Weekend reads

Alas school holidays are winding up in SA.  Just as we were really getting into the swing of it!  I feel like when the boys are on school holidays I spend so much of my days cooking, making nourishing lunches and big fruit platters to share.  Not that I mind.  I feel more motivated to cook during school holidays.  I think its the lovely, long, lazy days and no rush to be anywhere.  I swear they have all grown an inch the last two weeks!  

But all good things must come to an end as it is time to prepare and get organised for a brand new school term.  I hope this weekends reads finds you well and that if you have school aged children that the transition from school holidays to school term is a smooth one for you.    

It doesn't matter how often we cook popcorn these guys love to watch it.   

The popcorn dance....doesn't everyone do it? 

Popcorn, cheap, quick and delicious.  A great healthy substitute for crisps.   

Fresh hard boiled eggs for a quick and nourishing snack on the go.  I usually have a bowl in my fridge.  

Making the dough, I find bread baking a soothing task.   

Pizza scrolls, also a great lunchbox filler.  

 Beef curry simmering away for dinner.  

How to craft a life you don't need to escape from

Joshua Becker usually writes posts that resonate with me, and so many others.  This one is no exception.

Tiny felt broach tutorial

Meg from A Hopeful Nature shared this great little tutorial, coming into spring in Australia this is a perfect little handy craft idea to brighten up a blouse or a dress. 

10 clutter free gift ideas for kids
Christmas is coming - I know...How is this so?!  Most of us have gifts that will be purchased, here is a list of clutter free gift ideas.  By shopping in advance we can be prepared and buy more mindful presents for the children in our lives.

A week in Moarg's garden
Moarag is a wealth of permaculture information, which she shares so generously.  This is a great 20 minute YouTube clip of the projects she and a work experience student have worked together doing.  What a lucky student, and doesn't he just so a great job of presenting?  I would SO love to do her permaculture design course when we move to our farm.

Australian season fruit and vegetable guide
Eating seasonally is an important practice, and one we so often loose with the year round supply of fruit and vegetables that we have available at the big supermarkets.  Farmers markets are a great way to shop seasonally, but if you can't guides like this are helpful in working out what is in season at what time. 

Much love,
Emma
xx

Weekend reads

Finally school holidays are here!  I know not every parent exclaims this with such delight when the school holidays come, but this week has been full of colds, asthma and grumpy attitudes.  We are all well overdue for a change in routine.  I'm looking forward to the slower days of holidays with time for trips to the beach, and bush-walks.  This weekend we will be spending time with family, I hope you manage to take some time to look after yourself and fill your tank this weekend.

Here are some links that caught my eye this week or that are old favorites.  I hope you enjoy them.

Oh and blogger has gremlins in it for me today, so the links are high lighted in pale green.

(I love this photo Will captured of Aggie, her brindle is really showing up in it!)

Zen Habits
When fear is stopping you from perusing meaningful work.


 Jembella Farm
Sally is a dear friend I met through the blogging world and I just love her blog.  Its so packed full of wonderful, practical information written with a deep sense of kindness and warmth.  I can attest that sitting in her beautiful farm kitchen, surrounded by the heat of the wood oven, with a hot cuppa, with fresh milk from Lavender, eating toasted sourdough is really as marvelous as it looks in her photos.

She has a ripper two series post on how she perfected her sourdough loaf.  Her tips have greatly improved my loaf.
Part one
Part two


Mr Homemaker
I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane by Mr Homemakers, as he shared memories from his grandmothers era.


No Spend Year
This is a really interesting Ted talk by Michelle McGagh is the author of the No Spend Year - How to spend less and live more.  Though most of us will never go to the extremes of not spending for a year, she shares some interesting and valuable insights about what she learned, and many lessons we can adapt to apply in a way that can suit our own lives.


Pacific Yurts
Another interesting You Tube link about Yurts.  I am not affiliated with this company in any way, but they are the company we have chosen to go with for our yurts on the farm.  They have an excellent reputation, they are highly competitive on their pricing and their communication has been second to none and extremely thorough throughout the entire process to ensure the product we have ordered is suited to our needs.  

The second bedroom and the cost of our decisions...

I'm not going to lie, the last few weeks I have been thoroughly over renovating.  I have been fed up, longing for a clean, tidy, fresh space.  I have been grumpy and irritable and emotionally tired from the realities of it all.  I have been ready to throw in the towel on more then one occasion. 

Sometimes I look around at friends building brand new beautiful homes, then I look at our little shabby, dusty old cottage......Sometimes the green eyed monster rears its ugly head.  Even when we know we are making the right decisions both for our family and financially, it's still challenging.  The reality is that sometimes the grass looks greener on the other side.   

Even though we know in our heart of hearts its not, it doesn't stop the mind wondering.  People look at what we are doing and exclaim how much they wish they could do it too.  Mind you - some think we are utterly crazy, ha!   

But the truth lies that underneath it all, is that there is always a cost to every single decision we make. 

We bought this house cash, so we have no home mortgage.  We are paying down our business mortgage as hard and as fast as we can.  Its tough.  When we are doing a big job, like finishing a room, we don't all eat together.  Grant works as hard as he can to get the noisy work done before the boys go to bed.  I will often eat with the kids, do the rest and work late to clean up.

We often work really long days.  We own a business and that in itself is long hours and a lot of work.  Grant works full time there and is often up until midnight working on the house.  I work and study and am often up until midnight reading or doing assignments.  Its tiring, its exhausting and its not sustainable for long periods.

But that is the cost of a big fast push.  Its how we tend to work, perhaps not ideal, but it comes out of necessity.  We focus wholly on a big project, then try to smash it out.  The catch is after its done, we allow ourselves to have a good rest and re-charge.  Now we have done the boys room, we will simply potter about on the garden for a bit.  Finish a few odd jobs, go to the beach, catch a movie, take the dogs down to the local river.  Have big hearty family dinners again and rest and chill out.

But this is the cost of being free of a home mortgage before 35.  If you choose to have a big fancy home, there is a cost to that too.  You will have a big fancy home that has an equally big fancy debit. 

All decisions we make have a cost.  I find knowing this really helpful in how we lead our lives and how we prioritise our values.  Is the cost of the decision going to be worth it to us? 

- Do I stay in a job I hate?  Or do I take a risk and find a new job and explore a new path? 
- Do we have children now or later?
- Do we buy a little house in a good area or perhaps a larger house a little further away? 
- Do we buy new and spend more or something older and do it up over time?
- Do we shop for fun?  Or do we look for fun elsewhere and challenge society's perception of what fun is?
- Do we follow the path of least resistance in our lives?  Or do we search our heart of hearts and work towards creating our own unique life that resonates with our souls - despite it looking different from those around us?

What is the cost of maintaining the status quo vs the cost of change?  

For us, living in this little old cottage, working hard renovating......the cost of reduced financial pressure, of me being able to follow my call to ministry.  The cost is worth it to us.  It wouldn't be a decision that resonates with everyone - and that's ok too.  However, that doesn't mean it is easy. 

But then again, most things in life worth doing aren't easy.  They stretch us, they challenge our beliefs about us and the world we are in.  They grow us, and that growth and shaping is truly a beautiful thing.    

Grant built a simple stand to help with putting the ceiling up. 

Gussy choose orange - and it gets a thumbs up!

The boys "helping" Grant. 

I'm not sure who is more excited - the boys or I.  I was in beginning to decorate before the floor was even laid! 

It may not be Pintrest worthy, but they finally have their own cosy space.

And they are oh-so happy about it!


Much love,
Emma
xx

Farmers markets VS the big supermarkets.

It will never cease to amaze me the difference I feel going to a farmers market to pick up bits and bobs for the week in comparison to the supermarket.  The vibe is friendly and relaxed, you know your money is going to the farmer, the produce is local, seasonal and I swear it tastes better.

I hate going to the supermarket, but to the farmers market?  I'm there in a heartbeat!  My all time favorite is in Angaston, held in big sheds undercover, the vibe is earthy, super friendly, the smells are delicious and its a bustling market.

When I go to the supermarket I walk away feeling stressed, bombarded with choices, most of which I don't want.  When I walk away from the farmers market I feel relaxed and happy and inspired to cook for my family for the week.  Its a decision that resonates with the way we want to live our lives, you know? 

I also nipped to Jembella Farm on my way home.  Sally is my blogging neighbor and has a beautiful farm and farm gate stall.  So I stopped on the way home and grabbed some honey and a gorgeous little succulent for my kitchen window sill.  My gosh, if you were to ask to look at the quintessential Barossa farm, with the old stone home, that my friends is it.  Just a beautiful place and the love they put into that farm is so clear.  You could just feel it, you know when you go to a place and you can actually feel the love and energy?  Like that.  And my gosh, the gardens, at this time of year are lovely, considering we are at the end of a long hot summer, and this summer has been HOT, and endless.

Angus being Angus got there and decided he needed to go to the toilet RIGHT. NOW.  I tried to direct him to go around the back of a huge pine tree, where it was discreet.  So he walked the entire way around the tree only to become quite convinced there would be snakes....So he settled to pee on the front of it.....on a hill....in plain view of any person driving by......*shakes head*  These children of mine, gosh I love them but they are totally shameless. 
 
I only did a quick lap around the market this morning, Grant needed me home by lunch so he could take Will fishing, and I promised Angus a homemade market ice cream.  I didn't need too many things this week.

On the menu is a chicken and veggie lasagna tomorrow night for dinner once the boys get back from their fishing trip.  A big pot of veggie soup with some of the chicken broth I made the other day for lunches and perhaps a light dinner, moussaka, a very simple. creamy pasta with the amazing sausages and by the time I cook double batches that will about do it for the week!

Its going to be a scorcher again here over the weekend, Mother nature seems to have missed out on the memo that Autumn has arrived.  I think a little doll making will be on the cards tonight, and my washing can be done once the heat is gone a bit.  I'm simply not built for the heat! 

Hope everyone is having a lovely relaxing weekend and that you each remember to take some time out for yourselves, even if its just a cuppa in the garden, sitting and doing nothing for 20 minutes. 

Much love,
Emma
xx

PS I have noticed a few new names in the comments sections lately, or a few names I have not seen for a while, I just wanted to say a big hello!  And thank you for taking the time to read, comment and share this little corner of the internet with me.  I try hard to get back to every comment, though it can take me a couple of days as I need to do it on the computer.  But I absolutely love to hear from you all and it all means so much to me.  :)   xx