Solar Energy is one of the most obvious resources that we do not utilize nearly enough.

If popular movies are anything to go by, the fact that we’re in 2010, means that we should all be driving (flying) around in solar powered cars already!

Unfortunately we’re not but there are a lot of awesome solar technologies available to us, even in the form of solar kits to make a drastic difference in the way our lives are run. Just imagine having enough power to charge and maintain your RV, boat or cottage without having to depend on the national grid. What if you could have power wherever you go, with a handy solar kit, there when you need it!

Clean, green, sustainable and silent energy right when you need it? Yes please! Just imagine the cost savings involved when your ambient appliances are all run off-grid powered using solar energy. It definitely is the way of the future, and we should ALL consider unburdening already over utilized state resources so that they can focus on things like cleaning up the gulf of Mexico, improving health-care and education.

Have you installed any green energy systems in your home or office? What do you utilize it for? Do you feel really great doing something for the environment?

Building your own home seems to be so in vogue right now. Either that or renovating the perennial fixer upper!

With the increase of television shows showing home renovations, it’s clear that the folks who watch TV like this kind of show.  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I love those TV shows like Extreme Home Makeover, where someone benefits from a brilliantly constructed new home, and more than that, I love to see all the different options of how to construct certain parts of the house, and the various materials on offer.

Often we think more about the interior of a home, and the materials on offer, but when building or renovating a home, the exterior materials are of more importance at the start of the project as naturally the interior can be dealt with later.

Metal roofing is becoming a popular material for use in roofing, because of the relative low cost factor, as well as the ease of installation of the panels.

New advancements in technology make metal roofing a better choice than ever before, especially since they now offer better protection against possible leakage due to new breakthrough designs in technology. They’re now also virtually maintenance free and offer increased protection against heavy winds and extreme temperatures. Definitely worth investigating as an option for renovating or building your dream home.

This week I decided to try online shopping. For groceries rather than the kind of items that one would usually shop for online, i.e. dvd’s cd’s etc.

With both kids home during the school holidays, the idea of loading up the car with all assorted paraphernalia simply to pop to the shops for groceries, having to wrangle them both into a trolley and then having no space left to actually put stuff, *really* didn’t appeal to me.

You know what I mean right?

So I thought I would give one of our local stores the benefit of trying out their online shopping facility.

The website in question was easy to use, and fast to figure out the navigation, and I was able to get my shopping fairly quickly.

The whole process really opened my eyes to the possibilities and pitfalls of the concept and I thought that sharing my experience might help others avoid the potholes on the virtual  super highway.

Whether or not you choose to shop for groceries and basic necessities online, boils down to what you find more valuable to you.

Time vs Money

This is the question you should ask yourself:

If you are able to save an hour by shopping online, is that one hour more valuable to you, in terms of using the time to earn money by working on a project (if you’re a WAHM), than if you were to down tools, and go directly to the store to save money by finding bargains and specials that are not online. Consider everything right down to the gas/petrol required to get to the store, the distance travelled, the energy expended etc.

Here are some other pointers that can help you to improve your time management and cost saving ratio as well as some other interesting facts about doing grocery shopping online.

• Make a Menu Plan: Do not deviate from that plan. Download our handy meal planner to help you plan out a weeks meals in advance. It can be used in both Excel or Open Office, and is fully customizable and free.
• Shops with a List: From now on that is your Indian name. Make a list for groceries, based solely on your meal planner (did you download it yet?) and on any additional cleaning materials, other household items you may need. Ladies, chocolate is not a necessary household item, nor can it be categorized under ‘cleaning materials’, no matter how much you’d like it to.
• Do not browse: Browsing unnecessarily leads to spending unnecessarily. Yes the boxes are pretty. Yes the pictures are colourful, but IGNORE them. You have a list. You are “Shops with a List” remember?
• Environmentally Friendly:  Consider that if 20 people shop online, that would otherwise have driven cars to the store, you are actually saving some bad emissions from being released into the air. Yes, the delivery guy still has to drive to your house, but take one car versus twenty? Basic math says you’re helping the environment.
• Temptation Not:  You won’t be tempted by the freshly baked cinnamon rolls and coffee if you can’t smell them right?

The Down Side: There is also a down side of course, and by shopping online, you will not be able to see any specials that are only available in store. Items that might have been marked down are not listed on online grocery store sites, so where you could save quite a bit by buying bananas that are ripe right now, and needing to be sold immediately at rock bottom prices.

• Premium Only:  Sometimes when you shop online at a big online retailer for groceries, all orders are received at a centralized depot, and very often they will only carry the premium brand version of the product that you are looking for. So where at your local store you may have as many as three to four different brands of nappies available to choose from, they may only carry the most expensive premium brand. Ditto Olive Oil. Ditto Chocolate. But chocolate wasn’t on your list though right?
• Expiry Dates: My online retailer has a feature which allows me to send a note to the ‘personal shopper’ who will be picking out the products for me. I use this to instruct them to please select the item that has the expiry date as far in the future as possible i.e. milk/bread/meat.  Failure to do that, results in the products I’m ordering to be expiring within a day or two of them being delivered. Fact.
• Package Sizes: This again, is probably not the same at each retailer, but watch the package sizes carefully. You may be buzzing to discover this amazing bargan! Then when you receive it, you realise that it’s because you ordered the 100g bag instead of the 250g bag. If you aren’t there in person, at least read the fine print.
• Bulk Bargains: Be aware of the bulk bargain trap. Buying the larger item in order to save money, isn’t always cheaper! Make sure you work out the difference in price per pound/kilo/gram before selecting the bulk option. Fact.
• Local Products: This is a thorny issue as we all have it drummed into us that we should buy local products. I understand why. But I do not endorse this when the premium foreign brand is double the quality of the local one, and half the price. Fact. Yes, I’m talking about Tate & Lyle Demerara Sugar Cubes (ZAR 17.99) vs Hulettes Brown Sugar Cubes (R34.99). There is JUST no excuse for this sort of pricing, carbon foot print or not. If local brands want to compete, they’d better do so on equal footing. Charging double the price and hoping to guilt us into buying it will NOT fly with me or any of the other consumers I know.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it on facebook, stumble it, tweet it and share it.

Looking for something to do in and around Cape Town with the family?  Yesterday we were too!

A simple Google search turned up this amazing map of the Cape Winelands. (Click Here to download the .pdf 1.3mb) Using it enabled us to quickly pinpoint which wine estate we wanted to try out, and yesterdays selection was Delvera Wine Estate, off the R44 near Stellenbosch.

Please note that all reviews are unannounced and paid for in full by NessWorld.

Images from this post are courtesy of the Delvera Wine Estate website and are hosted on our own server. (A flat battery in my car, and the resulting stress of having everyone packed, hatted, shod and sunscreened and strapped in already, meant that I accidentally left my camera behind. My bad.)

Our plan was to try out the Simonsberg Cafe, and then unleash the children in the play area.

Things that I really liked:

The outdoor restaurant area is beautifully canopied by very large and beautiful trees, so we were well shaded, and enjoyed a dappled sunny afternoon, rather than sweltering in the heat!

The restaurant menu is reasonable (compared to other wine farm restaurant prices) and had many classic childrens favourites.

The children had enough time to play for a little while before the food arrived, so when it did they were more than happy to eat. In fact the timing of the arrival of the wine (we chose a local Knorhoek Chenin Blanc) and the food was perfect in every respect, even considering that we arrived after 14h30.

The waitress was friendly, professional, and thoughtful to remember things for the kids like tomato sauce. (Can’t remember how many times I’ve had to ask for it in restaurants!) She also picked up an error on our bill before we did, and rectified it immediately.

We both ordered the classic ‘Simonsburger’ which exceeded all our expectations when we were presented with a real hamburger patty (as in made from scratch, not pre-packaged frozen rubbish), which was delicately spiced and served on freshly baked farmhouse bread rolls with rocket and the most delectable onion marmalade.

They elevated the chips (literally, in a bowl on the plate) to so much more than just your average french fry and even though it was enough as a portion, I could have happily inhaled another bowl. But then, I do have an unnaturally close relationship with carbs.

Both kids opted for the chicken nuggets (again, real chicken!) and chips, and my eldest not only polished his plate, but attempted to finish his little brothers as well. Again, the portion sizes were fine, but then the food *was* delicious.

The tables where we chose to sit outside were thoughtfully spaced, and ideal for people with little kids. Each table is set into it’s own private little area, and even though you can hear others nearby, it is like you have the place to yourself.

The play area was in site of our table, so my eldest (who is only 4) could go back and forth and wave to us from on top of the play house.

Our entire bill came to ZAR 250.00 (including a ZAR70.00 bottle of wine and a ZAR30.00 tip for the good service), and in my mind was well worth it for a family of four, and in such a beautiful environment.

What I didn’t like:

Absolutely nothing!

Suggestions to visitors considering a visit to the restaurant:

My youngest is 21 months old and is at that age where he just runs without looking where he’s going and without stopping when told to.

Now while this was absolutely fine given the environment, with plenty of little kids around and no major bodies of water (except for a 20 cm deep, 2m wide rock pool at the very bottom picnic area), the area is so well foliaged on either side of brick paved pathways, and shaded that we had to leave the table to keep an eye on him, because the plants are taller than him.

That was my only ‘issue’ as it were, and once we’d finished lunch, we all took the short stroll down to the grassy area at the bottom where we could work off some energy.  Also note, that the play area/jungle gym is only for children under 8, and while it was adequately entertaining for my 4 year old, it is quite small.

Lastly, there are a whole host of other attractions on Delvera Wine Estate that we did not have a chance to visit, including:

A function venue, Pony Drawn Cart rides (on Sundays), a Wine Shop, a Wool Shop and Farm Kitchen, a Ceramics Studio, a Clothing Design Collection by Delilah the Pure Earth Workshop, an indigenous plant Nursery, an Olive Shop, the Dirtopia Trail Centre (we are SO coming back for that!), and I can definitely see us sneaking a weekend away at the Oakleaf Lodge Self-Catering Accommodation.

There is so much more, and far more than I could possibly list here, so please visit their website, or better yet, visit the Wine Estate itself.

Don’t you think that the whole world goes crazy at this time of year?

The jingles, the songs, the music, the food. Aren’t these the exact reasons why people get depressed at this time of year?

Sometimes all the happy faced cheerful people who proclaim “It’s a wonderful, joyful time of year!!” leave you with nothing more than a strong desire to punch them in the guts.

The fact is that all this overboard so-called happiness and cheer is nothing more than hot air, false bravado, and some people would be more believable if they simply cut out a photograph of someone else and pasted it over their faces.

I’m not saying we should drop the whole idea of the holidays (Christmas, Hanukka or whatever you celebrate), but I am saying that we should be realistic about it. Maybe you AREN’T feeling it. You know what? That’s okay.

So often we get so bombarded with it, with the shops building up all their Christmas bling as early as October already. Then it’s the endless round of carols by candlelight and school concerts at the beginning of December.  Follow this up with the plethora of celebrity chefs and personalities showing you how to cook better, be better, look better, decorate better.

We mentally bludgeon ourselves if our own efforts do not live up to what the print magazines say they should look and be like.

Frankly I think it’s ludicrous to have one set of china and crockery that only gets hauled out on one occasion a year. Rather donate the money you would have spent on those decorative glittery table stars (that only clog the vacuum anyway) and the silver charger plates (a fancy name for what basically is nothing more than a place mat with delusions of grandeur) to a charity that really needs it.

I am not trying to kill the holiday spirit. Really, I’m not. I just think that humanity would be a lot better off if we could all just GET A GRIP.

People are tired at this time of year. Faced with enormous pressures, financially, physically and mentally. Then we have to go and raise the bar on ourselves and live up to some fairytale expectation that everything should be perfect and *happy* too.  Wouldn’t it be nice if everything could be perfect? Or at the very least better?

If you are not feeling the holiday spirit this year, I believe that the following steps could help you to feel better:

1.  Gratitude List

Make a list of things for which you are grateful. Even if you’ve just celebrated thanksgiving (I’m looking at my American friends here) this is something that we should all be doing everyday anyway. It doesn’t have to be a physical ‘sit down with a pencil and make notes’ kind of list, but maybe just make a mental list, when you wake up, or in the few minutes before you pass out exhausted in the evenings there are always things to be grateful for. You only have to look.

Doing this simple exercise helps you to really shift your priorities. You may be simply happy to have your immediate family all around you (or away for the holidays, depending on your relationship!). You may be grateful for your health, your kids, your dog, the roof over your head. Kind of makes the silver charger plates that you don’t have pale by comparison immediately right?

2.  Make  a List of Goals

Whoa there cowboy. Please do not for one minute think I am talking about new years resolutions, because we’ll deal with that ball of wax closer to the time. I mean make a list of goals that you’re hoping to achieve in your lifetime. Break them down into smaller steps. Remember a wise man once said (anybody know who?), “The man who moves a mountain, begins by carrying away the small stones.” Making a list of goals, and the steps required to achieve them, brings your vision for yourself into focus, and provides you with pathway with which to achieve them. Suddenly, they may not seem so impossible.

Spend some time daydreaming what it will feel like, when you’ve achieved that goal. Want to climb Kilimanjaro? Imagine yourself standing at the summit, raising your arms in joy at your achievement. Want to start your own business from home? Why not imagine making your first sale, or receiving your first payment? How exciting!

You’re feeling better already aren’t you?

3.  De-clutter your home and your life

A tidy room, equals peace and contentment. Take your old newspapers and magazines to the recycling centre, donate old books to a library, or an underprivileged school. Go through your email inbox and clear out the junk and read messages. Do your operating system a favour and clear your temporary internet folder and recycle bin out. Clear out your old clothes and either donate them to charity, or sell them to a second hand shop, you will be amazed by how clearing out old ‘stuff’ makes room in your life to let bigger and better things in.

4.  Volunteer

Yes, I’m talking to you. No need to look over your shoulder to see if I’m talking to the person behind you. There are few greater ways to be grateful for the things in your life, by spending a few hours volunteering to make things better for people (or animals) who have less than you. Find a soup kitchen to help at. Take some cupcakes to an orphanage, visit some old folks whose family have forgotten them, go and walk dogs at an animal shelter. The fastest way to feel happy, is to give other people happiness.

5.  If all else fails, seek humour

Laughter is the best medicine. So go and read the lolcats blog if you’re adamantly down in the dumps, because there is something on there for everyone. Cats, dogs, fails, celebs. You will absolutely find something funny enough for you to at least crack a smile.

Now, share your thoughts with me in that comments box below. What are you grateful for? How do you help yourself get into the swing of the crazy season?

Yesterday is generally the start of the rushed holiday shopping, at least around here, given that it’s a public holiday, and most people are off work. Unless of course they work in retail! Many manufacturers, and indeed many mainstream businesses will allow the majority of their staff to take leave from this time until just after New Year. It makes sense to companies in the Southern Hemisphere, because it’s Summer School holidays too, and everybody gets to have some nice family time, with great weather thrown in, and of course Christmas!

So here are NessWorld’s Favourite Things (eh hem) this holiday season, from the rather expensive, to the awesomely affordable:

This years Top Buy!

Then again, I could be biased because I already have one, but you cannot go wrong, if you buy your significant other (or yourself!) a Apple iMac 21.5-Inch Desktop. See-ree-us.

They work. Right out the box.

Every last piece of Apple advertising is true. They are quite simply put, stunning in every way possible. Plus, did you know that their screens are LED? As in the best technology currently on the market, far outperforming LCD and Plasma? Yes, it *is* true, because why else would I be having to elbow the other parental unit away from it whenever there is a new (or old, and much loved) Sci-Fi movie in the house? Watching Star Wars on this sweet machine will be almost as good as watching it on the big screen again.

They come loaded with everything you need to get started including the classic iLife Suite (09) of programmes with which you can organise you digital life, including edit photos, produce photobooks, burn your home movies into professional dvd’s (perfect Christmas gift for the grandparents), a professional movie editing programme with iMovie, allowing you to edit your home movies to perfection. There’s way too much good to be said about the iMac (and in fact any Mac) than would fit in this piece. Trust me, buy it.

The Next Best Buy is:

You will be the envy of amateur and professionals alike if you haul out the Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera at your next photo opportunity. It has been brought out by Canon, to bridge the gap between the single digit series (1D, 5D) and the double digit series (40D/50D) and offers you 18MP of pixel power. That will shoot a pretty large image. This particular model pictured above is coming bundled with an F3.5-5.6 28-135mm IS lens (that’s right, image stabilised). But you can order it body only if you have your own series of lenses in mind.

For the less pricey items, the following three suggestions would make anyone happy I reckon!

The Classic Collection of:

What’s the one thing that everybody needs to make it through the holiday season, whether they’re in the cold northern hemisphere, or the warm south? Humour. This is the Friends – The Complete Series Collection and it is at a seriously good price. So if you were smart like me, and waited until the show was finished before snapping up copies of it, you can now get it really affordably, and all in one go.

Something for Moms, Sisters, good friends, and any guy who is not afraid to be in the kitchen, then consider this:

Once you’ve tried her really tasty cooking, you will never look at butter with disdain again. Or carbs. Or red meat. Because day-yam, this lady knows how to cook. During an appearance on the Bonnie Hunt Show, there were guys coming out of the audience to taste what she was cooking. Kid you not.  Do pick up a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
and you will be forever happy and fulfilled. So will your jeans but that is entirely besides the point.  It is also choc-full of her absolutely gorgeous photography, and anecdotes from country life. Just perfect for closet country girls like me.

Lastly but not leastl(y):

We have talked about this little number before, but it’s time we showed you again…

This is THE most wished for item on Amazon.com right now. The Kindle Wireless Reading Device is now available to happy people around the globe, who can download books of their choice in less than sixty seconds (bandwidth permitting of course). It works on cellular technology, so as long as you are in range, there is a huge range of titles available. Click to purchase and voila. Take up to 4000 books with you on holiday, in your pocket. No monthly fees, no subscriptions. Seriously, this is going to revolutionize the way people read, and probably save kids from having to tote around heavy school bags once the text book market gets on board!

If you’re still unsure about what to get your nearest and dearest for the holidays, then you can always pick up a gift card!

Prep those chopsticks folks because this one is super yummy!

Firstly, you’ll need to go and get this recipe, from ThePioneerWoman.com because the woman is a genius. Her cooking has changed my life. I’m not exaggerating here, just make sure you come right back and try out this extension to her recipe that I’ve painstakingly put together for you.

What you will need for my portion of the recipe is:

1 pack of chicken fillets (approx 400-500g will do fine)

3-4 Big carrots, peeled and sliced length ways

Half a cucumber sliced into strips

1 cabbage (sliced in strips)

A Wok (preferably, but a regular non-stick frying pan will suffice)

Noodles (this is where it’s easier than you think – the ones from Asian supermarkets are best, but if you’re not able to find any, then any regular thin-ish spaghetti will work just fine – even two minute noodles would work if you’re REALLY pressed, but don’t tell any real chefs I told you that because a) I will deny it and b) other internet foodies will laugh at me

3 Spring Onions (chopped)

Other ingredients you will require for cooking the chicken are:

• 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil (your choice whether you use olive, canola, vegetable or sunflower)
• 2 Tablespoons of Soy sauce (I use low sodium but any kind works great!)

Step 1:  Cook noodles as per cooking instructions – in a pot on the stove top -  this usually involves boiling them in water for the required number of minutes. It’s not brain surgery, read the instructions and you can’t go wrong. If you think I’m going to use words like ‘al dente’ here, then please proceed to the next website, do not pass go, do not take $200. Set them aside once cooked (still in the water – do not strain them yet)

Step 2: Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok and saute (fancy word for flash/stir fry) adding the soy sauce, and cooking until done. Please don’t go giving yourselves salmonella poisoning or anything, make sure that chicken is cooked!

Step 3: Stir-fry your carrots/cucumber/cabbage for a few minutes using the juices left over from having cooked the chicken. Do not over-season your dish, remember that all the big flavours are still going to be added!

Step 4: Now it’s time to prepare that sesame noodle sauce as per the Pioneer Woman’s recipe. You will need the following ingredients on hand – I’m posting them here in case you want to prep your shopping list, but please visit her site for instructions on making the sauce (it’s super easy, and delicious, and no cooking required!). Make sure you have – on hand:

• Soy Sauce
• Crushed Garlic
• White Sugar
• Rice Vinegar
• Sesame Oil
• Chili Oil
• Canola Oil
• Hot Water

Step 5: Combine your chicken, noodles and veg in your wok (off the heat) and pour the sauce that you’ve just made over and stir to combine.

Step 6: Dish up and enjoy! Feel free to go back for seconds, if your family don’t beat you to it!

I’ll be making this dish for lunch today, which makes it the second time this week. It’s been a big hit with the family!

Disclaimer:

Not Recommended for:

Lactose Intolerant People, Celebrities Who Shun Carbs, Models etc.

Highly Recommended for:

People who like to eat their body weight in carbohydrates, with added grilled cheese toppings

Easy 2 Potato Bake

(Caters for Family of 4 – Adjust as necessary for larger gatherings…bake the carbs, and they will come)

You will need:

• 4-5 Medium/Large Potatoes
• 1-2 White Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Small Onion diced
• 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Cups of Grated cheddar
• Parmesan (to sprinkle – optional)

Pre-Heat your oven to 180deg centigrade

Peel potatoes and sweet potatoes and allow to stand in a bowl of water (so they don’t discolour) while you ready your oven dish.

Slice potatoes and sweet potatoes and layer them in any fashion in a shallow oven proof dish, whilst pausing to sprinkle diced onion in between.

Add your tsp of crushed garlic to your 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and pour over the assembled potatoes.

Season with salt and pepper as per your desired tastes.

Use your two cups of grated cheddar to sprinkle over the top, and add parmesan cheese if you’ve remembered to buy it, and could find some under a gazillion dollars in the shops.

Bake in your (did you remember to pre-heat the oven?) oven at 180 deg centrigrade for 40 mins until golden brown.

Hmmm, smell your yummy kitchen? Have the family gathered in anticipation yet?

Take a closer look, the onions should just be crispy, the potatoes will be soft, and you will have quickly and easily created the perfect accompaniment to any barbeque, braai or dinner.

If you have a house full of boys (as do I) then feel free to serve them this by itself.  It has protein (the cheese and chicken stock), and 2 different kinds of vegetables (well potatoes and sweet potatoes are vegetables right?) and starch. I’d never claim that this dish is actually well balanced, or even healthy, but it’s definitely tasty enough to be requested more than once by hungry males.