Our Wedding Anniversary

On Monday the 2nd of May we had our 24th wedding Anniversary.
We actually celebrated this on Friday night when we had Kynan still home.
Our children organised the meal, Seafood baskets and a most delicious Peach and Rum Puddingcake.

It was wonderful to see how they also organised to decorate the dinner table with a "Sea Theme". I simply love to see the creative side of the children come out in these matters.

This is the Peach and Rum Puddingcake. It was so delicious that I just have to share the recipe with you:

2 cups  plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (we actually don't add the salt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
2 eggs
1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBS rum (we used rum essence)
2 TBS melted butter
2 1/2 cups of peach slices (we used canned)

Topping:
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 TBS rum
3 TBS icing sugar

Method~
1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl
2. In a separate bowl beat with an electric mixer eggs and brown sugar on high for several minutes
3. Beat the vanilla, rum, melted butter into the sugar and egg mixture.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mix. Add the peaches. Use a wooden spoon and try to combine everything well with just a few swift strokes.
5. Spread the mixture int a greased pan and bake 35 mins at 350 degrees F
6. Whip the heavy cream, sprinkling in the rum and icing sugar.
7. Serve the pudding cake hot or warm in squares laced with topping.


This was one of the songs from our Wedding that I still love even now~
A new commandment I give unto you:
That you love one another as I have loved you.
That you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know that you are My disciples
If you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples
If you have love one for another.

A new commandment I give unto you:
That you love one another as I have loved you.
That you love one another as I have loved you.

Happy Anniversary my love I am so blessed to have you  in my life.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Can your Oven Cleaner do this?

In case you are not already a follower of My Backyard Eden, Carolyn is reviewing some Shaklee products and giving away samples of Basic H to try!!!! :) 

Check out her over door!!!  Can your natural over cleaner do this?!?!  WOW!  Great job Carolyn!

She also shows how she washed her windows…

Before!

After!

She what and how she cleaned and enter to win a sample HERE!! :)  Good Luck!

Go Here to order now! :)

Remember about the free membership deal going on right now!!!

Want to do your own Shaklee review, click here for details!

Have a great day!

A Favourite

Image Courtesy A Country Farmhouse

Let me share with you one of my favourite blogs..... 'A Country Farmhouse'. It is a visual feast... of everyone's dream... a life in the country in a beautiful, beautiful farmhouse. This is Trina's 'Dining Patio' "beginning to stir after months of wintry stillness", as Trina puts it. Doesn't it look like it has just come from the pages of a magazine. 

.. and that's not all, you should see her gorgeous babies. HERE.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday 2011

Our Holy Thursday is quite a busy time. We tend to spend a lot of time preparing for our Passover/ Seder Meal and the preparing for the evening Mass that is usually on as well.
We have a script that we use every year and is quite simple to use in a family situation
This year the Mass was in another town in our Parish and we had to arrive early as our boys wanted to serve as well.

We usually do not get to finish our meal as we tend to have to hurry to get to Mass, much like the Jews in being readiness to leave.

A large part of the meal is the roast lamb meal we have after the initial ceremony. We rarely have lamb but it is one of most of the family's favourite meats.

Our treat for sweets is always trifle...however we often don't get to eat it until after we come home from our Mass of the Lord's Supper

It was interesting to see our little children with our wall hanging this year. They were naming each of the Apostles and trying to get Arwen to say them as well.

Our  Cenecle with the Apostles and Jesus, reenacting the last supper. Once again Arwen was happy to play with them for ages and Moran and Myffwyn were constantly re arranging them into the order that was on the wall hanging.

I just adore trifle....in fact it is my favourite sweet.

Well Good Friday arrived quite soon after our Thursday evening activities and the it was time for the 'additions ' to be made to our Calvary Crosses.
The nails were added, paint applied and the crown of thorns and scarlet robe attached as well.

Hot Cross Buns Recipe~
This is a sweet dough recipe and I also use it as a base for our Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday with the addition of fruit and a sweet glaze on top: (I also use it for doughnuts)

Ingredients ~
580ml of water
2 eggs
4 Tbs of butter or oil (I use oil)
2 Tsp of salt
4 Tbs of sugar
7 cups of Bread flour
6 Tbs of milk powder 4Tsp Bread improver
5 Tsp yeast

add 2 tsp of Cinnamon
2 Tsp of mixed spice
2 1/2 cups of sultana (or your own mix of dried fruit)

Method ~
Put everything into a bowl and knead either by hand or mixer until ready.

Shape into balls and place in an oven tray with sides.
Cover with plastic. NB: The best way we have found so they don't stick to the plastic is to cover with a supermarket shopping bag.
Let rise until doubled in size.

When doubled in size blend together 4 TBS of water and 1/2 cup of plain flour until smooth batter has formed.
Spoon into a piping bag and make a cross on the buns (after removing the plastic of course)
Bake in a pre heated oven for about 15 mins
Remove from oven to cooler
Brush with Hot Cross bun Glaze~
1 cup of icing sugar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 TBS of water
Combine ingredients until smooth and thin and brush on still warm Hot Cross Buns

I think we actually made 5 dozen Hot cross buns this year. They are quite scrumptous.

Rogan had made up some sugar cookie dough for the Easter Cookies to be made so early in the morning Stephen started to roll out the cookie dough and cutting into shapes.

We coloured the sugar  with some food colouring and for some of the colours we used jelly crystals.

Rogan spent ages decorating the cookies with the sugar and organising them.

The finished Easter cookies waiting to be eaten on Easter Day.

Our Crack Me Eggs organised as well.

We finished off the night with watching the Jesus movie with the younger ones and the Passion of the Christ with the Kynan, Braedon, Autumn and Saxon.

It seems so very long ago that we celebrated Easter Day and all the lead up to it. The preparations are so involved but indeed I treasure these days that we celebrate events together as a family.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Hearts for Home - 3rd May ♥

In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.

In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'.

I am praying that a spirit of gentleness, generosity in thoughts and time along with loveliness and grace would lead us to be all that God wants us to be.

I pray also that each person involved in 'Hearts for Home' would also pray for any others involved as well.

May you be blessed by this initiative. I pray it brings you and your family many blessings.

So each week list 4-6 things you will commit to that will keep your "Hearts for Home'.
Please leave a you name and a link to your blog (if you don't have one just leave your list in the comment box) and perhaps a comment so we can all see and encourage each other.

If you would like, add the 'Hearts for Home' logo to your side bar as a reminder of your goals.
May God Bless you this week.

♥ Please leave a link to your Hearts for Home Edition on the Mister Linky at the end of the post, so we can all come and visit.
I would also appreciate you linking back here too.☺ ♥ ♥

My list for 3rd of May  is ♥ ♥

1. As May is the month we focus on Mary and role of Mother hood I will be devoting time and thought into this project. The gift of a anew baby soon makes me think all the more on this topic and how I am achieving this with our own children. Therefore I will be evaluating my own expectations and actions in light of this and hopefully improving the quality of care and mothering shown to our children.

2. I am just about packed for the hospital and just need to throw a couple of books in for reading and organise my craft basket. Does anyone have suggestions for light reading to take with me?

3. I know I shouldn't but I am!
I have a new list of things I want to make for the baby before it comes....in about 2 weeks.
I want to make a mobile of silk angels, a knitted lamb, a knotted doll and a hug me.
I know it is last minute but as yet I have not made ANYTHING for this new treasure and I so desire to.

4.AS well as this I am embroidering little 'pretties' onto the singlets. I think baby's look so much nicer and, well loved in these more personal items.

5. Try to write out a "Mummy is in hospital routine" for our children to follow, in order to help them run their days (I know it is only a very short while) as stress free and ordered as possible.

6. With this same theme in mind I would like to have a menu plan for the next 2 weeks (after our current one,) complete with shopping supplies and perhaps even better the supplies already bought and stored for use.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Motherhood and May

How can the year be flying past so fast?

It is May already and as we wait the last couple of weeks for our baby to arrive I find myself still trying to catch up on all I want to do.
We have so enjoyed having our Kynan back home for 3 weeks as he had his first Uni holidays and we have tried to fit a lot of activities into the last couple of days he was home.

May is always a busy month for us and the first few days more so due to the activities we have for these days.

This whole month we devote to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We also usually like to celebrate May Day on the 1st of May in our home and put up our May Pole, make a cake and prepare May baskets.
The 2nd is Our  Wedding Anniversary and the 3rd is Rogan's birthday.
Mothers Day is this coming weekend as well.

So while Kynan was home we tried to fit in our Anniversary and Rogan's birthday on the last weekend of his time here along with some other significant home and church duties.

Needless to say we have not managed to complete our May Day and I am hoping tomorrow will allow us this pleasure.

With another May baby due, Moran has her birthday this month as well, I have been once again thinking of the value and blessings associated with motherhood. So many ideas and concepts are running through my mind and yet so little time to write them all down.

For today however I thought I would collect all the posts I have written over the last 2 years on Mothering and our May activities and put them here.

Hopefully you will be encouraged by some of them as we focus once again our thoughts on our vocation as mothers this month.

My Collection of Mothering Posts

Enjoying the Journey through May 2009
Enjoying the Journey through May 2010
Our Lady of Fatima and May Crowning
May Crowning and Bookcase Display 2010 
May book case Display 2009
May Baskets 2009
Ascension Day Plans  (actually on 1st June this year)
Pentecost Plans and activities ( on the 12th June this year)

Hoping to  share some more thoughts soon ♥

Blessings to you and your homes,

How Would I React....If?

HOW WOULD I REACT IF??

This is a thought I have often pondered as I go through my life and different challenges arise for me.
One of the times I usually wonder this is during Holy Week and we look at the last few days of Jesus life as he goes to the crucifixion.

How easy it seems to condemn those Jews who cried out "crucify him, crucify him" as they stand before Pilate. Now I know, that we also know some people did not call for this and others were influenced by the Sadducee's and Pharisee's to be one of the crowd.

It seems easy in hindsight to say I would be one of those who would stand up and defend Jesus, BUT in reality would I have?
Would I have seen what I am able to see so clearly now with all the ability of hindsight to help me?
Would I have, even if I had known had the courage to stand up for what I believed in, would I have drawn attention to my self by daring to stand up? Because let us not forget that it was a whole lot more cruel and hard a time to live in!

It is so easy to say I WOULD stand up for what I believe and I do think I would but how can I really know?
I think it is only going through the trials and temptations before us that we can really know how we would react in any given situation.

Today as we listened to the bible story of Doubting Thomas~
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

    ²⁵The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

    ²⁶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you.

    ²⁷Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.

    ²⁸Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.

    ²⁹Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.

I again thought how easy it is to read this and say how foolish Thomas was not to believe. How could he doubt? He who knew Jesus, who walked and talked with Him and knew Him so intimately, how can he doubt?
But again I look into my own life and I see Thomas in all to many instances.

Again I ask How would I react...If?

When I was a young girl I still remember imagining in my mind a life far more exciting than mine. A life of action, adventure and being the heroine. Being the one who would save others and be recognised for these truly remarkable and brave actions.

In my mind it was real and vivid and I look back and think how great an imagination I had, and frankly still have.

I still love to read and watch on DVD the lives of not only great fictional characters but the lives of the saints and missionaries, and the way they did respond when asked to defend what they believed in.

There are so many wonderful stories out there (apart from the Bible) that I think can inspire us to live beyond what we think we can do. Books and movies that give us a glimpse of what a man or woman of character is like. These same characters real or imaginary, because I think a great fictional character can inspire as well, can help us prepare our hearts and souls with the virtues we need to be able to answer the question when asked-
How will I react....now.....in this situation.......

I want to be able to answer in the affirmative, that I will stand for what I believe in regardless of the cost. Will I be ready?
Well that depends on how I prepare myself doesn't it?

For me preparation means spending time reading my Bible, spending time in prayer, reading uplifting books and watching inspiring DVDs.

It means only opening my heart and mind to those things that uplift and encourage me. To say NO to those things I know do not fit the bill so to speak.
To say NO even to those things that while not being 'bad' for me by the same token do not allow me to give my best. For my time (as yours is too) is limited and I don't really have time to say YES to all the opportunities that present themselves to me.

I need to keep my focus on the Lord and what I know he has asked of me.....even when it means I will need to say NO to others, even if it means I have to resist some other seemingly great opportunities, even if it means I have to STAND ALONE.

And there it is the 'million dollar question' where the 'rubber meets the road'- can I do it?

I want to!   I hope so!   I pray I can!
I believe I can with faith in my Lord and the perseverance to endure!

And I pray you can too♥

Blessings to you and your homes,