One Year

Kat — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:05:32 +0000

Sometimes when we’re not looking, Mstr M takes his flying cot to India to ride on an elephant or a deer. Occasionally he and Miss M fly to the arctic to slide with the penguins. Luckily for us he always flies home when he’s done. This week he took some time off from his adventuring to celebrate. There was a lot of excitement from Miss M in the days leading up to his birthday, gifts were chosen, portraits were drawn and love letters ‘written’. Mr Kat and I had a couple of late nights stitching a little something for him to enjoy with his sister.

There were gifts, cards and cake. There was a trip to the beach and a to visit the turtles.

He even blew out his own candle. I wonder what he wished for?

First Day

Kat — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:47:05 +0000

We knew this day was coming and yet it snuck up on us so quickly. We set out in plenty of time and made our way through the rain. We stood in line alongside fellow parents making awkward eye contact. We went inside and she looked up at me and said: “Bubye Mama!” So we were a ‘we’ no longer, I left her and walked home with Mstr M. Waited for a phone call to tell me she needed me which never came. Mstr M and I went to collect her after three hours and she bounded up to him squealing his name. It could be my imagination but I am sure she was walking more boldly.

Dodgy Biscuits

Kat — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:36:08 +0000

I have a liking for making jam. Eating it, not so much. Luckily the rest of my family don’t feel the same way so there is an outlet for my produce. We made jammy dodgers this week from a recipe in Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen. There is a definite satisfaction in making these yummy little delights although be prepared to rest the dough for five hours.

As you can see Mstr M was very excited about the prospect of baked goods.

They looked so cute al lined up on the rack I couldn’t wait until daylight to take pictures. Sadly star shapes don’t work so well as they tend to break when you set them on top. Of course, broken biscuits taste just as good.

Miss M calls them ‘jammy dodgy biscuits’ which is certainly apt. After asking her to stand by the window so I could take a photo of her eating one she now thinks that is how they should be enjoyed.

Time Spent…

Kat — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:46:01 +0000

:: Sorting the stash

:: In the last of the snow

:: Learning to walk

:: Making cookies

:: Feeding the birds

:: Serging

:: Recuperating

:: Cooking and baking

:: Crafting

:: With friends

:: Sewing

:: Gazing

Thank you for all of your comments, tweets and emails. We had just gotten over them being ill when I came out in shingles and the littles got a winter vomiting bug so we are once more laid low. Between the snow and sickness I feel like we have barely left our village this year!

Sick

Kat — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:54:01 +0000

My babies are not well. Colds, ear infections, tonsils, temperatures and fevers are making them miserable. Back with news of first steps, cookies and soup once they are feeling chipper once more.

Favourite Photo Meme

Kat — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:00:35 +0000

I have been tagged by the intrepid Zooarchaeologist over at Being a Mummy with the Favourite Photo Meme. Now my absolute favourite photo of all time is in Yorkshire on my Granny’s wall so you will have to make do with my favourite photo of 2009.

This was taken one morning in June as Miss M and Mstr M rolled around on our bed giggling. She had turned two a few days earlier and he is just over three months old. I love this picture because it captures their blossoming affection for each other.

I tag: JuicyTots, Kitschy Coo and Sophie4Sophie as I am sure their photos will be interesting…

Donate to Haiti

Kat — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:59:57 +0000

I find myself once again floored by a natural disaster which has shaken a country to its very core. I have made my donation through the British Red Cross I hope you can too.

Snowy Days

Kat — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:07:46 +0000

Not many of these to be had in England usually and so trying to make the most of them while we have the chance. We have been tracking animal foot prints around the village, sliding along tire tracks, stomping, running, jumping, and generally working off our energy until our lips are numb and our noses streaming. Then we race back home for snuggles and hot chocolate. Bliss.

Banana Bread for Babies and Toddlers

Kat — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:00:04 +0000

When it finally dawned on me that my baby needed snacks in between meals I was somewhat at a loss when it came to what precisely she would have. Two years later and I am still making my very first baby snack creation but now with the assistance of Miss M. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do.

Banana Bread.

5 ripe bananas

250g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

75ml water

• Mash up the bananas until smooth then mix in the water.

• Sift in all of the dry ingredients (and add dry fruit if using).

• Mix to combine but don’t over-mix (like you’re making a muffin batter, flour all gone then no more).

• Turn into a well greased pound loaf tin.

• Bake for one hour at 200 degrees centigrade (maybe 180 in a fan).

• Allow to cool on a rack wrapped in a tea towel (leaving the tea towel around it in the cake tin seems to keep it nice for longer).

Variations:

• Add a handful of dried fruits (figs, raisins, dates, apricots) occasionally needs a little more water.

• Add nuts and seeds (ground for babies).

• Replace one banana with another fruit (soft ripe pear, mango, strawberries).

• Add a little cocoa powder for chocolate banana bread.

Keeps for about one week if it lasts that long…

Frosty Morning

Kat — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:25:47 +0000

Oh such a crunchy and chilly morning which is turning into an equally crunchy and chilly afternoon. Our brief foray into the cold was cut short with Miss M howling, ‘I’m so cold my bones are shaking!’ So we came back indoors and set about baking something yummy to warm her bones.