Barbeque - actually, "braaivleis"

We did celebrate again.  The day was filled with a lot of excitement - they are working on our street, and first they sprung a gas leak right in front of our house.  Then, while fixing the gas leak, they broke the water pipes. I was laid back today, so I just laughed and let the boys look at all the fancy machines, but on a day that I actually had to get things done it would have been pretty frustrating.  The men were all very polite and apologetic, and the gas and water was back on by 5 pm, so it wasn't a disaster.  Later, when I fetched the mail, I met some neighbors in the street who still did not have gas.  They were all on their way to eat out.  The Mayor of our little city actually lives across the street from us, so I told her that we are making a fire and that I know that there is a burn ban but that we will be really careful.  She gave us the go ahead.

We made the fire with logs and branches that keep falling from the Ceder Elm trees in our yard.

 I marinated the meat and the onions in a mixture of red wine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic.

We made a table out of the stack of pavers (cobblestones) that is waiting for someone to come and pave with them. (We are just renting, the owners of the house decide every now and then to do something to the property, but it does not always happen as soon as they said it would).  Most of the time I find that an endearing trait, especially as it makes me feel less inadequate for not always keeping up with the schedule!

Now that, dear Americans, is braaivleis.  Do not get me wrong, I like hamburgers and brats as much as the next person, but this is what my mind conjures up if someone says "barbeque". 

An artsy perspective, to show off my pretty bowls, a gift from my sister.

The children sat on a blanket to eat, we just sat on chairs and ate with the plates on our laps.

It was a good celebration, with our family, at our house. Just the way we like it.

What day is it again?

I had a crazy day.  We woke up, got breakfast ready, called Jacques, and gave him his present, sang to him, the whole deal.
Later the day, I made him eggs and bacon for lunch, and told him to go phone his mother, because she cannot get hold of him easily, and one should phone your mother on your birthday.  I was just sticking the birthday cake in the oven, when he came in from his office (at home), and called us all together to tell us:  that it was not his birthday.  Tomorrow is his birthday.  We had the date wrong, his mother just told him that.  As in, we thought that it was the 7th, and it was actually 6th.  That was very funny, I am still blushing, but at least he got it wrong too, and he has a job where you kinda need to know the date, whereas I am just a stay-at-home mom, you know. Does it surprise anyone that we both regularly forget our anniversary?  It is not that we do not want to celebrate, or that we do not treasure tradition; we are just not really focused.  Now should we celebrate again, tomorrow?  And who wants to turn 40 twice??

So, with all the celebrating, I did not have time to take pictures of the puerperium that I finished, but I still want to share the dress Melva knit for her bunny, on #2 needles.  She blocked it and seamed it, too.  To think that 11 years ago, she was just born.  I love watching them grow!

For reading, apart from the children's literature that I am devouring via the iPod, we started a summer Bible study on the Beatitudes today, with John Stott's study guide.  Does anyone else find the passage daunting?  It should be so simple, I know.  I hope to learn a lot with dear friends from a previous congregation.  I think I will try to be quiet, just listen, for a change...

Happy yarn along, dear yarn along friends!

Krause Springs

We have been out all day, I should be picking up and finishing dinner.

But isn't this amazing?  Another gem 30 minutes from our house.  You have to pay a bit to get in, $22 for five of us, but it was worth it.  The temperatures are are around 94 now, but the water is very cold, straight from a spring, so we were comfortably chilly.  Those are Cypress trees, they line most of the creeks here.  Can you see the rope swing in the background?  It is almost as if we are on vacation in a strange country...  I am so glad I finally started to get out a bit.  Maybe it is because the children are bigger?  Or the fact that we met several families we know well there, and I did not feel like the stranger anymore? It is very likely just something in my head that changed, but I am very grateful, anyway.

This weekend we went driving

If you live where the wildflowers grow, you need a flower press.  I made one on Friday, and have hardware to make another one soon - it is very easy.  This weekend we took our flower press and drove out to Llano, west of Austin.  The Texas Hill Country is beautiful right now, it looks as if someone spilled yellow paint over it.  Temperatures are still in the low 90's, and it seems that everyone is outside and making the most of it.

We stopped to take some pictures, and get some flowers for the press.  And then the car would not start up again.  The battery was dead - we left the car idling, but for some reason the battery died anyway.  That meant that we were sitting next to road for about 90 minutes before someone pulled over to help.  Cody got out of his old truck (bakkie), and jump started the car in 2 seconds.

I sometimes wonder if having roadside assistance does not make us worse .  I am sure everyone assumed we had road side assistance, and we had, but they were taking their sweet time to come and assist us.  Cody made a big impression on us - from now on, we will pull over if at all possible, and I hope these little guys will do the same one day when they have their own trucks. (How do you foster a kind heart?  My dad always, always gave beggars money.  Even when we did not have anything to give, really.)

When we thanked him, Cody just said (in his beautiful Texan accent):  "Well (wee-ell), when I saw the little children and the hood up, I thought there must be something wrong.  If I were stranded next to the road with my wife and children, I sure hope someone would do the same for us".   I hope so too, although - Cody looked like the kind of guy that, provided he had a rubber band and a hairpin, could fix any car trouble by himself.

Despite the incident, it was a lovely trip.  We had lunch at Cooper's Barbeque (yes, you really eat off sheets of paper!).  The meat was excellent, and we are slowly getting the hang of eating at these places.  I even managed to make me a sandwich, with pickled Jalapenos.  (See that huge tub - it is full of pickled Jalapenos)

While we were driving we listened to the "Old Yeller" audiobook.  Fred Gipson, the author, lived in Mason, a small town 35 miles from Llano.  It is an experience to listen to the story while driving through the part of the word that the story was more or less set in - seeing the lovely Live Oaks and the Mesquite trees that he describes.  In Mason, in front of their library, they have a statue of "Old Yeller".

 He is the kind of dog that makes me want to get a dog against my better judgment.

The boys would surely love that.

Bull Creek

This week we started with what I hope will be a series of day trips.  We have never been fond of leaving the house on a whim, it is very hard work if you have small children and if you,well, do not have everything in place the way you maybe should have.  And we like being home, eating late breakfasts on Saturdays, maybe getting something done by late afternoon in the shape of a lawn mowed or a tree trimmed.

But with summer upon us, we have 100 Saturdays stretching before us, with no family obligations. So I thought we should perhaps leave the house now and again, before we all go stir crazy.

We have a book with a list of hikes in and around Austin.  We have lived through three summers here, and two of them were brutally hot and dry.  During the third one we were eaten alive by mosquito and chiggers. I have almost lost all interest in trying to find something to do outside from May through September. It has all been so hot, dry and bright that we could not enjoy it, not even with the best attitude.  I have started to distrust anyone who told me that it can be different, that you just have to get out at the right time, and go to the right places. 

 I know, it looks like torture, doesn't it?

I'm not going to lie, it was still very hot! 

But I remembered to pack something to eat, and we had a lot of water in our backpacks, and if we had our suits, we would even have been able to swim.  Finally, we had a successful outing.  This trail is right in the middle of Austin.  We have driven past it before, not knowing that it was there.

Yarn along: A Christmas Sweater in June (well, almost June)

This little sweater's baby's due date is already on the ten day weather forecast....  But I am going to give it long sleeves, so I guess there is really no rush, she won't be wearing it soon. It would be nice to take it to the hospital, though. It is another puerperium, and I am very happy to say that this time I remembered to slip one purl-wise at the beginning of every row. 

That little book is my Knitting Journal. 

For the first time in a long time I am not knitting every day.  My best knitting time is when the children do math, or when they read to me.  Since school is out, I am busy with more hands-on things.  We spend all morning making and playing with play dough, and then moved on to paper machè.  And I cannot really knit while they do that.

I really want to read more, but I did not do much of that, either.  (The house is much cleaner, I should just add.)  I reread a bit of "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule.  I am listening to "The Borrowers" - I loved the movie (The Secret Life of Arrietty), but the book is a bit darker and ask more questions.  There is a lot of distrust, more than what I am comfortable with, so far.  I appreciate that the author addresses the fact that they are actually stealing, but the characters are just a little bit too flawed.  I mean,  "Because of Winn-Dixie" is not all moonshine and roses either, but at least the characters were likable, and the book had a message of hope.  But maybe I should not judge too soon, I still have to listen to about another hour.  Jean loved the movie, but hated the audio book, so I am not too optimistic.

I am joining in with Ginny's yarn along over at Small Things, again.  I love it, it is like a weekly play date!

Making it Count: Patching Jeans

This month we have decided to really tighten our belts, simply buy less, do more with what we have, and start saving.  We need to save enough for 6 tickets to South Africa, and we have not really been making work of it, since many other things involving green cards, doctor's fees and lawyer's fees made us feel as if we are not in control.  But we are, to an extent, at least if it comes to spending.  (Not completely, I know.)  That, and we have a responsibility to show some self control.  Buying good books, used, is not a good thing anymore if it ruins the budget.  New yarn, on sale, on the other hand... No.  Not even on sale.  I have enough.

I have been reading the "Like Mother Like Daughter" blog for almost 3 years now.  "Auntie Leila" has helped me tremendously - she has wisdom, she is very funny, and she knows how to do things.  So my house is moderately clean, thanks to her, my kids help me carry things when we go anywhere, thanks to her, and I now I also know how to patch a pair of jeans, thanks to her tutorial.

It was a bit more tricky than worn knees.  (One of our children tends to walk into things and tear her clothes, or scratch her face, or break things more often than most.  We love her anyway.) I do not know a good word in English, but it was a real "winkelhaak", as we would say.

But of course, it was not too difficult.  You just open up the seam at the only point where it is not double stitched:  the side seam.  I had to open a good 10 inches, as the tear was so high up.

 Then you simply iron a folded seam around the edge of the piece of fabric you want to use as a patch.

I first machine basted, and then used a fancier stitch, just because I have one and I fear I am not using my machine's full potential.

And the easiest part is simply closing the side seam again.

Good as new.  Actually, when she wears it with her new peasant top that I made out of this fabric, it is even better.  Granted, I only saved about $10, since the jean was not expensive to begin with, but it helps to keep me on the right track.

In her post Leila also mentioned that she never bought shorts  for her boys, that she always just cut the worn trousers and seamed them.  My boys are tall and skinny, so if a store bought pair of pants fit, the legs are already on the shorter side when they are new, and by the end of the season they look very odd wearing them.  So I went into the room, fetched three pairs, and made them into shorts. (I did not take pictures, sorry.)  Another $30, easily.  I know it might sound obvious, but she often says:  "if I can do it so can you", and that somehow helps to get me going.  Don't know why, it just does.

I felt very happy after completing these simple tasks that previous generations probably thought of as part of the daily routine.

I am linking to Sarah's  "Making it Count Tuesday" today. The idea is to make the time you spend online "count", to "take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world".  I feel blessed by the people that I visit, often just lurking, since I seldom comment, but many of them have given me so many ideas and have really changed the way I live.