Summer At Home

How to raise a spoilt child

2010-07-27T12:31:00.001+10:00

Here are the links to two great articles that I read earlier today. I hope you enjoy them.

How to raise a spoilt child.

Ask yourself this question if your children don't obey.

"Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman" by Anne Ortlund

2010-04-19T12:26:00.001+10:00

I bought the book "Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman" a few weeks ago and read it through in a couple of days. Written from a Christian perspective, it offers encouragement and practical ideas to help women plan their time and activities to be most effective in their work for God.

This book is easy to read and the author has a friendly and humble style of writing. It's not a to-do list that details one way for every Christian woman to live, but includes stories from the author's life that show what has and hasn't worked for her in regards to time-management, keeping up with different roles and responsibilities, maintaining a positive and hard-working attitude, organising Bible study notes, influencing and encouraging other women for Christ, and even taking care of our appearance.

My favourite part of the book has to be the author's passion for being a good witness, remaining accountable to other Christians in her own walk, and looking for opportunities to share the Gospel with unbelievers. Here is a quote where the author is describing what our life will hopefully become once we have been saved:

"Let's presume (and I pray it's really true) that all of us now, I writing and you reading, are safely one the bank. Here's where "cream-puff religion" - no strain, no pain - has deceived many, leading new Christians to believe that once they're out of the canoe onto land, they're in heaven! So a few months later when they still have problems, they're disillusioned.

Actually this is the time when we brush ourselves off, set our eyes on that distant City, and start walking. Cross country, woman. Realise what you were saved from, and know that that place is so fabulous it's worth hiking over over hills, through thorns, through rivers up to our lipstick, over cliffs - anything to get there."

Over the last few weeks I have read this book from start to finish again and also opened it up to read just a chapter or two when I had a few minutes to spare. Every time I read some of it I come away feeling inspired and encouraged.
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I'm not sure if this book has been re-printed recently as not all online bookstores sell it but you can find it at Amazon, The Book Depository and Booktopia.

Website of the Week

2010-04-16T12:50:00.000+10:00

If you love ordering books online but hate paying huge shipping costs then have a look at The Book Depository. They have FREE shipping on all books to anywhere in the world. Most of the books that I've looked up have also been cheaper to buy than at other websites. Enjoy!

Radical

2010-03-21T14:39:00.002+11:00

About a month ago I started listening to a series of sermons online from a pastor at a church in Brook Hills, Birmingham Alabama. The title of the series is "Radical" and it's about the radical choices Christians are called to make. The sermon titles include:

* The Gospel Demands Radical Sacrifice.
* The Gospel Demands Radical Compassion.
* The Gospel Requires Radical Urgency.
* The Gospel Requires Radical Giving.
* The Gospel Requires Radical Abandonment.

It's an excellent series and I recommend it to all Christians. Click here to listen to it yourself.

If you think you will go to heaven because you're a good person .....

2010-03-18T20:50:00.003+11:00

then you really need to watch this video. (It's the first video on the page).

The Way of the Master

2010-03-04T11:59:00.003+11:00

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/

This website has a lot of great resources that teach Christians how to share the gospel with non-Christians. There are free videos that show you how to answer difficult questions and how to point people to their need for a Saviour. You can also buy tracts and books and even get personal training at the Evangelism Training Academy.

I've been so inspired after watching some of the videos on this site that I decided to write down a few points about the gospel and give it to a neighbour across the road who is moving to another state this weekend. I have to admit that I was pretty nervous but when I saw his car pull up yesterday afternoon I ran out of the house with Baby Bee on my hip and called out to him. At first he looked a little wary when I told him that my husband and I were Christians but he seemed to be okay with me giving it to him and said he would read it. If you could pray that God would use it to lead him on the path to salvation I would appreciate that.

Six Years Ago

2010-03-03T12:38:00.002+11:00

Last night I was laying awake in bed at 2am and for some reason I remembered that it was about this time six years ago that the Lord started turning my heart to Him. I had just returned from a trip overseas and had such a strong feeling that I needed to find out what it meant to be a Christian. I went to a few churches in the area until I found one that I felt comfortable with. Previous to this time I had only been to church about 5 times in my life and had grown up in a non-Christian home. Over the next few months God put other Christians in my life to teach me and encourage me and at the end of September 2004 I was baptised.

Since then God has taught me a lot and of course I am learning so much more every day. I feel like God is leading me down a new path that involves sharing my faith with others so hopefully I'll be able to talk about that a bit here on this blog and get some ideas and encouragement from others who know so much more than I do in this area. And maybe eventually I'll be able to encourage other Christians to share the gospel too.

Trifle

2009-12-23T13:47:00.002+11:00

This is a really easy and delicious trifle I took to our family Christmas gathering.

Ingredients

1 packet of jam rolls
1 packet of jelly
1 vanilla pudding mix
Cream
Strawberries
Bananas

Method

1. Make the vanilla pudding and jelly ahead of time according to the instructions on the packets and put in the fridge to set.
2. Whip the cream using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Place the jam rolls in the bottom of a large bowl.
4. Place the jelly, then the vanilla pudding on top of the jam rolls.
5. Put the whipped cream on top of the vanilla pudding, then decorate with bananas and strawberries.

We are reading .....

2009-12-12T10:14:00.003+11:00

The Christmas Story, by Jane Werner

With Christmas just a couple of weeks away we have been reading "The Christmas Story" almost every day. This book is written in simple language and tells the story of how Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus in a manger. I hope that reading this book together will become one of our family traditions that we do at this time every year.

Choc-Orange Cookies

2009-11-02T11:12:00.001+11:00

I bought some orange m&ms for movie night on Saturday night and since we had quite a few leftover I decided to make some Choc-Orange Cookies, using Bakerella's Cowgirl Cookie Recipe. I changed a couple of the ingredients to suit my taste and they are so good!! Here's my recipe:

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup oats

1 cup orange flavoured m&ms

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Lightly beat the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the dry ingredients.

4. Soften (but don't melt) the butter in the microwave and add it to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

5. Form the mixture into 1 inch balls and place them on a greased baking tray.

6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Baby Signing DVD

2009-10-29T11:45:00.000+11:00

Not long after Baby Bee was born we were at a baby shop and we came across a DVD called My Mealtime Signs. We bought it along with a couple more called Bathtime Signs and Bedtime Signs. The mealtime one has always been her favourite but we don't like her to watch too much television so she's only been watching it once or twice a week.

The first sign she learnt how to do was the sign for "all gone" because when she finishes her dinner I always say "All Gone!" and do the sign. Yesterday however I was reading her a book and one of the pictures in the book was of a bib so I said the word bib and she did the sign for bib all by herself. Of course I was over the moon and made a big fuss about it.

Then last night at dinner she ate a piece of toast and I said "More?" and she did the sign for more - all by herself. It was hilarious. We had to go and show Daddy straight away and she was so proud of herself. It's so exciting to able to see her trying so hard to communicate with us.

Sweetopia

2009-10-28T07:07:00.000+11:00

If you've never been to the Sweetopia site it's definitely worth taking the time to go and visit. Marian has lots of information about baking cakes, cookies, gingerbread houses and desserts. One post that I found particularly helpful was this one below on decorating cookies with Royal Icing. She has a step-by-step tutorial with gorgeous pictures. Enjoy!

http://www.sweetopia.net/2009/09/how-to-decorate-cookies-with-royal-icing-top-10-tips/

A Trip to the Bookstore

2009-10-26T11:46:00.000+11:00

Last weekend my husband, Baby Bee and I went to a Christian bookstore and had so much fun looking around the aisles. As usual, we spent more money than we had planned but we came away with some really good buys.

We bought the Fireproof DVD (neither my husband or I had seen the movie) so we took it home and watched it that night for our "Saturday Night Movie Night" date. We both loved it!! It had such a good storyline that we just want to give it to everyone we know. If you haven't seen it, you should, it is really good.

We bought a DVD for Baby Bee called Sunday School Songs and it has the cutest little kids singing about 15 different songs. I think my husband and I like the songs just as much as Baby Bee does because we've been singing them all week.

I bought a book for myself which is actually three books in one - The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Parent and The Power of a Praying Woman, all by Stormie Omartian. I've read the first few chapters of The Power of a Praying Wife and it is really good. If you are married and you struggle to know what to pray for then I'm sure you'll find this book helpful. It's broken into 30 short chapters, each one focusing on an area of your husband's life that you can lift up to God in prayer.

I bought this book because I felt that for the last few months I'd just been rushing through my prayer time, saying the same things over and over again. I feel so much more refreshed and focused now that I've started reading this book and I'm hoping that the other two books (especially the one about praying for my children) will be just as helpful.

Anyway, after the bookstore we stopped at the cafe for a hot chocolate and went to visit my nana who lives nearby before coming home. What a perfect day.

Butterfly Party

2009-10-07T13:35:00.000+11:00

Last weekend we held a party for my daughter's first birthday. Unfortunately the day turned out cold with a light rain, but lucky for us my husband had thought to hire a marquee and some tarps from a party store. There was no way all of our guests would have fit in our living room so they were nicely protected out in the backyard.

We had lots of fun seeing all our family, some of whom we haven't seen for quite a few months. Baby Bee got lots of nice presents and I made a butterfly cake.

I also made some butterfly cookies but with all the excitement of the day I forgot to take any photos. It was lots of fun and I can't believe that I now have a one year daughter!

The first rose of the season

2009-10-07T13:25:00.000+11:00

Summer Salads

2009-09-22T07:55:00.001+10:00

If you're looking for some yummy salad ideas here are a few of my favourites:

Caesar Salad
I think Caesar Salad is probably my favourite salad of all time and this recipe is one of the best I've come across.

Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is always a favourite at barbecues and lasts for a few days in the fridge. I use extra dressing if the mixture is looking too dry, and my dad's secret is to use couscous instead of bulghur for a finer texture.

Grilled Turkey Salad
This is a great salad to make with left-over turkey breast.

Greek Pasta Salad
This is a fast and easy recipe for a healthy meal or side-dish.

Tuna Salad
I love eating cold tuna in Summer and this recipe works well as a complete meal. I leave out the basil and rosemary as I find they can be too strong with the other flavours.

Potato Salad
This is my husband's recipe:

Ingredients
5 large boiled potatoes
1 lime
5 boiled eggs
1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
100 grams finely diced bacon
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 shallots chopped

Method
1. Steam Potatoes for 20 minutes or until cooked but still firm. Rinse Potatoes thoroughly in cold water to stop cooking process. Once rinsed and still cooling splash with Juice of 1 Lime and let lime infuse as potatoes continue to cool
2. Hard boil 5 Eggs. Cut eggs in half and extract solid egg yoke into a small mixing bowl. Using a tablespoon from the mayonnaise mash egg yolks into paste.
3. In a pan fry pan thoroughly cook bacon and then allow to cool in fridge
4. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix remainder of mayonnaise, sour cream, egg yoke paste and horseradish.
5. In another large shallow mixing bowl cut potatoes into large cubes and add quartered boiled eggs (without yolks). Drizzle potato salad dressing over potato and egg mix and gently fold through.
6. Sprinkle shallots and bacon pieces over mix.

Fruit Salad
Chop your favourite fruit into bite sized pieces and mix together in a large bowl. Chill before serving. I like to use apples, bananas, peaches, strawberries, grapes, and mandarins. If you prefer a sweeter recipe, try this one.

Crepe Wheel

2009-09-18T09:23:00.001+10:00

Crepes are like a really thin pancake that are usually served folded with a sweet or savory filling inside. Here are the instructions on how to make this yummy crepe pinwheel.

Ingredients

2 eggs

150 ml milk

150 ml water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

125g all-purpose flour

Method

1. Combine the eggs, milk, water and melted butter in a bowl and beat using an electric mixer.

2. Add the salt, then pour in the flour slowly while the mixer is still running.

3. Refrigerate the mixture for 1-2 hours.

4. Heat a fry pan on medium heat and melt about 1 teaspoon of butter in it.

5. Pour in enough mixture to make a large, round shape. Move the pan around slowly to help the mixture run along the sides. (I used an electirc fry pan but a regular one on the stove top is just as good.).

6. Cook one side until bubbles start to form on top then flip it over.

7. Cook the other side until it is golden brown.

8. Remove the crepe from the pan and place it onto a chopping board.

9. Cut the crepe in half and spread your filling across one half. I used ham, cheese and pineapple although in this photo I think I'd only added the cheese.

10. Fold the crepe in half by bringing the side without any filling across the other side, on top of the filling. .

11. Fold the crepe in half again.

12. Lay the crepe on a plate and repeat the process with the other half and with more crepes.

Makes approximately 6 crepes (or 12 pieces for the pin wheel).

A few links

2009-09-14T11:38:00.000+10:00

If you, like me, are a fan of the Duggar family then you'll be excited to know that Michelle Duggar now has a blog. Click here to go and read what she has to say.

If you haven't yet discovered The Pioneer Woman then you really need to go and have a look at her fabulous website. She takes the most gorgeous photos and her recipes are soooo good. And she's hilariously funny too.

Also, below is the link to the blog of an American girl who is working in an orphanage in Africa. She shares some very moving and heart-breaking stories.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

A Party Dress

2009-09-07T14:15:00.000+10:00

I went shopping last weekend to find a dress for Baby Bee to wear to her 1st Birthday Party next month. At the first shop I went to I saw the most adorable dresses - for $45! They were a bit out of my budget so I went to a couple more stores and found the perfect one for $24. It even has matching knickers.

I brought the dress home and one day last week I washed and ironed it. I had it hanging over a rail in her room, ready to hang up, until I saw this.....

Daddy decided that teddy could wear the dress until Baby Bee needed it. Haha!

Sugar Cookies and Birthday Parties

2009-09-04T10:23:00.001+10:00

There's only one month until my daughter's first birthday party and we're planning a butterfly theme. I'm going to make a butterfly cake and some butterfly cookies like these ones. I'm not the best cookie decorator so I decided to start practising early. I made these sugar cookies to take to playgroup earlier in the week.

I used Peggy Porschen's sugar cookie recipe with royal icing.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

200g unsalted soft butter
200g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
400g plain flour, plus more for dusting

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until well mixed and creamy.
2. Add the egg and continue beating.

3. Add the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms.

4. Put the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it briefly. Roll it out to about 5mm thickness.
6. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes and place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
7. Put them back in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
9. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until the edges become golden brown.
10. Let the cookies cool completely before icing them.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

2 egg whites

4 cups icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

water

food colouring

Method

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

2. Add the cream of tartar and beat a little bit more.

3. Pour in the sifted icing sugar slowly while continuing to beat the mixture.

4. When it's all mixed through test the consistency of the icing by running a spoon across the top. If the icing falls back into shape within 5-10 seconds it's ready to use. If not, start adding a teaspoon of water at a time and mix it through until you get the right consistency.

5. Add the food colouring and stir through.

Spring is here!!!

2009-09-01T17:14:00.002+10:00

Today is the 1st of September, which marks the first day of Spring in Australia. And what a beautiful day it was. I heard someone say that it was as though God flipped a switch and the weather turned from cold and wet to warm and sunny. The sky was blue, there was a slight breeze blowing and I was able to walk around in a light top with short sleeves. I am so glad that the winter is over and the warmer weather is on its way.

For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.

Song of Solomon 2:11-13 NKJV

Image courtesy of www.art.com

Chocolate Rice Cream

2009-08-29T19:56:00.001+10:00

Ingredients
1 tin of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup of cooked rice
1/2 cup milk

Method
1. Combine condensed milk and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously.
2. When the mixture begins to thicken, add rice and milk.
3. Continue stirring over heat for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
6. Sprinkle icing sugar, coconut or chocolate sprinkles on top.

Serve chilled. The consistency will be thick and creamy.

Serves 6

What's been happening at our place

2009-08-20T12:23:00.001+10:00

It took me twice as long as it normally does to vacuum the lounge room today since Baby Bee (10 months old) kept trying to climb onto my back. :) I was on my hands and knees vacuuming under furniture and she kept grabbing onto my back trying to stand up and climb on for a piggy-back ride. I normally hate vacuuming but it's a lot more fun now that I have someone to 'help' me.

In other news, we've been spending a lot of time on the kitchen floor lately as that's where Baby Bee is eating most of her meals. She hates the high chair and squeals when I put her in there. I know, I know, I should just persist and require her to eat all meals in there (in fact I think I gave that advice to my sister a few months ago - when I was still exclusively breast feeding haha!). For the most part the kitchen floor works well, except for when she sneezed a mouthful of cauliflower into my lap.

And finally, I'm so excited to announce that Baby Bee has now learnt how to dance. We had some music on this morning and she was bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. Unfortunately though, I think she may have inherited her mother's rhythm.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

2009-08-20T09:39:00.001+10:00

These spring rolls are great for a summer lunch because you serve them cold. They're also much healthier than fried spring rolls.

Ingredients
8 spring roll wraps
50g tin of shrimp, cooked and shelled
3 lettuce leaves, shredded
4 teaspoons minced coriander
1 small cucumber, grated
1 carrot, grated
vermicelli noodles
1/2 an avocado
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Method
1. Place one spring roll wrap in cold water until it is soft.

2. Remove the wrap from the water and lay it flat on the bench.

3. Place a small amount of each of the remaining ingredients down the centre of the wrap and fold it over, tucking in both ends.

4. Allow the wrap to dry slightly, then peel off the top side and pull it over again to make it tighter.

5. Make the remaining spring rolls in the same way.
6. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Tip: You can buy the spring roll wrappers from regular supermarkets but I have found that the ones from Asian grocery stores are better quality.

Makes 8 Spring Rolls.

Go to Tammy's Recipes for more yummy things to make.

Teddy Bear Pictures

2009-08-19T09:53:00.001+10:00

A few weeks ago my mother-in-law gave me an old teddy bear calendar that she found stashed away in a box. The pictures in it were so cute that I wanted to find a way to display them. Then, as I was looking through some things on the bookcase in the study I came across a picture frame that we bought last year but hadn't put up yet. So I cut the teddy bear pictures to fit the photo frame and hung one of them on my daughter's bedroom wall.
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As the year goes on I'm going to take that picture down and replace it with one of the other ones.

We have a teddy bears' picnic:
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A spring teddy:

A summer teddy:

Teddies reading books:

Teddies playing instruments:

A teddy bear birthday party:

And a teddy bear Christmas:

I'm so happy with how they look! To find out what worked for everyone else this week go to We Are That Family.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-17T15:30:00.001+10:00

A few weeks ago I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and for some reason they turned out awful. Well since tomorrow is my turn to host playgroup I was trying to decide whether to make another batch with a different recipe or just buy a packet from the store. Then I came across Geri's award winning recipe. That's right! Geri won first prize in the New Mexico State Fair with this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. So I decided to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did! They look good, they taste great and they have that wonderful slightly-crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside texture that I love.

So, go ahead and give them a try then go and thank Geri for sharing her award-winning recipe.

I resigned.

2009-08-14T20:39:00.000+10:00

Six years ago I left a comfortable office job to become a teacher in one of the most "challenging" schools in Sydney. I started half-way through the school year and taught a kindergarten class of only 16 children. They would come to school each day excited to see me and eager to learn. Inside my classroom things were happy and safe.

When I left my classroom I was thrown into the violent chaos that enveloped the rest of the school. Playground duty was the worst as I would regularly have to break up fights between boys who were bigger than me.

The next school year saw that violence and chaos come into my classroom. I would cry each morning on the drive to school and cry on the way home remembering the awful events of the day.

At the end of the first term my friend encouraged me to apply for a position going at her school. It was a private, Christian school and I knew from talking to her about it in the past that it was a great place to work. I told her that I would think about it but in my mind I had already decided that I wouldn't bother. A lot of other people would be applying for the job and I still had six months of study before I would finish my final year of university to get the additional teaching qualification. I also only had 9 months of teaching experience. My husband (who was my fiance at the time) encouraged me to give it a shot and even spent about 3 hours redoing my resume for me.

Well, by an act of God I was given the job to teach second grade. My new classroom had clean, white walls, my own office, a computer room for the children and a wet area with sinks and art supplies. I had a large, noisy class, but they followed the rules and respected my position as their teacher. Playground duty was actually fun as I could walk around and get to know different students. The principal and the staff were caring and supportive and every morning we would gather together before school for devotions and prayers. It was probably one of the best schools in Sydney.

In September last year I left that school to have a baby. I was given 12 months maternity leave with the option of returning to a full-time or part-time position.

Well my 12 months leave is almost up so today I went back to my school and gave the principal a letter, resigning from the second best job I have ever had. I don't want to be a teacher any more because now I have the best job I have ever had. I get to be a mum.

I wake up every morning excited about what the day will bring. I can't wait to hear those little waking up sounds coming from my daughters room as she begins to stir in her cot. I can't wait to pick her up and feel her tiny arms wrap tightly around my neck and feel her soft cheek smush up against mine. I can't wait to see what new thing she will learn how to do today.

Do I miss teaching? Sometimes. If I think of a great lesson or craft idea that I'd love to be able to do with a group of students. But then I remember that in a few more years I'll be able to do it with my own children and it will be even more fun.

Show Us Your Life - Favourite Vacation Spot

2009-08-14T08:16:00.000+10:00

I'm joining in Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" party today to share our favourite vacation spots. Our favourite place to go for holidays in Australia is Shoal Bay. We went there for a long weekend and stayed at the Shoal Bay Resort and Spa. We had a beautiful one bedroom apartment so there was lots of space and we could walk across the road to the beach.

This is our apartment balcony.

This is the view from our balcony.

This is the view at dusk.
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This is the beach across the road. We took this photo at sunrise so the beach was deserted.

We went on a whale-watching tour and saw some whales....
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... and some dolphins.
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I have two favourite holiday destainations outside of Australia. The first is Ottawa, Canada. I lived in Ottawa for a few months when I was in my early twenties and it's just the prettiest city. There is so much to see and do there.

There are lots of beautiful buildings, like the famous Fish Market Restaurant.
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You can even go ice-skating on the Rideau Canal. I didn't do that because I'm from Sydney where you have to drive five hours to see snow in winter. When I was a kid we did drive for hours and hours to see snow and when we got there all that was left was a tiny piece of ice in the grass. haha!

My second favourite place is Breckenridge, Colorado. I went there for a holiday when I was living in Kansas about ten years ago. It was summer time so there was no snow but the little village had lots of adorable shops and beautiful picnic areas. I didn't own a digital camera at the time and my photos would look terrible scanned in here so you'll just have to go to the link to see what it looks like. Or even better, go there yourself. You'll love it!

Ah, I've had so much fun looking through old photos and walking down memory lane. I really hope we get to go back to all of these places one day.

Fish Finger Parmigiana

2009-08-13T20:10:00.001+10:00

This meal is so quick and easy, and your kids will love it!

1. Place some frozen fish fingers in a baking dish. (You can use frozen, crumbed chicken pieces if you prefer).

2. Bake them in the oven according to the directions on the packet.

3. Just before the fish fingers have finished cooking, take them out of the oven. Spoon some spaghetti sauce across the top and sprinkle with grated cheese.

4. Put them back in the oven and continue baking until the cheese has melted.

If you want some other quick and easy meal ideas, go to http://www.lifeasmom.com/

Easy Monster Cake

2009-08-13T10:16:00.002+10:00

This cake is very cute and super easy to make.

1.Bake two round cakes, a large one for the body and a smaller one for the head.

2. Let the cakes cool then ice them with green icing.

3. Decorate with various lollies and sprinkles, using two lollipops on the top for horns.

The recipe for this cake came from The Australian Women's Weekly Kids' Bithday Cakes book.

Sunrise

2009-08-11T09:59:00.000+10:00

This was the beautiful sunrise I saw from my kitchen window yesterday morning.

And look at this cool feature on my new camera. You select panorama and it automatically takes three photos and stitches them together to make one wide photo.

It's freezing cold and drizzling with rain here today. We're not going to playgroup because Baby Bee still has a cold so we're just going to stay inside and snuggle up all day. I've got a loaf of fruit and spice bread baking in the oven, warming up the kitchen and making the house smell yummy and I might just have to make some hot chocolate to have with it for morning tea :)

Visiting Family and Apple Pie

2009-08-10T10:59:00.000+10:00

Last Friday, Baby Bee and I went down to visit my mum, sister and grandparents for the day. My mum and grandparents had just returned from a holiday in Queensland and they brought back lots of souvenirs and presents for us all. I got some gorgeous earrings, a recipe book and some Australian animal cookie cutters. I think will be good for play dough as well when Baby Bee is old enough to use it without eating it all :)

We had such a nice lunch with risotto, veal and vegetables and chick pea tabbouleh. I made an apple pie for desert and this was the first time I'd ever tried making a pie with the lattice top and it was so worth the extra effort. Look how pretty it turned out.

If you click here you can see a cute, little video review from Sugar Pie Farmhouse of a Pyrex pie dish, which is what I used to make this pie in.

My husband couldn't come with us because he had to work so I made him his own little apple pie the night before so he didn't miss out :)

"Hello, Cupcake!" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

2009-08-06T09:45:00.001+10:00

"Hello, Cupcake!" is one of my favourite cake recipe books. It has so many original ideas for cupcake decorations, with easy to understand instructions. Each recipe has a full-page photo (I love to see how the recipe is supposed to turn out) and there are some extra photos showing you how to do different steps in the method. At the back of the book there are recipes for different flavoured cupcakes and frostings and tips on how to create different effects.

There are six sections in the book showing cakes for birthdays, animals, Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special occasions. If you're looking for some really fun and creative ways to decorate cupcakes then I think you will love this book.

More Iron-On Embroidery

2009-08-04T11:39:00.001+10:00

Have a look at this iron-on emroidery that Katie did for her little girl. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find the little green dress with the letters on the top. That's what I'm hoping to make. And I love the matching green shoe with the white ribbon. So adorable!! I bought some white ribbon when I bought the emroidery the other day but my little girl won't keep shoes on her feet yet so I'll have to wait until she's a bit older :)

I have to say also that I only found Katie's blog a couple of weeks ago and she is just the sweetest girl. I left her a comment with a question and she sent me back two long emails with so much information. She's a busy mama of two little ones so I really appreciated the time she took to help me.

Summer Drinks

2009-08-03T01:28:00.002+10:00

Following on from my earlier Summer Menu posts, here are some of my favourite drinks for summertime, and some that I can't wait to try when the weather gets warmer.

Banana Milkshake

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Put all ingredients into the blender and mix. Serve in a tall glass.

Tropical Frappe

Ingredients:
6 fluid ounces fruit juice
2 tablespoons cream of coconut
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 ripe banana
6 large ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until the ice is crushed and the mixture is thick. Serve in tall glasses with a straw. Sprinkle ground nutmeg or cinnamon on top and garnish with fresh fruit.

Fruit Punch

Ingredients:
3 litres of fruit juice
1.25 litres lemonade or soda water
1.25 litres ginger ale
800 grams tinned fruit salad or diced fresh fruit
fresh mint leaves (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large glass bowl and serve cold.

Mango Lassi

Ingredients:
3 glasses of yogurt (use a glass you will serve the lassi in, to measure)
1 glass of crushed ice (measure as above)
1 glass ripe mango pieces or pulp
Sugar to taste/unsweetened fruit juice or pulp
a dollop of thick cream for each glass (optional)

Put the yogurt, mango, ice and sugar/juice/pulp in a blender and blend till smooth.
Pour out into glasses, top with a dollop of cream.

Frozen Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice (or other juice)
1 large banana
1/2 can peaches, drained
1 cup whole frozen strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple, drained

Whirl in blender until smooth. Makes two big servings. You can add your own variations, such as fresh peaches, papaya, or coconut milk for a tropical taste. The essential elements are a banana, the whole frozen strawberries, and some juice.

Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

Ingredients:
strawberry jam
crushed fresh strawberries
heavy cream
strawberry ice cream
soda water
whipped cream
more berries for garnish or cherries

For each ice cream soda, put a heaping tablespoonful of strawberry jam and a heaping tablespoonful of crushed fresh strawberries in large (16 ounce size) glass. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and a big scoop of strawberry ice cream. Fill up to 2/3 full with soda water, then add another big scoop of strawberry ice cream. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a garnish of chopped berries, if desired. Serve with straws and a long iced teaspoon.

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) frozen strawberries, thawed
4 cups milk
1 pint (2 cups) strawberry ice cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

In an electric blender, combine half of the strawberries, milk, ice cream, and lemon zest. Blend at high speed for 1 minute; transfer to pitcher or tall glasses. Repeat for second batch. Strawberry smoothie recipe makes about 8 cups.

It can add such a nice touch to serve cold drinks with colourful ice cubes, so I have included some ice cube recipes below.

Strawberry Ice Cubes

Servings: Makes 1 to 2 trays

Ingredients
1 lb strawberries, halved (3 cups)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth; strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure. Freeze in ice-cube trays until solid, at least 4 hours.

Add 2 or 3 cubes for a glass of lemonade.

Lemon Ice Cubes

Ingredients

1 medium lemon
1 qt. cold water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Cut each lime into 1/4-inch-thick slices; cut each slice into 4 wedges. Stir together 1 qt. cold water and 1/4 cup lime juice. Fill each compartment of 3 ice cube trays evenly with lime juice mixture. Place 1 lime wedge in each ice cube compartment. Freeze 8 hours or until firm. Makes 42 ice cubes

Watermelon Ice Cubes

1 large watermelon

Cut watermelon into workable pieces. Remove the seeds and the rind. Puree the watermelon in a blender or food processor. Pour the puree into ice cube trays and freeze.

Summer Dinners

2009-08-01T04:02:00.002+10:00

Since we're at the end of July there's only one month left of Winter. Which means that Summer is practically here!! Okay, so that's a bit of a stretch but it's been a really long winter :) Anyway, I've been thinking about some foods that I love to eat in Summer. Here are some great Summer recipes for dinner.

BBQ or Grilled Shrimp

This is a simple recipe involving olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, seasoning and lime. Alternatively, shrimp can be marinated in a Cajun or teriyaki sauce before being placed on the skewers. It can also be nice to add some pineapple, tomato and red pepper chunks to the skewers.

Tandoori Chicken

This recipe explains how to make the tandoori sauce from scratch. My mum makes the best tandoori chicken wings and drumsticks I've ever tried and she just buys the sauce ready-made in a bottle. She marinates the chicken in the sauce for a couple of hours then bakes it in an baking dish for about 40-50 minutes at 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). If you want to make the recipe from scratch without all the ingredients, use 1 cup plain yoghurt, juice of one lemon, 1 tablespoon tandoori paste, 1 clove crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix and pour over the chicken, marinate then cook.

Fish and Chips
My favourite recipe for fish batter is to mix 1 cup of flour, 3 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 3/4 cup water. Cut the fish into pieces, pat dry, dip in batter then fry in a fry pan with oil for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

My husband is the best chip maker in our house. He peels and cuts some potatoes and fries them in some oil. Just before taking them out of the pan he sprinkles them with salt or chicken stock powder. Yum!!

Hamburgers

This is a yummy recipe for a hamburger beef patty. I like to add cheese, tomato, a pineapple ring, some beetroot slices and ketchup to the bun as well.

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
Served cold, these healthy alternatives to spring rolls are a delicious starter or main course. This recipe includes a dipping sauce.

Salmon Steaks
This is a delicious and simple recipe for a very healthy meal.

Image courtesy of www.art.com

Chicken Burgers

2009-07-31T08:20:00.001+10:00

These burgers are great for a summer dinner outside.

Ingredients

500 grams ground chicken

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning or dried taco seasoning

1 egg

6 bread rolls

6 pineapple rings

2 tomatoes sliced

6 cheese slices

6 lettuce leaves

ketchup or other sauce

Method

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl.

2. Form the mixture into burger patties and put them in the fridge for one hour.

3. Take the patties out of the fridge and place them in a greased frying pan on medium heat.

4. Cook slowly on both sides. (Cover with a lid if you need to so that they're cooked right through).

5. When the patties are almost cooked, place the cheese on top to melt.

6. Cut the rolls in half and toast them lightly under a grill.

7. Butter the rolls and place on the pineapple, tomato and lettuce.

8. Put the patties with cheese onto the roll and add some sauce. Yummy!

Makes 6 chicken burgers.

More Cupcakes

2009-07-29T02:24:00.001+10:00

I just can't seem to stop decorating cupcakes lately. Here are some more that were made for a couple of recent birthdays.

Flowers made with mini marshmallows. (Cut a few mini marshmallows into three pieces with a pair of scissors to make the petals.)

Faces made with m&ms and jelly beans.

Flowers made with m&ms and smarties.

Cupcakes decorated with sour animal lollies.

A Few of My Favourite Baby Things

2009-07-28T04:45:00.000+10:00

Baby Shoes

How cute are these little shoes. Now if only I could get her to keep them on her feet.

Bunnikins Egg Cup

This was an Easter present from Nana.

Jemima Puddle Duck Dish Set

A gift from Pa.

Music box

A gift from my sister. You wind it up underneath and it plays the sweetest tune while the little animals spin around.

A Day at the Markets

2009-07-25T06:04:00.004+10:00

Last month we went away for a long weekend to a small country town, with real country markets. There were lots of little tables set up to sell crafty things, homemade cakes and cookies, plants, books and more. They even had a group of young girls from the local school singing out the front.

I bought this grocery bag holder - something I've been wanting for a long time to tame the pile of bags that used to live on top of my pantry. I just love the little hens on the side.

My husband bought this adorable hat for our daughter. It's about the only hat she'll wear at the moment. I think she likes playing with the tassels that hang down the sides.

Then we were discussing what kind of stall we would have if we ever decided to work at the markets. I'd probably sell clothes (I've already got half a wardrobe full that could make some money), or books (then I could read them before I sold them heehee).

Cupcakes

2009-07-23T09:23:00.005+10:00

These aren't the cupcakes that I made for the baby shower last weekend but they're an easy and yummy recipe. The baby shower cupcakes had babies on top and were just so cute. I think I downloaded those photos off the camera and I can't remember where I put them. Anyway, here is the recipe for these cupcakes.

Ingredients
125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup milk

Butter Cream Icing
100g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
food colouring (if desired)

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
2. Combine butter, extract, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl and mix with an electric beater for about 3 minutes.
3. Divide mixture into patty cases and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.
5. Beat the ingredients for the butter cream icing and spread onto cupcakes.

Note: To make chocolate cupcakes, add 1/4 cup of cocoa to the cupcake mixture.

1961 Home Beautiful Magazine

2009-07-22T01:49:00.000+10:00

How cute is this!! My mother-in-law found an old Home Beautiful magazine from 1961. Here are some ideas if you're thinking of redecorating your house - 60's style.

Or why not redo your bathroom with floor to ceiling tiles - blue of course!

And how cute are these homemakers with their pretty dresses and pearls.

These were the days when houses were designed with the needs of the homemaker in mind. I just love the elegant lady with the cute hair style and pretty apron doing the laundry.

The Story About the Beaded Necklaces

2009-07-21T02:49:00.000+10:00

When I was a teacher I would wear lots of different beaded necklaces to school and inevitably one of the children in my class would comment on them. When they did, I would tell them this true story.

A few years ago I had a lovely necklace with light mauve and pearl coloured beads around it. I really liked it and I wore it often. A few months after I got it I wore it to a friend's house and she told me how pretty it was. The following week I felt like God asked me to give the necklace away to my friend. I didn't want to give it away because I liked it so much and I hadn't had it for very long.

Anyway, all day I had this nagging feeling that I needed to go and give her the necklace. So that evening I went over to her house and gave it away. I left feeling happy that I had given my friend a nice gift, but disappointed that I no longer had my favourite necklace. I remember saying to God something along the lines of ..."Well, I gave the necklace away like you asked. If you could give me another one I'd be really grateful, but if not, then thank you for helping me to obey you."

A few months went by and I forgot about the whole episode until one day I was out shopping with my grandmother. I saw a beaded necklace in a shop and decided to buy it for myself. When we got back to my nana's house we were talking about the things we had both bought that day and she said "I didn't know you liked necklaces like that. I have a few old ones packed away that you might like." She took me into her bedroom and pulled out a jewellery box full of beaded necklaces and gave them all to me.

I really believe that God chose to bless me with those necklaces because I obeyed Him. Of course, I don't believe that we should expect God to bless us in that way whenever we bless others, sometimes just doing something nice for someone else is the real blessing for us. But I do believe that if we don't obey God in even the little things that He asks us to do, then we won't know what we're missing out on.

The seven beaded necklaces from my grandmother.

Scones with Jam and Cream

2009-07-18T03:47:00.001+10:00

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

50 grams butter

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix it through.

3. Rub the butter through the dry ingredients with your fingertips.

4. Pour in the milk and mix it lightly so that it becomes a soft dough.

5. Put the dough onto a lightly floured bench top and press it down until it's about half an inch thick.

6. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out the scone shapes and place them on a greased oven tray.

7. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until cooked through but not brown.

8. Cut the scones in half and serve with jam and cream.

Makes 12 scones.

Mickey Mouse Cake

2009-07-17T04:23:00.001+10:00

This post was originally published on my old blog, Summer At Home, in March 2009.

This is a cake I made last month for a 1st Birthday party. I got the original design from "The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book" and changed a few things. First, I made a butter cake mixture (recipe below) and poured it into a round cake tin for the face, and two muffin tins for the ears.

Once the cake had completely cooled I iced the ears with chocolate icing (recipe below) and rolled them in chocolate sprinkles. I ended up pouring the sprinkles into a bowl and pressing the iced cupcakes into the sprinkles firmly to get them to stick on.

Then I used a sharp knife to lightly draw the shape across the top of Mickey's head and iced the top half with chocolate icing. This time I poured the sprinkles into place and gently pressed them down with my finger tips.

Next I made butter icing (recipe below) and used a skewer to carefully add a drop of red food colouring to make the icing skin-coloured. I used this icing to decorate the bottom half of Mickey's face.

Finally, I used a decorator's writing gel pen (bought from the supermarket) to draw on the eyes, eyebrows and mouth. The nose is a mint slice biscuit and the tongue is a strawberry wafer.

I placed the cake on a chopping board covered in foil.

Butter Cake Recipe

Ingredients

185 grams (3/4 cup) butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

3 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).

2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and creamy.

3. Add the eggs and continue beating until combined.

4. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and add the milk.

5. Stir by hand until combined.

6. Spoon part of the mixture into two greased muffin cups.

7. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Pour the remaining mixture into a round, greased cake tin.

9. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Put a skewer into the centre of the cakes. If it comes out clean, they have finished cooking.

10. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning onto a cooling rack.

11. Allow cakes to completely cool before icing.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

125g (1/2 cup) butter

2 tablespoons milk

Method

1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl.

2. Add the butter and mix it through the icing sugar with your fingertips or the back of a spoon.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and stir. If required, add the remaining milk. The icing should be quite thick, not runny, so that it stays on the cake.

Butter Icing

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

125g (1/2 cup butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1 drop of red food colouring

Method

1. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.

2. Add the butter and mix it through the icing sugar with your fingertips or the back of a spoon.

3. Add the vanilla essence and 1 tablespoon of milk and stir. If required, add the remaining milk.

4. Dip a toothpick or skewer into the red food colouring then mix it into the icing.

I Just Saved $1194!!

2009-07-16T02:32:00.001+10:00

Do you ever get an idea in your head and it's just so great that you can't stop thinking about it? Well last week I discovered this embroidery blog. It has the cutest little embroidered t-shirts and bath towels. I started dreaming about all the things I could make for my family and friends if I only had an embroidery machine.

So yesterday I braved the freezing cold weather and walked into town. I went to a sewing shop and asked the kind lady how much an embroidery machine cost. The ones they sold STARTED at $1200! That's right - $1200 to put some pretty pictures on a child's t-shirt! Well, of course I acted casual, like I knew all along that that's how much they cost, in fact, that actually seemed like a good price. Ha! I thanked the lady and told her I'd have to think about it a bit more.

Then I went to Spotlight and bought a little iron-on flower, letter and butterfly for $2 each. So I basically saved $1194.

From now on, iron-on motifs work for me.

Our Generous Family

2009-07-15T08:58:00.010+10:00

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful, loving, generous extended family. In the last few months one of my husband's cousins brought over four big bags of gorgeous baby clothes for our little girl to wear, another cousin recently gave us a box of DVDs, books and toys in great condition, my mother-in-law and aunty have made us the most beautiful knitted jumpers and blankets, and my husband's nana (who is 95!!!) made us these adorable knitted dolls.

Last week my mum and nana gave our little girl her first pair of jeans and this cute cardigan and jumpsuit.

We feel so loved and so grateful that God has blessed us with such a wonderful family.

Housework

2009-07-14T03:13:00.000+10:00

I was chatting with some friends at playgroup the other day and the topic of housework came up. We started talking about which jobs we liked and didn't like doing around the house. One girl said she didn't like doing the laundry and another said she hated washing dishes. I really don't mind either of those jobs. If it's a nice sunny day I love hanging the washing on the clothesline and getting it off in the afternoon, smelling lovely and fresh. And I even quite enjoy doing the dishes. It's usually a time when I think or pray or plan my day.

For me the worst job is definitely vacuuming. We don't have a great vacuum cleaner so it's quite an effort to pick up all the dust and things that fall on the floor. My long hair seems to fall out in every room of the house, and with my baby girl moving around so quickly now I feel like I have to vacuum all the time. I'm considering getting a dust buster to see if that will make it easier.

My friends and I considered trading chores at each others' house. One of us would do everyone's laundry, another person would do everyone's dishes and the other would do everyone's vacuuming. It didn't seem like a fair trade though as there's always lots more laundry and dishes than vacuuming. :)

Image courtesy of http://www.art.com/

Granola Bars

2009-07-11T10:26:00.001+10:00

These granola bars are quite healthy as I reduced the amounts of sugar and honey, but that means they're not as sweet tasting as other recipes. You could try substituting fruit juice for the water and add more dried fruit to get a sweeter tasting bar. They're still yummy though and a good consistency (not too crumbly or dry).

Ingredients
2 cups oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Mix the dry ingredients, the dried fruit and the sesame seeds together in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the water, the honey and the melted butter.

4. Add the honey mixture to the dry ingredients and stir through.

5. Press the mixture into a greased baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-07-10T02:43:00.001+10:00

These buttermilk pancakes are by far the fluffiest and nicest tasting pancakes I've ever made.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Method

1. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl and add the egg.

2. Slowly pour in the milk as you mix the ingredients with an electric mixer.

3. Beat for about 2 minutes to get all the lumps out.

4. Heat some butter in a frying pan on low-medium heat and pour in some mixture.

5. Cook the pancake slowly (as the mixture is thick) and flip the pancake over when bubbles begin to form on the top.

6. Cook the other side until lightly golden brown.

7. Serve with honey, sugar and lemon, maple syrup or fruit syrup.

Hot dinner, freezing cold night

2009-07-10T02:05:00.001+10:00

I think today is probably the coldest day we have had all year (it's Winter in this part of the world) and I am so grateful that the Lord has provided us with a comfortable house, warm clothes and a very effective heater.

Because it is so grey and wet outside I decided that it would be the perfect day to make pumpkin soup. As with my Banana Bread, it has taken me a few tries to perfect a pumpkin soup recipe. However, I think I have finally done it. I used this recipe from www.bestrecipes.com.au and modified it a little bit.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic (optional)
2kg jap pumpkin (about 3/4 of a whole pumpkin), peeled and cut
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut
3 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable stock powder
3 1/2 cups water
200ml thickened cream

Method:
1. Lightly fry the onion and garlic in some oil in a large pot.
2. Add the cut pumpkin and potato, the vegetable stock and the water.
3. Let the water simmer for about 1/2 an hour till the vegetables are soft.
4. Let the soup cool for about 1/2 hour then blend it in a blender (or use a hand-held blender if you have one).
5. Pour all the soup back into the pot but do not put back onto the heat.
6. Add the cream and stir through.
7. Put the soup into bowl and heat in the microwave.

I still had a chicken breast sitting in the fridge that I had defrosted yesterday (then decided not to use for dinner last night) so I also made mini chicken pizzas. I cut up the chicken breast, fried it then added about 1/2 cup BBQ sauce to the pan. I coated the chicken in the sauce. Then I cut up a french bread stick and baked the pieces in the oven for about 10 minutes. I put some extra BBQ sauce on the bread pieces, added the cooked chicken and sprinkled some grated cheese on top. Very simple and delicious!

Birth Skills, by Juju Sundin

2009-07-09T08:36:00.003+10:00

When I first became pregnant my younger sister, who had given birth to a baby 8 months before, told me to buy the book "Birth Skills" by Juju Sundin. I was very skeptical and thought it would be a lot of visualisation or weird things that I'm not into. As my pregnancy progressed she kept telling me about this book until one day when I was about 7 months along she came up to visit and brought the book with her. I read the whole book just a couple of weeks before I went into labour and I am so glad that I did.

I honestly believe that without the knowledge and skills I learned from the book I would have panicked and asked for an epidural (something I really didn't want). Anyway, enough raving. I will try as best as I can to outline the main principles from the book.

At the beginning of the book the author says these things:

"Labour pain is healthy pain. As labour progresses and the pain really established its presence, there will be no time to make decisions about how you will handle each contraction..." "... it is essential that you understand that labour pain is healthy pain. It is caused by the uterine muscle actually working." pg. 7

All the skills that she teaches in the book are based around this principle:

"If you bombard your nervous system with non-painful thoughts and physical and emotional actions, you can dull your pain further through distraction and redirected focus of attention".

Basically what that means is that if, when you are in pain, you can take your mind off the pain or distract yourself in some way, you won't focus on the pain as much and it won't feel so bad. Also, if you are focusing on the pain, you tend to panic and freeze up. If you have something else to focus on then you feel more in control.

When we are in labour adrenalin is pumping through our body like crazy.

"Adrenalin thinks in terms of stress and action. If action is not taken when adrenalin pumps into your system - even if the trigger is healthy pain - it will continue to rise and rise within your body, increasing your stress." pg. 26 "If you can mobilise yourself with a pain-free rhythmic activity and focus on that, believe me, fear and panic will take a back-seat." pg. 26

So... what can you do to take your mind off the pain? When labour first begins it is important to try and rest - you don't want to wear yourself out too early. If the pain is off and on and not too bad, try to sit down, relax, breath slowly (really hard when you are so incredibly excited about meeting your wonderful new baby). Once the pain is more intense, try any or all of these strategies.

1. Focus on the legs not the pain.

* Pace the floor in a slow rhythmic fashion.

* Walk on the spot and focus on the movement, or your feet on the floor. (When we got to the hospital I put on my nightgown and my sneakers and I jogged on the spot for about 5 hours. This was the biggest thing that helped me manage the contractions and before that day I wasn't even fit enough to run around the block :))

* Lie on your side on the bed and slide your foot along the calf of your other leg.

* Sit on a fit ball with your feet wide apart and bounce softly (My hospital had a fit ball and I was hoping to be able to use it but it didn't feel comfortable to me at the time).

2. Breathing and vocalisation

"Simple: pain makes you hold your breath! If you hold your breath in the first stage of labour you make the pain worse". pg. 49

* Each time you breath out whisper 'yes' or 'open' or any word that helps.

* Make an aah sound, not as in a screaming AAAGH but as in "Aaah that baby is so cute". Focus on the rhythmic aaah sound as it comes out. Get louder as the pain increases.

* Ask your husband to make the aaah sound and focus on the sound he is making. Let me say that when I was reading all these skills I thought I would be too embarrassed to do them, or the midwives would think I was crazy. But in the moment I wasn't embarrassed and the midwives have seen it all before anyway.

3. Visualisation

"Visualisation is quite simply the creative faculty or process of forming visual images or ideas, realities, imaginings, scenes, memories, future events, objects etc. in your mind". pg. 82

* Imagine a beautiful relaxing scene like a beach or a waterfall.

* Play soft relaxing music (if the hospital allows it) and imagine things that go with the music. (I used an ipod to play my favourite praise and worship songs and I focused on the words in the songs).

* Count up and down. Ask your husband to count and picture each number in your head as he says it. This can also be helpful in counting out each contraction. As I felt a contraction coming I would say "Count" and my husband would start counting. I would focus on what he was saying until the contraction passed.

* Imagine you are riding a wave, going higher and higher, then down. The day before I went into labour my husband drove me down to the beach and we drove past some big fishing boats pulling into a dock. He said "when you go into labour just picture those big powerful fishing boats pushing through the waves". I thought he was crazy, but when I was in labour, I kept picturing those powerful fishing boats and I think they got me through a good 2 hours of contractions :)

4. Stress balls.

Get a couple of those little soft squishy stress balls if you can and use them in different ways.

* Squeeze the balls in your hands and focus on your hand movements.

* Play music and tap the balls to the beat.

* Bang the balls in time with the contraction - slowly at first then faster as it intensifies, then slowly again.

5. Keywords

* Repeat a word over and over (any word).

* Repeat a phrase over and over - "healthy pain" or "pain out" or "baby's coming".

* Look at what you see and say those things - "tiles, bed, tap, sink, floor".

* Give some keywords to your husband to say for encouragement - "keep breathing", "focus on my voice", "keep stepping", "release".

The book also has techniques to help with the pushing stage.

My Final Tips

1. Pray. Pray before you go into labour and during labour. Ask God to give you strength and peace.

2. Take some comforting verses from the Bible in with you to read or memorise a couple of verses to say over and over in your head.

3. When you get to the hospital inform the doctor or midwives of your desire for a natural birth. Ask them not to offer pain medication unless you ask for it or unless it is medically necessary.

4. If you are induced and the pain starts quickly, start using the strategies straight away if you need to. If you find one or more birth skill isn't working for you try something else. (I told my husband about the skills and he reminded me of different things to try when he could see that something wasn't helping).

5. If you have tried everything to help with the pain, do not feel like a failure if you need medication. Every labour and birth is different, no one should judge your way of doing things.

6. Nothing comes before the safety of the baby and the mother so listen to the advice of the midwives and doctors. The end goal is to have your beautiful baby healthy and safe in your arms. It doesn't matter so much how they get there.

7. If you still have a few days left before you go into labour, try and sit forward with your legs apart as much as possible on a lounge or on a fit ball (as opposed to lying down or putting your feet up). This will encourage the baby to be facing the right way when it comes out which makes labour easier.

Cooking with Children

2009-07-08T08:35:00.003+10:00

Cooking with children can be a wonderful experience that creates natural learning opportunities and sweet memories. Or it can be a stressful, unpleasant experience that ends in tears. Here are some tips to help make it fun for everybody.

1. Before you start, take a moment to make sure your heart is right. If you have been dreading the thought of teaching your children how to cook, or you are worried about the mess or lack of time you will find it much harder to keep your patience and sense of humour. Think of it as a chance to have fun with your kids and maybe even produce something yummy at the end.

2. Choose a morning or afternoon when you have lots of time. Cooking with kids will take a lot longer than cooking something by yourself.

3. Put on some fun music and maybe even a pretty apron. Make sure your kitchen is clean so that you're not trying to work around last night's dirty dinner plates.

4. Gather up all the ingredients and utensils before you start. (Nothing causes frustration faster than getting half-way through a recipe only to discover that you have to race up to the shop because you've run out of sugar).

5. Choose a meal that is fun to make and one that your child will enjoy eating at the end.

6. Read through the recipe with your child and explain that there are ingredients and a method. Let them try to find the ingredients in the cupboard or fridge if they are old enough.

7. Let them participate in each part of the process by giving them age-appropriate tasks. For example, give them a mini bowl with part of the mixture in it and let them stir it, then add it back into the big bowl with the remaining mixture. When cooking with little kids, it may be better if you measure out the ingredients then they pour them into the bowl.

8. Don't worry if the food doesn't turn out so nice, it's the time spent together that matters.

9. Remember to make if fun for them - laugh and praise your child often.

Ten Things I Love About Winter

2009-07-07T11:05:00.000+10:00

Aunt Ruthie's Snickerdoodles and Hot Chocolate

This is going to be a real stretch for me because I really DO NOT like Winter. I would much rather endure sweltering hot days and balmy nights than sit shivering under a blanket with six layers on. But, every time I complain about the cold my husband reminds me that I am spending a quarter of my life hating something that I cannot change and that God made for us to enjoy. Now I certainly don't want to waste one quarter of my life being miserable, so here are ten things I love about winter.

1. Hot chocolate.

2. Big, soft, woolly sweaters.

3. Baking cookies so that the oven warms the kitchen and makes the whole house smell yummy.

Hmm, I'm struggling already.

4. Snuggling under a big, warm doona.

5. Putting soft, knitted hats on my little cutie-muffin.

6. Hot pumpkin soup with cheesy bread.

7. Sitting by a warm fire, toasting marshmallows.

8. Indoor picnics on the lounge room floor.

9. My hot water bottle. I put it on my lap when I'm sitting at the computer and it keeps my hands and legs warm. Isn't it cute! It came in this soft owl cover with a pretty purple ribbon around the top.

10. Curling up on the couch and watching back-to-back episodes of Little House on the Prairie.

Whew, I made it. Now I'm going to make a concerted effort to enjoy the next 56 days until my beloved Spring arrives!!

Reading to babies

2009-06-23T15:54:00.003+10:00

What is the point in reading to babies? They can't understand what you're saying. They don't follow along with the story. They frequently get distracted and look away. Sometimes they don't even look at the book at all.

The truth is that there are a lot of great reasons to begin reading to babies from the time they are born. Here are just a few that I could think of.

* It is a lovely bonding experience. Cuddle up nice and close and make it fun for both of you.

* They learn how to use a book. For example, we usually start at the beginning and read through to the end, we have to turn the pages to find out what happens next, the pictures match what the writing says, and so on.

* They listen to the sound of your voice and this stimulates their little brains and encourages language development.

* It encourages an enjoyment of reading in children.

* Reading to a baby helps develop a good habit of sitting together and reading regularly.

* It means that they will have a better chance of become good readers as they grow up. Children who enjoy reading tend to read more which makes them better readers. Also, studies show that children who are read to regularly by adults become better readers because the adults are modelling the skills of reading to them.

Spring Cookies

2009-06-23T09:01:00.001+10:00

Ingredients

Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
100g butter
2 eggs
2 cups of self-raising flour

Butter Icing
125g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
food colouring

Method
1. Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl until creamy.
2. Add the eggs and flour and continue beating until mixed.
3. Sprinkle some flour on the bench top then roll the dough out until it is about 2mm thick.
4. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough and place the shapes onto a greased baking tray.

5. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they go very lightly brown.

6. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool.
7. When they are cool, ice them with butter icing. I used Wilton Icing Colors to make bright pink and purple.

Berry Muffins

2009-06-18T08:01:00.005+10:00

Ingredients
2½ cups (375g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
90g cold butter, chopped
1 cup (220g) sugar
1¼ cups (310ml) milk
1 egg, beaten lightly
200g blueberries and raspberries

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 18o degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan.
3. Sift the flour and the baking powder into a bowl and rub in the butter.
4. Stir in the sugar, milk and egg.
5. Add the berries and stir them through gently.
6. Spoon the mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

These berry muffins were so delicious and moist. My only tip would be that when you spoon the mixture into the pan try to put just the batter and no berries on the bottom of each pan, then spoon some berries on top. If there is a berry at the bottom, it might stick to the pan when you try to remove the muffins.

A little boy and his ball

2009-06-17T10:08:00.003+10:00

When I first became a Christian I was working as a kindergarten teacher. Each day I would go to school and hear and see things that broke my heart. Children came to school without breakfast, with very little food in their schoolbag, without a jumper in cold weather, telling me stories of policemen coming to their house in the night, and more.

One little boy in my class was very quiet and shy and cried easily. I had met his father only once when he came up to school and lost his temper with me over a minor incident regarding homework.

One day this little boy had brought in a small ball from home to play with at lunch. After lunch he came back to the classroom crying. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that someone had thrown his ball onto the covering over the play area and he couldn't get it down. He was worried that he would get into trouble when he got home for losing his ball.

I looked out the classroom window and could see the blue ball sitting high up on the metal shade cover. I told him not to worry about it, that I would ask the groundsman to get the ball down for him after school. All afternoon I kept a close eye on that ball through the classroom window. When the bell rang and the children went home I went searching for the groundsman. Someone told me that he had already gone home for the day. My heart sank.

I walked back up to the classroom and climbed onto a brick wall about 1 metre high to see if I could reach the ball. It was way out of my reach. I couldn't help but think about that little boy and pray that he wasn't getting into trouble from his dad at home. I stood there looking at the ball and I asked God to please help me find a way to get it down.

At that very moment (I am not making this up!) a wind blew the ball right across the metal covering and into my hands.

I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that God answered my prayer because he wanted to let me know that he was walking alongside me during those difficult days.

The next day I gave the boy back his ball and he gave me a very rare and special smile.

60 Years of Marriage

2009-06-17T09:36:00.006+10:00

Last week my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. That's right....60 years of marriage. Not many people will get to celebrate such an occasion. Most people will probably not even live long enough to reach their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married very young and have seen many changes in their family over those years.

When my sisters and I were young we lived about 3 1/2 hours away from their house and we would always go up to visit during school holidays. Every time we would pull into their driveway my Nana would come rushing out of the house to meet us with lots of hugs and kisses. And every time she would put her hands on our cheeks and say "You know it feels like it's been about 273 years since the last time I saw you". It always made me feel so special and so loved to know that she had missed us and was excited to see us.

I am so grateful to have so many happy memories of my grandparents, and I'm also grateful to have the chance to visit with them more regularly now.

Visit Heavenly Homemakers to see what other people are grateful for today.

Afternoon Tea Surprise

2009-06-16T10:19:00.008+10:00

A few months ago my younger sister was over and she reminded me of something we loved to do when we were kids. When we were about 8 or 10 years old we would come home from school and take turns to make each other an afternoon tea surprise. If it was my turn I would try to think of her favourite foods and make up a little snack. I would try to present it nicely and then carry it into the living room on a tray to my sister who was waiting to be surprised.

We used to make simple things such as chocolate milk, crackers with cheese or peanut butter, cut up fruit, but it was always fun to see what the other one was going to come up with. Sometimes we got a bit crazy and tried to invent new recipes (throwing all sorts of sweet things into a glass of milk, for example), but that just made it more fun.

Now that I think about it, this simple activity taught us some really good lessons. We learnt:

- how to prepare and present food nicely.

- how to put some one else's preferences and desires above your own.

- and how to be creative with the things in your cupboard.

I hope when my children are old enough they will have as much fun doing this for each other as we did.

Book Review: Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham

2009-02-17T06:17:00.001+11:00

I first read this book when my husband and I found out that we are expecting our first child. It impacted me so greatly that I have since lead a Bible study discussion on it and given a talk about it. The principle idea behind the book is the author's vision to "motivate, correct, encourage and equip families to do what God commands concerning the next generation". pg. 7 And what God commands can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Voddie Baucham begins the book by siting various research studies which highlight the increasing number of teens and young adults who are leaving the faith after attending church throughout their childhood and growing up in Christian homes. The author believes that this crisis is not due to the lack of effectiveness of church programs, but rather the failure of parents to assume the responsibility to teach and train their children to love and serve God.

Further research shows that parents focus too much time and attention on their children's education, sporting accomplishments and hobbies, rather than on teaching them a biblical worldview and encouraging their relationship with Christ.

Thankfully, this book provides numerous ways for parents to change their attitudes and actions, to focus more on encouraging their children to live Christ-centred lives. Some suggestions the author makes are:

- Accept your responsibility as parents to teach, train and pray for your children.

- Model your faith. Let your children see you praying, reading the Bible and trusting God in your everyday life.

- Accept that your children belong to God, not you. We should not plan our children's future based on our own selfish motives, but on God's purpose for them.

- Acknowledge God as a family as often as you can. At meal times, in times of crisis, during small events throughout the day, on special occasions, give thanks and praise to God.

- Read the Bible daily together as a family.

- Study what the Bible says on raising children and leading a family.

- Talk about your own faith with your children.

- Play spiritual music in your home.

- Display scriptures around the home and encourage your children to memorise them.

- Keep family worship regular, simple, mandatory and participatory. Help children to enjoy worship by including them in the activities and choosing songs and passages they can understand and learn.

I highly recommend this book to all Christians, particularly those who have been blessed with children.