This week, a book study and a finish...

by admin July 22, 2022

This was a warmer week than we've had of late, perfect days of winter sunshine with temperatures that are what we experience in a 'normal' tropical winter - nights around 15c and days of 26c (60f - 79f).

I love the cooler months because it's easy to make sourdough. In our very hot and humid mid-spring to mid-autumn weather the yeasts in the sour dough starter simply die. So for now, I'm definitely enjoying a few months of real home-baked sour dough!

I usually make the sour dough loaves from white unbleached flour on the weekends when hubby is home...

...and gather fresh greens from the garden, make some quick pickled onions, boil some eggs, and bring it all together for a lovely open sandwich lunch eaten out in the garden.

On weekdays I grind my own grain for flour, and bake a regular loaf of bread with added flax seeds and sunflower kernels.

Since buying the grain mill a few months ago, I have noticed a big change in our digestive issues. No longer do we suffer from IBS, because our bodies are thriving on bread made from freshly ground whole grains. It's been such a game changer in our home and we praise God for discovering a better way to make bread.

It's definitely getting harder to source the whole wheat grains, but I have found a place that sells local grain from the Atherton Tablelands (about 3 hours north of us) and we're using that now.

On Tuesday I had Cully May and Rafaella for the day. The girls wanted to grow some flowers in their own back yard so we began our morning browsing the seedlings at Bunnings. They chose the Strawberry Blonde Marigolds and a ceramic pot each. They only have a small backyard in a rental home so all plants must be in pots.

The girls took turns filling their pots, then added the marigolds, and after I carried the heavy pots out into the sunshine they watered them (along with my own plants) ready to take home later that day.

They had also chosen a miniature rose and a green ceramic pot for mummy (Blossom) so I helped pot it for them as even though they wore garden gloves the little thorns made the girls hesitant to do it alone.

My granddaughters LOVE fresh cucumbers, so I grow a lot of them! They chose one each to cut from the vine, to serve with lunch...

Lunchtime.

I had made pizza dough early in the morning after hubby left for work, so when lunchtime rolled around the girls were excited to roll out their own pizza bases and top them.

Children add a lot of excitement to simple meal making, don't you think? If you ever get bored with cooking, invite a child or two to help. My girls have the best time creating on the kitchen benchtop.

Once baked, I chopped some cucumber and placed them beside the hot pizzas. Both girls devoured the cucumbers first, and then enjoyed the 'fruit of their labour' - the pizzas.

Our homeschool nature and cooking lessons for the day were done, and now it was time for language arts, with a touch of music. Blossom teaches this subject using a curriculum I had used with her and older brother during our own homeschooling years.

The book for this lesson was Lentil, and what a wonderful book it was! The boy in the book is named Lentil and he has the worst singing voice, but his harmonica skills save the day during a huge welcome home parade for the town's leading citizen.

I bought two harmonicas at the beginning of the year knowing at some point we'd be using this story as a launch pad for many lessons. The girls asked me to film them playing their harmonicas, so I did, and if you'd like to watch (and listen) for 15 seconds just click on the YouTube video below...

Our next lesson was arithmetic and we focused on addition using a floor puzzle I'd found at the op shop recently. To finish the day I went through some spelling with Cully May while Rafaella played nearby.

This Nana was pretty tired after her wonderful day with the children so after packing up and dropping the girls back home with their flower pots and Blossom's rose, I sat and finished my second crochet blanket this winter (using the Cosy Stripe pattern from Attic 24)

I have since given it to Charlie, who loves it, and now all three of Blossom's children have their own crochet blankets from Nana.

Naturally with a bit of winter still remaining I went hunting through the remainder of my yarn stash and began a new blanket, using the Sweet Pea pattern from Attic 24 (I had previously made this blanket for Rafaella)...

....but then decided I did not like the pattern as much as the Hydrangea pattern I'd used for Cully May's blanket earlier this winter. So I unravelled it, and started over to make another Hydrangea Stripe blanket (also by Attic 24).

The same colours will be used in this new blanket as in the one I unravelled, just in different order. I realised how much I liked beginning a blanket in green, and the Pistachio DK yarn is one of my favourite colours. The second colour is Boysenberry, another favourite.

What have you done this week?

When I asked you to share about your day a couple of weeks ago, you each inspired me so much! Those glimpses into your life, as I suppose the glimpses into mine, create for us a virtual kitchen table where we learn about each other. I sat with my cuppa and read all your comments, twice! I feel very privileged that you would take the time to share a peek into your life with me and those many thousands who read each blog post.

In this Covid era, when many of us don't go out unless we need to, there's a chance that lonely days will come along every now and then. I know this because I have felt it myself at times (even though I'm an introvert who happily stays home), so for those of you who are naturally more social than I it must be very difficult to be bound to home day after day when you want to step out with friends.

This is why I ask "how's your day?" I genuinely wonder how you are managing, what you're doing around home or in the garden, whether you're well or in need of prayer, what simple things are bringing you joy?

NEXT WEEK...

I shall begin the book study of Emilie Barnes "Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home" next week, and hope you'll enjoy the journey. There's no need to buy the book (unless you want it) as I'll be focusing on the theme of each chapter and how it can inspire us today within our homes.

I'll also have a free pattern to share with you, something which ties in to chapter one and which you can stitch as you ponder what we're studying. I pray it blesses you.

May the Lord surround you with His presence in the days ahead and draw you hearts to all that is good, holy, kind, and joyful.

bless you heaps,