Bread Glorious Bread

Yup, a post full of recipes and not much else. I thought I would share my favourite bread recipe and a cool recipe for spinach, cheese and quinoa patties.

Yummy bread recipe
1/2 tsp sugar & 1 Tbsp honey
Milk water mix (Approx 1 3/4 cups)
1 Tbsp yeast
Pour boiling water onto honey and sugar, add milk till cool enough to add 1 Tbsp yeast

Let sit for 20 minutes then add 4 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt. Stir together (knead if you fancy it) and leave for 1 hour. Decant into baking paper lined loaf tin and turn oven to 180C. Place bread in oven and cook for 25 minutes. You can jazz this up by blending porridge oats and sunflower seeds in food processor (up to 2 cups worth) which gives it a lovely flavour.

Quinoa Patties

2.5 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked)

1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/3 cup spinach, silverbeet or chives
3 eggs1/3 cup cheese - tasty or feta
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Splodge of onion marmalade, chutney etc
seasoning to taste.
Mix all ingredients, chill for 5 minutes and shape into patties. Cook for 3 minutes either side on medium heat.
Oh, and this pic?? It's the boys thrilling to the arrival of the foodbox... shortly before C fell headfirst into the box hehe

Cruising Creep

Cameron has decided that this crawling lark is for the birds and that it is time to cruise. Typically he rose on his haunches on Sunday, had a luxurious piddle under his brothers bed and then it was all on. Since then we are now shrilly demanding to have our hands held so we can walk, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Oy vey! He bustles madly about the house like a bumblebee on crack and would dash up the stairs endlessly if he had the chance... he doesn't! He happily climbs onto the toy garages and perches there like a baby gargoyle - with this huge smile on his face. His 6th tooth is now clearly evident. 6 teeth in 6 weeks.... and 6 weeks of grotty sleep for us! He is gorgeously sweet, and cuddly and is SUCH a boy. He is nowhere as cuddle as K - that's because K is my competition! Someone loves his big brother very much, and sometimes mum comes off definitely second best haha. K showers C with kisses, hugs and occasional whacks... :)

Mmmmmmmmotat Mmmmmmmmmayhem

Saturday dawned sunny and clear and we headed out to MOTAT to enjoy the freeness of entry :) I lugged along a bag that held jungle print plates and serviettes as well as the all important cupcakes and cake. Alas, the cream cheese icing and coloured m&m's did not look as fantastic after a night in the fridge and a morning of sightseeing as they had done when freshly decorated - boo. Maybe next year we'll do an afternoon party. We met with Colin, Kym and family, Nakita, Erin and family, Isabelle and Rob and Sam etc. We all wandered off to view MOTAT and at 11:20 met at the playground where I pulled out all the bits and pieces and watched the rain come down. We repaired to the Gazebo instead :) The kids seemed to have a good time, especially as we were situated above the miniature model trainway. At around 1:30 we headed off as K experienced a fantastic meltdown and needed to be carried out the gate. That child sure does love MOTAT. C had been bright, alert and happy. He was asleep before the Pt Chev shops!! Poor tuckered out little love! So all in all a good day out. Sunday was a lovely bright sunny day but Chris had to prep lecture slides - boo. I did take the boys to the playground late in the afternoon which K enjoyed. Then I spoke to mum via Skype. She briefly got to see Kieran before he dashed off to watch Beauty and the Beast after he had helped his father cook dinner, and then wrestled mightily with Cameron over the laptop. Tomorrow is playcentre and a chance to rest! Phew!

1 year old

Hells Bells where did the time go.... and how did that tiny cuddly snuggly baby who slept like an angel turn into the boisterous, crawling, stair climbing, 5 fanged little darling who... doesn't sleep quite so well. We had a happy morning opening his present at home and then heading to Playcentre where hectic playing ensued. It was Bike Day so K was in alt. We chilled out at home afterwards eating lunch and then all 3 had a nap. After we awoke Kieran helped me make Cameron's birthday cake - and cupcakes. He is such a good helper! While operating the food processor is right at the top of his fun to do list the beater is a not too shabby second. We squeezed lemons, and mandarins, and a lime... can you guess I ran out of lemons for my lemon syrup cake? Both boys had a cupcake after dinner and then C and I snuggled down and slept the night away. I guarantee the next birthday will be quite different :) I am betting there will be more running, more presents and more talking!

B.A.N.D.I.T

We are still working on the nightly wakings yearning for snackin's but last night was..... interesting. Cameron has accepted that the milk bar shuts at 9 and reopens when there's enough light to make out his face... however, he has decided he loves to sleep snuggled up with his mum under a duvet. I am seriously considering setting him up on the mattress tonight and seeing what happens haha. In other Cameron related news (my GOD, he is nearly ONE, WHERE did the year go!) he said Bandit clearly the other day, as he motored after the poor beleaguered pussum. He is also crawling at top speed, hoofs it up the (17) stairs like a rat up a drainpipe and stands leaning on things - then screams like a stuck pig cos he hasn't figured out how to stop standing. That child! Kieran is loving Kindy and I have asked for his hours to be extended to a 9-2:30 session 3x a week. This is due to the fact he nearly cried the last few days when I said we couldn't stay... hehehe. On the weekend we went to MOTAT as it is free to Waitakere residents in May... also the reason we are going there for Cameron's birthday. K loved it, loved it loved it.... and made a little book at the book binding workshop. We viewed lots of vehicles, looked at model trains, and rode on a steam engine - the highlight of the morning for K. It was pouring down too, but we had a blast. C really enjoyed it too. Tonight K helped me make pastry in the food processor, then made the pumpkin pie mix. The result was super tasty and he devoured it happily. I took on a mystery shopper gig which meant I had to order Domino's pizza, eat it, and rate their service... Chris was very keen to do this assignment, let me tell you :)

Mothers Day

What a day - it started out like arse (and at 5am) and got better as the day went on :) Mainly thanks to my lovely (if exhausted) husband. I even got a small sleep in which was lovely. There were several trips to the playground with the boys as it was a lovely sunny day and the trampoline was well used. I did have to spend some time typing up the minutes but this meant I could send my invoice in the evening so that was ok too. Mother's day pressie got deferred for later as we have quite the list of big expenses coming up... ie WOFing and registering Chris's car to sell, Chris's root canal - part 3, removal of 3 of Bandit's teeth, IRD payment for Chris, Cordbank annual fee, new passport for Chris.... hmmm Chris is rather expensive to have around hehehe

2 firsts in one day

Today Cameron stunned and amazed me by uttering his first articulate sentence. Sadly, it is a sentence that is heard FAR too often in our house... "I want my mummy!". The second first was Cameron managing to climb 2 steps of the stairs.... the end is nigh for life as we know it. I only wish I was rested enough to appreciate it. Alas, due to a wakeful, shrieky toddler waking the baby (MULTIPLE times last night - Grrrrr!) and my 5am start I was feeling rather zombielike. In my case substitute NAP!NAP! for BRAINS!BRAINS! I still can't get my head around the North Shore tornado..... it just seems like such a crazy thing to have in NZ, ditto the floods and the earthquake....not a good year for NZ (or indeed the world!). I have contacted all the real estate agents and let them know to put a kibosh on viewings etc - and that wasn't a fun job.... so many, so eager for their comission :P I have started a scrapbook for the boys that will cover their first year of life... C has not been alive for a year yet (ex womb) but I guarantee he'll be well over a year before I finish it! Tomorrow we have Playcentre - praise the lord! I hope the weather remains warm and sunny like today so we can walk. Picked Kieran up from Kindy today and saw a sea of cards with hearts and lovinmg messages on them. The teacher came over and apologised that there wasn't one for me because..."it's really difficult to get Kieran to sit down... he's very physical isn't he?!" Too true :)

Cameron is really testing the boundaries of walking. He has been pulling himself up on furniture and now nonchalantly stands in the bath leaning on the edge. Sitting in the warm water is for babies, Mum! Mother's Day is this weekend.... I wonder what I'll get.... a NAP would be nice, several would be better :P

A time to rent, a time to buy...

And, as we are not prepared to dedicate 50% of Chris's salary for a scungy house or dodgy neighbourhood, we shall rent for 3 years, save up hard then use my kiwisaver funds for a deposit. Looking at properties in the past few weeks has been an eye opener. We need a minimum 300k mortgage to get a decent property in an ok part of town....on one income that's just too hard but in three years we can get by for another year til I work.

In other, happier, news the Gruffalo stage show is coming back to New Zealand. K loved it so much I will take him again....Cameron too. And best news of all? The Auckland West show is opposite the library at the Glen Eden Playhouse - I am so excited. Roll on August 20th!!!

Teeth and Sleep

4 teeth now for young Fang. Yup we have somehow managed to go from 0 to 4 teeth in 5 weeks. Ditto zero crawling capability to thundering along and kneeling in the bath in a fortnight! Oy Vey! Sleep training/night weaning has recommenced, with me sleeping in the spare room on the single mattress with C when he wakes and squeaks for 'snackin's'. He now mournfully accepts the improbability of snackin's and after wailing and moaning for a bit goes back to sleep... in my arms.. on the mattress. Last night he would have slept through were it not for the Wailing Bansidhe aka PITA K who woke the baby up. Sigh. Once the nightly snackin free routine has been accepted we will work on the sleep in the cot not in mums bed routine :) and that may be a harder nut to crack in winter haha. I packed up the sleeping nest last night which devasted K, who l.iked to wander in at FIVE AM for cuddles, waking Cameron and myself. Where is that darn Groclock?! On Friday we rode the train to Henderson to go to the Police Station and catch up with Kym, Alex and Bella. The sun was shining, the boys were happy and life was good. Weekend was full on haha with lots of minuting for me to do this week - but we picked up the cheap 2nd hand single Graco stroller which is awesome! This week is kindy and plunket coffeegroup, a craft morning and we have a meeting with a mortgage broker on tuesday. I must also finish the birthday present I am making for mum - but fear it will arrive well after her birthday!!

House hunting we shall go...

It has been a most "interesting" weekend. Saturday was the most taxing with a Plunket BBQ to do in the morning, followed by many, many viewings of houses. We all fled the house at 9:45am and .... well.... quite frankly the Plunket BBQ was an epic fail. I have wiped the incident from my mind and tendered my resignation... yup, it was pretty bad. Accordingly, we left half an hour later than planned for Pukekohe where we viewed a gorgeous solid stone house, with a fantastic kitchen, freshly wallpapered and with a lovely walnut tree.... opposite Pukekohe North School. Apparently this neighbourhood is known as The Reservation.... despite this house's many charms it is well down the list oddly enough! Then we viewed a real fixer upper...Floors were nice, garden was nice, the walls... well, there is real potential to add value.... a second viewing is planned. We saw a dog, some ok's - but OMG the neighbourhood ones and then it was 3pm - time for a quick break before we hurtled off to Papakura. Kieran and Cameron were SO GOOD!! I cannot stress how wonderfully behaved they were. We arrived in Papakura slightly early - yay us.... and the agent was late!

The first property was pretty good. Shame the agent had been given the wrong keys and couldn't open it up for us to view. Large garden, could add value there easily, house looked ok from the outside. Street was nice too. The next 2 properties were ex army houses. The first I liked... shame about the meager garden and high price tag. The second - price again high - was pretty good. By this stage the boys were beginning to melt down after a mere 5 hours in the car, so home we went. So on Mothers Day we shall once again wend our way to Puke and 'Kura to view some properties... and this time Colin and Ros will join us for their thoughts :) Yay, roadtrip - go us!