Burning Hot Saturday

Today is another scorcher where I live. The forecast is for 44C and at 8am when I went to do my grocery shopping it was already in the mid 20's. The Bureau of Meterology has recommended we all stay home and avoid travelling or using the roads and are warning of Ash Wednesday-like conditions. I have asked Dh to stay put rather than go out to his brother's place. I'm not normally too concerned about Total Fire Ban days but this one comes with particularly hot and very dry conditions (low humidity) that just makes me feel a tad on edge.

I remember the Ash Wednesday fires. I was 11 years old and we were home on furlough at the time. The fires were devastating. The property losses and deaths were awful. My Uncle lived two towns away from where I live now and the fires came right to his back door ~ his home ended up being safe. He chose to save the ancestoral family photos and the dog....nothing else LOL.

So today for us means just being home in our nice cool house. We have some friends coming for morning tea. The other Mum suggested meeting in a park...to which I responded "You've got to be kidding, it's going to be 43C and I'm not leaving my house to endure the heat ~ bring the kids to our place where we can all be cool". They live just around the corner in Our Town. So we have fruit, cheese & crackers and Miss Sunshine is making a chocolate at this earlier morning hour.

After they leave I have a Better Homes & Gardens episode to watch from last night and a stack of books nearly as tall as me to delve into. Some are for reviewing and some are just cos Rel loves me and she's enabling my reading habit :) LOL

Bring on the cool change!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

I wasn't going to post today. I couldn't think of anything even vaguely interesting enough and you're all surely bored to tears of my ramblings about school! And besides, I'm tired. I've been busy and it's been warm. By 2pm I keeled over on the couch for a snooze...for five minuts, until our accountant phoned LOL.

However, I do have one noteworthy event to post about after all. Yesterday was my one year blogging anniversary. A whole year. Hm. It's been a good year all told. I've met some beautiful, generous blogging friends from all over the world. You've all enriched my life in various ways that have been inspiring and encouraging.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to say 'Welcome' to people who have come out of Lurkingdom to post a comment, and to those who have added my blog to those that they 'Follow'. It never ceases to amaze me how many places I find my blog listed on someone elses bloglist. It's humbling, to me, that my musing about nothing of consequence is so interesting to others.

I read my first post the other day. Perhaps I have inspired someone, somewhere throughout the last year after all.

In The Sewing Room

Actually, I don't have a sewing room. I have a fold away cabinet in my family room. You know, I like it like that though. I'm sewing in the room where everyone seems to spend most of their time. And I get to keep tabs on what the little schemers are up to at any given moment. It's not ideal for the work of sewing, but the arrangement works for our family.

However...the local quilt shop has TWO sewing rooms and now that the kids are back at school, I'm back to sewing and have managed to schedule any and all work around having Thursday at least until midday to myself :)

Last night I also was back at my monthly Block of the Month class so I left everything there to come back to this morning so I could keep working with it. The picture above is where I'm at so far. A mind bending method of freezer paper piecing that is simpler in practice than the explanation would have you believe!

Between now and next month I have loads of sewing to get done so I can start putting the quilt together. Oh my, I can't believe we're at that point!!!!!! Watch out Court House Steps, you and I have a date at the sewing machine. I've completed four out of twelve.

God Moments

I seem to have allowed my day to get slightly hijacked...again. With good purpose, I believe.

You know when you look back over a day ~ or in this case, a morning ~ and you can see God's hand in you being in the very place that you needed to be, whether it was intentional on your part or not? Such was my morning.

I'd organised with the science teacher to sit in on his class with Year 7 first thing this morning. The student I'm working with came to school upset and feeling completely overwhelmed. My heart broke as I watched the struggle and the utter helplessness on that young face. So we went and took a moment outside. I had the time, where the home room teacher couldn't take it. A few sips of water and a little chat made a difference. The assurance of others feeling overwhelmed helped too. By the end of class I even saw a few smiles.

My other moment came in the form of just being there for a staff member who has had her work world turned a 'little' upside down this morning. I was actually able to do something useful as well....but a hug here and there just so she knows that she is supported and cared about goes a long way.

My 3am prayer list grows daily.

Lemon Raspberry Trifle

Oh what a day! I had intended to post this far earlier....but you know how things change. I ended up getting caught by the Head of Primary for 15 minutes and then had a chat with a friend. I got home to get my dishes done and had an SMS from another friend wanting to drop some 2nd hand clothes off for Mr Busy. And that was just this morning!

Since my hours are not yet concrete until meetings with parents have happened I'm just sampling some Year 7 classes this week to give myself an idea of how I can best help the student I will be working with. Lovely kid that I'd spent some time with last year.

So...without further ado, the recipe. Mmmmmm. It is the perfect summer dessert that will completely delight everyone you serve it to. This has also passed the kid test ~ all seven who ate it wanted seconds!

Lemon Raspberry Trifle

Savoiardi Biscuits (sponge finger biscuits)
Orange Juice
600 ml Cream, whipped
Lemon Custard
1 punnet fresh raspberries

Lemon Custard
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten

1. In a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of boiling water, combine the lemon juice and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the cream and eggs and stir until the mixture thickens to custard consistency ~ it should coat the back of a spoon (make sure the water underneath is boiling, not just simmering).

To assemble:

1. Spread a small amount of the custard on the bottom of a fairly straight sided large serving bowl.
   
2. Dip the sponge finger biscuits into the orange juice and lay over custard in a single layer.
3. Layer cream, custard, raspberries.
4. Repeat step 2 and step 3 until all the custard is gone ~ about 2-3 layers, finishing with the custard and raspberries.

I think I juice about 4-5 oranges. Of course you could use a bottle of fresh orange juice, I just happened to have a number of oranges that needed using. I did cheat with the lemon juice and buy a bottle of juice for the custard ~ it was far cheaper and less work.

I cut the raspberries in half ~ they spread through the trifle better.

Here is a picture of the sponge finger (or Savoiardi) biscuits.

Back to School Menu Plan

This morning in less than two hours, my children will be nicely ensconced in their classrooms, returning their out-of-routine minds back to the industriousness of learning and school life.

They're ready. I'm ready!

The girls are both awake....Mr Busy is still slumbering away, oblivious to the excitement he will encounter. I'll wake him in a few minutes and then I have no doubt that our home will erupt with little-boy energy.

So what does one plan for meals on such an exciting week? A week that is forecasted to remain fairly warm, though nothing like last week?

Monday: Singapore Noodles
Tuesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Scallopine, salad, jacket potato
Wednesday: Pan fried Fish, salad, potato
Thursday: Gnocchi
Friday: Baked Potato topped with coleslaw, bacon, cheese, corn
Saturday: Lamb rissoles, bbq potato cubes, salad
Sunday: Quiche, salad, potato wedges

I can't wait until I feel like eating cooked vegies again.

The Lemon Raspberry Trifle I made for yesterday's lunch dessert was to die for. I will post the recipe tomorrow. The exquisite taste belied its simplicity.

"For this reason, make every effort to
add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you possess these qualities in
increasing measure, they will
keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 5-8