Being a single Mum and paying a morgage and keeping it all together has been such a learning task for me. 95% of our clothes we buy at the opp shop and we have some lovely clothes. The other day at work a lady said to me I love your handbag, I said I bought it at the opp shop for $6.00 she said "oh my god we were allways told as kids dont go in there they are for the unfortunate people with this look of horror on her face, I then said" well I buy all my clothes from there and the kids" she couldnt believe it ,she said "gee I would of never known that I might go there which one do you go to" lol . I cant believe some people still think like that as though they have a stigma about them. You can find beautiful items in there.
Onto shopping , bake your own biscuits, make your own laundry liquid. and cleaners,
In your weekly shopping how many items would you buy that you dont need, like packet biscuits, chocolate, cakes. packet mixes. If you can knock 20.00 worth of stuff out of your trolley thats $1000.00 a year and thats $83.33 a month. If you put that on your home loan, say your loan is $155,000 and the term is 30 years at 7% putting that extra 20.00 a week on it saves you $51,750.27 in interest and you pay your loan of 6 years earlier hmmmm thats a lot of money for the sake of baking a few items a week.
I wonder if they teach that to the kids at school.
My chickens free range my backyard at the moment, I am hoping to enclose them in a area sometime next year. Of course they have a shed and nests, but on nice nights they refuse to go back to there pen and like to perch around the yard. I have 3 silkies and 3 Black utility Austalorps at the moment, I am a bit unsure of the sexes of the Australorps as yet as these were my eggs that I had mail ordered.
Around the yard there are several spots where they like to dust bath. My silkie girls are so friendly they come running to me every time I appear in the yard and crouch down for their pat. The dogs and the cat dont worry them the only thing that will chase them is my rabbit (strange). I love having chooks, they are so entertaining to watch, they make the best pets, they supply us in eggs. Their droppings make great garden fertilizer , they eat our scraps, nothing is wasted. They scratch around in the garden, ever since I have had them the soil looks so healthy and alive and rich with worms. Busy little girls they are
It comes once a year and the kids look forward to it all 3 of them, my eldest has been going for 19 years.
Family funday and thats exactly what it is.
All the food you can eat, all the rides you can stomach, my two youngest ride until stumps, and christmas presents from Santa.
My favourite is allways the animal nursery.
What a great way to celebrate working all year with family having lots of fun together.
We also spent the morning together watching my son do his karate grading. Dad was so impressed watching how hard they worked. I love watching the gradings as the endurance is fantastic. I think it is important as a family we support each other in what we do. Im hoping the next grading we can all watch together also. Im sure my Mum would be proud of her family.
Friday night used to be take out night, now its baking night.
We never buy packet mixes or bought biscuits, we prefer to make our biscuits and cakes.
When we bake its usually never one thing, we fill the oven , Friday night just gone was 2 batches of Indias brownies, 2 orange cakes (we froze one) and a jelly slice and golf balls, hmmm that should get us through the weekend ( although we do have extra house guests).
Im sure India makes brownies every week and its usually after I have the kitchen spotless.
Ingredients
125g butter
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teasp vanilla
1/4 teasp salt
1 cup plain flour
1 teasp baking powder
1 cup white choc bits
Melt the butter
Stir in sugar, cocoa,vanilla and salt
Quickly whisk in eggs
Fold through sifted flour and baking powder
mix in choc bits
spoon intp greased lined slab tin
bake at 170 for 25- 30 minutes
Its that time of year again , and its come around so quickly the diary is full of events leading up until christmas.
I have plenty of home made soaps that will be given in christmas hampers, Christmas baking will start soon, a lot of things will be home made this year as we have quite a few bills after a hectic few months.
Im not quite sure yet as what we will all be doing on christmas day, but in another week Im hoping to have that all organized.
India and I made chocolate houses for the christmas table.
I have just had 13 bales of pea straw delivered so I will also be busy gardening.
Im hoping to get back into writing some blogs as I have been lazy of late after losing my Mum I couldnt quite get back into the swing of things.
Im lucky that I have such a lovely family and good friends, who I love spending time with. Dad and I go for great drives to country towns opp shopping he makes me laugh so much our drives are one of my favourite things at the moment.
My children all three are just so special it was my eldest daughters birthday this weekend and she came from Melbourne and spent the weekend and brought a special house guest which entertained the children all weekend (her pet parrot}. I must say we certainly ate lots of food between Dads famous lasagna which we all love, then his chicken wings are to die for, bbqs, banana pancakes. I was glad for a rest during the week from all this food, oh and I forgot Indias apple crumble which is also the best I have tasted.
Banana pancake recipe
I dont measure anything
make a batch of pancakes or crepes.
Then cut up bananas
Put abt tablespoon of butter in frypan add 2 tablspoons brown sugar then some orange juice to make a syrup , add cut up bananas, then simmer away then add some cream to make it into a caramely sauce, then add to pancakes dollop of cream and its extremely yummy.
