Bubbling Brews & Clean Loo's

It's only Wednesday and I feel like I have done a full week. Derek who had a months leave from the Navy for the wedding and the 'honeymoon/couple of days away' that didn't happen, is now back on board as of Monday, fortunately he is home at nights. Miss C and Master R went back to school yesterday after there two weeks of school holidays. So as you can imagine the house is very, very quiet. I do love to have them home, but I also enjoy that time to really focus on catching up with those things, that tend to not get 100% attention when there is a full house.
Monday the kids were still here so it was a little more relaxed, however yesterday I went into full blown spring clean mode. All the bedding was washed, bathrooms and toilets scrubbed with a little extra gusto, floors vacuumed and mopped, everything dusted and the brass polished, all my potted plants made it outside for a gentle hosing and feed, and while it was a longish day I so enjoyed it. There is little I enjoy more than making my house a home, doing the little extra things that make my family comfortable and my home a sacred place.
As silly as it may sound to some folk, when I cook for my family and friends in my kitchen, it is empowered with love, thought and purpose. Whether it be something as simple as crackers and cheese or baking bread or cooking an evening meal, it is important to me that it is not only nutritious, made from scratch or as close to that as possible but something I have done with a joyful heart. Today was equally as industrious as yesterday, this time however it was within the kitchen, our hearth, the hub of our home.
Firstly I made fruit and nut bread, it is great for toast in the morning, the kids love it buttered when they get home from school, so two loaves where made to go into the freezer..
I have put the recipe here on The Witches Kitchen These breads I made into little flower pot bread and used them for our wedding favours.. Guests so appreciated that they were home made.
Keeping up with all things fermenting, and the fact that I am fascinated with the whole wild yeast thing, I have tried my hand at ginger beer, thanks to Rhonda over at Down To Earth, and today I bottled my first batch.. *laughing* I have been to check it several times in the last few hours, expecting something but alas nothing.. a cook should never watch a boiling pot, its going to be days before this luscious brew starts popping corks.. and I can't wait taste it.
P/s I added a few more wedding/hand fasting pics to the post below.