My little techno turkey....

Ahhhh, friends. Here is a post I wrote last week that couldn't be 'posted' due to technological difficulties. Read the story below - it will all make sense. :)

'Techno turkey' (from here on in, aka TT) is the nickname my sister has affectionately given to our two year old. No phone or piece of technology seems to be off limits to my 'little ray of sunshine'. He can navigate an iPad screen better than my husband - although I am not entirely sure that this is something to be proud of. I also found him listening to gangster rap on iTunes the other day. You know how you can listen to snippets of songs? He had just woken and I had left him innocently sitting on the couch listening to Justine Clarke, while I prepared his afternoon tea. When I returned, he was on the iTunes website listening to something by 'Flo Rida'.
Clearly not my proudest parenting moment and obviously TT needs to be more closely supervised - point taken.

Anyway, lil TT loves to mix things up a bit - you know what I mean?

My poor mother didn't receive a text message for over a week after allowing TT to 'mix it up' on her iPhone. After further investigation, it came to mum's attention that her phone had been placed on aeroplane mode - yes, TT had struck again! He also likes to randomly call people and send blank text messages to unsuspecting family and friends. Some friends which we haven't heard from in years. Imagine our embarrassment in having to explain 'we are so glad you are well but, no we didn't call. It was the TT. He sends his regards'.

In short, we haven't had Internet access for over three days. We have had many a deep conversation with a multitude of 'techno tosser's at Telstra, who all concluded that we needed a technician to come to our home because alas, there was something wrong with our netgear - what is netgear?
If only TT could have explained :)

Telstra confirmed that our appointment would be today, sometime between 10 and 2. Excellent I said. Right in the middle of the day, when TT needs to run laps of our local playground.

Never mind, we stayed at home doing laundry, blowing bubbles, playing chasey and waiting for the Telstra technician to arrive.

 Of course the technician arrived at 2. His appointment lasted all of about 3 minutes when he confirmed that although our modem was lit up like a Christmas tree, it wasn't actually communicating with the Telstra network cause it had been turned 'off'. I had flashbacks of finding TT lurking by the computer on Wednesday morning, banging the keyboard and playing with the mouse. Apparently he pressed a few buttons too - good grief. The embarrassment I tell you!

The technician couldn't have cared less. He also confirmed that our network keeps cutting out (something we have also complained about to Telstra) and that this needed further investigation by the 'Media Services' team. Seriously, where do they get these names?  Apparently they too will pay us a visit at some point. Lucky me.

You have to laugh - it is kind of funny. The technician made me feel like a complete idiot though. I felt like I needed to show him my CV to prove I wasn't a complete loser, just a mother of a technological genius ;)

So, how have you spent your day today? Has anyone out there wasted their time today too?

Chocolate chip cookies..

So lovely readers, my intention had been to make these delicious choc chip cookies earlier in the week. I had it all planned. I would make them early in the morning when the light was perfect and do some 'Donna Hay' styling and photography but alas, this is the real world. Instead, I have whipped these up at 5 o'clock this afternoon, the light is shite and instead of doing 'Donna Hay' styling, I have had to request the assistance of a toddler with very sticky fingers :)

We have been eating healthily (or whatever you want to call it) for a couple of months now and we are reaping the benefits - weight loss (which was never the purpose but a welcome benefit) and heaps more energy. We are loving experimenting with wholefoods, eating more veggies, fruit and protein. Of course, we are still allowing for treats, but with a healthy twist.

Since having Dominic, I have spent lots of time researching healthy food options for him, not because I am wanting to be precious and restrict his sugar intake, quite the contrary, but because I want to be able to provide him with nutritious, wholesome food made at home.

I purchased this gorgeous book written by Jude Blereau when we first introduced solids called  Wholefood for Children. 

I have referred to it often and still find myself pouring over it for inspiration.

Jude's chocolate chip cookies feature regularly as a delicious morning tea treat in our household.

As the delicious smell of maple syrupy goodness wafts through our house, our tummies grumble in anticipation - yes, they really are that good! They are not your regular large choc chip cookie. They are small, chunky and have a bit of crunch - delicious. The maple syrup adds just a subtle hint of sugary goodness. These cookies feature in Jude's book, Coming home to eat – Wholefood for the family, published by Murdoch Books, Australia (p.175). For further information about Jude, just click here and read her blog here.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

wheat free/dairy free/vegan

Makes 20

Ingredients

150g (5 1/2 oz / 1 1/2 cups) rolled (porridge) oats

155g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) raw almonds (skin on)

125g (4 1/2 oz / 1 cup) plain (all purpose) white spelt flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

170g (5 3/4 oz / 1 cup) chocolate chips

125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) almond oil or flavourless coconut oil (melted for measuring, if solid)

125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) maple syrup

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

To make

Preheat oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Spread the oats on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately tip into a bowl to stop the cooking process. Spread the almonds on the same baking tray and bake for 7-10 minutes, taking care they don’t burn.

Put the oats in a food processor of blender and grind to a coarse meal. Tip into a mixing bowl. Roughly grind the almonds and add to the oats. Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate chips and whisk through to combine.

Mix together the almond oil, maple syrup and vanilla, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.

Spoon tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking tray, then flatten and shape into neat circles 8mm-1cm (3/8 – 1/2 inch) thick.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until ever so slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the tray for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

I suppose these cookies are meant to last a week or so in an airtight container, but they never seem to last that long around here! Cook them and let me know what you think.

 

Hope you are having a good week

x

Inspiration everywhere .......

 The world of blogging is such a tremendous place for inspiration and this week, my imagination (as usual) has been in overdrive. The Design Files featured Tim Leveson and Libby Knott's home earlier this week. The simplicity of this home, the art, attention to detail and obvious sense of family and informality, has had me crazy with ideas for our shanty. I love houses just like this that have not been 'converted' into contemporary monstrosities, but exude so much character and warmth. Have a look at the divine photos below - divine I tell you!

 

 

 

Click on the photos for links to The Design Files

Similarly, Design Sponge has also been tormenting me with ideas for our little garden. This week they featured 'A London Home filled with Travel finds'. Quite literally this home and gorgeous garden brought a tear to my eye :) - look at all the colour! Flowers in pots on mass really pack a punch don't they?



 

 

Click on the photos for links to Design Sponge ...

Disappointingly, I discovered on the weekend that the area I was planning to turn into a veggie patch, is in fact a paved area which has just had a shallow layer of soil dumped on it - seriously what is the go with that? Anyway, I am now definitely turning my attention to growing things in pots, particularly vegetables. It is funny that after a couple of months now of living in our shanty, we are still discovering sneaky little things like this, that we would have never noticed on inspection ;)

What has inspired you this week?  ....
 

 

 

 

 

hello.....

You have missed me haven't you - admit it :)

 

Once again, I could ramble on about why I haven't written a post for so long. I could rant and rave about the woes of working night shift and caring for a toddler but let's face it, that is oh so boring.

I could even rant and rave about the fact that I have had two root canals since my last post (yes, that is two dead teeth in my little mouth) but that would be boring too and quite frankly, freakin painful -  nothing compared to childbirth though :) In my opinion, it is criminal that epidurals cannot be given for tooth pain ;)

 

I feel like I have lost a bit of direction with this blog and hobbies that I have just for me. I need a project. Yes, I have this blog. I love this blog. I even have pinterest to preoccupy my creativity, but what I miss most of all since moving into our new house is our old garden. My little insignificant veggie patch that I used to tend to daily. My herbs in my hot pink laundry tubs. None of what I had previously was flash by any means, but it was mine and it gave me something to 'tinker' with - does that make sense? Yes, I need to start tinkering. I am a tinkerer. I spend so much time outside with Dominic, there is no excuse really. Put it this way, my creative energy is so stifled at the moment that I removed the doors to the cupboards in our kitchen this afternoon and have been obsessively styling our shelves. Chris is yet to see it. He may not be impressed :) For the record, my kitchen shelves are beginning to look a little swanky - well to me anyway :)

 

Anyways, so in conversation with a work colleague the other night who is always curious about my blog and interests, I have been inspired to once again embark on a small gardening project. I am going to start another small veggie patch. I will have to focus most of my energy on growing things in pots and a much smaller raised garden bed. Remember this?

 

 I have purchased this little beauty for some ideas on gardening in smaller spaces.

 

 

Excitedly, I have also been pouring through this old friend. I swear, this book is one of the best presents I have every received....

I have also been finding heaps of inspiration from beautiful blogs. I have only just discovered Messy Nessy Chic. I am not sure where to start, except to say that I could become a little emotional as I pour through this blog, its wonderful photos and amazing stories from all over the world. Take this post for example which featured on Messy Nessy today - potted plants everywhere lining the streets of Paris. Complete bliss. This post also from Messy Nessy, sent me crazy with gardening inspiration. Some people are seriously clever and this blog is seriously amazing. Check it out now!

 

So there it is friends. I have a new project. I hereby promise to take photos of the good, the bad and the ugly of my new project. Maybe with this will come more frequent posts - you just never know :)

 

Thanks again for bearing with me and following this blog. I really do love writing for you and sharing all my Internet finds.

 

Happy Friday lovelies

 x

Follow me on bloglovin'....

Friends, it has come to my attention that Google Reader will no longer exist at the end of this week - fancy that! Basically this means if you follow my little blog via Google Reader, you will now need to open a Bloglovin' account to keep up with A Little Home with Freesias. It is such an easy process and a great way to efficiently follow your favourite blogs. I will still be on Facebook and Pinterest and you can still subscribe via email (see link on right hand side of page).
You can follow A little Home with Freesias on bloglovin' by clicking on this link.
I don't want to lose all 15 of you - quick do it now!
 It has been over a month since I last did a post but I am still here, I promise.

I love my blog but have been feeling a bit down in the dumps about the whole thing. I had a big a oh woe is me story to tell you but I guess, in short, I have blogger's block. Have you had that before?

I am hoping that it is curable :) In the meantime, we will always have Pinterest - enjoy my loves...

 I love butcher block counter tops...


Gorgeous pendant lights, organised jars and indoor plants are a must!
I am also on the hunt for more rugs.... our little house is gorgeous but freezing! Drafts are whistling up in between our floorboards. Should make for ideal living in the Queensland summer though, when I will be complaining once again about the heat :)
 

What is inspiring you this week?


PS. Technology is not my strong point, not at all. It has now come to my attention, one day later, that the link in the post to bloglovin' is not working. Instead, click on the Eiffel Tower link on the right hand side of the page and this should take you to my link on bloglovin'.... :) x

One of those days ....

Lovely friends, let me tell you a tale about a well intentioned mummy who just hasn't been able to get her act together. Yes, a tale of : 'One of those days'.
Allow me to set the scene.
 Today I am tired.

My judgement is therefore sufficiently hindered, even a little impaired :)

 

I worked a night shift last night. I had a great shift. This morning Dom has been divine, playing happily in his playroom as the rain has at times, poured outside. While there was a lull in the rain I thought, let's go see the ducks at the brook before lunch. What a fabulous idea - let's get outside for some fresh air!
 

As I grabbed the pram out of the car, I had to growl at least a million times at Dominic to stand still and stop trying to run out onto the road. Seriously, what's with that? No, it is not funny Dominic!

As I heaved the pram out of the car and slammed the boot shut I heard a crushing sound - the sound of my iPhone being crushed as I slammed the boot. I swore under my breath (wtf) but never to be deterred by the opportunity to see a duck, I strapped Dom determinedly in the pram and convinced myself that I needed a new phone anyway. I set off ignoring all the obvious signs from the universe that we should in fact stay at home and watch 'Ellen'. As we set off storm clouds followed us, but surely it wouldn't pour until after lunch?

 

It all went pear shaped as we approached the brook.
Yes, it started to rain. No freakin ducks came out to say 'hi', even they decided to stay at home and play with their puzzles :)
Then it proceeded to pour. You know, the kind of heavy shower that has you panicking when you don't have a brolly except in my case, I was without brolly and with pram.

I ran in fact, I galloped to shelter - I am not built for running you see.
I must have been quite a sight!
The shelter was facing the slide and swing that Dom so desperately wanted to play on - sheer desperation I tell you! I explained in my fake calm voice that it was raining and that we couldn't play at the moment. Yes, my judgement was so sufficiently impaired that by this stage I found myself trying to reason with a 25 month old - ha.....and they call me a child health nurse!

 

Dom screamed and I despaired. The rain continued to pour.
20 minutes (yes 20!!) later, fed up with the screaming of my little genetic marvel, I set off home in the rain.
No slide. No swing. My feet squelched in my shoes (the stinky comfy old work shoes of course) and my freshly straightened hair was beginning to frizz.
As I marched back across the little bridge the ducks still didn't come out and say 'hi'...
I muttered something about withholding their bread privileges - that would show them.
We power walked home in silence.
 

A neighbour smiled at me knowingly from her window as I walked back up our street - 'You idiot', I could hear her thinking. 'Who would go outside in this weather'?
By now feeling sufficiently irritated, I imagined flicking her the bird (like I said, my judgement was impaired) but decided that this would not be neighbourly, let alone very motherly (joke- sort of). A good mother after all would have been organised and had an umbrella in the pram console!

 

We got home. By now Dominic had calmed and was indicating that after all the excitement, he would like a Vegemite sandwich NOW...
As a lugged the pram up the front steps, I tripped.
Yes, this was my morning.
Dom smirked at me like I was some sort of circus clown - this was fast becoming a circus act after all.
I snorted with laughter. We came inside to the shelter of our little home and turned on Peppa Pig. The moral of the story? There isn't one. I just thought that this story might amuse you.

Today made me think of this poster I found on pinterest...

Poster from pinterest. Click on image for link.....

A few healthy changes......

So, I have been feeling like shite for a while now. This could be as a result of working nightshift(s) and caring for a toddler, but boy I have been seriously lacking energy. Two of my work colleagues had commented that my thyroid gland was large so I thought I best have this checked out. Turns out, some people have fat bums, I have fat pads on either side of my thyroid, and a large bum :)

 

So, with no medical explanation for my lack of energy, after careful consideration, I have made a few lifestyle changes in an attempt to address my feeling of 'blah' - yes, this is a medical term. Don't worry. I haven't gone all GP on you (that's Gwyneth Paltrow to those in the know) although I do think she is beautiful and I have just ordered her new cookbook. I heard on the radio today that she exercises for two hours a day - imagine having that luxury! Anyway, I have needed to make a few lifestyle changes for a while. During the day I don't eat when I am at home and then end up substituting healthy food choices when I am starving, especially after a night shift, for pieces of toast with lashings of butter and vegimite or sweet treats. I was becoming a little Nigella-esque, getting up in the middle of the night and shoving my face into chocolate cake!

 

Anyway, I wont go into boring details but I am attempting to change my eating habits. No more pasta or bread. I have even cut back on my coffee intake and am reducing the amount of sugar I eat.

I had a ripper of a headache for a couple of days but I must admit, I am feeling so much better! 

I have been concentrating on baking healthy treats and incorporating whole foods as much as the budget allows. Being healthy is expensive people! Raw chocolate brownie (Dominic even ate it!) and delicious healthy banana bread are all things we have enjoyed in my little family this week. Quinoa, eggs, salads, poached chicken and nuts - who would have thought by eating a nutritious breakfast and actually making time to have lunch, you could feel so good! My new addiction is quinoa porridge with almond milk, one small banana and a handful of raisins for breakfast - soooooo good!

 

With so many food blogs around, I have been pouring over recipes but one of my favourite blogs is Farmhouse Home. This year Catherine, writer of Farmhouse Home, has been featuring healthy meals and baked goods for inspiration. I made this banana bread she posted on her blog, today.

I believe this recipe first featured on Lorna Jane's Move, Nourish, Believe website. Hot off the press people and the smell of banana and coconut is whafting through our home.

 

 

Photos by me.....

 

The bread was lovely and moist and needed no accompaniment, although I suspect some butter or a little honey would taste a treat. I only added two bananas, a third would have been perfection.

 

Happy Friday! x