you love most!

Katie x

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10 Good Things Right Now

by on February 4, 2012 in Daily Life, Good Things

Iced coffee with icecream!

Lovely old books from op-shops.

Piles of freshly thrifted and washed, vintage dresses and cardigans.

Zucchinis growing in our yard!

Fresh fruit on pretty little plates.

Planning our meals and doing a weekly grocery shop together (like real grown ups).

Watching Daisy carry a door snake around the house like it’s her most precious treasure.

Pumpkin and feta muffins.

Kitties napping in the sunshine.

Evening strolls.

What’s making you smile right now? We’d like to know!

Katie and Reuben x

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A Little Knitted Dog

by on February 2, 2012 in Craft, Knitting

I was so excited to receive Best in Show: Knit Your Own Dog and Best in Show: Knit Your Own Cat for Christmas. I’d wanted these books for ages so of course when I finally received them, I picked a pattern and started knitting straight away! Unfortunately progress was slow. January was hectic and on top of all the usual busyness, I spent a lot of time this past month reading (I had been under a lot of pressure from Katie and some of our friends to read the Hunger Games, which I did, and I picked up The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes at an op-shop, which I could not put down!) But somehow, between working and reading books, I have managed to work my way through one of the Knit Your Own Dogs patterns. This is my German Shepherd!

The pattern was really easy to follow and once I actually focused on it, it didn’t take long to come together. I love how this little guy turned out and I really like the way these books are designed. I can’t wait to try out some of the other patterns!

What have you been making lately? I’d love to hear about your crafty projects!

Reuben :)

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Reclaim: Vintage Hankies

by on January 29, 2012 in Craft, Reclaim

The Reclaim series is all about turning discarded old things into beautiful new things. It’s about making treasure from trash, reducing our waste and saving a little money along the way. Each episode features an everyday object and a variety of inspiring ways that object can be reclaimed.

Today, we are talking about vintage hankies!

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Have you got any other clever ideas for recycling hankies? If so, please share!

Katie x

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Australia Day

by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Life

Cleaning our incredibly dusty, old house. Crocheting hexagons. Rereading the current issue of Peppermint for the millionth time (and admiring the gorgeous Veggie Mama on the cover). Eating junk food with friends. Walking Daisy. Making Coleslaw, roasted potatoes and stuffed mushrooms (again). Watching Downton Abbey (finally!) Feeling grateful. That’s how we spent our Australia Day.

We are so thankful to call this beautiful country our home, today and every day. It’s a crazy, wonderful, sunshiney, smiley, magical place to live, and we love it with all our hearts. Happy Australia Day everyone!

Katie and Reuben x

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The Things We Eat

by on January 24, 2012 in Daily Life, Food

(A super yummy dinner from last week; mushrooms baked with basil pesto and parmesan, salad and rockmelon.)

We’ve been thinking about food a lot lately. Our food choices have a big impact on our health, our lifestyle and our footprint on the earth and we believe that fresh, local produce and good, real stuff cooked from scratch is what’s best for us and what’s best for this big, beautiful planet. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy. Like lovely Kate said in this great post, “unless you prioritise food, the more often you end up taking short cuts and finding yourself with some not so great food habits”. We’re guilty of that. Lately we really haven’t made food a priority and that’s something that needs to change.

Ideally we would like to grow as much as our own food as possible and source the rest from local (preferably organic) producers, but at the moment, 95% of the time our food comes from the supermarket. We’re terrible at planning our meals ahead and most nights we grab something easy from the shops on the way home from work. Supermarkets are cheap and convenient, but unfortunately in return for discount prices and long open hours, you get fruit and vegetables that have been sprayed with chemicals, picked too early, travelled long distances and left in refrigeration too long. As well as the quality of the produce being questionable, we don’t like the way the big supermarkets treat farmers (when you consider how cheap the supermarkets are selling produce, imagine how little the farmers are getting) and we believe the type of agriculture required to produce such vast, cheap quanties of food, is seriously bad news for the environment. We want to support local farmers who are focusing on growing real, nutritious, delicious food without the nasty chemicals, but when we shop at Coles and Woolies, we aren’t doing that.

At this point in time we can’t grow much food for ourselves. Our backyard is tiny, the soil is poor and the sunshine is limited. Being self sufficient might not be an option right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t shop and eat better. We realise that where we spend our money and what we choose to eat is entirely our own responsibility. We need to start supporting the food producers we believe in, making more time to visit local markets for produce, and going to places like the locally owned wholefoods store in place of a chain supermarket. Buying our groceries this way will likely be a little more expensive (and not as convenient) but we have to consider the greater cost of food from the supermarket. Spending a bit extra on our produce will hopefully also make us a bit more mindful of how we spend our money and the food we waste. Though we live on a very limited budget, sometimes we are quite wasteful. We buy too much of something when it’s super cheap or it seems like a good idea at the time, and then we don’t get around to eating the food before it goes bad. Hopefully buying better quality food will also make us less inclined to waste it (we hate to think how many pieces of supemarket fruit we have thrown out simply because they were tasteless and horrible!) So in the long run paying more for our fruit and veggies might not actually cost us much more at all.

We don’t expect to change our grocery shopping habits completely overnight (and we suspect there will always be some things we have to visit Coles and Woolies for) but it is something we are mindful of and something we are (slowly) working on.

Where do you buy your fresh produce from? Is this something you think about? Does where your food comes from matter to you? Do you have any tips for recovering supermarket addicts like us? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Katie x

If you’re interested in finding out more about why we believe Coles and Woolies are bad news, this short video is a good place to start. Pretty scary stuff.

Comments { 42 }

Book Worming

by on January 20, 2012 in Daily Life

This is what all my downtime has looked like lately. The couch, a book and a snazzy vintage soup mug full of frozen blueberries. (I am slightly addicted to eating blueberries straight from the freezer in summer. I swear, it’s almost better than ice cream. Almost.)

I’ve been very busy book worming. Since Christmas I’ve read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, as well as Matched and it’s sequel Crossed by Ally Condie, and the first book in the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Are you sensing a pattern here? I’m sort of obsessed with Young Adults Fiction. Preferrably Young Adults Fiction that’s Dystopian or Paranormal. I like a little bit of romance too. I’m girly like that.

So, what are my thoughts on all these books?

First of all, I loved The Hunger Games trilogy. I had heard so much hype about this series but the books didn’t disappoint. For anyone who hasn’t read it, this tilogy is set in the nation of Panem, a capitol surrounded by 12 districts. In punishment for a rebellion against the capitol many years prior, every year each distict must send one boy and one girl to appear in a televised fight to the death, called The Hunger Games. When her little sister is selected to participate in the games, 16 year old Katniss volunteers to take her place in the game. This was the first series I had been seriously hooked on for a very long time. It’s quite violent and grim, but its fast pace and action-packed plot had me completely sucked in (and there are lots of tender moments to relieve the gruesome ones). This week I finally conviced Reuben to read The Hunger Games and he’s devoured the first book in just a couple of days (which he never does!) The trailer for the movie, due out in March, looks amazing too. I really can’t wait to see it!

Sadly, Matched and Crossed didn’t thrill me so much. This series is about a girl called Cassia who lives in a future world where disease and crime have been eradicated, but so has choice. “The Society” chooses what a person eats and wears, where they work and who they marry. Though I think this series had a lot of potential, I was quite disappointed by these books. I wanted to love them but I just couldn’t. I found Matched very slow and quite plotless, and I didn’t feel any connection with the characters. To me, they really lacked depth. I stuck with it because I received both Matched and Crossed for Christmas and I didn’t want them to go to waste, but if I had borrowed them from the library I probably wouldn’t have made it through the first book. I did think Crossed was better than the first book. It had more action, and I was able to empathise with the characters a lot more, but I still wasn’t head over heels in love with the story. I’m not exactly dying to read the third book but the second one piqued my curiosity just enough that I probably will read it at some point.

Finally, I have just finished City of Bones from the Mortal Instruments series. This series is about 17 year old Clary, who stumbles across the dark side of New York, where Shadow Hunters fight demons, and vampires, warewolves and fairies are no longer just the stuff of fairy tales. After reading a few negative reviews I really didn’t expect to love this series, but so far I do. It took me a little while to warm up to it and there are a lot of elements in these books that seem to have been borrowed from other series, but it’s addictive nonetheless. City of Bones has loads of action, suspense, unexpected twists and a good dose of the angsty teen romance I do so enjoy. After a few chapters I just could not put this book down. Once I finish the Mortal Instruments books I plan to read the accompanying Infernal Devices series (which I’ve heard is even better!)

So that’s where I’ve been lately. Submerged in a world of delicious, juicy words. In the two years we lived in Sydney I barely read a thing, so I’ve got a lot of booky catching up to do! Since we gave up television and moved to Bendigo I have so loved making more time to read. Books rock my socks off.

Have you read the Hunger Games, Matched and Crossed or The Mortal Instuments series? If so, what did you think? What have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear all your lovely book wormy thoughts!

Katie x

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Little Magical Things

by on January 17, 2012 in Crochet, Daily Life

Little magical things, like the sunshine filtering through a crochet blanket on the washing line, make our days so much sweeter and our hearts so much lighter.

We hope your week is absolutely bursting with little magical things. Remember to take a moment to savour each one.

Katie and Reuben x

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