Love the world you live in. Love yourself.

On this simple frugal adventure that I have slowly ushered my family into,
I have been doing a copious amount of reading...on the web, and therefore drinking lots of tea.
Reading blog upon blog about simple homesteading, how to what too, when too.
Ai yai yai!

So being simple, being earth minded, chemical free, and supporting fair trade, And trying not to 'buy in' on this world,
is, how can I say...
hmmm...
NOT EASY, neither is it cheap.
(note too self, frugal does not equal cheap!)

It all started a long time ago, with certain meat products.
How animals were being treated and kept? What they had been fed? What they had been forced to do?
From there it got to the people who cared for them.
To my clothes; What kind of environment its being made in? Is there fair trade, slave labor, fingers being cut off because of hectic production deadlines???
And then I started thinking about the impact the shipping was having on clothes being brought here from China, and on top of that, we have a huge unemployment rate in South Africa and how all of this impacts the Christ in me.

Yes it does.
It becomes spiritual.
It pulsates in your heart to think that everything has some sort of chain; a life cycle of some sort.
Considering all of creation.
How Sunflowers look towards the sun.
We should be doing the same.
Looking toward the Son.

Psalm 8


O Lord, our Lord,How majestic is Your name in all the earth,Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!From the mouth of infants and nursing babes
You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Free Range Beef, mushrooms in homemade yoghurt with roasted new potatoes &Garlic cloves

Eating small portions of free range meat means affordability, we also eat meat once a week.

Winter Peas, grown from Heirloom seeds sold at livingseeds. These seeds are sustainable. 

Living Seeds provides homeless people with jobs.
They do not use chemicals on their land, produce heirloom plants, which means, seeds for as long as you can cultivate them, it is not a one crop seed. (Very important for Africans)

Homemade chemical free beauty products

Our Shampoo and Conditioner is a made in South Africa, mainly from plant derivitives.

The brand is Earth Sap, it is one of the cheaper and more affordable natural ranges.

(Our grey water runs into a veld, which is considered conservation land, so we try not to put in any unnatural substances)

We make our own toothpaste, courtesy of Bonzaiaphrodite.

I use Apple Cider Vinegar to condition my hair, I got this from FIMBY

I am 30 years old and still struggle with Acne so I make a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and Organic Avocado Oil as a facial tonic/moisturiser...its a bit smelly for the first 5 minutes, but over the past two weeks its made a difference!

Organic Fairtrade Coffee (not the instant kind) and Avocado Oil as a facial scrub.

Epsom salts, water and Jojoba oil as a leave in hair spray for my curly hair.

My hair with the homemade chemical free hair spray for Curly Hair

The kids are trying to adjust to the toothpaste, Josh says its like a bomb in his mouth!!! I'm not going to lie it is!
Love and Light
Nicky