The rain, budgeting and growing in contentment...

The Elder trees are laden with flowers, and there's many hands of small berries already. The birds keep taking them, but I can see quite a few large hands of them untouched so hopefully it won't be too long before I can make syrup.



This past week has been a rewarding one with family and also my design work. Last night we took homemade curry pastries and a pasta bake to Blossom's, where the whole family gathered for a dance party with the children. Cully May only recently began attending school after homeschooling for two years, and the school had a halloween themed disco for grades kinder - 6...but being believers in God's Word we do not embrace the custom of halloween, so we had our own disco party at home with faith based music and it was a wonderful night! Poor poppy is aching all over today after dancing with his granddaughters (whom he had to pick up and carry as they danced - it was so much fun to watch!) but he said the pain was worth it. 

I've given the menu a bit of an overhaul this week as well, especially after reading a post (and the comments) by Grandma Donna. You can read it HERE, and do so until the end because it's her response to a reader which made me nod my head and think more about my own food experiences with Nana and Pop. That in turn gave me cause to consider, genuinely consider, the need to simplify our meals and step back from recipes with lots of ingredients, expensive ingredients, and too many steps. 

I realise this has been something I've attempted to follow through on before, but with the economy such as it is now, my resolve is much stronger. 

On Wednesday for lunch I took out some random vegetables which needed using up - potatoes, onions, cauliflower, beet greens and tomatoes. After sauteing the onions with garlic and ginger, I added the vegetables with a tablespoon of korma paste, two teaspoons of tomato paste, sea salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala. Half a cup of water was poured over everything and with the lid on I let everything simmer very gently for about half an hour. Then I added half a can of coconut milk (also left over from the fridge) and simmered another five minutes. Poured into a bowl and sprinkled with chopped spring onions from the garden, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal made from vegetables almost past their use by date, leftover coconut milk, and pantry staples. The remainder of the meal I had for lunch the next day. 

And that's also what happened with the curry pastries I made to take to Blossom's last night. I had a little beef mince to use up, plus another two potatoes, some green peas, onion and garlic, more of the Korma paste, half a lemon, and four sheets of puff pastry from the freezer.

The pasta bake I made was simply cooked pasta, with the remaining sauce from Porcupine Meatballs which we had for dinner on Monday night poured over. I grated the last of our tasty cheddar cheese and sprinkled it generously across the top, and baked it until bubbling. My grandchildren love any kind of pasta bake, and it's especially yummy using the leftover homemade sauce from the meatballs. 

It's a good feeling to see your fridge contents being used throughout the week and not leaving anything to waste. That's what I mean about simplifying our meals and menu. Checking what's needing to be used up each morning gives me a clearer idea on what to cook for our dinner each night (or lunch for me at home). 

This morning I decided to make a simple and small Shepherd's Pie for tonight as I have some leftover lamb from Tuesday night's roast dinner. I bought another bag of potatoes this morning, and have plenty of carrots, green beans, onions and garlic on hand already. All the other ingredients I need are already in my pantry. As we only eat small meals, this Shepherd's Pie will become two dinners for us, so I'll freeze half for another night. Must admit I was so surprised to see a small cut of lamb leg for $10 at the supermarket on Tuesday, but knew it would stretch to three night's dinners for two people, which made it $1.66 per plate and that's great for our budget. 

Being mindful of how long food lasts in the freezer is just as important as stocking up our pantries. It's no good filling the freezer with foods that only last three to six months, which is the case with many meat products, because you've wasted your $ should they be forgotten and not used. Our neighbour's freezer broke down last year and she was devastated because she had it full of meat, some of it dated four years ago. To be honest, it looked ghastly, and she admitted to being shocked, having never thought to research how long it's safe to freeze foods. So we are very mindful of what's in our own freezer now, and making sure we eat from it regularly, replacing with fresh items later. 

The Harry-dog is 10 weeks old today, and has settled into our family very well. He's completely potty trained and has had no indoor accidents in more than two weeks; he sleeps eight hours each night, tucking himself into his little bed around 8-8.30pm (and though I do admit these 4:30am morning wakeups were hard on me at first, now I absolutely love them), and he absolutely delights in the garden and all the twigs and branches he can pull through the back door to play with - yesterday my living room looked like a forest floor! 

How have you fared this year? My focus this year was to embrace contentment, and though I may not have written as much about it as first intended, there has indeed been a decidedly more contented change in my heart, thoughts and life choices.

Choosing to let go of some things which though not bad, simply weren't right for me, and discovering afterwards that a weight had lifted from my mind and precious contentment had more room to fill that space - this was the biggest change. Some other wonderful changes (or perhaps I should call them growth?) have been a much deeper sense of personal wellbeing; a greater sense of gratitude for all I have and the people in my life; and the intentional slowing which is now my 'normal' pace in life. 

What about you?? How have you grown in contentment this year? Did you let anything go, or take on something new? I'd love to hear about your own journey. 

NEXT YEAR...

In my next post I'll share a few things with you that will begin next month, and flow through into 2023. Upon much reflection and prayer, I feel rather excited to be pursuing avenues and themes which feed my joy...and I hope they are a blessing to you as well. 

So until next week, may the Father's hand be clearly felt upon your shoulder, His voice a gentle loving whisper in your ear, His desire for your life become an overflowing truth in your heart, and His perfect love felt as strong encouraging hugs through your day. 

Hugs

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