21 Days

Her Southern Charm is doing a 21 Days Challenge called 21 Days To Becoming an Effective Wife.

She says we must write about things we want to change and make a new habit in 3 weeks. So we must think on something that is really important to us and come here each Monday to tell about our progress – or not progress.
On April 5th we post about it also but not about the end of it, if we managed to accomplish something and reached our goal(s).

This comes very well and in the right time as I am strugling with some aspects of my life. They are things that are a part of my life but I’m falling off the wagon.

First of all, it’s laundry connected.
This a field of homemaking that I like sooo much. Nevertherless, as we are six and I work outside – yes, another thing to deal with in due time, God help me – I always have lots and lots of laundry to do. I must say I like veeeery much to wash, I like to put it on the line – when I am overwelmed my big girls help me – and I don’t mind , I quite like actualy, to take them out of the line. Folding, I don’t mind because I can do it seated down. Now it comes the big problem: put it away. I can’t stand it!

Well, now let’s beging the listing:

· Get up at 6.15.

I get up at 6,30 or 6,25 or – now – 6,20. I want to get up ealier. It was always important to me.
She rises when is still night.
It means a lot to me.

· To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.

· Put away those folded clothes everyday too.

If I fold it in the night I’m alowed to put away the next day but everyday I must take the baskets full of clothes upstairs and put them in their places.

· Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.

It is so much in need of a bit of atenttion...

· Pray the Rosary everyday.

Now I must explain. I try to pray it everyday but as in a lot of things, sometimes the day is gone and I didn’t pray it completely.
By Rosary, I mean one thirth of it, as in portuguese Terço and in spanish Tercio, the five Mysteries of it not the fifteen.
Pray the Rosary everyday, Our Lady said in Fatima. I must do it.

Next Monday I’ll post about how the week went concerning these goals.

Well...

Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

And this?

You Are 60% British

Congrats, mate. You're are probably British. (If not, definitely Australian. Or Kiwi. Or Canadian.) You enjoy most aspects of mainstream British culture, without being stereotypical about it. You also have a typical British temperament. You wouldn't dream of being impolite.

How British Are You?

Maybe that's why I married the Man of Kent.

Stuffed red peppers

First we put some olive oil in a pan and fry, until transparent, maybe two onions, sliced. Also one or two courgettes, sliced too.

Add rice, mix and pour water on it.
DH, who made all this, instead of putting in a pan, he put in a tray. We can make the rice and then put it on a tray but DH say this is the best method.

While the rice is cooking, take a bottle - or can - of red peppers "piquillo". Thess peppers ares spanish and we buy it in a spanish supermarket we have here. I wonder if in America people have it too. Maybe in Mexico people eat it because of the spanish background.

So, we take one and put tuna, canned, inside as you can see here.


Put the peppers all over the tray, on top of the rice.




Put some grated cheese on top


and oven with it.


I must say, this is rather good!

Pink Saturday

No, my bougainvillia is not in full bloom. She was pruned and it's sprouting now but only has tiny leaves. Its flowers are still a dream in my mind.
These ones were taken last summer.
Well, it will be like this again this year.
We just have to wait.

For Pink Saturday, go to Kimberly at How Sweet The Sound.




Until next saturday.

Show and Tell Friday

Today I'll show you some nice things in my mother's house.
She is a very good homemaker and she's always trying to beautify her home.
I have a lot to learn with her.

For Show and Tell Friday

Outdoor Wednesday

Today I decided to post a view of the Porto (Oporto), taken by train, in the brige, last summer.

For Outdoor Wednesday

Blonde potatoes

Today will will make blonde potatoes to eat with the meatloaf and we will make also a nice tomato and onion sauce.



While the meat is in the oven, I boil a bunch of little potatoes in their skins.



When they are boiled, I handle each of them with a fork and peel them.



Then I put some oil in a pan, not olive, sunflowers or something like that. I put in a big pan to avoid the hot spill going everywhere - it works as a wall.

When fried, I put on a kitchen paper to absorb the oil very well.

Ah, it's the most delicious thing, much better then french fries and such. I believe they are the best potatoes in all the world!

Now the sauce to put on the meatloaf.

Put some olive oil in a pan and add finely cut onion. When it is transparent, add tomato and parsley. You may add some seasoning you like, as oregano, for instance.

Add some water and let it boil.

You will see how good it is.

This was a recipe from my grandmother.

Meatloaf

Yesterday I made meat loaf. Now I must say it was a fat loaf. Usualy they are quite skinny but, because we are a lot of people and they always like when I make it, I decided to made a big one - sideways.


I put a nice load of minced meat in a a big pan - pans are always big here - with olive oil, onion, tomato, garlic, parsley, red pepper, salt and pepper. I fried the meat very well.


When it was ready, I added two eggs, beaten, and put some bread crumbs in it, mixed and put it in a thing to go to the oven. Sprinkled more bread crumbs on top and also a bit of cheese, greated.

Oven with it.




They where very pleased with it.
We ate it with blonde potatoes, as my grandmother used to call them.
More about it tomorow.

Pink Saturday

Kimberly at How Sweet The Sound hosts Pink Saturday.
After some problems with my computor, that are not completely solved, I'm joining again.

For me, pink things are usualy flowers.
So, the one in the top is that azalea that I posted before about it. It is still blooming in full force. I'm amazed how nice the plant still looks.



This one is from one of my african violets, the last I bought and the more pink one.



These plants I bought at the market some time ago and they are growing very nicely and nice they are with its pink leaves.

For now they are standing in my kitchen windowsill but I'm planing to put them outside. Let's see if they like it or not.




Until next saturday.

Lent

Lent begins. Today is Ash Wednesday. We don't eat meat today, neither desserts or anything of the like. And what we eat, we do it scarcely, depending on what each person usualy eats. We are fasting. Not big deal, we only must fast two days a year, today and on Holly Friday.

So today, we are going to make tuna rice.

Put some olive oil in a pam and add onions, cut, and when it's transparent add tomato - or not - and seasonig: salt, pepper, parsley and maybe red pepper.

Mix and add the tuna. Mix again.

Now add the rice and mix.

After that you will add water, the double of the rice: two cups of rice, four of water.



When it's ready we will eat some but not too much.
And you may be sure, it will taste as the best food in the whole world.

At fasting days, we do fell so thankfull to Our Lord who give us everyday food.

Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
Give us this day our daily bread.