Never-ending To-Do List March 10, 2009

I really feel like I am snowed under having 2 kids. I seriously thought I was starting to get the hang of things and gaining a bit more organisation. I was wrong.

The meal planning went out the door this week. I have to come up with 4 scratch dinners that are healthy and contain ingredients that I already have, that ought to be fun. I will be juggling that with a good de-cluttering session which always seems to be in progress, I swear I will get it done this time.

I managed to go through my fabric stash and sort through what I want to keep, I still have too much. I suppose it means I need to do more sewing. I have a few unfinished sewing projects that I will start to tackle tonight. One grocery tote, 4 MCN’s, sock monkeys and monsters, and an owl or 2.

I have a massive stash of fabric scraps and spent a few hours searching online for something to do with them. I found a gorgeous bird mobile at Spool Sewing which will be my first project to get rid of scraps. I will also try my hand at making log cabin blocks like at craftactually.com to make a quilt in the future. I really love this loyalty card wallet at A Spoonful of Sugar as well. There are heaps of ideas out there but these are my favourites.

I am struggling to find a project for my huge collection of Real Living magazines and to be honest I don’t have the heart to do anything with them unless it is super spectacular. Any ideas?

I just put Noah into bed for a nap, he seems to not want to have a day sleep and is having a tantrum as I type. I think this is the perfect opportunity to vacuum and drown out the noise.

x

Sarah

25 Weeks Today, Banana Bread and a Homemade Disinfectant! September 29, 2008

What a long day! I have been slaving away with the house work all day. 4 loads of washing because I was behind on that, cleaning the bathroom which is never-ending since we got put on bore water because it makes some sort of weird pink mildew grow. I gave the kitchen its once weekly scrub down and baked a loaf of banana bread. I somehow don’t think I will be going to Body Balance tonight as much as I am sure I need it.

So we will start with the recipe for homemade disinfectant. It doesn’t seem to have any overpowering smell which is nice and unavoidable when getting the store bought varieties.

Homemade Disinfectant

500ml (2 cups) Hot Water

75ml (1/4 cup) Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Borax

Mix well in an empty bottle. Spray and wipe as needed!

You can add a few drops of essential oil if you want to personalise with your favorite scent. Mine is grapefruit.

I am loving the all purpose cleaner that I made a couple of weeks back. I have even been using it to get my stainless steel all shiny and clean. I just buff with a dry cloth after to get rid of any streaks.

So on to that loaf of banana bread. Here’s a pic…

and the recipe…

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• Melted low-fat dairy spread, to grease
• 265g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
• 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 140g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) skim milk
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 50g butter, melted, cooled
• 2 overripe medium bananas, mashed

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush an 11 x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan with melted dairy spread to lightly grease. Line the base and 2 opposite sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang.

Sift the combined flours and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Place the milk, eggs, melted butter and banana in a medium bowl, and stir until well combined. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.

It was delicious, I have nearly polished off half a loaf with Noah and my mother in law!

Anyway I hope everyone has had a great start to the week. I have to get brainstorming for dinner

Here are my 25 week belly shots!

Light and Love!

Sarah

It's washing day! September 27, 2008

I thought I would compile a small list of eco laundering tips that I have found to be of good use. If you have any to add, just leave a comment. I always love to hear about new ones.

• Use a front loading machine if possible, they use 40% less water and 65% less electricity than top loaders.
• Hang your wet washing outside on the line. Not only does it give your clothes a nice fresh smell, the sunlight acts as a natural stain remover, and sterilizing agent.
• Now I know Borax is not the most eco friendly product but a teaspoon of it in your wash leaves your clothes soft and is miles better than using fabric softener.
• You can also use 1/2 cup of vinegar instead of softener if you would prefer that option.
• Only wash clothing when you have a full load.
• Use phosphate free detergents and use the grey water to water your garden
• Buy powdered detergents instead of liquid as they are full of water and why use a petrol guzzling semi truck to cart what you get tapped into your house?

That is about all I can think of for the moment, if you have anymore to share please leave a comment!

Peace and Love!

Sarah

Homemade Non-Toxic Cleaners!!! September 13, 2008

I have been using diluted Pine-O-Clean in a spray bottle for ages!!! The thought never really occurred to me that by spraying it I could be subjecting myself and my family to unnecessary toxins in the name of cleaning house. So off in search of recipes for non-toxic cleaners I went. The most important cleaner for me is an all purpose spray. I like to just give a spray and a wipe and to know that the surface I wipe is clean. I was at Kmart the other day and picked up 4 spray bottles for $1 each, what a bargain. I scrolled the web for recipes and found one that I liked the sound of from the care2 website.

All Purpose Cleaner

1 1/2 tsp Washing Soda (Lectric Soda found in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket)

A squirt of liquid soap (preferably phosphate free)

750ml Hot water

I added a few drops of Grapefruit scented oil to get a fresh smell

Mix together until the washing soda dissolves and spray and wipe!!!

It was very easy and after testing it out on my kitchen counter, I was impressed! It is very inexpensive to make as well, the 750ml bottle full probably cost about $1.50 for the first batch and will be $.50 after that because I reuse the bottle.

I plan on trying out some other recipes in the near future and posting the results.

Love and Light!

Sarah