Two weeks ago we had a change in the weather. Autumn had finally arrived πΏππΎ. Our Summer didn't seem to want to leave. I am not a fan of our humid Summers. I am enjoying the cooler weather. I started crocheting to use up my stash of yarn - watermelon, white and lemon. A simple granny square baby blanket
As I was almost out of yarn, I had to redo the border 3 times. Not enough to do a pretty edge. I went with a simple finish
Yesterday was a gorgeous start to the day. I love misty mornings!
This morning the kids were in bed and hubby home, so I decided to take some time out for me. I went for an early morning walk. Nature is beautiful
I've been waiting for the perfect morning to enjoy a warm breakfast. Today was the day. Porridge with mashed banana, dates, apricot, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The right amount of sweetness
For over a week I've had a touch of a sore throat
I am thankful it hasn't become worse
Sipping on lemon and ginger herbal tea is soothing
Are you enjoying the change of season in your part of the world?
Over a month ago, our kids started getting a cough or a cold. The doctor said the kids had a viral infection. Can't do much for it. For over 2 weeks I have had a cough and cold. I can't shake it. I think it's also due to being rundown with so much going on at school. Now that the kids are on holidays and things have slowed down (no senior music camp, reading groups, sports day, early morning band practise, etc) I have had time to think amongst the haze in my head. I remembered a while ago I read that pineapples help soothe a cough. Next, I searched Google.
Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain. It has anti-inflammatory properties, fights infection and kills bacteria. It can suppress a cough 5x more effectively than cough medicine. One cup of fresh pineapple juice has nearly 50% of the daily requirement for Vitamin C intake. Drinking the juice helps soothe a sore throat and helps your body expel mucous easily. Pineapples are more than yummy, they're good for you!
If possible we prefer to use natural remedies over medication, however if we have an infection or we're really sick we visit our doctor.
I have been dosing up on Vitamin C by eating strawberries, pineapple and mandarin. Kelly, a friend on Instagram, suggested to steam my head, covered with a towel to keep the steam in, over a bowl of boiled water with eucalyptus drops in it. Twice a day for 10 minutes. It has been helping! Thanks Kelly.
Yesterday I searched Google for a natural cough medicine. Today I made All Natural DIY Pineapple Cough Medicine. The recipe is here. Sue says it needs to be refrigerated and can be kept for up to 1 month. Read her blogpost for details (under the recipe, check out 'other homemade remedies to try'. The Honey Thyme cough medicine sounds yummy too). I made double the recipe in case anyone else in the family needs cough medicine. It tastes yummy and I love the bit of spice from the cayenne pepper.
Last night I used our Aromamatic electric oil vaporiser with drops of Breathe Easier in our bedroom. It has corn mint, eucalyptus and thyme essential oils in the blend. I rubbed Vicks VapoRub on the soles of my feet and put socks on. It helps to ease coughing at night. I slept much better.
Many years ago, when Oprah was still on TV, she mentioned to slice up 1-2 whole cloves of garlic and add it to your sandwich; to help mask the flavour. I did this one time when I had the flu and I felt so much better the next day. I did reek of garlic however was glad to feel an improvement in my health.
If you have any natural remedies you would like to share. Please leave a comment and a link to the recipe. Thank you.
Finished removing the plants. We did 4 trips to the rubbish dump
We'll grass this area, so our children have more room to play.
We celebrated Mr J's 10th Birthday (can't believe our baby has hit double digits)
My Mum offered to make a Birthday cake for Mr J
He jokingly suggested a Cinderella cake
Mr J has a quirky sense of humour
When he saw the cake he had the biggest smile.
Hubby's work dinner at Jun Japanese - Malaysian Cuisine at Wishart
The food was Delicious!!
Here's some of the dishes everyone tried. . .
Entree~ Pickled vegies
Reminded us of Kimchi
Fried tofu with chilli sauce
We also tried a Chicken Hotpot. One of my favourites!!
Chilli Crab
I'm not a big fan of crab. The sauce was good with rice
Chilli Prawns
Never thought I'd say it, however, we tried stingray
Forgot to take a photo. It tasted like fish
Green beans with Anchovies
Mee Goreng
My photo of Nasi Goreng disappeared. It was my favourite dish!!
Dessert~ Sticky rice
Yum!!
Dessert~ Red Ruby
My favourite of the desserts. Yum!!
Some other things we've done during my Hubby's holidays. . .
Cleaned out our boys bedroom, replaced their old bookcase with new metal filing cabinets in ripple black (less chance they can destroy them).
Shopping at Lorna Jane for me. I've been exercising since earlier this year and needed new workout gear. I've been doing a mix of TurboFire, using our treadmill and eating healthier. I've lost 17cm and 4.2kg. Here's a clip of my favourite TurboFire class {Fire 30}
We enjoyed Vietnamese for lunch this week.
Last year, I found a granny stripe blanket design on Pinterest Guess what? I decided to make one!!
The colours are delicious! It is soft and beautiful to work with
This is where I'm at with my 'work in progress' I wanted to try this design. I prefer it to the traditional granny square blanket.
I store my crochet yarn in a gorgeous Little Alligator drawstring bag
handcrafted by the lovely Jelaine.
For Mother's Day I made tissue pouches for family and friends
I made my tissue pouch out of my favourite 'Flower Sugar' fabric
I only have a small piece of fabric left
I have been wanting to decorate our outdoor table for a while. This week I bought cute white pots, Viola's in a sunshiny yellow and dark purple, a pale green dish from Daiso (to catch any wax from the candle) and a beautiful Zanzibar lantern from Bunnings. A little piece of Happiness!
With my pocket money I purchased some clothing from Wanderlust. I have admired Trish's handmade gorgeousness for a while. Here's what I bought. . .
