Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday Sketchers Challenge
Here is my second Friday Sketchers Challenge card. I really loved making this card It is for my Mom's birthday on Sunday. I wrote 'BIRTHDAY' on it and decorated it with little flowers along the side. I really hope my mom likes her card....but shh, don't say anything to her!!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Veggies From Our Garden! Yippee!
The other day we picked our first tomato. Beautiful and red. We couldn't wait to try it. Unfortunately, we left it a little long on the window sill, so it was soggy, but never mind that, we had lots more coming!
We had another tomato on our tuna sandwiches about two or three days later. It was so good, and organic! We have three more tomatoes becoming ripe, and a few more on the way, but unfortunately, no more tomatoes will grow from the flowers, as we have basically lost the bush due to mildew.
And last night, we had a perfectly delicious green pepper from our own garden! It was also organic. We hardly had any green pepper in the stir-fry we were making because Beth and Gabrielle, who actually never eat sweet peppers, munched their way through the Julienne strips!
We are very excited that we are eating from our garden, not much, but enough to encourage us to plant more!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
We had another tomato on our tuna sandwiches about two or three days later. It was so good, and organic! We have three more tomatoes becoming ripe, and a few more on the way, but unfortunately, no more tomatoes will grow from the flowers, as we have basically lost the bush due to mildew.
And last night, we had a perfectly delicious green pepper from our own garden! It was also organic. We hardly had any green pepper in the stir-fry we were making because Beth and Gabrielle, who actually never eat sweet peppers, munched their way through the Julienne strips!
We are very excited that we are eating from our garden, not much, but enough to encourage us to plant more!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Friday Sketchers Challenge
This week, I took part in my first Friday Sketchers Challenge. My friend, Heidi-Mari sent me some stamps (read the full story here).
Here is the layout I had to use:
And here is the picture of the card I made using this lovely layout:
I had so much fun making this card! I made it for Heidi-Mari's family because they have just welcomed their eighth baby into the world!
My mom bought me some cute baby paper from the craft shop at the mall, and some cardstock. She also bought me a few accessories!
Hope you are enjoying your week!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Here is the layout I had to use:
And here is the picture of the card I made using this lovely layout:
I had so much fun making this card! I made it for Heidi-Mari's family because they have just welcomed their eighth baby into the world!
My mom bought me some cute baby paper from the craft shop at the mall, and some cardstock. She also bought me a few accessories!
Hope you are enjoying your week!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday Meal
Hello everyone! I am sure you have all been waiting for my first 'Monday Meal' post, and here it is!
I made this meal for last night's dinner. My family all enjoyed this unusual meal and were very accommodating!
It was a two course meal and everything was made from scratch, so I happily spent almost the whole day in the kitchen!!!
I made Tortilla Beef Pies as the main meal, with carrots and green beans as a side dish. I made Chocolate Pudding as dessert with custard! It was very rich!
Shopping!
Rebekah trying to get my camera in the mall!
Here are the recipes:
Tortilla Beef Pies:
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes (if you are making your own tortillas, it takes longer!)
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
4 tortillas ( recipe below)
15ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g beef mince
5ml cinnamon
2ml chilli powder
15ml coriander
200ml water
400g baked beans
1 egg, beaten
125ml chedder cheese, grated
salsa and sour cream to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease 4 shallow ovenproof dishes. Brush the tortillas with Olive oil and press them into the dishes to form baskets. Bake for 10 minutes until crisp.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and saute onions until soft. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. Season with spices and salt and pepper. Add water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the baked beans and beaten egg, then scoop into the tortilla nests. Sprinkle over cheese and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the mince heated through.
4. Turn out onto plates and serve with salsa and sour cream.
5. Eat and enjoy with side dish of your choice!!
For the Tortillas:
2 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour, cake flour should be avoided)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water
11/2 tsp salt
1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then turn the dough out onto the counter and knead the dough for about a minute. This isn't like making bread and a minute of kneading is plenty.
2. Divide the dough into eight rounded balls.
3. Heat up a heavy frying pan over medium heat. The heavier the pan the easier they are. If you have a cast iron fry pan it is ideal for making tortillas.
4. Sprinkle some flour onto the counter and roll out each ball of dough into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. If the dough is sticking to the table, just add more flour. Rotating the circle around as you're rolling it out can help you get that nice circular shape, but it really just takes practice; and they'll taste great even if they're not perfectly circular
5. Take a clean cloth and dust off any flour that's adhered to the tortilla, and place it onto the frying pan. You don't need to add any oil to the pan, they won't stick.
When you see bubbles popping up all over the top of the tortilla, it's done.
Take it off the heat and wrap in a clean dishtowel as you repeat the process.
Chocolate Pudding:
Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes
120g (250ml) cake flour
5ml baking powder
185g (230ml) brown sugar
25g (60ml) cocoa
125ml milk
30g butter, melted or very soft
160g (200ml) brown sugar, extra
25g (60ml cocoa, extra
300ml hot water
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in the milk and butter.
2. Spread the mixture evenly into a greased 11/2 litre ovenproof pudding dish. In a jug combine the sugar and extra cocoa. Gradually add the hot water, stir till smooth, then gently pour over the pudding.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pudding has risen and is firm to the touch. Serve with cream, creme, ice-cream, or custard.
4. Enjoy!!
Gabrielle sure enjoyed hers, you can see by the chocolate on her mouth and her, what she calls 'wide eyes'!
My mom enjoyed the fact that she now has one night a week where she doesn't have to cook. Although I help her with meals during the week, she doesn't do anything on a Monday, unless I am stuck with something! She's a real help anyway!
One thing I did learn yesterday: read the recipe thoroughly before you start cooking! It really helps, trust me!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
I made this meal for last night's dinner. My family all enjoyed this unusual meal and were very accommodating!
It was a two course meal and everything was made from scratch, so I happily spent almost the whole day in the kitchen!!!
I made Tortilla Beef Pies as the main meal, with carrots and green beans as a side dish. I made Chocolate Pudding as dessert with custard! It was very rich!
Shopping!
Rebekah trying to get my camera in the mall!
Here are the recipes:
Tortilla Beef Pies:
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes (if you are making your own tortillas, it takes longer!)
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
4 tortillas ( recipe below)
15ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g beef mince
5ml cinnamon
2ml chilli powder
15ml coriander
200ml water
400g baked beans
1 egg, beaten
125ml chedder cheese, grated
salsa and sour cream to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease 4 shallow ovenproof dishes. Brush the tortillas with Olive oil and press them into the dishes to form baskets. Bake for 10 minutes until crisp.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and saute onions until soft. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. Season with spices and salt and pepper. Add water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the baked beans and beaten egg, then scoop into the tortilla nests. Sprinkle over cheese and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the mince heated through.
4. Turn out onto plates and serve with salsa and sour cream.
5. Eat and enjoy with side dish of your choice!!
For the Tortillas:
2 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour, cake flour should be avoided)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water
11/2 tsp salt
1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then turn the dough out onto the counter and knead the dough for about a minute. This isn't like making bread and a minute of kneading is plenty.
2. Divide the dough into eight rounded balls.
3. Heat up a heavy frying pan over medium heat. The heavier the pan the easier they are. If you have a cast iron fry pan it is ideal for making tortillas.
4. Sprinkle some flour onto the counter and roll out each ball of dough into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. If the dough is sticking to the table, just add more flour. Rotating the circle around as you're rolling it out can help you get that nice circular shape, but it really just takes practice; and they'll taste great even if they're not perfectly circular
5. Take a clean cloth and dust off any flour that's adhered to the tortilla, and place it onto the frying pan. You don't need to add any oil to the pan, they won't stick.
When you see bubbles popping up all over the top of the tortilla, it's done.
Take it off the heat and wrap in a clean dishtowel as you repeat the process.
You don't need to cook the tortillas on both sides as they're so thin they'll cook through from the bottom. Cooking on only one side will make a better tortilla.
Don't get discouraged if you're tortillas look funny, by the second or third batch you do you'll be a seasoned pro; and the whole process won't take more than about 20 minutes.
Okay...now for the dessert! Be warned, this is rich, and don't think you may need to make a double batch for your family, a little goes a long way especially after a big meal like tortillas!!Chocolate Pudding:
Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes
120g (250ml) cake flour
5ml baking powder
185g (230ml) brown sugar
25g (60ml) cocoa
125ml milk
30g butter, melted or very soft
160g (200ml) brown sugar, extra
25g (60ml cocoa, extra
300ml hot water
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in the milk and butter.
2. Spread the mixture evenly into a greased 11/2 litre ovenproof pudding dish. In a jug combine the sugar and extra cocoa. Gradually add the hot water, stir till smooth, then gently pour over the pudding.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pudding has risen and is firm to the touch. Serve with cream, creme, ice-cream, or custard.
4. Enjoy!!
Gabrielle sure enjoyed hers, you can see by the chocolate on her mouth and her, what she calls 'wide eyes'!
My mom enjoyed the fact that she now has one night a week where she doesn't have to cook. Although I help her with meals during the week, she doesn't do anything on a Monday, unless I am stuck with something! She's a real help anyway!
One thing I did learn yesterday: read the recipe thoroughly before you start cooking! It really helps, trust me!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Quick Clean, No Fuss
Hey, are you struggling because the house is always a mess? Does all your time seem to go on clearing up the living area and school room? Are you totally sick of walking over toys?
Well, if you are, I've got an answer to your cries!! It works for us, so it might just work for you!
You see, there is this most amazing thing called a 'Dump Basket'. "Okay"..., you're thinking, "this sounds interesting". Well, actually it's not. A dump basket is probably the answer to all your cries. It helps clean up your house, till later in the day. Read on to find out how the dump basket system works, and if it will work for you.
A dump basket, or box, gets stored for the day somewhere were nooooo babies can get hold of it. During the day, you can pick up stray toys and belongings that are lying around the house, and 'dump' them in the dump basket. "what happens to the toys and belongings"? you may ask. No, they aren't getting 'dumped' in the trash, they are just 'out of the way' till it is cleaning-up time. Once the day is over, one person can lift the basket onto their shoulder and pack-away the things that are in the basket. No fuss? You bet!
My mom is really the one who uses this most. It just helps her - as it does for all of us, because, I don't know about you, but we cannot function in a messy house, especially a small messy house.
We have found this system to work extremely well around here. We can get very bogged down by the house always seeming to be a mess. Now, we can just pop the stray things in the basket, and not have the hassle of wasting precious time packing away things!!
At the end of the day, Nancy or I will be in charge of packing away the things in the basket. We take turns: one evening Nancy will do the dump basket, the next evening I will, and so on.
Maybe you would like to try this system, see if it can help you!
Have a great evening!!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Well, if you are, I've got an answer to your cries!! It works for us, so it might just work for you!
You see, there is this most amazing thing called a 'Dump Basket'. "Okay"..., you're thinking, "this sounds interesting". Well, actually it's not. A dump basket is probably the answer to all your cries. It helps clean up your house, till later in the day. Read on to find out how the dump basket system works, and if it will work for you.
A dump basket, or box, gets stored for the day somewhere were nooooo babies can get hold of it. During the day, you can pick up stray toys and belongings that are lying around the house, and 'dump' them in the dump basket. "what happens to the toys and belongings"? you may ask. No, they aren't getting 'dumped' in the trash, they are just 'out of the way' till it is cleaning-up time. Once the day is over, one person can lift the basket onto their shoulder and pack-away the things that are in the basket. No fuss? You bet!
My mom is really the one who uses this most. It just helps her - as it does for all of us, because, I don't know about you, but we cannot function in a messy house, especially a small messy house.
We have found this system to work extremely well around here. We can get very bogged down by the house always seeming to be a mess. Now, we can just pop the stray things in the basket, and not have the hassle of wasting precious time packing away things!!
At the end of the day, Nancy or I will be in charge of packing away the things in the basket. We take turns: one evening Nancy will do the dump basket, the next evening I will, and so on.
Maybe you would like to try this system, see if it can help you!
Have a great evening!!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Our Daily Schedule
Yahoo! School has officially started!!
But of course, school cannot happen if the house is disorganized, chores undone and tummies not filled, so first and foremost, we had to draw up a (very flexible) schedule.
I thought I would share this schedule with you, and I will share what we are doing for school in another post.
WAKE: 6:15am
Maths with dad from 6:30am to 7:00am (Maths-U-See)
Personal Hygiene and Pre-Breakfast Chores (my mom lists essential chores we each need to do in the morning, we don't eat till they're done!!!)
BREAKFAST
Clear Table and Brush Teeth
BIBLE (We use a programme called 'Steps - Character Building and Foundations of Faith')
LITTLE ONES: school with mom
BIG GIRLS: chores yes...more chores!!!
NANCY - prepare snack (discussed with mom earlier)
KELLY - clean guinea pig cages and feeding with little ones
SNACKTIME
LITTLES: free play
BIG GIRLS: school (this is where we use our workbox system, a post for another day!)
KELLY - make lunch
NANCY - quick pre-lunch pack-away, dry-up dishes
LUNCH
BIG GIRLS: clear table, clean kitchen
LITTLES: story time with mom and nap (!)
BIG GIRLS: school with mom and free-time (usually my blogging time!)
ABOUT 5:00PM: Pre-Dinner chores and helping with meal preparation
ABOUT 6:00PM: Dinner
LITTLES: bath, storytime and bed (in the summertime bedtime is usually later than Wintertime)
BIG GIRLS: help dad clean kitchen, bath, free time (this is when I make cards or read in bed) We usually go to sleep anything between 8:30pm and 9:30pm).
This is just a guideline for us. We cannot expect to live 100% to this schedule, otherwise we will be very frustrated and unhappy because, anyone with Little people in the house, knows that you actually have to 'expect the unexpected'!! This is very hard for my mom and I, because we are the ones who love to work to a schedule 100%! But hopefully this will just help us to be a little more focused about what must be done, so that we don't waste precious time aimlessly wandering around the house, not knowing what to do, or what is expected of us!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
But of course, school cannot happen if the house is disorganized, chores undone and tummies not filled, so first and foremost, we had to draw up a (very flexible) schedule.
I thought I would share this schedule with you, and I will share what we are doing for school in another post.
WAKE: 6:15am
Maths with dad from 6:30am to 7:00am (Maths-U-See)
Personal Hygiene and Pre-Breakfast Chores (my mom lists essential chores we each need to do in the morning, we don't eat till they're done!!!)
BREAKFAST
Clear Table and Brush Teeth
BIBLE (We use a programme called 'Steps - Character Building and Foundations of Faith')
LITTLE ONES: school with mom
BIG GIRLS: chores yes...more chores!!!
NANCY - prepare snack (discussed with mom earlier)
KELLY - clean guinea pig cages and feeding with little ones
SNACKTIME
LITTLES: free play
BIG GIRLS: school (this is where we use our workbox system, a post for another day!)
KELLY - make lunch
NANCY - quick pre-lunch pack-away, dry-up dishes
LUNCH
BIG GIRLS: clear table, clean kitchen
LITTLES: story time with mom and nap (!)
BIG GIRLS: school with mom and free-time (usually my blogging time!)
ABOUT 5:00PM: Pre-Dinner chores and helping with meal preparation
ABOUT 6:00PM: Dinner
LITTLES: bath, storytime and bed (in the summertime bedtime is usually later than Wintertime)
BIG GIRLS: help dad clean kitchen, bath, free time (this is when I make cards or read in bed) We usually go to sleep anything between 8:30pm and 9:30pm).
This is just a guideline for us. We cannot expect to live 100% to this schedule, otherwise we will be very frustrated and unhappy because, anyone with Little people in the house, knows that you actually have to 'expect the unexpected'!! This is very hard for my mom and I, because we are the ones who love to work to a schedule 100%! But hopefully this will just help us to be a little more focused about what must be done, so that we don't waste precious time aimlessly wandering around the house, not knowing what to do, or what is expected of us!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Faithful Friends
Friendship is not just about receiving, it is about giving, and encouraging.
Heidi-Mari is one of my very faithful friends. Even though we rarely see each other as we live about an hour apart, when we do see each other, or talk to each other, no matter how short the time is, we always 'pick up where we left off'!
Last night, I received an envelope in the post, containing 18 stamped pieces of cardboard and a letter. Heidi-Mari knows I plan to start doing the Friday Sketchers Challenge, a card making competition, and also knows that I need stamps to put on my cards. I am going to order stamps off the Internet soon, but while I am waiting for my stamps to arrive, she sent me some to get me going!
Wow! What a lovely surprise! I had no idea she was planning on doing this! It must have taken her a good amount of time, and and she doesn't have a huge amount of free time with 7 siblings! How thoughtful of her! It really made my day!!!
This is truly what friendship is about! Thank you Heidi-Mari! I love you lots!!!
Heidi-Mari is one of my very faithful friends. Even though we rarely see each other as we live about an hour apart, when we do see each other, or talk to each other, no matter how short the time is, we always 'pick up where we left off'!
Last night, I received an envelope in the post, containing 18 stamped pieces of cardboard and a letter. Heidi-Mari knows I plan to start doing the Friday Sketchers Challenge, a card making competition, and also knows that I need stamps to put on my cards. I am going to order stamps off the Internet soon, but while I am waiting for my stamps to arrive, she sent me some to get me going!
Wow! What a lovely surprise! I had no idea she was planning on doing this! It must have taken her a good amount of time, and and she doesn't have a huge amount of free time with 7 siblings! How thoughtful of her! It really made my day!!!
This is truly what friendship is about! Thank you Heidi-Mari! I love you lots!!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
How It All Started Officially
For Christmas 2009, Nancy, my dad and myself clubbed together to buy my mom a book called 'Jane's Delicious Garden' by Jane Griffiths.
Inside this book, is everything you could ever want to know about growing organic vegetables. Jane shares a wealth of knowledge in her book which can help any person who is looking at starting an organic garden.
This book is a guide to organic planting in South Africa, so I don't know if you overseas folks would be able to use it, but for you South African folks, we HIGHLY recommend this book! your garden will never be the same again once you read and apply it!
My mom was ecstatic when she unwrapped this precious book! She had wanted it for a while, and now she had it as her very own!
From then on, while breastfeeding Rebekah, my mom reads a page or two of her book. She decided that, in order for her to 'remember' everything, she needed to 'do'.
My mom reads this book as a novel, not as a gardening guide. Jane has written in such a way that everyone can read and understand it!
At the moment, we have tomatoes that are on the way to becoming ripe, strawberries turning red almost everyday and a strawberry bush that is sending out millions of runners that are going to become new plants! Lettuce that is growing nicely, butternut that is growing at an adequate pace and a few beetroot plants that are JUST staying alive! We have lots of sweetcorn growing, most of which we never 'planted', they just came up on their own, out of the compost we laid in the raised bed! We have more tomato and butternut springing up, also out of the compost we laid in the raised bed! We also have lots of green peppers.......We have a beautiful garden that is well on the way to helping to sustain us.
Our corn is getting bigger by the day!
Our 'mixed' bed. We have to thin out the bed soon!
Each sweetcorn plant grew from a tiny kernel of corn!
Our green pepper bushes are looking great!
The biggest green pepper is as big as my hand!
Mildew is destroying our butternut! We are trying a mixture that we found here, to try and get rid of the mildew.
Snails had a feast......cannot seem to find the culprit!
We are also growing chillies! My dad loves chillies in his supper....I do too, but they have to be chopped very fine, otherwise I cannot breathe, they are so hot!
We have more seedlings coming up in seedling trays, which we will plant soon. We are trying to stagger everything, so that we don't have one month that we eat like royalty out of our garden, and the next month, all our greens are from the shop!
My dad built us two small raised beds in the December holidays. He is planning on building more, once all the veg in the tyres are finished, as the raised beds are so much more attractive than black tyres! We will use the empty tyres to plant potatoes along the wall by the driveway!
He also built a beautiful herb planter for my mom and the herbs are starting grow nicely!
The tall bush on the top right hand corner is yarrow. Our dear friends gave it to us. Yarrow stops bleeding. So if you cut yourself, just chop up some yarrow and put it on your finger - or any other bleeding spot, it makes the blood clot!
Whenever my mom is unsure of something or needs to know what plants to plant with what, she goes to 'Jane's Delicious Garden' for the answers.
We all love to take walks outside to admire all our vegetables and fruit! We still have a long way to go to becoming self-sustaining, but at least we have made a start by planting a vegetable garden. I would one day love to eat everything out of our garden!
We are also looking at getting chickens some time soon, I cannot wait!
Our garden has literally come alive since my mom started reading and 'doing', 'Jane's Delicious Garden'. She loves to go outside in the early morning to check on 'her' vegetables and herbs. It is lovely 'hobby' for my mom, as I am sure you know, moms are forever busy, they hardly ever have 'free time'. Now, one of us will hold Rebekah so my mom can have some time in her garden - anyway, it is benefiting us all too!
If you are unsure of starting a vegetable garden or you don't know where to go to get advice, I recommend visiting this blog, and this website. All you need to know is there! Have fun planting!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Inside this book, is everything you could ever want to know about growing organic vegetables. Jane shares a wealth of knowledge in her book which can help any person who is looking at starting an organic garden.
This book is a guide to organic planting in South Africa, so I don't know if you overseas folks would be able to use it, but for you South African folks, we HIGHLY recommend this book! your garden will never be the same again once you read and apply it!
My mom was ecstatic when she unwrapped this precious book! She had wanted it for a while, and now she had it as her very own!
From then on, while breastfeeding Rebekah, my mom reads a page or two of her book. She decided that, in order for her to 'remember' everything, she needed to 'do'.
My mom reads this book as a novel, not as a gardening guide. Jane has written in such a way that everyone can read and understand it!
At the moment, we have tomatoes that are on the way to becoming ripe, strawberries turning red almost everyday and a strawberry bush that is sending out millions of runners that are going to become new plants! Lettuce that is growing nicely, butternut that is growing at an adequate pace and a few beetroot plants that are JUST staying alive! We have lots of sweetcorn growing, most of which we never 'planted', they just came up on their own, out of the compost we laid in the raised bed! We have more tomato and butternut springing up, also out of the compost we laid in the raised bed! We also have lots of green peppers.......We have a beautiful garden that is well on the way to helping to sustain us.
Our corn is getting bigger by the day!
Our 'mixed' bed. We have to thin out the bed soon!
Each sweetcorn plant grew from a tiny kernel of corn!
Our green pepper bushes are looking great!
The biggest green pepper is as big as my hand!
Mildew is destroying our butternut! We are trying a mixture that we found here, to try and get rid of the mildew.
Snails had a feast......cannot seem to find the culprit!
We are also growing chillies! My dad loves chillies in his supper....I do too, but they have to be chopped very fine, otherwise I cannot breathe, they are so hot!
We have more seedlings coming up in seedling trays, which we will plant soon. We are trying to stagger everything, so that we don't have one month that we eat like royalty out of our garden, and the next month, all our greens are from the shop!
My dad built us two small raised beds in the December holidays. He is planning on building more, once all the veg in the tyres are finished, as the raised beds are so much more attractive than black tyres! We will use the empty tyres to plant potatoes along the wall by the driveway!
He also built a beautiful herb planter for my mom and the herbs are starting grow nicely!
The tall bush on the top right hand corner is yarrow. Our dear friends gave it to us. Yarrow stops bleeding. So if you cut yourself, just chop up some yarrow and put it on your finger - or any other bleeding spot, it makes the blood clot!
Whenever my mom is unsure of something or needs to know what plants to plant with what, she goes to 'Jane's Delicious Garden' for the answers.
We all love to take walks outside to admire all our vegetables and fruit! We still have a long way to go to becoming self-sustaining, but at least we have made a start by planting a vegetable garden. I would one day love to eat everything out of our garden!
We are also looking at getting chickens some time soon, I cannot wait!
Our garden has literally come alive since my mom started reading and 'doing', 'Jane's Delicious Garden'. She loves to go outside in the early morning to check on 'her' vegetables and herbs. It is lovely 'hobby' for my mom, as I am sure you know, moms are forever busy, they hardly ever have 'free time'. Now, one of us will hold Rebekah so my mom can have some time in her garden - anyway, it is benefiting us all too!
If you are unsure of starting a vegetable garden or you don't know where to go to get advice, I recommend visiting this blog, and this website. All you need to know is there! Have fun planting!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Monday, January 18, 2010
Ladies' Retreat
This weekend was spent at a ladies' retreat at Rocklands, in Simon's Town. Our church organized the weekend, and lots of thought and patience went into it!
Special friends from church sponsored my mom and myself. Rebekah came along too, as my mom is still breastfeeding her.
On Friday morning, we had to get up and done quickly, as we had our first market of the year at Long Beach Mall. I stayed at the market till just after 5:00pm, and then my dad drove my mom and me to Rocklands, leaving Nancy to run our stall.
Once we arrived, I helped my mom organize her things, because it is very difficult to unpack clothes with a baby who sucks everything!
I stayed in a dormitory with six other girls about my age.
Then we went for supper which was very yummy, in fact, all the meals were delicious! After that, we went to our first meeting of the weekend. We had worship as well!
One of the little goodies that were put on the table.
We only fell asleep after 11:00pm!
Saturday was fun! We had quite a bit of free-time to swim, play soccer and anything else we felt like doing! We had two meetings and praise and worship! I didn't take many pictures, sorry!
After breakfast, we made a pot out of clay. It was a good demonstration of how the potter, Jesus, is constantly moulding us to perfection.
Later in the evening, there was a pyjama party. It was a nice time for all the young girls from ages 12 to 18 to share any troubles and hurts with two Godly women who could talk to them. Fortunately, I have a mom to share any of my troubles with, but some of those girls didn't. It was an eye opener for me! I didn't realise any of the struggles young girls I knew went through! I am not at school, so most 0f those problems I will never have, neither will my sisters!
We all received a little goody bag! We also had some sweeties and cake!
I decided to sleep in my mom's room Saturday night. I tend to miss my mom a lot and cannot go long without seeing her. She is the one who encourages me and helps me, puts me back on track when I stumble. Although she was there all the time, and I saw her often, I felt 'homesick' for her and Rebekah, I needed a feel of home!
The wind was horrific through the night, and I struggled to sleep, and so did my mom!
Sunday morning was still windy! We had a quiet time on our own after breakfast just to meditate on what we had learnt over the weekend. After that, there was praise and worship and a quick meeting, and then it was free-time for 45 minutes before lunch at 1:00pm!
After lunch, we were free to go home. My dad came and picked us up at about 2:15pm.
At home, I felt sad to have left Rocklands, but after a while, I began to feel better! It always takes a while to get used to home life again! I felt so out of sorts! We watched Santa Buddies again, and I had a shower. After that, I was back to normal!
Nancy took great care of my mom's vegetable garden and our Guinea Pigs while we were away! She did some ironing and helped clean the house before we came home. She was a star over the weekend and we are very proud of her! She did the Saturday market and finished the Long Beach one! Nancy, well done!
Rebekah was so cute!
Although we had a lovely break and enjoyed our time a lot, it is nice to be home! We are starting to settle into routine again and clean up the house. My dad went back to work officially on Monday and we are starting to get ready properly for a new school year!
I hope you had a great weekend!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Special friends from church sponsored my mom and myself. Rebekah came along too, as my mom is still breastfeeding her.
On Friday morning, we had to get up and done quickly, as we had our first market of the year at Long Beach Mall. I stayed at the market till just after 5:00pm, and then my dad drove my mom and me to Rocklands, leaving Nancy to run our stall.
Once we arrived, I helped my mom organize her things, because it is very difficult to unpack clothes with a baby who sucks everything!
I stayed in a dormitory with six other girls about my age.
Then we went for supper which was very yummy, in fact, all the meals were delicious! After that, we went to our first meeting of the weekend. We had worship as well!
One of the little goodies that were put on the table.
We only fell asleep after 11:00pm!
Saturday was fun! We had quite a bit of free-time to swim, play soccer and anything else we felt like doing! We had two meetings and praise and worship! I didn't take many pictures, sorry!
After breakfast, we made a pot out of clay. It was a good demonstration of how the potter, Jesus, is constantly moulding us to perfection.
Later in the evening, there was a pyjama party. It was a nice time for all the young girls from ages 12 to 18 to share any troubles and hurts with two Godly women who could talk to them. Fortunately, I have a mom to share any of my troubles with, but some of those girls didn't. It was an eye opener for me! I didn't realise any of the struggles young girls I knew went through! I am not at school, so most 0f those problems I will never have, neither will my sisters!
We all received a little goody bag! We also had some sweeties and cake!
I decided to sleep in my mom's room Saturday night. I tend to miss my mom a lot and cannot go long without seeing her. She is the one who encourages me and helps me, puts me back on track when I stumble. Although she was there all the time, and I saw her often, I felt 'homesick' for her and Rebekah, I needed a feel of home!
The wind was horrific through the night, and I struggled to sleep, and so did my mom!
Sunday morning was still windy! We had a quiet time on our own after breakfast just to meditate on what we had learnt over the weekend. After that, there was praise and worship and a quick meeting, and then it was free-time for 45 minutes before lunch at 1:00pm!
After lunch, we were free to go home. My dad came and picked us up at about 2:15pm.
At home, I felt sad to have left Rocklands, but after a while, I began to feel better! It always takes a while to get used to home life again! I felt so out of sorts! We watched Santa Buddies again, and I had a shower. After that, I was back to normal!
Nancy took great care of my mom's vegetable garden and our Guinea Pigs while we were away! She did some ironing and helped clean the house before we came home. She was a star over the weekend and we are very proud of her! She did the Saturday market and finished the Long Beach one! Nancy, well done!
Rebekah was so cute!
Although we had a lovely break and enjoyed our time a lot, it is nice to be home! We are starting to settle into routine again and clean up the house. My dad went back to work officially on Monday and we are starting to get ready properly for a new school year!
I hope you had a great weekend!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
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