Over The Weekend We ...

made a start on the chicken coop

continued edging the herb garden with recycled bricks

decided it was time to try out making a sourdough starter

watched new life springing up in the veg garden

played on the verandah

planted two more fruit trees in the orchard

A lovely quiet weekend pottering around the house.

Pet Sitting!

We're pet sitting for a week! Yay! Friends have gone on holidays so we're looking after their two rats!

I'm a bit iffy on rodents as pets in theory, but in reality they're really really cute. They are very affectionate and friendly, one in particular loves cuddles and being with people. Matt has always wanted to get rats too. They've only been here one night and he's already informed me on how intelligent they are, that they can be trained etc etc. We did have a couple of mice for a while, back in those uni-student, flat-sharing days, but they met an unfortunate end that was quite a mystery until our flat-mate at the time found a cat in our unit in the middle of the night! We're still not sure if they were eaten or just ran away after the cat had tipped their cage over. Either way, that was the last of our rodent keeping until now!

Anyway, Pink and Britney (yes, they are their names!) are with us now for the week and I hope we'll do a good job looking after them and keeping them safe until their family returns.

My Creative Space ...

... is really not very exciting this week. To be honest, I can't see it being very exciting for a while.

I've just been chip chip chipping away at the cardigan for Archie's baptism. I've got about three weeks to get it done. Now, I'm one that normally works best under pressure but I'm starting to get nervous. I've completed the back and left front and I'm halfway through the right front.

So, only 1/2 a front side, two sleeves, front and neck bands,two buttons and all the seaming up to do. In three weeks. Yep, not much pressure!

For some less-stressed creative spaces visit Kootoyoo!

Edit: I just remembered that Kirsty is on hols, lucky thing! I hope you head over and have a wander through her space anyway!

Abundance

Check out other Wordless Wednesday posts at Faith, Hope & a whole lotta Love.

Kenny Gets His First Workout

Now that we're all (mostly) settled and I'm back to getting the good, bulk wholemeal flour I've started making our bread again. And boy, how I missed homemade bread! I'm sure my waistline hasn't missed it though!

Elliot loves Kenny too! And yes, my benches are normally this cluttered!

I'm not using the breadmaker anymore, I now much prefer to use Kenny to mix and knead the dough and then shape by hand. For our everyday loaf (which I make about every second day) I get two loaves from the following recipe. I've also been making raisin/fruit bread too so I'll post that recipe once I've perfected it.

The verandah is a great, sunny place for the bread to prove. Especially when Matt is out mowing the grass!

The original recipe that I used was from the Kenwood recipe book that came with Kenny but I've tweaked it a bit.

Everyday Wholemeal Bread

Makes two 700ish gram loaves

750g wholemeal flour

150g white flour

3tsp dried yeast

1 tbls salt

1 tbls bread improver

2 tbls honey

500-600 ml warm water

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix through water until it forms a dough. 

Mix on minimum speed setting for 1 minute and then turn speed up to 1 and knead for 4 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Let rise for 1 hour.

Knock down dough with hook on minimum speed and then slowly knead for another minute or so.

Remove from bowl and shape into two loaves. 

Place in oiled bread tins and let rise for at least 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated 230C oven for 10 minutes then reduce 

temperature to 200C and bake for another 15-20 minutes. 

Remove from tins and cool on wire rack.

Painting with Kids - the easy way!

After having a much needed home day the other day, the boys and I got to the afternoon and needed something to do. I couldn't be bothered (as terrible as it sounds) to get all the painting and craft things out for Elliot to decide 2 minutes into the activity that I had to finish it off because he'd had enough. I also couldn't be bothered getting something for Elliot to do and then having to distract Archie with something else while El worked on.it (probably for said 2 minutes).

I decided that water painting on the verandah would keep them both occupied for a while, and boy oh boy, did it work! They both were completely engaged for at least half an hour, until Archie decided it was more fun to tip the containers out and splash in the puddles. Meh, worked for me! After that El had had enough so went off to the garden and Archie swiftly followed.

I just gave them containers of water coloured with food colouring and some sponges and brushes and off they went, painting the verandah balustrading and the walls and windows of the house.

It was such a cheap (super duper cheap), super easy, not super messy and super duper fun! Super!

My Creative Space

I'm a bit late with my post today, I had a killer (I'm assuming) migraine this morning. Awful headache and very nauseous. Thankfully the boys both had a sleep today (a rarity in this house) so I had a rest on the lounge with my book and am feeling much better, still a bit of a lingering headache though!

Well the slippers are all done and will be in the post tomorrow so now I'm onto my next project!

I'm working on a short sleeve cardigan type thing for myself! I've never knitted anything for myself before so this is very exciting! Archie's Baptism is coming up in a month or so and the dress I've chosen to wear is a bit, how should I say it, revealing in the boob department! It also shows off a fair bit of upper arm and they're not in the best shape. :)

It is by far the biggest project I've undertaken so there is a very real possibility it won't be ready in time for the Baptism. The bottom section is double moss stitch and the top and sleeves are in an eyelet stitch so it's not overly difficult, just the time consumingness of knitting! I'm doing it in black and the buttons are round, white and mother-of-pearly.

If it's not ready I just suppose I'll have to be all boobie and flabby armie!

Don't forget to visit the other creative spaces today!