Happy Anniversary

Today is our wedding anniversary - on this day 28 years ago we were wed in Rotorua at St Micheal's Catholic Church. We are enjoying a quiet day at home - sat by the fire - Darling Man with the Saturday papers and me with a copy of 'Inside Stories - A History of the NZ Housewife 1890 - 1975' by Frances Walsh - reading interspersed with knitting Kaedin's little jacket. In my book I read some interesting statistics 1930 one divorce for every 18 marriages, 1965 one divorce for every 12 marriages and 1975 Approximately 1 divorce for every 4 marriages.

One can't help reflect on why ours has lasted so long... I think it is mostly by God's grace. God has been our place of safety and He has strengthened and helped us through many a troubled time. We have been committed to each other no matter what and have decided that it's important for us to stay together because of our commitment to God and for the sake of our children. One of the girls wrote in an anniversary card - 'You two are a shining example of love through difficult times, of enjoying and appreciating each other in everyday moments' and another in a text - 'Thank you so much for the fantastic example you show us.'

There is no sense of pride in all this - we know as well as the next couple that marriage can be a treacherous and difficult thing to navigate at times - full of potential pitfalls. All I can say is thank you God for these years you have given us and thank you for your generous and forgiving love shed abroad in our hearts to share with others. First and foremost with our nearest and dearest.

Blankie

A week ago we became grandparents which has just got to be one of life's most delicious pleasures! Kaedin James van der Poel is wrapped in his blankie that I spent countless pleasant hours knitting - lots of love and prayers going into it as I stitched. It is 4 ply merino and Amy tells me it is really good because it is soft and fine enough to stay firmly wrapped around him, keeping him cosy without getting all bunched up.

This morning we have enjoyed a slow start - the weather isn't much good for anything else and whilst sat up in bed I had some un-knitting to do. I am now making Kaedin a little Merino Cashmere jacket that will fit him next winter - but I somehow got out of step with the moss stitch while knitting and chatting to my friend last night - hence the rescue mission this morning! Moss stitch has a certain pleasant, mesmerizing rhythm about it which has you hiking along.... however woe betide any wee lapse in concentration and one stitch out and you're done for!

We have had a very busy few months and a feast of family occasions, a lovely engagement party for Steven and Amy, a happy, happy wedding day for Davieth and Annah, my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary celebrations and this new arrival! But wait there's more... we have another grandchild expected in December so we are feeling very blessed and our hearts are overflowing and fit to burst with thankfulness.

Little By Little

We have an emerging wood pile - it's actually got way bigger than this since I took the photo! It's gorgeous Manuka collected from Clevedon by a bunch of blokes. Little by little Darling Man is 'making mosaics' as he saws and chops and splits and stacks our winter bounty and places it in a pile that is a pattern. I love it - it promises me hot, steamy, scented baths and cosy winter nights by the fire - while it basks in the summer sun in readiness for later on. For this to happen Darling Man has to be out there and at it - little and often - however slowly but surely that pile is growing!

Little by little I am getting my extra home jobs done - that's the only way to approach it when you work full time outside the home and opportunities for domestic affairs are limited! Last weekend I cleaned my stove and oven which was honestly a little overdue - now I am beaming with virtuous-ness every time I sweep by it and glance over its gleam-y surface!

Last weekend a girlfriend and I went and saw the movie 'The Kings Speech' I was inspired by his patience and persistence as he overcame the challenge of his stutter and eventually embraced the kingship - something I am sure he would never have thought he could do at one time of day. I really like movies that are based on a true story.

Finally - little by little my confidence to ride pillion on the back of our motorbike is growing... Darling Man has been so lovely and patient and encouraging to me. I have surprised myself realizing now how much I enjoy it! We had some great little jaunts last weekend and I find that one seems to see so much more from that viewpoint. I saw this amazing letterbox that was all done in mosaics - it would certainly have taken some time and patience to put all those little pieces in place. I want to have a go at that. My sister who lives in France sent me these 'naked' plaster of Paris hearts that are begging for it - I WILL mosaic them in the colours of Oyes one day.

One final 'finally' - I spent a good deal of time un-picking my knitting and little by little getting it back on an even keel but that's another story - do you think there is such a word as 'un-knitting'? And what is it that you are doing 'little by little'?

Bouquets

Bouquets are the loveliest things! Especially the impromptu kind like this one created for me by one of our daughters on our family weekend at the beach. Such a sweet girl! When you are a Mummy you tend to get given lots of little bouquets gathered together in a chubby, grubby hand but it is extra nice when they still do it even though they are all grown up!

My Darling Man is not really the flower buying kind - however on the odd occasion when he does I am really chuffed! The other day I asked him to get me some parsley from the garden to chop and sprinkle in our hot, butter-y new potatoes. He presented it to me in bouquet fashion which rather appealed to me. I said, "Oh darling you have brought me flowers!" He is a kind and thoughtful man who gives me many 'bouquets' of thoughtfulness and words of appreciation which mean a lot more to me than a florist-bought bouquet anyway!

I think bouquets are any kind of little thoughtfulness-es that spur us on and lift our spirits. Like when Darling Man says, "Thank you so much for doing my washing." I have been doing his washing for years now but I do like that he still regularly shows his appreciation for that.

Our little niece gave me a bouquet when we were with them at New Year. It was a single rose that we wrapped carefully in damp tissue and foil so that I could transport it back to my house and pop it in a vase. It didn't stay fresh for long in these hot summer temperatures but it has 'aged' in the most charming way so my 'antique' rose is still on my window sill for me to enjoy long after it was given to me.
Today I have been working on our daughter's wedding dress and have finally stitched the last stitch and it's all ready for one final fitting. I then firmly stitched the teeny wee bouquet back on my, freshly washed, old blue garter so she can wear it on her wedding day too! I will always treasure the time spent with her as we have worked on her dress together. Beautiful, darling girl!

Quiet

A deeply soothing quiet descended upon us shortly after we arrived at Welcome Bay. The empty home of our relatives welcomed and embraced our weary souls and invited us to rest. Darling Man's sister and hubby were away off up the coast on their yacht and offered us their place to stay in. Have you ever stepped into someone else's home when they are absent? Quite nice - it's like they are there but not - there is this familial comfort and connection - an 'at home-ness' but away from home. After the busy-ness of Christmas and the rush of the lead up to it - we enjoyed crashing with books, magnificent harbour views and food when we felt like it.... and quiet.

Even our little dog reclined on the sun lounger and rested up too!
Quiet is good for our souls for sure - we never turned the TV or radio on once while we were there and we didn't miss it. We have returned home and canceled SKY TV and are hoping to bring a little more quiet into our daily lives by removing some of the 'over-stimulation' factor.

Perhaps a home needs a quiet room like this one at 'The Mission' in Hawkes Bay that we visited last year with my parents....

I hope you have enjoyed some peace and quiet over the Christmas / New Year Break as well.

Extra-ordinary Birthday Love

It ages me to think back to Std 3, and the days when new baby's just miraculously appeared .... and telling my childhood friend, 'Guess what - I have a baby sister'. My Mum made this cake for my little sister's 40th Birthday. We all went along to party with her on Saturday at lunchtime. My Mum and Dad are amazing parents - in fact my sister Julie got the best kind of parents in the world! You see she has intellectual challenges so this means life hasn't been that straight forward for her and at times this has impacted hugely on Mum and Dad. However in spite of that they have remained totally dedicated and involved in Julie's life. This has not been an easy road at times.

The preparations for her birthday celebrations came at a time that both Mum & Dad were really unwell with a nasty bout of flu - but 'true to form' they soldiered on and the party went ahead as planned and a good time was had by all. I just love Jul's cake and the sandwiches that Mum made were particularly delicious - there was loads of food of course. Darling man took some of those sammies in his lunch box for night shift last night and reported that they were very tasty - especially the mustard zing! They certainly had loads of love poured into them. We had the last of them toasted with our Leek & Potato soup for lunch today!

Julie is an artist - I love her pictures - I love that they are so free and crazy - bright and colourful - and always seem to include some interesting detailing work. Since no birthday is complete without presents we bought Julie some pastels and colored pencils that you can turn into water colors with water and a brush. I know she will enjoy using them and who knows - she may produce some more 'masterpieces' for us to enjoy. We put them on the fridge where we can see them often. She blesses us with her artistic gift.

Birthday Quake

One of our grown up girls has just had a birthday so today I decided to make her a special cake for tonight's family dinner. The Edmond's recipe - Macaroon Cake - is like an enlarged, slightly more complicated version of a Louise Cake. However as I said last week - things don't always turn out the way we plan.

When it was nearing the end of it's cooking time the topping began to look over-done. So I whipped it out of the oven trying not to burn my fingers on the hot, sticky, dripping jam, most of which had by now landed in the bottom of my oven! AND there was a crack down the middle of the topping akin to a Canterbury Earthquake fault-line. On closer inspection I also discovered that the underneath cake bit had a 'pool' of un-cooked mixture in the centre... so with topping removed and waiting in the wings I returned base cake to oven for more cooking. I then re-constructed the whole affair on a fancy plate and I sincerely hope it tastes better than it looks!

Anyways, at least it is made with Jodi's lovely free-range eggs, Darling Man's homemade/home-grown Strawberry Guava jam and I poured lots of love into it too. I hope these special ingredients suffice to rescue our Darling Girl's 'birthday quake'.

Macaroon Cake

100 gm butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup strawberry jam

Topping -
3 eggs whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 tsp almond essence

Melt butter in saucepan large enough to mix all the ingredients. Stir in sugar and egg yolks. Sift flour and baking powder into the saucepan. Add milk and vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon to combine. Spread mixture into a 20cm ring tin lined on the base with baking paper. A spring-form pan or loose-bottom cake tin is best. Spread jam over batter. Spread topping over. Bake at 180 deg C for 45 - 50 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before quickly inverting onto a wire rack covered with a clean tea-towel, then turning onto another rack so topping does not get broken.

Topping -
Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until mixture is thick. Mix in coconut and almond essence.

The Workbag

My workbag - the one that contains my latest knitting project got an airing this weekend. I decided it was time for me to polish off a few projects and bring them to a close. A ruffled, fluffy scarf got tied off and put away for next winter. I had some rows to knit so that the woolshop ladies can help me with the next stage of my pink cardy - yes the one I mentioned on my blog A G E S ago. However just as I was poised to knit I realised I only had one needle - I must have left the other one at the shop last time I was in there getting some instruction. I think I will take it to work on Monday and head on down there in my lunch break and do the few needed rows so I can leave my cardy there for them to work their magic. They are so committed - almost more so than me - that this cardy is going to work out! The truth is - things don't always turn out the way we want them to.

I do want it finished though so that I can have it ready to wear next winter - mainly so that when the urge to knit hits me next autumn I can start a fresh project and not feel compelled to grind on with something started the year before! That will not do.

My workbag pictured here is made out of two special garments. The black was a skirt that I bought when shopping with a good friend, I wore it heaps but as it began to go into its death throes I found I couldn't part with it. Now it has a new lease of life that could go on for some long time yet. The beautiful pure silk lining was a top that I wore to a family wedding that began happily but ended sadly. The silk top remains - stitched into my bag - to remind me that even sad things bring outpourings of God's grace and goodness as time passes.

I love my workbag - it means that something interesting is in progress - a bit like our lives really - 'a work in progress'.

Up-Cycle

I am particularly drawn to old things that look like they might have a story. We found this old stool covered with layers of paint at our local 'transfer station'. In reality - 'we found it at the local dump shop'. By design it looks like an 'old school', serviceable piece of everyday, domestic furniture. It has a handle-hole on the seat so that kinda makes it a portable and multi-tasking thing.

Practical. Useful. Sturdy.

The layers of paint interest me - each coat at some stage giving it a new lease of life. I wonder how many different places it has lived and given domestic service. I have now sanded it back a bit here and there, letting the evidence of it's own natural wear and tear be my guide. Then I gave it a thin, wispy coat of varnish and now it sits in my 'special room' with my bits and pieces upon it. I love old things because they have a life and a story.

They are especially precious if they are part of your own story - like a wooden high-chair in our back shed. It needs some restorative work but I have my eye on it for our little grandchildren to sit in when that time comes along. My 3 sisters and I have all sat in that highchair, our own four girls too and who knows how many other dear, little cherubs along the way. It needs a bit of mending but it's still sturdy and capable of another round of Farex and baby veges I'm sure!

What favorite things do you have in your home that are old, but restored to domestic service by a little tender loving care?

Modesty & Humble Pie

I admire modesty. My mother has modeled it to me (without even realising it) and the older I get the more I appreciate it. Recently we spent a night with my parents. For dessert my Mum whipped up an apple pie - from scratch that is - she made her own pastry. I watched as she did the deed - impressed with her skill and the apparent ease with which the whole deal came together. But hey the proof of the pudding is in the eating and I tell you what this 'humble apple pie' was just gorgeous - the pastry so light and 'melt in your mouth' - a delightful end to a family meal shared together!! I think there is something really special about ya Mum's home cooking even long after you have left home and cooked for years for your own little family!

I think the character trait of modesty is a bit like my Mum's apple pie - it takes years of pastry making experience to make beautiful, light pastry like my Mum makes and so it takes time and practice to develop this godly quality of modesty. An apple pie is a humble, ordinary dessert - not flashy - just like modesty - a subtle, unsung character quality rarely celebrated but when you experience it or come across it it is a beautiful thing to behold! A valuable and rare treasure in a world that constantly tells us to 'put ourselves out there' and 'you deserve it' etc.

I am glad my Mum is a modest person and has set a great example for the girls in our family to follow. I also love her apple pie and hope that with time and practice I might be able to make apple pie like her one day too!