Happy New Year – 2015 is here

Happy new year everyone.

Our family is enjoying some time together at the moment so I have been able to stop and refocus what 2015 will (fingered crossed) look like.

I know my blog has been very quite last year as I struggled with my health and refocused control over this.

What is installed for 2015.

I’ve been planning ideas to post about simply living, living a toxic free life, healthy family meals, frugal saving ideas, craft ideas, and living with teenagers.

I’m praying that you stay with me and we enjoy 2015 together.

Love
Sam xxx

2015 here we come

I’m still here the past 3 months have been crazy.

In September my beautiful grandmother passed away, my health hasn’t been the best, my youngest son has had a few issues with school and I’ve been working hard both at my paid job and with my little craft business.

Over this Christmas break I’m going to be working through this two books.

Its written by the iBloom Team.

I have been praying about what things God has in plan for me next year.
I know it involves reclaiming my health, we (my husband & I) will be stating on 18 Jan 2015 working throughout The Paleo Way by Australian Chef Peter Evans. It involves 10 weeks of learning to cook clean and fitness. When I think how much we have spent in 2015 on medication and doctors $99 is a small price to pay.

Here is the link if you want to join us. http://www.thepaleoway.com

I have a few ideas for my little business at Four Red Hens. I’m looking at naturally dyeing Australian yarn for resale. Plus adding some new items I will be making for markets.

I also have become a Young Living affiliate and sell essential oils and health products. What I love above these oils it I’m able to make items that I would normally buy and not know what is in them. This way I control everything. My on line business is called Wellness Today.

Here is the my web page https://www.youngliving.org/wellnesstoday

I’m heading to my parents home before Christmas with our youngest as my dad is very sick. He had a heart attack last Sunday afternoon and I’m wanting to make sure mum (and him) are ok. My brother has gone away with his wife on a cruise with her family around New Zealand and won’t be back till the new year.

Then my other two men arrive and we all head to the beach for a well earned rest at the beach.

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and safe New Year.

I promise to not leave it so long between post in 2015.

God Bless
Sam xxx

Second time at this – August Wrap up

Wow time is going so fast before we know it it will be 2015.

I told myself I would keep up to date with my blogging and yet again I’m behind. So below is a wrap up of August and what I’ve been up

Hope everyone enjoyed August.

Take care
Sam xxx

Oops something just went very wrong

Please disregard my previous post. Something went very wrong on my iPad and it published before I even had really started.

Stay turned. The full post will be coming today.

Sam xxx

It’s Tuesday and the 2nd week of Sept.

Wow time is going so fast before we know it it will be 2015.

I told myself I would keep up to date with my blogging and yet again I’m behind. So below is a wrap up of August and what I’ve been up

Hope everyone enjoyed August.

Take care
Sam xxx

Baking Bread again

This morning I decided to make a loaf of GF soda bread. I found the recipe on a Thermomix website (details are at the bottom of my blog). I have been trying to make a sourdough starter which has been a disaster so I tried this one this morning. It has a different taste but I popped some butter and jam on it and it was lovely.

Gluten free Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS
Dry ingredients

230 g brown rice
100 g dried chickpeas
100 g arrowroot or tapioca starch
2 tsp baking soda
3.5 tsp GF baking powder
2 tsp celtic sea salt
2 tsp xanthan gum

Wet ingredients

310 g whole milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
4 large eggs
80 g rice bran oil
40 g maple syrup (real)

Pre heat oven to 190ºC or 180ºC fan forced.
Line heavy bread tin 26.5 x 10.5 x 10.5 cm with baking paper.
Place rice and chickpeas into TM bowl and mill for 1 min on speed 9. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix for 6 seconds on speed 6.
Add wet ingredients and mix for a maximum of 15 seconds on speed 6.
Transfer the thick batter to lined bread tin, spread it out evenly with a spatula, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a skewer remains clean after insertion in the loaf. Immediately remove loaf from bread tin and baking paper. Wrap in a clean tea towel then leave in an upright position to cool on a rack. The loaf can be sliced up with an electric bread knife, frozen whole (preferably in a large ziplock bag to minimize ice crystals) then individual slices removed from the loaf and thawed as required.

Notes:
Failsafe version
Use white sugar
Milk can be soy, rice or A2
substitute vinegar for citric ‘lemon’ juice (use 2 tsp of 1/3 tsp citric acid dissolved in 2 Tbsp warm water)
oil e.g. rice bran oil or sunflower (Crisco) which don’t contain unlisted antioxidants

This recipe is from The Recipe Community a Thermomix website. It has the name of the lady who posted on the site also.

Let me know if you what you think if you try it.

Love
Sam xxx

The Dreamers Market wrap up

Where is the time going? This morning is the first morning I don’t have to organise my boys out the door before 9am for soccer. Everyone is still in bed at 8am enjoying a sleep in, all but me (of course).

I’ve know I have been MIA between posts this was because I was busy getting everything made for The Dreamers Market that Robyn @ Arjay Creations and I attend on the 9 August.

I left home at 6.30am to pick up Robyn and pack all her goodies into my car and headed off at 7am to be at our destination before 8am. We like to get there early so we can get the good parking spot. The markets opened at 9.30am and finished at 2.30pm. We caught up with our market friends and our regular customers popped in to say hi and spend some money with us.

This was my little corner

This was Robyn’s little corner

These photos are from Robyn’s blog pop over and see what she has been sharing.

We both had a good day and bought less home which is great but know we both need to getting making again for the next market.

Mark your diaries now the next market is around the corner (both Robyn and I have reapplied to attend but we need to wait till Sept to find out if our applications have been accepted)

Also I’m spending time over on Instagram, you can find me @ sammyjaneclarke
somedays I find this quicker and easier to stay in touch.

Today I’m making some GF sourdough bread so I will update you all how this goes next time.

Take care
Sam xxxx

Crocheting

A few weeks ago Robyn Arjay Creations and I went and spent the day learning how to crochet. We went to a class at Kim Bradley Creations and the amazing Cath was our teacher.

Some of the items that everyone completed on the day.

I have been teaching myself by watching youtube which is a life saver. You can stop and replay when I get it wrong.

So this week I made a small blanket for one of my children who is a fan of the Western Sydney Wanders which is a soccer team.

My next crochet project is to make myself a shawl. It’s called Nordic Shawl.

I think it will take a while to complete this project.

Thanks
Sam xxx

A Winters Day

Below are some photo’s I’ve just taken on a walk about of our home.

This is hanging on our front door. The lovely Robyn from Arjay Creations made this for me.

These two cats have been dumped and arrived at our front door. The black one is wild so he won’t let us pat him, the other one we have called Toby loves a cuddle and looks after the black one.

I was given some comfrey shoots from Rhonda at Down to Earth. It’s died back for the winter.

Some herbs just making it through the winter

Cauliflower anyone?

Cabbage is just surviving from the bugs.

Look

It looks like I need to pick some peas.

Passion fruit is still hanging on

I’m growing to plant strawberries here

Next season I’m going to try a new idea instead of soil. I’ve been reading about it at Back to Eden

This guy watches over everything.

Love
Sam

Camden Country Quit Fair

Today I’m reposting a blog post from Robyn (my crazy crafting partner Arjay Creations. Yesterday we went to visit Camden to there beautiful Country Quilt Fair.

Here is the link to today’s post Sewing the Seasons.

I took my photos on my phone and don’t know how to get them onto my iPad hence sharing Robyn’s.

Here is a few things I picked up

Sam xxx