Happy Birthday Kate!

We celebrated Kate turning 11 today, with presents in bed at 5am (Phil is away, so it was just the 3 of us!) 

Pancakes for breakfast, as requested

The pile of presents- an ipad, lego, books, clothes, jewellery and craft. The doona cover on her bed was a gift too, which she got a couple of days early.

Playing on the ipad before school.

 

A gift from a friend, also her teacher gave her a new fancy pencil!

Ella having a turn at last!

 

The cake to take to school

 The funny glasses her teacher made her wear!

Afternoon tea, as per request

And dinner, as requested!

She's not having a party this year, but we are going on a horse trek on Saturday to celebrate instead. There will be cake too!

Happy Birthday beautiful girl,
we love you! xoxo

Dancing!

Yesterday was our mid-year dancing concert where we get to see a snippet of how hard the kids have been working so far this year. I meant to get a photo of the three girls (Ruby was dancing too) before we left home. but in the rush I forgot. I don't like to take my camera in the dressing rooms now due to too many parents thinking you are photographing their child, and of course no photography is allowed in the theatre. At the end of the concert, was the continuation of the ATOD (Australian Teachers of Dancing) Competitions that started two weekends agao, but due to Perths massive storm that day, power was lost and the comps were cancelled 10 minutes before Kate was due to perform.
So she got to compete yesterday, and placed 2nd! She was thrilled with her trophy, medal and $75 gift voucher! She did a fantastic job!
I got a photo of Ella too once we got home, she loved performing in the mini concert, but is too shy to dance solo on the stage with a judge!

Lemon Coconut Syrup Cake

With lots of lemons on the tree ready and a storm on the way on Tuesday night, I made this cake from here

It was delicious!

350g plain flour
3/4 Cup sugar
Pinch of salt
100g coconut
3tsp baking powder
200g butter
Zest and juice of two lemons
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200-300ml milk

SYRUP
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons

Grease and line the base of a loose-bottom 20cm cake tin.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, coconut and baking powder. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub in with fingertips or mix in food processor. When the butter is rubbed in, make a well in the centre and add the zest, lemon juice and eggs. Gradually mix in the milk till you have a soft dropping consistency.
Pour into greased tin and bake at 180 deg for 40-50 mins or until cake is risen and springy and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
For the syrup, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and juice of two lemons in a small saucepan. Heat gently to dissolve sugar. Drizzle syrup over warm cake. Remove from tin and cool on a rack.
Serve dusted with icing sugar, or split, fill and ice with passionfruit and lemon frosting.

Ice Cream Pudding

This pudding holds wonderful childhood memories for me. My Nana used to make it for us (along with a baked jam roll) every Friday night. Now my girls are enjoying it too. It's like a custard, but tastes more like a vanilla ice cream, hence the name.

Ice Cream Pudding

50g butter
50g sugar
25g flour
1 egg
600ml milk
vanilla essence

Cream butter & sugar, add flour then gradually add the beaten egg. Add the milk. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins, stirring all the time. Add vanilla. Serve cold.

Wet Weather

It's been a wet few days with a major storm ripping through Perth on Sunday leaving many houses without power, trees fallen and unfortunately accidents around the state. Another storm is expected to cross later tonight, so we've battened down the hatches, torches and phones are charged, pantry stocked.

There has been plenty of play with the chooks and chicks, beetroot pickled and baking done.

Hope everyone is having better weather than we are right now!

Baby Hens

The newest members of our family, just 15 days old. Names still to be decided. We can't agree!

Chocolate Fudge Pudding

This pudding is an old favourite. Amie learnt to make it herself from a young age, and now Kate is making it. This is the second one this week, will have to slow her down on it abit, otherwise my waistline is not going to be good! It's an Alison Holst recipe (a famous NZ cook for those that don't know her) and is a perfect comfort food on a cold winters night.

 Chocolate Fudge Pudding

1 Cup self-raising flour
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 to 1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup milk
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 to 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 to 1 1/2 Cups boiling water

In a 20-23cm flat-bottomed microwave dish, fork together the flour, first measure of cocoa, and sugar, using the larger amount for a sweeter pudding. Stir in the milk to make a fairly stiff dough.
Still using the fork, arrange the dough fairly evenly in a ring around the edge of the dish, if microwaving, and stand a central tube insert or inverted glass in the middle. If baking in the oven, spread dough evenly over the bottom of the dish.
Measure the brown sugar, second measure of cocoa, and the coffee in a small bowl. Stir to mix, then sprinkle evenly over the dough. Dot the butter over the surface. Spread the nuts over this. Measure the vanilla and add to the boiling water, then carefully pour over everything. Add the extra water if the pudding won't be eaten immediately after cooking. Cover and microwave on High for 8 minutes, or bake uncovered at 180 deg, for 20-30minutes.
Serve hot or warm with ice cream.

Food Shopping

Tuesdays shop which will hopefully last a week with just a top-up of milk, f & v.

The price of food is soaring where we live. Perth is one of the most expensive cities in Australia for food and it's only going to increase. I'm trying to grow more and more of our own, it's really satisfying to walk out the back door and pick some lettuce, some broccoli, some herbs, a lemon for that honey and lemon drink which is great for those sore throats. The garden is a bit bare at present. Plenty of silverbeet, a bit of broccoli and lettuce, beetroot, capsicums. The lemon tree is doing well. The lime tree, raspberries, passionfruit and boysenberries all going great. Can't wait for the hens to start laying. The kids are mostly enthusiastic about the garden and love the chooks to bits! I would love to get a mandarin tree next as we go through so many!

What's growing in your garden this winter?

Lots of Books

I love Winter, I really do. Especially in Perth where it's not really Winter. Well, not as I know it anyway.
I especially love trips to the library stocking up on a pile of books to make our way through. I love being cosy in bed at night with a storm blowing outside with a stack of books beside me.

 Notice the chicken books? My new hobby! I get a renewed energy for cooking once the weather cools too, so got some new ones to try. The classic 'Ballet Shoes' is the top of the pile. The girls actually have their own copy, but wanted this one with a pretty cover! Enid Blyton books are always a favourite around here, with a few others thrown in.

What are you and your kids currently enjoying reading?

Busyness!

I've hardly seen Phil this time on his break. He's been working really long hours everyday at this property that needs alot of work before tenants move in next week. As I type this it's almost quarter to ten and he's not home yet. He left home at 8am this morning. Tomorrow is his last day at home, so I'm hoping he'll at least get the afternoon to rest before work again.

Change of Seasons

This tree is in the backyard of the property we recently bought. It's lovely but boy what a mess it makes! It's coming down very soon.

 Well, it's officially the first day of Winter today. It has started to get cooler, not as cold as I would like but it will come. I'm still doing the school drop-off in sleeveless tops, and the nights are still warm enough not to have extra blankets on the beds or the electric blanket on. I love all things winter - hot chocolates, warm socks, snuggling up on the couch under a blanket with the kids watching Little House on the Prairie, shutting ourselves away from the outside World after school with the rain pelting against the windows and the wind howling outside. And soup. Can't forget soup.

What is your favourite season and why?

In the Backyard

We spent the weekend hanging out in the sunshine with the cat and the chickens.

Welcome ...

Coco and Omelette to our family!

Love Kates face as she thought the chook was going to poop on her!

Goodies

Nothing like a nice basket of goodies delivered to brighten your day! We purchased another property this week, and the lovely real estate have us a thank you basket!