Seven on Sabbatical

Thursday, July 14, 2016

All-Together Playground donations

(Using the button above is to make it easy for you, but we found out that PayPal charges us 88 cents every time. We thought it was free for donations but we were wrong! Mom is happy to pay the 88 cents as part of her support for this project, but if it's all the same to you and you want ALL of your money going to the playground and not PayPal, just send $20 to minigingerbreadhouse@gmail.com. Choose "Send money to friends and family" and then be sure to specify what name you want on the picket, maximum 23 characters.)

These are our friends, Mindy Gleason, and her daughters, Presley and Charlotte (and Dad inside). Presley's family has been instrumental in making this playground become reality. We LOVE THEM and want to help!

Monday, July 11, 2016

Having a kitchen table

I had no idea how important a kitchen table was. When we arrived I was being practical and minimalistic and thought we'd just do without. But having a place to sit and eat together, do homework, work on projects, type on the laptop, sit and chat--so important. It's really the center of a home. I'm so glad to have one and to have learned this lesson. And for Yolanda for seeing our need and offering a table to us.

And it provided the opportunity for this little gem:

Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary

We bought a Zoo membership when we first arrived. It got us entry into three different zoos in the area, and since it only took three visits to justify the expense (one to each zoo), it was a no-brainer to join.

See more below!

Australian Weather patterns and predictions

Last year I started watching the weather forecasts for Melbourne before we arrived so I'd know what to expect. I thought I was getting inaccurate information because I'd see a day of 100F/40C, and then the next day was 62F/16C. I thought that couldn't possibly be correct. And if it was, I thought it wasn't likely normal.

It is.

Everywhere I've lived I've heard people say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes."

None of these people have lived in Melbourne.

So here's the deal:

Australian butter baking hack

Karly loves to bake. And as you know, most recipes call for butter in increments of 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup. In America, butter is sold in "sticks" which all equal 1/2 cup. It makes getting your ingredients correct easy. But in Australia, butter here is sold by the gram. One cup of butter equals 227 grams.

Here's the problem:

Our homemade toy collection

We made dinosaurs from toilet paper tubes. Not only that, but he actually PLAYS with them now.

We didn't bring a lot of toys from the U.S. for space and weight reasons. And we've tried to minimize what we accumulate here because we can't take it back. We have bought things at the thrift store so Henry is not lacking for things to play with, but we've also come up with some pretty good games and toys made from things we have on hand.

My favorite Australian Accent

I know all of my friends in the States are enamored by the Australian accent I'm hearing on a regular basis. The truth is I rarely talk to people with that accent because most people where I live are from other countries. But I do LOVE the Aussie accent. Every time I drop Allen at the train station, I turn on this radio station in hopes of hearing my favorite Aussie voice. Chrissie has a great rich voice and a strong accent. Glad I can get a dose of it even when I get home. Maybe you'll enjoy listening, too. (Warning: Sometimes I don't care much for the topic of conversation. Aussies can be a little crude!)

Click on the Chrissie, Sam and Browny show. You'll love Browny, too!
https://www.novafm.com.au/shows/chrissie-sam-browny/