My name is...50th post

This is my 50th post. To celebrate, I have decided to tell all my viewers what my real name is, but not in just any old way. I composed a riddle to make it more fun. Obviously, those of you who know me will just have to read the riddle, but I know there are plenty of other people who will have to think a little! So, here goes...

My first is in SEA and also in SHORE,
My second is in SOME and also in MORE.
My third is in FIESTA and also in FUN,
My fourth is in FIXED and can't be undone.
My fifth is in FINAL and we'll call it a day,
My name here is spelt the Mediterranean way!

Please write and I'll tell you if you guessed well ;)

Munchy Monday #9: Crazy chocolate cake

You will need:

Dry ingredients
400 g plain flour, sieved
3 tblsp. heaped cocoa powder, sieved
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder (raising agent), sieved
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Wet ingredients
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1 tblsp. vinegar
5 tblsp. sunflower oil (or similar)
1 cup warm water

Method:

Mix wet ingredients together in a bowl and add to dry ingredients. Stir carefully and pour batter into a greased oven dish or similar. (I use a 30cm. diameter deep pie dish.)
Cook in a medium oven, 175ºC, for about 20 minutes. It may need a little longer, but be careful it does not start burning underneath.

Note: This is a no-egg, no-dairy recipe, ideal for families who have dietary restrictions. It makes a fairly big cake, about 10 servings, and we use it to celebrate our birthdays. I serve strawberries alongside and those who can, pour cream over the whole lot! 

Xoc

This is a little composition I have written to introduce you to another, more recent "member" of our family.

I thought I'd write a poem

About a little friend of mine.

He used to live in Sweden 

But he likes it here just fine.

He's small and  brown and cuddly,

With antlers and a NOSE,

We  love him oh so muchly,

He's a deer from head to toes!

He answers to the name of Xoc

The reason for this you'll see,

All he eats is chocolate

For breakfast, lunch and tea.

He's my other little grandchild,

And we love him just as much

As our funny little Nina

With her orange hair and such.  S.J.

Oh, those big brown eyes! This is a photo of our Xoc having fun at his 6th birthday party, 28th of February. Needless to say, there was a big, crazy chocolate cake for dessert!  (Recipe coming soon!)  

With just a glance...

...you can appreciate God's wonderful creation.
...you can tell your husband that you love and support him.
...you can share the joy of a small child's artwork.
...you can admire a well laid supper table.
...you can agree with a family decision.
...you can warn your child they are nearing the limits.
...you can see if an umbrella will be necessary.
...you can save a child from harm.
...you can say that it's time to go home.
...you can see that you've done a good days work.

¿Qué es poesía?

¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras clavas
En mi pupila tu pupila azul.
¡Qué es poesía! ¿Y tú me lo preguntas?
Poesía eres tú.
                                               G. A. Becquer
                                          

Menu

I was not born an organized person, rather the contrary! I tend to dream, leave things half done and sort of drift through life. Thankfully I have realized this, which is why I have to purposefully plan certain things within the home.

Having a weekly, "at a glance" menu has been a real time/life saver for me over the past few years. I only plan weekday meals, and then only lunch and supper, because every one of us has different needs for breakfast. The weekends are such that I never know if there will be four or twelve at the table, so the meals are the whatever-there-is-and-make-it-stretch type.

Lunch and supper are almost always cook-from-scratch meals, and we use very few packets, tins, and pre-prepared products. Neither do we have a microwave so it's all stove cooked. We try never to throw even the smallest amount away, it all gets used up somehow. Where we live the norm is a two-course meal plus dessert and this makes it much easier to eat a balanced diet.

I usually plan using the following strategy (over the seven days):

eggs x 2

rice x 2

fish or other seafood x 2

soup x 2

white meat x 3

red meat x 3

pulses x2

pasta x 4

Veggies, in some form or other, are present with every meal, and normally I serve fresh fruit for dessert, although sometimes there is yogurt or, usually at the weekend, I might bake a cake or serve something more elaborate. Many weeks will have a "no-meat" day. We eat very little deep fried food but from time to time the fancy takes me!

There is also a big difference between summer menus and winter menus. Summer menus are at least three-quarters cold food with meals which, for the most part, can be prepared early in the morning, whereas in winter this does not matter.

Really, it is not as complicated as it may seem. See below for a five-day example:

Mon.
(L) cold pasta salad, chicken croquettes

(S) boiled potato, green beans and leek, pork/bacon meatballs in sauce

Tues.
(L) lentils with rice and bacon served with semolina bread
(S) courgette soup, potato omelette, fresh lambs lettuce salad

Wed.
(L) garlic/parsley fried spaghetti, griddle-fried chicken
(S) pizza and fresh salad

Thurs.
(L) rice with egg and tomato sauce (arròs a la cubana)

(S) boiled cabbage with potatoes, oven baked panga with herbs

Fri.
(L) ensaladilla rusa, fried pork slices with crisps

(S) haricot bean casserole with carrots, leeks and potato

I will add that most of these meals take an hour or less to prepare from start to finish.

I will be posting many of these recipes and more on my blog within the near future.

Sparrow in the rain

I still haven't decided whether the photo was supposed to be of the sparrow or the rain. I'll go for the latter. Sparrows are cute birds but I see them every day. Rain is such a rarity!

Munchy Monday #8: Tomato bread

For all of you out there who are watching your weight, want to lose some, want to eat healthier, or simply would like to try something different, this is a simple, economical and delicious way of eating bread without margarine. It is locally called "pa amb tomàquet" which means literally "bread with tomato".

You will need:

Ripe tomatoes (the beefsteak kind is ideal)
Bread (high fibre, white sliced, french baguette, ciabatta...)
Olive oil
Grater and bowl or plastic container
Salt (optional)

Method:

Cut the tomato horizontally and grate only the flesh into the bowl using the part with big holes. Discard skins. Add olive oil (and salt) and stir.
Take a piece of bread and lightly coat one side with the tomato mix. Easy!

French baguette or home made semolina bread

Note: This is also delicious if you toast the bread first. My favourite way of serving it then is with anchovies placed strategically over the top.

 Tomato bread with olives from our own trees.

Another note: The advantage of this bread is that it steers you away from the temptation of eating it with sweet toppings. It can be accompanied by olives, salt-cured ham, chorizo sausage, omelette or served with your meal when you eat out. Having said that, I have a niece who eats tomato bread and black chocolate for breakfast when she is over here!

Friday Fun Fact #4: Random animal facts

@ Pigs are the only animals that can suffer from sunburn
@ Polar bears are not white. They have black skin and their hairs are transparent hollow tubes.

@ Polar bears are left-handed
@ The eyes on a starfish are located at the end of each leg
@ In the Caribbean there are oysters that climb trees
@ It is possible to get a cow to go upstairs, but not to go downstairs
@ Sloths take two weeks to digest their food
@ A tiger has striped skin, not just striped fur
 

@ Polar bears have blue tongues
@ An elephant's trunk contains 40,000 muscles

Butterflies and moths project

We have just finished a very interesting project about butterflies and moths. I downloaded the basic project here from this very good website: schoolexpress.com*

Then I added a few things to it. For instance, we used a word wheel from enchantedlearning.com* about the stages of metamorphosis, downloaded here.  We also watched this simple but very interesting video from youtube:

Like in most of our projects I like to complete them with some kind of craftwork. This time we did a collage of a Camberwell Beauty. Here is a photo of the real thing:

Camberwell Beauty

Here is a picture of the collage we did:

To finish some of our projects I sometimes make up a quiz, just to see if the info. has soaked in, as it were.

If anyone wishes to us this quiz you are quite welcome to do so.

* For both of these webs you have to be a member to be able to download certain items.

Music to study to

While I'm working around the house and even more often whilst we are studying, I like to play a little background music. Obviously, it cannot be anything with catchy lyrics or too much of a rhythm as these would distract rather than encourage, so I choose guitar, violin or piano instrumentals, or concert pieces.

One of my favourite composers is Brian Crain. Here are two of  his compositions which I like very much. Please, listen and enjoy...

Bible verses for the week / Versets de la setmana

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;      Thessalonians 5:16 -18

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only... 

 James 1:22

Estigueu sempre gojosos, pregueu incessantment, doneu gràcies en tot...

1 Tessalonicencs 5 16-18

Sigueu practicants de la paraula...

Jaume 1:22

*******

Estad siempre gozosos. Orad sin cesar. Dad gracias en todo...

1 Tesalonicences 5:17

...sed hacedores de la palabra...

Santiago 1:22

Friday Fun Fact #3: The Amazon River

# The Amazon River, located in the central northern part of South America, along with its tributaries, runs through seven different countries: Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

# The Amazon River is approx. 6400 km long. It is the second longest in the world, beaten only by the Nile river in N. E. Africa.

# During the wet season there are parts of the river which reach 190 km. wide.

# The Amazon River is the only home of the pink dolphin.

# This river contains 1/5 of the worlds fresh water.

# Its source is in the Andes mountains in Peru, and it flows into the Atlantic ocean.

# This river has no bridges.

# The mouth of the Amazon river is over 320 km wide and contains the world's largest freshwater island, Marajó Island.

#  It was named by Francisco de Orellana, a Spanish explorer who led the first expedition to explore the river. On this expedition he was attacked by "mighty female fighters" called Amazons, after the female fighters which appear in Greek mythology.

Amazon meanders

A Yorkshire Farmer's Address to a Schoolmaster by George Lancaster

Good day to you, Misther skealmaisther,
  the evenin' is desperate fine,
I thowt I wad gie ye a call aboot
  that young sonnie o' mine.
I couldn't persuade him to come,
  sea I left him behont me at yam,
Bud somehoo it's waintly possess'd me
  to mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.
He's a kind of a slack-back, ye knaw,
  I niver could get him to work,
He scarcelins wad addle his saut
  wiv a ploo, or a shovel, or fork.
I've tried him agean an' agean,
  bud I finnd that he's nea use at yam,
Sea me an' my missus agreed
  to mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.
If I sends him to wark, why, he'll chunther
  an' gie me the a awfullest leaks,
He'd a deal rayther lig upo' d' sofy
  wi' novels an' them soort o' beaks.
Sea I thowt a skealmaisther wad suit him,
  a lowse soort o' job, do ye see,
Just to keep a few bairns oot o' mischief,
  as easy as easy can be.
Of coorse you've to larn 'em to coont,
  an' to figure a bit, an' to read,
An' to sharpen 'em up if they're numskulls,
  wiv a lalldabber ower their heead,
Bud it's as easy as easy, ye knaw,
  an' I think it wad just suit oor Sam,
An' my missus, she's just o' my mind,
  for she says that he's nea use at yam.
It was nobbut this mornin' I sent him
  to gan an' to harrow some land,
He was boamin' asleep upo' d' fauf,
  wiva rubbishly beak iv his hand;
I gav him a bunch wi' my feat,
  an' rattled him yarmin' off yam.
Sea I think that I'll send him to you,
  you mun mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.
He's a stiff an' a runty young fellow,
  I think that' he'll grow up a whopper,
He'd wallop the best lad you've got,
  an' I think he wad wallop him proper;
Bud still he's a slack-back, ye knaw,
  an' seein' he's nea use at yam,
I think I shall send him to you,
  you mun mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.

Taddies

Here is a photo of our tadpoles. We found them in a rain pool a couple of weeks ago, the same day we visited La Fatarella. So far, I think they have grown fatter and have changed a little in shape.

I will be keeping you all up to date by posting a photo as soon as we notice any changes.

Laundry battle/beautiful day!

Our laundry processing plant!

If any of you had walked into my house this morning at around 8:15 or so, this is the scene which would have greeted you. A towel load at the back, a coloured load, three bedding loads, two dark loads and one to hang which is hardly visible here. (If you look down from the red stripey socks you can see a bit of purple basket!) We won't mention what was already churning in the washer and the two loads that were already drying on the line outside!

The Lord has blessed us once again with a warm, sunny, breezy day, so there will be no problem in drying. Let's see if today I can catch up a little.

Spring bucket activities list

1. Catch taddies and watch them turn into frogs
2. Make at least two field trips
3. Plant veggie garden
4. Sketch spring countryside scenery
5. Learn Psalm 100
6. Make bubble blowing liquid and equipment and blow bubbles
7. Tie-dye t-shirts for summer
8. Take a long afternoon walk
9. Sort out spring/summer clothes
10. Take some friends for a picnic in a park
11. Make a Wordsworth/daffodils lapbook
12. Pick wild asparagus and make omelettes
13. Make bean bags and play games outside with them
14. Make a butterfly collage with magazine paper
15. Learn to play "Els ocells han arribat" on the recorder
16. Dip strawberries, cherries and other fruits in black chocolate and serve  them as a surprise dessert one weekend.

Verse for the week

Hebreos 4:12  
Porque la palabra de Dios es viva y eficaz, y mas cortante que toda espada de dos filos; y penetra hasta el alma y el espíritu, las coyunturas y los tuetanos, y descierne los pensamientos y las intenciones del corazón.

Hebreus 4:12
Perquè la Paraula de Déu és viva i eficaç, i més tallant que que cap espasa de dos talls, i s'endinsa fins a la divisió de l'ànima i l'esperit, de les juntures i del moll dels ossos, i discerneix les intencions i els pensaments del cor.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, peircing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Nina

My parents came to visit once when my eldest daughter was about 3 years old. After they had gone home L. realized that if she called my mother "Granny" then, logically, her "children" should be calling me the same! At almost 25, I must have been the youngest granny on the record!

Let me introduce you to my "grand-daughter" by way of a poem I wrote when she was about 16 years old.

Hello, my name is Nina.

I come from far away.

One of Granny's granny's friends

Made me in a day.

I've woolly shoes

And woolly socks

And woolly "undies", too.

Woolly dress,

And woolly head,

I'm woolly through and through.

I know my Mummy loves me,

She tells me every day, 

Though sometimes I'm quite naughty

In a woolly sort of way.

I try to make my Mummy's bed

Or fold up her pyjama,

But it's all a lot of work for me

And things get out of hand

And Mummy gets cross

And it all ends up messier than ever

And I don't know what to do...

I KNOW my Mummy loves me,

And Granny, she does too.

I only hope that one day 

My Grandad...

Well, that's another story!

This is Nina, enjoying the garden!