A Joyful Keeper

We are slowly getting back into a school routine after having three weeks of holidays with our visitors. We all find it difficult to get back into things when we’ve had a long break. One thing that I try to do to make it easier, is plan something fun. The kids were keen to make another mural, and we will start on that as soon as I can find some paper to cover a large portion of the wall in our hallway. In the meantime, I found the Ancient China Treasure Chest that we started on last year, and the kids tried their hands at some Chinese writing:

While the two younger ones were in China, Daniel was in the same time frame in Europe, building a castle:

This castle is going to be so cool! I’ll keep putting up photos as it gets built. The main problem is to find a spot for it where it won’t get wrecked during construction!

I find it easy to get stressed when things don’t go the way I planned in the first weeks back at school. At these times I need to keep my eyes on the Lord and take it a day at a time. He led us to homeschool, and He will give us the strength and wisdom. Oh, how I need wisdom!

Yesterday was a tough day with the children’s attitudes. Dh had a chat with them last night and today went much better. Again, I need to remember to allow all of us, myself included, some time to get back into things.

I cannot know why suddenly the storm
Should rage so fiercely round me in its wrath;
But this I know–God watches all my path,
And I can trust.

I can’t believe it is Wednesday already. This week is just flying by. But I must say, things are starting to fall back into place and into a routine in our home.

Yesterday I spent quite some time in our bedroom, which has been a disaster zone since we moved in. It has been the place where everything gets dumped when the rest of the house needs to look good! I know I shouldn’t do that, but I don’t have a place for everything yet, so that is what happens. After working on it for a few hours, it is looking much, much better. I can now open the door properly (lol!), and walk beside my bed without tripping over stuff. I still have a bit more to do, but I have made a good start.

Over the next few days I want to do some more preserving. I got some Quinces given to me and I want to make jelly. I’ve also got the last of the apples that are starting to go bad in a few spots and are therefore not suitable for eating. I am thinking about either stewing them, or trying to make apple jelly from them. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew, but I also don’t want them to go to waste.

To me, part of simple living is making the most of what you have.  I am trying to live out of the pantry as much as possible this month, using my bulk staples, produce from the garden and whatever I have in my freezer. But simple living is not always easy. Most times it is just downright hard work! Baking and cooking from scratch takes a lot of time. Sometimes I get discouraged and am tempted to take the easy way out and buy the ready made stuff from the shops. These are the days I need to just take things a bit easier. But when I do make the effort, it pays off in so many ways. I revel in the fact that I haven’t been to the supermarket for a week or so. I enjoy watching the pantry empty out a bit! I love to see freshly baked cookies on the bench, and casseroles coming out of the oven. It’s hard work, but rewarding.

And on that note, I’d better keep going. I need to make my jellies, cut down my asparagus, get my washing out, check on my chookies… you get the picture! Time flies when you are having fun!

Early in the morning,

Up as soon as light,

Overseeing breakfast,

Putting all things right;

Dressing little children,

Hearing lessons said,

Washing baby faces,

Toasting father’s bread.

 

After breakfast, reading,

Holding one at prayers;

Putting up the dinners,

Mending little tears:

Good-bye, kissing children,

Sending off to school;

With a prayer and blessing,

Mother’s heart is full.

 

Washing up the dishes,

Sweeping carpets clean,

Doing up the chamber-work,

Sewing on machine.

Baby lies a-crying,

Rubbing little eyes;

Mother leaves her sewing

To sing lullabies.

 

Cutting little garments,

Trimming children’s hats,

Plying thread and needle

With neighbours as she chats.

Hearing little footsteps

Running through the hall,

Telling school is over,

As mother’s name they call.

 

Talking with her children

All about the school,

As they sit beside her,

Each on their little stool;

Telling them the story

Of Jesus and His love,

Of Daniel and the lions,

Of Noah and the dove.

 

With calm and earnest tones,

She speaks of God and heaven,

And tells how Jesus died

That sin might be forgiven.

Seeing about supper,

Lighting up the room,

Making house look cheerful,

Expecting father home.

 

Her worries and her trials

She hides within her breast,

With others shares the sunshine,

To Jesus tells the rest.

As the children go to bed

She hears each little prayer,

Entrusts them to her Saviour,

And, kissing, leaves them there.

 

Resting in the kitchen,

Her daily labour done,

Her Bible placed before her,

She and her God alone;

She takes each care and sorrow,

And bends beneath the throne,

With that trusting, hopeful heart

Which Jesus loves to own.

 

~ From the Children’s Friend 1880

 

It’s Saturday morning but I didn’t get a chance to post this last night. Since I did sew this on Friday, I thought I’d still post it.

Last night we had a special “Hats off to Mothers” evening at church. It was for mothers and daughters, and we all needed to wear a hat. Elizabeth didn’t have one, so I remembered that I had a pattern somewhere for girls hats, and amazingly enough, I found it! It was one that had either been given to me, or I got from the opshop:

I had never tried it before, so I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to do it or not. But I really wanted to give it a go and make a special memory for Elizabeth. We chose a pretty white on white from my stash and made a start:

There were a few bits that gave me some trouble. I always find it a challenge sewing circles to bands and avoiding tuckers. In the end, it worked out fine. Phew! Elizabeth found some pretty ribbon in our ribbon box to tie around it, and also made some ribbon flowers to put on the front.

Alls well that ends well! And one of the best parts is that because I had all the materials already, I didn’t have to spend a cent. So I guess this would class as a Frugal Friday post as well!

For more sewing ideas go to Waiting for Him 

For more frugal ideas go to Biblical Womanhood

I need a better camera. That is, if I wake up early and want to get a close up of the kangaroos in my back yard. And I can just imagine what the neighbors thought if they saw me out the back stalking kangaroos - in my nightie, with a shawl and big clumpy boots! Not a pretty sight! I took 10 photos, but only one turned out. If you click on the photo twice it will get bigger and you should be able to see the two ‘roos, on of them looking at me in wonder:

That is the road behind them, which they soon hopped over to get away from the paparazzi.

Ah the country life!

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this topic, I really didn’t grow much this summer because of limited water supplies. What I did grow, however, was a great help in keeping the grocery bills down a little. Having some extra to put away has also been a bonus.

I only grew one zucchini plant, because I know what happens when I plant too many - lol! I found that this was just enough for our family, with some to freeze for winter as well. To freeze it, I just grate the zucchini, skin and all, and then put it in freezer bags. I put about 1 1/2 cups of zucchini in each bag since that is what my winter recipes call for. Here are my bags in the bottom drawer of my upright freezer:

On the right you can see bags of frozen tomato puree. Since I only had two tomato plants which were mainly intended for salads, I bought two boxes of tomatoes to preserve. Mum helped me cook and puree them, and instead of bottling them this year, froze them. I have enough space in the freezer. I’ve already used some for making a Bolognaise sauce, and it is soooooo yummy!

Here is a picture of my four pumpkins:

They will probably end up being soup, oh, and served with roasts….. mmmm!

Now my garden is looking a bit weary as the frosts have come and most plants have died off. Autumn is really here with the leaves starting to change color and fall:

Yesterday I went out and picked the last of the harvest:

Now I am looking forward to pottering around in the greenhouse, seeing whether I can coax anything to grow in there during the winter months. And of course, sitting inside by the fire, quilting…..

Yesterday I was driving down our driveway, on my way to go shopping, when Chewie ran under the car….and I ran over him. There was no warning, nothing I could do. He just miscalculated and ended up under my back wheel. Thankfully it was over quickly and my dh was there as well. He dug a hole and we buried him in the garden.

My emotions in the morning were anger (as dh said, if Chewie hadn’t have died, he would have yelled at him for running under the car..!), and then resignation. Daniel and Elizabeth were in tears and very upset. Matt was upset, but he isn’t as attached to the animals as the others are. In the afternoon it really hit me and I cried for the rest of the day.

It’s a strange thing, really. I love all animals, but dogs are special. They love you unconditionally. They have a look in their eyes when they look at you - of love and adoration. And Chewie was so sweet, even though he was often naughty too. Having a pet die is sad. But I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose a child or a loved one. Yesterday afternoon I just wanted to hold my children tight and tell them I loved them.

While the tears flowed freely yesterday, joy comes in the morning and today we are still sad, but not crying. I will miss his little cuddles, his long tongue that tried to lick me all the time, and his puppy dog eyes. The memories will remain….

Just a puppy…

His usual pose, with his tongue hanging out:

About to chase the stick….

Goodbye little guy….

While all my blogging friends in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying Spring, those of us Down Under are watching the leaves change colors and bringing in what is left in our veggie plots.

Here on our little farm, I have been quite pleased with what I have harvested this year. We didn’t have much water, so I kept my planting to a bare minimum - only one zucchini plant, one Roma, one bigger tomato plant, two cucumber vines, a few capsicums, one eggplant, and some herbs. The only one plant I had lots of was the self seeding cherry tomato. That just pretty much grows itself, and I let it go wild. I had four pumpkin vines, two of which produced. One had three butternuts and the other had one big round green one. The latter was from seeds from a supermarket pumpkin that I just wacked in the ground. Next year I hope to grow the pumpkins down by the dam where they can just go wild.

Our fruit trees suffered from the frost and lack of water/care before we bought the property. Despite that, we got ONE PEACH (LOL), lots of plums, and heaps and heaps and heaps of apples! Just imagine what my little orchard could produce with some TLC.

Besides the plum cordial that I made, I also made jam. I have to admit that I cheat when I make jam. I use Jamsetta. That makes a perfect jam every time… except this time! The plum jam ended up quite thick. It still tastes lovely, but I was surprised that it ended up that thick. Usually I have more trouble with thin, runny jam - that’s why I use the Jamsetta. I guess the plums had a lot of pectin in them naturally. Anyway, I’ll know for next time.

These are just a few of the apples we got from our trees this year:

Because we had so many, the ones that had lots of bruises and funny bits in them went to the chooks. I also gave boxes and bags of the apples away to friends and family. Most of them I sorted out and the kids just ate… are still eating! I put as many as I could in the two bottom drawers of our fridge, and the rest in a big bucket in the kitchen. The kids just grabbed one whenever they felt like it. We still have lots and it has been a great saving in our grocery budget.

Since the kids were enjoying the apples fresh, I decided not to make applesauce this year. My mum made some for us though, from some that we gave them, and that has gone straight into the freezer.

All the children are up now and I’ve just made a big pot of porridge. I’d better finish this post and keep going tomorrow. Thanks for dropping in and it is lovely to be back.

I have been clearly told that everyone is sick of reading the first line on my last post, and that “we’re all waiting for you to come back”! This was a response to the puzzled comment from me that I was still getting hits to my blog…. after all, if I am not there, why would anyone else be?!

Well, as it is, I am quite ready to come back. My sister and her husband and four children are still with us here for a few more days. We have had just a wonderful time together! We hadn’t seen them for two years and hadn’t seen little Kira at all before! Yesterday I looked after her two little ones while half the gang went out shopping.

I made the cover for the cot mattress just a few days ago. It was about time… we’ve had the portacot for over ten years. I have kept it so that when we have company with little ones, we can just get it out for them. I had this bright fabric in my stash. It is thick cotton and should last until my grandchildren arrive one day in the future, God willing! I am always so pleased to be able to go out to my stash and use what I have, rather than going out to buy more. I usually buy my fabric when it is marked down, so I don’t have to pay full price.

While Kira played in the cot in the lounge room (makeshift playpen!), Nick and I made chocolate chip cookies. Nick is nearly three. Is there anything sweeter than having an almost-three-year old sitting on your lap “helping” you make cookies? He was a great help too…. taste testing the chocolate chips.

“I need that one Auntie Joy!”

“Sure Nick…” (Good thing Mummy wasn’t there )

And then, the final taste test…..

I think it passed the test! Auntie Joy showed some restraint and only let him have one cookie before lunch. I mean, spoiling your nieces and nephews is permissible, but I didn’t want to push my luck too far. I might not be allowed to babysit anymore if I gave him only chocolate chip cookies for lunch…

Meanwhile, in the cot/playpen,… Miss Kira was overdue for her bottle. She started off on my lap,

but then the cookies needed checking, so she finished off back in her cot…

and almost fell asleep.

Sweet moments with sweet children….. oh, and sweet cookies…..

I was born European and with that comes many Easter traditions. Easter was always a highlight for us as children as we would dye eggs and Dad would hide them in the garden. I had never heard of the Easter Bunny, that came later I think. Easter to us was focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus…. and hard boiled eggs…! Oh, of course when I was little there were no chocolate eggs either! At least not in Indonesia, where I grew up. We were taught that eggs were a symbol of new life, and of course in the Northern Hemisphere it was also Spring time. I still get mixed up here in Australia when I look outside in the Autumn… and say to myself, “Oh! Isn’t it a lovely Spring day!!!”

I am passing on these Easter traditions to my children. The Easter Bunny is a bit of a joke in our household. The kids know about him (who wouldn’t these days), but they have never been taught to “believe” in him. The might do crafts or coloring pages with a bunny on it, but it doesn’t have any other meaning than the fact that it is a bunny rabbit and Spring time is the time they hop around in the garden.

The school week before Easter, we try to do Easter activities. We do worksheets on Easter, read books about Easter, and do craft things. Here the children are making two little wall hangings from icecream sticks - one with a cross and “He is Risen” and the other with a spring theme:

We decorated the house with eggs. Inside we have an Easter tree, which in Europe is often with branches that are about to blossom. Here since it is Autumn, we just used branches without any leaves:

We have special outdoor plastic eggs which we hang on a bush or tree. This year we decided to hang them on the archway as you come into our house. It looks really cute! (Matthew commented that he hoped the eggs weren’t like mistletoe - he didn’t want to risk walking under so many eggs and getting a kiss from someone! I though we should start a new tradition! LOL!)

And finally, on Easter Sunday we had the traditional Easter hunt. We had Robyn and her dh over, with their eldest son and daughter-in-law and twins. The men hid 60 eggs (30 chocolate and 30 hardboiled and decorated)! The kids had a ball running around the property finding them (I think the men enjoyed hiding them as well!).

Traditions are so important to us as a family. I love the songs that we sang at church that morning - they are hymns that I sang as a child and hold so much meaning. New songs can be nice, but there is something special about the traditional hymns. Another Easter tradition that my parents had when they were young and in the Dutch Reformed Church was this: On Easter morning they would greet each other with: “He is risen!” and the response would be “He has truly risen!” How special to greet your brothers and sisters in Christ in this way, instead of the usual “How are you?” It puts the focus on where it should be - Jesus.

Well, that is a “not so brief” description of our Easter this year. There would be much more to write about and tell you, but this is enough I’m sure! I hope to get some photos up of my veggie garden in the next few days and just update you on that and my preserving. In other news, my sister and her family are coming to visit in about three weeks time and I am preparing the house with great anticipation! I just can’t wait to see them! So time goes on… and it is already Spring Autumn!