Bathroom reno's

I have been doing up my bathroom for some time now. When I bought this house it had been vacant for 5 years and inhabited only by possums and a horse! It was very run down and in fact the bank questioned my purchase as they believed it was close to being condemned. As many of you know I love 'having a go'. I don't always know what I'm doing but I will give it a go anyway!
So back to the bathroom. There was a door from my bathroom into my laundry which I never used. I access my laundry from the external entrance close to the clothes line. Soooooo I decide to take the door out and patch up the hole and build a seat along the bottom. Its a Small bathroom and there was wasted space from the end of the bath, across the now 'not there' door to the other wall, I thought I would build in a bench seat to keep my magazines on and clean towels etc.
I removed the door without much effort and used very thin MDF to cover the hole. I then built the bench seat trying to save all I could on timber. I used the end of the bath for one end and the wall as the other end and the MDF as the back.....so really all I made was the front and top.
I was so proud of my efforts I rang my best friend to tell her how great it was while I painted the master piece! Chatting away painting the back of the new wall when suddenly we heard "CRACK"
I had forgotten that I had made the bench seat and as such it wouldn't be as strong as if, well a professional had made it. I had stood up on the bench seat to reach up higher on the back wall which I was painting with white enamel undercoat. The crack we heard was the bench seat collapsing. As it collapsed I was sent flying into the new MDF wall.......and straight through it!!!!!
That's right, like a footy player through the banner! As the wall I crashed through was covered in wet paint now so was I and as I landed in the laundry I was also covered in tumble dryer lint and dust stuck fast in the wet paint! My friend was still on the other end of the phone and said all she heard was the crack then a crash then a silence and finally me crying. Through my sobs I told her I would call her back. Somehow in the fall I lost my fingernail from my little finger and once I stopped that bleeding I realised I was otherwise unhurt! The wall and bench seat were not so well off. When I finish replacing the broken pieces and the painting I will upload pics!

Hoarding is hard to stop!!!

Wow, am I having a hard time?!

My house has 4 bedrooms and as I am only me I only use one. That leaves 3 rooms not being used.....well they are being used......to store 'stuff'. I am a hoarder and it is out of control! I had put aside Monday to start cleaning out those rooms and so procrastinating I sat down at the computer to check out some blogs. Magdalena form Anglican, Plain wrote a timely piece on Hoarding and Waste which really which really kicked me into gear!



It is so hard to do. I know that due to the up coming energy crisis that the world as we know it will change, no one can say for sure how it will change and I think that's why I'm finding it so hard. My fear is if the prices of things rise then things like fabric and clothing could well become out of reach of most of us. With this in mind do I throw out/donate all those clothes that no longer fit?. The fabric could be restyled or used to mend and patch clothes (as a sewer I would possibly be able to barter this skill and use of fabric in return for grain, meat etc.) but do I have room to store this fabric on the chance that this will be the way it works out?



I want to use the 2 front rooms as an office and workshop space for my soap making which will only leave the small bedroom as a storage area. As I have mentioned previously I like to keep a stock pile of food so most of it will be stored in that room, leaving space at a premium. As you can see from the top picture, which is one of the front rooms, what I have in there currently is not stored in a neat or tidy way.....in fact I may have just stood at the door and thrown stuff in there.

So that's where I'm at, trying to throw things away to help simplify my life and my home but struggling. I have a huge fear of 'being without'. I have some books that I have 2 and 3 copies of, they are incredible useful books that will come in handy but I know I only need one copy. My fear is what if I give the second copy away and then something happens to the copy I have...then I have no copies. I know it is irrational but it is a real fear that I need to deal with.....maybe I'm just destined to live in a house full of useless 'stuff' Arrgghhhh!!!! Help!

This brand new year

As this is the start of a new year I thought it may be a good idea to write down some of the things I hope to achieve this year. Writing it down also gives me something to go back to when I find I'm am running out of motivation!

I had been working full time for about 10 years before my health forced me to reconsider and now as I only work two days a week I have had to cut back on my spending. Last year was my first year working two days and looking back I can say that I failed to live within my budget.

Soooo this year the first thing I want to achieve is to write a budget and stick to it. It would also be nice to find some money each fortnight to put away for a rainy day but I will just start by not spending more than I receive before I worry to much about saving.

Coming a close second is reviving my soap making and restocking my online shop. It is currently empty because wholesale orders have been quite good and I have been quite lazy! I love working from home but having the motivation to get stuck into the soap is hard. I also want to start doing more Farmer's Markets so I'm hoping for a big year soap wise.

I would also like to continue with building my stockpile of necessities. I know for a lot of you this isn't a big concern but knowing I have enough produce preserved, dried and canned gives me a sense of comfort. I have always had a feeling that a stockpile will be import at some point and I want it to be ready before whatever it is happens. Cans under the bed and in the wardrobe make my family wonder about my sanity sometimes but I bet if food becomes harder to secure they will remember who has a store!

Health is also on the agenda! I have let a lot of weight creep up on me this last year and I'm starting to feel unfit in myself. I find I'm sweating and tired after doing my yard chores in the morning and this isn't good. So I will try to get a bit more exercise (I will......try lol)

I also must get my vegie garden but up and running as I haven't had one this year. I had planned to move all of my back garden around and never got it finished. The plan was to fence of the vegies from the sheep. The Sheep Paul and Kelly, who I keep for their fleece have eaten all of their grass and so I will try to get them secured in the Dog Trial Yards for at least some of this year to try and grow back some green feed for them. I will be looking into trying to find some other areas also that the can forage.

 

2010 WILL be a great year full of many blessings!

Great Blog

I have just finished reading a great blog. This lady has an amazing way of writing and I just wish I could write half as well. It's written like she is talking to you, so nice to read. Anyway here's a link see what you think. She reminds me of a dear friend who lives not that far from here.

Now back to me. I have been really struggling around the farm, I just don't have any energy. I need to clean out the chicken house and the turkey shed, fence of the vegie garden and orchard so the sheep can't get into it and fix the front fence cause its about to fall down. Then I need to paint the side of the house (the side you see first when you drive up) cause it is 3 different colours and flaking of in sheets! Looks horrible. I also need to do a general yard clean up and take a load of scrap metal to the tip. It is all mounting up and I'm feeling like I will never get it done and with Christmas here there just isn't any time.

I have been thinking about putting on a huge BBQ with lots of meat and salads and homemade bread and lots to drink and invite the community over to help. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of work but there are some things a girl just can't do by herself no matter how much confidence she has in herself!

So as you see there isn't much to show you or write about cause I haven't managed to get a brass razoo done!!! Here is a snap I just took from my computer desk. The view out my front glass door!

Love Thy Neighbour

I got home from work Yesterday to the most amazing surprise! Two huge rolls of hay at my back gate and this huge roll of hay inside ! As I pulled my car up around the front a neighbour pulled up and said

"I was just driving past in the tractor and thought I would drop of a bale of hay for Paul and Kelly, I've popped it over the back fence"

How nice is that! Thank you Lester!

As I was thanking Lester another neighbour called in to say he had slashed all the back lane ways around our tiny town and baled them for Paul and Kelly! Thank you John!

Paul and Kelly the sheep are going to be spoilt!

I really do love living in this amazingly caring community

Hey Guys *waves*

Well my computer is still in the shop! But on the upside I am getting so much done that I wouldn't if I was on my computer!!!! I have been re-decorating my kitchen and getting my bathroom ready for painting. I have chosen a cornflower blue for the walls and a beautiful country style print fabric for a skirt around my basin. It should all come together well!!!

Now, it seems I'm quite well know for my frugal renovations because I am featuring in this month edition of Reader Digest ! I was interviewed ages ago and had almost forgotten about it. If your interested its on page 52 in an article called "Ooops, Tales of Thrifty Disasters" hhhmmmm about sums it up hehehe.

As well as decorating I have been flat out baking as this is something I really enjoy. It cuts down the amount I have to spend in the supermarket as well. I bake a loaf of bread every second day because as I live by myself I can't get through a whole loaf any sooner! I buy a big bag of Lauke bread mix, I think it's 10 kgs in a bag? I keep it in the chest freezer so it's always ready to go.
I have been making some biscuits to take to work as well to try and keep the costs down.

I still have to fight the desire to buy cappuccinos as they are my weakness!

There has been a lot going on in the garden as well but as I don't have my computer I can't show you the pictures yet. Jamie has been building a fence to section off the vegie garden and cutting garden from the rest of the yard. This will help keep the chooks and ducks and turkeys out which will be good. As we are still building the fence I haven't bothered with any vegies so far because the chooks would just devour them. I am really looking forward to getting it all finished. Nhill is having a Back to Nhill in early October and as part of that we here atYanac are having a Back to as well. This will be a great chance for those who have ever lived here to come back for a look and to catch up with some old friends and neighbours. I am really hoping to get the side paddock cleaned up before then as it's looking a bit messy. I also wanted to get the side of the house painted but I think I may have run out of time. Might be finished in time for the next Back to in 25 years!

Computer has pooped its self!

Hi Guys,
I haven't forgotten to blog I promise! My home computer has died and is in the process of being fixed (fingers crossed). I am currently at work on my lunch break and just wanted to let you know that I will be back online soon. I have been doing heaps of stuff that I want to show you all. We have recedntly toured an open native garden that was just amazing so I will upload the photos (if they are still there?) when the computer comes home! Frogs have moved into the new pond, I think I can hear a striped marsh frog, a pobblebonk and (crossing my fingers again) I think I have heard a growling grass frog YAY!!! Anyway lunch is over now so back to work.

Ready for a ride????

Well I have had sometime to do some serious thinking in the last few days and I have had a brainwave! It was not so much my brain wave but a dear friend pointed out to me that the blog is my opportunity to be me, no one telling me what I can post about and I make the rules. I can't believe I had to have it pointed out lol. Sooooo, what next?
The answer is ME.
I don't mean that in a narcissistic way but I will be posting the things that I do, like, enjoy and things that bring happiness into my life.
Those of you who have read the blog for a while will know a bit about me but if you have just come across my blog I will give you a bit of an out line. I am in my mid thirties (I can't believe I just wrote that!) I live in a tiny remote town in the far side of the Wimmera on what I call a micro farm! One acre with 3 turkeys, 20-30 chooks, 3 ducks, 2 sheep, 2 adorable cats and 200 goldfish. Kitty and Harry, the cats, live inside with me to protect the native wildlife.
I work two days a week in the big town down the road and the other days I make and sell my handmade soaps. I also fill my days with tending my vegie garden which is up the back of my block nestled in and around my orchard of 15 3 year old fruit trees. I am in the process of fencing this area off from the rest of the back yard as I have big plans for it.
I also fill my days by baking bread and cooking from scratch (most of the time) Developing my new native garden and working where I can in my community.
I have produced a community newsletter and I want to continue working on this as I believe it is an important part of the community.
I also enjoy sewing and I will explore many projects I am working on here on the blog so maybe we can help keep each other motivated!
As I mentioned earlier I sell my handmade soaps online here and I will be adding further to the shop with the other things I create here. Things like head wraps, hand dyed scarves, cloth pads and other handy things.
Gosh I am really excited so lets get this party started!

Pictorial update

Sorry Tully, I had forgotten to keep up with the blog after only one new post! Whoops

As I have said the front yard is undergoing a huge transformation, exotics out and natives in. I was desperate for an old dead tree in the front yard but didn't have one. Jamie wasn't impressed as I made him load a huge fallen limb on the back of the ute and bury it in the front yard!

In the foreground you will see the pond from the last update. It has a dry creek bed running into it and out of it on the other side. Well that's what it is suppose to look like. The large log over the to forms a great bit of shade and it's hollow. Already a number of lizards and geckos have been seen running in and out of it!

Those of you who have been reading the blog since the start would know I bought here to grow cut flowers for the resturants and markets. This failed badly as although I have unlimited water it is bore water and the exotics that I had planted failed. After years of trialling natives stood out as by far the most successful at dealling with the brachish water. I have therefore planted heaps of Kangaroo Paws, Banksias, Foliage Gums, Grasses and others suitable for cutting. Fingers crossed these will work!

New Office!

As I mentioned in my last post I am now working from home! This is great but I really need to work on the set up of the house to make it more 'work' friendly. I have two completely unused rooms at the front of my house which for years have been used to just shove things till I could think were I would put them. Judging by the photos you will see that most of the 'shoved' stuff is still there!

What I have been working on is turning one of the rooms into an office with my desk and computer and the other room as product storage and display. Sometimes people call in to have a look at the soaps and with this set up I can show them with out them coming into my part of the house. I hope that makes sense. There is going to be a lot of work needed to make this a reality but I am sure it will be worth it in the end.

Just after Christmas Harry came to live with me. Harry was a free to good home kitten in a basket at the vet's in town. When he looked at me I just couldn't say no.

This picture is actually upside down! He is such a monkey! I have had many cats over the years but Harry is like no other. He is very clingy, having to be beside me all day. This is cute but unfortunately not conducive to a productive work life. To assist in this I decided to put a door up to shut off the new office and showroom from the rest of the house and so keeping Harry out. I know he will cry at the door for a while but I hope he learns quickly that I will be back every now and again to make a coffee and have a quick cuddle!

This picture is of my partner measuring up the doorway. As you can see Harry just has to be in the middle of what ever is going on and here he is help out with the measurements. I will up-date with more pics as we get the work done. I would love to show you all whats been going on outside in the garden but the short answer is 'nothing' It has been soooooo cold and wet I bearly venture outside unless absolutely necessary. Once it warms up i will be getting stuck into that as well!

I'm Back

Well I bet you were all starting to think I was dead??? Come on now I know! Not dead just busy with life.

What has been happening? I hear you asking.

OMG so much!!!!!

I will start with the most amazing piece of news. I no longer work out side the home full time! I have built my soaps up to a place were I can reasonably make enough to survive. I will not make a fortune but I will be so much happier than I was and to me that is important. I still work in town one day a week but the rest of the time it's all soap.

I will be trying to blog more often as I feel it helps me to document my progresses (or lack of). I will be posting about the big changes about to happen in the garden and also the house so don't think it will all be about soap but that is were my head at the moment.

See you soon.....

I love my life!

I was just out hanging the clothes on the line and looked around. Yes I see it everyday but today it just seemed different....beautiful. I have been working flat out on the soap business and I will continue to work flat knacker for the rest of the year but working like this means you don't get time to really see whats around you. Do you know what I mean? It wasn't just what I saw but the sound track as well. The turkeys were gobbling away up the back, the sheep were talking to me over the fence and the ducks were noisily quacking away! Here are some pictures to give you and idea....and to remind myself how cool it is right out side my door! I wanted to add more photos but blogger isn't playing!

I have a shredder!

Guess who got a shredder for their birthday......

Books

I thought that when I got a computer I would stop buying books. I imagined that everything I needed to know was at my finger tips and in a way it is but nothing can take the place of a good book. I have a pile of about of about12 books that I constantly refer to. I have bookshelves and bookshelves of books but I find myself continually coming back to these 12.

Hard Times Handbook by Keith and Irene Smith

The Complete Urban Farmer by David Wickers

Backyard Self-sufficiency by Jackie French

The Best of Jackie French by Jackie French

Home Grown, Survive the recession from your own backyard by Richard Beckett

Making Money from your Garden by Jackie French

The Earth Garden Book by Keith and Irene Smith

Surviving the Eighties by Michael Boddy and Richard Beckett

Australia and New Zealand Guide to Compost Gardening by David Hornblow

Carla Emery's Old Fashioned Recipe Book by Carla Emery

Home Farm by Paul Heiney

Country Wisdom and Know-how from the editors of Storey Books

Most of them Mum gave me but I still find myself searching for new titles on eBay and at garage sales etc.

What are some of your favorite books? I would love to know!

Paul looses a tooth

Yesterday when I was feeding Paul and Kelly some cauliflower noticed Paul's mouth was bleeding. O my Lord! I panicked, I was thinking I was going to have to puree his food from now on as it was clear he lost a tooth. Jamie caught him so we could have a better look and there was another tooth coming through were the original had been. I had no idea if this was normal so I again rang Mum in a panic (I'm sure she will get sick of me one day!) Apparently this is quite normal and my little boy is just growing up.

I've been away

I've been away! I'm soooo tired I will post more about my amazing weekend tomorrow. That's me under the big Ned Kelly at Glenrowan.

Sourdough!!!

I love sourdough! About 3 weeks ago I made a sourdough starter from a recipe I found in an old book called Toward Self~Sufficiency Country Skills for City Dwellers by Bill Connor. It's a great book so keep an eye out in the secondhand book shops.

It gives a recipe for a basic sourdough loaf.

2 cups of starter batter

4 cups sifted flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl then add enough water to make a soft dough.

Knead for 15 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size. The book goes on to say to stick it in the oven now however I always punch it down and knead again for 3 minutes then place in the tin I will be cooking it in and let rise again. This makes a lighter sourdough.

Making bread makes me really happy but making bread for a friend is even better!

Bras are stupid

I went to collect the eggs the other day and only got one, so I popped it in my bra while I did the rest of my jobs. Yes you guessed it I forgot it was there! 3 hours later I went for a shower and out fell the egg and smashed all over the bathroom floor. To top it of as I got out of the shower I was careful not to step into the egg but stepped onto my bra and the metal slider bit on the straps went into my foot and I had to pull it out! OUCH! See, bras are stupid!

Where have I been?

Well, that is one lesson I have learnt lately and words I will hold close as I move into 2008! This year is going to be so exciting!

I have been struggling lately with working full time and living simply. I just don't have the energy to bake or cook or garden. I think one of my downfalls is coming home and turning on the computer, with in the blink of an eye two hours can slip by! Then it is to late to get anything done so in order to be more productive I am going to plan my days.

Here is a rough draft:

4:30 Get up and have breakfast

5:00 Do dishes and generally tidy up around house

6:00 Leave for work

3:30 Get home and have a shower, put washing on and check animals

4:30 Computer

5:00 Cook tea, eat and do dishes

6:30 Watch neighbours (aarrghhh can't stop) while doing craft be it sewing or knitting.

8:30 Bed

If I try to stick to this plan for weekdays I think I will get a lot more done and not have to run around Saturday morning doing a weeks worth of house work! (It's Saturday now and I still haven't started) I will try and see how I go.

I have a few other things that I will be trying to do this year and if I write them down I may stick to them a bit better.

1; Clean up my potty mouth! I am making a big effort not to swear or say bad things! It is really a hard one for me.

2; Wear skirts and dresses more because it makes me feel more feminine and less likely to swear. It's strange but I am a nicer person in a dress....does that make sense?

3; Cook from scratch and wear an apron. I often think 'I'll just pop this in the micro so I won't get messy'

4; This one will be a hard one for me but I am going to try not to consume any chemicals, well what I mean is stuff like preservatives and artificial sweeteners. I recently spoke to some one about what would be better a egg and bacon mcmuffin or home made apricot jam on homemade bread. They said it would be about the same but I have thought about it and homemade jam on toast is better for my soul! no correspondence will be entered into! LOL

Wish me luck sticking to those won't you!

Lots of other exciting things will be happening on Gobbler's Run this year and I just can't wait.

Here is a pic of Paul and Kelly. They have just had there first hair cut. I was a nervous wreck LOL

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope you have all finished your preparations for Christmas, this can be a hectic time of the year! Please take the time to enjoy the time with your loved ones.

I'm still going! I just have to pick up a few last minute gifts and Jamie is still working on the gift for my brother and his family.
I will be heading off tomorrow so I won't be blogging for a few days (not that that is a great surprise!)

I had a test the other day and they had to attach a monitor I said that I thought I would be allergic to the adhesive but the nurse said it was hypo-allergenic so I wouldn't have a problem. Well it appears that I was and now I have to spend the Christmas period impersonating the Olympic Rings!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!!