by Krista | Aug 19, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Ayiyi, what a week it has been!! I’ve been frazzled as can be filling out reams of paperwork, tracking down documents and even getting finger-printed at an Australian police station so I could be verified as legit by none other than the FBI. Phew!!
It’s been a bit crazy.
But even in the midst of the mind-numbing paperwork and angst-ridden waiting for documents to arrive, there is much happiness for I am engaged!! 🙂
Yes, my dear Bear proposed and I accepted. Together we chose this beautiful antique jade ring. It’s not traditional but I love it to pieces and it makes me happy every day. It’s awfully nice to have something to remind you that no matter how bad things get, there is someone in this world on your side cheering for you. 🙂
This weekend Bear took me out for a drive in the mountains to celebrate our relationship and get away from the stress of everything.
It was so good to leave the plains and climb higher and higher into the sunny, cold, and oh-so-refreshing mountain air.
Bear made reservations for us at a place called the Spring Creek Mountain Cafe.
We’d heard the views were spectacular, but nothing prepared us for the stunning vistas of Condamine Gorge, Wilson’s Peak, The Border Ranges and a World Heritage listed rain forest.
Our table was right in the corner near the edge of a hill that plunged down into the valley below.
Although outside the cold winds were blowing fiercely, inside we were toasty warm in a pool of sunshine.
I had pan-fried Barramundi with macadamia cilantro pesto, and Bear had a steak burger with caramelized onions and homemade mayo and the best chips either of us have ever had.
Although the food was fantastic, it was the view we enjoyed the most. Both of us were tuckered out, and sitting there in the winter sun, drowsy from a delicious meal, was absolute heaven.
Being engaged is strange and wonderful. It’s made me think a lot about relationships, particularly about belonging. A friend recently told me that apart from necessary sustenance, mankind’s most basic need is to belong. To someone. To something.
I love belonging. Love being part of a healthy relationship, community, goal or project. I’m thrilled when I see someone’s eyes light up because they like belonging with me too. That is exquisite.
But I’ve also seen the dark side of this need. I’ve watched myself and others subject ourselves to abuse of all sorts, overlooking egregious treatment and behavior simply so we could belong. The need for belonging is so strong, we’re even willing to belong to bad people, bad family members, and bad groups just to fill that need.
Before I met Bear, I willingly subjected myself to neglectful, unloving, and downright abusive relationships simply so I could belong somewhere. It took me a long time to realize that in a healthy relationship – be it friend, family, or loved one – you never belong to someone, you belong with them. Equals and partners, respectfully learning and growing together. There’s no control or manipulation or crushing of body or spirit in this sort of belonging. It is safe, peaceful and happy.
Healthy belonging is not perfect. There are still apologies to be made and forgiveness to be given, fights to be had and misunderstandings to be sorted out. But the goal is always wholeness and happiness for all parties involved. I love that.
It is this new understanding of belonging that gave me courage to embrace my past, my present and my Bear with a delighted, “YES!!!”
I don’t belong to him, nor he to me, but we belong with each other, and that is the coziest, happiest, most peaceful thing.
by Krista | Aug 14, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I couldn’t believe it when Bear announced last week that he had bought me a spinning wheel AND loom!!!
Ever since I was little girl I thought it would be wonderful to spin wool and weave it into beautiful rugs and blankets, or knit it into gorgeous sweaters or cozy socks and mittens. But I never, ever thought I’d have the chance to try it.
My friend Ann has spun wool for years, so she’s going to teach me how to use the spinning wheel (yay!). Neither of us have used a loom though, so that should provide much hilarity as we attempt to figure it out. 🙂 I’ll keep you posted on our efforts!
We picked up the spinning wheel and loom from a delightful Aussie couple who sell all sorts of marvy things at the fabulous New Farm Park Markets in Brisbane.
In addition to golden honey and delicious honeycomb, they also sell gorgeous orchids that they grow on their farm.
I was thrilled when they offered to give me a tour.
I admit I was only expecting a few rows of the exotic blooms, so my jaw dropped when I saw an entire greenhouse full of them.
Can you imagine working in this environment every day? How inspiring to be surrounded by such beauty.
I couldn’t get over the range of orchid colors, from deep burgundy to lime green.
The sea of blossoms looked similar until I bent down and saw the unique details: delicately striped petals, freckled hearts, some looking like they could take flight while others were like tiny exotic tea cups.
Amazing.
The generosity of this couple was incredible. Not only did they give us the spinning wheel and loom we had purchased, but they filled our arms with containers of honeycomb, a bag of wool, stacks of spinning and weaving books, and a gorgeous bouquet of orchids that has been brightening up my kitchen all week.
Such dear people.
With such beauty to inspire me, I got to work and made one of our favorite comfort food recipes: Peppered Steak Pie.
I love heaps of black pepper with my beef pie, but if you don’t fancy pepper, it’s still yummy without it. The beef is slow-cooked ahead of time, so it’s tender as can be and packed with garlicky goodness.
What comfort food are you hankering for this week?
Peppered Steak Pie
Ingredients:
2-3 beefsteaks
8-10 peppercorns
1 onion, peeled and diced
3-4 potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
salt to taste
3 Tbsp corn starch
ground black pepper to taste
Pie dough for double crust pie
Directions:
- Place all ingredients except corn starch in slow cooker and cover with water.
- Cook on high 4-6 hours until meat is tender.
- Drain meat and veggies, reserving liquid. Remove peppercorns.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cover meat and veggies then place broth in saucepan. Mix corn starch with 1/4 cup cold water, stirring until a smooth paste. Pour into broth, stirring constantly until incorporated. Add ground black pepper to taste (I use 1/2 to 1 tsp).
- Place saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and let boil 1-2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and pour over meat/veggie mixture. Stir until coated.
- Place half pie dough into bottom of pie pan and press into place.
- Pour meat/veggie mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining dough, trim to fit, seal edges. (Use trimmings to make shapes to decorate top of pie.)
- Cut 2-3 slits in crust to let steam escape.
- Place pie in oven and bake 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbling and crust is nicely browned.
- Serve warm.
by Krista | Aug 13, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
It’s been a rough week with my Bear injured in a car accident, me sick as can be with an awful flu, and caring for a very ill baby goat as the laundry piles higher and vacuuming goes undone.
It’s just been one of those weeks. 🙂
But in the midst of the pain and the illness there has been so much goodness.
Like deliciously warm sunshine on chilly winter days. I can’t get over how beautiful Australian winters are.
And learning how to make artisan bread in a cast iron pot. I confess I was giddy with happiness over how beautifully it turned out.
Is there anything more comforting than slices of warm bread slathered in creamy butter?
I love looking over from my sickbed and seeing Luna (my dog) sleeping beside the baby goat, licking her gently. So sweet.
Having life go topsy-turvy now and then makes me so grateful for all the little good things in my life: essential oils that make the house smell good, hot cups of tea and buttery toast soldiers, episodes of “Who Do You Think You Are” to keep me entertained.
I feel pretty darn lucky.
What little things are making your life good today?
by Krista | Aug 9, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Bread is rising on the counter, beef simmering in the crock pot, and a Christmas pudding cooling on the stove. Yep, a Christmas pudding in August. I had a hankering. 🙂
After bustling about the kitchen most of the day, I am more than ready to find a good place to sit where I can be warm, put my feet up, and rest.
Like this lovely spot at an agriturismo near Montepulciano, Italy. Add a good book and a chilled glass of limoncello and I’d be a happy girl indeed.
Or this sun-warmed wooden bench just across the valley, with a vista of Tuscan hills and clear blue skies.
Perhaps this one, clustered around a little wrought-iron table with a few girlfriends, laughing and talking as we sip chilled Sangria and enjoy stunning views of Montepulciano perched on the hill above us.
Maybe this spot would be best of all.
How I’d love to curl up on this wicker lounge bed and have a luxurious nap in the glorious Tuscan sun.
How about you? Where would be your ideal place to sit in the sun?
by Krista | Jun 19, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
“Rest when you’re weary.
Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit.
Then get back to work.”
Ralph Marston
Dear ones, I’ve been taking a little break to recover from a rather bad flu/cold/thingamajig.
I hope to be back on the grid soon, but until then let’s rest a while by the Caribbean Sea, basking in sunshine and ocean breezes and oh-so-warm water.
“Rest is not idleness,
and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day
listening to the murmur of water,
or watching the clouds float across the sky,
is hardly a waste of time.”
Sir John Lubbock
“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest”
Ashleigh Brilliant
What is your tried and true way to restore yourself after an illness?
by Krista | Jun 12, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Sword-fighting, ambushes, tents collapsing – life was anything but dull this weekend when I attended History Alive at Fort Lytton, Queensland.
Last year I joined a medieval enactment group – Black Wolf – and this weekend was our first medieval event of the season. We worked our tails off sewing, cooking, building, and creating, and finally everything was packed and ready to go.
We arrived Friday afternoon and peered disapprovingly at gray, cloudy skies, hoping the rain would hold off. Apart from a few spits here and there, it did, and soon the sun was out and we were barefoot in the lush, green grass trying in vain to believe that THIS was the dead of winter.
We slept like the dead in our unbelievably cozy and warm Bedouin tent that my friends made by hand. Looking at it I wondered how a tent with no closed seams and walls that flapped in the wind could possibly be warm, but it was. So warm, in fact, that I was happy when gusting breezes wafted through now and then.
Saturday dawned sunny and warm and we spent happy hours cooking over the campfire, frying up bacon and eggs for breakfast and homemade sausages with fried rice for lunch.
My friend Ann and I mixed up the sausage meat before we left, a tasty blend of beef and pork, and her hubby Neil put them into casings. Boy howdy, were they ever good! No additives or preservatives, no bread crumbs and who-knows-what filling them up, just good, lean meat flavored with garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and simple spices like paprika, cayenne, black pepper, and sea salt.
Lizzie braved smoke in the eyes and singed fingers to make homemade cottage cheese. She stirred, heated, strained, drained, and molded until it was perfectly creamy and delicious.
We sipped piping hot chai tea made from scratch in a tiny iron pot, and nibbled on nuts, grapes, apples and figs stored in handmade pottery and wooden bowls.
It was a wonderful weekend of good talks, hearty laughs, and delicious food with dear friends. I can’t wait for our next adventure at the Abbey Medieval Festival. 🙂
What is the best festival you’ve ever been to?
