Books and Bags

I've already slipped up on one of my aims for a simple life as you can see from the books below that I've recenly bought. In my defence, they were all second hand from Amazon and are mostly to help me with another of the aims (to use less chemicals/packaging). I think you can get a bigger picture by clicking on it, then you can see that one is about uses for vinegar, one about bicarb and one is Better Basics for the Home which according to Amazon "offers over 800 simple and practical alternatives to common household toxins, covering everything from skin care to gardening. And the good news is that adopting her suggestions and formulas isn't hard at all."

I'm looking forward to reading all these but I have had a scan through the 4th book here which is Vegetarian Cooking Without. I decided to become vegetarian about a year ago and also needed to find some recipes that had no sugar in the ingredients, especially cakes and desserts. I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

I managed to fit in time to make the drawstring bags for my sister and niece which I gave to them this week - a little late I must admit. They were very simple and turned out quite well. Some of the fabric was new, some left over from another project and some thrifted. Inside each I put some natural, handmade soaps and a face-cloth that I knitted. My sister looked a bit bemused by the face-cloth and I had to tell her what it was for which was quite funny.

As it's Father's Day on Sunday and my dad is diabetic, I'm thinking of trying out one of the recipes in the Vegetarian Cooking Without book for him. I'll post the results soon if they're any good.

I'm afraid the thought of Christmas presents popped into my head the other day, quite unprompted. I was looking at patchwork table runners and thought they'd be a good idea for some relatives. The first step will be to look at their dining rooms/kitchens to decide on a colour scheme. I know I'll have to start soon if I want to get them done by December and doing the same for them all will hopefully get them done quicker.

I nearly forgot to mention - These photos were taken with my new camera so I hope they are a lot better than previous ones. Still got lots of practicing to do though.

Bye for now

Teresa x