Quiet Moment.

Mixing milk chocolate cookie dough. 9 year old son sampled some before the egg was added. He will be ready for school next week.

Eggs....

Eggstra eggs..... eggsellent, baking on today.....

These are Ultra Choc Chip Cookies.

125g butter

200g chopped chocolate

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

250 g choc bits.

Melt butter and chopped chocolate over low heat, till smooth. Place mixture into a bowl (I don't , I just use the pot.)

Add beaten eggs and sugar. Stir. Add flour, cocoa and choc bits. Combine.

Drop spoonfuls on cookie tray and bake at 200 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes or till tops are firm. Leave on tray for a few minutes before transferring.

This recipe comes from "Family Circle" a few years ago.

The dear office ladies at school deserve some of these as they are gathering notes for me today due to sick children being absent.

Fresh Produce Friday.

I am again about to place my order, so I again think of meals in the next week. I have a meat pie in the freezer that I made last week, there will be bacon and lentil soup again, steak sandwiches we never had this week and maybe a roast dinner too.

A Day in My Life.

I am participating in this gathering today. At the end of the day I should see where the time goes.... I will post as the day goes as I will be busy quite late into today.... I woke, aware that there would not be school today as there had been a great deal of coughing through the night. Had a shower, nice and hot and made the bed. Enjoyed an orange that dear husband E had cut for me and a drink with psyllium husks. I could hear the youngest singing the hokey pokey, got her up and dressed. Made 4 year old's bed. It is pyjamas for sick ones today. Had a lovely cuddle with these two poppets. I reheated the heat packs for the older two, put some lavender oil on them and slipped them into their beds.

I folded the washing that had been drying in front of the heater. I also wiped kitchen benches. When all awake, we all had a spoonful of Manuka honey. I then had a few minutes to attend to my blog. Breakfast for children, weetbix and cranberry juice. Cleaned up afterwards. Made older childrens' beds for them today, opened up bedrooms to let in sunshine and fresh air. Did a quick wipe over of the bathroom and loaded the washing machine with the towels. Let the cat in. Put the coffee machine on.....almost there....

Washed the kitchen floor and ate my breakfast. Added finishing touches to the canteen roster for soccer on Saturday and emailed it to the committee. Cleaned the bathroom thoroughly this time, but not the shower. Enjoyed my coffee. Hung out the towels when the washing machine had finished. Organised craft materials for the younger two. Answered an email about soccer equipment and started sorting through catalogues and present lists for friends and family for upcoming birthdays and yes, Christmas. I am going to a warehouse next week for cheap shopping. I tidied our 9 year old son's room after 4 year old daughter had enjoyed playing with cars. Gave everyone a snack. We are up to 11am. (I have not included nose blowing.)

I love how at this time of the day the warmth that the sun has provided starts to come into the house. Slippers are off and jumpers could be too. After the snack, I played 'Snap' with the younger two. Then a quick tidy of the floor so that we could get to the door. I made lunch; sandwiches and fruit for the children, pumpkin soup for me. We enjoyed it out on the deck in the sunshine. Unfortunately, a glass lantern was knocked over, so I had to sweep up the glass. 9 year old son enjoyed watching a Preying Mantis.

After a clean up of lunch and the younger two childrens' bedroom, the younger two got into bed and had their story.
Now, the older two have to have a rest as well.... there are many things I could do now. It is now 1:20pm ish.

I went out to the letterbox to get the mail and bring in the garbage bins. Along with the mail was some walnut and apricot bread that our neighbour had left us. She often leaves us things in the letterbox or over the fence when we drop off some soup. As I was coming down the driveway, another neighbour stopped me for a chat. I came in and asked 9 year old son to gather more jasmine as my hands were full. I made some tea and while the three girls slept, we sat on the deck in the sunshine.

A quiet moment.

There was also a lovely, fluffy kookaburra on the fence next to our bedroom window.The girls awoke, and I did the washing up and brought in the clean, dry towels. I then made afternoon tea: apricot and walnut bread, sliced rockmelon, a spoonful of Manuka honey and milk.

I then closed the house up to start retaining the warmth of the day. After updating the blog, we had D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read.) I am reading "The Ministry of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson.

The younger ones then played and the older two watched some of the Olympics.

Cup of tea now that husband E is home......

Luckily dinner is leftover apricot chicken.

I did the grocery shopping after quickly serving the rest of the family dinner, E then ate with the children.

I have returned to all four in bed and the treat of the day; choc honeycomb icecream with E and reading, probably with the cat on my lap.

And Then There Were Four.....

on the couch sitting in the sunshine, not well enough for school. Spoonfuls of Manuka honey all around.

And by the way, how many other 2 year old daughters wake up singing the Hokey Pokey?

Baking Wednesday.

Later in the day I felt inspired to bake. So here is the tomato soup cake..........

Quiet Moment.

The two little ones and the cat are asleep, need I say more?