Remember

On the 8th of January my mom and dad celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary!


My mom has been threatening for a few years to put together her wedding scrapbook kit that her dear friend, Linnie, gave to her. However, every time we would try to start it, something would interrupt…!
So, as a gift to my mom, I enlisted the help of my dad to ensure that my mom and I had time together to finally complete her kit! We had so much fun doing this scrapbook page together!

I think my mom was really a beautiful bride and my dad very handsome!
My mom really likes scrapbook kits because she doesn’t have the time to design one of her own. We also live about an hour and a half’s drive away from a scrapbook shop, so if we need something, we just have to wait for the next trip! The kit was wonderful because everything was already in it! And it still gave my mom opportunity for creativity, as she changed a couple of details here and there to suit her photographs and own taste! Thank you very much Aunty Linnie for this lovely kit! I know the finished page as well as the precious time she and I spent together over two evenings, really blessed her!

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

Learning The Art Of Preserving

Canned peaches, peach chutney and cucumber pickle.
It is a busy season out here in the Langkloof! Apples are ripening all over the countryside! It just so happens that the apple orchard right next door to the farm has apples ripening first. All we have to do is walk next door and pick apples for pies or for eating. We pick the blemished ones because the apple company cannot sell them anyway. We cut off the bad bits and enjoy a delicious snack of juicy apple straight from the tree! Talk about 0 food miles!
When we first arrived on the farm, it was apricot season! Once we had unpacked the essential things, we went straight to apricot jam making! We only made a few jars and so we are on the very last one which just about breaks my heart, because I haven’t ever tasted such good jam – if I do say so myself! Are you aware that most of the shop bought brands of apricot jam are in fact made with pumpkin?! We also made apricot chutney but I didn’t enjoy it that much! The rest of the family did, though!
We have just about finished the preserving of the peaches which came in about two weeks ago. We have more peaches coming though, this time from the farm. We got the other peaches from another local farmer.

I cannot wait for the figs to ripen because fig jam is a favourite in our household! We have lots of fig trees here so there will be plenty for all!
We have cucumbers coming from garden! My job is to make pickled cucumbers. I have made lots for both our families and we are meant to store them up for winter but...We are already on the second jar! It is so yummy on freshly baked bread with homemade cottage cheese...hmmm! Delicious!

Our bread recipe is from the book by Carla Emery called: ‘The Encyclopaedia Of Country Living.’ It really is good bread and very filling!
I also tried my hand at ginger beer making! We have a very good recipe from an old ‘Ideas’ magazine so I suggest you try it. Just a warning, once you start making it, your family won’t let you stop! My dad loves his ginger beer very much! That reminds me...I better make some more today!

GINGER BEER
(Makes 5 litres)
700ml Sugar
15ml Ground Ginger
1tsp Brewer’s Yeast
Raisins

Bring 2-and-a-half litres water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add 2 litres of cold water to the saucepan and stir in the ground ginger. Allow the mixture to cool down until it is lukewarm, then pour 125ml of the liquid into a bowl or jug. Add the yeast and stir until dissolved. Stir into the rest of the liquid. Stir well, then use a jug and a funnel to pour the liquid into cleaned and sterilised bottles. Add 2 raisins to each bottle. Close the bottles tightly with a lid, leave at room temperature for about 24 hours, then place in the fridge. The ginger beer is ready to drink, preferably ice cold, once the raisins have floated to the top of the bottle. Enjoy!

Learning this art of preserving is a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. We have made quite a few flops. I can’t say our peach jam turned out very well! But we are trying and find it a lot of fun figuring out what we did wrong!
Have a blessed week!
Kelly-Anne

Let Girls Be Girls - Pink Tea Parties

About two weeks ago we received an invitation from Hannah and Abigail who stay in the other house on the farm, inviting us to a Rose Tea. The invite read the following:

“Dearest Ladies of Bethany!
Please come to our rose-tea, today, at 11:30...
For lots of laughter, pink and fun...
Wear something pink, please!
Hope to see you!
Lots of love!
From the other...
Pink Roses”

Of course all the girls in our household were very excited! Gabrielle and Beth kept on bringing out their pink dresses and skirts and we had to remind them that the tea party was still a few hours away!

When the time came for tea, we all dressed in our most elegant pink clothes and there was a lot of excitement in deciding what jewellery each of us should wear!

When we got to the other house the friendly faces of our friends greeted us and ushered us to our seats.

There was a name tag next to each setting and each setting had different tea cups, saucers and glasses. Each person also had a different patterned, pink napkin and there were scones with jam and cream, blueberry cupcakes and plain cupcakes with pink and white icing. And best of all, rose cordial! There was also tea for afterwards which, of course is the most important part of a tea party!

We drank rose cordial from the most beautiful glasses, even Beth and Gabrielle!
There was music playing in the background and rose petals sprinkled over the table! We felt like real ladies sipping tea and chatting!

Hannah is a florist and makes such beautiful bouquets from the flowers on the farm!
Tea parties are very special to ladies! Girls love beautiful things! They love to dress up and pretend! Drinking from tea cups and eating little cakes is lots of fun and I find it so sad when girls take delight in things that are beyond their age! Right now, we are enjoying every moment of girlhood! Dressing in and skirts and dresses and having tea parties, I believe is a very important part of being a young girl!

I encourage you, as young ladies, to organize such tea parties and dress beautifully and enjoy time together with your close friends! Enjoy your time of girlhood, make it beautiful and special!

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

A Thank You Card

Hello Everybody!  This week I would like to show you a thank you card I made for special friends of ours.

I really love pastel coloured paper so I had lots of fun making this card!

I used a Sugar Nellie stamp called: 'Rope Swing' Isn’t it sweet?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I stuck two flowers in the bottom left-hand corner, and in the right-hand corner I stuck a purple corner.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I also tied a bow with spotty purple ribbon and put a purple heart in the centre.


I entered the following challenges:


Stamp, Scrap And Doodle Saturdays - Anything Goes
Lets Ink It Up - Anything Goes
Pile It On - Anything Goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty - Anything Goes
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything Goes
AiFactory - Anything Goes
Fairy Tale Challenge Blog - Flowers


I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy your weekend!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

My 14th Birthday

On the 3rd of January, I celebrated my 14th birthday! Last year on my 13th birthday, my mom, two sisters (Nancy and Beth) and my granny, aunty, my best friend and her mother joined us for high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. You can read more about our special afternoon here.


This year was something a little more low key since we have just moved.

Last week, Wednesday, my mom took my friend, Abigail and I to the scrapbooking shop in Jeffery’s Bay. Wow! I have never seen such a big scrapbooking shop! I was able to get some new inks, cutting blades and little bits for my card making stash!

The next day there was a parcel waiting for me in the post from my dear friend in Cape Town, Heidi-Mari. I entered her blog anniversary challenge and won a stunning prize! She sent me a beautiful card as well!

I have lots of card making\scrapbooking goodies to carry on with now!

I hope you had a lovely week!

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

Life On Bethany Farm

Hello everyone!  Here are some pictures of our new home!


















Can you see our house?

 

The back of the Groblers house.

 

 

The vegetable Garden.

 

The mielie field.



The apple orchard that surrounds the farm.



There are lots of new chicks being born on the farm!

We are going to be eating lots of beans soon!
























The cheeky geese!

Me busy planting lettuce seedlings in my garden.

I often help milk the cows.  

We really are enjoying life here are Bethany Farm!

More photographs soon!

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne