(For a detailed description of each category and this blog link up, see here)
{Nourish}
I felt very satisfied this month because instead of fantasizing about a freezer full of woodfired oven food, I actually got off my behind and accomplished it! Having netball season come to an end helps no end in that my Saturdays are free once again.
Favourite foods for the wood oven include: spinach and feta pie, beef rouladen, organic roast lamb, curries, muffins for lunchboxes, flatbreads and biscuits. Pizza is a given for dinner on the day the oven is on. It's a great feeling to pull out a meal from the freezer on a busy day and know that we're still eating well. Elsewhere, the teen has been trying out pretzel recipes...and we are not complaining one little bit!
{Prepare}
Oh, sheesh, I suppose stocking the freezer from the above category counts? Yes, yes, of course it does. I'll share a pic of the said pretzels too..because they were just soo good!
Pretzels made by the 13yo
{Reduce}
This month I extended the life of a pair of jeans by mending a tear in them along with a woolen jumper that had a hole in it. I have come to the realisation that I detest buying new clothes, so will do anything I possibly can to extend the life of what I already have.
{Green} Vinegar, eucalyptus oil and bicarb. Does it get any better than this? I know I've said it before but I'll (continue to) say it again!
{garlic}
{Grow} A great achievement took place here this month - I harvested a decent sized cauliflower! If you know how much trouble I have at growing them you will completely understand my excitement. The harvest took place in the hugelkultur bed, which reinforces my belief that this type of growing has excellent results. Time to start plotting the summer crops now. Around the garden I have also been harvesting perennial leeks, occasional asparagus, rocket, beetroot leaves, silverbeet, parsley, bok choy, broccoli, garlic leaves and eggs. Lots of eggs!
{Create} Things are pretty quiet on the creative front for me lately, although I have been trying to use up woolly oddments by turning them into colourful hexies, courtesy of attic24. I'm loving the bright colours of each hexagon, they bring cheer to any day! I also found myself on the receiving end of some creativity this month..see below.
{Discover} When I'm not immersed in study, I am finding myself reading. This month I finally got to a couple of books that were recommended to me a ridiculously long time ago, both written by Gary Zukav - 'The Seat of the Soul' and 'Spiritual Partnership'. Not for everyone I will admit, but my mind is currently in this zone, and I found them both interesting reads.
{Enhance} I found myself on the receiving end of some knitted love this month. The 11yo (soon to be 12) went to Sydney for a birthday treat with my mum and returned home with a gorgeous vest knitted by a dear relative for me. It was a complete surprise and knowing how much work goes into such projects I appreciate it more than words can say. She knows me well this knitter even though we haven't seen each other in far too long. It fits perfectly, is just the right length and has gorgeous colouring throughout. It's true that wearing hand knits is just like wearing a giant hug! (She ponders as she types the words while wearing The Vest. ;))
{Enjoy} A trip to the beachy/river/rocky/bushland loveliness that is Wilsons Prom takes the cake for this category for the month. Listening to friends' tales of annual visits to 'The Prom' and never seeming to make it there ourselves, it felt wonderful to finally change this and we had a beautiful time. The only downside being that the 11yo was in Sydney with my mum at the time, so there was a feeling of emptyness at her not being there. All worked out in the end though, everyone enjoyed their trips and it was nice to regroup at the end of them!
We hired a caravan which we picked up along the way and stayed in an unpowered site close to the huts that our friends were occupying. With six families coming and going through the week, it was very social and coming together each night for dinner was one of my favourite parts. Having friends from home to take a walk with or sit and chat with was a really nice addition to a family getaway! Other kids for our kids to play with was an extra treat!
So, do tell me, how was your month?
