Welcome to those of you who have just come over from Rhonda’s blog, Down to Earth! What a thrill it is for me to have you here. 🙂 You will probably not be surprised to learn that Rhonda was absolutely my first inspiration for living simply. From her I have learned how to make soap, make myContinue reading “Welcome!”
Author Archives: Jessica Norris
Kitchen Redo: First steps
I haven’t been taking a lot of work-in-progress photos of my kitchen “remodel”, so there is a bunch of stuff that has happened in the kitchen since we first moved in that I can’t show you in pictures. Here’s a reminder of what it looked like at the start: So far we have: Replaced theContinue reading “Kitchen Redo: First steps”
Old cot? New spot!
Upcycle, or re-purpose your old baby cot into a lovely day-bed! I really love the new space I’ve created for sitting and looking out over my beautiful garden: Isn’t that dreamy? There’s a lovely breeze coming in the window and the soft South-facing light coming in is perfect for relaxing on a Summer’s Day. (I’mContinue reading “Old cot? New spot!”
Garden wanderings
Come tour our garden with me! These are a few random snapshots of life in our late summer garden.
Quilting with recycled fabrics
I’ve had a great weekend because I’ve just finished off a wonderful new quilt top! I’m going to have a hard time giving this one away, but give it away I must! It’s a birthday present for my eldest nephew, who has just started school last week. Today I wanted to share some thoughts onContinue reading “Quilting with recycled fabrics”
Shop frugally, shop rarely!
I’ve discovered a great new way to save money on my grocery bill! It’s a simple tip: wait until the very last minute to do your shopping. How on earth does this save you money? Read on Macduff … First up, if you are anything like me, then every time you step into the groceryContinue reading “Shop frugally, shop rarely!”
Beans, beans, the magical fruit
Okay, so they won’t really grow beanstalks that reach up into the sky and lead to a cornucopia of golden egg laying geese, will they? I think beans are magical, though, because of the sheer distracting power they have over children. Ha, bet you didn’t think I was going to say that! Kids fighting in theContinue reading “Beans, beans, the magical fruit”
Have you tried Polenta?
Our family has become increasingly vegetarian over the last couple of years as we start to question where our food really comes from, and how it was raised. This has been a gradual process, with an occasional leap forward when we discover new recipes. One of the really wonderful discoveries in our vegetarian odyssey hasContinue reading “Have you tried Polenta?”
Orchard upgrade: WIP
This long weekend we attempted to catch up on time we lost last week due to very hot weather. Saturday was still reasonably hot, but Sunday was lovely and cool, and we made a big chunk of progress on our latest garden upgrade: fixing the roof on the orchard. Our “orchard” consists of four espalierContinue reading “Orchard upgrade: WIP”
DIY: Light and Colour
When we first moved into our house (almost five years ago now) we were lucky enough to have a place that was already rather nice, with only a couple of minor eyesores. We had lived for a few years in rental accommodation, and we were used to blank walls and adequate kitchens and bathrooms. OurContinue reading “DIY: Light and Colour”
Simple Crafty Life 