Sunday 25 September 2016

My Sunday Photo week 11

Have been visited by all three daughters this week, with DD1 and DD2 here at the same time. The cousins got chance to catch up.
I love how despite having a baby sister of their own the twins are still fascinated with babies. This one appeals just because of the way they are staring adoringly at baby Ziggy.




I also loved this one just because the expression on baby Ziggy's face seems to be saying "help me mum" . Dinky was talking lovingly to baby Ziggy, and I like the added gentle touch to the head from Minky.



disclaimer - no baby was harmed in taking of these pictures.



Photalife

Saturday 24 September 2016

Project 365 week 38

Been a bit of a mixed week. DD1 and the children were on holiday so no gymnastics run, but DD2 and DD3 were both over for visits instead.

Sunday

This daft dog makes me laugh at times. Love the way she sleeps with her nose resting on the floor. She was enjoying the afternoon sunshine.




Monday

Spotted a few acorns on a small tree in amongst the blackberry bushes. Wonder who will be around to see it when it grows tall in 100 years?




Tuesday

Was out picking blackberries ans decided to make something a bit different with them. I used a pack of fruit scones to make a variation on a bread and butter pudding  Recipe can be found here if you are interested.




Wednesday

Nice day for a walk along the river with hubby and dog. A two and a half mile walk was enjoyed by the three of us. Hubby went up the steps while Lilly and I waited at the bottom as they are sandstone and the loose powdery coating on them is very slippy.




Thursday

DD3 came over for her tea. Been a while since she has had time/chance to visit. She had on her favourite hoodie. The writing glows in the dark.




Friday



DD1 came back from holiday today and DD2 was still here so I took Ziggy down to see her cousins. Always amazes me how gentle the twins are with a baby. Could not choose one picture so have cheated a bit.








Saturday

Struggled without my microwave so just had to get another one. Did not realise how much I  used it until it was not working. Not the best colour to photograph but fits with the kitchen. Think a kettle is next on the list as it it looking way past its best now this is stood next to it.









Friday 23 September 2016

Foraging for seasonal berries

My word of the week this week is foraging, derived from forage to search to obtain food.

We have been out a few times this last few weeks foraging for seasonal berries. Yum yum yum, love them but refuse to buy them when I am surrounded by areas to pick them.

So we have had some simple blackberry crumbles, and also blackberry sponge, where I made a sponge and stirred the cooked blackberries through the mixture. Most normal people would just stir them through raw but as I have oral allergy syndrome I have to make sure all my fruit and veg is well cooked to break down the proteins so I do not have an allergic reaction to them.



I was in the supermarket the other day and spotted some fruit scones reduced and thought I could make use of them. My version of seasonal bread and butter pudding, without the bread or the butter. So I will share my recipe with you.

Take a packet of fruit scones, cut them in half, layer the bottom halves in a casserole dish, and the top halves in the lid of the dish. Most normal people would butter them at this stage but I don't do butter or margarine.




Measure half a pint of milk and add three eggs and mix together.



pour two thirds of the mixture on the bottom halves in the casserole dish. I used almond milk, but any milk type will do. It is also quite nice with coconut milk,




and the other third over the tops.


Leave to soak in for half an hour or so. Then pour over a generous amount of blackberries.


 and carefully add the tops onto the pudding, they will be quite soggy and are likely to break.



Sprinkle the top with toasted slice almond (optional) . Cooked for approx 40 mins at 160 oC until the egg mixture is set.

Serve hot with custard or cold with some natural yoghurt.







The Reading Residence
Mummy Fever - Share With Me

Saturday 17 September 2016

Project 366 week 37

Sunday

Having taken the weekend off work as we had been in Oban it meant I had a rare Sunday off and so decided to go to the park with DD3 and the four older children and one of Fifi's friends, I always love how much time the older children have for the younger ones, it really is nice to see them all together.



Monday

Gymnastics run with Bob in the evening, and a walk for Lilly round the near by estate. Was not sure if it was going to stay dry but luckily it did. Another few weeks till the clocks change and it will be too dark to go with her there. Managed to find some blackberries, and picked a doggy bag full as it was the only container we had with us. Made a sponge with it and kept some for on my breakfast






Tuesday

Have to laugh at this daft dog when we were out for a walk. She went into the field as she smelt a partridge. She decided through the gate was a better way out than under it.






Wednesday

OH had an opthalmic appointment this morning, last time we were in for three hours, today was the same thing for the same tests and in and out in fifty minutes, I was shocked to say the least.

Took Lilly for a walk up Failford, it is the sort of place despite being beautiful that does not really go any where and so few people walk it. Great when you have a dog that has dog issues. Funnily enough we bumped into five other people all within two hundred yards of each other.

Lilly loves to jump over benches and I tried for a photo of her doing that, but she was for none of it today. So here she is with hubby.





Thursday

Went out for a walk with DD1 and the three youngest and Lilly, Bob was away staying at the other grandparents, We decided on the back road because it is quiet and the twins and I can run through the field with Lilly while DD1 walks along the road with the pram. Sadly they were harvesting and dozens of times the tractors passed us. Minky came back wet and mucky with a stones in his t-shirt pocket, "flowers" in his jeans pockets and wellies full of muddy puddles. 





Friday

Bob has after school activities today. To save DD1 having to take the twins and they get bored for the ninety minutes I said I woukd watch them so she could drop him off and do some shopping. We went to the park and left Fifi making a pot of soup for the tea. 




Saturday

DD3 had been in Glasgow a few weeks back and spotted this book and bought it for me, an earky Christmas present she tells me. 





In the park with Auntie Heather

I took holidays from work last week and so had a rare Sunday off. DD3 ( Auntie H) generally comes over to help DD1 one day of the weekend, this gives DD1 a break and lets DD3 have fun with the children.  So as I was off we went the park together, taking the four older children and one of their friends (S) with us.

I always love sibling groups as to how well the older ones automatically take some responsibility towards the younger ones and play well with them when out and about.

Whilst Auntie H and  S were playing rough and ready with Bob and Minky a lot of the time Fifi and Dinky were off doing their own thing. Sometimes the boys can get a bit boisterous for Dinky. Other times the twins did their own thing and the older ones got to do what they wanted.

the three girls 

sleeping bunnies 

S chasing Bob and Minky

Auntie H waiting to scare people 

Auntie H chasing Minky

the boys were in fits of giggles

Bob playing with Minky

oooppps lost the wellies - again

raaarrrrrrrr

We had over an hour of fun before we decided we were just too chilly in the cold wind that we had.

Love the video on here, just because it shows how the older children interact to amuse the younger two.







Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Sunday 11 September 2016

My word of the week

I have just spent a week in Oban with DD2, SIL and grandchild No7, born on August 23rd,  So my word of the week has to be Mia, or Ziggy as she is called on the blog. 




I can see you, along with Jack the dog

Jack not so keen on the balloon

where as Mia loves it



with Granddad and Lilly, our dog

sat on my knee

with her ferret, a present from Granddad and Lilly

love her wee hands

so cute with the hands above her head


with some of her many cards 

playtime with granddad



story time with mummy



The Reading Residence

I was impressed with the Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine.

I have just spent a week at my daughters, to help out with new baby Ziggy. Daughter had tried to breast feed but decided it was not working our for her and so made the decision to put Ziggy onto bottles.

Things have moved on since my day, I made up enough milk for twenty four hours at a time by boiling the kettle, mixing in a sterilised jug,  leaving it to cool and storing in the fridge and then just reheated the bottle when required my placing the bottle in a jug of hot water. This is not acceptable practise these day despite the method having worked for parents for years.

Her neighbour told her about a machine that makes bottles in less than two minutes, and so she invested in one and wow I have to say I am VERY impressed, and so I thought I would share the machine with you in case you have not heard about it and know somebody who is due a baby any time soon.

the actual machine



The machine comes with one bottle complete with teat and lid to allow shaking of milk, a water filter so there is no need to pre boil water and a very comprehensive four page instruction leaflet.

instruction leaflet


Before you use for the first time you need to insert the water filter into the water tank, add water and run through a cleaning process, the leaflet tells you how to do this. The water filter lasts up to three months and will filter a hundred and fifty litres of water. They are readily available to buy when you need to replace.


water filter inside water reservoir 


There are various buttons to automate the processes. The three on the side are only for various maintenance procedures,

maintenance buttons on the side


The front has various warning lights and will alert you to when it recommends you undertake the maintenance and the middle jug symbol alerts you when the machine is needing refilled. It will not operate and this symbol lights up red.


warning lights on the front

The water tank is visible so you can see the level and can top up before the warning light comes on. It does suggest you use water from the fridge, but seemed a bit pointless when the water that is stored in the tank is going to be at room temperature. The bottles we made were still a safe temperature with the water at room temperature. 

visible water level


The machine is fairly compact and will easily sit on your worktop without taking up too much space,


It is height adjustable so that is takes any size of bottle.

easy height adjustment

with a tall nine ounce bottle



The selector on top allows you to choose how much milk to make, the minimum being four ounces, which with a new born baby could do with being slightly less but the initial burst of hot water is intended to kill any germs that may be in the formula and then the top up cools to the correct temperature so I appreciate that it probably will not work safely with any less.  The maximum being eleven ounces.

easy volume selector 


The machine lights up through the process, red for when adding hot water and green when adding cold. You have two minute from when you press to start to finish mixing and adding the cold, which is more than enough time.


just dispensed cold water

a real time video of the process.


The initial outlay for this machine may seem quite high, currently available between fifty seven and eighty pounds depending on where you buy it.  But I reckon you will recoop most if not all of the outlay in savings on your electricity bill by not having to boil the kettle over and over and over again.

My opinion - well worth every penny. No more screaming baby as they wait for the kettle to boil and cool, a real godsend in the middle of the night. Easy to use one handed and does not look out of place in the kitchen.

DD2 says if DD3 ever has a baby and is bottle feeding then she would buy one for her as a present.






Family Fever