St Nicholas Hot Chocolate

Just thinking about the fact that Advent is around the corner is really starting to get me moving on planning and preparation and then I thought about this post I had not posted last year on the Hot Chocolate we make especially for St Nicholas Day but also for other festive occasions as well.

I would like to share it with you now as you start your own Advent planning. Perhaps make up a jug while you sit down and do that planning!

This was before we went can sugar free but you can substitute as shown below if you wish!

St Nicholas Hot Chocolate~

This is our version of homemade hot chocolate made thus~

In a jug place :

Approx 6 heaped dessertspoons of instant full cream milk powder (we don't like skim)

Approx 8 heaped dessertspoons of Cadbury Drinking chocolate
(for the sugar free version use 3 heaped tablespoons of natural organic cacao powder - this is incredibly powerful stuff and probably 5 tablespoons of rapadura, panela or coconut sugar)

Add boiling water to 3/4 full of the jug and stir

add milk to fill the jug up

Then to make it St Nicholas Hot Chocolate we add marshmallows and a peppermint stick.

If you look to the left you can see Arwen reaching for the peppermint sticks .......again!

Blessings to you and your homes,

Vellvin's Birthday in Collage ♥

Today we finally celebrated Vellvin's Birthday and what a day it was!!

We had Saxon up sick through the night and I was up very late tying to finish her birthday preparations but our sweet little Trahaearn is so unhappy at the moment. He is still not eating much and needs to be comforted  with much love and holding.
Moran is still recovering and even Vellvin who seemed to be getting better was not entirely at 100% today.

We did have a surprise for the younger children, and Vellvin as she had gone to bed this morning. Braedon had brought back Anna-Lisa to stay for a few days and as always she is a most welcome addition.

So food for the day~
 for breakfast Vellvin had Banana and Oat Smoothies ( recipe to follow)
Lunch was supposed to be Berry fruit Salad and Yogurt but no one felt to up to it so we skipped this
Dinner was beef stir fry with soaked rice and spinach
Cake: A Secret Benedict Society Book Inspired cake, the house that Mr Benedict lives in
Party Bags: musk sticks, gummy bears, sour things, mini M&M's and skittles. As per lunch not everyone was up to this either.
Drink: I made a new drink called St Clements ( recipe to follow) Oh yes this one is super easy and so very, very lovely.

The  children watched Star Wars ( the first old one, I don't know it's new fangled name) as Vellvin was feeling g a little down with so many sick people on her birthday.
Then she went and read one of her new books.

Did I mention that most of Vellvin's presents were books and the new Taylor Swift CD too.
This is the same mix she had last year!
I see a pattern emerging here. Well the books have been standard for a few years not but now a CD too.

Happy Birthday to our most precious and sweet natured girl.
We love you so much.

All our love,

P. S. Could I ask you to still keep our children in your prayers we are really struggling with getting over this virus. Thank you so much

Happy Birthday Dear Vellvin ♥

Dearest Darling Vellvin,
I know this is not your actual birthday, that it was last Friday but as you were sick today is the day we will celebrate the special day that is 'all about you'

I know that it is a blessing to have such a sweet and lovely girl as you for a daughter and we give thanks for the fact that you are a part of our family.

As you turn 14, I mean really how can that be already. I still remember the sweet little baby who would sit in front of the basket of toys for ages playing so happily and I  see this now in your generally happy and sweet demeanor that you grace us with every day.

I pray you are well enough to enjoy this special day and that it may be a remarkable year ahead for you as you continue to grow in every virtue and that you continue to share your love of Christ with all around you in your every word and example.

Love you always my sweet,

Creamy Whites

A casual Sunday for me is the prefect time to relax, its often my day that I spend the morning with my family and then allow some creative time for myself, to blog, pin away or just to read the latest magazines. Lately I have been drawn to simplicity, warmth, texture and whites, aged metals and woods, brick, sea grass matting, greys and earthy tones, I dont see dull or boring I see the complete opposite, it gives me total clarity! 

All images via my pinterest page with the direct source

One of those days........

It has been one of those days!
Well actually a few of, one of those days!
We have had some sort of virus run through a  few, well quite a few of the children and I and those children not sick, have spent most of the last two days and three nights helping our sweet ones who have been constantly vomiting.

It has been a constant round of trying to make them comfortable and doing infection control each time we empty a sick bucket. We have been trying to keep fluids down but they keep coming up again no matter how small a sip we ask the little ones to have.

Our sweet little Trahaearn has been most clingy to his mama and while I so love snuggling him in while he is sick especially, I mean who can resist that sweet little voice calling out 'mama. my mum mum mama'
It is times like these though that I am so grateful for those extra helping hands of the older children who can snuggle another sad little dumpling or take a sip or water or change some one who did not make the bucket.

So tonight after finally getting the sick to bed, and fixing up the baby again, I spent time in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner mess that we had not gotten around to.
I admit I was quite content just fixing up my new milk kefir grains, straining my old ones and hoping they will make it back. Rescuing the overflowing sourdough starter and then finally washing up all the dishes and pots that would not fit in the dishwasher.
I was able to pray the rosary with the app on my i-phone while doing  these simple yet rewarding jobs.

I was reminded of the many times I have spent late evening preparing food and mixing up special treat for those most precious to me and I know that this is where I love to be.........

The kitchen which for me is the heart of my home, the place where life is at it's busiest and yet most productive for me. A place where I can fulfill my vocation of wife, mama and homemaker.
A place that I am proud to have not only physically but emotionally too.

So before I check on my loved ones before turning in for the night early morning I know I would say to you to be thankful for all the blessings that come your way each day -- even a day like today.

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

My Christmas Books Wish List

As we approach the month of November I always like to look for new Christmas books to add to our collections. Sometimes of course it often ends up just a beautiful idea and then, sometimes, we actually get to add to our collection.
During the year I did get a couple of books for my birthday that I will share here and I will also add the ones  that we were able to get  after Christmas that I have not shared on my lists before that I absolutely love.

As  I have been making a wish list of sorts of some I would love to buy and read to our children and thought others would like to see what we like to read. I will post them here as well.

Not all our Christmas books are about the actual Christmas story, but if not they do usually have something to do with the traditions of Christmas or about a Christmas virtue so to speak.

These are the new books that are new for us this year (so far)~
A Christmas Dress for Ellen
Little Fairy's Christmas
Penny's Christmas Jar Miracles
The Christmas Eve Ghost
Annika's Secret Wish
The Gift of the Christmas Cookie
The Wee Christmas Cabin
A Child is Born
The Shepherd's Christmas Story
The Little Drummer Boy
The Little Christmas Tree
And here are the books on my Christmas Wish List ~

These are the other books we own that I have made up into different lists that you may enjoy looking at~
Advent and Christmas books List 1
Advent and Christmas Books List 3
Chapter or read aloud books
Countdown, craft and activity books
Board books
2009 List

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

A reminder..........

A reminder to cherish the days with our children. They pass so quickly and can never be rewound.
This is  a poem I have had in my bible for many years and read to help me in my vocation......

I ran into a stranger as he passed by.
 "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
 He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."
 We were very polite, this stranger and I.
 We went on our way and we said good-bye.

 But at home a different story is told,
 how we treat our loved ones, young and old.

 Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
 my son stood beside me very still.
 When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
 "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
 He walked away, his little heart broken.
 I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

 While I lay awake in bed,
 God's still small voice came to me and said,
 "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
 but the children you love, you seem to abuse.
 Go look on the kitchen floor,
 you'll find some flowers there by the door."
 "Those are the flowers he brought for you.

 He picked them himself; pink, yellow and blue.
 He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
 and you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

 By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall.
 I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
 "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
 "Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
 He smiled, "I found 'em out by the tree."
 "I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
 I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
 I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
 I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
 He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway.
 I said, "Son, I love you too,
 and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
 (Author Unknown)

 Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
 But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our own family - - an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

 Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F) ather (A)and (M)other, (I) (L)ove (Y)ou

Blessings to you and your homes,