Building Character

I LOVE how different my children are. Individual and unique in so many ways, each as precious as each other.

Taylah-benet is a true little lady. Polite, nurturing, and kind. She has such a compassionate nature and with complete faith.

Mathias is playful, humorous, bold and boasts all the attributes of a 'real boy'. He is incredibly energetic. Inquisitive and curious.

Carter is yet to show us his personality, but we anticipate it's gradual reveal. In his tiny 7 months we can see snippets of his sensitivity, his firmness and determination. He takes things in his own stride.

They each possess the same qualities, however their strongest features shine out of them and grow each day.

It is my blessing and honor to be there mother, to teach and learn from them the greatest lessons from the greatest teachers. It really is no wonder that we are to become like 'little children'

They truly are the treasures this life has to offer.

It is hard. but incredibly worth it in every way.

Another Anniversary

Yesterday Kerry and I Celebrated the 5th anniversary of our sealing in the Sydney Australia Temple {I am totally bummed that I don't have any photos from that night...they were lost}

But I did keep one of the beautiful invitations I got {Sorry, this was meant for you Lian!!}

One of the greatest nights of my life and one I will be greatful for making it to!

Kerry surprized me with dinner {'take out'},beautiful flowers and some yumo chocolates and sparkling grape juice at home. That's just how we do it :)

I'm so glad school holidays are here! and Christmas is just around the corner too! my favourite time of the year

Carter's fussy toned down a little bit, and he is growing two more teeth, the top ones!

Chocolate Cupcakes

And here's another one :)

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

125g butter, at room temperature

¾ cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup self-raising flour, sifted

1/3 cup cocoa or 3 Tablespoons

½ cup milk

Buttercream Frosting

125g butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted

2 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons cocoa

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180˚C Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Sift flour and cocoa, then add milk. Spoon mixture into patty cases until 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or test one by gently tapping the top. If it springs right back up they are ready to be removed from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale. Gradually add the icing sugar and cocoa, beat until all combined, finally add milk. You are now ready to decorate.

Enjoy your Scrumptious cupcakes!

 

Carrot and Ginger Muffins

If you're in the mood for baking this weekend {maybe to take on a picnic lunch with the kids} I'll be trying this one out..

Carrot and Ginger Muffins

310g plain flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

Pinch of salt

300ml buttermilk (or regular milk soured with a squeeze of lemon juice)

2 free-range eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g soft brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

120g grated carrot (about 1 carrot)

1.Preheat the oven to 190˚ (gas mark 5). Grease a 12-hole muffin tin or line with paper muffin cases

2. Sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center.

3. Wisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, sugar and melted butter. Pour into the well in the flour mixture and stir until the ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix – the batter should not be smooth. Quickly fold in the grated carrot with a large metal spoon.

4. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin holes and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight for up to 2 days.

Girl on fire

I love Anthems for Women and this one is Awesome!

This is for you Lian!! We are soul sisters and you are ON FIRE Xx

She doesn't get it!

I have always been a pretty shy person, but with my age I feel like I have been able to shake off some of that. However, I still get pretty shy around groups of people. It's not something I really like because I feel like I don't make friends easily because of it.

When Taylah-Benet started school, I was introduced to a whole new side of mums. School mums.

It's like high school all over again. They bunch up and chat in the mornings at school drop off, then they bunch up and chat at school pick up. I feel like I have a massive sign hanging around my neck that Say's 'DON'T TALK TO HER, SHE DOESN'T GET IT!'

I am a pretty firm believer in that, you teach people how to treat you, so I know the obvious lacking on my part but I can't help but feel a little alienated by these mums.

Yesterday I took Taylah-Benet to a school friends Birthday party, and I felt so super awkward around these women, like a total social outcast.

OK, rant over.

On a happier note,Taylah-benet had an awesome time at the party, Kerry is sick. pretty bad sick like 'been in bed all day sick'. Carter has amped up his fussy too, won't take his dummy, won't sleep during the day, in fact, won't let me do anything during the day except hold him.He's still so cute though. Mathias is up to his old tricks, yelling and screaming and stuff, not as bad as before though.

And I've come to the conclusion that if I want a dress that is long and has selves, I'm just going to have to make it. Because it just doesn't seem to exist in the stores!

Two 'Moments' in one day

I don't know what is up with me but today I had two moments... you know the ones where you feel like crying {in my case ACTUAL crying} OK, not full on crying, just a few tears in the eyes.

This morning we got to school earlier than usual. so when I kissed Taylah-benet goodbye, she ran off to where all the children were playing, all the way to the other side where the lunch seats are. and just sat there. and I had to walk away. not an epic moment I know, but a scene that hit my heart in all directions. I'm so scared of the day I have to let my babies go, and this felt like a tester of what's in store. I really don't know how to explain it. but, I'm scared. scared of the world. what it might do to them. either pull them away from me, or {and hopefully} closer to me and the things I am trying to teach them.

Then...

this afternoon after picking Taylah-benet up from school, I had put some music on for the kids to dance around to. I flicked it onto a song I like {we take turns picking the songs, Mathias is currently 'Battle scars' Guy Sebastian and Taylah-Benet 'Boyfriend' Justin Bieber} and I played 'Songbird' by Eva Cassidy, a very slow song in comparison to the beats they were bopping around to. Taylah-Benet started to twirl around, then she grabbed Mathias and started to dance with him, placing his hand on her waist, her hand on his shoulder, and their other hands holding each other. Combined with the Beautiful lyrics and soothing tones of Eva Cassidy's voice, I couldn't help but feel so much love for these two little kids dancing in my lounge room. giggling away as they tried to dance like 'grown up's'

So, here's the song to send you off into the weekend! have a good one!!

Sick sick kids

Two sick kids last week. Taylah-benet had a massive blood nose and a temperature last Tuesday night so she stayed home from school on Wednesday. She felt good Thursday and went to school, then on Friday she said she was feeling sick and didn't want to go. I may have persuaded her to go... by giving her a lunch order! argh, ok, I felt bad, but I didn't want her to stay home two days in one week. She is the easiest and most pleasant to have at home, I just wanted her to go to school!

So I felt even worse about 'persuading' her, when she woke up looking terrible on Saturday morning AND she couldn't hear properly while I was talking to her. As suspected, she has a ear and throat infection. a pretty bad one.

She's so much better though! to top it off, Mathias was getting a temperature Saturday night! he seems OK, I just kept giving him panadol.

Saturday night I was out celebrating my Aunties 40th Birthday. it was a great night. a surprise!. I made cake pops of course, Chocolate cake with orange essence added, chocolate cream cheese frosting, and orange melts with orange essence added. I think these are the yummiest {is that even a word?} ones I have made, they tasted like chocolate jaffa!

I also made the birthday cake. if you know my auntie, you know she makes and decorates cakes! So I felt a tad pressure to make this cake look good!

I made a orange layer cake, frosted with a butter cream icing, but substituted the butter with solite {vegetable fat/shortening} so that it was white, instead of the yellow colour of butter. I was happy with how it turned out seeing as it was my first ever attempt to decorate a cake. Except I didn't like the taste of the icing {solite} although I didn't try it on the cake.

The Moon is following Me

First day back at work in about 10 months. It felt kind of funny. Driving there I had to try remember what I had to do! But, as I stepped back into that office allot of it came back to me {OK, so I did have to ask a couple questions...} It felt great to be back.

Last week we were at my mums house and it was dark out when we left, as we walked down the drive way with our three kids, Mathias was rather excited to see so many stars and the moon in the night sky, he yelled out 'Mum! the moon's following me!'

He Say's so many funny things, he's such a character I wish I could record and remember all the funny things he says and does.

Quite often I can hear him playing in his room, talking to his toys, telling them off even, for not listening!? this week while driving in the car he was talking to his daddy's basketball!

He is memorising 'The Living Christ' so well he can recite the first three weeks. most people don't understand what he is saying because he blends all the words together and goes so fast, but I know. I practice with the kids in the car every morning, we take turns. Mathias always has to go first. Now when we get in the car he starts us off "OK, who wants to go 'As we'?" {As we, the first two words}

These kids love their Daddy

No doubt about it, these kids love their daddy.

Happy Fathers Day! You are the bestest daddy ever!