meal planning monday.

oops! last week's meal plan did NOT exactly go to plan. tuesday night, and the two nights i had planned to go out went as i had planned, but the rest, nope!
hopefully this week will be a little different!



tonight, i'll throw together some haloumi patties for dinner. and there should be leftovers for lunches too! yippee!

tomorrow night, i'm back at ballet, so a-slow cookering i will be. satay chicken will be quick and simple and easy. but most importantly, delicious!

wednesday night, i've got fancy plans. beef wellington. a new recipe so wish me luck! the recipe i'm using looks pretty simple so hopefully it'll be ok!

thursday, i'm working late. i'll whip up an old favourite in casarecce with fennel and chorizo before i head to work so i have something to eat on my break and bb has something to come home to.

friday night, i'm heading out with my family to celebrate my brother and a close family friend becoming another year older. it should be super fun!

saturday night, i think i might try out another new recipe! well kind of... i want to make pad thai, which i have definitely made before. however i normally use a sauce out of a jar, and tonight, from scratch! wish me luck!

sunday night, i might try for the roast chicken i had planned last weekend. here's hoping it actually happens this week!

what are you eating this week? have you ever made beef wellington before?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.

this has been my staple lunch almost every day this week...



a bowl of spinach leaves, some tomato, cucumber, maybe some carrot and a WHOLE lotta goat's cheese. so delicious!

i've made a start on one of my goals for this month...



i'm trying to grow a kombucha mother, so that i can brew my own. it's something i've been reading up on for a little while, and, well, i'm doing it!
it definitely won't be a goal i'll get finished in this month, as it can take up to a month to grow the mother (or scoby as it's also called), and then the fermentation process for a batch takes another couple of weeks... i'll get there though!

sampson has been helping me with my knitting.



or helping me to not knit...

and i bought myself something lovely online which arrived in my postbox on thursday...



i do love brown paper packages, tied up with string.

particularly when they contain...



beautiful vintage dresses! sophie is having a wee instagram de-stash over at her retro adventures. be sure to check it out if you love anything vintage.

how has your week been? do you drink kombucha? what's your favourite thing to have in a salad?

green love.

one of the goals i wrote on tuesday's list, was to have a bit of green time, everyday. my goal is to spend a bit of time out in my garden everyday. not necessarily a huge chunk of time, it might only be 5 minutes or so, but just enough time to get at least one task done a day. maybe getting the plants watered, or pulling some weeds or dead growth from a bed or a pot. little jobs, working me towards a neat, tidy and productive little space.

it's going well so far!



i FINALLY got my act together and got some tomatoes planted out!
i had four poor plants that were languishing in teeny pots in a box next to my front door, i hope they still do ok.
i'm also trying to keep them (and the barely surviving chilli plant i planted last year on bb's request) safe with the bird netting. stay away possums!

the potatoes i planted seem to be pretty happy...



though i do need to top up the bags again. so excited about the prospect of home grown potatoes!

tidying up this strawberry box was one of my little 5 minute jobs this week.



there was a whole heap of dead growth on the plants (oops, forgot to water properly on the hot days!) as well as quite a few weeds. looking good now though!

i left the job of pulling out my broad bean plants a little bit late...



and it's growing again! OOPS! oh well, fresh broad beans will never go astray.

and finally, my yard is looking a bit tidier than last time...



phew! feeling a lot happier in this space now. and now to keep it up!

how's your green space looking? how much time do you spend tending your patch?

2015

it's 2015 and it has been for a few days now... but i've been feeling a little bit lost.
some years, i have HEAPS of ideas and plans for the new year, but this year, my plans and ideas have been a bit slower coming...

but i'm getting there!
i decided to play along with sophie and make a little list. not quite 30 things like her, but 21. because why not!



get my passport sorted.
green time. every day.
reduce my yarn stash.
sort out our bed linen.
try new recipes.
get preserving.
wear more dresses.
read one book a month.
get back to duolingo-ing. french!
keep growing my hair.
make some clothes.
eat alfresco more. it's fun!
keep up with my blogging.
learn to spin.
explore more.
watch a sunrise.
try and put something new in my shop every month.
keep saving (and maybe even buy a house!)
be more organised with gifts. handmade/homegrown all the way!
get baking. bread, biscuits, cakes, yum!
make time for friends and family.

and while i'm at it, this resolution thing, i've been thinking about a word for the year. yep, a nice big list of things to do AND one word to go with too...
bron has a list of words on her blog too...

anywho, the word that keeps popping up in my brain when i think of this year is CHANGE. and how it might happen this year, and how i want to be ok with it.
sometimes i get a little caught up when things CHANGE because i get nervous about not knowing how things are going to turn out but CHANGE is ok. CHANGE is good. and fun and natural.

what are your plans for the year ahead? have you made a list? or do you have a word? or both??

meal planning monday.

first meal plan for 2015!
i've missed having a meal plan the last few weeks... can't wait to get back into it today!



tonight, i'll grab some lamb chops from the butcher in my lunch break, and serve them up with a big heap of salad. perfect summer dinner!

tomorrow night, i think a frittata will do the trick. again, with a big heap of salad.

wednesday night, i'm back at ncb! looking forward to catching up with some lovely ladies and grabbing something yummy for dinner.

thursday night, i'll put together some baked fish parcels with some asian greens. quick, easy and delicious!

friday night, i'm working late, but before i head off, i'll throw together some haloumi patties. i can take some to work with me that way, and bb can fry some off when he gets home.

saturday night, i'm hoping to catch up with some friends who we haven't seen in an age. can not wait!

and sunday night, maybe a roast chicken? there's one in the freezer, and i'm on a bit of a mission to clear that out at the moment... should be delicious!

what are you eating this week? what's your favourite summer meal?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.

we've had a couple of super hot days this week.



but once the cool change hit, i was on the front steps, with my knitting and a cider. bliss.

one of the gifts i received for christmas was some itunes vouchers.



i don't know that my brother (the gifter) would approve of my purchases though... i've been enjoying myself though!

i have been eating so much fruit!



my bench and my vegie crisper is full and i can't get enough!

and another of the awesome gifts i received for christmas.



a preserving kit! my mumma knows me very well! can't wait to get preserving some awesome things!

and finally... the scarf i got to knitting when the cool change came through, well it's my first finish for 2015!



and it's up in my shop already too!

how has your week been? were you gifted anything excellent over the holidays?

january.

well hellooooooooo january! oh and 2015 too!

i had an incredibly early night last night and did not even come close to seeing in the new year. but it was just what i needed! i woke up this morning feeling good for the first time in many, many days. so grateful for that!

anywho, after my obsessive organising the other day, i've got lots of knitty plans for this month, but first... my goals for december were pretty simple.
get the purple socks finished...



done! i also finished up my kris kringle presents just in time...

i got a brand new oven installed too, but there's hasn't been a huge amount of baking done in it yet... maybe this month.

anywho, january, what do i have instore for you?
well there's a linen stitch scarf that i started after christmas that i'd like to get finished and into my shop, as well as the colourful socks i started back here aaaand a beanie or two from my stash of bagged patterns.



i'd also really like to get back into the swing of baking (though i don't know how friendly the weather will be on that front) as well as meal planning! i well and truly fell off that bandwagon in december, at the expense of my health and my back pocket!
making up some kombucha is also on the list. i tried it a few months ago and really enjoyed it, and after the state of my tummy the last couple of days, i think it will be the perfect tonic!

what are your plans for the month ahead? have you tried kombucha?