my creative space.

i've had a couple of projects on the go for a little while now...

a bamboo blankie...



it's coming along nicely, and i'm kind of loving the random assortment of colours that are coming through. i'm using a random number generator to help me choose...
i think there'll be a LOT of pink leftover ha ha!

i've also been working away on these beauties...



they're getting quite close to being finished, and i'm super excited because the one that is done, FITS! well fitting socks are cause for celebration ha ha!

what's happening in your creative space this week?

green love.

shhhhh! if you're very quiet and you look closely, you can see some signs that spring isn't far away...



little leaves unfurling slowly, on my grape plant.

and on my strawberry plant...



some new leaves are popping through the soil too.

and then, there are some not so subtle signs of spring...



hello beautiful daffodils!

and for my cousin,



my pineapple plant! it's sloooooooowly getting a bit taller... only a good couple of years before i'm picking pineapples ha ha!

what's growing in your patch this week?

le cape.

the cape i've been test-knitting for tracey, is finally done!
well to be honest, it's been done for quite a few weeks now, it's just taken me a while to get it photographed and up on here!



i guess technically it's still not finished... i'd like to put some buttons on there one day, but at the moment, this lovely brooch is doing the trick.

i'm super happy with how this beauty has turned out and have been wearing it pretty much non-stop!

ravelled.

what have you been knitting lately?

meal planning monday.

monday again! last week's meal plan went a little better than the week before, here's hoping we keep the ball rolling...



today, it's my birthday! mum and dad came down to visit and we went out for lunch to celebrate, and i think i'll request delicious thai takeaway for dinner.

tomorrow night, i'll be off to ballet straight from work. so i'm hoping to throw some satay chicken in the slow cooker to come home to. maybe i should get some chicken out of the freezer now actually...

wednesday night, i'll whip up some carbonara. lots of bacon in the fridge that needs using, as well as loooooooots of eggs!

thursday night, i'll grab some pork out of the freezer and throw together a stir-fry. meat, vegies, noodles, some kind of sauce. too easy.

friday night, i'll be working late. osso bucco in the slow cooker should be nice to come home to. yep!

saturday night, i'm working during the day so i think i'll leave bb in charge of the cooking. i feel like all i'll want is a glass of wine ha ha!

sunday, i have my fingers crossed that bb and i will get some cooking and preparation down for the week ahead. the next week will be a major one for me that's for sure!

what are you eating this week?

green love.

another sunny sunday the weekend just gone means a little bit more time outside, pottering about and getting stuff done and tidied.

the plants that i took down to the farm while i was house-sitting, i brought home with me on sunday.



they all needed new pots, with a bit more room. and now they're quite desperate for a fertilise.
i meant to get out and do that today, but it wasn't the best day healthwise, mentally or physically. all i managed was a tray of these babies, chocolate and achieving something easy and tangible definitely helped things on both counts ha ha!

i managed to kill the fern i had happening in this pot. a combination of getting too hot from the heater, and not enough water were it's downfall i think.



i propagated some ivy from the masses growing on the fence in the backyard though, so i'm hoping that'll get lovely and drapy and tangly and look amazing in this pot.
fingers crossed!

while i was outside, i got to staking my broad beans.



with all of those flowers happening, i feel that there might be a fair bit of weight coming along soon...
again, fingers crossed!

and lastly, some of the seeds i planted last weekend have already started to pop up.



i'm not sure whether these little guys are spinach, or rocket... but it won't be long until it should be clear! now to keep the damned possums away!

what's popping up in your patch at the moment? how do you go keeping ferns alive?

meal planning monday.

last week's meal plan, in truth, never came about. an absolute shambles of a week in terms of our dinner's going to plan! of the 5 meals i had planned out, we managed one. ONE!
terrible!

hopefully this meal plan sticks a little better! wish me luck!



tonight, i threw together a meal from what i had around. pork steak from the freezer, marinated in some soy, ginger, chilli, garlic and lime zest. some noodles from the pantry. and some pak choy from the garden. fresh, easy, delicious.

tomorrow night, i've got ballet. but i've also got the day off. i think i'll let bb off the hook and have something prepared by the time i have to leave. meatballs will do the trick.

wednesday is ncb night. easy cooking wise, as i'll grab something while i'm out, and bb can cook himself up some noodles or something.

thursday night will need an easy meal. pesto pasta. done.

friday, i'm working late. i think i'll definitely put something in the slow cooker as coming home to no dinner the last few weeks after work has been no fun! satay chicken is pretty easy to throw together so i think that'll be a winner.

over the weekend, i'm working, so i'm hoping bb gets his cooking mojo happening and whips me up some delicious meals to eat!

what are you eating this week? do you ever have weeks where some things just don't go to plan?

august.

whew. the year is well over half over now, and i still feel like it's only just begun!
wasn't january just yesterday? seriously?

my goals for july, were a little more realistic than my goals for june... and i pretty much got everything done!

my cousins socks are all done! my cape is done (i'll share that next week hopefully)! one of the two blankies i was swatching is done (and i'm hoping to get some photos taken this weekend, and in the shop early next week), and the other is well on it's way now! i took my lunch to work every day (bar two, towards the end of the month...) and as a result, bb and i have saved a bit more than normal this month. and THAT always puts a smile on my face!
and as i posted on wednesday, there are some spinach and rocket seeds over where my onions WERE growing...

amazing!



the above picture is one i snapped today, the first day of august and the coldest of the year. it hailed like crazy while mum and i were heading home from visiting ma, and the roads were SUPER icy!
we were super grateful to get home safely as we saw a couple of crashes, bit scary!

anywho, plans for august...

i'm aaaaaaaalmost finished up one of the green socks i've been knitting for myself, so i'd love to get both of those finished by the end of the month. as well as finish up the other baby blankie i'm working on... i think that'll keep me pretty busy, but in case i run out of thing to knit, i've got a ball of wool to knit myself up a beanie with. i've lost my one and only beanie! big oops at this time of the year!

i'm hoping to get outside and plant out the onion seedlings i left at mum and dad's in the next couple of days. And i'm also hoping to keep things neat and tidy in the garden at my place, getting some mulch down and getting everything organised for spring's arrival next month! woohoo!

what are you up to this month? do you have ambitious plans?