Simplifying Life

Aril

Hi virtual friends:j
I've had a lovely old style day today. I've made soup from all my lurking veggies, picked tomatoes [and had to give half to my friend as the small person and I can't eat them fast enough and we're trying to process my parents' ones too who are away for a month:eek:], made cakes and eaten sandwiches made from homemade bread with homegrown cucumber in them. All washed down with some homemade rose leaf geranium cordial. This makes me sound like Barbara Goode doesn't it but let me disillusion you just a little and say I've taken lots of shortcuts [eg idiot proof cake recipe] to achieve this. I have spent this afternoon cross stitching and snoozing and now just come across the nonny mouse idea. I've gone all warm and fuzzy:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:[or maybe that's just my age!!]
Arilx

mary43

ceridwen - pleased to hear about your Dad.
Well my days not been so simplified................had paperwork to do ready for a meeting tomorrow............had to list times of appointments that need changing for various reasons, catch up on reports so that they're up to date and somehow get it all in order so I sound as if I know what I'm on about..............lol Sat in the garden to do it as we had some warm sunshine...........didn't last though.........wind got up and papers started to blow about. Thought I'd best come in before they ended up in someone elses back yard......................lol

Domestically_Challenged

Hello everyone, I hope you don't mind me joining your thread. I've been a 'lurker' for a long time and think this thread is wonderful and so inspiring. OH and I have simplified our lives in order to pursue what we really want to do in life. We live in a small flat with small rent and have sorted out our debts into manageable payments etc. Living within a budget is fine - not a problem as it was our decision to manage with less. But what a difference to our happiness. However, what has been most noticeable are other people's attitudes. Since we made this decision, after years of being a 'people pleaser' and not being my true self, so many people have disappeared from our lives. And you know what? I can't say I'm too upset about it. I get the main impression that people think we're moving backwards rather than enriching our lives and progressing.

It's still small steps for me- I need to be better organised as I work from home now, I want to start cooking from scratch more etc, but I'm getting there.

I've loved reading the posts on here (I'm still only halfway through); it's nice to know that there are like-minded people out there.

DC x

Greenshieldstamp_2

Hello there,

What a lovely first post Domestically Challenged and welcome to Simplifying Life. Glad you could join us.

I too am so glad that Ceridwen started this thread, as I learn a lot from it. I tend to bob in and out when I am not working away and am just back so hoping to have a Simplifying week this week.

Hi Mary43 and Ceridwen and everyone, hope you have a good week too.
Bye for now.
Greenshield

Beki

What a great first post Domestically Challenged! :T

Well, today i've decided to join this thread also! I've been out and picked 64 cherry tomatoes :j and i've a feeling i'm going to have to pick the rest of them (probably at least 300!) in the next couple of days, as green tomatoes, as what with all the rain we've been having, half of the ripe toms have split

Oh well, at least the chooks will get a good feed of toms today :rotfl:

I'm going to pick a few windfalls off the ground, where we've got a big old apple tree, later - to supplement the chooks' food (a great tip that someone from here told me!) - they've been having the equivalent of about an apple a day (9 chooks - usually throw in 10 apples) - so hoping that'll keep the doctor away :rotfl:

Will also be making some scones and freezing them - to add to DD's lunchboxes to save me buying 'snacky' bits to chuck in there. Might not be any less calorific than a shop-bought cereal bar/choccie bar, but it's certainly a lot healthier and will cost a lot less

rosieben

Domestically_Challenged wrote: »

Hello everyone, I hope you don't mind me joining your thread. I've been a 'lurker' for a long time and think this thread is wonderful and so inspiring. there.
...
DC x

Hello DC, I'm more of a lurker than a poster here these days but it is a great thread! for anyone looking to simplify their life, one of the best blogs ever has to be http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ where Rhonda Jean shares their experiences. I've read all through the archives and now reading through again as there's so much to take in.

mary43

Hello DC and welcome ..............this thread, as you say, is inspiring and certainly helped me a lot in many ways,
I may not live the 'simplest' of lives (sometimes I think I create my own complications............lol) but I've at least learned to put certain things into perspective and realise whats important in life.

rosie - thanks for the link..............very good blog to read.

Hi to the rest of you...........(sorry Aril..........must have crossed posts earlier )...............

Strange week for me this week.........meeting this morning and as a result other meetings that were arranged have to be altered..........have spent half the afternoon on the phone trying to sort out everything to tie in........and still leave some 'me' time so I can catch up with my 'crafty creations' for christmas...............lol

Domestically_Challenged

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

Rosieben - I've been reading the down to earth blogspot and aspire to be Rhonda Jean when I grow up.:D

I love reading about those who have a garden and grow their own produce; it's something I hope to be able to do one day. I'm very jealous as we only have a communal garden - it wouldn't be practical to do anything out there, but I have been looking into what can be grown indoors- any suggestions would be most welcome.

Bye for now
DC x

puss14

Domestically_Challenged wrote: »

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

but I have been looking into what can be grown indoors- any suggestions would be most welcome.

Sprouts are quite easy to grow indoors. I grow cress indoors and it is great for salads and sandwiches and is very nutritious.

ceridwen

Suggestions for foodgrowing indoors tend to centre round herbs from what I can see. I think it might be possible to grow a few things like tomatoes, peppers type stuff on sunny windowsills. I have found that they have a tendency to turn towards the light and so get all bendy - must have a go at turning a cardboard box into a suitable thing to put growing containers in - ie cut off the side nearest windowglass and put reflective foil around the inside of it - which I gather means they get reflected light as well and, with that, dont bend towards the light coming through the window. Experiments to come. For anything more than that - I gather one has to think in terms of hydroponic gardening and growlights (I put a link somewheres on either my blog or Indoor Gardener blog for a sort of bookcase featured on the Mother Earth website for this purpose). There is quite a bit of info out there on using growlights for indoor gardening - much of it centred around using it for growing a certain "non-food" plant shall we say IYSWIM;) :cool: (not tried that myself I hasten to add - I dont wish to get into drugs: medicinal or "otherwise").:D I see no reason why their techniques couldnt be used for foodgrowing though - other than the size of electric bills one would be likely to have :eek:

Anyway...for now...you might like to read the blog of a virtual friend in Sweden - the Indoor Gardener - as she is experimenting with trying to grow enough food indoors in a Swedish for 3 people (it is in English):

http://indoorgardener.blogspot.com/