A little Easter Art

Be still

Be still and know that I am God. ~Psalm 46.10

He calls us aside from the chaos to hear his calm.

Your full mind and fretting heart are called to stillness... a simple walk along the countryside can end with such stillness and perspective.

Manuela's chicken, mushroom & apple salad

And she thought she couldn't make salad... So Good!!

Help in the kitchen

I love the comfortable, pleasant chatter of women in the kitchen.

Figgy Season

My father arrived armed with brown paper bags and 'decorated' my fig tree. "You need to protect some for yourself, or the birds will eat it all", he said. I looked up at that tree in doubt, and it looked like a carnival.


Yet, we have enjoyed an unprecedented amount of delicious sweet figs this year.

'Hot Cross' Loaf

I love this loaf, it's the best breakfast, lightly toasted with a smear of butter, and good coffee.

The Easter Cross

We pen the words of life and the words of thanks this Lent on our red canvas.

Anywhere with you

'In a place like that you don't need to say much. For a while we just stood and looked. And then Virgil looked at me and smiled and gave me a pat. "I'll build you a house," he said.
I said, "After the war?" I had been afraid to use those words. When I heard myself say them, I was troubled. I hadn't wanted him to hear my longing.
But he was looking steadily at me, and his smile didn't change. He said, "Now and always. How about here?" And I said, "Anywhere with you."
He began picking (rocks) and placing them to mark the corners and doors of the house. As he laid them out, he named the rooms. When he was finished, he brought me in.'

~Hannah Coulter, W Berry

Books

I ordered books last month in the hope of keeping them for winter reading, when outdoor play is less but all the books except 2 have already been read. These were among our favourites.

End of Summer

The mornings and evenings are already a little cooler. We have been eating Summer berries daily... while they are at their best.

Classic Meatloaf

A brilliant and quick supper, with a side of greens and mash - perfect!

500g lean minced beef

1 onion, very finely chopped / grated

2 eggs

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or whizz up cornflakes)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

optional: 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed

Add all ingredients to the bowl (except the cheese) and mix well. Add the cheese and blend gently. Lightly oil a loaf pan and place the meatloaf in it and bake at 180 deg cel for about 40-45 minutes.

Cool slightly and slice thickly. Delicious!! Leftover make excellent sandwiches.

The weekend that was

The last few days did not go according to any plan - there were parts of fun... a friend's milestone birthday, an unexpected shopping trip with my sister, Wayne got me a new phone (I have an ancient and unstable one at the moment), 'eventual' good baking with Rebecca for a church event and an amazing burger place in the heart of the city.

But there was also an exchange of hot words, 5 cakes 'baking flop', a literal fire in the oven and the house full of smoke, having to leave a Women's Conference within the first few minutes, sitting for hours at the hospital helplessly awaiting results, a school project that had her truly flustered, more baking into the night, cooling overnight and a early rise to finish the cakes, sitting down in the early morning in prayer feeling inept and weak.

Sometimes it's sunshine and sometimes it's rain!! 'I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have troubles, but TAKE HEART. I have overcome the world.'
~ John 16.33

Great reminder placed in the kitchen