rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 9, 2012, 2:35 pm
Over 600 delicious looking vegan and vegetarian recipes.  Well worth a visit. Owlet - a charming blog about family, life and food. It's Pickles again - this time, the Cool Kid Hooded Hat. It's perfect for those babies and toddlers who keep pulling their hats off. This free pat...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 8, 2012, 2:01 pm
Thank you for your generous and beautiful comments yesterday. We both loved them. I'll be posting our itinerary as soon as it's ready. I know for sure we'll be in Melbourne for The Circle, Ballarat, Canberra, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. The rest of it is not quite ready yet but when I have it...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 8, 2012, 9:00 am
by Amanda of Amanda BrookeTomorrow we are collecting my nephews and bringing them home to stay with us for a few days. I am looking forward to getting to know the 'little men' that I mostly see throughout the year only when we celebrate birthdays and Christmas. They are both under 5 and I have been ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 7, 2012, 1:23 pm
I spent the last couple of days at Maleny working at the Neighbourhood Centre. Yesterday was very busy with a simple living workshop in the morning, craft from 12.30pm and a radio interview straight after that at 2.30. The next two hours were spent talking to various people who came in and taking ph...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 7, 2012, 10:35 am
by Throwback at Trapper Creek Cooking from scratch doesn't necessarily come to mind when one thinks of convenience foods. We have been trained for several generations to purchase ready-made goods. It started out innocent enough, but now people are yearning to go back to an earlier time and sets...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 7, 2012, 5:00 am
Posted by Bel from Spiral Garden Today my friend and I, with our nine children (between us) made all sorts of candles from beeswax - most of it from her beehives. Firstly, we gathered materials outdoors - old tables, aprons, gas burners, old pots and bowls, jars and tins, ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 6, 2012, 1:49 pm
Our solar panels at front and the solar hot water system further back. We have had a solar hot water unit for about 30 years. We had one on our old house and installed a new one when we moved to our home here. Solar hot water units still attract a government rebate in Australia and ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 5, 2012, 10:56 pm
by Megan at The Byron Life This summer was going to be the season where I put all of those dreams of growing my own food into action. I prepared the veggie beds, sowed the seeds and watched in awe as everything took off and grew, grew, grew... success! Well, ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 5, 2012, 1:51 pm
If you were to cook your own meals from scratch, I doubt you'd add sulphites, nitrates, artificial colourings or flavours, gums or MSG, and yet they're common ingredients in foods on supermarket shelves. Some preservatives, like calcium propionate (282) in bread have been removed recently because o...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 5, 2012, 4:26 am
By: Notes From The Frugal TrenchesIt is days like these when we have nowhere to go and no real commitments, that I wonder why it isn't possible to be still more often. Today I declared it was a "home day". And just what is a home day? A day where we never leave home; no shoes need to be put on, no h...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 3, 2012, 3:00 pm
by EilleenConsumption RebellionHello everyone!I am currently writing this blog post in a hotel in Sydney far away from my home in ONC (Our Nation's Capital). It is the last weekend before the end of school holidays, so my children and I thought we'd come up to our nation's largest city and have som...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 2, 2012, 5:00 pm
by Sadge, at Firesign Farm A wry smile crept across my face as I read my co-writer Aurora's post, immediately preceding my day to write. I have a comfortable morning routine, honed over many years. Or had, shall I say? My husband, transitioning into retirement, now has put everything into disa...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 2, 2012, 12:42 pm
The top five regrets of dying - a must-read A Green Journey to inspiration  - here you'll find news, videos, info about courses and many inspiring stories about people who are living sustainably. Irish corned beef recipes Woolle...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Feb 2, 2012, 4:43 am
By Aurora @ Island Dreaming Keeping house doesn't come naturally to me. There are aspects of it I love - gardening springs to mind. There are aspects I despise - washing up in particular. The rest of domestic life falls somewhere in between theses extremes, more often t...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Feb 1, 2012, 2:07 pm
I received an email from Madeline last week asking me to write about replacing household linens, crockery and odds and ends like umbrellas, as well as how to plan in the costs of maintaining a home. She wrote: I've just had to replace my hot water system and computer printer. ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 31, 2012, 2:04 pm
I've noticed quite a few new soap makers at the forum lately, and have had emails from some of you with soap questions, so I thought it would be timely to give a few thoughts, not so much about how to make soap but about those things that are associated with it. Please remember I'm not an expert so...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 30, 2012, 5:30 pm
written by Gavin from The Greening of Gavin This article is a re-post from my personal blog. Not many backyard chicken urban farmers think about the return on investment of their flock very much, as chickens are more of a passion than a bus...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 30, 2012, 2:15 pm
I've been wanting to share some really special photos with you and today I have a good reason for it - apart from the fact that they're just so darn cute. Shane and Sarndra had some professional photos taken recently - a day in their life, and they said I could share them with you. This first photo ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 29, 2012, 5:00 pm
by Jemma at Time for a Little SomethingI think every home cook should have a couple of tricks up their sleeve to make a filling, healthy, comforting meal at short notice, with just a few inexpensive staple ingredients. I have four or five recipes like this, and they are my best friends on evenings w...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 29, 2012, 2:01 pm
Thanks to everyone who sent an order or an inquiry about buying my book. I've answered some of you and will answer you all when Hanno gets more information from the post office. We're trying to get the best possible price for you all but so far, for overseas sales, it's looking pretty expensive. I'l...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 28, 2012, 5:28 pm
by Danelle Stamps at The Stamps Family Farm There are some days when farming and simple living are anything but simple. There are some days where living this life, caring for animals and land and people is just so breathtakingly hard that doing chores in -40 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures with...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 27, 2012, 7:44 pm
by Linda from The Witches Kitchen I've ticked off one of my New Year's Resolutions. We've just come home from a week in wild weather at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island - one of the most beautiful wild places on earth. I went swimming in the surf every day,...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 27, 2012, 1:04 pm
I'll be sending in an order to Penguin soon so I can sell signed copies of my book. If you'd like to order a signed copy, please send me an email (rhondahetzel@gmail.com) with this information: your name and address the number of books you would like to order the name you want m...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 26, 2012, 7:09 pm
by Rhonda at Down to Earth When we first moved into our current home, we made quite a few changes. The house had been lived in by an older couple and some of the things that suited them didn't suit us. We pulled up the carpet and laid a wood floor, we changed the kitchen, added verandahs ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 26, 2012, 1:17 pm
This is my regular Friday feature in which I share a few things I've read or watched recently and some blogs that have inspired me in some way. We all know the internet is an amazing place, with many nooks and crannies to explore. I hope these links reveal interest and beauty you might not otherwise...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 25, 2012, 2:13 pm
Happy Australia Day to my fellow Australians! Whether you celebrate quietly with Vegemite on toast while watching the cricket, or at a BBQ with a lot of people, fireworks and wine, I hope you enjoy today. We have a lot to be thankful for. ~~~~~*~~~~~~ Just after Chr...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 25, 2012, 9:00 am
by Amanda of Amanda BrookeIn recent months our youngest son has had his wee baby teeth cleaned with a clean damp cloth. Last week he took the next step up to a junior size toothbrush and toothpaste. It is an exciting time as he explores the new sensation of flavoured paste and a brush being stuck in...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 24, 2012, 12:52 pm
We had a nice supply of ginger beer going over Christmas. It's a delicious soft drink for young and old, although there is an alcoholic version that can be made with a slight variation on the recipe. Ginger beer is a naturally fermented drink that is easy to make - with ginger beer you make a starte...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 23, 2012, 6:54 pm
Posted by Bel from Spiral Garden Last year, I wrote about reskilling here.  And just this week I was thinking that reskilling really is a way of life for us now.  We're actively learning to do new things all the time. image from energybulletin.net ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 23, 2012, 1:24 pm
I live a charmed life. We live here, on this fertile land with a creek running by it, at the end of a one-lane street, surrounded by a few neighbours and bushland. We use our land; it is one of our assets and to not use it productively would shame us. We grow food and keep chickens and that allows u...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 23, 2012, 12:52 am
by Megan @ The Byron Life One of the surprise learning curves for me since making a commitment to living more frugally has been how neatly it fits with my passion for creativity.   I am a writer, a photographer, a craft...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 22, 2012, 1:07 pm
With less than a month to go until the book is released, there has been a lot going on here behind the scenes.  Hanno and I are planning our trip down south and the publicity and promotion have step up a notch. Penguin have added a "look inside" feature to my section of their website. If you go the...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 20, 2012, 8:05 pm
by EilleenConsumption RebellionHello everyone!I hope you are all well. A few months ago, I attended the launch of Sharing Young Women's Stories - a campaign run by Equality Rights Alliance to fight negative body image. It was a great night and I felt very privileged that I was able to talk to many ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 19, 2012, 3:36 pm
by Sadge, at Firesign Farm Ah - a new year, accompanied by those ubiquitous resolutions. Now, myself, I'm at the age where strength and flexibility are at the use-it-or-lose-it stage. And since there are still a lot of items on my bucket list that require just those qualities, plus endurance, I...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 19, 2012, 1:47 pm
This is my regular Friday feature in which I share a few things I've read or watched recently and some blogs that have inspired me in some way. We all know the internet is an amazing place, with many nooks and crannies to explore. I hope these links reveal interest and beauty you might not otherwise...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 19, 2012, 5:38 am
By Aurora @ Island Dreaming   Since gaining our allotment last year, our patio container garden has fallen by the wayside a little, which I have spoken about before.We have lots of large deep pots standing empty for much of the year, being dug over by cats and col...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 18, 2012, 2:00 pm
Of all the things I do during the course of a normal day, the one thing that is guaranteed to help me relax is knitting.  Who would have thought that winding a long piece of wool or cotton around a couple of bamboo sticks would clear the mind and produce such wonders. And it's such an old craft, un...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 17, 2012, 2:34 pm
There is no doubt about it, the cost of living continues to rise and unless we take stock of what we can do in our own lives, we'll be swept along with those rising costs. I watched a TV report on child care costs last week. Apparently, in Australia, those costs are about to rise. When I looked into...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 16, 2012, 6:14 pm
written by Gavin from Little Green Cheese and The Greening of Gavin. When making a semi hard cheese, one is usually left with a large volume of whey (the milky leftover water).  I don't like wasting this by-product, so I usually make Whey Ricotta.  It is easy to make and a very versat...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 16, 2012, 2:28 pm
By the look of the comments yesterday, there is a need for another bread tutorial. I didn't have time yesterday to answer the bulk of your comments and I'm flat out busy today but later in the week I'll do a tutorial at the forum and you can ask questions as we go along. If you have a photo of your ...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 15, 2012, 9:28 pm
by Jemma at Time for a Little SomethingHappy New Year to the Simple, Green, Frugal community! I hope you were able to spend some relaxed time with friends and family.We're now in the middle of the New Zealand summer and, apart from a few rotten days, we've been blessed with beautiful sunshiney weath...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 15, 2012, 1:07 pm
These are delicious! Kartoffelpuffer - or potato pancakes, are one of those dishes that can be part of a meal of a meal in themselves. Hanno's mother taught me to cook kartoffelpuffer and I remember as clear as a bell when she told me that when they were cooked, they had to look like lace. A few wee...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 13, 2012, 3:35 pm
by Linda from The Witches Kitchen I read an article this week with the headline "Cosmetic Chemical Hinders Brain Development in Tadpoles". The study, by the very credible Brown University, found that a chemical called methylisothiazolinone, commonly used in shampoo, cosmetics, skin care p...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 12, 2012, 1:38 pm
Fridays this year will be about sharing links I think you might find interesting, or even enriching. It might be a blog, article or website but it will always be on our topic so I hope you'll find time to take a look. Pickles from Norway - without a dou...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 12, 2012, 12:00 am
by Amanda of Amanda BrookeOh dear! The days are becoming a blur in the school holidays and I have lost track, so my apologies to the co-op and dear readers for not posting this earlier today. My head is a little fuzzy today too with a pinched nerve in my neck, making writing a post a little uncomfor...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 11, 2012, 1:52 pm
I've been swanning around all summer thinking I live in the perfect climate. We usually have heat and humidity from November onwards but for the past couple of years that hasn't happened, we had a lot of rain instead. This summer has been mild with temperatures around 25 - 28* (77 - 82F) but when Mo...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 10, 2012, 2:00 pm
Earning money, then spending it, isn't the only way we can obtain the items and services we need in our every day lives. Bartering is trading items of similar value without exchanging money. It's a good way to obtain what you need without having to pay cash. The essential thing when you start barter...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 10, 2012, 9:39 am
by Throwback at Trapper CreekWhile everyone is poring over their seed catalogs and dreaming of warmer weather, (at least us here in the Northern Hemisphere) planning for seed saving needs to be part of the scheme too.I always say the work of gardening and farming is half observation. And this is e...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on The Simple Green Frugal Co-op - Jan 9, 2012, 11:26 pm
Posted by Bel From Spiral Garden I've written before about our house cow: House Cow FAQs House Cow Journey Part One House Cow Journey Part Two House Cow Journey Part Three House Cow Journey Continues It's been over two years since we first broug...
Comment - Like

rhonda h. posted an article on Down to Earth - Jan 9, 2012, 2:00 pm
When I first gave up working for a living I did that hoping that if we were thrifty, if we cut back, if we gave up a couple of the things we used but didn't really want - like pay TV and a second car, that we would be able to live on much less that we were at that point. The key to this of course wa...
Comment - Like