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Two Weeks Ago

Celebrations, Our Home, , , ,

Two weeks ago, I woke early. Lay in bed. Felt a pop and a gush of water (thank goodness I had been using the waterproof under-sheets!!) I lay there in shock for a few minutes: our little baby had decided to make an entrance two weeks early. Two weeks in which I had planned on finishing packing my bags (I know, I know), airing babygros and vests, finding a good book to read when I was in hospital. After being mithered with strong false pains for weeks, I didn’t have as much as a twinge. All my fanciful imaginings that this baby would swoop into our world at speed before a Caesarian section could be performed (I have had three previous C.S.) were dashed: this was my third baby to turn from head down to an unstable lie as soon as the membranes ruptured. So I had a bit of a cry at what lay ahead, took some Aconite for shock and concentrated on my GentleBirth affirmation: “I am prepared for whatever path my birthing takes” (I did the GentleBirth self hypnosis programme whilst pregnant, and cannot praise it highly enough. I give all the credit for the fact I was feeling completely calm and didn’t cry the entire time I was in theatre) (the lack of tears was a great relief for everyone I’m sure. It’s a bit unnerving to have a wife or patient who can’t control her hysteria while on a narrow operating table)

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We headed to the hospital and that afternoon, Anna arrived into our world: tiny, unbelievably soft and perfect. It was all very calm, very gentle and very happy.

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Unfortunately, I had some complications (nicked bladder) which for normal people would have been a bit of a setback; for me, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Ten days ago I wouldn’t have rated my chances of sitting here typing this too highly; so with every fibre of my being, I feel utter and complete relief and gratitude for my care while in hospital (I attended Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. The midwives were outstanding in their kindness and care, as were the care staff and doctors); for my family who leaped into action and rallied around, minding me and our children; for friends who prayed and prayed and prayed some more and supported us, and for Homeopathy: I am really so blessed. IMG_20140417_185021

I am only home a few days and well on the road to recovery. I have another bit to go, but I’m okay. I’m writing this with a very small, miniature human tucked under my chin (where she likes to nuzzle to), kissing her with every tiny sigh and moan (every ten seconds or so) so it’s hard to feel anything but utter joy.

I’m happy to forget the nightmare that was: I’m here, I’m home, my husband makes me tea and scones in the morning and tells me he loves me and I’m beautiful even though I feel battered and gunky and I’ve tubes coming out of me and weird complaints; my older children spend their time lavishing our Little One with love and kisses; I’m alive, -I’m alive!- and getting well, and feeling positive and grateful and so very, very blessed.

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This time two weeks ago feels like an instant, and in another way, an eternity. So many times every day, we hold our teeny baby and marvel at how incredible and perfect she is, and how, hard to believe, she hasn’t always been with us. Oh, the smell! The softness! The utter deliciousness of a newborn! Welcome home Baby Anna  xx

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Blossoming

Garden produce, Home-making, Our Garden, Our Home, walks, , , , , , ,

I’m 38 weeks pregnant today… feel like I’m about to burst, but I’m in good company as everywhere seems to be suddenly waking up and blossoming :-)

I’m tired and can feel I’m slowly closing, spiralling into myself: very, very soon we will be welcoming this Little One into our hearts and arms. Time seems to be slowing down and speeding up, all at the same time… I’m ready… I think!

Here are some snapshots of what’s happening around here…

1(The bottom right photo is of a pot of bulbs that our lovely friend Dorothy gave us at Christmas-time: it was planted to come into bloom when Baby was due. It is now in bloom as we wait these last few days! What a thoughtful, heart present; I just love it)

2(Tadpole season down the boreen… beyond exciting for small people… and their parents!)

3(We found a small skeleton in the willows. We think it is a small fox: a few months ago a friend of ours was over and spotted one that looked unwell. When we went out to investigate it was gone. Today we found this skull and the boys googled fox skulls and they reckon it is, indeed, the remains of the little fox. Another exciting find!)

 

 

 

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WIN! 6 month Netflix Subscription and TurboFast Goody Bag!

Our Home, Reviews, ,

I’m delighted to be able to offer a chance to win a fantastic 6 month Netflix Subscription and TurboFast Goody Bag here, thanks to Netflix ~ details below

We haven’t had a TV for years. As soon as we got broadband, as opposed to dial-up, we got rid of the telly and did all our viewing on the computer. There were many pros to this: we choose precisely what we wanted to watch, and when, and the internet-full of content. There were many cons too: it was dependent on the quality of broadband, often lagging and frequented by pop-up ads (only some of which could be blocked by ad blockers)

Recently, we started using Netflix, and the comfort and ease of watching has just increased several-fold. Netflix can be used on all computers as well as mobile devices, in fact, anywhere you can access the internet; Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, X-Box, Wii.

There are many advantages of Netflix: There is a section for all the family, profiles for up to five individuals, so it easily caters for the average family, this means that the children’s section has only kids stuff, and so there is no inappropriate content for their eyes.
There is a huge selection of movies and tv programmes, all categorized into different genres, such as Action and Adventure, Romantic etc. As well as having the golden oldies, they have a lot of the up to date modern programmes, like the Netflix Originals “Orange is the New Black” and the award winning “House of Cards” (which we just finished watching: dark, gritty and brilliantly written)

Also the feature my husband likes best: it resumes where you left off, and will do that on whatever you watched last. It also has the added aspect that it comes up with viewing suggestions based on your profile and what you have previously watched.

Not only does it have a great range of programmes for kids, it is a very safe environment for them to use. Netflix also have original kids content: new episodes of Turbo FAST that will be available for streaming in early April. This is Netflix’s first original series for kids and became an instant hit across the world when it was launched last Christmas.

To celebrate, Netflix is giving a prize of a 6 month Netflix subscription and a Turbo FAST goody bag here on my blog. You have three ways to enter to increase your chances of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please Note: I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team so I’ll be bringing you an update from time to time of what they have to offer. This is a sponsored blogpost, although all the opinions here are my own.

Comforting, Easy Bakes...Feck-It Style

Comforting, Easy Bakes…Feck-It Style

Cooking, Our Home, Recipes, , , , , , ,

(I apologise for being AWOL at the minute: I am part of the team who have started Parent.ie – a website which is “a new take on parenting websites, covering a wide range of topics relevant to real Irish parents” It is wonderful, but takes up a lot of time for me at the minute as it’s a huge learning curve and my brain is at a constant go-slow… only a few weeks left before Baby makes an appearance :-)  I’ve several posts half written for my own, badly neglected blog here… I’ll try get myself in gear over the next week… but until then, enjoy some easy cooking!)

I’m not sure about you, but these days, I want easy, flavoursome food with minimal effort (maybe I should clarify and say I want this all the time, but there are days I’m willing to put in some extra effort)

I also want something that everyone will eat and won’t break the bank. These are vastly changeable; I find quiche to be the most wonderful “feck-it” bake of all. So there I shall start…:

Quiche

I usually make my own pastry, but when I’m feeling less virtuous (and pastry, after all, is not rocket science, nor is it difficult to throw together) I unroll some that I keep in the fridge. I buy puff pastry when I’m in Lidl; it’s not expensive, keeps a week or two in the fridge and is ready when you are.

In a buttered tin (I have a fluted tin), I press the pastry into the tin, then bake blind using chick peas as baking beans I keep for such a purpose. While it is baking (10 minutes) I root around for bits to fire in: cheese (even stuff that’s not looking great, a bit of judicious shaving of mouldy bits and I grate it up. Mould on cheese isn’t that bad. I’ve decided anyway) I had a wedge of brie I used last week, just cut off the rind and chopped it up. It was rather fine.

I always have a few tomatoes, even two or three cherry ones chopped up. And I always have an onion.  Any other veg like courgettes or peppers; meat like bacon, chicken, ham can all find a place in a quiche. I lightly fry up these (in coconut oil, delicious) especially the onion.

In a large-ish bowl I whip up anything up to three eggs (whatever I have) and some creme fraiche or cream or sour cream or natural yougurt (I told you this was a feck-it recipe) You are aiming for about a cup of the dairy. (I welcome suggestions of non-dairy that I could use!) Into the eggy mix, I stir in the cheeses and any ingredients that aren’t cooked.

In the baked pastry case, I put the onion and any cooked bits, then the eggy mix on top. I give it a quick stir around and fire it into a moderate oven to cook for 20 minutes or until set in the middle.  So simple and so delicious **salivating**

Spud Bake

Comforting, Easy Bakes...Feck-It Style

This evolved from something Jane over at That Curious Love Of Green posted on her Facebook page a while ago. She grated courgette into some potatoes to bake them. I tried it, and it was indeed incredibly creamy and delicious. I quite fancy those small salad potatoes at the moment, and they are perfect in this.

In a large baking dish, I chop up the salad potatoes in quarters or halves. Into this I add some, or all, depending on what I have:

grated courgette (or any other veg)

finely chopped onion

spring onion

garlic

grated cheese (If I am adding cheese, I add it near the end)

… or anything else you fancy. Enjoy!

 

 

Trust

Mixed Media Art, Our Home, Painting, ,

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This word had been my salve over the past few months…

I have felt like “life” has been doing its own thing; things are moving so fast, sliding between my fingers, slippery, half formed: I can’t catch them and I can’t make sense of them until they have suddenly realised, transpired and I realise I had no control over them in the first place anyway.

I know we have no control over anything in life really: it’s an organic unfolding process that does it’s own thing. We can pull against or go with the flow. And often just be washed along in the torrent.

Things are changing fast around here, great changes over the next while, and I, in moments of complete anxiety, just hear and see the word trust over and over… and it brings such great peace.

 Trust what’s happening.

 Trust it will be okay.

 Trust all is well.

 

(I am part of the Design Team for a new challenge blog my sister Eithne, and the lovely Michelle have set up: Craft for the Craic. Every month they have set a new Craft Challenge based around a word: this month it is Green. Check out the blog here and join in! All arty/crafty adventures are welcomed; it’s a great way to see how different crafts explore the same topic in such unique ways)

A Visit To Woodville Gardens

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Last Sunday we went to visit a walled garden near Loughrea, Co. Galway, called Woodville Walled Garden.  Woodville House has a long and fascinating history, you can read about it here, connected to Lady Augusta and the nearby Coole Park in Gort.P1010953This garden, which, by 2005 was being used as a farm field, started its transformation that year, and nine years later is blossoming into something really, really beautiful, thanks to the vision of its owners; Marie the Head Gardener and the numerous volunteers. P1010944 P1010961 P1010947

They held “Snowdrop Day” there on the 8th of February; we didn’t manage to make that day, but went over the following day.P1010969 P1010968Despite it being bitterly cold, the rain held off the entire time and we had a lovely walk and tour around the gardens.

P1010955P1010949P1010956There is a museum, cafe and little shop in the old stables. It is so well worth a visit, and we are already looking forward to going back in Spring and Summer to see how it has bloomed.

A true hidden treasure.

Pasta Bake and Mars Bar Cake

Celebrations, Cooking, Home Education, Home-making, Our Home, Recipes, , , , ,

Today was wild. Apparently, thirty minutes away there was a mini tornado! After a quick run around outside this morning, everyone retreated indoors as the weather progressively worsened. And what do you do when you can’t go out? You bake.

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I made pastry last night in anticipation of whipping up a few apple-tarts this morning, but Grace declared today “Celebrate Daddy Day” and asked could she bake too. James was not to be deterred from anything exciting involving dough, flour, pastry cutters and the chance to make a fine old mess. Then Liam and Michael decided that they would pitch in too. So I was allowed to advise from the sidelines as Grace and Liam made apple tarts and Michael made mini tart-men (dough cut into man-shapes and filled with grated apple. Super finniky) P1010975(Graces’ apple tart is the one on the left, decorated with pastry shapes of flowers, men and hearts “for Daddy”. She spent the entire time, correcting me  as I explained what to do, telling me how “Ma” (my mother) did it, and did it properly at that. Epic fail on my part obviously!!)

James cut out men shapes too, and made dough “yourds” [swords] for them. Then waited by the oven door for them to bake (no patience) asking me every few seconds: ”Done?!” Eventually they were (longest ten minutes) and he huffed and puffed and blew them until they were cool, then gobbled them up with relish…20140212_140149

Grace drew a picture for Fergal for “Celebrate Daddy Day”:P1010976

We are getting married under an arbour and I’m holding the new baby. It gladdens my heart to see that I’m several feet taller than Fergal in this :-D

We stopped for lunch: I made this pasta bake last night, still had lots, so we had it for lunch. It was y-u-m…

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Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake 

(This is another feck-it recipe. I got together whatever I had, and improvised. As I encourage you to do too!)

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts (I had roasted two large chickens two days ago, and so had two large cooked chicken breasts which I used)

I chorizo sausage, chopped

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

Dash of oil

Cup of peas (I used frozen)

Approx 250mls of Creme Fraiche or Cream (Or natural yogurt if you were stuck)

100gms (I used half a tube) of tomato puree (Or a tin of chopped tomatoes, or a jar of passata)

Grated cheese (however much you fancy)

500g Penne Pasta

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Preheat the oven 180′C

Put the pasta on.

In a large saucepan, I added the oil, and, when hot, tossed around the onion. If your chicken is raw, cook it now first. Add the chorizo and garlic. 

Add creme fraiche/cream and puree, stir it all around. Add the cooked, drained pasta, and toss everything so it is well coated in the sauce. Put into an oven proof dish, stir in the grated cheese, bake for 15-20 minutes.

After lunch, I made a Mars Bar Cake as I bought some Mars Bars yesterday with this in mind (and we were celebrating after all). This is a Nigella recipe and is as moreish and delicious as you would expect!

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Mars Bar Cake 

(This fast started to turn into another Feck-it cake too: I found a few chocolate santas and some caramel Roses sweets that I threw in too. I tried to restrain myself there)

3 Mars Bars

2 Tablespoons of golden syrup

100gms butter (real butter please)

Enough Rice Krispies to coat

200g chocolate

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In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the Mars Bars, golden syrup and butter.   When they have melted, stir in enough Rice Krispies to coat, then press into a tin lined with greaseproof paper. 

Melt the chocolate and pour on top, spreading out evenly.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares and devouring.

Art, Frustration & Apple Tarts

Altered Art, Cakes, Cooking, Crafts, handmade, Handmade dolls, Home-making, Mixed Media Art, Our Home, Recipes, , , , , , , , , ,

The way it is with me is this: I don’t post for a few days, which then lengthens into a week; then over a week, and unless I forcibly make myself write, I keep putting it on “the long finger”…

Not that I don’t have plenty to post here, and take many photos a day… it’s like a chronic laziness. Or perhaps I will pull out my trump card here and say 1) exhaustion (only nine weeks to go until baby makes an appearance!!) and 2) The return of my pregnancy sickness, which has been truly, a miserable turn this late in the pregnancy. I’ve been pretty queasy the whole way through; but on the upside, it’s not every night, only every other night (I’m, bizarrely, sick from about 8pm until 5am. Just to keep me on my toes) So I will stick to my great excuses and continue on in this post to far more lovelier things such as…

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Apple tarts! (or apple pies as some people *mistakenly* call them, cough cough Maud)

(The marble rolling pin was a present from my wonderful husband, who, incidentally, loves apple tarts)

20140208_150332It was forecast to be a pretty miserable weekend, weather wise, so Butterfly Buns (in homage to my sister who is Butterfly Bun Queen) and apple tart and custard were the order of the day…P1010914

James and I painted on Saturday for a while: I’ve been fiddling around with arty ideas, but just nothing was working. I felt like I simply didn’t have a clue what I was doing. So I painted randomly; I’ll probably use these, chopped up, for something else (my sister has set up a Design Challenge Blog here for all sorts of craft goodness. The first challenge was something with “heart” in it. My heart attempts have been disastrous so far) Hugely frustrating. P1010916James, as soon as my back was turned, would do a sneaky paint job on my page, which didn’t help either… Scut!!P1010972

I’ve been also dementing myself with Art Doll ideas… I know what I want to do, but just getting there is proving a challenge. A while ago, I made these forms, and on Sunday I tried to bring them further, but it just wasn’t working (I think I need to stick with cloth dolls for the moment, I’m finding papier mache too slow) P1010974So I gave them to Grace to decorate. She did one on Sunday and one on Monday: I was blown away with her ingenuity and creativity- nothing holding her back. It was really a lesson in free expression for me. She just adored doing these, and spent hours (literal hours) glueing and sticking (all the while with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth… just like her mother :-) )P1010971

Also, on Sunday, we went for a walk in Woodville Gardens near Loughrea, Co. Galway… but I’ll hold out and post that in a separate post or this one will never end…!

Paper Dolls and Blueberry Slice

Cakes, Home Education, Home-making, Homeopathy, Our Home, Recipes, , , , , ,

For Christmas, Grace received, amongst others, a beautiful book called The Paper Dolls (by Julia Donaldson and illustrations by Rebecca Cobb) We were reading it last night and afterwards talked about making our own paper dolls… which is exactly what we did, today!

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(note the bandaged finger: we had high drama last week when Grace got a long splinter embedded in her finger; it came out on Monday thankfully after a very anxious weekend and many poultices. Homeopathic Silica eventually pushed it out over night on Sunday in the nick of time before we went back to the hospital. Whew)

After we made the small paper dolls, we decided to make like-size ones: we had huge rolls of paper, thanks to my parents; so we lay it flat on the ground, then Grace, James and Michael lay down to be drawn around (Liam wanted to draw his foot only!!)

P1010893We had such a laugh doing this! And when we had drawn around the figures, they each coloured “themselves” in. James even drew a car in his hand with all of us in it:

P1010896Once coloured in, we cut them out and dated each one. James’ colouring doesn’t show up here, but he drew in details like each finger and eyes, the cutie. And Grace coloured in her bandaged thumb for posterity…!P1010906The mad “creature” attached to James’ foot is Liam’s foot, whom he has called ‘Kevin’:

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At the moment the giant paper children are lying on the kitchen floor waiting for their daddy to come home, making the kitchen look like a scene from C.S.I. :-)

And whilst I am here in the kitchen, let me share a delicious recipe from the kitchen of Wholesome Ireland; Blueberry Slice:P1010875I was originally going to make this with raspberries, but I cannot eat enough blueberries at the minute, the cravings! I made this recipe for Blueberry Slice almost exactly (I just addded 50g more blueberries). A gorgeously fruity delight! Thanks Caitriona!

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The Cherry Farm: e-course Giveaway!

Cooking, Crafts, Home-making, , ,

I’m really delighted to introduce Halina from The Cherry Farm who has popped over here to do a guestpost in conjunction with a giveaway for a place on her e-Course, starting on the 3rd of February 2014:creatingmagic

I’ve been a long time fan of this beautiful, gentle blog filled with gorgeous photos and wonderful ideas. The e-course promises to be an absolute treat, and we have one free place to giveaway on this blog!! Thanks Halina :-)

You have many ways to be in with a chance to win:

-comment here,

-like and share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc….

…and make sure to tell me so I can add your name as many times into the draw!

So, over to Halina…

Including Young Children in the Kitchen

 Cooking and baking with young children can be so rewarding for both children and adults.

 Some days you might prefer to just get the dinner done quickly and don’t want the extra work and time that it takes to include your children. I have those days and that’s totally fine.

By always rushing through the process, however, you miss out on a wonderful opportunity to work and learn together, to share one of the most important tasks in a family: preparing nourishment for bodies, souls and senses.

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Your children learn about healthy food along the way and might appreciate dinner much more if they are part of the process.

We always teach children important fine motor skills through various toys and gadgets although they could learn most of them by just helping you in the kitchen (and otherwise around the house).

Pouring, stirring and kneading are great activities for little hands. Yes, there will be messes and a bit of waste. But is it really a waste if your children learn early on how to feed themselves with good homemade food?!

IMG_2676Messes can be cleaned up together. Let your toddler wash the bowls or wipe the counter tops with a cloth (there are those motor skills again!) while you take two minutes to put everything away and clean up the bigger messes. Your child won’t only get better at working without making spilling everything  – you will also get much faster at giving them little jobs that keep them busy while you do the things that you want to do without “help”.

So what else could little ones do to help you?

  • As soon as they can stand up they can help you wash the vegetables in a bowl and hand them to you as you need them.
  • Another task for little hands could be peeling the dry skin off an onion or garlic cloves. They could also use a peeler to take the skin off carrots, courgettes, parsnips, potatoes…in the beginning that might result in peeling away the whole vegetable but they’ll get the hang of it eventually.
  • I always left my children handle knives (under close supervision) from an early age but that’s a very individual decision. We have a small red knife which they can use to cut soft vegetable like mushrooms.
  • If you feel comfortable with it you could let them grate cheese for you. Just tell them about the dangers but also show them your confidence that they can learn to handle these tools. Your kids will learn fast and be proud to be such a great help.
  • Kids can butter their own bread, cut cheese, wash grapes, crack eggs into a bowl, etc.

There really isn’t much they can’t do if you help them a little and show them how to do it.

IMG_2327 Once you are brave enough you can let them bake their own banana cake. Even a 2 year old can pour together a few ingredients that you measured out for him.

Provide the following ingredients in bowls, along with an empty bowl and a wooden spoon:

  • one cup of white flour (combined with 1 teaspoon baking powder)
  • one cup of wholemeal spelt flour
  • ½ cup of sugar (or less)
  • one egg
  • 1 to 2 ripe bananas
  • ¼ cup coconut oil

This activity is about fostering independence and confidence, so it helps to let go of perfectionism. Fortunately it is not important to thoroughly mix the ingredients so it’s a brilliant beginner’s recipe for a child.

Having fun in the kitchen and preparing healthy foods together is one of the best foundations you can give your child for a long and healthy life.

(This is a little excerpt from week 3 of my e-course “Creating Magical Days with your 2 to 4 year old”.)