Wild Ones.

My sisters and I will be selling our wares at the first ever Wild Ones Market at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery on Sunday! It's our first market in a while, so we are nervous and excited. We are frantically finalising our stock and getting ready for the big day. If you're in the area, come and say hi. I think it will be a good day!

Gone with the Wind.

A while ago Phoebe and I were in the mood for an epic film, the kind that would fill in a lazy afternoon. So we headed to our local video shop to hire Gone with the Wind, only to be disappointed when they didn't have it. We hired something else and forgot all about Gone with the Wind until I bought it for Phoebe for her birthday. I had seen it years ago, but couldn't remember the finer details, so when Phoebe said she had watched it and enjoyed it, I thought I might read the book before I watched the movie again. The book was wonderful. It was long and descriptive, but easy to read.
Once I finished the book I sat down and watched the movie. The book is so much better. The movie is amazing, considering it was made in 1939, but it is a rosy, watered down version of the book that misses crucial elements of the story.
The book is gritty and sad. The story of war, loss and self discovery. It would be interesting to see a modern adaptation. I think people would be shocked.
Oh, and Rhett, I love you.

Home grown.

I love having a vegetable garden. There is nothing more satisfying than cooking and eating something you've grown yourself. We only started growing vegetables/herbs last spring, so we are still amateurs, and doing everything by trial and error. We have had some successes and some disasters. Last summer our cucumbers and basil were amazing, but our tomatoes and zucchinis were terrible. This winter we planted broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. I'm still waiting for the cabbages, but the broccoli and cauliflower have been sensational! It's funny to think of how proud I am of a mere cauliflower plant!
We have planted some seeds in half toilet rolls, and then transferred them to the veggie patches once they have sprouted. This seems to work really well, so I'm looking forward to our summer crop of beans, carrots and corn.

Dyed.

I haven't dyed anything for ages! It's always seemed more trouble than it's worth and I was never sure I liked the end result, but this said, I did a little dying on Sunday. I managed not to dye my hands or clothing, so that's a plus and I'm actually pretty happy with the result. I dyed some cotton to screen print onto, as well as a plaited necklace I've started. I think I might even do some more dying in other colours!

Phoebe and Shannon's wedding on Style Me Pretty!

My sister Phoebe's wedding has been featured on Style Me Pretty Australia today!  It's very exciting!
Where it all began: Year 3, 1992: Shannon set eyes on Phoebe as they were being teased by the school bully. Love at first sight. Later that day: Phoebe's walking home from school when she's yelled at by two boys from a bus window, one of them being Shannon. A friendship was born. Fast forward five years: Shannon finally plucks up the courage to ask Phoebe to be his 'girlfriend', she says 'of course'. He buys her gifts, they talk at her front gate, they kiss, a while later it ends, she cries. Fast forward 14 years: They meet, he says 'I love you, marry me', she says 'of course, I love you too'.
After she said 'of course', we went into full wedding planning mode. They were engaged last November, so we had three and a half months to plan everything. I remember sitting down and starting a 'to do' list about 5 minutes after they announced their engagement.
We did pretty much everything ourselves. Made bunting and decorations, collected jars and crystal to put flowers in, made pom poms and picked plums from our parents plum tree and turned it into jam (to give away as gifts for the guests). 
My Mum made the wedding dress, as well as the bridesmaids and flower girls dresses. We had the lace that I designed made for Phoebe's dress by a local lace maker (Fullerton Design), it was full of little things that mean something to her: a teapot and tea cup, a book, a ball of wool, a skull (her favourite TV show is 'Bones'), and a locket with a 'c' in it to represent the surnames of the bride and groom. We tried to put a personal touch on everything. My Dad even married Phoebe and Shannon!
It was a massive effort, but I did love it! 
Be sure to have a look at all the photos on Style Me Pretty!

The Healthy Chef.

I'm trying my best to be gluten free and as healthy as I can. I don't have a severe allergy to gluten or anything, but I know I feel a lot better when I'm not eating wheat products. I think the easiest way to stick to it is by being prepared. I find if I have my meals planned and snacks made, I'm less likely to be tempted by food I shouldn't eat.
I have been cooking recipes from The Healthy Chef, Teresa Cutter. Everything I have made so far has tasted great. I must admit that I have had my doubts about some of the recipes, but they always turn out really well. Some of my favourites are the Gluten Free Banana Bread, Apple + Cinnamon Breakfast Cookies, Healthy Carrot Cake and Chilli Con Carne. The recipes even come with a breakdown of how much protein, carbs, fat etc. in each serve. The recipes are generally butter, sugar and wheat free – they do taste good I promise!
As I've got more confident I have even made some alterations to some of the recipes, like the breakfast cookies, for a bit more variety.
The first photo is my Gluten Free Banana Bread with blueberries, the second Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins.

Ode to Lella.

It's time to change. Lella is still my sister, still my muse, still my best friend, still my love, but no longer my fellow blogger. I miss her witty posts. I miss the 'Lella' part of 'Lella and Zee', but it's time to just be 'Zee'. Maybe Lella will drop by from time to time with her impeccable taste and ability to know what's what. I love what we started and what we were and what might come.
Lella these ponies are for you. x.
Image via We Heart It

Happy birthday Lella.

Happy birthday Lella. I remember the night you were born. I remember your fierce passion for leopard print bike shorts, your bath time musical numbers, your uncanny ability to know the words of songs you'd never heard before and your unique style when it came to sunglasses. Thank you for the last twenty five years. You make everything better.