The Beauty of Baking Soda

Reflecting on my blog about my homemade face cream, I just had to share another find that keeps the bank balance happy and has so many different uses - baking soda!!!

I come from a long line of women who are obsessed, boardering freaky crazy with cleaning and if you ask what's the best product to clean a specific item, they will whip it out in less than 5 seconds and then proceed to waffle off for hours about how it came to be.

Imagine their surprise when I asked for a healthier, more natural way of cleaning products so that the expensive waste management system & tank that we have on the Ponderosa doesn't get ruined with the 100s of chemicals the products today are usually flushed down our drains today.- answer from my aunty in less than 2 seconds ... baking soda & white wine vinegar!!  I was impressed and knew one of them would know. 

So I tried it in our bathroom and I was really impressed at how white everything came up, but the smell ... it's pretty strong alright!!!  In fact, I went on the web and found a number of different ways these two ingredients can be used either together OR by themselves and I've got to using vinegar to disinfectant the chicken coop every 6-12 months to get rid of any bugs that might cause harm to them.

My favourite for baking soda has to be as an exfoliant on the body and my face.  I used to spend $100's of dollars buying expensive skin products to exfoliate and even found a couple of micro dermabrasion products.

Imagine my surprise when I tried out baking soda.  Yip, simply add a little water to a handful of baking soda to make a paste and exfoliate all over your body .. in the shower of course.  It leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth, but you do need to be careful not to apply too much pressure especially on your face and neck or else it will feel like you're using sand paper.

 

 

At about $2 for 500 grams, baking soda is a more natural, cost effective way to clean your home and your body.  I keep a huge glass jar in my bathroom at all times and choose to exfoliate twice a week, finishing off with my homemade face cream OR simply moisturising with some coconut oil .. my second best beauty product in the house.

 

Happy living people!!



Happy Mothers Day!!

What a wonderful day spent with my beautiful family on mothers day.  My daughters cooked me a lovely light breakfast, followed by a trip to collect my fabulous mum to have coffee and cake before a little quick shopping then off to Mavis & Co for a high tea with my sisters and nieces that afternoon.

Over the years I have enjoyed spending this day with my family, but this year was particularly important as my beautiful grandmother has fallen ill and needs 24/7 care now.  She is 85 years old and lives with my mum full time and for all the females to spend the day together, creating memories and being grateful for each other was something we all looked forward too. 

Nan is the matriarch of our family and her illness has made me realise just how mortal we are on this earth and how important it is to hold on to ones independance for as long as you are able.  This has always been something extremely important to nan, and she has fought for this all her life.  It's sad how age and illness begins to define you to a point where your independence becomes more and more restricted.

My father constantly reminds me that there are two most important things in life for everyone.  The first is your health.  If you look after your health then the world is your oyster.  When you are young and invincible you have an opinion that there's plenty of time to sort that all out, but now I am older, I see the relevance in my fathers theory.

The second most important thing is your family.  Friends and even partners may come and go, but your family will always be there to support you no matter what.  This could not be more true in today's instance with my beautiful nan.  Although her health is deteriorating, her family are constantly there supporting her through this time in her life.

My nan overlooking the Ponderosa nearl 18 months ago.

Unfortunately, nan recieved an invitation to visit Taranaki to spend the weekend with her son and his family. Well, unfortunate for me as she wasn't able to enjoy the day planned .. (which I wasn't too happy about), but extremely fortunate for my uncle and his family as they got to spend quality time with other members of her family. Something Nan isn't able to do as often as she would like. I know I must learn to share her, although in these days, I'm finding it a little difficult to do so.

High tea on Mothers Day

The high tea was absolutely wonderful, the food was amazing but the company was exquiste.

Have a wonderful day people!!

 

Revamped Fireplace

When you purchase a 100 year old villa in New Zealand, you do it because you like the character of that style of home.  Their high ceilings, enormous hallways, large rooms, structural detailing, fireplaces, native timber  .... the list goes on.   You definitely don't do it because of the warmth .. (of the heating kind).

The homestead on the Ponderosa still has it's two original open fireplaces, however previous owners had replaced the old coal range (gggrrrrr!!!!) with a wood burner which had seen better days.

During the first winter we got to experience how the fires worked in conjunction with each other and although I like an open fire, they really aren't as effective for a 3.5 metre stud house.  The result was we spent most of our winter living down by the wood burner.  The ceilings in that space are slightly lower and the fire was more efficient in heating the space .. along with us. 

During the second winter we were more prepared with firewood and got to understand the timing of lighting the wood burner and the open fire in the lounge so that by nightfall the house was comfortable.  By the end of that winter, devastation happened.  Our poor wood burner "shat" itself so to speak which meant a replacement needed to be made and an opportunity to give the "fireplace" a new lease of life.

Out with the old wood burner, tiles and mantle and in with the new .. finished off with a nice couple of coats of paint.

Ole faithful with her lovely terracotta tiles and wooden surround

The new fireplace with a revamped surround and new tiles

The first fire for 2014

You may be horrified to see that the surround has been painted and that the terracotta tiles have been replaced with black painted, fire resistant lining, but after two years of pondering over the homestead on the Ponderosa, I decided that I had to let the wood look go if I was to achieve the result I wanted. 

I envisaged a black wood burner to blend into a black backdrop so there was more emphasis on the flames themselves when the fire was lit.  The fresh, crisp, white surround was simply to match the rest of the room once it has been completed.  A clear white canvas to compliment the rest of the decor that will be in that space.  The cork floor will be replaced with light ceramic tiles that have a wooden floorboard effect. 

Well that's what I saw in my head and the biggest task was convincing my husband of my vision.  He will be the first person to admit that he couldn't see it and wasn't a fan of painting over the wood, but after seeing the finished product he was more than impressed - as was I.

There is an even bigger plan for the actual space this fireplace lives in, as it entails an extension that will push the entire eastern wall 5 metres to create an open plan living, dining and kitchen area with a deck overlooking the paddocks of the Ponderosa.  The fireplace will remain as is of course, but that extension isn't the priority yet.  The lounge room is :-)

Have a great day people!!

Hammock Garden

I've been trolling through old photo's of the garden and found some with our hammock.  Yes we have a hammock garden .. a place where we can rest, relax and reflect on whatever it is that you want to reflect on.

We've always had a hammock since our first home and enjoyed the thought of laying outside under a tree listening to natures best, reading a book and probably falling asleep.

When it came time to move into our second home, there was no place for a hammock.  That home had everything you could possibly want ... crammed into a 680 m2 section with an outdoor pool.  No trees to swing from, so a mattress on the courtyard with lots of pillows was the answer.

Enter the Ponderosa ... hammock paradise - it really was!!!  We just had to decide where to put it which didn't take long at all.  

The beginning ... the pooch lazing in the sun while my husband reads a book in the hammock

Add a small rustic cable reel to rest those essentials such as a glass or book

Add a bigger cable reel for an additional sitting area

I'm really happy with this garden.  It has a wonderful outlook onto the paddocks and rose garden.  The table provides a wonderful resting area for afternoon refreshments, and kids just love to hop in the hammock and have a play around.

In future I do envisage adding more plantings to the garden itself and some lighting in the trees for a little ambiance so watch this space.

Happy living people!!

Front Boundary Gets The Chop

If there's one thing I love about the Ponderosa is the wonderful mature trees on the property.  Not only do they provide privacy, but they give a majestic ambience that makes you wonder what stories they could share with you over their years.  It so relaxing to sit on the porch and gaze out over the land and look and listen to them swaying in the breeze.

During the different seasons the trees give a whole new take on the Ponderosa.  In the summer, the land is filled with lush foliage providing necessary privacy and shelter for us and the animals and not to mention fruit.  The autumn brings amazing autumn colours followed by the lose of leaves which help organically feed & treat our stock .. and not to mention fruit.  Winter the trees look dormant & sad while the birds nests become visable from below.  Then there's spring which brings new growth with new blossoms and colour into the garden and with it comes a sense of revival as the days become warmer and new fruit starts to emerge.  Out of all the seasons, I would have to say autumn and spring are my best times to sit and enjoy the trees and what they have to offer, either by listening to the breeze, birds chirping or the fruit they bear for our consumption.

So .... you could imagine my disappointment when I recieved a phone call from the NZTA saying they needed to widen our road, which meant taking the row of wonderful mature trees on our front boundary.  I was equally annoyed when they tried to say the trees serve no real value or purpose.  Grrrrr!!!  Enter my husband who had the task of negotiation.

 

The trees in the background - not a good angle I know

The trees coming down 

The trees all gone :-(

I do miss those trees on the front boundary and I'm not a fan of the Ponderosa being exposed to the road .. and all that comes with it.  The bonus is we get to plant new trees along the entire length of the new fenceline so I just need to decide what, when, why and how so stay tuned for the continuation of this story.  Hopefully I can create an outlook of tranquility from within and privacy from outside the Ponderosa which mets our needs.

Happy living peeps!

 

New Chicks On The Block

It's been just over 2 years since we embarked on the journey of having chickens and blogging about it - Our New Chooks.  As I reflect back on that blog I can't help but giggle at the tone of excitement and the stress of what I put my husband through.  The goal was always simple.  To have fresh organic eggs, however to continue having a constant supply, we must ensure our chickens are up to scratch .. so to speak by replenishing to find that balance.

In December 2013, one of the older hens became very broody so we thought we would source some fertile eggs and see how it went.  My husband and his friend, did a deal with a supplier and 9 eggs came home with a plan that after x amount of days, they would hatch into little chicks and add to our whanau.  Well, we waited .. and waited .. and waited until early January 2014.  Still no baby chicks. 

We thought it could've been us, but knew we had made a huge effort every day to ensure we checked the broody hen was providing enough of her love.  Finally we recieved a phone call from our friend (who not only purchased some for them, but their neighbour as well).  Out of the 20 eggs that were sourced, only 2 had hatched.  Long story short, supplier said "that happens sometimes" and fair to say we won't be using them again.

After feeling extremely disappointed, we went to another supplier and recieved 8 new chicks as there was no time for new eggs - the broody hen was back on the lay.  These chicks were so cute and made themselves quite at home with the rest of the chooks.  It even made my daughters go up to the chicken run to feed the rest of the girls .. just so they could have a play.

The new chicks with the broody hen ... they are about 15 days old.



All our chooks in March 2014 scratching in their new chicken run

Not quite sure if the little egg is from the new chicks .. but it was interesting to find.

The new chicks are now 5 months old and coming along quite nicely.  The goal of having fresh organic eggs is still being achieved and although the volume of eggs we recieve during the warmer months is more than we can consume, I'm happy to say we supply my parents and grandmother with their daily supply.

Happy living people!

 

Our Personal Cash Cow

Reflecting on my past posts regarding our wonderful beef, I can't help but realise just how fast time has past me by which is a constant reminder to me that I haven't been enjoying the lifestye the Ponderosa has to offer as much as I would like at present.

Bullet is still with us, and we hope he has done the business properly, however we had to get rid of our wonderful calves.  Not because we wanted too, but because the Ponderosa wasn't big enough to sustain 14 beef without bringing in more feed to help out.

We (or should I say my husband) has worked hard to ensure the paddocks used for grazing has been as organic as we can keep them, and as a result our beef were growing extremely fast.  An awesome result, if you want to get a return on your investment but it was sad that we couldn't keep them longer.

Don't get me wrong.  The original plan for the calves was to get the experience of calving, see how much work was involved, how it fitted into our lifestyle, how cost effective it was with an end result of selling them or putting them in the freezer when they were at least 2 years old.

The Calves - Approximately 2 months old

The exercise was well worth it and although I didn't personally enjoy the early morning feeds, there was a sense of accomplishment at the different stages of their growth.  They didn't quite make it to 2 years but the return we recieved exceeded our expectations.

The challenge for us now is to get that balance of beef right for the Ponderosa.  We hope Bullet has done the business which means all 8 of our cows are in calf, due by July at the earliest.  The next exercise is to see if calving with mothers is much easier than without.  I have a feeling that it will and I'm excited to experience the first calf being born.

Happy living people.