Mother's Day

Chrysanthemum and dahlias in the dining room

I can without a doubt say that being a mother to my children is the best part about my life (being a wife to their father is just as good too) so I celebrate being a mother every day in my heart. The kids really like secretly making cards and making or buying a little gift though and I gladly receive them. Tom even made me a card and sent me a chocolate because he does know my weakness. We had a lovely morning tea this morning with my Mum and Dad. Mum brought me these flowers and me being me, I will snip a bit off the bottom of the 'mums to strike for planting. It usually works and plants for free are a treat.

My long-suffering husband

Tim often seems to be rostered on to work Easter, Christmas and days marked as special on the calendar. Today was no exception. But he didn't miss out on a morning tea, we had a nice cream tea together last week in the garden. I think I missed out on playing tea parties as a child and I more than make up for it now, making an everyday cuppa an occasion. Thankfully I have a family that indulges my idiosyncrasies without complaint.

Now in an indulgence of my own (after I lock the poultry away for the day), I am going to sit about by the fire, crochet for a while and watch Anne of Green Gables. Dinner is easy tonight because it is Sunday soup night.

I do hope that everyone has had a happ Mother's Day, I have.
Tracy

Busy Farming

 A couple of busy days on the farm with little time to write about it.

Back soon.
Tracy

Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

The house has had a chocolate drought for a little while so I rectified it yesterday when I was in town. A little bit of good chocolate is a good thing... I hope. I don't think chocolate requires much any value adding but I did want to make some brownies. Last week I was tempted by the River Cottage beetroot brownies but alas my beetroot were too small and besides, I didn't have the necessary choclate. This morning I thought why not pumpkin brownies instead? The verdict, moist and moreish. I am farming alone today so I have had to do my own taste testing and believe me, it was no hardship. The recipe for anyone who might be interested. 

 Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients

125 grams butter

200 grams dark chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 and 1/4 cup plain flour

150 grams grated pumpkin

Method

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper.

Stir butter and chocolate over a low heat in saucepan until smooth. Cool slightly.

Place the dry ingredients and pumpkin in a bowl and stir to coat the pumpkin in the flour mixture. Add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined then add the slightly beaten eggs.

Spread into the baking tin.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Not  a health conscious recipe (even with the pumpkin) but it does do the soul some good to have a small  slice of decadence sometimes.A little goes a long way or not depending on the appetite of course.

Enjoy
Tracy

Croceting and Knitting

 During the cooler months yarn craft always comes to the fore. The granny squares I am working on now are for a swap of squares in black, grey and white. They have a more masculine appeal I think which is a nice change from the brights and pastels and I might even give this blanket to one of the men in my life. They aren't often recipients of my crafting endeavours but everyone likes to snuggle up under a warm rug in the winter so I'm sure it will be appreciated.

I also spent a few minutes making a Mother's Day card for my mother in-law yesterday. I used the same pattern back in February to make a card and thought it would be a nice touch at this time too. It really takes next to no time and I am hoping she likes the homemade touch to her card this year. The pattern is here for anyone who might be interested.

As for other knitting and crochet projects, I could get lost on Ravelry. It is such a wealth of inspiration and instructions. The more you look, the more you want to make. Grace is hooked on crochet too and made a gift card wallet last night from a free Ravelry pattern although she usually prefers amigarumi.

This afternoon it is a trip to town. There is a second hand book sale on and we need a few things from the store too. Having only one car (and living 50km from town) means trips have to be planned and lists made because I won't be able to go back for a while. I am actually enjoying the feeling of not being able to go. It just feels so good to be at home.
Tracy

Potatoes and Leeks

The garden provided me with some potatoes and leeks today. I have been ruthlessly clearing out summertime crops which have been keeping on during the earlier parts of autumn. Not too ruthless I have to say, there are still some beans left in the garden and the pumpkins are rampant and are showing very little signs of dying off. I have been breaking off the fresh growth on the pumpkins because it really is going to come to nothing. They are a mess but there are plenty so I am not complaining.

We have been eating a lot of meatless meals. It might seem a bit strange, living on a  farm with a fresh supply of poultry and lamb that we don't eat meat every day. The kids could gladly (as long as it isn't a lamb they have played with) eat meat daily and their requirements for it are probably greater than ours. So tonight, they will enjoy a cottage pie whilst Tim and I have a potato and leek soup. Simple food, where the flavours can shine.

No real recipe for the soup. I usually follow a similar formula for all of my pureed vegetable soups. Prepare the vegetables, boil them until tender (adding stock if necessary) and then puree. It works with most of the root vegetables anyway. Sometimes I will add lentils or even a bit of cream after pureeing.With the potato and leek soup, I will saute the leeks in butter before cooking with the potatoes.  Quick, easy and generally healthy too. A chunk of parsnip and thyme bread on the side and it's a meal.
Tracy

A Kind Word

Never underestimate the value of a kind word or gesture. I am reading a book all about kindness right now and the ramifications of being kind or perhaps unkind to yourself and others. Today a kind word was what I needed to hear and I am grateful to have had it from an unexpected source. Just a few sentences was enough to make me feel a little special. Of course self-worth and happiness really has to come from within but a bit of outside help well... helps.
 Thank you.
Tracy

Tidying Up

Making soap and tidying up our budget has been on the agenda. I actually made the soap two days ago but I am just getting around to cutting it into individual cakes. I just used a basic recipe which are available in books and all over the internet but added ground coffee after it reached the trace stage. It makes the soap a little more exfoliating and was a good way to use some caffeinated coffee I had which I can't drink.Nobody wants to be around me when I have had caffeine, I am no fun.

The budget tables don't look as good as the soap. We are making some real cut backs. Grace will no longer be taking music lessons. I hope that in the near future we can return her to her tuition but at the moment the costs of over $100 per week just for the lessons is not feasibe or sustainable. It is unfortunate because she is quite advanced and should be sitting an exam in August but it just can't be helped right now. I  feel awful about this.

Anyway, things will look better tomorrow I'm sure.
Tracy