have to add this!!.

I was just having a look at my fav blogs listed here, and went to the 'We 3 cats' blog from Wales. That blog and its cats have been featured on another site with a lovely article and fantastic photos of the cats enjoying the surrounding scenery....well worth a look.....here

MERRY CHRISTMAS!.

In NZ its already Christmas!!.

I'd like to wish anyone stopping by here a happy Christmas full of love and laughter, spent with people they care about.

OMG! more inspiration.....

Last night i got into bed early and sat and read, or rather flicked thru 'A Slice of Organic Life'. afterwards, my head was buzzing.......as well as growing veges and fruit, and keeping some chickens so i can have fresh eggs for baking etc.....should i keep a cow....i rather like that idea, but the having to milk every 12hrs might put me off. also....pigs....how cool.....growing my own meat as well....i hadnt really thought about that.

I have loads of ideas in my head, so once i have finished the second commissioned scrapbook album this weekend, i'm going to start an ideas notebook....wish lists, ideas, important notes about the livestock i would like to keep, notes on which page and book where more info can be found.

i also want to work out a timeline for making this move.....i'd like it to be within the next yr, but the money will be the deciding factor. i cant wait for spring to go for a drive and look for areas i want to move to!.

i'm soooooo looking forward to this change in my life and just wish i could afford to make it now......now, wheres that lottery ticket!!.

Gotta be near a Borders!!.

Very high on my important factors list in finding home will be closeness to Borders, so i can indulge in my love of American house/cooking/living magazines. I wont be able to afford them every month, but as a treat every 3-4 months, and especially the December issues!!.

heres my haul from todays trip!.

Any American readers will recognise nearly all of those, bar Donna Hay, who is Australias answer to Martha Stewart!.

(hmmmm.....i'm revealing myself as a closet Martha fan here, with 4 of her titles in that pile!. I now think shes a bit OTT, but provides loads of inspiration none the less.)

And while i was there i went looking for some reading material for this new transition in my life and came home with this pile as well....

I cant wait to dive into all those gorgeous xmas pages and inspiration words, but i have some things i have to finish first, so i'm keeping them for my xmas break starting next weekend.

I'd love to know if anyone has any other good up-to-date recommendations for a more greener self sufficent life. there is one title i see plugged on others blogs, but i couldn't find it at Borders, so may have to get that from Amazon....its name excapes me at the moment.

Right, the sofa beckons, and a magazine needs to be drooled over.....but which one?!.

Research is definately needed!!.

One of the things i am changing is the way i eat....i have decided to only make my food....no pre-packaged/processed food for me once things run out in my pantry.
Last night, i was cooking dinner and i realised just how big a deal that is going to be. I had store brought raviolli and tomato sauce, and realised, if i want to have this in my 'arsenal' after the change, then i'm going to have to make ravioli, and sauce!. Me thinks i'm going to have to dedicate a sunday afternoon to cooking and putting things in the freezer.......sauces, casseroles, etc. I'm going to need to spend some time with my mountain of cook books looking for good freezable foods, plus quick easy things to throw together for when i get home tired from work.....for those times when i bring out the store brought pasta and sauce!.
Research is definately needed!!.

The Christmas Season has started here!.

I love Christmas.......i love the traditions, and hearing what people do, i love the feel good movies and the carols. And i love that i now live in the Northern Hemisphere where Christmas is cold!!. I know i was born a kiwi, and Christmas was always hot and sunny, but it never felt right.....it should be cold, snowy, fires blazing etc!!.

Oh, and its Quality Street season as well!!.

This morning i have done my xmas decorating...not much, since i dont have enough room for a tree, so i have made a lil display on top of a 3/4 height bookcase, with my tree ornaments hanging from a clip-it-up scrapbook storage thingie!. i have a tree shaped advent calender, and my gorgeous Christopher Radko ornament out as well.

Elvis is singing carols and festive songs,

and i have 3 new xmas dvds to watch this season!.

Finally the 1st batch of 'xmas tarts' have been made and consumed.....not all by me i should add....i took them to my scrapbook crop yesterday, where everyone who had one loved them!.

snuggling sheets!, and a thank you!!

Firstly, can i just say thank you to the lady(i assume) who commented on my blog yesterday....you are the 1st comment i've had here, and probably the 1st person to read this other than me!. I tried to find your blog to comment there, but it looks like you dont have one, so THANK YOU, you made my day!.

The pair of flannelette sheets i brought of ebay have finally arrived!!. now i can spend all winter in snuggling sheets......pure heaven!!. Just need the snuggly man to go with them and 'bobs your uncle'!.

I've been thinking alot about how i want my home today as i worked on my business stuff. Ideas come to my mind as i blog hop and see all the wonderful places and gardens and pets you guys out there have!.
I definately want a piece of ground to dig, somewhere quiet and peaceful.....a water view would be fabulous, but sadly will be well out of my price range. It must be sunny as well, as i fully plan on adding solar panels at some stage. I want a big space for the business, and a cosy space for the winter. A fire or a log burner would be great as well. Somewhere where all my books can go, and a great kitchen and pantry for all the cooking i enjoy and dont do enough of here due to my poky kitchen.

I've been thinking about ways to earn extra income and keep going back to baking.....one of the few things i'm genuinely good at, and dont mind blowing my trumpet about!. I imagine living somewhere with a great market, where i could have a stall and sell fresh eggs from my chickens(see my mind really has been wandering today!) and fresh baked goods.

One of the beauties about being able to find home is that i can go anywhere i want, when the time comes to make that move. I'm not tied to any region as i'm a foreigner in this land. My friends are scrattering themselves to all sorts of places, which means i dont have to concentrate on certain areas, as i can just jump in the car and go visit if i want!.
I guess, if i'm honest, the only thing i would consider when the time came is what was happening with my 'friend with benefits' and how far from him i'd want to be. And he's another reason why i'm thinking about home alot today, because he is moving to a new part of the country today.....he's got the opportunity to reestablish himself in a new community, and all the exciting things to discover in his new area. I hope this moves makes him happy.
No more about him, i dont want this blog to be about him as such, its about my need to put down roots!!.

Right, off to feel those new snuggly sheets again, and wish you all a good evening.

now, whats missing from this picture?!.

Heres my 2 new old woolly blankets i won of ebay. The middle one is more thread bare that i'd have liked, but its fine otherwise. The red and white one i brought at the Country Living Xmas Fair about 3 yrs ago.

Now, to the post title....whats missing......3 moggys snuggled up on their own blanket having a siesta!!. Me thinks a black and white one called Horse, after the infamous cat in the NZ comic 'Footrot Flats'; a ginger one called 'Gingy', in honour of the 1st cat i remember as a child!; and a tabby called ?......i usually only think about having 2 cats, but since theres 3 blankets there....why not!!.

I cant wait for the day i get to bring home 2 furbabies!!.

first photos!!.

Today i managed to take the after photos of the tidy corner in my teeny kitchen......i took the before last sunday before i tackled the job!!.

so, here is the messy before...the dumping ground due to lack of space and storage.....

and here is the after with all the pretty jars of baking goods!!......

I've got sultanas and brown sugar by the truck load ready for the Xmas butter tarts....the first batch will be this week as i want to take some to the mega crop next saturday.

I have also received the 2 vintage wool blankets i got on ebay this week....one slightly more worn than i'd have liked, but both lovely all the same. On monday i have to wait in for 2 deliveries...one business, and the other is for the flannelette sheets i also brought this week. I'll photograph the blankets tomorrow if the light is good enough.....its all dark and dingy now that winter and the freezing cold have set in.

i'm soooo inspired today!.

I have spent most of the day blog hopping and am some inspired by what i've found and the things i could be doing or making!!. i have so many ideas rolling round in my head for ideas to supplement my income next yr when my nanny hours decrease, and while my business is taking off!.
I want to make things, i want to bake things, i wanna do things......but not here.....this isnt home, so i need to find home 1st!.

I also brought some cosy flannelette sheets off ebay today and have bids in on 2 vintage blue and white woollen blankets.

in amongst all that i have been cleaning that messy corner of the kitchen and throwing away nasty plastic food containers!. its taking shape nicely but isnt ready for show'n'tell just yet....some jars have to completely dry before flour and sugar can be put in them!.

right, back to ebay...i have a bid on a fabulous piece of fabric ending in about 10mins!.

A step backward......

Oh Dear!.......
i went and did a huge supermarket shop on friday night and completely forgot my no plastic rule and put all the fruit in vege in those little bags they have there!. it wasnt til i was almost finished that i remembered!. I heard on GMTV that something like 1 million plastic bags are made everyday, that we use them for on average about 12mins, then throw them away!. i did however not use any new plastic carrier bags, because i remembered to take the old bags i already had here with me. the girl on the checkout offered to help and pulled a new bag of the pile and i said no!....i have bags, could you just wait a moment until i finish emptying the trolley!. so, i guess i balanced out the trip actually!!. Sainsburys have also launched a new cleaner home range of eco friendly products that are priced inline with other products, rather than being more expensive. i have got the washing up liquid and will see how that goes, while i look into other options.


i've been having a great time blog hopping find loads of inspirational blogs of women shifting towards living the lives they have dreamed off. i will make a list soon on here, but for now......
i have to tidy a very messy corner of my kitchen!. i hope to have photos to share later on!!.

happy sunday!.

small steps.....

Yesterday i went to IKEA and brought some glass food containers.....they have glass lids as well with a rubber seal to help keep it airtight. I brought 3 small single serve sizes and 1 2-3 serve size. Next time i go i'll pick up a couple more of each.
I am getting better at remembering to take my M&S carrier bag with me when i go shopping, and so today i was able to refuse just about all the plastic bags i was offered. i kept my brocolli loose in the basket, and just needed a bag for bread, and then in another shop for a sticky pastry(well, it is my birthday tomorrow!!).

They say life begins at 40.....thats tomorrow for me, and i'm so looking forward to whats in store for me and seeing some of my plans come to fruition.

Finding Home

I wanted to start a new blog to record the transition thats taking place in my life. I turn 40 in 3 days, i have got my residency visa to stay here for as long as i want, and i can finally think about putting down roots......hence finding home.
I am also beginning the shift to a more natural lifestyle, and thus hopefully a more healthy lifestyle.
I always remember as a child growing up in NZ an advertisement for butter, and it was a comparison of the ingredients in butter and margarine.....butter had 2, marg's ingredients took several seconds to scroll thru. From then i have never eaten marg!. Now i'm starting to look at everything else i eat, and what my food comes in. I'm thinking about the chemicals in my toiletries, and things in my home.
Whats prompted this have been two things recently....an article in an Oprah magazine stating that Hydrogenated fat was orginally designed as a replacement for candle wax.....i havent checked that any further yet.....but do know they arent good fats at all; and a 2 part TV documentry about toxins in our bodies and how alot of them come from the chemicals in the products we use on ourselves and in our homes. I was astounded to see that one of the ingredients in a childs shampoo( the very same shampoo is in the bathroom of the child i nanny for!) is a major componant of antifreeze!. And people put that one newborn babies!!!.

Anyway, i've been spurred on and will start the changes i need to, to feel happy with what i'm doing, and where i'm doing it.