Slaughter day

Hello there. It feels like ages ago since I last wrote. I have started many blogs in my head but life has got in between my thoughts and the computer. Grr. Aj was on Senior camp last week and is on Outdoor Ed camp tomorrow until Friday so I seem a tad out of whack at the moment. Plus we seem to have taken a step backwards with Mr T so that doesn't help either.

Anyway, today we said goodbye and thank you to Angus and Scotch, our two steers.

We had a mobile butcher come out and dispatch them. It was really interesting. I have never seen an animal be shot. It was a nice clean shot between the eyes (never saw where it went in) and with a thud over 300kg of animal fell to the ground. I will spare you the details of the rest except to say it was a very quick process and I felt nothing but gratitude; both to butchers for their experience and to the steers for the meat that they are providing us. Also to our neighbour for the use of his tractor, saving a lot of time and effort in lifting and putting them in the coolroom, where they will hang until next week.

Yesterday we were blessed to have a local come out with a mini digger and dig us a MASSIVE hole for the offal. It only cost us a dozen eggs, such a blessing. So my exercise today was to partly fill it in the hole. The fat and some of the bones will go in next week when it is all cut up.

We will get a whole beast (Angus) for our freezer with three others sharing Scotch (½ , ¼, ¼). It is a massive process: the cutting up, packing, labelling and freezing, and who knows just how many cuts of meat there are. We will save all that though for butchering day.

Break through

We have had a break though with Mr T's behaviour!!!
While I saw aspects of many different disorders (lack of a better word) like aspergers, ADHD, or Executive Function, he never seemed to fit into the title properly. For example, too social or able to remember a sequence of tasks given. And their is a heart of gold there who seemed really upset when he did the wrong thing. 

I am not claiming to be an expert in these things but I have worked with teenagers with learning difficulties before kids and my mum has also had many years experience.

Why the change:
* he has been moved away from his classmates - helps with concentration and stops him getting into trouble as he cannot be bothered or be a bother to the person sitting beside him.
* He is getting harder work.
* I have stopped all sugary food in the lunch box. Really just my homemade cookie. He needs energy (the Graham's get tired and grumpy without food) but he is getting it through fruit and lots of it. His sandwich filling hasn't changed and I am giving him vegie chips (natural) as a snack/box filler.
* We have changed the night time routine so the the younger three kids go to bed and then we sit with Mr T and do spelling, reader etc He copes better on a full tummy, and without the distractions of his siblings. 
AND
* We have changed our prayer focus over him. Who would have thought...we should have done it agers ago!!! Praise God!

We have our cheery, beautiful little boy back. I see a change in our household too. He is happy to share toys that a week ago he would have made such a fuss over. A friend yesterday said that I seemed happy too. I am, I feel as though a weight has been lifted!

The other break though, my first sale on madeit. Some shoes. I am excited as sales mean more creating, like my latest brooches.

Have a wonderful weekend all.

What a wonderful weekend

Well it was a birthday weekend in our house. Miss Z turned four!

What a beautiful little lady you are. You are such a ray of sunshine to all that you meet. Your love of dancing, writing the alphabet and all things creative brings the family such joy. You have a wonderful sense of humour that makes us laugh even when the jokes aren’t funny.  You come out with the darnedest things and your understanding and use of words astounds me!

You are super excited to finally be four, and even more so that you have your very own kitten, Asha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET. Love you more than words can say.

Thursday we collected 6 Australorp chicks to place under the Light Sussex who’s eggs were rotten. We also went to Miss Z's favourite café in Wynyard, Bruce’s, with a family friend. A lady my Grandma went to primary school with; my Grandma grew up here in Tassie.

Friday, her birthday,  we pottered here at home and had DIY mini pizzas for dinner.

Saturday was morning tea with cake.

Sunday, church followed by lunch, home at 3. I went for a snooze and there went Sunday J

Today is housework day. I like to try and do these as it means I can take it a tad easier during the week. Although with kids I do feel like I am just chasing my tail.

Oh yes, and Thursday evening I had all my hair chopped of. Well, almost all. Short enough that I can’t put it up anyways. I am loving it!

Creativeness

KEYCHAIN / KEYFOBS

Aj and a mate are writing school curriculum so I thought it was a great time for me to share some of my current creativeness with you. 

I have a MadeIt store where I am selling these things. Feel free to take a look. If you don't have a MadeIt account (which you don't need to look, but do need to purchase) contact me and we can sort something out :)

BABY SHOES

APPLIQUE TOPS

And These are some new plants for the garden. I just LOVE Geberas and couldn't buy them at my local nursery. I planted them today admits the wind. My garden is slowly but surely filling up. Now to remember to water them in this time of no rain.













We also slaughtered 8 meat chooks today. A few of them were huge. I roasted one this evening in a roasting bag. Something I haven't done before. It's dinner tomorrow night, so I'll have to let you know how it goes.

Our new addition

Meet Asha, our 4mth old kitten

Asha is Miss Z's early birthday present.

We talked a lot about it and after seeing Miss Z with the kitten on Tuesday, I knew it was the right time. I personally am not really a big cat person, but she is cute.

Essie is fascinated by her. Asha, well, I can say I have seen a cat spit now :)

I'm sure you will see more of her in time to come but just a short one for now.

If you are wanting to watch some funny animations on cats try Simon's Cat. They are great!

AFTERTHOUGHT:

For those of you with kids who have behavioural issues (beyond simply the need for some good discipline), how do you cope and what are things that you have found that work? Cheers.

The egg freshness test

We have had issues with our chooks not laying of late. I have been leaving them locked in until about 2ish in the afternoon and have in the last few days been getting more eggs. 

not my pic but it looks much better :)

We had a bantam (Indian Game Bantam) go missing last week. She was the one that hatched our first ducklings. I followed her closely last Thursday and found her outside the property sitting on 11 eggs. We have put the top part of a pet carrier over her and the aim is to put the bottom of the container under her so when the eggs hatch we can bring her back inside the chook house. Since the ducklings hatched, Ravi (brown leghorn rooster) has been hanging with her and Aj has wanted Ravi x Bantam chicks. So in about another two weeks we should have them 

Back to the missing eggs...Aj found 11 eggs in the grass, three feet beyond our fence line, right near the road. All but two were in the 'standing up position' (see below). So still fresh. Not bad hey :) Cheeky girls. I wonder how many other nests are out along the roadside? 

Busy week ahead for us here. I trust yours well be a good one :)

Recipe: Tuna Mornay

Nigella

Part of my being a better wife/mother this year is cooking better meals for my family. Sooo I will also try and add some of the recipes that I find here. 

I found this Tuna Mornay recipe by Nigella Lawson this afternoon and although it seems complicated it really is easy. 

This recipe serves 4 people, but can be easily scaled up or down. One of the little 85-95g tins of tuna is perfect for one person. The peppers and mustard powder amounts can be increased depending on how spicy you like things. Adding cooked pasta to the mix before cooking makes the meal go further and makes for an easy one-pot-meal.

Tuna Mornay

425 grams canned tuna (in spring water or brine not oil)

60 grams butter or margarine

4 tablespoon(s) plain flour

cayenne pepper to taste - I only had black pepper in the cupboard

black pepper to taste

½ teaspoon mustard powder  - I used curry powder

1 stock cubes or 1 teaspoon of stock powder

4 spring onion(s) chopped finely

1 cup corn kernels (frozen are fine and easier) – I added a cup of corn and a cup of peas

2 cup milk

breadcrumbs

grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

sorry about the very bad photo :( 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat while you stir in the flour, peppers and mustard powder.

Put the pan back on the heat and cook the flour and butter mixture for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it.

Take the pan off the heat again while you add the milk. Stir over low heat while the mixture thickens. Once it has, take it off the heat and stir in the tuna, spring onions, corn and stock powder or crumbled cube.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and cover the top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese.

Pop into the oven (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes until the onions are soft and the topping is crunchy.

Serve with salad. Note: Other vegetables can be added to this. The sauce also makes a great base for other mornays, the chicken and asparagus variation is yummy!