New Year's Resolution

I don't usually make a New year Resolution, because I know I'm likely to fail and then feel bad. This year however, I waited a few days until I returned to work and could think about how I want to get that better 'work-life-balance' that I have previously posted about.

So I've decided my New Year Resolution is to leave work earlier. As a primary school teacher I'm fortunate enough to leave work by 4pm, and although I definitely have say 2 hours more work each evening, I find I am far more productive doing it at home as I faff at school. I end up doing nothing much, till 6pm when school closes, perhaps fiddling with a display or moaning with a colleague about all the work to be done (!), and then low and behold, I still have the work to be done at home.
Three days out of 5 I will leave school at 4pm.

And I have resolved to go to bed earlier. A lot of health and well-being is wrapped up in getting enough sleep and I need at least 8 hours in order to feel my best.

Two years ago, when I last had a class responsibility, rather than just teaching dance like last year, I ran myself into the ground. I worked at least 70 hour weeks and had about 5 hours sleep each night - I did not feel good and had a mini break down.

I'm managing far better this year but I still need to look after myself as work as a teacher can be addictive  - the job is never finished.

Beauty sleep and a good work-life-balance - I'm looking forward to 2012.

Liz xxx

Coffee Table Books

I love coffee table books. The promise of time whiled away with a favourite beverage while gazing through pages of beautiful photos is always to be looked forward to.

By [Clint] Clint McMahon

I don't actually have that many coffee table books, I find that they're a little bit of a luxury. Mostly I have bought them when travelling, or been given them as a gift when travelling, and indeed the charity shop is always a fantastic place to come across a rare find.

I even sometimes imagine the titles of Coffee Table Books that I should like to flick through. Whimsy titles might include 'Candy canes at Christmas', or one of an architectural interest might be 'Roofs across Italy'.

Indeed, time and money willing I could actually make these 'imagined' books. If I could afford a decent camera and travel the globe in search for candy canes or roofs in Italy so to take my own photos, I could then have them printed as a coffee table book by one the many photo printing websites.

One such site is www.blurb.com, where you can make your own book, to book store quality and publish it on their website for others to buy. Something to consider anyway.

I might even make a  proverbs 31:10-31 book.

What would you make as your coffee table book?

It's been a long time...

You know it's been a long time when you forget how to do something. For me there are several things falling into this category, and am sad to say that they are good things that I feel I should try to make more room for.
First up is spending quality time in meditation with God. Iain, my husband graduates in 2012 and is hopefully going to find a church who would like him to minister. I know that God has a plan for us and wants to share in this time, so I really need to put aside a sacred time to spend with Him each day.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali.

Other areas include blogging, writing in my journal, running, going to dance classes, reading, baking, oh and having a desk which is actually nice to work at and not just a dumping ground for things that I really ought to do, but only when I've got some non-school work time.
In comparison to this though, Iain and I are finding time to meet with friends, which I am so thankful for as friendship is important to us.

Last year was easier as my role at school was different, I was only teaching dance. Whereas this year I have my own class again, and as nice as it is to be with a nice bunch of kids who you have the privilege to see develop in their characters and learning, boy oh boy it does consume so much more of my time.
This academic year is going well but there is still some way to go in terms of my own efficiency and work-life-balance.
In run up to Christmas as things in the classroom begin to slow down, mostly due to the fact that once glitter, tinsel and Santa begin to make appearances, the children begin to go a little loopy! Now rather than just sit back and relax, I've tried to make the most of this opportunity to get as much done as possible for when we return in January - therefore no work over the Christmas holidays - yippee!!!

It will be a good break in which hopefully I will adopt some habits that will take themselves into the new year.

I hope you have some quality time to do the things you love over Christmas.

Liz xxx

Recipes for Round Mini Lemon Drizzle Loaves

Here they are, the two recipes I used to make my R.B.O.K. Round Mini Lemon Drizzle Loaves.
I used a pre-made syrup from Vanessa Kimbell's Prepped! and the Nigella Lawson recipe Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges.


Lavender Lemonade
Makes 1 litre
Prep time 25 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes
20 lavender flowers (in bud)
500g caster sugar
500ml water
Zest and juice of 7 lemons
1. Put the lavender, sugar and water into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5-6 minutes. Ass the lemon juice.
2. Strain and allow to cool before transferring to a clean bottle. This should store in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Dilute to taste for Lavender Lemonade, or use as Lavender & Lemon Syrup.


Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges
125g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lime
175g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk 
8-bun mini-loaf tin, buttered very well. (I used a 12 cupcake tin)
Preheat the oven to 180oC/gas mark 4.

Cream together the butter and sugar, and add the eggs and lime zest, beating them well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently, and then the milk. SPoon into the mini-loaf pan, and cook for 25 minutes.

While the cakes are cooking, prepare the syrup by putting the lime juice and suagar into a small saucepan and heating gently so that the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the mini-sponges are ready, take them out of the oven and prick them witha  cake-tester all over. Pour over the syrup evenly. Try to let the middle absorb the liquid as well as the sides, then leave it to soak up the rest. Don’t try to take the cakes out of the pan until they have cooled slightly and the syrup looks like it has been absorbed, but be aware that if you leave these to cool completely they might be very difficult to get out of the pan.

So, after an hour or two, turn them out onto a rack and grate some lime zest over them before serving (or selling).

Makes 8.

Enjoy!

xxx

Random Bake of Kindness

Random acts of kindness are brilliant aren't they. I've heard so many wonderful recounts of people's experiences with showing kindness to often strangers. One being, giving the car park attendant, on the dry summer's day, a cool can of coca cola. Or paying the car behind you at the motorway toll.
I know that when I've given a random act or received - it's made my day. So I thought it was great when Vanessa suggested we join in with the Random Bake of Kindness. It seemed to me to be the next level in showing gratitude. You need to decide who you're going to bake for and why, and to tell them why you're doing it. I feel that we don't express enough just how much we appreciate things sometimes. So this is brilliant, and I know of at least two more people for whom I want to do it already!
So for my R.B.O.K. I decided to bake little round lemon drizzle cakes.

I used two recipes for this creation. Firstly I had a bottle of Lavender Lemon Syrup which I'd made from Vanessa Kimbell's 'Prepped'. Again a brilliant flavour which can be used for several other recipes and for making lemonade. I made mine when the lavender was in bud, and it does give a delicious flavour, it isn't essential however so can be made as just a lemon syrup.
The second recipe is from Nigella's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. Its based on the Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges and made a useful reference for quantities as I wanted to bake them in the tray as she had done with a mini-loaf tin.
This was such an easy recipe, and although I was over generous with the syrup - they were very, very moist - having the syrup ready made it a very quick bake. I will post about these two recipes in a day or so as I don't want to take away from the R.B.O.K. focus right now.
It wasn't difficult for me to choose who I would give my first R.B.O.K. to. And I know already that I won't do justice to how much gratitude that I and others I know feel for Anne's loving and caring nature.

As it happened I knew of Anne before I met her. Iain (my Hubby) and I did an internship at a church in Solihull in 2009, knowing that he would next be studying at a Ministry college in London. To where it just so happened the previous minister of the said Solihull church was now lecturing. In Solihull we realised how appreciative the people had been of Peter, the previous minister, and just how much they missed Anne his wife, so I was keen to meet Anne and felt confident that I wouldn't be disappointed.
It seems funny looking back, not knowing Anne, because I know Anne so well now. Not only do I join Anne with the other partners of those working or studying at the college for fellowship and shared times, but I go to the same church and we work at the same school. Infact, we always have so much to talk about and it doesn't matter if we've seen each other every day, there's still more to share!
Now it's not that Anne is only good at chatting as she is excellent at listening and remembering. So often I see Anne with people and she remembers so much about what is going on in their life and asks after them. Anne would probably be the first person to say she's not perfect, but it is so refreshing and encouraging when she shares something that has maybe not gone the way she hoped, and she reflects on why that might be. It's so healthy, she doesn't bury it away but shares it and is considerate of it in the future.
Here is a Truly Good Woman and she is inspirational in her friendships, marriage, family, work and church. I know I am blessed in having her friendship, while Iain is at college, and I very much look forward to years of shared times and catching-up when we have moved to a church of our own.

Anne I thank you for your friendship, for your constant encouragement and advice, for Oswestry and for your example.

I pray that you feel encouraged by this post and that your friendships are always blessed.

Much love, xxx

Little Round Lemon Drizzle Cakes

IMAG0481, a photo by Liz Pope on Flickr.

I'm being lazy and uploading photos via phone to flickr - not SMART- but lazy :)

Random Bake of Kindness

Anne & rachel, a photo by Liz Pope on Flickr.

Anne and Rachel receiving my Random Bake of Kindness.
More to follow later today...must actually go prepare my classroom now, putting it off long enough!