Sustainable Sewing and Home Textile Waste

September is sewing month and we're collaborating with partner blog Creativity Unmasked to look at home sewing textile waste and how to be a more conscious crafter (but still have fun!).  Head on over to the post at Creativity Unmasked for a ideas on trying to be a more considered sewist or crafter, along with some interesting links to lower waste sewing resources and creative projects to try.

Preparing for the Spring/Summer Growing Season

Reflecting on a Year in the New Garden - The Value of Garden Journals/Photos

It's officially been a year since we arrived at our new home.  In the midst of all the chaos, hard work, and many changes that have happened over the past year it's hard sometimes to see the evolution from house to settled home or bare dirt to growing garden. When I feel frustrated at how half settled I feel in the house or how unfinished my to-do lists and plans feel, it always helps to flick back through a few old photos and see just how much progress we've made.

Gardening for Butterflies - Monarch Garden Adventures and Learnings

Winter in the Garden

Family Footprints: Home Grocery Delivery vs. In Store Shopping

Last year, when we relocated to our new home and new town, I tried online grocery shopping for the first time. I have no issues with online shopping, but I'd always been leery of having someone else select my groceries. Would I be frustrated with near expiry products? Smallish per item cost goods? Sad wilted and dinged produce?  What will the packaging be like? Is it actually more efficient? With a chaotic houseful of boxes in the unknown territory of a new town, I took the plunge into grocery delivery and haven't looked back. 

Garden Life with Dogs - Understanding and Managing Pee Patches in the Lawn

Dog pee can burn the lawn to varying degrees depending on numerous factors, but a little knowledge, a few defensive measures, and a whole lot of patience (whether in training or with the watering can!) can go a long way towards reducing the dreaded pee patches in dog lovers lawns.  With our two large dogs, we're always fighting against the patch. Here's some of what we've learned and how we try and manage patching in the lawn.

Preserving the Harvest: Big Batch Freezer Pesto

Mmmm...pesto. It's one of our family's favourite ways to enjoy basil. Ready-made pesto is convenient and available all year round, but it's pricey and content varies widely.  Making pesto can also be expensive if you have to buy all the ingredients, but using homegrown herbs (and a few clever recipe tweaks) will make a huge difference.  Fresh herbs are always expensive, even in season, which is a great incentive to grow your own even if it's just a small patch or pot! 

Monarch Gardening - Transforming from Chrysalis to Butterfly

It's prime time for monarch-friendly gardening here in New Zealand, and we've been sharing a special monarch mini-series about what we've be experimenting with to make our new garden a prime place for monarch butterflies to lay eggs and grow the next generation of monarch butterflies. The journey of supporting the monarch life cycle comes full circle with the emergence and first flight of baby butterflies, and in this final post of the mini-series we look at eclosure from chrysalis. Exciting! 

The same chrysalis/butterfly is pictured throughout this post as well as key images from the proceeding chrysalis post so that you can see the full transformation. You'll see the hijacked rockmelon leaf throughout, cheeky wandering caterpillar!

Monarch Gardening - Transforming from Caterpillar to Chrysalis

It's prime time for monarch-friendly gardening here in New Zealand, and we're sharing a special monarch mini-series of posts about what we've be experimenting with to make our new garden a prime place for monarch butterflies to lay eggs and grow the next generation of monarch butterflies. After munching their way through caterpillar life, it's time for the magic of becoming a butterfly to happen in the chrysalis (the pupal stage).

Monarch Gardening - Caterpillar Protection from Pests and Predators

Since supporting the caterpillar stage of life is a big part of monarch gardening, we've expanded caterpillar hosting and helping segment of the monarch friendly gardening mini-series to break out more detail on some of the bigger issues with hosting healthy caterpillars, including steps we've taken in the garden for deterring their pests and predators.

Monarch Gardening - Moving and Relocating Monarch Caterpillars

Since supporting the caterpillar stage of life is a big part of monarch gardening, we've expanded caterpillar hosting and helping segment of the monarch friendly gardening mini-series to break out more detail on some of the bigger issues with hosting healthy caterpillars, including moving and relocating caterpillars.

Monarch Gardening - Housekeeping for Monarch Caterpillars

Since supporting the caterpillar stage of life is a big part of monarch gardening, we've expanded caterpillar hosting and helping segment of the monarch friendly gardening mini-series to break out more detail on some of the bigger issues with hosting healthy caterpillars, including housekeeping for our messy caterpillar guests.

Monarch Gardening - Hosting (and Helping) Monarch Caterpillars

It's prime time for monarch-friendly gardening here in New Zealand, and we're sharing a special monarch mini-series of posts about what we've be experimenting with to make our new garden a prime place for monarch butterflies to lay eggs and grow the next generation of monarch butterflies. Next up, we take a look at the caterpillar stage of monarch life, with ideas for not only hosting monarch caterpillars but also things you can do (and not do) to help them have a greater chance of surviving and going on to form a healthy chrysalis and become a monarch butterfly. Since this is a big part of monarch gardening, first we'll take a look at the basics of caterpillar life and then helpful hosting, including housekeeping, movement, and predators.

Monarch Gardening - Encouraging Monarchs to Lay Eggs in Your Garden

It's prime time for monarch-friendly gardening here in New Zealand, and we're sharing a special monarch mini-series of posts about what we've be experimenting with to make our new garden a prime place for monarch butterflies to lay eggs and grow the next generation of monarch butterflies. In this post, we take a look at the reproduction through to egg-laying phase of monarch life, with ideas for encouraging monarchs to visit and (hopefully!) lay eggs in your garden.

Monarch Gardening - Creating a Butterfly-Friendly Garden for Raising Monarchs

It's prime time for monarch-friendly gardening here in New Zealand, and today kicks off our special monarch mini-series of posts all about making your garden a prime place for monarch butterflies to lay eggs and how to help grow the next generation. Over the coming weeks, I'll share what we've been doing (and learning) in the "monarch nursery" here in our new garden. First up, here's a look at the planning and preliminary planting stage of gardening for monarchs.

Happy New Year! Catching Up Post Holiday Blog Break

Happy New Year! We hope you've all had a fabulous month, wherever in the world you may be and whatever your celebrations. Our wet weather has finally given way to sunny summer, and it was a beautiful but very busy Christmas staycation, with lots of work in the new house and garden. As there is no Here & Now link-up this month, here's our informal catch up on what's been happening in our world.

Here & Now

It's time for our December Here & Now post as part of the monthly link-up hosted by Sarah of Say! Little Hen. You can find this month's participants and their links via this month's Here & Now hostess post. Come explore, or join in the link-up if you wish. This will also be our last post of the year, so Merry (almost) Christmas! We'll be enjoying some offline family time over the holidays, although I will check in periodically on our emails and social media as time allows.  Happy holidays to  you and yours, and I hope that 2019 brings you health and happiness. See you all again in the new year! 

Durable DIY Custom Painted Garden Markers with Cricut Stencil Masks

Here & Now

It's time for our November Here & Now post as part of the monthly link-up hosted by Sarah of Say! Little Hen. You can find this month's participants and their links via this month's Here & Now hostess post. Come explore, or join in the link-up if you wish.  I am currently: