October review

*Welcoming Dylan to the family. He is the sweetest thing & completes this family of mine.
*Exhausted by Kobe playing up with the arrival of baby brother. He is so lovely to Dylan but a real pain to his parents:(
*Trying to channel patience & mostly failing.
*Grateful to my twin sister Annie who has been amazing helping out with Kobe.
*Watching Bachelotte. #Team Sasha!!! Although I did shamefully cry when Richie left.
*Making last minute Halloween costumes. I hope I finish!!!
*Farewelling Luke's nana GG.
*Honoured my new niece has my name as her middle name, (FYI she isn't named after me as my sister in law has a sister named Grace too).
*Frightened about this scary fact about baby talc powder. I wasn't going to use it on Dylan but was going to scatter it around the house to deter ants but NOT anymore.
*Surprised by my older sister deciding not to get her whooping cough injection therefore forgoing meeting Dylan until he is immunised as she cant afford it. She instead chose to spend money on getting her hair done & going to see Robbie Williams in concert. #Disappointed.
*Organizing a seed/seedling swap picnic catch up between friends.
*Growing corn, beans, tomatoes for seedling swap picnic.
*Estatic I found this Hershel backpack at the markets for $5. Perfect to pack all the kids stuff for an outing & Luke isn't embarrassed to lug it on his back (unlike the black studded girly bag I carried before).
*Drowning in laundry. Its never ending.
*The child in me is wanting ALL these monster lego figurines...

Happy Wednesday friends!
Grace

Hair Envy

 

After a testing week of farewelling a family member, struggling with hayfever (which I never get?!?) & developing the unbearably itchy condition PUPPP I have decided I need a fresh look as a pick me up. Im loving these hair styles which I plan to choose one & book myself into a salon for a well deserved pamper session once bambino 2# arrives. In the meanwhile Im practising patience so I don't do a Hannah off Girls tv series & cut my own hair in a middle of a nervous breakdown.

 

1. Im loving Lara Bingle (or should I say Mrs Worthington's) bob & natural makeup here in the lastest issue of Harpers Bazaar. What Im worried about is outgrowing the bob.

 

2. My girl crush, raven haired beauty Lily Collins sporting this cropped do. I have had a short do before. Its a gutsy move & requires some effort to style it.

 

3. Eleanor Pendleton always has divine hair. She is the beauty editor of Gritty Pretty afterall. Those sunkissed caramel hues work well against an olive complexion.

 

4. Blogger Jessie Khoo rocking red tresses. If only I can find a salon that doesn't use harsh chemicals to receive the same colouring?

 

 

Whats your favourite look? 1,2,3 or 4?

 

Happy Sunday friends!

Grace

 

 

Waste not, want not

The other month, our area had a verge collection. There was masses of junk (with some decent things) peppering everyone's lawns. I happily watched as my mum's old tv cabinet was scavenged but horrified when I saw our old washing machine being crushed into a bazillion pieces to fit inside the rubbish truck. The bowerbird in me loves a sneak peek at other peoples junk at verge collection, we even picked up some shelves (Kobe my sweet boy carried a shelf home when he saw me struggling to carry the 3 home) & a toy bin (that had a crack in its side) but Kobe loves nonetheless.

Which brings me to, what do you do with excess clutter? It seems like its builds up in the blink of the eye around here. Donate, sell, swap, gift to family/friends?

My sister & I past things back & forth which the other could use. Me its usually magazines (to be read then recycled) & her its herbs & lemons (to which I have been gifting around the neighbourhood). My lovely mummy friend Kaysey has given me a couple comfy pairs of pants & craft lace amongst other things & I have gifted some springrolls & a preloved wooden train set amongst other things in return.

I hate things going to waste so I decided to be pro-active & have a pantry clean out & incorporate into my monthly catch up with my old dear friends from school a waste not want not picnic. The idea being to bring anything (food related that you weren't going to use) that was tin/packaged/fresh to share it with someone who could use it.

And now I plan to organize these waste not want not picnics monthly/6 weekly to start the movement of everyone "taking what you need & sharing what you have". Its such a nice sentiment to look out for eachother. I plan to start off with a small group of friends, then hopefully they will invite friends & fingers crossed it will grow in leaps & bounds from there.

Happy Friday friends!
Grace

September Review

 

 



Enjoying watching Kobe tending to his micro herbs (above). How cute are these vintage Noddy egg cups?
Smiling over Kate (from Lunch lady blog) doing a good deed to help out a family in need.
Over the damn housework. Where is the cleaning fairy when I need her?!?
Craving chai lattes.
Seriously thinking about doing plastic free October. I missed the memo for plastic free July.
Wondering how a family's waste for a year can fit inside this small jar? What do they do with bandaids & broken things?
Blog crushing on Local milk blog.
Loving Kobes attention to kicks inside my belly from baby brother. Finally acknowledging that he is going to be a big brother.
Playing the waiting game. Surely any day now... Hoping I don't give birth the same day as my sister in law.
Horrified that when visiting Lukes grandma, Kobe complained (within earshot) about the friendly aged care worker, "Poo. Her breath smells. She needs to brush her teeth". She did have smokers breath thou but still horrified nonetheless. He also likes telling everyone they smell like onion?
Watched Maze Runner; The scotch trials.
Happy my nanny sister is back from travelling. I have a half day of me time planned whilst Kobe is looked after. Yippee!!!
Looking forward to visiting some open gardens.
Dreaming about a holiday. Yes my timing is super bad but I can always start planning the itinery & budgeting.
Decluttering magazines. Off to be recycled they go. Sure my clothes need a desperate cull but its a start.

Happy Tuesday friends!
Grace

New mama care package

With less than a month to go. Im seriously craving all the foods on the banned list of foods you shouldn't eat whilst pregnant (due to they may contain listeria). So I done up a love letter (this blog post) to my partner Luke & sister Annie on what to bring me whilst in hospital. I intend to binge on them all like crazy. Forget flowers & jewellery, I want food glorious food!

1. The vegan box; produce full of natural vegan goodness.
2. Sushi; particularly teriyaki chicken with the sesame seeds & shallots sprinkled on top & also the smoked salmon one. I really should learn how to roll it myself.
3. McDonalds coffee frappe. Mama needs her coffee fix. Here is a mocha frappe recipe if you wanted to make it yourself.
4. Tasting plate full of cold meats & assorted cheeses. Thankfully I can eat these just intime for all the Spring & Summer picnics.
5. Red velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing. My friend Louie makes the best ones (hint hint Louie hee hee).


Are you pregnant? Anything your craving badly?

Happy Thursday friends!
Grace

Flower Power

Hello Spring, how I heart you so! The sun is back shining bright, the days are less chilly & the flowers are a wonderful kaleidoscope of colours. Which brings me to one of my favourite style options; florals. Or in this case florals on florals on florals.

Lets talk about this hat/beanie/turban. Im crazy mad about its originality. It reminds me of a 50's style swimming cap.

The floral skirt was originally an outdated nana style dress that I hacked up to make an elasticated skirt. Teamed with the old faithful white blouse complete with lovely embroidery & scallop collar. It feels good to get out of my usual last trimester uniform of baggy stretchy tops & leggings.

Have you heard of the slow clothing movement? I read this article the other day about Jane Milburn's "Sew it again" project where for all of 2014, instead of buying new clothes she reimagined (upcycled) clothes she had bought at op shops. Im no stranger to altering opshop clothes to make them more fitted/fashionable so it's great that she inspired a legion of people to choose upcyling over disposable fast fashion.
I embrace slow fashion in my own way of purchasing a handful (per year, I started this at the beginning of 2014) of preloved clothes mainly from op shops/markets & try to get the most wear out of them. Although I have had a few slip ups on new purchases on shoes, these Harriet slides last year & I then chose these Wittner wraparound sandals for my last birthday gift from Luke (yes we choose our own gifts, lol).
I have been really good thru this pregnancy & only bought 3 preloved stretchy oversized tops that I can still wear comfortably once I give birth. I cant wait to fit back into my pants/jeans (how I miss you so!)
Have you embraced slow fashion or upcycle preloved clothes too?

 

Happy Wednesday friends!

Grace

Sustainable practices anyone can incorporate into their own spaces

 

On the weekend my lovely gal pal Haelee came with me to check out a couple of sustainable houses in Hilton as part of Sustainable open house day. I feel like the residents of Hilton are advocates of sustainable living. Im always on the hunt for fresh ideas on ways to cut down on my carbon footprint/energy bills whilst also having a productive garden (which I don't have unless you count nasturtium flowers).
The first house we visited was nicknamed "Sustainaburbia" & rightly so. It was bursting with inspirational ideas & lots of upcycling of old junk into productive pieces. The salvaged bathtub (above) was turned into a garden wicking bed. If only I found an old bath tub at verge collection time before I bought my garden bed.

A broken fridge was cleverly turned into a worm farm.

Old mattress springs were even used to make climbing trellises for the plants. A frame & planter box were built around it.

 

 

The chicken coop was next to the compost. The gate was an old security door. And one of the sides was old mattress springs.

 

 

Sustainaburbia has the highest veggie patch bursting with produce. I was amazed with how much they fit into the garden. Every space had a purpose & was used. The owners make their own compost which is a mix of wet ingredients; lawn clippings, vegetable scraps, garden waste. Dry ingredients; straw, dry leaves, shredded paper, egg cartons, sawdust. Activators (in small amounts); manure, mature compost, old chook straw, comfrey, nettles, worm castings & blood/bone fertilizer. There was a talk about DIY compost & fruit fly control but we missed it.

 

I just love how the owners fully embrace salvaging a piece of junk destined for the rubbish tip & turning it into something practical & striking. So many possibilities of turning trash into treasure!!!

 

 

The second house we visited was Ferreira house. Owner Chris has opened his house for "Sustainable open house day" since 2011. It was quite busy when we arrived & there was tonnes of information & long talks about how to live more sustainable. Having a short attention span, I like to get my inspiration visually as I tend to zone out with long speeches (not to mention feeling claustrophobic in crowds).

 

 

I happily took home a water shower timer which Kobe is loving. You can get one free here (plus badges, posters, pamplets). There was lots of native plants & succulents which are waterwise incorporated into the garden.

 

 

 

A straw bale vegetable patch. I haven't seen one before but the benefits are you will have no weeds, the straw breaks down naturally into compost & is great at retaining moisture.

 

 

The highlight was this children's treehouse built on a gigantic tree. Loving the child size outdoor setting in the sandpit below it. My only concern was the open sides. Im all for outdoor play as opposed to tv time, Im quite lucky that I have many parks for Kobe to run wild in, all within walking distance from my house. there was also a pallet upcycled outdoor couch (which I didn't take a photo as people were sitting comfortably in it). 

 

Chris is mighty passionate about educating people on sustainability so its no surprises he is aligned with The forever project.

 

Well I hope you were inspired by what these eco-warriors are doing, I certainly was.

 

Happy Monday friends!

Grace