Jikana Damaru: 10/14/10

photo books

are a great way

to display your happy snaps

make great keep sakes

something different

from the traditional

album

this weekend Harvey Norman have 30% off all photo books!

all you need to know & how to get started here

@ my house

this is a

every morning at brekkie time!

familiar sight

play along here

lOVE it

typewriter gift wrap
all details here

Typewriter Gift-Wrap

Friday Favourites - Oh Sweet Baby

Another Friday and what a lovely and exciting week it has been. Thank you for all your generous comments about my Purple and White Candy Table from last weekends wedding and also for letting me know that you like my photos of the girls (thanks Sheye for all your advice!).

This weeks Friday Favourites is by request from my lovely blogging friend Lindsay from Lee La La. She is hosting a baby shower for a friend in the coming weeks and would love some ideas for decoration. I hope this helps Lindsay.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Style Me Pretty

Amy Atlas

The Sweetest Occasion

Jennifer Birkenhead Design

Hostess with the Mostess

Polkadot Prints

The Sweetest Occasion

Super Organised Mum

Things I learned this week including that there are definitely enough hours in a day

I had a great week this week. LOML and I sent the Tsunamis to their real life destinations and continued our holidays on Monday and Tuesday without them. We agreed that we'd do whatever made us happiest on the Monday... so I sorted through some cupboards. On the Tuesday (following Zia Maria's funeral - vale Zia) we went for a sushi lunch, a magazine read at Borders and a swing in the hammock at home. Bliss.

I learned a few things along the way...

1. Even though I often find myself wishing there were more hours in a day, I've realised this week that I physically couldn't cope with such a thing. Exhausted.

2. The veins in elephant's ears are unique to each one. So their ears are like our fingerprints.

3. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So I got off my insanity wagon and have changed the way I eat in a radical way. Take that 20 year diet!

4. Christmas is only 75 sleeps away... or at least it was when I saw Louise's post over at Table Tonic and I haven't exactly been keeping track since then. But 75 doesn't seem like many, does it? Panic. I did spot the most luscious Lundby doll's house ever on page 3 in the Axis catalogue. Our dolls are well housed in what can only be described as a doll's neighbourhood, so we won't be purchasing. But there's something about a beautiful doll's house, isn't there?

5. You're never too old for lollipops.

How was your week? Did you learn anything new to share?

PS - Happy birthday to my gorgeous man, who never misses a post and never misses an opportunity to make me feel happy. Every day is a birthday when I'm with you.

[Image: souce unknown. Can you believe it? I would love to find more from whoever created this gem.]

A Greener Cleaner

Firstly...

~ YUUUUUMMMMMMMM ~

One of the biggest things I love about Spring/Summer are all the yummy fruits that come into season! This was my first Mango and oh my gosh it tasted just as good as it looks! I am also excited about peaches and nectarines but at $13.99 a kilo I am going to wait a few weeks before I tuck into those!

My Yukky Experience

(picture)

The other day I cleaned out my oven...this does not happen often however I put some time aside, got out my 'oven cleaner' and got to work! OH MY GOSH I am surprised I am still alive! I forgot how terribly potent that cleaner is and how strong it is! Yes it cleaned my oven but I think it also cleaned my insides out...and not in a good way...SO I aired out my kitchen and finally got rid of the smell that had my eyes watering. Tonight when I used my oven the smell was so strong still and made me sick to my stomach. It got me thinking! What on earth do they put in these products that make them so horribly potent that we can not even breath or see when using them. They surely can not be ANY good for us... so why do we use them???

This got me searching, researching and learning about alternate, greener and safer cleaning products for around the home, instead of using those god awful CHEMICALS that are surely eating away at our insides every time we use them. Over the past few months I have started the process of changing over all of my beauty items to all hand made and natural products. (You can read about these gorgeous products and the store I am in love with here.) I do not know why it never occurred to me not to look into changing my cleaning products as well. My research has presented some interesting arguments...both for and against unfortunately but the positive surely does outweigh the negative. The main negative feedback was that all the "market products" have been trialed and tested where as the "alternate cleaners" haven't and they question weather they are actually cleaning the germs etc properly. After the horrible experience I had with my oven cleaner...I am willing to take the risk I think. Most of the 'recipes' use 6 basic ingredients which can most likely be found in your household kitchen pantry. Baking soda, lemon, soap (which I am a little hesitant about using but hey it can't be any worse than my oven cleaner I guess), borax, white vinegar and cornstarch. The recipes range from glass cleaner to multi-purpose cleaners, to dish washing cleaners and even air fresheners. I think I am going to give this a whirl and try and change my whole house over to 'greener cleaners' It will take time and a lot of trial and error but I think in the long run it will be so beneficial to my husbands and my health and we will have a safe and green home to welcome our children into.

Are you a supermarket brand cleaner or have you tried a greener cleaner???

Do they work? Are they safe? Do you have any advice?

I'll keep you all updated on how I go!

Have a beautiful Friday everyone - The weekend is almost here!

x S.K.K x