Joining In.....

G'day, how are things in your part of the world today?  We have had a little rain, alot of humidity, and a little sunshine.  So, a mixed bag for us.  Hope the heat clears off soon, the veggie gardens are over run with weeds.  Ah, well they aren't going anywhere, yet.  *insert devilish chuckling* 

Not quiet as wet as last year.

I have just been for a visit over to Christine at Slow Living Essentials, and she has started a Slow Living - Month by Month Diary.  She is inviting everyone to follow along and join in.  So, I said I would be glad to join in.  I have a big list of things I have already decided I would like to do this year, to keep us on track for our journey to becoming a healthier, more environmentally aware family.  By joining in with Christine it will help get all my to do lists out of my head and hopefully by writing about it here it will also keep me motivated and on track.  

Cheeky little monkeys, always ready to lend a helping hand.

Christine has written:-

SLOW LIVING - Month by Month 2012

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, overprocessed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.



PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependancy on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.



REDUCE: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

GROW: plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints. Don't have a backyard? Ask a friendly neighbour or relative for a small patch of theirs in return for some home grown produce, they may surprise you!

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

DISCOVER: Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Trawl libraries, second hand shops or local book shops to find titles that fill the need. Share titles/authors of what is being read this month.

ENHANCE: community: Support local growers & producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, join a playgroup or form a walking or craft group. Car pool where possible and bike/walk instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

Can you smell it?

Great idea isn't it.  I love it!  I think it will also help to keep me on track with the Simplify Your Life challenge that I am joining in with.   Thank you Christine, I am in.  Here is my first entry.

Nourish:  Bake apple and raspberry muffins,  make homemade yoghurt from milk,  make peanut butter, bake bread.

PREPARE (stockpile and preserve):  Nectarine and Plum Jam, Pear butter, Passionfruit Butter.  Add to non-perishable stockpile,  Redo Cyclone emergency box,  Cook and freeze pumpkin, freeze extra batch of muffins (above).
 
REDUCE waste, repair & repurpose:  Take plastic recyclables to dump for recycling, take clean cardboard to Kindy for kids crafts,  make cleaning rags from old towels, shred old bills for compost (love this one).  Reduce our power bill by switching off things on standby.

CREATE:  A written routine to cover both the kids out of house hours and include some adventure times.  A new budget.  Veggie garden plan for this coming growing season. 

GREEN:  Make another batch of All Purpose Household Cleaner, Weed Veggie Patch

GROW:  Growing:  Herbs:- Rosemary, Sweet Potato, Rosella, Eggplant.  Harvesting:  Eggplant, Rosemary.  

DISCOVER:  New friends and share in their journeys. 

ENHANCE:  Invite friends to a Mum and Child craft morning that I attend.  Share the fun!

ENJOY life!:  Have lots of adventures with the boys.  Spend quality time with the ones I love.

Wow, they have grown since this photo.

That feels wonderful,  it feels achievable and it is a relief to have it written down for an easy reference.  It also gives me loads to post about.  Sort of planning my blogging as well.  Christine you are a true LEGEND!  

SO!  Ya, think ya want to join in?  Come on give it a go.  I am sure it is going to be a fun.  You might even find some new and wonderful friends.  Head over to Christine's blog and join in.  Go on. I know you want to. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers, Deb  

P.S.  The photo's in this post are ones I have used before and are not new, but, I liked the idea of using them to give you something to look at.  Hope ya having a lovely day!