This and That and a Yummy Recipe

I almost want to say, "Please, disregard the previous post". While we do have a contract with an agent to sell our house, one of the kids has expressed huge apprehension about doing so, making it difficult to carry on. We plan to have a "family meeting" to discuss matters further. Not having another house in mind to move too makes it more difficult to process moving from this one. We, errr... well, I am constantly checking out new listings but haven't found "the one" as yet.
In other news... I appear to have broken my nose. Joe and I, through my own stupidity, had a little miscommunication resulting in his rearing up and whacking me square in the nose. I heard a very disturbing crunching sound, my nose swelled up and then two black eyes all seemed to confirm at least a fracture. I'm still a little sore and extremely jumpy about any flying objects that could potentially hit me in the face, whether real or only perceived!
Weather wise, day before yesterday brought crazy winds which we get from time to time but they strengthened during the night and have become insane! A semi overturned earlier, some have power outages and schools have been closed due to damage and danger for children. The house is rattling and every few minutes I brace myself, sure the windows will burst in! The strangest thing is that the sky is blue, the sun is shining and, if it weren't for the blowing trees and howling wind, it would be a beautiful day. The girls enjoyed their unexpected day off, though Brylie is away at camp and that has me worried. The boys weren't going to have regular homeschool yesterday due to a couple appointments and swimming lessons but the appointments have been canceled so they, too, get a day off.  They did have their swimming lesson so Nani came along and had a swim herself. She swam the full length of the pool 4 times, only one time using a kick board! She so needs to be a swimmer with that long lean body. The wind let up during the night which is a huge relief because it is very unnerving!
I have started the boys with some muscle strengthening exercises to compliment their "Moveables" class they participate in on Fridays. They both have very weak core strength, Graham has very poor coordination and Will is extremely weak for his age. I'm going to record their progress so they can see what they've achieved. I'm also integrating lots of exercises and games to increase eye-hand coordination, balance strength-building. I have to fight the feelings of guilt for having so much "play" and less book work but these are necessary for them to continue to develop in other ways including writing. I'm also battling guilt that we've not done this sooner with them, especially Will, having had him since age two. Neither of them should be so far behind and I would really love a "do-over".

My lovely neighbor, Natalia, shared a recipe with me that is delicious and oh, so easy! We had it for dinner (in NZ dinner is called "tea") and it was fantastic!

Shake & Bake Quiche

• 3-5 eggs (depending on size)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup veggie or meat of your choice

1. Fry onion (and bacon or any uncooked meat you may use) in oil.
2. Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir well (shake if bowl has a lid).
3. Pour into greased pie pan.
4. Bake at 180*C (350*F) for about 45-60 minutes.

I made one with ham, spinach and cheddar cheese and one with smoked salmon, spinach, mozzarella and feta cheese. It was a huge hit!!!

Well, our house is officially on the market. Wonder if HHI would be interested in a Viner sequel. Lol. The search for a lifestyle block is on. We will look again at the 7 acre farm but the kitchen (or lack there of)  really is a deal breaker. If we could get it for a really good price, redoing the kitchen would be an option. I'm keeping my eyes open for others, though, and pray that there will be a neon sign or burning bush to tell us which to buy.
But the search for a farmlet is not priority one right now. Getting this house presentable to show is! Yikes!! What was I thinking?? I started going through and organizing the storage room in the basement, getting rid of even more crap that has followed us here. I'll also pack and store some things we don't need in the house to make it easier to tidy for showing and easier to move when the time comes.
So off I go to tackle this latest challenge. And I'll keep you posted on our progress and pending relocation.

Busy Busy Busy!

Wow! It's been awhile since I'd last blogged. Homeschooling, daily chores and squeezing in time for Joe has kept me plenty busy!
Homeschool is still going well. Today the boys and I went on a field trip with the Taranaki Home Educator Group to the Puke Ariki Museum where we attended a program on volcanoes. The boys learned about the formation of Mt. Taranki which is in New Plymouth's own backyard. They also got to make a volcano and have it erupt. This was our first activity with the homeschool group because the 2 others we had signed up for had been canceled due to weather. I met another American expat, homeschooler and also chatted with a lady I had met through viewing her farm that is for sale. The boys really seemed to enjoy the outing!
Billy is still loving it here and appreciates our quiet little town all the more after his quick trip to the States last month with Brylie. The girls, too, are all doing well, busy with school and other activities such as cricket, piano, tennis and soccer.
Joe is going well too. He's about all patched up and I have grown quite fond of him. I do wish I had more time to spend with him but I'm trying to take what I can get. Though I'm dreading winter and dark falling so early.
I have become rather obsessed (stop laughing, Mom!) with farm hunting.  Billy and I viewed a house last weekend on 12 acres but I was not very keen. Even on really dark, rainy days, our house has so many windows and so much natural light that, in the daytime, we don't have to turn on any lights. This house was quite dark and dated and I know that winter would be difficult in that environment.
I found another house that I love but it's kinda far and only on 2.5 acres. It's kitchen and laundry room are awesome though!!! And since I spend so much time in those two rooms, that's a real draw for me.
We are planning to look at the 7 acre lifestyle block that I had mentioned in a previous post again this weekend.
I'm really struggling with feelings of discontent living in town. I'd love to be able to raise a veggie patch with the boys, let the dogs run and tend to the horses in the afternoons after homeschooling without interfering with the evening meal and family time.  I'm praying that if that is not the will of God, He will remove the desire from my heart.