Adachi Park at Sunset

September Enviro Challenge

Green Spring Clean

• Sort out your cleaning products – use up or give away those nasty chemicals ones and try using green alternatives. You can find many suitable Australian made cleaners in supermarkets or online (just Google!), or try using special cloths that require only water and some elbow grease!

• Get a new Spring fashion and beauty look the 'green' way! Revamp your wardrobe with eco-fashion and accessories. And look into eco-make up. Check here for eco-fashion ideas, as well as here, Gecoz and Margaret River Hemp Co.. Also, try finding eco-make up, such as Miessence or mineral make up. Try these directories too, ecodirectory or the Green Directory. There is also a Pinned Thread: Making your Own Enviro-friendly Beauty & Toiletries.

• Spring clean your body! Consider applying the principals of reducing consumption to our own diets, ie: reducing the amount of excess calories we consume. Living a frugal life, free of consumerism, where you eat to provide the nutrition and energy you need, not to indulge in things you only want/ desire (not really need). This has benefits for everyone, including your body... check out Lara's blog, TheCrone at Wits End.

Ongoing challenge

• Plant your own vegetables, fruit and herbs now, even in a rental or small property. Try growing in pots, or maybe even small hydroponics. Even growing your own sprouts can reduce packaging. Try these websites, Gardenate or Global Garden or Organic Guide. Or these directories might help, The Green Directory or ecodirectory.

Check out this clever bird

New Photos

A couple more pictures from our Nikon D40, Rochelle (my photography guru) tells me these are OK though a little over exposed (or was that under I can never remember!). I am just impressed that they are in focus lol!

Some photos taken with our new Nikon D40

Avoidance of the Ten Non-Virtues

Instead of killing, we should value and cherish life

Instead of stealing, we should freely give what we can to help others

Instead of taking others' wives, we should respect others' fellings

Instead of lying, we should always speak the truth

Instead of causing disharmony among others by slandering them, we should encourage virtue by speaking of their good qualities

Harsh and cutting speech towards others should be exchanged for soft, gentle loving words

Meaningless conversation should be replaced by meaningful activites

Attachment is to be overcome and non-attachment cultivated

Ill-will towards others is to be exchanged for feelings of love and compassion

Incorrect beliefs are to be eliminated and realistic attitudes cultivated

The Mayo Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee.
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A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.The golf balls are the important things in life. Your God, your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions: things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else: the small stuff."If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It was like the last days of our honeymoon all over again minus the pina coladas when it started raining here the other day. Here are some pics of the flooding in our driveway. It was over as soon as it started.
















Finally it is finished! Pete's Quilt, not exactly how he wanted it but it is done and it is very warm. He would have prefered no black and a border around the whole thing but to be honest I was over it and itching to get back to my knitting.:)










































My sewing/ craft area is finally finished courtesy of Pete, some pics below.

I Do Dog Tricks

This website is hilarious, you just type in command and the dog will do it. Be sure to try dance, it cracks me up.

Bob the cat still can't work out where the dog is and everytime I do sing she roams around wide eyed looking for the singing dog :)

http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html

Mosaic Maker

How to play

Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

Using only the first page, pick an image.Copy and paste your chosen URLs into the mosaic maker and make a lovely mosaic to put on your blog or flickr.

The questions

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name.

I only look at the pictures

Ok I fess up - when browsing through blogs I often only scroll through the pictures!

I love looking at the beautiful images of peoples everyday life, be it their children, crafts or just everyday items.

Therefore I know that if anyone is reading this and they are anything like me they will find this dull as there are no pics. I am too lazy to get up and get my camera and download the photos on it.

I will however share with you what I am up to if that is of any interest. I am still knitting - some booties to sell at the moment.

Work is good but busy. Which is the reason I am late updating my blog.

Will be back when I can with some pretty pics to look at!!

A few of my favourite things

No not raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. These favourite things are in my home. I go through phases of trying to create a "style" in my home. I put this in "" because I often berate myself on how I don't have much style.

The look I have tried to go for is a combination country/ rustic/ antique. It is a style that I feel is timeless and make me feel like I am at home. Here are the things I currently love at home. One day I may love the whole house, at the moment it is a bit of a mix of love it/ can't work out what to do with it/ hate it things.