Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

I´m a bit late posting about this as I was away on the weekend and have been sick in bed with a cold since I got back. I have been keeping up to date with my reading and the exercises in the book though and I´ve decided to make a collage journal to share here aswell as a written one for me - above is the title page and I´ll be adding a new page - front and back - for each of the 28 days. I look forward to getting to know some of you during these next weeks - all the best to everyone!

My View

When Erich has left for work and the boys have left for school in the morning, I open the windows to let in the new day and this is what I see.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Here´s a cake recipe where I´ve replaced vegetable oil with apple sauce.

Ingredients: 4 free-range eggs, 1&1/2 cups brown sugar, 50g melted or grated chocolate, 1 cup applesauce, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Preheat your oven to medium. Beat the eggs, sugar and chocolate with a mixer until thick and creamy(about 3 minutes) then add the applesauce a little at a time while beating on high. Combine the flour and baking powder, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour a little at a time until just mixed through. Bake at medium heat for about 45minutes. My kids love this cake and I make it atleast twice a week. You can add a chocolate glaze and whipped cream for special occasions.

Apple Harvest

We are so lucky to live in an area where apples grow in abundance. I have a few friends who call me around this time of year and offer me baskets of apples. My favourite thing to do with them is eat them fresh ofcourse but I also like to make apple sauce...it´s so easy. I make it in batches over a few days while I cook dinner so it doesn´t use up a lot of extra time. Here´s how: give the apples a quick rinse, quarter and deseed them and put them in a large pot with a little water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for about 45minutes. Purée with a blender or bamix. Place some clean jars in a shallow dish of hot water and pour the apple sauce into the jars while hot. Use a potholder to put the lids on tightly. After the jars have cooled down and "popped" they keep in a cool place for atleast half a year. I use apple sauce in all cake and muffin recipes in place of butter or oil - a lot healthier and cheaper and tastier too.

DANCE!

I saw this at Hanna´s, it put a big smile on my face.

Dancing on Planet Earth

Holidays

Last week we returned from a wonderful holiday on the Istrian Coast in Croatia and Northern Italy. It was the perfect end to a long, warm summer as next week it´s back to school for the boys. We stayed in Umag, Croatia for a week, spent a day in Rovinj and travelled home via Triest (Mira Mare), Grado and Udine, Italy. Having grown up in Australia, I LOVE SUMMER! And I´m so happy to have discovered Istria where you can spend lazy days at the beach, surrounded by nature and without thousands of people around. The most wonderful moments were at sunset...watching my boys - who are all grown up theses days, being kids again.

Our Place

Update 101 Things in 1001 Days

19.Changed to : take part in sports competition. DONE!
Yesterday 2 friends and I took part in a mini triathlon relay for the first time. I swam 500 meters, Astrid cycled 32km and Ali ran 7km. Over 500 athletes took part - it was a day full of challenges and new experiences and as you can see, we finished smiling.

IT`S FINISHED!

I have really enjoyed making this quilt...I had it spread out over my coffee table and every time I sat down to watch TV or had a few moments to myself, I stitched away. It was very meditative work and it´s a joy to look at. Look back here and here to see my progress along the way.

MARVELOUS MEME

I saw this great meme over at Jamie´s blog and couldn´t wait to try it...
(Click here to see who all the wonderful photos are from.)

Here´s how you do it...
type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search, using only the first page, choose an image, copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).The questions:
1.What is your first name?
2.What is your favorite food?
3.What high school did you attend?
4.What is your favorite color?
5.Who is your celebrity crush?
6.Favorite drink?
7.Dream vacation?
8.Favorite dessert?
9.What do 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.

HAVE FUN! And please leave me a link in the comments so I can see yours too!

It´s about time...

...to make some real career changes. I have resigned my teaching job and will be finishing up at the end of the month. I am giving myself the summer to design a concept and the autumn for education to improve my skills and then start fresh in the new year.
Stay tuned for collages, visual journaling and inspirational articles helping me on my way. Read this, it will get you moving too.

My first tutorial!

A quilted washing machine cover...

This was my washing machine before – boring and white. Here´s a tutorial for a quilted cover to brighten up your wash days. First choose fabrics that
look good together, florals, stripes, plains, whatever you like. Choose also a piece for the backing and cut it to fit the top of your machine, with about 2cm (3/4inch) seam
allowance on all sides. Take a strip of one of your plain fabrics and cut out some small pieces of clothing with a small pair of scissors (they don´t have to be perfect – I cut out half a piece, then fold over and cut the other half along the same lines). Pin the clothing pieces to your plain fabric.


Lay out a mix and match of fabrics to your liking, overlapping the pieces a little (seam allowance). When your happy with the look of your quilt you can start sewing. Sew the little clothing pieces to the plain fabric using the smallest zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine and the same colour thread as the background fabric. Then sew a washing line connecting the pieces along the top and some little pegs in a contrasting colour. Take your fabric pieces and start pinning and sewing together same length seams, (ironing the seams to one side on the back as you go). This gives you swatches with same length seams which you then sew together until you have one big piece. (You may have to sew extra pieces of fabric to some swatches to get the right size). Take the finished front side and turn it face down onto the right side of your backing fabric making sure the outer sides correspond. Start pinning from the middle outwards and when everything is nice and flat, sew a 2cm (3/4inch) around the outside (sewing forwards and backwards a few times at each end) leaving a gap of 10 cm on one side for turning. Cut straight across each corner for a nice finish and then carefully turn your fabric the right way out, iron the seam allowance at the opening inwards and secure with pins. Pin the top and backing fabrics together from the middle outwards until everything is nice and flat. Using a large zig-zag stitch and a contrasting

thread, sew over the seams and then zig-zag around the outside including the opening. Give your little cover a quick iron and let it brighten up your bathroom, laundry or wash room!

I could do anything.....

...if I only knew what it was. (the german version is pictured on the left, above the tulips from a friend´s garden- here´s the english version) That´s the book I reached for after I read Jamie´s tarot reading. I have had issues with my job/carrier choice in the past but recently there´s been so much going on in other areas of my life and I have pushed those issues aside and gone with the flow. Let´s just say that Jamie´s reading woke me from hibernation and I immediately knew something had to be done. I can recommend Barbara Sher´s books if you feel unsatisfied or need help finding a direction.
I had a lot of issues that I was unsatisfied with when I started this blog back in December 2005- family life, organisation, household, body issues, love-life, job. I have worked on these areas one by one and I feel like I´ve come such a long way towards living the life I really want. My children are happy, healthy, growing and learning, I recently married a wonderful man, I have managed to reduce our possesions and time thieves, I take care of my body and feel good in my skin.
I have a job teaching business english and although it´s rewarding to see people learning and the job is quite flexible and well paid - it doesn´t satisfy me. I need to make things and be admired for it. That is satisfying for me...not just to teach but also to awaken a positive feeling in others that wasn´t there before. I have worked with the above book for a week now and I know a lot more than before. And last Friday(hey presto!) the owner of my favourite book store asked me to make some book bags for her shop. I feel like I´m on my way!!!

Dreamboard

I am well on my way, but not quite there yet, so this is my dreamboard.
More dreamboards here.

Love...

...is a wonderful thing!

Getting ready...

1. Our wedding invitation. 2.Little treat baskets. 3. Love heart name cards.

SWAP!

Amazing but true, I have recieved 2 copies of this lovely spring edition of Marie Claire Idées. I´d love to swap one for an art/craft or home decorating magazine from a different country...anyone interested?