Multitudes on Mondays

Grateful thanks over the past week.....

Day 5

1342) joining my friend who always invites me to join her doing market research

Day 6

1343) invitation to coffee and laughs with two friends

1344) wonderful surprise after a disappointment

1345) hugs from my youngest when he decided I needed that right then and there

Day 7

3 gifts in the kitchen

1346) lunchtime chats shared with my daughter

1347) a pot of soup that turned out just right, shared with my brother and his wife this evening

1348) fruit and veg sent home with hubby by his Mom this evening, looking forward to sharing the avo tomorrow with my daughter

Day 8

2 gifts loud

1349) loud guitar playing coming from my eldest's room as he practised for a Coke ad casting

1350) loud squeals of delightful laughter from my sweet baby nephew as he played with his big cousins tonight

&

1351) blessing of the gift of a hair cut for my daughter today.... 

and having my fringe trimmed so I can see again :)

Day 9

1352) my youngest's delight at taking part in the junior Argus bike ride

1353) impromptu coffee and chats with the neighbours this evening

Day 10

 gift in Christ

1354) seeing and watching my daughter grow in Him

&

1355) the joy of my baby nephew here again tonight

1356) finally getting to catch up with my mum on the phone again after trying numerous times

Day 11

3 gifts read

1357) a beautiful message of love and thanks from my daughter last night

1358) gift of good news in an email

1359) "Everyone gets to decide how happy they want to be. Because everyone gets to decide how grateful they are willing to be..." Ann Voskamp's words, always a gift.

Slow Living Month 2

Life has been full of all sorts so my post for February is a little late, but here it is . Thank you Christine of Slow Living Essentials, it is good to look back on the month once  again.                         .

NOURISH: 

We enjoyed ratatouille made from scratch with aubergines from one friend, tomatoes from another and peppers and courgettes from our own garden.

A delicious granadilla cheesecake, using granadillas from our vine, was shared with friends at our Valentine's dinner.

My daughter and I made butternut fritters for lunch on a couple of occasions. 

PREPARE: 

Where possible, double batches of mince with added vegetables were made, some for eating right away and some for a quick and easy freezer meal on a busier day.

My son enjoyed the usual batch of chili jam.

I harvested all my basil and made basil pesto as well as a large batch of basil and olive oil paste which I froze in ice trays for later use in winter soups or stews.

My pepperdew bush finally gave me enough to make one jar of pickled pepperdews. 

My daughter tried her hand at granadilla butter which went down very well, served on pancakes with ice cream....

 decadently delicious!

REDUCE: 

The usual recycling of paper and glass took place.

GREEN: 

I enjoyed sipping on borage tea. It is known to alleviate melancholy and fatigue. I rather enjoyed the fresh taste of it.

In the garden, I cut back my lemon balm and sprinkled it around new seedlings. Apparently this offers protection against many bugs that would otherwise enjoy munching on the new seedlings.

Grass cuttings were used to mulch newly planted beds.

GROW: 

My neighbour introduced me to a new nursery. What a treat!  I planted:

 red basil, soup celery, spring onions, lettuce, different varieties of chillies, broccoli, spinach, leeks, onions and marigolds. 

We enjoyed the months harvest:
 pepperdews, red cabbage, red onions, granadillas, tomatoes, beans, corn, marrows, chillies, first gooseberries, a tiny butternut, green peppers, spinach, lettuce and herbs.

CREATE: 

I finally began knitting a scarf after having bought the yarn some time ago.

After last months craft class where the girls made felt elephants, my daughter was asked to make 10 miniature felt items on order. They needed to fit into a match box, so they were considerably smaller than her usual felt creations..... 



They turned out beautifully and the recipient was thrilled.

 Her craft club girls made hanging chalkboard hearts this month.
It was lovely to see how individual each creation was. 

DISCOVER: 

Food, garden and crafty blogs and sites have been enjoyed. 

ENHANCE: 

I joined another "Hello Mornings Challenge". The aim is to be up before the children, spend time in personal Bible study, exercise and planning for the day. There is a daily on-line check in and a great Bible study on hope. Some days were better than others...

My little nephew has been spending more time with us again and it has been a pleasure to have the little man around the house. 

ENJOY:

 Life was embraced and many moments enjoyed!

Moroccan evening with fire dancers.

Valentine's dinner with the neighbourhood.

An art exhibition of some of my Dad's work.

Celebratory birthday tea for my God daughter.

Jambo...our gorgeous rescue pup came into our home and has fitted right in.

A picnic and evening under the stars enjoying an open air Shakespeare play.

Food from around the world at the annual Community Chest Carnival.... 

especially the Dutch food!

And of course snatches of time under the big blue sky....

Finding joy and counting gifts

Time passes by with a flurry of activity and the past couple of weeks have had their own pressures. Seeking out and counting gifts daily helps me to slow down, even if only in my mind. A time to pause and find the good and perfect gifts within each day, no matter what else the day may have brought...

Day 19

1302) plan B for today...school from my bed as I was not feeling well but thankful that we still got some work done

1303) gift of strawberry runners from a friend

1304) gift of a "brand spanking new out the box" vacuum cleaner from our incredible neighbours and an outside security light

1305) gift of a bag of ripe granadillas from my sister's kind mom in law

Day 20

gifts at

1306) breakfast...forgiveness from my sweet girl after I had blown it last night

1307) lunch...new gate motor installed and working better than the one that was recently stolen

 and security light installed by our neighbour this afternoon

1308) dinner...oldest son cooking again tonight

Day 21

1309) our neighbour kindly lifting us out to Gordons Bay to fetch Jambo....



.....our beautiful rescue pup

1310) pancakes at lunch enjoyed with granadilla butter and a table full of friends and family

1311) seeing my sweet baby nephew, him swimming with cousins and gobbling ripe tomatoes from the garden

Day 22

1312) a gift that changed today... His timing

&

1313) coffee with a friend and a visit to Little Stream....a little piece of heaven on earth

Day 23

1314) His strength not mine

Day 24

1315) church this morning with the family.... precious message

1316) prayers of agreement 

1317) hubby cooking today

1318) sweet baby sleeping next to me tonight 

Day 25

1319) unexpected lifts for kids

Day 26

1320) picnic dinner in the park with friends and Shakespeare open air theatre tonight....

 good to laugh and enjoy time with family

Day 27

 a crazy day full of blessings....

1321) coffee with my cousin and his wife

1322) kindness extended by an acquaintance who offered my daughter a lift

1323) paving around our pool finally being seen to

1324) a friend arriving unexpectedly to walk our dog

1325) meeting and making new friend

1326) a house full of youngsters from church here for the evening

1327) thankful my neighbour helped me log onto her internet when ours was down

Day 28

a gift from the past that enables me to trust the future...

1328) His unwavering faithfulness no matter what

&

1329) thankful for chats with my far away big sister

1330) thankful for a welcome escape from the week's pressure: 

enjoying the carnival with family and friends tonight and eating good Dutch food!
1331) overhearing my eldest comment that he feels privileged to have been home educated

March

Day 1

1332) school outing with all my kids this morning

1333) a new perspective and hope

Day 2

1334) quiet time on my own after a topsy turvy week

1335) gift of a new collar for our dog

1336) hubby making supper tonight

Day 3

1337) wandering about with my daughter, enjoying art on display and seeing my dad

1338) sweet baby nephew here for the evening, new words constantly, kisses and cuddles from him

1339) call from my farm sister

Day 4

1340) thankful for relief from today's intense heat....
sitting with my feet in the neighbour's pool as my youngest and his baby cousin swam together
1341) thankful for shared dinner with neighbours and family

Giving thanks in all things..

The week flew by but blessings were counted...

Day 12 - 18

1287) kindness from my neighbour when I wasn't feeling well ...
an ice cold soda, some herbal tea and gift of exfoliator for hands which she knows I love

1288) His grace and strength when mine feels depleted

1289) a friend popping in for coffee and a chat

1290) sweet surprises on Valentine's day from my mom in law

1291) a delicious dinner on Valentine's shared with neighbours and friends

1292) thankful for the neighbour who came to catch the snake in my garden

1293) leftovers that made another meal

1294) thankful that nothing else was stolen and no one harmed when thieves stole our gate motor AGAIN last night

1295) grace extended to me by hubby when I was grumpy

1296) good school week with the kids

1297) first magazine arriving for a subscription that is a wonderful year long gift from my sister

1298) relaxing evening braai with friends, just what was needed this evening

1299) restoration of a friendship

1300) celebrating our God-daughter's birthday

1301) friends lifting kids today

February Joy Dare

Day 5

1273) time spent with my precious baby nephew

1274) my teens returning home safely after an evening out with friends

Day 6

1275) gift found outside...ripe granadillas hiding between the flowers each day

1276) long overdue catch up with a friend

1277) conversations that revealed necessary truths

Day 7

1278) invitation to dinner at friends...a great evening catching up and a "no cook" night for me

Day 8

1279) miraculously answered prayers for a young boy knocked off his bike by a truck

Day 9

1280) unexpected grace...hubby mucking in and making dinner again when my neck was really sore tonight

1281) beautiful soaking rain most of the day today

Day 10

1282) discovering a new nursery with my neighbour today, and then getting into my garden

1283) a call from my farm sister

Day 11

gifts in working

1284) thankful for my little business that brings in bits and pieces here and there

1285) thankful to be working with my children each day

&

1286) thankful to catch up with my mum over the phone

Slow Living Month 1

It is great to link up with Christine of Slow Living Essentials again in 2013. 

I love being able to reflect back on what we have done on a monthly basis and learn from others who join in too. So here is January's reflection....

NOURISH: 

Our January garden produced an abundance of marrows which needed to be used creatively so the family wouldn't get bored of seeing them on their plates!

Cheesy marrow muffins were a hit and a variety of quiches with added marrow were devoured. One evening I got away with marrow in a chicken quiche and a side salad with marrow & baby tomatoes from the garden with mango and a spiced up dressing.

My daughter and I made pots of cabbage, tomato, celery and marrow health soup. A healthy alternative to bread at lunch time.

We enjoyed red cabbage, green pepper, chili and celery (all from the garden) combined with carrots and mango....really good compared to the usual coleslaw. 

Hubby made home-made pizzas and our daughter made tortillas which we filled with mince and spinach, tomatoes, marrows (again), green pepper and chili from the garden. Low GI muffins were enjoyed and our eldest son made delicious bread with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs. 

PREPARE: 

Meals were doubled by adding extra veg and then frozen or dished into portions to send to work with hubby for a healthy lunch option. My garden produced more green beans than ever and these were blanched and frozen for later use. I tried my hand at pickled chillies...we loved them and they were added to many a meal or sandwich.

REDUCE: 

A rusty old washing rack that has seen better days was taken apart and used in the garden for squash that needed to climb somewhere. 

Hubby spent time repairing our outside table and benches which have taken a beating from the summer sun.

As usual I have tried to reduce the use of the oven to save on electricity and when it is used, I make sure to bake alongside whatever is being cooked for dinner.

GREEN: 

A friend and I visited Soil for Life and got a tip from one of their gardeners...

It called for a visit to the beach and the making of seaweed tea for our veg gardens. A far more cost effective option than products sold at the nursery! I had the perfect container, an old bin with a lid. It was filled with water and chopped up seaweed. My garden now gets a weekly dose of seaweed tea. 

GROW: 

Eaten from the garden: marrows, beans, red onions, tomatoes, strawberries, chillies, cabbage (red and green), celery, green peppers, spinach, broccoli, beetroot, herbs, first granadillas and gooseberries.

Planted: beets, peas and more beans

CREATE: 

My daughter and I enjoyed beading these simple serviette rings for a friend.

Hubby spent much of his leave making beautiful bookshelves from wood he had stored in the garage. My youngest and I tried our hand at paper making using old newspapers. We added mustard seeds to the mix and will "plant" the paper for fun to see if the seeds germinate.

DISCOVER:

As school started up again, much of my reading has been school related. 

ENHANCE:

The kids and I have been enjoying our exercise group most mornings of the week before school. We either do a 24 workout, circuit or a brisk walk. 

Our little nephew/cousin spent a good deal of time with us as his mum needed to return to work and his nanny didn't return after the new year. 

My daughter held her monthly craft class and taught the younger girls to make felt elephants. She has also started teaching Sunday School.

Our youngest attended his monthly Chaeli Campaign meeting. 

ENJOY: 

We enjoyed a wonderful day at my dad's home early in the month. My uncle and aunt, cousin and family and my brother and his little family enjoyed a splendid meal together. The children enjoyed the alpacas and huskies and it was great to see the extended family.

We enjoyed getting out into nature...

forest and beach walks....

Our neighbour put on a wonderful celebratory dinner for the neighbourhood, where we celebrated the good in each of lives.

Summer swimming, braais and impromptu games evenings and a few birthdays were celebrated too. 

School began half way through the month and routines have been taking a bit of getting used to after the wonderfully long summer holidays.

Thank you Christine for hosting this again in 2013!

Joy dare, last of January and counting on...

Giving thanks in all things...

Day 22

1242) despite being really sick when he wrote year end exams,

 thankful for news of our son's great results today

1243) thankful for friends and family who share our joy

Day 23

1244) sweet baby here again... bringing joy to our day

1245) oldest son making delicious dinner for us again

Day 24

1246) celebrating a dear friend's birthday... laughter and fun with the girls

1247) hubby and I treated to a wonderful dinner out by his colleague 

Day 25

a grace borrowed and a grace found

1248) borrowed....the washing machine that does the job well for our family of 5

1249) grace found.... grace from my family when I'm feeling stretched

Day 26

a gift before dawn, at noon, after dark

1250) before dawn....a good night's sleep

1251) at noon...company of my daughter and a sweet new friend who spent the weekend here

1252) after dark... enjoying friends Mexican birthday bash, good to get out for the evening

Day 27

3 gifts in the kitchen

1253) freshly picked veg from our garden

1254) hubby helping prepare tonight's meal

1255) my sweet girl washing up after the meal

Day 28

 graces found in friends

1256) friends who are always there for me no matter what

1257) friends who share in the joys and the low moments

&

1258) my eldest preparing a delicious Thai green curry tonight

Day 29

a soft word, a sight seen

1259) soft words...words that brought forgiveness and restoration

1260) sight seen....the waves rushing onto the shore as we walked on the beach this evening

Day 30

old things seen new

1261) thankful that my past is the past and that by His grace my future was made different

Day 31

a gift on paper

1262) words of encouragement read today

February

Day 1 

1263) hubby sorting dinner tonight

1264) aubergines, a gift from a friend's garden

1265) unexpectedly being asked to help friends tonight at their Moroccan dinner evening,

an evening of fun

Day 2

1266) rest from the routine and busyness of school days

1267) hubby preparing a wonderful meal for the family again tonight

Day 3

1268) enjoying mom and daughter time today

1269) lovely chat with my farm sister 

Day 4

1270) today...one of those wonderfully productive days

1271) a tasty vegetarian meal made with produce two friends' gardens and my own

1272) listening to my teens chattering and laughing together, 

blessed that they are not just siblings but friends too!