Amanda Brooke

Planting seeds with Little Eco and the Huglee's winner!

Something that takes a lot of my time up at the moment but excites me to share, is updating Little Eco with brand new arrivals! The newest product that I am thrilled about adding to the store soon are The Little Veggie Patch Company Heirloom Seeds!

Isn't the seed packet amazing! I love the vintage design... and of course the fact that they are Heirloom variety seeds! The pair behind the Little Veggie Patch company which is based in Melbourne, are Fabian and Mat. They have released a lovely book Growing Food in Small Spaces and sell boxes in their shop for small spaces.

I decided to stock the seeds as I am so passionate about motivating and encouraging kids outdoors and starting a little veggie patch with your kids is such a simple and fun thing to do. However I think these will be just as popular with the adults too, especially those that appreciate Heirloom varieties. Heirloom plants are usually old fashioned varieties of vegetables where seeds are harvested from plants and replanted year in and out. They are generally quite hardy and tastier than most seeds commercially available. Just remember to save the seeds for replanting the following season.

We haven't planted any vegetables at all this Spring. I am going to get on top of a few things around here and then we will get back into it next year. To be honest if I did get the veggie beds up and going they just wouldn't get the attention they need. We have started preparing new beds and planted our newest fruit trees and the weeds are almost a full time occupation with all the rain and sun we have had here!

Well I assume that many of my readers are popping over here not to hear about gardening and heirloom seeds, but to see who won the Huglee's toy, so the winner is:

The winning number two comment was by Kari! Congratulations to Kari...she has chosen Woofie as her favourite! Thanks to all readers who left a comment on my blog to win a Huglee's toy. I am going to run a special on all toys in Little Eco next month, so I will let you know here when that happens.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

P.S Ben's first tooth emerged last week...and no tears yet!

P.P.S There were some great suggestions made in my last post about using egg shells in the garden. Do pop in and have a read of them if you are interested in using egg shells as a natural fertiliser. Thanks to all who left a comment!

 

3 Ways to use egg shells in the garden

I don't buy any store bought fertilisers for our garden. I use compost, worm tea fertiliser and egg shells. I am not sure if this is a good thing entirely, as our garden may be missing out on something, but it is healthy and thriving, so for now we will continue as we are!

Egg shells are comprised of mainly calcium carbonate and this is one of the main ingredients found in agricultural lime. I have read that you can completely dry your egg shells out, crush them to a fine powder then spread them on the garden....much like lime. I am not a gardening expert, but you might find this article from Burkes Backyard helpful if you wish to know more about why lime is good for the garden.

We have 5 chooks and two chook houses. We feed our chooks household scraps and an organic blend of grains from our local grain store. They are free to scratch and eat in a large run where we have most of our fruit and citrus trees.

This is one of our chook houses.

3 ways you can use your egg shells in the garden!

1. We save our egg shells mostly for use in the compost.

 2. Something I have just started doing is hand crushing egg shells to use around our plants that I do not wish to be eaten by slugs and snails. So far this has been effective. It won't be long and the birds will be a problem for the strawberry plants, so we will need to net these soon.

3. Another idea is to make Egg Water. This is pretty yucky, but I know of someone that does it and their garden is AMAZING! Using a bucket that has a secure lid, fill 3/4 with water. Add your egg shells (not cooked ones) to the bucket and in time it will stink and become rather brown. Dilute it down with water and use as a tea fertiliser. I don't know the ratio of dilution, but at a guess, (as is it quite rich) I would say 1 part egg water to 10 parts plain water.

Can you add to this list? Do you live in apartment and have other ideas for saving and using egg shells?

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Our Childrens Library

Books are on my mind at the moment as Christmas draws near. I always gift our children a book for Christmas and I have picked up a few already and packed them away.

For Ben I have bought Cars, Trains, Boats and Planes. This book is delightfully illustrated with vintage style images and written simply with plenty of prompts for engaging a child's interest.

This Lego book is for Max and I thought it would be great for ideas, using his current supply of lego. Max rarely re-makes any lego creations, but instead invents his own, so I think this book will be a great resource for inspiration and a book to treasure for a long time.

I haven't bought Jess a book yet, but I am thinking about a photography book as this is her current interest.

Each of our children have their very own book shelves that they keep their own books on in their rooms. We also have two book shelves in our hallway with the children's and family collection of books. They have free access to these books to read whenever they choose. The books they keep in their rooms are their own and they get to choose if they share them with the family or friends. I like the kids to choose what toys and books they share with family and friends and find they are less reluctant to not share if they have that choice. I also believe it is important for our children to have their own items to care and be responsible for.

This is Ben's collection of books...a small supply as he is so young...but it will grow! Ben has a few books (cloth) or wooden that are part of his 'play' items, to chew and explore, but I prefer him not to 'chew' on paper/card books as I prefer my children to respect books at home and when out. We also have a handful of books that are higher up the book shelves that are books to share with an adult for different reasons.

I buy books from op shops, local book shops, online and directly from the author when possible. I like to view books before purchasing, so most of our books come from op shops and local shops or I will try to borrow from the library first. 

Our library for the children contains old books, books with puppets/props, c.d books, poetry/verse/rhyme books, books by local authors, multi-cultural books, reference books, craft/activity books and books from my youth.

We also have a stash of magazines in our lounge and hallway shelves that the older two are welcome to read. I believe it is important for children to read various styles of writing and formats and to listen to various family members reading. I try to read in front of my children too and make comments on something I may have read. I also like to create quiet spaces in our home where we can retreat to read quietly, if we feel the need.

One of my favourite books that has gone from child to child is 'Peepo!' by Janet and Allan Ahlberg and at the moment I am loving 'Why is the Sky Blue?' by Geraldine Taylor.

My own love for books I hope will pass on to my children and if they continue to care for their books they will have their own beginnings of a family library when they leave our nest.

How do you care for books in your home and how do you share them with your children?  It would be lovely to hear what you are currently reading and enjoying with your child!

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Huglee's Toys | Little Eco Giveaway

Oh my goodness!!! Look at what arrived for the Little Eco store today! I opened the box and smiled...no I was beaming! These are simply lovely, cuddly toys that are sure to become your child's next best friend!

These toys are designed here in Australia by work at home mum, Renae. They are made from 100% cotton that has been dyed with eco-friendly dyes and the quality is just as I expected...superb! Come and meet them...

We have Sqeaks the Mouse, Drakey the Donkey, Tomtom the Tomcat and Woofie the Superdog.

The cheeky monkeys Miss Maxine and Mr Maxiboy are here with MooMoo the MooCow and Penelope Pig.

It is hard to choose, but I think my favourite is Woofie the Superdog! I love his cape which helps him fly I am certain of it!

Would you like to choose a Hugglee's favourite and win one?

I am thrilled to share a Hugglee's toy with a one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below, telling me your favourite and you could win your chosen toy. Please leave your comment by Sunday, October 30th to be in the draw to win. A winner will be chosen by the random number generator. Everyone from everywhere is welcome to enter. This is the perfect opportunity to win your little ones a cuddly toy for Christmas.

If they make me this excited I can't imagine how a child would feel receiving one!!! But then I think it is the crafter coming out in me...the tactile quality of a knitted toy, the crocheted nose on the pig, the oversized ears of the mouse, the colour combinations. These toys are fun and make me smile...I'd love one too! 

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

P.S If you would like to know more about these toys take a peek at them here at Little Eco.

Remembering to be Grateful

Sometimes I need reminding to be grateful, especially when I feel overwhelmed or worried. Or if I am just simply thinking too much and need to be more mindful, to live more 'in the moment'.

Yesterday was one of those days. So I grabbed my camera and tried something new. I took photo's of anything, I just went around the house and snapped away and being in that moment, smiling at the images that made my heart sing...I forgot about my worries and became grateful.

I am grateful of the wonder in his eyes...

...and the joy in his laughter.

I am grateful of the old soul that is our best friend when we need one most.

I am grateful for the colour in our garden...

...even if the blossom of the lilac is only fleeting...

...and the petals of my favourite rose will soon turn brown.

I have to admit I really had to 'look' hard at first, but after I took the first photo the others flowed and I have selected only a handful to show you here. It was an empowering experience, my photo's had a purpose, I was on a mission and I was in the moment.

Over the years I have captured treasured moments, simple things and lifes every day moments that might otherwise be forgotten. I only need to look through this blog and our photo albums.

Today I am grateful for my camera.

UPDATE 20th October: Please take a look at this link The 365 day project if you need some inspiration for being grateful. Any wonder I felt enjoyment from taking photo's, as this woman found it life changing doing it each day, over the course of a year. I might just make this a 'to do' next year in 2012, instead of documenting things I am grateful for in my journal.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x