still here...

Just checking in letting you know I'm still here. Sorry I've not been posting, but I finally succumbed to mastitis. It was not nice and I ended up with a double antibiotic! I'm feeling much better now, but I am taking it really easy. Thank goodness it's half term :-)
Also my camera is on the blink, I've ordered a new battery so we'll hopefully be motoring again soon.
Hope you're all well x

beaten the bread demons

I've finally done it woop woop! I've managed to bake a bread that everyone in the family likes...even Andy :-) To make it even better, it only has 4 ingredients, requires no kneading and takes 3 minutes to make and 45 minutes to bake...I know just too good to be true!

So, here we go, it's the

Ballymaloe white soda bread recipe

450g plain flour (I use strong white, you can mix it with wholemeal to make a brown loaf)

1 tsp bread soda

1 tsp salt

about 350ml butter milk

and that's it!

Sieve flour, salt and soda into a bowl, make a hollow in middle pour in all the butter milk. Make your hand into a claw and, starting in the middle, mix it going outwards a few times until it comes together. Plop the whole lot onto a floured baking tray, vaguely shape into a circle pat flat (about 4cm). Take a sharp knife and make a cross then poke the knife into each of the 4 quarters twice (to let out the fairies as the Irish say). Whack into the oven at 250 C for 15 mins then turn down to 200 C and bake for a further 30 mins. Take out and allow to cool, then try not to eat it all at once!

I've been knitting this little dress this week...

I'm loving it (well it is rainbow colours!) It is a wee commission I got from one of the mummy's at the Steiner parent-child classes. I hope she likes it, it was very quick and easy to knit (I didn't use a pattern). It is a 3-6 month dress, but I left the sleeve with buttons on open so that the little girl can wear it as a tunic and then vest when she's older. I think I might make some to sell on Etsy :-)

the loveliest sound in all the world

This is Rebe making Joa laugh by saying 'ngeeee'...it works every time!

ravioli

Yesterday we made ravioli.

I got the dough out of the freezer I'd slung there a while back,

I rolled it out as thin as I could. This is really good for your stomach muscles (who needs an abs trainer!).

Then we cut it into squares and let it sit (just long enough for a quick story).

We made a simple filling of minced beef and green pesto and put a plop in the middle of each square. We beat an egg and painted around the outside then folded it over and stuck it together.

Rebe was actually really good at this. I've been noticing recently how good she is with more fiddly things. While we did this she played a funny game that she was a chef and I was her son (she was a daddy) and she was teaching me how to make ravioli. Somehow making ravioli while talking in a funny voice was so much better!

Then we let them rest again for about 10 minutes while we got the sauces on the way. We cooked them in boiling water,

and served them with cheese sauce and ravioli. They were actually delicious (I was surprised) and everyone ate them all up! We'll need to try different fillings now, I can see this becoming quite a hobby....we'll actually no, but I do think we'll make them again :-)

Today while Rebe was at school Benny and I went down to the beach and collected sand for the sand pit.

He was delighted (as was Rebe when she got home!).

Last night I did a bit more crafting. I'm waiting for some materials to arrive so I can finish my first waldorf doll custom order, so I did some needle felting. Gosh I really am enjoying it, it's like painting in wool in 3d!

Mouse on a pumpkin

Windfall Apple.

Of course I'm going to put them up in the etsy shop.

Finally I just wanted to show you these busy little hands...

He is finding his way through the world of touch. Love the dimples on the knuckles!

hugs x

THIS is being 2

Saturdays...

Saturdays are great for...... building duplo rockets before breakfast.

...drawing the worlds longest picture (and yes that is Benny wearing a pink nightie, and no it's best not to question these things)

...watching Saturday morning telly...or if not allowed the washing machine...

...eating 3 bananas in a very relaxed way...

...going for a very windy walk... ...finding mushrooms...

...enjoying not letting the wind beat us...

...it's never too windy to build sand castles...

...loving the feeling of hot gingerbread dough...

...loving gingerbread!

...and setting up an Etsy shop!

Saturdays are good!

Just a few snippets of Friday...

I got this for Rebe, she said it was her best ever present . It's pretty good for me too, I'm kind of sick of 'finding the edge'.

I gathered all this wild fennel down near the beach. I am drying it and will collect the seeds to make tea.

Love x

lots of making

We've been busy making things here recently, leaving very little time to blog, but I'd like to share what we've been making...

Benny has been drawing. He drew this picture then looked at it for a while and brought it to me saying 'moon is cross'. I love it, it's a new stage of drawing for Benny.

We got more apples from my neighbour so we've been making lots of yummy appley things...

apple bread

apple cake

apple butter


Andy is trying his hand at basketry...

I've been doing lots of sewing making, waldorf toys and dolls to sell. I feel I have enough stock now to think about a stall and opening an etsy shop. Here are a few of the things I've made, I need to work on the pictures and get some good shots of them, I don't like how these photos came out really...

4 little snuggle buddies, made out of brushed cotton and stuffed with organic carded sheep's wool.

yellow snuggle buddy

Here are my 2 dress up dolls (I'm so pleased with them, I wish the photos were better)

both are made out of organic cotton stockinette and stuffed with organic carded wool. Their hair is organic puppenwolle and knitted into a wig and securely sewn on.

The clothes and shoes are also hand sewn and knitted and seeing as I did it without a pattern I guess they are unique.

I really love them and I hope that they will bring some little child much pleasure and comfort!
I've also done a bit more needle felting (a new craft to me). I'm really enjoying it, I made Rebe a little cat (that she's taken to school so no photo) and this pumpkin...

Well I'd best go as I'm also making bread and need to go and get it out of the oven and there is also a little boy on my knee starting to make lots of noise!

What have you been making lately?

hugs x

lovely day

*deep sigh* it's been such a lovely day today, we all got plenty of sleep last night (well apart from Joa and I of course) which made for a good day today. Look at how I have found Benny the last 2 nights... asleep with Rebe's school shoes on!



Peter Pan has been here a lot today...he helped clean the vegetables for soup...

He mended a peg in the playroom, although prit stick just didn't do the job!

Then he decided to give us a guided tour of Neverland (at this point Rebe had the costume on and Benny was Tootles).

Off to the woods.


Our woods are so dense and dark inside but as the weather has been so brilliant there are patches of bright, bright sunshine on the forest floor.

My friend Annika gave me this great book for my birthday. It lists many edible plants/ herbs/ fungi and so on that we can find in the hedgerows, woods, fields and beaches around us and what is extra cool about it is that there is often a bit of folklore and then some recipes for us to try including the likes of acorn coffee.

We took it with us to see what we could find...

checking the fairy home

a very blurred picture of a crown we made from Hazel

a boy on the front, a boy on the back...

Benny in the shop selling shells, leaves and acorns.

What else would make a lovely day...

a dozen fairtrade roses...
lots of rainbows...

and time to sew some more of my dolls. I will post some pictures of them this week, I promise.

It was a lovely weekend!