Links!

I've been doing this for a while without knowing it!

Oooh.

Keeping art simple.

Oh my, this made me laugh a lot.

'Tis the season.

This is pretty ridiculous.

This weekend.

Just discovered a new series of this on Netflix!

Two years!

This time two years ago, I was relieved that the baby had finally put in an appearance - ten days after his due date, but to make up for it, just a three hour labour.  We were nearing the end of our first day together, daddy had brought the big sister to the hospital for their first encounter and I was adapting to being a mummy of two.

When we thought about having another baby, Isabella was about one and a half, she had been a dream as a baby and she was still at the cutest of ages (scientifically proven!)  Naively, I though - this is easy, let's do it again.

The jump to two is way bigger than the switch from none to one.  First of all, Joshua is a very different child.  He refused to sleep in his own bed for ages, during the day he would only sleep on me for six months and he is way more active.  Secondly, while you can divide and conquer when you have two children and are lucky enough to have an amazing co-parent, you get way less 'time out' than with one.  Plus, Isabella quickly moved from the cutest age to the Jekyll and Hyde stage of threenager and beyond.

Starting nursery made the biggest change in Joshua.  I was seriously worried that he wouldn't settle in as he had been such a clingy baby.  Now he runs in every morning (after a goodbye kiss) without looking back and has developed so many skills over the last twelve months.  

He adores his big sister and most of the time she loves her role as teacher and often leads him into mischief.  Our little boy has completed our family in so many ways.

Every day, both of them amaze me in new ways.  I am so proud of how far we have come over the last two years - through all of the ups and downs and I am equally excited about the next two years and beyond.

November Goals Review

Well, November was a bit of a wash out:

• Family day out - nope.
• Celebrate Joshua's birthday - planned.
• Lantern festival - done!
• Lose weight - done! (Just.)
• Budget - nope.
• Complete a crochet project - nope. (I now have two on the go!)

Recipe: Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 1.5l chicken stock
• 1l pumpkin puree
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 250ml creme fraiche
• seasoning
• parsley
• thyme

Instructions:
1. Heat all of the ingredients except the creme fraiche together.  Bring to the boil and then simmer over a low heat for thirty minutes.
2. Puree the soup using a hand mixer.
3. Simmer for another thirty minutes before stirring in the creme fraiche and serve with fresh parsley.

Make it Monday - Ceramic Drawing with Children

Through my Gonis sideline, I came across ceramic drawing recently.  I bought a turquoise pen to try out for myself and knew that Isabella would love to try it.

A few months ago when Nico was donating blood, they had a kids corner where she did something similar on glass.  Last time we were at Ikea, I snopped around the bargain corner and picked up a couple of dirt cheap mugs (because you can never have too many, right?) and let her loose on them.

I love that she tried it and liked it, I also love the relaxation that the activity brings out in me.  It's so nice to let your mind wander and really doodle. The pens are washable if you don't bake the finished product in the oven, so it's up to you whether you keep your design or start over with something new.

I really recommend trying it whether, you do it yourself or let the little ones go wild.

Weekly Wisdom

A ship is safest when it is docked close to shore. But it wasn’t built for that. And neither are you.

The Saturday Update

This week has been a hard slog.  Lots of late nights for Kindergarten work or school.  This morning we didn't get up until ten and I still feel exhausted.  I'm also fighting off a cough and losing my voice.

I've also made more of an effort to do things with the kids on an evening, on Monday Joshua and I played lego while Isabella had a playdate and Nico worked late.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we made salt dough decorations and started to paint them.  I had to work Thursday evening - parents' evening and last night was my work's Christmas do, which was a really nice evening.

I'm not sure I'm ready for Christmas yet though.  I feel like next week is going to be manic with Joshua's birthday and then I can make plans for Christmas.  I was quite disappointed to hear Santa Baby on the supermarket radio in the week - it's not even advent yet!

Despite the drop in temperatures this week, I have been cycling and getting my steps every day during the week.  I'm trying to keep up with my water intake too but struggling healthwise isn't helping to motivate me at the moment.  Hopefully, things will look up after a quiet weekend.

Links!

I can relate to this.

So cute!

Calm!

Want to go here!

Some good tips but this still makes me feel claustrophobic.

Think I'll use this as inspiration in 2019.

In about twenty years when I get around to dinner parties, this seems like a good idea.

Treat yourself!

Pampered Chef

A couple of weekends ago I was invited to a Pampered Chef party and intrigued, I went along to find out more. 

Pampered Chef is a bit like Tupperware or Gonis but with kitchenware for cooking and baking.  It originated in the USA and is rapidly growing here in Germany.

The rep came to my neighbours house and baked a loaf of bread which was then eaten with some dips, and made a kind of pizza.  Unfortunately I couldn't eat the bread or pizza as they contained wheat but I did bring some spelt bread and tried the dips.  

The rep explains all the products throughout and then points out some special offers and we looked through the catalogues.  Unfortunately many of the products were out of my price range and I'm not really a baker.  Nico does most of the cooking and baking and has every utensil imaginable.

I did order some fun shapers for pancakes and eggs to do with the kids at some point and a roller which I hope will work well with wheat free dough.

I enjoyed the evening and it was nice to see the neighbours socially but I won't be delving much further into Pampered Chef.

Currently...

...spending more time doing crafts with the kids.
...working hard.
...wrapping up warm.
...getting ready for Christmas.
...preparing to finish up a big long term project.
...starting a new novel.
...wondering what happened to Autumn!
...waiting impatiently for news.

Recipe: Raspberry Cookies

Ingredients:

• 340g butter
• 225g sugar
• 510g spelt flour
• 170g ground almonds
• 170g raspberry jam

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the jam into a dough.

2. Portion into balls of 3 - 4 cm.  Make a hollow in the centre and fill with the jam.

3. Bake for around fifteen minutes at 180.

Make it Monday - Salt-dough Christmas Decorations

 This week I promised myself I would do more with the kids so we started our Christmas projects and made these decorations over two nights.

 On the first evening I made the dough from 2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of water. It was very easy. Isabella loved making her own shapes. Joshua got confused between playdough and cookies but managed a few shapes too, with guidance.

 Once we had baked them a few times in the oven and let them cool, they were ready to paint.

 I let them loose with my Gonis acrylic paints and again, Isabella loved it. Joshua hated it. He liked the idea but preferred using his hands over the brush and just wanted to run around with paint everywhere. He managed a few designs though.

It took a lot of self-control to let the kids get creative and paint how they wanted but I love that we have some real keepsakes here. I would definitely recommend it. 

Weekly Wisdom

I thought, how many new lives can we have? Then I thought, as many as we like. -Judi Dench

The Saturday Update

I say it every week but I really can't believe how the time is flying. It's been another really busy week here. 

After a quiet weekend Isabella had dance class on Monday. Both kids had a full week and we had to wrap up warm as the temperatures dropped.

My bike broke down on Tuesday, luckily my saviour husband rescued us and fixed it.

Work was full on and with a successful Gonis presentation and lots to do at Kindergarten, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

Luckily it's another quiet weekend now with time to get back on top of things.

Links!

Kids are mind-blowing.

This is making me laugh out loud.

This makes me laugh and cry.

Amazing.

Relationship truths.

Great news.

Fun.

Could it be??

Sabrina

I thought this was going to be a trip down memory lane.  Not really sure how I feel about this remake even though we are about five episodes in...

Light Upgrade

We've struggled for a while with the light in Isabella's room.  With the ceiling being at a funny angle, most of the light is at one side of the room only and it is not where she sleeps.

She's at an age where she's enjoying books more and more and of course, we read to her on a night.  We were stuck between using the very bright desk lamp next to her bed, or the 'big lights' which were further away, until we found this strip light at Ikea.

It is lightweight, pretty and fixes perfectly on the sloping ceiling thanks to some double sided sticking pads that come with it.  After a few wobbles about not messing with the wire, and the dangers of electricity, Isabella loves it.

It's so pretty - a perfect and inexpensive uplift to a little girly room.

Recipe: Paleo Amaretti

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• Lemon
• 250g ground almonds
• 100g coconut sugar
• 3 drops of bitter almond aroma
• 20 whole almonds

Instructions:
1. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff.
2. Grate the lemon zest and combine with the almonds, sugar and aroma, followed by the egg whites.
3. Form into twenty biscuits and top each one with an almond.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 160 degrees.

Make it Monday - Glitter Christmas Decoration

Today I had another Gonis presentation and I wanted to try one of my new Christmas products quickly to be able to show the guests an example.

I ordered the glitter creme last week and it is so easy to use and works really well with the other Christmas products that I have.  

This transparent Christmas bauble was the perfect surface for a self-sticking template and I applied the glitter with a spatula.  As with most of the Gonis products, I didn't need a lot.  

The bauble needs more colour for definite and I'm thinking about how to finish it but with the glitter itself, I am very happy.

Weekly Wisdom

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

The Saturday Update

This week has been long and crazy and I am so glad for another quiet weekend.

Nico has been off sick but he's on the mend now.  I've had a full work week, with late meetings on Tuesday.  Joshua was home on Tuesday as nursery was rennovated.  Isabella had dancing on Monday, a new Kindergarten location on Tuesday due to rennovations, a playdate and lantern festival!

I spent two nights doing admin for Kindergarten, completed Joshua's kindergarten application (eek!), and took my citizenship exam.

I got in touch with two friends I haven't heard from in a long time, which was really nice.

This weekend, we have no big plans but we want to get things done around the house and catch up with friends and family on the phone.

The fireplace is going again as the real autumn weather has kicked in this week with cold, fog and rain. I'm also back into my crochet and crafting, when I have the time and energy.  It is the season for it!

Next week is just as busy with work and appointments.

Links!

This sounds like such a fun idea!

Funny.

A moving account of postpartum depression.

I find this soooo relaxing.

These moms made me laugh.

Another beautiful royal wedding.

More good news for the week.

Beautiful memory.

Coming soon!

I used to dance ballet, I love watching the ballet and this is my absolute favourite so I am really excited about this film.  Maybe it's time to take Isabella to the cinema...

My not-to-do list

Last week, I was reading an article on the internet when I stumbled upon this concept.  I am absolutely obsessed with my to-do list, to the point of annoying everyone around me and at first I was far from convinced that this idea of having a list of things I don't do was something for me.  Then I realised that it is something I do anyway!  Here's my list:

• Ironing - I haven't ironed since I moved to Germany.  The working dress code is much less formal and I don't find the need. 
• Wearing make up - ten years ago, I would not have left the house without at least mascara, now I can count on one hand the occasions on which I have worn make up this year - a hen do, two weddings and two date nights.  It simply saves me time on a morning and I find my skin benefits from it too.
• Taking my phone into the bedroom - since the start of 2018 I have consciously left my phone downstairs when I go to bed and opted to read instead.  It has improved the speed at which I fall asleep and the length and quality of my sleep (according to my fitbit).
• Waiting - life is short.  All too often I hear from friends who have a set life plan.  While my life has been fairly traditional so far, I'm glad I didn't wait to find the perfect house or get out of debt before starting a family.  Who knows how long it may have taken and how things may have turned out differently.
• Gossip - I do my best on this one.  Especially with new friends and social groups, I find it important to listen more than I speak, watch what I say, look forward more than backwards and above all give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Recipe: Mushroom and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• Rapeseed oil
• Two large onions
• 20g porcini mushrooms
• 3 tbsp vegetable stock powder
• 300g chestnut mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 300g potatoes
• 2tsp thyme
• 4 carrots
• 2tbsp parsley
• 8tbsp yoghurt
• 50g walnuts

Instructions:
1. Fry the onions in the oil for ten minutes.  Meanwhile cover the dried mushrooms with the stock and 1.2l hot water.
2. Add the fresh mushrooms, garlic, potatoes, thyme and carrots to the onions.
3. Pour in the dried mushrooms and stock.  Cover and simmer for twenty minutes.
4. Stir in the parsley and seasoning. Serve with the yoghurt and walnuts.

Make it Monday: Christmas Tree Decorations

And so it begins...

This week I made my first Christmas tree decorations of the year using one of the customer gifts from Gonis.  I painted them red with acrylic paint, stencilled some shapes on the front with relief paste and finished them off with my decopointer edging.

I am really pleased with the result and I'm looking forward to making more of these as there are two more shapes to the set.

Weekly Wisdom

The best view comes after the hardest climb.

The Saturday Update

It's been a strange old week here with the mid-week bank holiday. We were crazy busy anyway, and it's catching up with us now.

We went to our friends' pumpkin garden party last weekend and despite the drop in temperatures, it was really nice.

Monday was a normal work day all round and Isabella went to dance class where I caught up with some other mums.

After a long day and an interesting training course on Tuesday, we drove up to Nico's parents' to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.

After some family visits on Wednesday we drove home and watched Hocus Pocus with the kids for Halloween.

Joshua came down with conjunctivitis again so I stayed home with him on Thursday. Isabella had a playdate. In the evening I did a Gonis presentation, which went well and got me more in the mood for Christmas.

Nico is also under the weather so stayed home on Friday with Joshua and I worked and got some kindergarten jobs sorted too.

Luckily we have a fairly quiet weekend ahead. Tonight I'll be learning what a Pampered Chef party is and next week should be a bit calmer.

Links!

Pies!

Halloween wins.

An important message for young women.

Loved this.

Heartbreaking and beautiful.

Oh dear.

Make a difference.

Lol.

November Goals

Here's what I'd like to achieve this month:

• Family day out
• Celebrate Joshua's birthday
• Lantern festival
• Lose weight
• Budget
• Complete a crochet project