optmistic Tuesday
It has been a busy weekend, and a good one, too. I am cautiously optimistic that a turning point has been reached and that I am not sliding further into this I-can't-be-bothered-with-anything state of mind.
So here is what makes me smile just now:
I booked myself a flight to Turkey. Yes, it is true, just me, myself and I. I am going to spend a week with my fabulous godmother Monika in her holiday apartment near Fethiye. The photo is from a family holiday in Turkey in 2008.
After a long break, I made a new batch of soap. It is sweet orange scented and a mellow yellow colour. The colour doesn't show very well on this photo, it is a difficult one to capture in today's light (dull). My soap making skills are a bit rusty and I didn't want to faff with creating a mosaic coloured soap. I also ran out of cheap olive oil and had to use some of my extra virgin olive oil to make up the volume.... I spent an evening ordering new stock for a busy soap making season ahead.
There are millions and millions of blackberries everywhere you go and I equipped myself with tubs, an audiobook and trainers for a pleasant afternoon of foraging. I did of course forget to put on a long sleeved top and my arms look as I had been in a fight with our cat. We ate blackberries with cream and a little sprinkling of brown sugar yesterday. Perfect.
I am marvelling at the appetite of my teenager. I made a fresh batch of granola to eat for breakfast on the days when I am not fasting. Sam seems to inhale it, literally. I also noticed that he is now eating cheese. He has not eaten cheese for years. He must be starving. Quite often, late at night, I hear him rummaging in the kitchen. He calls it foraging. There is also regularly a lingering smell of cooked bacon when I come home from school with the little ones. Bacon rolls are apparently a must for growing lads.
I cleared out James' and Alistair's toy cupboard. I managed to recycle a large bag of plastic rubbish, fill two bags of toys for charity and I also found numerous single socks. Unfortunately, I recently binned all the single socks that had been waiting for a brother in the washing basket....
And finally, I finished the August sock! I'll post it tomorrow I think.
So here is what makes me smile just now:
I booked myself a flight to Turkey. Yes, it is true, just me, myself and I. I am going to spend a week with my fabulous godmother Monika in her holiday apartment near Fethiye. The photo is from a family holiday in Turkey in 2008.
There are millions and millions of blackberries everywhere you go and I equipped myself with tubs, an audiobook and trainers for a pleasant afternoon of foraging. I did of course forget to put on a long sleeved top and my arms look as I had been in a fight with our cat. We ate blackberries with cream and a little sprinkling of brown sugar yesterday. Perfect.
I am marvelling at the appetite of my teenager. I made a fresh batch of granola to eat for breakfast on the days when I am not fasting. Sam seems to inhale it, literally. I also noticed that he is now eating cheese. He has not eaten cheese for years. He must be starving. Quite often, late at night, I hear him rummaging in the kitchen. He calls it foraging. There is also regularly a lingering smell of cooked bacon when I come home from school with the little ones. Bacon rolls are apparently a must for growing lads.
I cleared out James' and Alistair's toy cupboard. I managed to recycle a large bag of plastic rubbish, fill two bags of toys for charity and I also found numerous single socks. Unfortunately, I recently binned all the single socks that had been waiting for a brother in the washing basket....
And finally, I finished the August sock! I'll post it tomorrow I think.
Have a lovely Tuesday! Cx
We picked lots of blackberries the other day - some have been frozen and the rest will go into tarts with our cooking apples. I love blackberries - remember picking bucket loads as a child. I've only been to Turkey once and really enjoyed it. Hope you have a good time when you're there. I've never tried making soap though I think it might be a bit like making candles. I'm not sure though! Do you need to use lye?
ReplyDeleteYes, you need to use lye (sodium hydroxide). You could also use potassium hydroxide. It is really a bit a bit of chemistry in the kitchen.
DeleteThe soap looks delightful. What an amazing opportunity to have a break away, that should lift your sprits give you lots to look forward to and memories to share with the family on your return.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, for booking that flight!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be able to make soap - in fact, I think I'll give it a try. Yours looks lovely.
Teenagers can eat and eat and eat. It's incredible. I see it at school all the time. One parent once complained to me about her teenager son by saying: "All he does is lie on the sofa eating and growing." xxx
Making soap is easy and therapeutic, you should try. I have used Anne Watson's "Smart Soapmaking" book, it is great with no frills. I posted about it in the past, click on the label "soap" and you'll find the post. Lets beat the hormones with a bit of fun! Cx
DeleteSome sunshine and peacefulness in Turkey sounds the perfect morale booster. I think a good clear out of the toy box does wonders too (I'll have to wait until mine are back at school on Monday the 8th, it's really late this year) x
ReplyDeletep.s. Christina, is something in the air, because I seem to be stuck in this "what's the point / I can't be bothered with anything" state of mind too. Hormones, perhaps (I suspect so).
ReplyDeleteGreat post Christina.My girls have BOTH gone to school to day, I have worked this morning tutoring maths for my new job and I am on the UP... you will be too. Jo x
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good trip!! I love this time of year for clearing stuff out and getting stuff done! Love the soap...it appeals to my need to get back in the lab! I'm trying the (January) socks...at last!! Have a great week xxx
ReplyDeleteHappy knitting! You have a great week, too. Cx
DeleteI am glad you are feeling less 'can't be bothered' What a wonderful idea to get away, we love our families, but they can drain us sometimes. Your soap looks wonderful, I hope you can put a tutorial on here some time xx
ReplyDeleteI did write a tutorial of sorts for making soap. If you click on the "soap" label in the label panel, you'll find three posts that come up, it is the oldest one. I don't think I put an ingredient list in the post but described the procedure in some detail. That was before anyone was interested in my blog! I can email you the ingredients list. Cx
DeleteHave fun in Turkey, we lived there for 2 years in Izmir and loved it.
ReplyDeleteTurkey sounds like a great place to go for a getaway. It's on my "someday" list. Feeding teenagers can cause a mom lots of heartache and anguish. There was one scary moment when four of my five kids were teenagers at the same time. :-)
ReplyDeleteYikes, 4 teenagers at once! Did you have to re=mortgage the house? Or did you have a lock on the kitchen door? :-)
DeleteI would love to go to Turkey someday. I wish there were millions of blackberries growing here, I'm thinking there probably isn't a single one where I live. I think it sounds delicious the way you ate them. I can only imagine feeding teenagers; my son is not quite nine years old and it's already kind of shocking.
ReplyDeleteHey Chistina,
ReplyDeletesam and alf consume cereal, cake, bread, pasta, ham, cheese and fruit. My shopping bill is horrendous. I make batches of flap jacks, and tray bakes, but it's never enough. They eat massive meals, and then complain of hunger half an hour later. They are thin as whips too.
Good for you for getting away. I am away at the end of Oct, and can't wait. And I'm glad you have climbed out of the doldrums. I have just popped a little something in the post to cheer you up a little.
Leanne xx
How exiting! I hope you didn't forget to put your sender address on? I usually close my eyes at the supermarket checkout, pretending that I don't exist..... x
DeleteI have to get around to making some soap too. Or rather, getting my husband to make it, as he is the one has done it in the past. It seems so daunting to me for some reason. I was wondering the other day about what type of essential oil fragrance to use - sweet orange sounds good. Turkey? Wow, very exciting.
ReplyDeleteCitrus essential oils are pretty volatile and you need to use up your soap sooner than later. Sweet orange is lovely though, fresh and sweet.
DeleteI am so happy you are going to get away for a bit to be spoiled and pampered, you deserve every single second of your trip.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you,
Meredith
I've never made soap, but I'd really love to try. Those blackberries look wonderful, and I like the sound of just eating them with cream and brown sugar, yum. x
ReplyDeleteA solo holiday in Turkey, how wonderful. The soap sounds wonderful, orange is one of my favourite scents. I've noticed lots of blackberries too, I think it's a good year for hedgerow fruits. My biggest boy eats a lot, although we're not feeding him too much at the moment, given that he's on crutches and not moving much. Shame about the socks, life's a bit like that sometimes isn't it. CJ xx
ReplyDeletePoor boy. On crutches, and no food?! CJ you are a meany ;)
Deletexx
I hope that you have a wonderful time on your visit to Turkey. It is great that you are doing something for yourself. I thought that your soap was fudge to begin with, it is just the right colour for fudge! xx
ReplyDeleteLucky you, I can't wait to see your photos from Turkey. Have a great time.
ReplyDeleteVery happy for you that you are feeling more positive and 'up and at 'em' Christina. We all have these 'dips' and though they are horrible at the time, I think they are probably just a natural part of life. (Or hormones??) Solo trip to Turkey-wow! Fantastic! Loads of blackberries here too,and I must do as you have done and go a-foraging before the birds get there and strip the bushes. Your soap looks very beautiful, how clever and creative you are X
ReplyDeleteYou certainly deserve that holiday. Sounds lovely. And I'm impressed by your soap-making - you have no end of creative talents.
ReplyDeleteYour soap sounds great - I haven't made any for ages so this is a timely reminder. Shall I just whisper that whenever my 24 year old son is living with us, he still seems to be permanently hungry and his bedroom has more food in it than my pantry. I thought it was just a teenage thing. How lovely to have a holiday to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteYay - congrats on booking a holiday. It sounds perfect! I am very impressed with your soap. It is something I have never done, but it sounds fun! You know, my oldest two (7 and 5) are hungry all of the time at the moment. They will finish their evening meal and ask for something else. Maybe it's the change of season? They really are eating me out of house and home at the minute! My food bills are going through the roof, especially with the ridiculous prices that the supermarkets charge! x
ReplyDelete