free living challenge - 'it's over' wrap up

 a belated happy easter to you all!  with family visiting and the subsequent recovery time for me i'm a little delayed in this final post for this challenge.

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

my final days of free living joy....

quite a lovely time to have this challenge end. easter when we celebrate the amazing act of Jesus in his sacrifice for us to live free from our brokeness in a personal relationship with God.  and anzac day when we celebrate the sacrifice of our fellow Australians and New Zealanders for us to live free in our amazing country. 

for all Australians i feel anzac day is one of the most spiritual experiences no matter what your faith and belief.  went to our local dawn service. there is a beautiful peace, thankfulness and feeling of community at these services. 

other easter/anzac weekend free living adventures included....

gardened.... with the help of my gorgeous nephew...

my first attempt at hot cross buns.  hmmm... need to find the right recipe for gluten free flour!! bit of a 'the blob' look happening...

made dolls clothes from my collection of materials for a rubber doll my mum picked up for my nephew who's younger brother is due in august...  so cool to see him cuddle 'his baby'.

made some herb bouquets for some friends...
the rain has turned my parsley and coriander into super bushes taking over my carrot and radish rows!

and enjoyed the overcast, rainy days. picnics in the car were a favourite of mine in the last days of april... just had to get out of the house. was lovely to go and sit at different sites around town to take in the weather...

and there we have it.  free living challenge for lent in 2011 complete...
with only 1 or 2 little hiccups!

it's given me a focus of being more creative with the resources i have around my house - in cooking, creating, in giving... i've really enjoyed going back to hand made gifts of sewing projects, hand made cards, extra vegies or herbs from my garden and pickle or jam creations.

i've become more aware of how i spend my time and now get out and about more... whether it be for walks or rides, to be more intentional with time spent with wonderful people through my week and being more aware of what is happening in my community... for free events to get out to and for ways to be involved in looking after the people and environment in which i live.

contentment is something i believe we are all searching for.  i hope sharing my adventures and thoughts through this journey has made you think about where you find fulfillment in life.

i look forward to sharing more of my days with you. sending you blessings for your week and year ahead, nais. x.

free living challenge - catch up... day 34-13!!

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

joy from past days...

got a lot to summarise in today's free living post.

have to confess... i visited my mum a couple of weekends ago and our favourite thing to do is op shop together. so we went to 1 store... only 1!  i'm now 27 and she still treats me with 'just coz' spending money to make me feel special. love you mum.

so what have i been up to?

i organised up my sewing space...

love watching the weather out the side door...

the space is about 2.5ms sq... have all ready decided this is not enough space! i've already filled 3 lots of shelving with materials i've had around the house.

have had a play making my own pattern for some of my own softie creations... hmmm... need more practice for consistency!!

and started making some quiltes... discovered i love sewing much more than hand needlework!

 

and made some practical things like bread bags from old linen tea-towels. very impressed with these. we go through a home-made loaf of bread in 2-4days. it stays moist in these bags for that time. they would dry out and be only good for toast after 2days using our old recycled plastic bag method. definately an improvement.
(yes yes, i'm a queenslander through and through!! squeezing a bit of QLD love into our very NSW dominant family!!)

have enjoyed the growth of my peppermint plant being able to pick a few fresh leaves and make my own peppermint tea. so lovely.

and of course there have been many bike rides to the beach...

the other most fun adventure was my sister-in-law's wedding where i got to play with flowers and decorating... could do it every weekend!  as i said in my flower joy post a few days ago, so lovely being able to go to the farm where the flowers were growing, pick them with a group of great girls and play with them the night before the wedding for bouquets and vases for the reception. here are some more pics for you...

such a lovely location. yamba shores tavern.  if you're ever in the area, i recommend a look-see. its a lovely spot on the river.  we were there at sunrise (yes ohmygoodness) on the day of the wedding and then there at night for the reception. just as good feel at night.

phew!  great to be able to share my adventures with you. 

would love to hear of some of your free-living adventures.  we can't always achieve it but i think there is a greater sense of fulfillment when we are able to fill our day with nature, with family and friends, with simplicity and free joy. i challenge you to look for a way to simplify your adventures this week. then share it with others and maybe you'll inspire another one or two. blessings, nais.

herb drying

for garden cooks out there... if you've run out of friends to share your copious amounts of fresh herbs with here's my drying technique to save leaves when they're at there peak for future use.

you'll need:

twine

paper bag

scissors/hole punch

method:

tie a small handful of your herb together, allowing a long tail of twine for hanging.

cut/hole punch some holes in the bottom of the paper bag. 

hang your herbs upside down inside the paper bag and secure it in the corner. my bags work by folding the corner over, however you may need to tie the herb bunch through a hole or use the twine to tie it all together.

tie your bag up in a breezy spot and leave for at least 2 weeks. check your herbs at that time. the leaves and stems should be dry and stiff. if they feel soft and aren't dry enough that they would  fall apart if you crunched it between your fingers - they need more drying time.

once dried, store them in an air-tight container. from what i've read use your dried herbs within 3months.



i've had success so far with basil, mint, parsley and thyme. mint needed longer time to dry then the others in my climate.

wishing you herb drying success. enjoy!