Menu Planning: Week Beginning 28 February

I know it's pretty late for getting around to posting this, but that's probably going to be the way of things for a while.  Late night and early morning postings snuck in before or after a solid block of study time.  My first week of Uni has passed by very quickly.  I think I'm finally settled both geographically in the house and with all the bits and pieces I require to keep my work organised. At this point I'm feeling quite satisfied with my ability to keep up with it all.  It's full, but I'm loving it so far.

In the process, the girls are happily taking over my kitchen.  Miss Mischief has succeeded in baking her first roast chicken meal.  Tonight she conquered the humble rissole.  I keep forgetting that she works slower than Miss Sunshine and I.  But she does it happily, quite content to putter.  I write scant notes for her and she follows diligently with plenty of checking in.  A little challenging when listening to a lecture, but I guess that's the beauty of having a pause button!  Miss Sunshine is easily becoming as efficient as I am and I rarely even check to see if she needs a hand or advice.  I can't believe my baby girls are so very grown up!  Mr Busy is, of course, wanting in on the kitchen action.  He's miffed that the girls weren't cooking when they were just ten!  He has no leverage until about 12.

So this week, between the girls and I here's what we're feasting on this week:
Monday:  Rissoles, vegies (Miss M)
Tuesday:  Chinese corn soup, prawn crackers (me)
Wednesday:  Oven fried chicken, vegies (Miss M)
Thursday:  Pasta bolognaise (Miss S)
Friday:  Homemade pizza (MissS/me)
Saturday: Roast, vegies (me)
Sunday:  Gnocchi (me/Mr Busy)

There you go, Mr Busy does get to help.  He's great at shaping gnocchi for me, so this is often a little job we do together.  He'll be thrilled.  And I need to remember to get Miss Mischief started by 4.30pm so we get to eat at a reasonable time.

One Anothering

I don't know whether my boss coined the term or whether he heard it from somewhere else.  Regardless, I first heard the term "one anothering" from him.  We were discussing Romans 12 during our Work Break in our staff devotions, before beginning the day, and my boss was exhorting us to be those who 'one another' each other.

Romans 12 is full of 'one another' statements.  Statements like "love one another",  "be devoted to one another" and "honour one another".  Indeed there are heaps of "one another" statements scattered throughout the New Testament.  I believe my boss told us how many...but I don't remember the figure.  But there are enough of them that one must sit up and take notice.

What these "one another" statements say to me, apart from their direct instruction of how to behave, is that we are to take care of our fellow believers and to make that a high priority in our day-to-day life.  In Romans 12, the instruction to care for fellow believers comes before instruction about interacting with those in society and the world at large.  Don't you find that interesting?  I do!  As one who has grown up within the church, I have heard many a sermon and much focus on the evangelism of unbelievers, and indeed that is important.  Our message is for the unbeliever as much as it is for the believer.  But there is little spoken of, within the church, about caring for our fellow believers.

Our theme verse of this year's Women's Retreat is Romans 12:10, which says, "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."  I wonder how devoted we are to those with whom we worship week by week within our church?  I don't recall the Bible saying to be devoted to unbelievers in this same way.  Devoted to the task, perhaps, but nothing about being devoted to the unbeliever.  The Bible says that they will know us by our actions and how we love one another.  How do we honour one another? Do I take as much care of those with whom I worship and those with whom I work as I do of myself?  Am I prepared to shoulder the burden my brothers and sisters bear, when I am able to do it?  Do they do that for me?

We live in such an individual-focused society these days.  I think, as Christians, we struggle more and more with "one anothering".  We claim busyness and stress and avoid caring for those we share our faith-life with.  My challenge for me, and for you, is to be one who "one another" those you walk your faith with.  Be passionate about your fellow church members ~ they are your family.  Be passionate about those you work with, if you work in a Christian organisation ~ they are your family too. 

Who are you going to "one another" this week?

"Be devoted to one another in love. 

Honor one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:10

The Tragedy of Blog Neglect

What constitutes good design?  

Whimsy & variegated thread!

I can't believe it's already very late on Wednesday and this is the first moment I've had to think about posting here.  I have kept meaning to post a menu plan for this week.  But in reality, I've not cooked so the usual impetus for posting it seems to be missing.

University started on Monday.  I've been plodding my way through each of the four units and figuring out what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by.  Whilst I may be working constantly each evening right up until I go to bed, I'm enjoying it.  I'm certain that in a few weeks time the nuances of each unit's layout will make sense and I'll get myself into some routines that work.  In the meantime, I'm just 'doing the next thing'.

The girls have been wonderful about cooking meals so far.  And they've been so tasty!  Roast chicken thanks to Miss Mischief, frittata and salad from Miss Sunshine and a quick combination tonight.  I did the chicken and Miss Sunshine did the rice.  They're all scheduled for taking care of dishes and the dishwasher.  The roster I set up a couple of years ago is running better than it ever did when I first created it!

The picture above is courtesy of a task I had to complete today for a Design & Technology unit.  I had to take photos of three different objects that I felt constituted 'good design'.  I decided beautiful could be just as important as practical.  Indeed, my quilt is a 'good design' within its quilting niche.  That photo is my favourite of the 12 photos I had to upload.

Melbournian Heritage

The Block Arcade ~ photo from melbourneplaces.com

Over the past two Saturday's I've had reason to travel into the City.  I'm a bit of a lover of old architecture.  Not in the technical sense.  Rather, I just love admire their aesthetic beauty.  Last week I walked past the Rialto.  While the towers are impressive, they are modern and all glass.  The ground-level facade, however, is a stunningly beautiful expression of architectural design.

This week I went on a Chocolate Tour of the city ~ a walking tour that takes you through all kinds of beautiful buildings and history while sampling some amazing, quality chocolate.  One of the places we visited was the Block Arcade.  I know we were there to learn about and appreciate chocolate, but how can you resist drinking in the beauty of an arcade like this one?  Everywhere I looked I was awed.  Have a look at the floor.

Picture from cerebrum.com.au

That intricate pattern you see is made up of tiny mosaic tiles, expertly placed to create these ornate designs.  While the others were wondering why we were bypassing Haigh's Chocolates, I was looking at the floor and marvelling and the skill of those who worked on it.

We are indeed blessed to have such a beautiful city.  I don't go in there very often, but when I do, I'm always in for an architectural treat as I take time to admire the buildings that have stood for many years and continue to serve the people in practical ways, as well as delighting those who take time to admire them.

Of Five Year Old's.

By now you will have gathered that my days at school are rather full-on.  Kids with special needs require all the energy you have.  It's just the way of things.  In the midst of all that hard work there a few little cuties that seem to be just there to make you smile.  In every class I work in there is at least one child who will give me a hug every single day.  Well....one of them belongs to me.  Two of them are very distantly related to me.  But I'm not quibbling over things like that!

And then there are the Prep's.  Those youngest little gems in our school.  The ones to whom the Principal goes to visit when he's having a bad day.  He's a wise man.  Those kids are hilarious in the most innocent of ways.  I have one little boy who waggles his eyebrows at me a number of times in every lesson I'm there.  Then he starts winking.  And then I have to walk away because there's something a little bit unusual about a 5yo winking at you!  But my golly he makes me smile.  He saves his eyebrows and winks for me.  His teacher never sees it.

Yesterday I was in the library on Z-Duty.  Z was happily playing and one of the Prep girls was there trying to draw a picture.  She needed help drawing hands.  So I had Mr Busy go and help her.  Then she came back and needed help drawing a necklace.  I had Miss Sunshine go and help her.  She showed me her picture at the end of lunch time, replete with signatures from all her able helpers.  She was impressed that my kids are so-o-o-o-o big.  And so am I.

Recipe: Beef with Spring Onions

Beef with Spring Onions

Last week I had a few requests for recipes with pictures. Hmmmm. I'm not normally good at last-minute-just-before-it-goes-to-the-table photography. I have too many hungry people hovering around the bench when I'm serving up.  You've no idea of the pressure a Mum can be under 'til you've lived with my children.  They've been known to ask "What's for dinner?" before they've even had breakfast!  Leftovers, however, make a perfect photo opportunity.  No pressure from hungry little people and plenty of time to think about what the photo might look like.  None of that deer-in-the-headlights looking food when you can take your time.

I had planned something else for dinner last night.  But a very impromptu BBQ at my BIL's the other night yielded some steak that wasn't cooked and needed using up.  Well, the perfect thing to do with a small amount (less than 1/2 kg) is stir fry, so out came my "The Food of China:  A journey for food lovers" book and there I found the perfect thing.  Perfect, because I had everything I needed right at my fingertips, plus a few other ingredients to make it the colourful and nutritious meal we needed.

Beef with Spring Onions

500g rump or sirloin steak

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (any white wine will do)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

3 tablespoons oil

5 spring onions, sliced

Sauce:

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

1. Cut the beef across the grain into 2mm thic slices, then cut into bite-size pieces.
2. Combine the garlic, soy, rice wine, sugar and cornflour and add the meat.
3. Marinade for at least 1 hour.
4. To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients.
5. Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot.  Cook the beef in two batches for 1.5 minutes, or until brown.  Remove and drain.
6. Pour the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon.
7. Reheat the reserved oil over high heat until very hot and stir-fry the spring onion for 1 minutes.  Add the beef and the sauce.  Toss to coat the meat and spring onion with the sauce.

Serves 6

As you can see from the picture, I added carrots and sugar snap peas (between step 6 and 7).  The original recipe also says to drain the marinate and discard it.  I poured the sauce into the bowl after I'd removed the meat and poured the marinade and sauce in together at step 7, plus a little extra water.  You would miss out on so much flavour if you left out that extra marinade.

I'm very excited about next week's menu.  The girls will both be cooking.  Miss Mischief wants to learn how to cook a roast chicken.  I smiled to myself and wrote it down.  Really...the hardest thing is getting that chook out of its shrink wrapped packaging!

Book Review: 'The Telling' by Beverly Lewis

I think this may well be about the last review I wrote over the summer holidays.  If so, this will be the last review I do for Rel until.....maybe midyear?  I feel sad about that.  I've read some amazing books and my shelves are overflowing with them all.  However, everything is for a season and I will return to this one when I can.

In the meantime, you can go here to read my review of 'The Telling'.  A very surprising novel from Beverly Lewis, whose style I had thought was predictable in the most comforting sense of the word.  I can't wait for more of this series.

Perhaps I could just finish reviewing this series.....

Monday Menu Planning: Week Beginning 14 February

Are you ready for the week ahead?  I think I am.  I know my menu plan is ready, anyway.  The rest....we'll see how things go!  This week I'm hoping to finally get a timetable at school settled for myself.  I also have some ideas of how to do things a little better.  Just a little tweak here and there.  I suspect I'll hear a few more "I wish you dead" comments for my tweaking.  It'll be worth it.

Tuesday night is now officially "meeting night" at school, so my meals for that evening will reflect a desire for healthy and hasty.  I had Miss Sunshine do some baking last night, so school lunch boxes will be satisfied for a couple of days, at least.  We continue to make batches of sweet and salty popcorn and Dh has decided popcorn might be worthy of his attention after all.

Our meals this week:
Monday:  African Drumsticks, vegies
Tuesday:  Rissoles, vegies
Wednesday:  Quiche, vegies
Thursday:  Tomato & bacon pasta
Friday: Teriyaki chicken, rice, stir fried veges
Saturday:  Chicken noodle soup
Sunday: Slow-roasted lamb, vegies

Are you ready for the week ahead?

Stitching Therapy

Tail Feathers, Block 7

My tiring week ended with some therapeutic stitching on Friday evening.  Slowly but surely my whimsical little birdies emerge from a tin of threads and a pink lines traced onto my fabric.  I'm sorry the light isn't great.  That's what you get for trying to take pics at night!  I've yet to blanket stitch around the appliqued bird.  Perhaps a task for this evening while Dh and I relax in front of the telly.  In fact, I think that sounds like a marvellous idea!

Tail Feathers, Block 6

I also finished the blanket stitching on the previous block the other night.  I'm tell you, on was on stitching fire!  Now they both just need to be sewn together.  I'm going to attempt to do that this week.  I think  it might be a good idea to prepare the next two blocks for stitching so that I don't have to get the machine out for a little while.  

~ ~ ~ o o 0 o o ~ ~ ~

The Orientation Day I attended yesterday was amazing.  I know a lot of the others there felt like their brains were being overloaded.  For me, it was an extension of the Uni preparation and the online orientation information.  I got to ask a few question and discovered that I am enrolled in one second-year subject because of the credit I received for my work last year.  One of the most beneficial things was meeting my lecturer for one of my subjects.  She's a straight-talking lady with an amusing sense of humour.  I know I'm going to appreciate her all the more, having met her.  I also, of course, got to meet some of the other 'local' students, although none live anywhere near me.  But it will be nice to be able to picture others as we chat online.

One of the things I learned yesterday was where all the readings are being reserved on the library website.  I've begun working my way through printing and reading those while I have no other tasks pressing for my attention.

PS.  If you want a closer look at the photos, you can click on the pictures and then zoom in again from there.

Friday Catch Up

The view over our back fence on a stormy day

Sorry I haven't posted much this week.  I've had my mind completely invested in other places and posting here was just too much.

It has been a long, tiring week.  A week with 5 and 6 year old 'special needs' children adjusting and adapting to the routines of beginning school, and learning those things in a new school.  Pushing boundaries, being defiant, not understanding why they feel the way they do.  Perhaps not even knowing the label to put on the feeling.  A week of us learning what it is to cope with a disorder none of us have seen in our classrooms before now.  A week of feeling a bit fragile over the enormity of the task we face.

There have been glimmers of beauty throughout the challenges.  Like I posted yesterday, a midday hug with my son.  Spontaneous prayer from a friend and colleague.  Sharing the journey together and working together toward a common goal.  Gentle words whispered in love, reminding me how precious my family are.  A day off.

My kids have provided me with some of those things of beauty too.  Yesterday I saw Mr Busy escorting a new family to the room where we run a program for really little tackers.  What a sweet boy he is!  My heart melted.  On Tuesday Miss Sunshine enjoyed her now-elective Indonesian class replete with homemade dip, carrot sticks and crackers.  She did all the work.  Her fellow classmates (all 7 of them ~ Yr 9 and 10!) hoed in and thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of her labour.  Miss Mischief delighted me with the doodling in her diary as I signed it this morning.  Pretty.  Dainty.  A girl after my own heart.

Tomorrow, I'm attending an orientation day for Uni.  The only interstate event and it's being held in Melbourne.  What a blessing!  Now I have to write down all the questions I have so I can ask them while I have the opportunity.  I believe a little Nigella magic might be just the thing to relax my brain and help me shift my focus for a few days.

Life is good.

Hugs

Hugs are good.  They're even better when your son is right there when you need him, in the middle of the day.  He's good at hugging.  So are the people I work with.  We share hugs.  And we share tears.  But the best hug was from Mr Busy when I might have gone to my office and cried instead.

Monday Menu Plan: Week Beginning 7 February

I know this sweet little bumblebee has nothing whatsoever to do with food.  But I needed something cute to make me smile.  It's just been 'one of those days'.  It seemed to be one long battle after another.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

On days like today it seems somehow incomprehensible that a daily activity, like cooking dinner, should remain on the list of things to do.  I'd really rather stick my head in the sand.  Where it is silent.  And there is no unwanted child-related behaviour to deal with.  Trouble is, even I will want something to eat at some point, and so on days like today the menu plan is just what I need.  A very quick glance rescues me from having to make another decision.  No thought is necessary.  Just do.

Monday:  Rissoles, vegies
Tuesday:  Bacon-wrapped chicken, vegies (chicken already prepared)
Wednesday:  Tomato sausages, polenta
Thursday:  Chinese corn soup, prawn crackers
Friday:  Tacos
Saturday: Fish & Chips
Sunday: Tuna and rice

I'm off to defrost some meat and bake some biscuits (cookies) or muffins for tomorrow's morning tea.  The kids will be unimpressed when I hand them rice crackers otherwise!

And Puts Them Into Practice

The Twelve Apostles, Victoria

Photo by Nigel Pavitt.  Source: art.com

Yesterday's Our Daily Bread devotion seemed quite well-timed, given its topic of rocks and sand and storms.  We've seen many gravel driveways end up on the road around here in the last few days.  And not just gravel.  Sometimes there are rather large rocks that have been dumped by the force of the water washing downhill.  A visible reminder of what the force of a storm can do.

Jesus uses storms and the inevitable erosion to make a point in Matthew 7:24-27.  I've read this passage often, and many of us who have grown up within the church will know the song "The wise man built his house upon the rock.".  It seemed to me, until today, that the message of this passage was all about the foundation of our faith and the wisdom of building it upon something solid and unmovable.  Obviously this truth is still one of the main principles of the passage.  But today I saw something more.

As I read this passage today I was rather taken with another phrase that added depth to the Truths Jesus was teaching here.  The phrase was "and puts them into practise" (referring to Jesus' words).  The preceding text of chapter 7 has much to say on the subjects of judging others, seeking God wholeheartedly, being vigilant about false prophets and being authentic in our faith.  It is in putting Jesus' words into practise that we become wise.  Because it is in practising that which He taught, that we develop a faith with the firm foundation that cannot be washed away by the storms of life that buffet us.  When we listen and do not put His words into practise our faith is weak and wishy washy.  It can't sustain us through anything and the first puff of difficulty in our lives will blow us over.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words 

of mine and puts them into practice is like 

a wise man who built his house on the rock."

Matthew 7:24

My Unusual Friday Night Adventure

Cylone Yasi on the right.  Cyclone Anthony on the left

If you live in Melbourne, you could be quite forgiven for wondering if you'd been miraculously transplated to Queensland in your sleep.  It has been very humid (90%) and warm, and sticky.  The kind of humidity where my hair curls even more and no amount of straightening is worth the effort.  Not what we expect at all, usually.  You may have heard, if you live in far flung places across the globe, that Cyclone Yasi has been bearing down on the tropical north coast of Queenland.  She has been extending her influence as far south and east as New Zealand.  And I preface this post with all that information, because it explains the reason for my quite unusual adventure.

Radar image oflLast night's weather over Melbourne

Last night's adventure began when I hopped in my car and set off down the hill to Rel's place for book club.  When I left home it was raining a bit.  But within 10 minutes I had my wipers on fast and had to concentrate quite hard to drive.  Half way through my 25 minute drive I began to think that perhaps I should've driven Dh's 4WD!  I got within 1 minute of Rel's house and didn't notice that the puddle before me was perhaps a little larger than I anticipated it could be.  The rain was just too heavy to see much of anything really.  Half way through that puddle, I began to panic.  There was soooo much water being displaced in front of my car.  The water was really deep!  And then I felt my car begin to sputter a bit.  In a panic I did a quite wise thing, in hindsight.  I turned into the nearest driveway on my side of the road....the high side!  And I sat there for a moment thinking "what do I do now?".  I certainly couldn't continue my journey.  I couldn't leave my car in some stranger's driveway....although they could go nowhere either.  So I did what all panicked wives do.  I rang my husband!  Not that he could help, but I was stuck.  And I was shaking.  So he rang a good friend, whose wife was also headed to Rel's.  And he phoned Rel to let her know what was happening.  And that I was OK.  A few minutes later, both the men turned up, wading through knee-deep water.  And the two men whose driveway I had commandeered came out.  As I stood there looking at all that water over the road (it was knee-deep on the footpath) I realised I was near a drainage reserve and it was full.  I had lived in that suburb for 10 year before moving up here and I've never seen those reserves even as much as ankle deep.

Anyway....I left my keys with the men and waded my way through the mini flood and round to Rel's where I was handed a fluffy towel and a dry shirt and book club began.  The men were finally able to drive my car around for me about an hour or so later, after the water had receeded half way and there was barely a puddle on the road as I drove home.

The rain continues quite heavily even now and my daughter and her friend have plans to head down to the suburbs to watch a movie together while I get some errands done.  I'm thinking Dh's 4WD and he as our chauffer may be our best plan.  Because men just always seem to know what to do in these circumstances.  And 3/4 pants might seem like a wise idea too.  In case more wading is imminent.

Images from bom.gov.au

Book Review: 'A Place of Peace' by Amy Clipson

Rel has posted my review for 'A Place of Peace' here at Relz Reviewz.  It is yet another installment of deliciousness.  I enjoy well-written, unpredictable Amish fiction, which Amy Clipston delivers.  I always enjoy yummy recipes, and this book is sprinkled with them right throughout its pages.  A perfect combination!

If you want to know what the book is about, you'll have to read the review.  :)

A Good Week's Work

I know the week isn't over yet.  But my work week is.  It's been a very interesting week!  I've touched base with students with whom I worked last year and enjoyed the more relaxed pace of older classrooms.  I've spent a lot of time in the younger classrooms getting to know new students  Hopefully we've been able to begin setting in place expectations and routines that will help them settle into our school quickly.  They are all gorgeous in their own unique ways.  The Prep's are hilarious.  I am loving spending time with the Year 2's, who were in Prep when last I worked in there.  And besides all of the students I work with, there are so many new young ones to get to know.  They are truly delightful.

We sat at recess today and every single one of us who work with children who have special needs had a "We did really well this morning" story to tell.  So the day didn't stay "really well" for all of them all the time.  But I'm thinking a day that doesn't include "I wish you were dead" is a really good day!  And that was today.

Tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy a day off....after I've rescued a mobilo train from the library so its creator is not distressed!

Recipe: How to Make Sweet and Salty Popcorn

photo from art.com

I have waited until now to post about my Sweet and Salty Popcorn adventures.  Because until now it was not what I considered perfect.

I have long adored Sweet & Salty Popcorn, a product only available in Coles.  It sells for $3.26/80g pack and I don't live near a Coles supermarket, so it's a bit of a drama to get my hands on some.  And then it costs a LOT more than the dollar or so for a whole pack of unpopped corn.  Then I had a light bulb moment, whilst watching the Nigella Express Christmas/Celebration episode.  In that episode, Nigella makes a spiced popcorn mix....with sugar and salt as two of the ingredients.  Surely, I thought to myself, I could create my own Sweet and Salty popcorn.  It'll be just what she does minus the other spices.  Well that wasn't quite the case and this led to quite some experimenting.  One was too salty, then I had a few different goes at dissolving the sugar, because despite popular opinion, you cannot dissolve sugar in butter.  It doesn't work.  But I have figured all of that out now.  And, I have measured.  Yes, a proper recipe.  And it's CHEAP.  And it's gluten free.  And...well, it's not toooo healthy, but it's not toooo bad for you either.  So here's the recipe :)

Sweet and Salty Popcorn

1/3 cup popping corn kernels

about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoon sugar

1 soup spoon water

30g butter

salt to taste

1. Pop your corn as you usually would.  You don't need too much oil ~ just enough to nearly cover the bottom of the pan.  You will need a big pot for this.  Make sure it is about a 4-6 litre pot, with a lid.
2. While the corn is popping, in a small saucepan dissolve the sugar in the water over low-medium heat.  
3. When the sugar is nearly dissolved, add the butter and stir constantly while it melts.
4. Whilst working on step 2 and 3, make sure you're listening to the popcorn.  When it has slowed to nearly no pops, turn off the heat and keep the lid on.
5. When the sugar and butter is ready, remove the lid from the popcorn and pour the butter mixture as evenly as possible over the popcorn.
6. Turn the heat on to very low and toss the popcorn in the butter mixture for a couple of minutes.  It should not be cooking, just drying the butter mixture a little bit.
7. Salt the popcorn, tasting to ensure the right balance.  You'll not need much, just a few grinds.
8. Store in an airtight container.

I use regular salted butter, so I've found that the balance requires less salt than sugar.  It might be different if you use unsalted butter.  I would still salt the popcorn after I've done everything else to ensure it's not too salty.

There you have it.  A cheap and easy snack that is really tasty.  If you have a go, I'd love to know how you went, so come back and post a comment!