The day has arrived. Today we'll finish clearing out the kitchen in preparation for the renovation tomorrow and Tuesday. We worked on it steadily yesterday, packing things in boxes, putting aside unwanted items, throwing out unrecognisable pieces of plastic and cleaning out cupboards. This is the ultimate deep clean. The dishwasher is on the back verandah, today we'll move the fridge into the lounge room, table and chairs will go to the bedroom, the dresser has to be unpacked and moved and the stove and oven cleaned. Both the stove and oven will be replaced along with a new cupboard under the sink, benchtop and sink. We're having a new floor installed too, just in the kitchen/dining area, but to put the new floor down, the kitchen cupboards need to come out. I am so pleased I'll be out of the house at work both days the workmen will be here. Hanno will be here to supervise and will happily work alongside the men doing whatever he can and, no doubt, making cups of coffee. That reminds me. I'll have to make a comfortable area for the workers to have their lunch, and I'll see if I can find an ash tray.

I finished the hand stitching on my new curtains yesterday and hope to make them up today on the sewing machine. They'll be simple little curtains, hemmed top and bottom and attached using silver clips from Ikea. It shouldn't take me long to hem them and they'll be ready to hang when the kitchen is finished.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to post over the coming days. The workmen will arrive at 7am so before then I'll need to have had my shower, breakfast and be dressed ready for work. I'll just say I'll post when I can. I have access to the internet at work but I'm usually so busy when I'm there, I might just have the time to check comments.

In the meantime, I'd like to ask you all to do something for me. If this works, it will also provide some very interesting reading for everyone and it will give me some feedback. I often read that blog readers have been inspired by something I've done, or said, and by my life in general. I also get quite a few emails every week telling me this. I wonder if that inspiration has enabled you to change things in your own life, and if so, what changes have you made. Please make a comment and tell us of your changes, no matter how small they may seem to you, or how large. I am often inspired towards change by things I read and I would love to know who has been inspired enough to change, and by what. Thank you. : )

I'm a quilter! I never thought I'd ever utter those words and if the truth be know, I'm only on my second quilt. Ummm, and there is a gap of 27 years between the first one and what I'm doing now. LOL My first quilt was made using precut Laura Ashley squares. I made a single bed quilt so that my baby Shane could sit on something soft on the floor. All I did was sew the squares together, attach some wadding and a backing and that was my quilt. I still have it somewhere, I think Hanno has it packed in a box in the shed. Shane is now 27 years old.

My sister has been a quilter for many years and has made some beautiful quilts, one of which I use on my bed in winter. But I never really understood the quilt mentality - when my brother-in-law asked Tricia "why are you cutting up fabric and sewing it back together again?" I listened closely for the answer because I didn't know. Of course, Tricia didn't answer her husband because she thought he was teasing her. Maybe he was, but I wanted to know what her answer would be. Now I know.

Or think I do.

Making a quilt from pieces of fabric left over from other projects, or gifted to me, is the essence of simple living. It's the ability to make something functional, beautiful and necessary using the frugal remains of other projects. It's the motivation to use what we have, to make what we need.

I arrived at this pleasant rethinking of patchwork because three things worked together to convince me of the worth of a patchwork quilt. One was that I now have enough fabric - Tricia's overflowing basket full of scraps gave me the means. Secondly, I realised that what I made didn't have to be perfect. This was galvanised into my head when Tricia was here and I told her that I couldn't get my patchwork squares to line up exactly on their seams. "So?" was her answer. I loved that. I love knowing perfection isn't required. If it is, I always fall short. The third thing was after seeing Tricia's quilt I finally knew where my starting point was. I never knew that before and for someone as craft-dumb as I am, that is a really important step.

About a year ago when Tricia visited, she cut out a lot of squares for me in preparation for the quilt I'm now making. Over the months, I sewed lengths of them together (hence my shock when they didn't all line up) but I didn't really know what I was supposed to be doing with the strips. I am an intelligent woman, but I can also be very stupid with things unknown to me. I could write a creditable magazine article in an hour, I could explain to you the life cycle of the worm or make a speech to a thousand people, but give me strips of fabric and I'm dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded. Tricia's quilt showed me the way, I start from the middle and work out, that makes sense to me!

This quilt, like my first quilt, is for Shane, I plan to make Kerry's for his birthday in July. The symbolism of a handmade quilt can be quite powerful and it can echo meaning to family members over generations. I will weave several messages to my sons in their quilts, there will be symbols of their Australian, German, Irish and Swedish heritage, as well as secret messages from me to them, some they're recognise, some they won't. I hope the quilts show my sons their uniqueness, my unconventional nature, some of my humour and grace, as well as the values I've come to live by, and I hope they discover too - thrift, generosity, kindness and acceptance. I hope my sons recognise all the idiosyncratic elements stitched in piece by piece, because I want them to know their quilts are meaningful. But most of all I want them to feel the love I've stitched for them, and to be wrapped in that love as they sleep.

The garden is producing well at the moment so we've been able to cut back on what we buy at the shops. I thought it might be interesting to work out the cost of our food so far this week, including all meals and snacks, and see how the garden produce factors into those costs. I will also include the source of the food, from our garden, pantry, fridge, stockpile or shop.

I make a loaf of bread almost every day. This costs about $1.60 for a wholemeal, rye or white loaf. Between all of us - the humans, dogs, fish and chooks, we eat a loaf a day. When something comes from the garden, I am counting that as 0 - nil. While I'm aware that the seeds and water come at a price, that price is minimal, so I'll add $5 for the week's seeds and water. I'll add the cost of the bread and seeds to the overall cost.

MONDAY - my work day so morning tea and lunch eaten apart. DAY'S TOTAL = $1.64
Breakfast
Boiled eggs (garden - 0), homemade bread toasted (pantry), butter (10c), black tea (pantry - 10c), honey to sweeten tea (pantry - 6c). Total 26 cents.

Morning tea
None for me
Hanno - black tea/honey 8 cents, homemade biscuits - (pantry 5 cents) Total 13 cents.

Lunch Hanno
Salad sandwich on homemade bread (tomato, lettuce, cucumber from garden, avocado given to us - 0), homemade lemon cordial - 2 cents. Peaches (garden - 0). Total 2 cents.
Lunch Rhonda
Salad and cheese sandwich (cheese 10 cents, salad 0), black tea/honey 8 cents, peach (garden - 0). Total 18 cents.

Dinner
Vegetable lasagna and salad - eggplant, tomatoes, capsicum (peppers), chilli, silverbeet, lettuce, radishes, celery from garden - 0, onions (shop - 10 cents), pasta sheets (shop - 10 cents), cheese sauce - powdered milk (pantry - 20 cents, cheese (fridge - 50 cents), flour - (pantry 5 cents), butter, salt and pepper (10 cents). Dessert - fresh peaches - (garden - 0) Total $1.05.

TUESDAY - my work day so morning tea and lunch eaten apart. DAY'S TOTAL = $2.14
Breakfast
Toast with butter and homemade strawberry jam, butter (10c), black tea (pantry - 10c), honey to sweeten tea (pantry - 6c), jam (pantry - 10 cents). Total 36 cents.

Morning tea
Hanno - black tea/honey 8 cents, homemade biscuits - (pantry 5 cents) Total 13 cents.
None for me.

Lunch Hanno
Salad sandwich on homemade bread (tomato, lettuce, cucumber from garden, avocado given to us - 0), homemade lemon cordial - 2 cents. Total 2 cents.
Lunch Rhonda
Salad and cheese sandwich (cheese 50 cents, salad 0), black tea/honey 8 cents. Total 58 cents.

Dinner
Left over vegetable lasagne (0 cents) and salad - eggplant, tomatoes, capsicum (peppers), chilli, silverbeet, lettuce, radishes, celery from garden - 0, onions (shop - 5 cents). Dessert - fresh peaches (garden - 0) and bananas (shop - $1) - Total $1.05.

WEDNESDAY TOTAL = $7.88
Breakfast
Me - baked beans (pantry 25 cents) on toast - homemade bread toasted (pantry), butter (10c), Hanno - homemade quark (40 cents) on bread - black tea (pantry - 10c), honey to sweeten tea (pantry - 6c). Total 91 cents.
Morning tea
Black tea/honey - 16 cents, homemade pikelets - (flour, powdered milk, butter, whey from quark - $1) and homemade jam - 10 cents. Total $1.26.

Lunch Hanno
Salad sandwich on homemade bread (tomato, lettuce, cucumber from garden, avocado given to us - 0), tea/honey - 8 cents. Total 8 cents.
Lunch Rhonda
Egg and tomato sandwich (egg 0, salad 0), black tea/honey 8 cents. Total 8 cents.

Dinner
Spinach pie and salad - spinach (garden - 0), eggs (garden - 0), onion (shop - 20 cents), garlic (garden - 0), fresh ricotta (shop - $2.45), cheese - (fridge - 50 cents), homemade shortcrust pastry - flour (pantry 40 cents), butter (fridge - 90 cents). Salad (garden - 0). Dessert homemade yoghurt (fridge - $1), honey (pantry - 10 cents), blueberries (garden - 0) TOTAL $5.55.

THURSDAY TOTAL = $4.63
Breakfast
Me - baked beans (pantry 25 cents) on toast - homemade bread toasted (pantry), butter (10c), Hanno - homemade quark (40 cents) on bread - black tea (pantry - 10c), honey to sweeten tea (pantry - 5c). Total 90 cents.

Morning tea
Black tea/honey - 16 cents, homemade pikelets - (flour, powdered milk, butter, whey from quark - leftover from yesterday - 0) and homemade jam - 10 cents. Total 29 cents.

Lunch
Both
Salad and tuna (pantry - $2) sandwich on homemade bread (tomato, lettuce, cucumber from garden, avocado given to us - 0), tea/honey - 16 cents. Total $2.16.

Dinner
Leftover spinach pie (0) and salad (garden - 0).
Dessert
Poached peaches (garden - 0), syrup - vanilla (pantry- 50 cents), sugar (pantry - 10 cents) and Maleny Jersey cream (shop - 60 cents). Total = $1.20
Hanno - tea/honey (8 cents)

Snacks included peaches from the garden (0) and cashews from the pantry, I buy these in 1 kilo packs, so I'm guessing our snacks cost about $3. Salad dressing was made from olive oil , dry mustard, S&P (pantry) and lemon juice (freezer). I'm adding $1 for the dressing I made. Add the cost of the bread $1.60 x 4 = $6.40, the cost of gas for the cooking = $3 and various sundries I can't think of but I'll add anyway = $2.

TOTAL
Monday $1.64
Tuesday $2.14
Wednesday $7.88
Thursday $4.63
Cashews $3.00
Dressing $1.00
Bread $6.40
Gas $3.00
Chook food $2.00

Water and seeds $5.00
Sundries $2.00

TOTAL FOUR DAYS = $38.69 or $9.67 per day for two people.

This is the quark I made from my yoghurt last week. It drained for four days before I could get back to it, but that's fine as long as it's kept refrigerated. The cheese on the left is savory with cucumber, red capsicum (red pepper), green onion and salt and pepper. It's great on crackers or a sandwich. The one on the right is sweet with honey stirred through it. It's delicious on toast for breakfast. I also collected a small jug of whey that I'll use to make a cake and pikelets (flapjacks).

Housework never ends! You could work half the day just doing what needs to be done in your home, or you could work to a schedule and have your chores organised for the days during the week, but even if you stuck rigidly to your schedule, you'd still have to do it all again tomorrow or next week. Because housework never ends.

I used to struggle with this. I had real trouble coming to terms with the endless nature of it. How could you ever want to do any chore, and get joy from it, when it would never end? No matter how well I did what I had to do, there would always be something else to do tomorrow - or I would have to do the same thing, over and over again.

When I first starting living simply, this was the one thing that didn't just fall into place for me. If I wanted to live well, get joy from the simple things that made up my day and provide a good home for my family and myself, then I had to look at my chores in a different way. I am one of those women who, although I've worked outside the home most of my life, when I became a full time homemaker/housewife, I wore that badge with pride and wanted to live up to the true and full meaning of the name.

So I started thinking about the never-ending nature of housework, as that was the bit that bothered me the most. I didn't have a problem with most of the chores themselves. One of the things Hanno impressed me with early on in our relationship was his attitude of "It has to be done, I'll just do it." So I started with that and I just did what had to be done. I made sure I didn't do all the things I liked doing on the same day, and sprinkled them throughout the week so there were always days I did chores I liked doing - like cooking, baking, gardening and mending with things I didn't like so much - like cleaning toilets, ironing and vacuuming. That worked! But no matter how many times I packed the dishwasher or cleaned the shower, or how well I did it, it still had to be done the next day or next week. Hmmmmm.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. If housework never ends then I should get rid of that feeling that if I clean the fridge out or mop the floor, then that's done. Over with. Finished. Completed. All fixed. If housework never ends, then I never have to finish it. Eureka!

When I stopped thinking that I'd work through my chores, get everything finished and then they'd get messed up again so I'd have to start over again, and replaced it with I'll do the ironing, mopping, washing up, make the beds and bake today and if I don't have time for the mopping, I'll do that tomorrow, that made a difference. I continued working with chores I liked, mixed with those I didn't like so much, and that worked well for me. I also changed things to better suit the way I worked. I stopped vacuuming so much and started sweeping. I liked sweeping, so I could still keep the floors clean without the vacuum cleaner. Now I vacuum once a week and sweep the rest of the time. I stopped using the dishwasher and started washing up by hand, and found I really liked it. I stopped ironing everything we wore and now just iron my work clothes and the napkins, tablecloths and pillow slips that I like ironed. I stopped washing everything that had been used once and now only wash what is dirty or smelly - this helped reduce my washing to two or three loads a week. That made a big difference to the amount of housework I did and also cut back on our power and water usage. A big plus.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to live in a clean and comfortable home that you can enjoy with your family and friends, then housework is a part of your life. If it's inevitable then you should try to make the most of it. You might end up liking most of it, like I do. Rethink how you work. Just because you've always done something one way, it doesn't mean it has to be like that forever. If you can modify something to better suit how you work, do it. Streamline your tasks and don't aim for perfection. Take breaks. Do everything you do well and find the pleasure in it - it will be there lurking, you just have to find it. Be proud of what you achieve every day because you are providing a comfortable home for your family, you are making the most of the resources you have and looking after what you own. That is a good thing. And most of all, stop thinking that you'll never get through it all. Housework never ends, so don't try to finish it.

We started our Christmas planning yesterday. Not here at home, but at the Centre where I work. Our two main projects are Santa's Helpers and a Christmas breakfast. Both of them are a big part of this caring and open community and both require a lot of organisation.

Of course the end result of both projects is quite simple. Santa's Helpers enables us to give gifts of toys, books, games and clothes to children in our town who might otherwise go without, and we give a hamper of Christmas food, including ham and a few treats like coupons for haircuts and a box of chocolates, to their parents. Our Christmas breakfast is simply that. A breakfast that we cook for the town residents. Our local politicians come along to help with the cooking and we serve all who come along. We encourage those who are living alone or away from their families, and the homeless to join us, as well as town residents who want to meet and get to know people they otherwise wouldn't meet. Last year we served over 350 people.

And the best part is - everything, every toy, game, book, box of chocolates, bike, all clothes, bags, ham, drink, haircut, bread, salad, fruit, yoghurt, water, softdrink, eggs, croissant, and all the goodies that make up the hampers and the breakfast, is donated by the wonderful people in our town.

Christmas has always been a time of family get-togethers for me. But it can be a time of sadness and stress for a lot of people. We see that in the work we do at the Centre. Some people have too much and seem to drown in their excess and some don't have enough and feel guilty and sad because of it. We help redress those problems by encouraging those who can donate to do so, and we give those donations to people who really need them. The rest is used in a breakfast of celebrations on Christmas morning where everyone comes to sit and eat together. Often Santa calls in to have breakfast with us after he's finished visiting all the children in Australia.

Hanno and I are having a dinner with our sons a week or so before Christmas as they are both working on Christmas day. On Christmas day we will be up early to help set up for the breakfast, to cook, serve and clean up and to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas with the people we'll meet at the breakfast. It will be a very simple Christmas for us. We aren't exchanging gifts but we'll be richer for the experience of it.

What are your Christmas plans?

graphic from all posters.com

I often watch a local TV program on Sunday at lunchtime. Landline is an ABC program about all things rural and it gives a good insight into important issues facing our farmers and people in country towns in Australia.

Last Sunday their lead story was about the effect equine flu has had on the people who own horses but aren't part of the horse racing industry. For those of you who aren't local, in the past few months horse flu has devastated the Australia horse industries - there are two of them, the racing industry and the pleasure and performance industry. The latter being all those horses used for trail, pleasure and equine show riding as well as all the horses in pony clubs and horse studs. The government rushed to help the racing industry but has done very little for the pleasure and performance industry. The end result being that thousands of people who live from pay packet to pay packet are left with no income or any means to live. Those who applied for government benefits, had to wait seven or eight weeks to the first payment to come through.

Imagine living for those seven or eight weeks with no money to buy food or pay the rent or mortgage.

Watching that program and seeing the hardship many of these people are suffering made me realise, yet again, that a disaster that can effect our lives can happen at any time, even if we think it can't. I'm sure all those people who worked in those very well established horse businesses, and especially those who owned them, would have thought that the future looks bright and that nothing would threaten their livelihood. How wrong they were. And it could happen to any of us.

Although it won't fix any great problem that may impact on your life, a stockpile will help you live until you can get government help or work out a way around what has happened, whatever that is. Knowing that you have enough food in your cupboard to tide you over for a couple of months puts a comfortable buffer between your family and those unexpected and devastating things that might happen.

Both men and women have a role to play here. If you're a man who is the sole bread winner for your family, it is your responsibility to help provide food, even when there is no money coming in. If you're a homemaker, the organiser of your family finances and food buyer, you should be prepared for good times and bad. If you're a single parent who fills both roles, it is vital to think about how you will feed your children and yourself if you have no income.

Having a healthy stockpile that is used well and replenished frequently is the best way I know of to protect against the unexpected. That could be the loss of income or a national or local disaster. The side effects of saving you money and time are the icing on the cake. If you haven't got a stockpile, why not look into it and find out how you go about starting one. It will be one of your family's assets. And even if no disaster strikes or you never lose your income, you'll have a cupboard full of food that will make your life easier because you won't have to run to the shop every week. How good is that!

My simple life is changing all the time, just like any healthy process, it's not stagnant. I try to improve what I do so that I get the best results for the time and effort I put in and I'm always thinking about ways to make the more mundane chores pleasant and satisfying.

Ironing has always been a problem for me. I think it stems from when I was a nursing sister. That was way back in the days when nurses wore crisp starched white aprons that crossed over at the back, over a slightly less starched blue uniform. Cuff and collars were almost solid, it always amazed me how stiff they were, and they were attached with removable buttons. All this was held together with a belt that even though it was cotton, was starched to resemble a thin slice of steel. Naturally there were thick black stockings and big clumpy, sensible, lace up shoes. My cap, and later my veil, held enough starch to sink a ship and they were bobby pinned to my head so that movement was almost impossible. I loved that uniform. LOL It's hard to understand why because it was uncomfortable and it took a lot of time to dress, but it symbolised to me and to my patients the long line of tender care I was a part of. But that is totally off the subject.

That uniform was washed, starched and ironed for me. Each week when I picked up my laundry, it was neatly folded and the bundles firmly held with string. When I got those aprons out, they could stand upright without my help. That starch was a powerful force. ; ) I think that level of washing, starching and ironing excellence spoiled me for anything less. I didn't like ironing at all because I didn't use starch and my ironing was always floppy.

Each week when I ironed I tried to make it just another part of a pleasant day. It didn't work. I tried various things, like turning on the TV and listening to the radio, they made no difference. Yesterday I hit the jackpot. I ironed and I enjoyed it.

I think the two key elements to my success where silence and mindfulness. Why didn't I already know this! I decided on silence because I was thinking about something. I was being interviewed by email and I wanted to think about my answers as I ironed. Yes, not being mindful, I know, but let me continue. As I thought about this interview, things fell into place and I was happy with my answers. I continued on with the ironing, still in silence, and started to notice the ironing more. I thought about the clothes, how I would wear them at work, there was a button missing on Hanno's shirt so I got a needle and thread and repaired it while I stood at the ironing board. Each piece of clothing was checked to make sure it was in good repair, ironed and added to a bundle or hung on a hanger. It felt right working bit by bit through the basket, sorting, repairing, ironing and placing items into their own bundle.

THIS IS FOR THOSE SWAPPERS WHO DIDN'T RECEIVE THEIR NAPKINS

If you sent napkins in the swap and didn't receive a package, please contact Sharon at cdetroyes@yahoo.com Sharon will be sorting these stragglers out.

Sharon, I spoke with Rhonda Gay, Karen's partner. She is sending a new set of napkins as hers have been lost and the Post Office can't track them.

So basically you can't send any seeds, nuts, plants, food, animal products or anything with soil on it. It's fine to send extras in your parcel if you want to, but please check the website above to make sure we in Australia can legally receive what you send. It might also be a good idea if you're sending to other countries to ask your swap partner if they're aware of any restrictions. I will put this information in my side bar too.

Sunday is usually a restful day here in my home. We still do our regular chores but there is also a lot of sitting around and relaxation. I doubt I'll be doing that today but I hope you are. I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and that you take time to look after yourself as well as your family. Thank you for stopping by today.

I was talking to an acquaintance the other day about retirement. She asked me if Hanno and I had enough money for travelling, entertainment and "enjoying life", her words, not mine. The reason she asked was because she does have a lot of money but she's struggling to find a reason to get up every morning. Poor her. Imagine not having a reason to get out of bed.

I am catapulted out of bed every morning by the knowledge that there is a full and interesting day waiting for me. No matter how tired I have gone to bed the previous night, I always have this same enthusiasm to get up and live, really live, the next day. Living simply gives me that.

If I were to have given that woman a full and clear answer, instead of the short one I gave, I would have told her about my simple life, but I fear that some people only hear what they want to hear and I'm sure my words would have echoed somewhere in the recesses of her brain and soon been forgotten. You see, she and I have a major fundamental difference in how we view our lives. She believes that life's enjoyment is bought with dollars, and I know that is not true. She has been deceived into believing that joy is a commodity with a price tag, she believes retirees need a huge retirement payout to live well, she thinks that happiness is purchased.

As you all well know by now, I am a homemade gal. I make my own happiness. Joy ferments along with the ginger beer and sourdough right here in my home. We are happy people because we have have something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. We truly live each day and we aren't reliant on others to deliver invitations to lunch or a shopping spree to help us enjoy ourselves.

It's a commonly held belief that when you retire you sit around and just soak up life's pleasures. But unless you're almost brain dead, or incredibly lazy, sitting around gets boring after a while. It's much better to have a purpose to each day and if that purpose changes constantly, that makes for an interesting life. Humans need interest, and what finer interest is creating a wholesome life for yourself. Of course there is room for travelling and entertaining, but they're very small portions of life's abundance and complexity.

Life should be made up of the elements of living like proving food for ourselves and maintaining a comfortable and warm home, as well as those things that make our existence meaningful like nurturing our families and maintaining valuable friendships and knowing, really knowing by experience, the joy in that. All else is flim flam.