It's Monday, almost 6pm and I'm waiting for hubby to come home from work, so I thought it would be nice to write a short post, encouraging you in your own new week.
I like Mondays, they feel as though I've taken a deeper breath, my attitude excited about what the day has to hold within the home and garden after the slower rythym of our weekend. I wrote a short to-do list after breakfast, and apart from the daily sweeping of floors, a load of washing, making the bed, cleaning the loo, and doing the dishes, today I focused on preparing some food and moving the large bookcase back in to the front entrance.
Last week I baked a really yummy slice, Berry and Apple, but forgot to show you...
...and I took a photo of the recipe in case you wanted to try it.
I didn't have any buttermilk, so I just used normal milk with a teaspoon of vinegar to sour it. Works a treat.
My husband isn't a fan of cake, but he loves a good crunchy biscuit (cookie) or a slice. I'm very much a slice girl, and I regularly try different ones from my older cookbooks as they have simpler steps. And they taste good. Always important.
Today I chose to make an old favourite from one of my favourite retro cookbooks, which first caught my eye (whilst posting a parcel) at the local post office and which I have lovingly cherished for about ten years now.
It's a Raspberry Coconut Slice, and is a family favourite, especially when we have a glut of berry jam to finish. Normally I make it with raspberry jam because that's my second favourite jam (plum is number one), but today I used the last jar of strawberry jam in my pantry. Soon the price of fresh strawberries will drop and I can make up loads more jam to see us through the next year.
Whilst I was taking these photos, I picked up the book by the edge and the cover slipped off. Now, in ten years I had never removed the cover...but what a beautiful find underneath! So wonderfully vintage, like old floral curtains of the 40s and 50s...
Tomorrow I will trim, fertilise and water all the indoor plants, then dig up the little volunteer seedlings from our pink Ixora in the garden and pop them in some good soil and new pots to get established over the coming spring. I also need to fertilise and mulch around the row of chrysanthemums near the front walkway before hubby installs a white picket fence which he's been working on for me.
Before the hard heat returns around October, I want to spend as much time as I can in the garden, bringing some of my many garden dreams to life.
Just like in the garden, all sorts of seasons come and go in a regular procession, and each one has its purpose. My very ordinary life has seasons too, and after many decades rushing through them, now I like to savour every day, every little moment, because today will never come again, so why would I want to pass it by so thoughtlessly?
When you're in that autumn season of life, one of the four big seasons of aging, there's more behind you than in front, and that makes each golden sunrise, and every orange-red sunset all the more miraculous...all the more a gift to be grateful for. I thank God for my life, for the family He blessed me with, for a mind that is always learning, a heart that seems to hold more love this year than last, and His hand which gently reaches out to slow me down a little more as my years increase. Funny that, the years pass with increased swiftness, yet my day to day life quietly slows, whilst my appreciation for all that's been given by His grace, is magnified.
Have a lovely week my friends, embrace the moments, hug lots, listen to the birds, sit outside and close your eyes awhile to just be still. Eat something delicious, read a good book, rearrange a room, sing out loud, smile at everyone you meet...and give thanks to God.
Hugs
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Hello dear ones, thanks for dropping by today. How are you doing?? Being a blogger it seems that I am regularly letting you know how I am doing, but I'd also like to know what you've been up to.
The past few weeks, months really, there's been a lot happening within the family, things we choose not to share, things that in the big scheme of things are ours alone to manage, leaning heavily into the Father's arms as we wait on results, directions, provision and refreshment. As a family we all pull together, especially when the children or health are involved, and sometimes it's a mixture of both. So when I stop blogging for a bit, just know there's a family life to be lived, and loved, behind the screen. I think many of you would understand this (especially introverts like Blossom and I)...we process things quietly, pray and discuss between ourselves, always encouraging and being there for one another, always drawing on God's Word and His love to carry us through. There's no greater place to be than in His perfect care.
My theme this month is TIME and that's exactly what God has made me aware of. Everything lately has needed time - time to sit quietly with Him, time for family, time for healing, time for rest, time for caring, time to consider the future, time to give thanks, time to sit in the sun and warm up, time to tend the garden.
At home, this is what I've been up to in the quieter days -
Baking biscuits. Cully May loves packets of Rich Tea biscuits, as do Blossom and I (they are especially perfect for dunking in a cup of tea!) so I found a recipe which was quite similar and made 54 of them - a huge saving on buying a pack, and everyone said they were delicious so these will need to be added to my regular baking schedule.
The new sour dough bread recipe I mentioned recently didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The steps once kneaded were great and I will continue using them once the weather warms a bit (we have no heating in our home and the nights of late have dropped to an unusual 6 - 7C, around 45F). I had to use heated rice sacks sitting under the bowl to help things along, and eventually got a fairly nice loaf, though a bit dense from such a long rise.
The other thing I realised about this recipe is that even though it asked for 170g of sour dought starter, not everyone has the same consistency of starter. I have mine quite thick (like peanut better) whereas others have theirs runny or somewhere in between. I used to have a fairly runny starter until I learned that a thick starter is actually stronger and sours the dough better. So I shall go back to my old recipe, mostly judged by eye and feel as I go along, but use this new recipe's technique for kneading and rising.
Last weekend my computer crashed and dear husband with all his tech know-how spent his only day off work that week re-installing everything and setting it up as good as new. How blessed I am that he can do that stuff.
While he was busy at the computer I decided to 'finally' baste my Virtuous Wife quilt (the free BOM I shared last year)....
I also made the binding, and found my spare rolling pin to be perfect for storing it...
It was my intention to start hand quilting this week just gone, but the weather has been so cold (for the tropics) that my fingers really hurt pushing the needle through the three layers, so I have put it aside until the weather gets back to our normal warm dry winter.
Please note that I have kept this pattern free far longer than I'd intended, but it will be going in the shop soon. If you want to download any of the blocks, or the ones you may have missed, they are all HERE. I'll keep them free until July 31st.
Whilst quilting through three layers was difficult, regular stitching was fine, and I did manage to complete the first block of PROMISES as there were only a few words left to embroider.
These are the fabrics I'll be using for the project. They are bits and pieces collected here and there over the years - not all are quilting fabrics, but they have been washed so should be fine one day when the finished quilt gets a wash...remembering that I am doing this as a slow project that may take a couple of years to design and share with you. If you missed the first block it's HERE
More sewing, but not the creative kind. My lovely cotton cardie has been getting a lot of use during this unusually cold spell and I caught the back on a nail out back, which left a hole that needed darning before it grew any larger.
I haven't darned in a long time, but I have very fond memories of Nana darning Pop's thick woollen hand knitted socks. They were made with love and cared for with more of that same love, because he worked shifts on the wharf back in the day when they often climbed ropes to get on board, and the winter harbour nights in Newcastle (where we lived then) were icy. His socks, balaclava and gloves were all made by Nana. xx
Since hubby pruned a lot of the trees this winter, the birds are dropping by for a feed more regularly. Their feeder had become almost hidden between the Ixora, Bottle Brush and Maraya trees, but now it has a wide viewing area so the birds can feel safe. Our old cockatoo friend drops by every day, and his friends join him later.
A day with the girls...
On Thursday I had Cully May and Rafaella over for some crafting, baking, and a sumptuous morning tea.
We began with a pot of hot chocolate, freshly baked scones, homemade lemon butter and the last of my homemade strawberry jam. We chatted about all the things that matter to a 6yo and an 'almost' 8yo before clearing the table and getting in to some crafting.
Inspired by Annabel's sewing day with her own granddaughters, I thought it time to give mine some simple and fun ways to become familiar with using a sewing needle, thread and buttons. I have a lot of buttons, mostly vintage, but I also have a large jar of bright buttons the children have used to thread into necklaces.
Before they arrived I'd sewn together two long narrow strips of felt (on top of each other - a front and a back), one each for them, one for me to teach with, and another that they could use to make a gift for Blossom. We were making button bracelets!
Felt is lovely and soft for children to begin sewing with, and there's no fraying. The girls slowly became comfortable with the needle and thread, and then began the process of sewing on the buttons, using the tying method to secure them. Cully May was excellent at sewing, and Rafaella made the best knots when tying the buttons in place.
I ended up using Green and Orange colours for my teaching model because they are Charlie David's favourite colours, and I knew he'd want one when he arrived with mummy later to pick up his sisters. He loves the character Blippy, from the same titled children's program, and he certainly did get excited about his Bippy bracelet when the girls gave it to him. The fourth bracelet was for Blossom and she was so chuffed to see all the girls had made. Everyone left wearing their handmade button bracelets, smiles all around.
After the bracelets were made we spent an hour in the kitchen baking tart cases, and once cooled we filled some with caramel, some with lemon butter and the rest with jam. Then the girls set the table for a late lunch as they knew Mummy and Charlie David were on their way, and I made pizzas from leftover garlic naan bread (delicious!). After we all polished off the pizzas, it was time to feast on tarts...I thought I'd have some leftover, but noooo. Ha ha!!
Before I sign off, I was asked to share Nana's baked rice custard recipe...
3 eggs, room temperature / 750 ml whole milk / 4 tablespoons sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla essence / 1/2 cup cooked medium grain white rice (it's not as good with long grain rice) / grated nutmeg or cinnamon
Mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Add the sugar, stirring well to dissolve as much as possible.
Grease a small baking dish or casserole dish with butter. I use an enamel dish usually, just like Nana did. Spread the rice across the base of the dish, then gently pour over the custard mix. Sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon over the top of the custard (we only ever use nutmeg, but some people prefer cinnamon).
Make a water bath by pouring 1" of hot water into the base of a larger baking dish. Place the rice custard dish into the larger dish and place in a preheated oven at 160C (320F) for 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes because not all ovens are the same - if there's no wobble, take it out. If there's only a slight wobble it's okay to remove it as well...but if there's a good wobble, give it ten more minutes.
My husband loves this with jelly. Blossom eats it out of the baking dish. I eat it with tinned pears, or out of the baking dish. ;-)
Hopefully blogging will be back to a more regular routine next week, and hopefully our nights will be warmer. I bought my first doona in fifteen years today because the weight of blankets on the bed lately has not been comfortable. Hubby has some issues with his legs and feet, so a light doona will be wonderful for him tonight.
God bless you so very much. I pray that if you're having a time of struggle, ill health, family concerns, loneliness, stretched finances, sorrow, or just in need of a good hug and a cuppa, that the Lord will provide what is needed in the way it is needed most, and through the care and concern of those who love you. But may we all keep our hearts open to recieve from a stranger, or an unexpected source, for God uses many different avenues to answer prayer or bring a blessing. And if like me, you prefer to be the giver, humble yourself to receive...He taught me a lesson about that recently. As long as we have breath, God has a lesson to teach us, to grow us, to guide us in the ways of Jesus.
I also pray that we each ask the Lord how we can be of help to another, for being His children involves both being cared for, and being a carer; being a giver and being a receiver; being His hands of love and allowing others to love us through Him.
Love you all,
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Considering the soon farewell of another month, my thoughts have drifted to how things have been simplified around home, in my mind, and around the garden, through these days of March. At first, I focused on these past weeks, full of family, garden and medical needs that seemed to take up large portions of each week, but then I considered the lovely peace and calm which has come to be the normal daily atmosphere of home no matter what a day holds. I am learning that the more I can let go of, in order to simplify my life - things, emotions, dreams, plans and unforgiveness for example - the more peace and calm and JOY is filling my life.
As I reflected on these things it occurred to me that more than dropping away things or plans, the most beneficial path to simplifying has been changing the way I think, feel, and how I see my life as a homemaker.
Having a heart which chooses to be at home, experiencing joy in the care I am able to give our humble abode, a feeling of satisfaction borne from the fruit of my labours, filling my heart with gratitude for all the small things - for there are far more of those than big things in life - these are evidences of a simple life being lived well...and yet, I don't think I have looked at it from that perspective before.
In my homemaker heart it's clear that there's a sweet and gentle rest offered by living this way, and as I grow older, I find more of the gentle domestic life is what I desire most, for it draws me back to what I knew as a toddler, child and teenager growing up with Nana.
Experiences of the past, the ones we remember most vividly, are the ones I believe to have had the greatest impact on our lives as we age. In the midst of wonderful memories, there may be difficult ones as well, and I admit to having both. However with the passing of years, the easier it has become to let go of the ones which serve me no good, for those memories cannot be changed, and if I did give them power again they could harm my otherwise healthy mind. So I choose to release myself from their grip, and instead, gather all the wonderful memories built around Nana and Pop, who cared for me with selfless love, and taught me to love God.
I've not heard of mental simplicity, but it's the only way I can describe to you what has had the greatest impact on me recently. When I sought the Lord over the areas of my life to simplify, one that surprised me was a particular situation from thirty years ago which every so often comes to mind and continues to upset me, and even cause me to feel anger. In a moment, He disassembled the tower of self-pity and self-righteousness I had built in my mind, and left every stone shattered...ladies, talk about simplifying, this was a burden gone, done and dusted, slate wiped clean, chains unshackled, in a moment. I am free, and it is so very life-changing to forgive, and to be forgiven. Simply.
If you have been burdened with the past, let me pray for you...
Heavenly Father, this is but a short and simple prayer, because You are not complicated, and do not bury your children in long and wrenching psychological tortures. You are a kind and compassionate Father, Who, at the right time, leads us from darkness into Light, and today I am asking You to do this for anyone reading this who needs to be set free from the shackles and burdens of the past. Lord, in Your deliverance, shine Light on the best things for them to remember, stir up the good experiences and memories, bringing them to the surface, and in doing so, please bury forever the harmful ones. Guide those who need to forgive, impart wisdom to those who have held a grudge or misunderstood an incident so they can repent and let it go. Simplify their lives, Lord, and simplify their minds, that they may look with JOY at the days yet before them, given as a gift by Your perfect grace. In the precious name of our Saviour Jesus, Amen.
Here's the steps and recipe to make those lovely little pies my grandchildren and son in law gobble up with glee!
I have these lovely little pie tins which were purchased for a couple of dollars at the local op-shop, and they make the perfect size pies for children, lunches, or picnics.
The base is a little disc which is removable, making it easy to lift the baked pies from the tin.
Whatever size your pie tins are, you will need to cut a circle for the base that is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch larger than the tin. Try making a circle with scrap fabric or tissue paper first, to work out the correct size, and then look for a plate or dish which has the same dimensions.
I use puff pastry sheets from the freezer section of the supermarket. Using a circular plate the right size, I cut the bases and press them into the greased pie holes. Then I fill the cases with an egg, bacon and cheese mixture.
The FILLING -
Grill or bake rashers of bacon to remove a lot of the fat. Once cooked, chop them into small pieces. When cool, scatter them across the bottom of the pie cases.
Make a mix of 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of cream, some salt and pepper. Pour this into eight small pie cases. Scatter some grated cheese over the top. Cut circles of puff pastry 1/2 inch wider than the top of the pie cases and place on top. Press the sides of the base and top together.
Make roses and leaves from the excess pieces of puff pastry. Cut your rose strips first - they only need to be about one inch wide, and 4 inches long. Then cut the leaves from the remaining odd shaped scraps of pastry.
For the roses, just roll the 4 inch strip of pastry (not too tight), and then using your fingers, turn some of the rolls down to form a flower.
Place them on top of your pies, pressing very gently to attach them. Now make a egg wash (just beat a whole egg until the yolk and white combine...it only takes about ten seconds), and then using a pastry brush, paint the top of the pies with it.
Bake in an oven of 200C (400F) for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. The pies will puff right up and be golden brown when done.
You could make the same pies with any filling of your choice, but my tribe do not want me to change anything! ;-)
Now I must sign off as I need to see my optometrist again today, do some grocery shopping, and find a decent dish drainer for the kitchen sink as my old one has lately been the cause of a few broken cups and glasses due to a section breaking away. I knew this time was coming but had put if off, but then a favourite mug broke earlier in the week and it can't be replaced. The dish draining rack can!
God BLESS you dear ones, and may the March days still ahead of us be days of joyful simplicity in the ways that matter most.
Love
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I've been meaning to blog for days, but life has been full of other things, mostly home and family, and so much rain that our gardens are glistening from the water in and around everything. Of course it was perfect weather for weeding, so I did that in the half hour or so before sunrise each morning (if the rain took a break). Any later and the heat and humidity was more than I could handle when exerting energy gardening. It's good to know the town dam has plenty of water so I am not complaining too much about this summer's wet season.
One thing I have really missed though, is hanging washing on the line. It is so rare for me to not have that opportunity, especially living in the hot tropics. We do have a dryer, but until all this rain through February I could count on two hands how many times I've used it in the past four years - it just sits in the laundry and I lament it taking up space! Ha ha! Until this summer. Throughout the past few weeks it has been used almost daily, but today the sun reappeared and I got so excited carrying my overloaded washing basket outside, my feet ankle deep in water, to peg everything on the line.
So it's quite appropriate that the little design on the March block of this year's free "Joy in the Ordinary" project is a washing basket.
What do you miss when the weather in consistently inclement over a prolonged period of time?
Keeping busy inside is important when everything is dark and gloomy from storms, and for me I find it even more of a challenge in our summers when the temperature is still hot, sticky and humid. I'd much rather these stormy weeks be in winter when you can wrap yourself in a blanket, sip hot tea and have a big pot of soup or stew on the stove. But the reality is that we all must live within our own climate, not allowing it to get the better of us. We need to be thinking creatively about ways to add joy to our days, and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere within the home. For me this is usually done in the kitchen, and I have indeed enjoyed many hours making this and that recently, but I also worked on two small slow-stitched projects, and the larger project of a crochet lap rug.
The pattern I am using for the rug is from Lucy at Attic 24 and it's her Trellis Stripe design (she taught this five years back when making the Sweet Pea rug, which I made for my youngest granddaughter, Rafaella - you can see it HERE)
The colours for this version of the Trellis Stripe are more subdued than those I used for Rafaella's 1st birthday blanket. You can find Lucy's free Trellis Stripe/Sweet Pea pattern HERE
Our air-conditioner in the main living area stopped working last Saturday so it's been a challenge to keep adding rows at night, but thankfully the fans are running on high and the air con in the kitchen allows a tiny bit of cooler air to flow through.
The slow stitching has been w o n d e r f u l...simply wonderful. It was a quiet, almost soothing, very gentle pastime, each day for a while after lunch when the morning's household chores were completed. In fact, when it was finished, I made another...
These are simply lovely little rolls, made from 10" squares of fabric, and very thin fusible parlan between the layers of fabric. You make a square from the fabrics and parlan, then hand quilt it. Fold in three corners and stitch them together like an envelope...
Make a very fine length of fabric for the wrapping tie, and sew it to the point of the open end, keeping one side of the length short and the other twice as long.
I keep my reading and stitching glasses in them. So lovely! You could make these any size, and I think they'd be lovely as a gift. I'm already working on a third. If you'd like me to do a tutorial for this pouch just let me know in the comments.
Another thing which has brought me a delightfully peaceful heart, and something that also added to my stillness in February was watching a video each day from a wonderful homemaker in Belarus. Her name is Olesya and she lives in a small house with her husband and son. Every video she shares recipes, sewing, homemaking, and she also shares updates on the very ramshackle old house in the forest that she and her husband are working on, with the hopes of moving there one day. I have learned much and been inspired by Olesya, especially with baking and with the sewing she does for her home to make it more cosy. I'll leave the link to one of her videos, and then you can go to her channel and scroll...you will definitely find something to interest you. Oh, and there are subtitles and soothing music, but I had watched her for a week before I realised there were subtitles! Make sure to click on them so you can read her thoughts...
Oleysa also did a video on making Tilda dolls...I have never made one, but now I will give it a try. You will find it here
In the kitchen I have been baking bread regularly, roasting whole chickens, making chicken bone broth to store in the freezer for use in winter, gathering elderberries and freezing them to make tonics later, and enjoying comfort favourites from my childhood. A new sour dough starter is on the bench, and I am hoping it's not too soon to get this going as it never fares well in the high heat and humidity of our climate at this time of year...but I miss making sour dough.
I save chicken carcasses and when I have two in the freezer I make a big pot of broth using up all the older veggies and scrap ends, plus herbs from the garden, apple cider vinegar and lots of garlic.
I made 3 litres of bone broth from the batch last week. These are now in the freezer. Next week I'll roast a leg of lamb and use the bones for lamb bone brother. It's so good to have a variety in the freezer ready for soups, stews or casseroles. I am praying for a cool winter this year, not another warm one. I would love to slow stitch with that crochet rug over my knees. :-)
For comfort I always think of Nana's baked rice custard, so that was on our menu this week. I have shared the recipe before (here) but one thing I did not explain was that for every extra 250ml of milk you use, add another egg, a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and a little more cooked rice.
It was SO delicious on its own, but tonight I'll add stewed black plums on the side. I am salivating now. And my heart is full of warm and fuzzy memories of sitting around Nana's kitchen table with her and Pop, laughing and loving together as we feasted on this dessert.
I was asked to share the recipe I used for dishwashing liquid, so I shall do that today before I forget. Blossom and I have tried a few different mixtures for dishwashing but this is the best so far and we have decided to stick with it.
Just be aware that it needs to be stored in a glass pump bottle, not a squeezy bottle (you may use too much). I got my bottles at the local TK Maxx store for about $7 each. I need to use about six pumps for a sink of water (not those big large sinks, just normal ones) because this is small pump, and not a lot comes out. Less is more when you're assessing how much you'll need. I made this three weeks ago and have only used about a quarter of the amount I had in the bottle during that time. Very economical, and also excellent for doing dishes. Lovely on hands too!
Also, the ingredients separate when not in use, so just turn the bottle upside down a few times (not shaking) when you plan to use it and everything will mix together again.
1/2 cup distilled water (I use iron water from the laundry section of the supermarket)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup Sal Suds
1 tablespoon jojoba or almond oil
10 drops of lemon essential oil
Mix together and store in your glass pump bottle.
Below are photos of the beautiful flowers I received from my husband and Blossom last week on my 65th birthday. They are glorious! It was a very special day with my family, and Blossom even arranged to have Kezzie and Dee on a video chat with all of us while she lit candles on the cake, and everyone joined in the singing. Afterwards we kept laughing and chatting - it was very special indeed.
I know this was a long post, but I like getting things shared in one post a week now, rather than a few shorter posts. Time is precious isn't it, and I am happy to spend a few hours writing one post from my heart each week, as a letter to a friend...but the rest of the week my heart and time belongs to family and home, exactly how God designed it to be.
(Blossom and I on my 65th birthday)
Thank you for all your comments each week - ladies, you are amazing women, living such varied lives, and yet so often quite similar. We are joined in the heart, you and I, with the same love for this God-gifted desire to make our homes a sanctuary, a place where family want to be, a place where love and welcome, beauty and warmth, fill every room. What you and I create within our walls, in this quite ordinary life, has more value than we could ever imagine...God bless you always.
Hugs
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