floods and fires - challenge

As many around the world would know Australia has been hit with a huge fire season this year and now with the devastating floods associated with cyclone oswald. Our church is involved through coordinating nationwide disaster response through GlobalCare. We are working with our church in Bundaberg to run an evacuation centre, run food drops to areas still isolated by the floods and will once able be assisting people in returning to their homes. Some people have still been unable to return to even see the damage due to the extent of flooding.

My friend Isobial has put the challenge out there to cut your grocery bill to help a mate in need. Could your family survive on $300 a month groceries or $75 per person? We've done it before an its easier than you'd think!

If you think you could give it a go let's do it an put our excess grocery savings towards Global Care's support of these devastated communities.
If you would like to donate to assist the efforts - 100% of all donations will be used on the ground to help victims -then here are our details. Global Care Disaster Relief Fund. BSB 704 024  A/C No. 100 00429

Over February I will try and post some hints and ideas, recipes and tips to help people do this.

Hannah xo

Where do butterflies come from?

 

I spotted this gorgeous visitor to my garden the other day.

 

 

He only stopped for a little while and then continued on for his short but beautiful life.

 

Theres another butterfly that makes me smile....

And my nephew loves him too...

 

Butterflies are the most amazing creatures, they live this mundane life of a caterpillar, at risk of being eaten by birds, sprayed with chemicals, in my case being plucked off their plant and fed to the chooks, then after they have grown they create a coccoon, hide away and come out a beautiful butterfly.

 

Sometimes I wish I could just create a coccoon, go away and hide for a while and then come out a beautiful butterfly. But God know better, he knows that the trials and struggles in my life are better for me than a hiding away. It is the prickly bits in my life being sanded smooth as I deal with people who rub me up the wrong way, with plans that go astray and yet I don't attack and blame those around me who are not responsible, as I choose to forgive even when I have been hurt again by one I love.

 

1 Peter 1:6-7 says "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

 

Are you facing trials, struggles and pain. Don't give up, don't let go of your faith. Pull into God and his unmeasureable love. Be found in him in the midst of the storm, and he will be your peace and your shelter in the midst of the pain and fear. He will be your rock and hold you firm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Computer issues

I am having some major issues with my laptop currently so blogging is extremely frustrating and hoping to find a solution soon and get back online again.

The power of a mentor

As a teenager I was not very confident, I enjoyed school and learning and quickly was boxed as the smart kid, the know it all, studious (my mother would laugh) and I also was very introverted, loving reading walking and riding horses. Most parents today would freak out at what I used to do, walking off track in the bush behind our school, with nothing but an occasional bottle of water... I think my mum probably did freak out a bit, and then learnt that that was who I was and she couldn't stop it, but she loved me enough to let me keep going with some boundaries around letting her know where I was going and when I would be back... something I still try and do :)

But I have changed, I am much more social, I love spending time with friends, the occasional party, and walking with others... I love to teach others to love the outdoors, to garden, to cook, to walk alongside those who are starting a faith journey and give them some pointers for what helped me...

I know I would never be the person I am today without people who walked along side me some of the journey, showing me that they cared for me, demonstrating Gods love in a practical and sometimes not so practical way. Picnics at the beach with icecreams and books, prayer over breakfast, chats late in the night over mugs of tea or hot chocolate, drives to the beach, walking in the bush or by the ocean, working, creating, serving together.

Sharon, Natalie, Doreen, Lisa, Meredith, Fiona, Ainsley, Elsie, Diana, Miriam, the list could go on forever.... these are just a few.

So last Friday another girl and I started a group for highschool girls in our church. Many of them have never been in a bible study or lifegroup before, some of them I'm not sure yet where they are in their faith journey. Karien and I want to provide a space for growth for these girls - growth in themselves, in their faith, in their identity as women, in their relationships.

Please be praying that they feel loved and supported, welcomed and accepted as they come through the group and for us to lead and mentor them well... The bible says that there is a greater responsibility and expectation on those who lead others and we need all the prayer we can get!

Have a lovely day xo

A beautiful day! Sun + Sea + Supper

John and I went to Huskisson for a late brunch today... the water was bright blue and so beautiful, if it had been much warmer I would have been in there. Maybe I should have anyhow?

We had brunch at Pilgrims using one of our new entertainment book vouchers... very excited there's one for the south coast now, we had a beautiful breakfast looking out over Jervis bay for little more than it would have cost to make it at home, and read our favourite sections of the paper, did a little window shopping and a walk along the beach....

I love living where I do!

We stopped at the tip on the way home and picked up some iron bars to make a tripod to cook over the fire with... and some black pipe for another vege bed covering...

And my amazing husband made this for dinner... boeff bourguinonne! In the slow cooker, it was rich, delicious and tender... I made lime meringue pie with limes I picked from mum's tree when I dropped around for a cup of tea this afternoon.

We ate in front of the TV watching the movie Tintin... very enjoyable day and evening together...

Love Weekends :)

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

oops - set the smoke alarms off tonight :)

Cooking of course!

I found a recipe for Gozleme which is a rustic Turkish snack stuffed with silverbeet and salty feta.

I don't have silverbeet at the moment, so I used a mixture of Cavalo Nero, Mizuna and Beetroot leaves.

I found a 'good taste' magazine from last month at the op shop - so 50c instead of $4!

Gozleme:

600g plain flour

1tsp salt

410ml warm water

1/4c olive oil.

Mix til dough comes together, then knead until smooth and elastic... Recipe said for 10 mins... I learnt a new way of kneading on masterchef last week. Carefully stretch the dough out as much as you can by pulling one side toward you and pushing the other side away... then carefully roll it up. Only needed to do this about 6-8 times (less than one minute) and it was good, didn't stick to the bench at all.

Place in a bowl covered overnight if possible, or at least for the day (I mixed it up in the morning and cooked them for dinner.)

*for all the sourdough ppls out there, I actually redid recipe with sourdough - about 500g starter with 300g flour, salt and I forgot the oil, but it didn't seem to need it :)

Filling

6 cups finely shredded leaves

4 shallots finely chopped (the mini onion ones rather than the green onions)

100g ricotta

250g feta.

Mix well.

when ready to cook divide the dough into 6 portions.

One at a time roll out to a rectangle about 20x40cm

Top half the dough with the filling, leaving a 3cm border, fold the other half over and press edges together.

Recipe said to cook on flat BBQ plate on med low heat - drizzled with a little oil 5 mins or so each side... as it's wintery - cold and blowing a gale outside, I cooked on flat cast iron pan inside - which cooked really quickly - only 1-2 mins each side but well cooked inside and not burnt... although the smoke was all through the house :)

Serve cut in half with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over!

I'm always looking for recipes using things that are in the garden - seasonal recipes...

To help this I have rearranged my recipe magazines into month by month, not worrying about what type of magazine, meaning that I can pull out all the magazines for the month I'm in a flick through to find something that I already have the ingredients for... In this recipe all I had to buy was the ricotta and the shallots. (Had some feta in the fridge already, and the limes are from my mum's garden. (Her tree gets so many there's no point planting my own tree :)

How do you plan seasonal recipes? any tips or ideas?