The all new Drew Patch

I'm excited about having a new blogspot, complete with a beautiful new header. Please come and visit the new site! All the old posts have been imported to the new blog.

www.thedrewpatch.blogspot.com

Look closely!

If you look carefully, you can see Elnathan's first two teeth!

A Slice of Organic Life

We have loved looking through this beautiful book which we borrowed from our local library. It has something for everyone. Whether you live in a flat or on a farm, there are ideas for you! Due to borrowing this book, Dave and I reconsidered the idea of getting backyard chickens and Dave is building a coop. Last night I began to try to make saurerkraut. The book is full of beautiful pictures, which makes it fun to flick through even if you don't have time to pursue any of the suggested activities.

Yellow Pear tomatoes

Our yellow pear tomatoes have been the first to ripen this season. This picture was taken on December the 31st, and we enjoyed the tomato in a salad. Since then we have had two more, but we didn't get to eat them. Dave is involved in a tomato growing competition at work and they had to be submitted as evidence!

Salmon Ponds at Plenty

During Dave's recent leave from work we enjoyed a day trip to the Salmon Ponds near the small town of Plenty. I just love the name Plenty for a town!

Most of the beautiful ponds were actually stocked with trout. It was fun to watch them swim. The albino rainbow trout were particularly striking. A museum on site explains the history of raising trout in Tasmania. The first successful shipment of eggs arrived in 1864.

It was fun to take photos on self timer.

The ponds are surrounded with beautiful old trees of many types. Dave loves trees, so this feature was an unexpected highlight of our visit!

The restaurant sells delicious savoury and sweet pancakes. We enjoyed lunch, then a stroll, then sweet pancakes for dessert. The Salmon Ponds is definitely worth another visit, perhaps when the trees are changing colour.

Preserving loquats

Pictured are the results of two sessions of loquat bottling. My Dad has two loquat trees that produce too much fruit for their needs, especially as they compete with cherries at this time of year! We harvested two bucketfuls and most of them are now preserved. Our friends the Baehrs helped us last night. Preserving bees are the best! It is great to work with others. Today I worked on the remaining bucket on my own, and found the process less arduous than I expected. This year we left on most of the skins. These are tough but will be softer with cooking. Loquats have lots of pits (those pictured are a fraction of what was removed), and right now I'm nursing a sore thumb as a result of pitting them. My fingers are thanking me for choosing not to peel them all! Those who have preserved fruit before will know the satisfaction that looking at the finished product brings.

Our moving baby

Elnathan has learnt to swivel himself when he is on his tummy. In this picture he  was originally facing the little block train carriage. He turned himself right around and started grabbing Christmas presents!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day 2009

Haystacks for dinner

Yesterday we enjoyed haystacks for dinner. This is a simple meal of corn chips topped with a bean and tomato mix plus cheese, sour cream, and whatever fresh or canned veggies you want! I'm always looking for meals that can use a variety of garden produce, and this is one. Yesterday we enjoyed fresh lettuce, rocket, and grated carrot from our garden. Elnathan ate some homegrown turnip (frozen prior), plus some pumpkin and avacado. I love meals like haystacks for Sundays as they don't take long to prepare. Sunday is my official rest day, so I don't like to spend it doing lots of cooking.

Another reasonably quick meal we've discovered recently is homemade whole wheat tortillas. These are much cheaper than the store bought variety, and taste yummy! Like haystacks, you can use lots of garden vegetables on them. I think these may well become a summer staple at our home. It is also great to use beans on tortillas and haystacks as they are a frugal and earth friendly option. We're blessed that we happen to love beans!

Here are a few extra photos of our boy . . .

Natey loves to sit by himself, but occasionally falls over so we still put a cushion behind him.

 

He pushes himself right up with his arms when we put him onto his tummy, but doesn't roll yet.

Sunday at the Drews

Sunday at the Drew Patch has been happy and relaxing for the most part!

Elnathan had a ride on his Daddy's shoulders. 

Dave enjoyed one of his favourite activities, which is to water and observe the garden.

 

On the 20th of last month, the corn was tiny in comparison to what it is now . . .

After observing the growth in the corn, Elnathan turned his mind and hands to other matters . . . 

He has become quite the mango fan, and can suck a lot of fruit through his mesh feeder.

He can also hold his own cup! All these things seem remarkable to his parents as it seems like only a short while ago that he couldn't even hold his head steady!

This must be one of the happiest seasons of our lives, as we enjoy the smiles of our little person.

Happy Advent!

Dave and I can hardly wait to put up our Christmas tree each year! This year we put it up on on November 29th, four Sundays before Christmas. This is the first Sunday of Advent.

It was more fun than ever because we had a tiny person to do it with! Elnathan tried to grab everything and put it into his mouth.  Having a tiny baby gives us an extra opportunity to contemplate the miracle of God becoming man. Isn't it wonderful that God was faithful to provide us with a Saviour from our sins so that we can have eternal life! We sent some of these pictures and more to relatives overseas today, and hope they take some of our joy in Christ with them. I've also been scrapbooking our Christmas tree decorating this afternoon - fun!

Lessons from Lorraine!

My mother Lorraine has written a beautiful post for my new blog, Home Based Education, titled Quietness of Mind and Singleness of Purpose. What a great privilege it is to receive godly advice from someone who has walked this road before. This is one of my main purposes in starting the new blog, to share what I am learning from others as I seek to create a joyful learning environment at home. I am happy that due to starting this blog, I've been able to gain some extra advice from Mum. It is wonderful to have her thoughts in written form to refer back to and think about more.

Pilgrim Hill

This place was built

by the Lord of the Hill

For the relief and security 

of Pilgrims

Our friends the Baehrs are beginning a hospitality ministry in the Huon Valley called Pilgrim Hill. You can read a little more about it on Mikey Lynch's Christian Reflections blog.

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of going up to Pilgrim Hill for a picnic. There are no buildings on the hill as yet, but it is a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon in good company.

Dave and Elnathan enjoyed father and son time. Elnathan looks very Australian in this hat, but it is actually a South African hat we bought at Stellenbosch last year!

Later in the afternoon we went for a walk up the hill. We thought Elnathan might sleep, but his eyes were wide open!

 

Then we enjoyed sitting together and having a family picture taken. This is one of my favourite family pictures so far!

An outdoorsy kinda guy

Elnathan loves to be outside. When he is grumpy indoors, his mood is often transformed when he is placed on a blanket on the grass. He is much happier having tummy time or lying on his back outdoors than he is indoors, and is not as insistent upon being sat up to look at everything! He is quite happy to try to grab at some grass and stuff it in his mouth. We think a few seeds may have been ingested in the process, but that is OK.

Dave's new car

On the weekend Dave purchased a new car, a 2006 model Mazda 6.

It was an exciting day, and the weather was perfect for a first drive! It felt unreal to have such a nice car all of our very own!

It is certainly an upgrade from our very reliable but less than exciting 1994 Ford Laser.

If anyone is in the market for one of these, I recommend buying ours - I would have stayed with it but my very patient husband had waited long enough for his newer car!

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

I'm excited to be able to participate in the Passionate Homemaking Crockpot Carnival! We enjoy this Moroccan Red Lentil soup at our house. Dave is not generally a great fan of soup, but this one is a winner with him. It is filling and very nutritious, full of cheap protein!

2 tbs olive oil
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
7 cups vegetable stock
1 can (about 20 ounces or 440 grams, it doesn't really matter) crushed tomatoes
2 cups dried red lentils, washed and rinsed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs fresh parsley (or another fresh herb)
1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro (again, substituting is fine)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook onions until tender, add garlic and spices (except pepper flakes). Place with hot stock, tomatoes and lentils in the slow cooker. Cook for 4 - 5 hours on high, or 8 to 10 hours on low, until the lentils are tender.

Add the final four ingredients and cook on high for 10 minutes.

Eat! Yum, yum -  and some left over to freeze!

Home Based Education

I have been thinking about creating a new blog about education for a couple of months now. I've gone backwards and forwards as to whether or not this was a good idea. Thinking about Elnathan's future education is important to me right now. I want to use some of the "extra" time I have to be thinking about how to create a positive learning environment for him here at home. I hope that this new blog will not only be a useful way to document that journey for our purposes, but will also be a help to others who are on the same path. I believe that nearly all  parents are concerned about the education of their children, so this is not just for those of us who are hoping to homeschool. I hope that it will be of use also to every parent who wants to create a home that is a place of joyful learning! As well as posting about our journey, I'm planning to ask people with experience in home education to write for me or to be interviewed.

Bay Christian Church sermons

I've been wanting to share our church's sermon archive with you for a while. We attend Bay Christian Church which is just 5 minutes drive from our home. We have particularly benefited from two recent talks, "A prayer for experience" and "Kingdom prayer". These are both available on the Bible talks page. The sermon "A prayer for experience" focuses on the need to experience God's love. Last week we found the sermon "Whose Kingdom - Mine or Yours" thought provoking, and we discussed the need to stand guard against all kinds of greed. Dave will be preaching on the parable of the good Samaritan tomorrow, and we've been working hard to prepare!

Watering with Daddy

I've finally cleared my iPhoto sufficiently to be able to use it at a reasonable pace! To celebrate, I am posting these cute pics of Elnathan and Dave watering the garden.

We are loving our garden right now. We have planted beans, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and lots more! These pictures were taken last month and it is amazing to see how much things have grown even since that time. On warm days, the little plants seem to grow before our eyes!

 

 

Dave looks forward to getting home from work to greet his wife, greet his baby, and thirdly head straight out to the garden!

Elnathan also seems to enjoy the outdoors. In the last couple of days I've placed him in his rocker in the shade of the cabbages, and he sits there contentedly while I work. Pulling off bits of cabbage leaf and trying to eat them is a favourite occupation!

When it comes to photo storage, do any of you know of a good program that can be downloaded for free? If so, I'd love to hear your recommendations. My iPhoto is quite limited, and I'd love a program that stores many photos and allows you to edit them (for example, removing red eye).

Why Kaz Cooke's Kid-wrangling is wrong about cloth nappies

Kid-wrangling is a popular book in Australia. I'm sure its lighthearted look at parenting is a pleasant relief from some of the more intense parenting materials out there. In between the amusement, Kaz is attempting to provide real information for parents. Much of it is probably sound and helpful. When it comes to cloth nappies, though, Kaz is just wrong. Before I start on why, I need to state my agreement with Kid-wrangling that cloth nappy advocates shouldn't go around making judgmental statements about those who use disposables. That being said, advocates of disposables need to do their homework before saying anything about cloth.

 I've just put my nappies on the line . . .

and it was way easier than Kaz would have us believe. We've used cloth nappies solely for four and a half months of Elnathan's life so far (excluding our overseas trip and his first two weeks). Disposables have their place, but good cloth nappies are really not that bad.

Kaz's comments are in italics. My responses follow.

They require far more labour.
If you use pocket nappies like Bumgenius it is very quick and easy. When we were in South Africa we used three different types of Huggies nappies, all with the same result: serious poo leaks that required clothing changes every time. Bumgenius have much better containment and reduce work in this way. Personally, I'd rather change a nappy than a whole outfit.

Soaking and washing them is an unpleasant, tedious task
Many modern cloth nappies don't need soaking. You just have to rinse off any poo at the time of changing the nappy, pop the nappy in the bucket, then dump them all in the washing machine when you feel in danger of running out of them.

They need to be washed with very hefty antibacterial chemical washing powders and in very hot water, and if poo stained they need savage bleaching products to look non-skid marked.
Huh? We don't own any of these products, and our nappies look OK. We rarely wash in hot water, either (shock, horror), and our baby's bot looks just fine.

It's hard to cope unless you have a whizzbang washing machine and dryer.
Our washing machine is fantastic (a Fisher & Paykel Intuitive Eco), but we don't own a dryer. We found it easy to get our nappies dry throughout the wettest Tasmanian winter for fifty years.

Cloth nappies are slightly trickier to fasten.
Only if you use traditional cloth squares! Bumgenius and some other pocket nappies are as easy as disposables.


You'll need:

about 30 to 35 nappies
try 20, I'm sure you'll be fine

about 6 - 8 plastic overpants
Yes, if you use nappies that need them. Pocket nappies like the marvelous Bumgenius don't.

fastners
Yes, if you use nappies that need them!

Rubber gloves
Why? Baby poo is not scary.


2 big nappy-soaking buckets with close-fitting lids
Try one, it is enough as long as you're not planning to soak your nappies (an unnecessary and annoying process).

bleach and antibacterial soaking powder
What are those things? We don't own them. The sun does the job.

a washing machine with a hot function
Handy but not strictly necessary, as long as you live in a climate where they'll get some sun.

antibacterial washing powder
Huh? We've purchased one box of ecostore powder and it is still going. With Bumgenius you are specifically required to use environmentally friendly detergent that doesn't contain enzymes, etc, and to use it very sparingly. If you don't, you're no longer eligible for the one year guarantee.

lots of clothes-line space and fine weather or a big clothes dryer
Neither are necessary. You can dry them inside if the weather is yuck. This is especially true of traditional cloth nappies, as they are thin cotton squares and dry quickly.

When I read Kaz's comments, I'm not surprised so few people use cloth. If I thought it would be like that, I probably wouldn't either. Kaz argues that using cloth is not necessarily an environmental improvement. If they are used in the way she describes, I agree. What many people forget is that you don't have to do cloth in the traditional way. Hey, it is 2009!