Other things I have been up to!

Goodness! Three posts in one day!

We are still waiting for our no-dig garden to be delivered (grr) after 7 weeks when it should have been a 3-4 week delivery time . . . apparently they will call us today . . . I won't hold my breath! They were quick enough to take our money though . . . hmmm

But I do have a whole heap of seedlings ready to go in though!! The only thing that hasn't sprouted is my ox heart tomatoes. I might try thm direct in the garden when it is up.

I have also been doing some other sewing with the hopes of earning a little play money. I haven't sold anything yet, but I am using up my quite large stash of material, so I'm not outlaying anything to give it a go.

You can find my stuff at madeit.com.au

Other things I have been up to: Wedding Sewing

I have promised a couple of times to update this with other things I have been doing, but have been a bit slack - sorry!!

Namely, I have been sewing!! With BIL and SILs wedding in 4 weeks, I was put in charge of making the flowergirls dresses. The first attempts was HORRIBLE and is hereforth known as the potato sack dress. It was FAR too wide and didn't sit right at all.
So that one was out (might fit her as a swing top when she is 12?? lol) so on we went. A blog I follow (and adore) has a corset dress tute. I have made a top from it before for Ashlyn's 5th Birthday but hadn't done a dress. I managed to score some cathedral satin on clearance from Spotlight and whipped up a practice one. I used an existing top as guidance for teh top and a circle skirt for the bottom. We have a winner!!! After showing the bride-to-be she was hooked too, so we now have 2 of those dresses in red with ivory straps that I made up on the weekend.

Now to my gripe (I'm sure you knew there was one coming!!) The wedding is in 4 weeks. I have met the other flowergirl once (not a big deal) and have asked for her measurements for the past 3 weeks! I was sent through some measurements and I had to ask for some others. I called sent her a message saying I need these measurements today (Saturday) or I might not have time to do the dresses . . . it got to 6pm and I still hadn't heard from her, so I messaged again and they were about to be going out to her Dad's place (where the other flowergirl lives) which was an hour away. I asked if she could please just call ahead and get the measurements because I really needed them. Heard nothing and she was not answering her phone. It got to 8pm and I had still heard nothing! So I called again and apparently she was just abotut to call me. I asked for the little girls height . . . they gave me shoulder to floor, waist to 'just below the knee', no back measurements or anything else and she had since gone out - GRR!! So I have pretty much winged it! At lease with the back being lace up it is adjustable. I have made it about 3cm longer than what I think it should be, because it is easy to make it shorter - but longer - not likely!!!

SIL-to-be is also complaining about the cost of the material . . . which I got on clearance!! It was $19.95 reduced to $8/m!! I only needed 3m for both dresses, a matching thread and the ribbon, coming to just under $40 for 2 dresses. Since she got the material for her dress for $10/m apparently the girls dresses shold have been cheaper Maybe I shoould invoice her for my time . . . just under 8 hours construction plus 9 hours waiting for measurements LOL

They really do need to pull their finger out though. With 4 weeks to go they have not arranged outfits for the guys at all and we still need shoes and jackets for the flowergirls!

I'll leave you with one final image . . . me telling Em it was time to take the dress off. . . not a happy camper!!

Change to Diet: Week 2 review

There have been a few slip ups this week. I discovered that the lemon juice that I had in the fridge has preservatives 211 and 223 plus flavour . . . after I used it to make cupcakes(on Friday), I've been drinking coke again :( and on Friday night I had some bacon in my (home made)fried rice. I have remained snuffly all week, Z's rashed on her face have flared up again and on Saturday night I had a horrible migraine, complete from being blinded to throwing up - lucky me. other things that may bave contributed to my migraine was that I was ovulating (hromones?) adn very tired after only 4hrs sleep the night before.

This week I am going to try going lactose free to see if that changes my sinuses.

This is a list of somethings I have been eating (brands included) that have none of the excluded ingredients:

Sauces and Condiments:

Masterfoods or Rosella Tomato Sauces
Woolworths select Mayo 97% fat free
Heinz Capsicum and Chilli Sauce
Trident Sweet Chilli

Spreads:

Woolworths Homebrand Peanut Butter
Woolworths homebrand Nut Spread (their Nuttella)
Woolworths Select Strawberry Jam
Honey
Golden Syrup
YLC Dairy Blend

Biscuits etc:

Arnotts Milk Arrowroot
Arnotts Saladas
Quite a few of the red rock deli chips

Jars/packet Mixes:

Woolworths Home Brand Taco Mix
Chicken Tonight Lite butter Chicken
Maggi Cottage Pie Packet

Maccas: (needed to find something I could eat while out - still waiting to hear back from subway about the ingredients in their products)
Chicken Nuggets
Ketchup
Garden Salad
Apple Slices
Water (obviously!)
Nudie Drinks

So that is a few things that I found I just had to change brands to still be able to eat the same foods :)

Failed

Yet again I have failed . . . had 2 cokes today . . . I guess everyone has to have a vice?? At least it's baddie is 'flavour' rather than colours or preservatives.

Not having a good day today :(

Change to Diet: First week review

One week down, two to go!!

I don't know if this is helping, but I am determined to see out the 3 weeks. Most probably I have a cold which is what is making me feel a bit yuk this morning but geez I could go a coke right now . . .

The rash on my eye has cleared up, but now my fingers are covered. but I think that is from now wearing gloves when washing up a few days ago. I haven't had a migraine this week, which is good, but I certainly am not breathing any better :( At the end of these three weeks, if my sinuses are not any better I might try Lactose free for a week or two and see where that gets me.

Emily has had some ups and downs this week. She had her first sleep through in a VERY long time - a whole night in her bed!! It was great! Although Z has been waking once or twice a night and feeding for about an hour at a time!! ARGH!! So still very little sleep going on. At about 5am this morning Em found her way into our bed again though . . .

We have had numerous meltdowns from Em this week, one of the biggest being because I couldn't get her some water from the magic fountain in the Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses movie. Yep, that will do it - over an hour of screaming . . . nice. Also simple things like not being in the same room as her when a song came on to dance to would set her off. Time out has been used MANY times this week, mainly for hitting :( Both Z and I have copped it from Em this week :( At times she can be a little angel, but at others . . .

I am learning very quickly not to assume things. For instance we had a BBQ at my Dad's place yesterday for a combined birthday get together (mine and my SIL to be Laura) We took Plain Doritos and Spicy Bean Salsa dip, Natural Confectionary Fruity Chews and a pack of Australian Gold International cheeses. After getting into the cheeses, I had another look at the packet and while some of the cheeses were preservative free, others were not :( Also, according to the book Friendly Food, potato flour and arrowroot are amongst the foods listed as okay, and many of the recipes call for them. But when I got them home both had preservatives :( I also seem to be missing the word "flavour" when I am reading labels, but out of everything it is probably the best to miss!

Shan is not impressed with my change of eating habits. I have tried to explain that the trial is only temporary and that I am doing it to try and get to the bottom of my ongoing list of problems, but he just isn't listening. I think he thinks I am doing it to be difficult. I made a cake to take to the BBQ because someone was just going to pick one up at woolies on the way and I didn't want the girls to miss out. He spent most of the trip there cranky at me (even though I made it while he was still asleep so didn't affect him at all) and then made fun of me and said that my cakes taste like crap in front of everyone . . . happy birthday to me.

I also got NOTHING from my siblings, not even a card. We normally do a card and scratchy for birthdays and I just feel like no-one could even bother to do anything for mine even though I have never missed one. It was Laura's 21st and we all got her a gift voucher and she gave everyone else a hug except me and Shan . . .

Anyway, I will try and post later a bit of a more upbeat post about other things I have gotten up to this week, but right now I am feeling kind of invisible.

Change to diet: Day 4

Great day life wise, BAD day food wise . .. oops!! But hey, it was my bithday, and if Nn decides to surprise me with a Cheesecake Shop white chocolate mudcake (drool) I'm hardly going to blow out the candles and then not have any . . . and if he has already made a booking for Hogs Breath Cafe, I'm not going to turn that down either (he also bought me 2 bottles of wine preserved with 220 - but I haven't opened them yet!)

I was spoilt rotton for my birthday. Cake, flowers, subscription to Organic Gardener Magazine and an IOU on a bracelet that he wants to buy me on the weekend - PLUS a $100 dinner at Hogs Breath - good ness me! Add this to the Twilight Harcover Boxset which came with a $40 bookshop gift voucher 'the girls' got me for Mother's Day and he has set the standards pretty darn high for Father's Day and his birthday. I haven't given (nor been asked for) any hints either!!

Okay, so the damage for yesterday was:

Ricebubbles and A2 milk for breakfast, Natural cupcakes for morning tea, steak and salad sandwich on baker's delight bread for lunch (with Masterfoods tomato sauce), a crunchie (which I did look at the label but didn't notice 'flavours' listed) for afternoon tea (first oops of the day), Cheesecake shop white chocolate mudcake (whcih I found out after calling them today contains 'flavour', preservative 220, Antixidants 320, 319, also 322 and 307 but they are not on my list to avoid. I imagine that the writing on the icing would also have artificial colours). I did only have a tiny slice (and so did the girls) but there is more in the fridge . . .

As I have already said, we went to Hogs Breath Cafe for dinner - YUM!!! I am waiting for an email back about what is actually in their food, but we shared a jug of orange juice, a finger food combo and I had a Hickory Sauce Steak with vegies and fries.

This morning I woke up sluggish - food related or just tired after being up with Z twice last night?? I have a slight headache, sinus-y and feel foggy headed. Em has been screaming a lot for no reason again today too - not a fan.

All I can do is get back to it today and go from there :)

Change to diet: Day 3

It has occured to me that although I write Day 3, in reality I am talking about day 2, but meh! I'm sure you can all handle that okay lol

Well yesterday I can certainly say I did not go hungry lol

Rice bubbles with A2 milk for breakfast, homemade hamburgers (organic mince) on baker's delight country grain rolls with heinz capsicum and chilli sauce and woolies homebrand light chips (as in hot ones) with masterfoods tomato sauce for lunch, cupcakes made my a beautiful girlfriend of mine with natural sprinkles and strawberries and creamy chicken pasta from here made with homemade pasta made with the pasta machine that said gf brought me as a pressie for my birthday (which is today!). I also drank 3 glasses of magic cordial with sparkling mineral water and a couple of glasses of plain water to boot.

No headache last night, but my rashes are flaring up a bit (the one on my eyelid is driving me nuts!!) and Z has one on the side of her face which has flared up again and she has scratched it until it bled :( Since she is still breastfed, maybe something that I had been eating was going through my milk and affecting her too??

Hopefully this eating change will benefit my girls too!