Slow Living Monthly 9 : August 2014

Lovely to reflect on the month of August, a month of varied and contrasting weather.

 A month where we settled back into the routine of school term. 

NOURISH: 

The weather in August was still cool enough for the likes of comfort foods like fragrant curries and leek and potato or chicken noodle soup. We enjoyed hubby's homemade pizza again too. My brother gifted us with eggs from his hens and we enjoyed them scrambled, fried or in omelettes. Always a quick and easy cost effective meal!

There was plenty of baking  and sugar cookery as my daughter tried to get through most of her practical classes for consumer studies.

She made the best ever Swiss roll...

 short crust pastry filled with confectioners custard and topped with granadilla, 

fudge, coconut ice, marshmallows, a vanilla sponge cake....

milk tart, iced vanilla biscuits and coconut biscuits!

 Her efforts were much appreciated by all our younger son's friends as we served them at his birthday party. There is nothing tastier than delicious home baked cakes, biscuits and confectionery!

PREPARE:

There was no preparation this month, unusual for me, but we did stock up on canned tuna as it was a good price and I can really stretch a can a long way! 

I froze some lemons too as I found out one can freeze them on someone's post for last month...

thank you!

REDUCE:

Nothing new, just our usual recycling.

GREEN: 

Nothing new.

GROW: 

Oh gosh another month with not much happening in the garden!

 Hubby got some beautiful compost from our heap for the veg beds and I have done a little weeding here and there. We have enjoyed herbs ( I have a Basil that has even lasted through the winter!), lemons, granadillas, strawberries and a few peas and gooseberries. 

CREATE :

A friend gifted me this pink wool and I made a baby blanket...

 four baby beanies, a prem jersey, a newborn jersey and two pairs of booties.

The wool is all the same colour but photos were taken in different light.

 I am  so relieved to move onto other colours after a month of this dusky pink!

DISCOVER:

 Not much of my own reading as we are back to school! 

We have been reading about Ancient Greece and Rome.

ENHANCE: 

 We have enjoyed babysitting my nephew regularly and a couple of sleep overs for him too. 

My knitting has all been done for donation to the Fish and Chips Project.

ENJOY:

We celebrated our youngest's 14th birthday, Christmas in August with friends, beach and forest walks, log fires when the storms came and the first braai was enjoyed when the sun came out. 

Thanks for the link up Linda!

Slow Living Monthly 9: July 2014

Another month gone by and great to look back and link up with Linda, the new host at Greenhaven!

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” 

― Edith Sitwell

NOURISH: 

Comfort food time. Stews and fragrant curry. Hubby and I were often home alone as the kids were out having fun with friends. He makes a mean omelet, a tasty, simple yet nutritious meal! We also enjoyed his home made pizzas with friends. Always a winner!

I did a little baking, bran muffins and some zesty lemon brownies with a lemon glaze.  Light and a nice change from chocolate brownies. I made a butternut pie too, yummy but a little sweet despite the fact I halved the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. My daughter made a delicious baked berry cheesecake for her brother's birthday.

PREPARE: 

My chili harvest was made into a home made harissa paste, very hot but delicious on a sandwich, in fact my guys eat it with anything and everything!  Beet and apple chutney was made too.

REDUCE: 

Over the holidays I spent some time sorting out the office and reducing the amount of clutter.

Hubby and the boys took apart the old washing machine and I got a large glass bowl out of the front door of the machine! 

He is also making an outdoor fire pit from the drum and the rest of his has been taken to the scrap yard.

GREEN: 

Nothing new.

GROW:

My winter garden is rather sad. Just a few chilies, tomatoes , herbs, lemons, granadillas and the first of the strawberries are being enjoyed. I have not done any planting.

CREATE:

I completed hubby's scarf and made one for Josh too.

 The guys love them and Zak requested one too. I was glad to be done once I had knitted 3 scarves exactly the same for each of the guys! Lets hope they don't get them mixed up!

A dear friend had posted boot cuffs on her blog recently.

 My niece and daughter went crazy for them and each just had to have a pair! 

The above are the pair I made for my daughter.

 They look good and make a lovely quick knit for an evening and would be a perfect gift too!

I was thrilled with myself as I have never attempted to knit cables as I assumed they were just too difficult. My sister assured me it's not difficult and offered to tell me over the phone how to knit them, but my neighbor showed me how and now I can knit cables!

  You can find the pattern for these boot cuffs at homespun living if you want to give it a try.

My niece loves her boot cuffs!

I found the Fish and Chip Project on Facebook and joined up.

 I knitted up baby beanies and booties to donate to the project. 

These little babes are sent home wrapped in newspapers as they have no clothes. It has been a great way to use up all the scraps of wool that are too small for any larger projects. There are some sweet and easy baby patterns on the page too. A friend just gave me a large packet of wool so I am going to try the cardigans and blankets.

I discovered that my old High School also collects baby beanies and the likes for their Wool for Wonders project. Knitted items are donated to children's homes. I will send some of the items there too.

DISCOVER: 

I have been browsing the net for knitting patterns and also discovered a great site called The Whoot. They share loads of crafty ideas, recipes, patterns, handy hints and DIY ideas.

ENHANCE: 

On Mandela Day, my neighbor and I spent our 67 minutes with Operation Smile. We colored and decorated rag dolls for the children who have corrective surgery with them.

The kids spent much of their holiday volunteering at holiday club at church.

I have been babysitting my little nephew and he has slept over too. Just love having the cute little guy around.

ENJOY: 

We have relaxed and slept in over the holidays and I have enjoyed the break from routine and the rest. 

Its been great to catch up with friends over coffee.

 We enjoyed  an outing to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and the science center. 

Also lovely to get away for a night to my Dad's place.

We celebrated my neighbor's birthday and our oldest's 19th birthday too. 

How was your month?

Slow Living Essentials Monthly 9 Link -Up: June 2014

Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour."  – John Boswell

NOURISH: 

With cold weather it's been comfort food. Sausage stew in a rich herb and tomato sauce or meatballs in tomato and red wine sauce, nourishing chicken soup with cheesy garlic scones or spicy nachos. Staying clear of carbs is not so easy in this cold weather and lunch is sometimes a batch of low GI flapjacks or pancakes.

PREPARE: 

Nothing much except the last of my basil harvest made into big batch of pesto with a hint of chili, delicious on  cheese toasties!

REDUCE: 

With cooler temperatures we have needed to keep warm. Instead of electric heaters, we have been layering on the clothing and I am often seen with a blanket wrapped around me Basotho style. 

We have also enjoyed log fires. 

GREEN:

 Nothing new.

GROW: 

I didn't plan my winter garden too well this year so the harvest is very small. I am still picking handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chilies, herbs and granadillas. We have a few lemons on the tree and a couple of sweet potatoes. My strawberries are just starting to produce.

“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” - Hanna Rion

CREATE:

I made beanies for my friend's two girls. 

I love the way the wool self stripes.

 I promised myself not to buy any more wool this month and knitted up another two snoods with wool I had. One was meant to be a scarf for hubby but when there wasn't enough wool, I had to go and buy more to make a new scarf for him as they no longer had stock of the wool I had been using. And then I saw wool I loved...oh dear, I just cannot go into the wool shop without buying something!

DISCOVER: 

This month I have been reading some novels. Its been fun to read again. Zak and I have also been discovering Ancient Greece for school read aloud time.

ENHANCE: 

My nephew has been spending Monday afternoons with us as usual while his mum is at work.

 I have not ventured out into the cold early morning air to join my walking group. I have however tried to fit in a few walks later in the day when its sunny and a little warmer.

ENJOY:

I certainly have enjoyed the month which despite much school work, has taken a slower pace. 

Long naps have brought much restorative and needed rest. 

We have enjoyed catching up over dinner with friends we haven't seen in a while, log fires and cozy read aloud times.

The kids spoiled hubby for Father's Day and Father's day and breakfast with my Dad and brother was wonderful. 

My girl and I enjoyed a  girlfriends getaway evening at the movies where we were thoroughly spoiled with red carpet treatment. 

We enjoyed seeing our youngest's art on exhibition at his art school. 

The school term came to a close and we are now enjoying a much needed break. 

Wonderful to reflect, thanks Christine!

Slow Living Essentials Monthly 9 Link -Up: May 2014

May was a time of knuckling down and getting back into the rhythm of regular school weeks. Weekends were always looked forward to.

 As autumn faded, the weather was beautiful on some days, and others let us know that winter is certainly on its way. First fires were enjoyed and winter woollies kept us warm.

NOURISH:

 Nourishing, warm comfort food graced the table this month. Seafood paella made by hubby was enjoyed, goulash soup with lashings of sour cream, curried butternut soup, and a creamy cheesy broccoli and cauliflower soup....a definite winner!

The weather was warm enough for one or two braais and I made a delicious curried sweet potato side dish. A great low GI alternative to the usual potato salad.

My daughter made yeast bread and doughnuts for her consumer study practicals. Both were delicious and we look forward to more of her practicals.

PREPARE: 

With 6 varieties of chili growing my garden, I made a fiery hot sweet chili sauce using 500g of chilies. Tomatoes from the freezer were used for a chili and tomato jam and basil pesto with a hint of chili was made too. 

I made a batch of beetroot and apple chutney and the usual apple and oats bake was made for hubby's breakfast whenever the oven was on.

REDUCE:

Some poles that were lying about were used to make a simple trellis for my new granadilla vine.  

My daughter, youngest son and I cleared out clothing from our cupboards to donate to shack fire victims. 

I reduced the number of contacts on my email contact list and cleared out the inbox. So good to de-clutter even the seemingly small things.

GREEN: 

Just the usual home made compost and worm tea.

GROW: 

 I enjoyed visiting a local nursery as they had a sale. I bought some lavender for my front beds, bright yellow daisies, violas, gaura , marigolds, lettuce and some basil mint. 

The harvest has consisted mainly of baby tomatoes, chilies, granadillas, lemons, herbs and a few green peppers. My poor peas got eaten but I am hoping to sow more. Freesia bulbs went into the ground and dahlias were lifted. 

CREATE:

I finished off my mosaic projects.

 Knitting projects kept me busy...a slouch beanie for my niece, a red snood for my daughter and a scarf for my brother in law (modeled by my youngest).

A friend was delighted to receive this pretty blue snood as a birthday gift.

DISCOVER:

I have been reading a book by Dr Caroline Leaf. The book deals with one's thought life and how to detox the brain from toxic thought processes by changing your thinking. Scripture backs up neuroscience and it is an informative read with real tactics to detox the brain and thought life. 

ENHANCE: 

My little nephew has been spending Monday afternoons with us while his mum is at work. We treasure our time with this cute fellow. 

I have not been too diligent with my walking group as the weather is sometimes not in my favor but I managed a few sessions.

We enjoyed an International Food Fair in support of missionaries that our church helps to fund as they work with other nations.

ENJOY:

I enjoyed a wonderful over night getaway with my niece and my daughter. They spoiled me with a delicious dinner and girly time was great fun!

A girl friend and I enjoyed a night out at the movies and my daughter and I spent a great morning out at our church's woman's event. There was a guest speaker, tasty treats and a morning of creativity at the Clay Cafe. We look forward to receiving our items once they have been fired.

We have a new neighbor and there was a neighborhood meet and greet pizza evening.

Hubby and I have had a good time catching up with old friends over dinner. 

Wonderful to reflect on the month, thanks Christine.

 

Slow Living Essentials Monthly 9 Link -Up: April 2014

April came and went in a flash. 

There were many public holidays as well as more school holidays.

 April's weather was beautiful. 

The leaves dressed in their rich autumn hues are still a delight.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” -                                                                          Emily Bronte

NOURISH:

With cool evenings making their presence  known we enjoyed soups again this month. I tried out a leek and potato soup as well as a delicious beef goulash and vegetable soup, topped with sour cream. Definitely a winning recipe and one I will be making again. 

My dear visiting sister and her hubby blessed us with kilos of apples, freshly picked at an apple farm in Elgin.

 I made the usual apple and oats breakfast bake for hubby, a spicy apple crumble and loads of freshly juiced apples with ginger and mint. 

I discovered "apple pie" water, a refreshing drink. 

To make it, place sliced apple in a jug, add a stick of cinnamon , half fill the jug with ice and then add water. The flavour develops over time and one can keep topping it up with fresh water for a period of about 3 days. 

Far healthier than a soda and so yummy!

PREPARE: 

This month I pickled chili from our abundant harvest and marinaded peppers. 

I paid a visit to the local Foodies and picked up nuts, throat lozenges and mayonnaise at greatly reduced prices.

REDUCE: 

 I tackled the spice cupboard, my mosaic supplies and my linen cupboard. Empty bottles were recycled, junk thrown out and things no longer in use were passed on. 

I was hoping to do way more as I had found an encouraging blog about reducing and de-cluttering 40 bags in 40 days.

  Perhaps this month will be a better month.

GREEN: 

Nothing new here.

GROW: 

We harvested various types of chili, green and red peppers,  

herbs, baby tomatoes, lemons and granadillas. 

I planted carrots, peas and sweet-pea seeds. 

The nursery's free gift this month was 2 parsley plants.

My Dad delivered a bag of Alpaca manure which we have been using in the veg and flower beds. 

CREATE: 

 I enjoyed various knitting projects in April and continued working on my mosaic projects. 

I couldn't resist this pink, white and lilac self striping yarn for a beanie for my friend's little granddaughter. 

Another friend received this chunky knit snood as a birthday gift. 

My sister and her hubby each picked out their favorite yarn for scarves too. 

I love the colour my sister chose. 

It has a fine thread of silver in it, giving it that extra sparkle and charm. 

The pattern is very simple: knit 4 rows; on the 5th row, knit two, yarn over and then knit two together, repeating to the end of the row, knitting last two stitches. Repeat knit four rows and on the 5th, make the holes until you have the desired length for the scarf. 

DISCOVER:

Oh dear, I need more hours in a day. I have a growing pile of books I want to read but just never seem to get there! 

School reading with my youngest has been about Ancient China.

ENHANCE: 

My neighbour had an operation which has made her pretty immobile for now. It was good to be able to do errands for her and even practice my rusty nursing skills and do a dressing change for her. She is one of the kindest and most generous people I know, who is always there for others, so it was rewarding to be able to do something for her for a change. 

The teen connect group continues to meet here once a week and hubby and I attend our weekly connect group too.

We gave clothing to the teen group as they collected clothing and bric a brac for victims of shack fires. 

ENJOY:

It was wonderful to see my sister and her husband again. We spent Easter Sunday with our Dad, enjoying fine weather, a delicious South African braai and good laughs. 

Our eldest went to his girlfriend's matric dance. They looked beautiful.

We celebrated birthdays with friends and my sweet nephew's third birthday.

Our youngest son was baptized.

 It was certainly an enjoyable month with many memory making moments. 

Thanks Christine for the monthly link up.

 It's been fun to look back.

Slow Living Essentials Monthly 9 Link -Up: March 2014

March brought a noticeable change in the weather and our first good rains. 

We hurried to complete the term's work and are now enjoying the short school holiday. 

NOURISH: 

Our granadilla harvest has been good and delicious deserts as well as cordial were made. Our neighbor made some granadilla sorbet which we enjoyed on pancake day.  

Hubby made homemade pizza which he hasn't made in a while. 

The cooler weather has meant nourishing soups are back on the menu. 

Omelettes are always welcome meals any time of the day, and so cost effective. We have made delicious variants with home grown herbs and marinated peppers.

PREPARE: 

 Besides marinated peppers and granadilla cordial, I have made basil pesto and a batch of sweet chili jam. 

I have also discovered a local shop selling dry goods at much reduced prices. I have popped in there a few times and always manage to pick up good bargains on tinned and dry goods. 

REDUCE: 

Decluttering is an ongoing process and it's good to donate or recycle goods that are no longer used or needed. 

GREEN: 

We observed earth hour.

GROW: 

My red sunflowers have blossomed! 

I love the rich color!

This month I planted heirloom beetroot seeds, gemsquash seedlings, black basil and aubergine seedlings. 

Our harvest has consisted of chilies , peppadews, baby cabbages, carrots granadillas, tomatoes, herbs, peppers and red onions.

CREATE: 

My goodness, I began a new scarf for my daughter using circular needles. I found them very difficult to use and pulled it out, only to begin about three more times before I manged to get the pattern right on two needles.It is nowhere near finished but is looking good. 

My neighbor commissioned me to make mosaic numbers for her house. It is also an on going project. 

DISCOVER:

 Most of the reading has been school related this month.  

I have enjoyed the last of the magazine subscription my sister blessed me with. 

We learned much about Spain and California as we received two wonderful cultural exchange parcels. 

ENHANCE: 

My daughter began teaching a group of younger girls and two adults to crochet. They met weekly for the month and are all making good progress. I still need to learn the art of crochet. 

My younger son and I took part in a 4 km walk in aid of the Chaeli Campaign.

I have enjoyed clocking up kilometers with my walking club. 

Hubby and I continue to enjoy our church connect group and the teen group meets here weekly too.

ENJOY: 

Hubby and I enjoyed a rare evening out at a local food market to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary.

I have taken part in three fun runs this month with my kiddos. 

Our neighbor hosted a pleasant neighborhood dinner as one of our neighbors is moving soon.

My dear sister surprised me with a visit for a week. We enjoyed wonderful family times with our dad, brother and aunt and uncle. Her visit was a blessing. 

Thanks Christine for the link up.