One of the fun things I have been up to recently with my time is going to the library.

I found a nice back path to get to the library which does take a little longer then the straight forward way but I always feel a little like I might happen upon something magical. As of yet nothing, but I will let you know if anything magical does happen!
(you never know...)

I have found that our local branch has a wonderful collection of cook books, and I have taken great delight in taking them out one by one and reading through them.

a recipe I recently tried (from Tana Ramsay's Family Kitchen) and that I think is super yum...

Fruit salad with oats and warm yoghurt:
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries
(really you could use any berries or fruit you have on hand)
2 Tbs water
raw sugar (or what ever sugar you prefer)
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
4 tsp runny honey

• lightly toast the oat flakes in a small frying pan until golden brown (take care not to burn!). set the pan to the side.
  
• meanwhile place blueberries and raspberries into a small saucepan, add water and a sprinkle of the raw sugar (or what ever...) heat this gently, stirring occasionally.
• add the yoghurt to the pan of toasted oat flakes and gently stir through.
• when the fruit is nice and warm, serve the yoghurt & oatmeal into a small bowl, spoon on the fruit, and drizzle over the honey.
• this should make for 2 servings or if you have little ones probably this would feed 4...Enjoy!
  

a project

back in January my sweet friend Ellen had her fourth child - she said one day,
"Abi, would you like to borrow my sewing machine? I certainly won't be using for the next good long while.."
Delightful! of-course I would take care of the sewing machine for her.
However I soon discovered that fabric, patterns and sewing notions were not as easy to come by as I initially thought. When discussing this with a friend who sews, she confirmed my suspicions there were no local fabric shops, I would have to make a trip into the centre of London to find what I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, I love going into the centre of the city - but not when I have to interrupt the flow of my day when all I need is a bit of thread or some buttons.
Since then my mom has come for a visit, and tucked in her suitcase was lovely fabric to help me get on with my projects.
how very happy!
I used half of this lovely green print for a table cloth, and it makes me smile. It helps a huge deal in making our little flat look homey - the other half I have dreams of a skirt, still waiting for the perfect pattern to appear.

the other fabric mom brought, I used to make napkins - which I have been longing to make for ages. I just hate throwing away napkins every time we have a meal! this is much better.

So - with a new year comes new adventures, new opportunities to grow!

I am rarely gun shy of new adventures, but this year I find myself a bit intimidated by the prospect ahead of me. You see, my adventure is Time - what do I do with my time. I suppose we all have this same adventure, but the challenge is unique to each of our specific situations.

Last week I spent my last days as administrator in the church office. On the 31st of December I handed over my keys to the administrator, and started to function full time as wife and homemaker.

Here is the plan - With Nathaniel working towards going into full time ministry, this seems to be an ideal time for me to get a feel for what it might be like for me - to be the wife of a man in ministry. Nathaniel has thoughtfully made this learning time a priority, "Go ahead Abi, explore your gifts and interests, learn from the women around you, and grow in your usefulness for the kingdom of God. Take advantage of the opportunities around you, as this is a unique time in your life!" he says.

So, I have the adventure of Time. I am so thankful for it, but I am so afraid I will waist it - and that would be such a shame. How and where do I start? Well I have decided to start with a few small things and then work my way up and out!

• I found out that my elderly neighbor upstairs enjoys sweet pastries to go with her tea. It would be nice to make a habit of baking something nice and dropping in for a visit and a cup of tea.
• Nathaniel would be delighted if I took on the challenge of keeping up with the family birthdays (no small task when you consider that on Nathaniel's side of the family alone there are no less then 35 birthdays to keep track of.)
• I learned last Spring that a big challenge of not having a job that required you to be up and out the door at a specific time was that I struggled to get out of bed in the morning! So, I will try to be up by 7 to go for a run and read my bible.

It is just a start, hopefully it is a good jumping off point for other ways I can use my time productively!