My Beautiful Kaisha

I would like to promote this lovely new book.

Tania Swansson is the daughter of a dear friend.
She lost her eldest daughter four years ago to a rare liver cancer at the tender age of 15. Tania decided to write about her journey with Kaisha, she also was clever enough to publish this book herself.

Be warned that you will cry if you decide to read this sad story.

Tania's radio interview from this morning on ABC can be found here


xTania

An Award

I have received this Honest Scrap Award from Jillian over at Homeschooling4Christ

Thank you so much Jillian.

To keep this award, I must complete the following:

1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award
2) Share 10 honest things about yourself
3)Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design or those that have encouraged me
4) Tell those 7 people they have been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.



Here are 10 Honest things about me:

1. The most important people in my life are my family

2. I am a shy person by nature and tend not to socialise a great deal

3. At the moment I am feeling overwhelmed by all the information about the Diploma

4. My favourite meal is anything that my mother cooks when we are down there, I just love her cooking, it has lots of flavour

5. I have lived all my life in the country and wouldn't change it for city life ever. I long to live where there is a lot more rain, less dust, lush greenery and white beaches

6. I love the Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line because he proved it is possible to turn your life around and become a better person, and he did, with the help of June Carter and God

7. I am a very emotional person and take offense easily. I cry when I see other people cry, even on the soapies!

8. I would love to go on a cruise to Fiji and Vanuatu

9. My most neglected chore would have to be my windows. I am seriously thinking of getting a window cleaner around for the simple reason I have so many little squares and they take so long to do.

10. I prefer the cooler weather as our summers can be so hot and dusty; it's nice to not have to dust every day. Where I live there is not much rain so we don't ever get tired of it.

My 7 recipients are:

Narelle @ Moments for Mum

Kate @ Tatersmama's take on things

Joolz @ Simply Joolz

Caroline @ The Simple Things

Linda @ Remote Treechanger

Granny @ Granny's garden

Mandy @ The Old Dairy

Random bits

Above is the place where I have been spending too much time lately. Too much time doodling around with facebook, tracing some of my old friends from my old home town (makes me a little homesick though) and catching up with some of my favourite blogs. I share this area with my son and his computer.

Shortly I will need to be on the computer a lot more as I am about to embark on the Children's Services Diploma. All the paper work has been sent in and I have my first online session on the 4th July 2009. I have had to set things up online previous to the session to make sure everything is working okay. I am ready to go, hope I manage the headphones that I have to use, never used them before. I will have a trial run tomorrow when I have a spare moment.

To start with I was really stressed worrying about whether I can do it or not, but in the end I thought I need to change my way of thinking to a more positive attitude otherwise I will be defeated before I even started. Now I am looking forward to starting this diploma instead of dreading it. That may change at different times throughout the course I bet. I am one of eighty participants and we need to be finished by February 2011.



Below is the finished cubby house that we painted this past weekend. Looks like a million dollars now. We tried to match the colours to the outside of our house.

Millie watching on.

A couple of weeks ago, when I purchased the Tarago, we took it for a bit of a run around the district so the following pictures are of some of the varying bits of scenery. Below is a photo of Mount Remarkable as we were heading into the little town of Melrose.

While out and about we called in on our friends Bev and Brian at Jamestown. Bev is a great sewer. She has a favourite obsession with quilting. Below is one she is working on at the moment.

Some of the fine handsewing Bev does on some of her quilts.

One of her finished masterpieces.

We had to wait for this train at a Railway Crossing in Caltowie, a really small town roughly 10 kilometres (approx 7 miles) from Jamestown. Some of my ancestors are buried in the Caltowie cemetery. I found this out while doing some family history research. A few years ago we went there and found some of the old graves. Many of them are in great need of repair.


Eventually this steel train will end up in Newcastle, New South Wales, but at this moment it was on its way to Broken Hill.

The ever changing landscape. Miles of farming land behind the Flinder's Ranges.
Some paddocks are still dry and desert like..

Some are turning green from the recent rains.

The Flinders Ranges makes a great back drop for Port Augusta. These hills are brilliant at certain times of the day. They change colour regularly throughout the day, depending upon the weather. Autumn provides a beautiful picture, however it was overcast and cold on this day.

The funeral for Hannah will be on Wednesday. This will be a very sad day for many but especially so for her family.



Hope all is well with you and your families,
please hold your children tight and tell them how much you love them,
no matter how old they are.

xTania

A heavy heart

I woke to the normal busyness this morning, thinking about the day ahead. I had set the alarm for 6am hoping to rise and go for a walk, but after looking outside into darkness I decided to stay in bed in the warmth.



I had just finished breakfast and was getting my son's school lunch ready when the phone rang. Not thinking anything of it, other than it was early and was probably one of the daycare parents, I answered as normal.



It was my friend Wendy, informing us of the death of a friend's daughter in a car accident.


I had heard this morning on the radio that a young woman, 21, from Stirling North had been killed at Redhill. I remember thinking to myself, hoping that it wouldn't be anyone that we knew.


This young lady was only 21 with her whole life and dreams ahead of her. She had been heading home from Uni in Adelaide to visit family when the accident occured at Redhill on the main highway. Gone in an instant.



Today has turned into another sad day, I am just stunned by this news. Hannah's parents and brother must be so devastated at their loss. I can't imagine their pain right now.


Hannah and her family are well known in this town, so it is going to rock a lot of people.


Please pray for them,

xTania

Over the next Hill

listen to Johnny Cash and June Carter

Over the Next Hill (We'll be home).

By the way the land is layin'

I'd think I'd be safe in sayin'

That over the next hill we'll be home.

It's a straight and narrow highway,

No detours and no byways,

And over the next hill we'll be home.

From the prophets I've been hearin'

I would say the end is nearin'

For I see familiar landmarks all along.

By the dreams that I've been dreamin'

There will come a great redeemin'

And over the next hill we'll be home.

By the turn the tide is takin'

I would say there's no mistakin'

That over the next hill we'll be home.

There's a place that we are nearin'

That so many have been fearin'

And over the next hill we'll be home.

When we get there, we're all hopin'

That we'll find the gate is open,

And there'll be a refuge from the comin' storm.

For the way's been long and weary,

But at last the end is nearin'

And over the next hill we'll be home.

Have a blessed Sunday,

xTania

Some more recipes

A favourite in our house.

Tasty Toasted Sandwich

In frypan, fry one egg.

On your bread place tomato slices, cheese slice, leaf of silver beet or spinach and some mustard (I used American).

Top with the fried egg

Put sandwich together, then butter the outside and pan fry until golden brown.

Bean and Vegetable Casserole

310gms can butter beans

60gms butter

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1/2 red pepper

2 sticks celery

1 carrot

2 zucchini

1/4 small cauliflower

125gms green beans

4 shallots

400gm can tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1 teaspoon chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 medium potatoes

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

15gms butter, extra

Cut pepper into strips; slice celery, zucchini and beans; cut cauliflower into small flowerets; slice carrot, chop shallots. Heat butter in large pan, add chopped onion, cook until transparent. Add crushed garlic, celery, carrot, zucchini, pepper, cauliflower and beans. Stir over heat one minute. Add undrained mashed tomatoes, chives, mint and basil. Bring to boil stirring occasionally, remove from heat. Stir in drained and rinsed butter beans, shallots and parsley. Place vegetable mixture in oven proof dish. Slice potatoes thinly, cover vegetables with single layer of potatoes, brush with extra melted butter, sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake uncovered in moderate oven 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown. Serves 6.

(courtesy Best Recipes from the Weekly)

Pumpkin Tea Cake

(from Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen's Classic Country Collection)

25ogms butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 eggs
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup milk

Icing:

60gms butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mixture:
Beat butter and sugar together. Add grated orange. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add mashed pumpkin and coconut. Stir in sifted flour alternately with milk. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin, use greased paper on bottom of tin. Pour mixture into cake tin and cook in a moderate oven (180 -200C) for 1 1/4 hours.

Icing:

Mix all the ingredients together in saucepan in stove. Ice cake and sprinkle with coconut.

ENJOY!!

xTania

Quiet Sunday

We were going to spend the long weekend doing things, but our son has contracted a cold from one of his buddies at school and has been quite miserable for the past couple of days.

Yesterday we took the Tarago for a drive over the other side of the hills to Jamestown to visit friends for a little while. I will post photos of the drive soon.

Today I needed to catch up on things at home. I started the day with the washing that had built up until we were getting low on clothes. I usually keep up with the laundry but I had managed to get a bit behind. Luckily there was a bit of wind today to help dry the clothes(lately it has been so still that the clothes just hang there not drying).

The Adelaide Crows were playing Essendon at 12.30 so I made some lunch and then settled to watch the game. After the first quarter and with the Crows looking like they were not doing so well I thought I might dust of the sewing machine and sew the curtains and table cloth I had planned for the cubby house. I purchased some bright red gingham at Spotlight last week when we picked up the Tarago from Whyalla.

I was pleased with the result and it has really given the cubby a new lease of life.

I am hoping to get the outside painted tomorrow, weather permitting.

This cubby is a little tired and needs some renovations. I bought this second hand when my son was little, and now the day care children spend hours playing around in it.


I had enough fabric left over for a cloth for my dining room table.

The oranges are ripening.

And the remaining mandarines after the terrible heat they endured earlier this year.

Hubby has been doing his bit to keep us warm today. He managed a couple of loads of wood for our fire.

The Crows were victorious in one of the best matches I have watched in a long while (even though I was sewing).

Hard to believe that more rain was threatening to dampen my clothes, so I made a mad dash outside to get them in. Just made it before another shower of rain, now that would be the reason I got behind with the laundry this week, because of rain.

I do have a clothes line under the verandah to use on rainy days and the clothes that don't dry get put in front of the fire to finish off. We have had one or two showers over the last couple of days and a terribly loud thunderstorm with some heavy rain two nights ago. We have had 8mm (32 points).

I prepared vegetable pasties for tea/dinner tonight and some apple pasties for dessert with icecream and cream. I just grated some apple, added a bit of sugar and spice and put them in pastry like the pasties. Coated with milk and sprinkled with sugar. Yum!

I then folded the dry clothes, put them away and caught up with all the ironing, I even managed some mending!

Tomorrow I hope to tidy up a bit outside. I might even attempt to get in the garden and pick the remaining pumpkins and capsicums. I haven't planted a winter garden this year as I want to prepare the plot for Spring.

Just a pleasant day spent at home, going at my own pace and knowing I still have another day tomorrow to finish up.

xTania