Happy Easter!

Well we had a busy day yesterday, fun wise. Firstly, we made chocolate chip cookies (like the ones I have made before many many times), then hot cross buns and then nature journals.

The hot cross buns almost didn't turn out as I was a little impatient getting them out of the oven but popped them back in and all was saved! Thankfully all that rising and waiting time wasn't in vain....I just loooove them hot from the oven with a little bit of butter melting into them.

I have been wanting to do this for awhile so finally found a couple of old but empty exercise books to use as nature journals. We covered them in pretty paper (Miss E also decorated hers beautifully), gathered a few supplies (crayons, pencils, sticky tape, clipboard, camera) and set out in the back yard.

Here are our leaf rubbings - we loved doing these.



I was thrilled to find this beetle 'skin' cast off on the trunk of a tree to show the kids.

We also added a feather each. A is a little young for this activity but he helped collect leaves and just generally followed us around enjoying being outside.

I think we will use Miss E's library bag as a hold-all for our nature journals and supplies and we can take it with us on outings to the park etc.

I might set up a nature table next...

Catch up post....

I am going to combine a couple of things here due to the lag in posts.

Firstly, a new friend from the countryside gave me and others some lovely fresh pecan nuts from her tree so I immediately tried them in some 'cowboy cookies' from a recent Martha magazine. They were quite simple to make and the kids just looooved them. They contain chopped pecans, oats and chocolate chips. A is a little addicted to cookie dough it seems. I think he would be happy to not even bake the cookies some days. He just loves baking so much he asks me to do some with him nearly every day (which I can't say I manage). Maybe there is a little chef in the making! He is very particular how he has his food and he does things like crushing up a wafer to sprinkle over his ice-cream, making sure he has a little bit of wafer with every mouthful. He also only likes fresh cooked food and will reject nearly every leftover (even casserole!). Hmmmm......

Shortly after this cooking endeavour I was asked to do a talk at Miss E's school about Australia so I baked some Anzac biscuits to give the children as well. You have to love a good Anzac biscuit! I haven't been able to find any golden syrup here but a friend gave me her unused jar so there have been quite a few old favourite recipes popping up!

It seems most of my creative pursuits have involved baking lately. I am having fun making some Christmas cards at the moment so will post them when I am done.

Hmmm, how does one start?

As a first entry, are there any rules to follow? I am guessing not so will just comment on my day, creativeness included or not.

Today is a lovely wintery, rainy day here in Montevideo and I have had the luxury of not having anything to do save play with my 3 year old little boy, Lord A, and do some baking. Those two activities inevitably became intertwined and I really must remind myself to enjoy the moment and not worry about extra scatterings of flour everywhere! You know, I never noticed my obsessive-compulsive personality traits until I had children and they started to, in the way only children can, rearrange my life (and often my cupboards!). Anyway, we successfully negotiated the cracking of eggs and the pouring of the flour to make some deliciously simple chocolate chip cookies (or biscuits if you are Australian like me) and banana muffins with a lemony cream cheese icing. Yum! Now, back to playing with Lord A.....