Late Night Moments

Last night, Little Prince woke up quite a few times.  I am not sure why but he was having a rough night.  And as I cuddled him alone in the dark, holding my one-year-old baby boy close to my chest, whispering in his ear, talking to him, rocking him and calming him down.  I didn't care that it was late.  I didn't care that I was exhausted and I really needed sleep.  I simply felt his little body slowly sinking into mine, softening from rigid and crying to soft, peaceful and calm.  I love the sweetness of his cheek pressed tightly against mine, his soft breath in my ears, him needing me to make him feel better.  I love that at this age, a cuddle from mommy can still make it all better.

Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

Here are some things I am grateful for this week:

1. Pancake breakfasts with my all my babies.

2. Waking up to snuggly cuddles with a smiley baby boy. 

3. Easter morning surprises with all my babies.

4. Babies who aren't afraid to make messes in the spirit of having fun. 

5. Beautiful sunsets that light up the nighttime sky.  And my babies getting excited to see them through their bedroom windows at night.

6. Looking at houses in the country with beautiful yards for the children to play in.

7. Afternoon drives with my family now that we have a truck that we all fit in.

Saturday Photohunt: wind and green

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The themes this week are wind and green.  I found these pics from a few years ago when we took the kids to a farm.  Look at how little Princess Mapgie is!  She is five years old now.  I love the wind blowing her little curls.  How sweet! And really like the look of Princess Belle watching the animals, the wind blowing her hair against a background of fields of green grass. I LOVE these pics and they remind me why we are moving to the country. 

Oatmeal Cookie Oatmeal

This oatmeal is a bit of a treat, but it was a HUGE hit with my kids.  I simply put all the seasonings and add-ins that I usually would put in oatmeal cookies and added them to their oatmeal and they each at THREE bowls of oatmeal without stopping!

2 cups oatmeal
4 cups water (or milk of you prefer)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice (I planned to use this but was actually out and left this out)
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar (adjust to your preferred sweetness)
1 cup raisins

(I added 1/2 cup of trail mix as well because I had it on hand, but this is completely optional and I may not add it next time if I don't have any around or I may add some nuts instead)

Simply combine ingredients in a pot and cook over medium until it has reached desired thickness.  I garnished with a little cinnamon sugar on top and the kids were thrilled with it.

This Moment

A beautiful and fun Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – Amanda Soule

Yay for having a truck!

We had a good day . . . a busy day . . . but a good day.  It is so much easier to get groceries and to get things done when you have a vehicle to do it with.  The girls were so excited to get into our new truck and to go for a ride.  It was really sweet. 

By the time I got home, I was exhausted from two days of running around, but is good to be able to get things done.

The truck ended up costing us a little more than what we had budgeted when you take into account the insurance, taxes, patching a flat tire and everything, but it also means that when we move, we should be able to cut down on the price of movers a little by taking some things in the back of our truck. And every little bit helps.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Prince plays with Sisser's Car

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Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Bloggers, 5 minutes for mom, Ms. Mystery Case, Tales of a Pee Dee Mama, and Stacys Random Thoughts!

Simple White Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
¼ cup white sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. active dry yeast
6 cups white bread flour
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup oil
Preparation:

1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer with a hook attachment, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast, stirring gently to dissolve. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.

3. Add the oil to the yeast mixture. Gradually add the flour, about one cup at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic and firm. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough is doubled in bulk.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Oil two 9” x 5” loaf pans.

5. Punch down the dough, and turn out onto a dry surface, kneading for 3-4 minutes. Divide the dough in half, shape into two loaves and place in the prepared loaf pans. Let the loaves rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes more, or until the loaves have risen above the edges of the pans.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly in the pans before serving. Bread will keep for 5 days wrapped well in plastic wrap or plastic bread bags.

Oatmeal Coconut Biscuits

1 cup Coconut
2/4 cup Flour
1 cup rolled Oats
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup water

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Bring the mixture together with your fingertips to form a dough.

Drop in teaspoons on greased cookie sheets.

Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden.

Remove from the oven.

Oatmeal Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup veg. oil
• 3 eggs

1. Combine ingredients really well and whisk until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat.
3. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
4. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

Here are some things I am grateful for this week:

Purchasing a (new to us) F-150 extended cab truck that has enough room for our whole family but is also great for our move.  It is one step in the plan of moving to the country and it cost us less than $1000! (he removed the toolbox that is in the picture)

Kids who love waking up to the smell of freshly baked goods for breakfast.

Friends who take me out for a girls night out to celebrate my birthday.  I have never done that.

A friend who can talk for hours on the phone with me even though we haven't seen each other in over a year!

Counting down the days to the move. 

Movers who are coming to give us a proper estimate in a few days.  They are optomistic that they can give us a better price than the last guys we spoke to.

Feeling good enjoying the fresh air as I shovelled the driveway to prepare for our new truck!

An adorable baby boy who just turned one year old and greets me every morning by clapping his hands and shouting, "Yay!" when he sees me walk into the room.

This little face looking up at me while he is busy crawling around the floor

Little girls who love to play dressup and to tell me their stories (even if they stuff teddy bears down the back of their dresses to keep them from falling off.

Inexpensive birthday celebrations that cause major excitement

A baby boy tired out by all the fun and insists on rocking himself to sleep in his favorite bouncy seat instead of in his crib.  LOL

 

Coconut Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup water
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted


DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and coconut until soft dough forms. Place drop biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes about 15.

Coconut cookies

1 cup self-raising flour (or 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 tsp baking powder)
1 cup coconut
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup melted margarine

1. mix all ingredients until well combined
2. place by teaspoons on a greased tray, leaving room for expansion.
3. bake at 350*F for 12 minutes.

Saturday Photohunt: Flow and What Makes You Happy

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The themes this week are Flow and What Makes You Happy.  This was not a tough one for me.  If someone asks me what makes me happy, my first instinct is my kids.  They make every day a little more special just being a part of it.  They LOVE water and anywhere that water is flowing they are thrilled, which makes me happy too.  The hardest part was narrowing down which flowing water pics to choose!

 

I couldn't resist sharing a pic from 2011 where we went for a picnic in the park and let the kids play in the water park.  It was a  fun day and Princess Magpie had a wonderful time and watching her run and splash and play in the flowing water, made me very happy.

 

 

I have one of Little Prince anxiously watching the water flow into the tub, he couldn't wait to get in there. He LOVES bath-time and watching him get so excited when he watches the water flow makes me very happy.

But then I thought of another kind of flow, the way hair flows back and forth in the breeze like in this pic.  It reminds me of why this upcoming move to the country will make me so happy.  I want my kids to have the chance to see animals up close, to see the country, real farms, and to really enjoy that kind of freedom.  This pic with the horse's mane and Princess Belle's hair flowing in the wind makes me very happy.

This Moment

A beautiful and fun Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – Amanda Soule

One Year Old!

My handsome, funny, cuddly, little guy is a FULL YEAR old today!  It is hard to believe!  He is such a sweet boy and he is completely adored and spoiled by all his big sisters.  It is funny to see how very busy he is compared to how his older sisters were at his age.  Trying to a photo session with him is like trying to wrangle a baby octopus.  His arms and legs are going everywhere and he is always trying to run away to investigate something far more interesting than mommy's old camera.  He makes me laugh out loud, even if it is hard as heck to get good pics of him.  I am so grateful that we were blessed with this little boy.  I remember every day how very blessed I am to be able to love this little sweetie (and all my sweet babies!).