Slow Living December 2014

Wow I am runnig really late with this post, any way better late than never I guess.

Linking up with Linda who is now our gracious host having taken over from Christine in hosting the Slow Living Nine.  I love joining in each month and reflecting on what I have achieved, it is also great to hear what everyone is up to and share in their achievements.
With Christmas this month a lot seemed to revolve around getting ready for the festive season.

Nourish -Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over packaged, over processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead.
We are still drowning in and eggs so they have made it into many meals lately. We have had lots of ham and salad but finally the ham is nearing the end.

I also made a big batch of Orange and Almond Biscotti.

Prepare - Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season.

This month we started to make a dent in the 379kg of beef in our freezer and the meat quality is fantastic.  There will not be much else getting stockpiled in the freezers for a while as they are full to the brim.  We are even storing meat at Hubby's parents house.

Reduce - Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing.

I am still reducing the clothes I own and sending them off to the op shop for someone else to enjoy.  And I am adding other random items to the box for the Op shop too slowly but surely we are de cluttering the house.

Green - Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.
I have started a search for a good herbal/natural insect repellent so if anyone has any suggestions let me know.

Grow - plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden?

The garden is producing lots of herbs, the zucchini have almost finished due to all the rain creating fungal problems but the cucumbers are coming on, there are spring onions, tomatoes, capsicum, water melon and eggplant.  

And weeds, oh my goodness the weeds and grass are invading and taking over.

Grrr so many weeds

Golden Nugget Water Mellon coming along nicely

Create - To fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others.

December was all about creating in the kitchen with new dishes being trialed and sweet treats being created.

Discover - Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests.

I have read a stack of books lately.  One of the was "Free The Bears" whick was a great quick read about an inspirational Australian Grandmother who proves that one person can make big changes to the world we live in.  You can check out the website here.

Enhance - Community

This year Hubby and I volunteered at the Opening Ceremony of the Woodford Folk Festival.  In return we received free tickets for one day so we had a great day out soaking in the atmosphere of the festival and listening to some great music.

Our participation in the opening ceremony

Enjoy - Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment.

Well how could you not enjoy December with so many excuses to get together with family and friends.

Hubby and I enjoyed a delicious Christmas Breakfast with my friends Sandra.

My date and goat milk panna cotta with baklava (a Christmas only type of treat)

Hubby and I out for breakfast

Then we spent a great night at a friends farm for New Years Eve.  The hmans and dogs all had a great time.

What have you been up to?