Photo Scavenger Hunt

Sometimes you just need inspiration and thanks to Kezzie sharing, I decided to join in with a long standing challenge over on this site:

 Relaxed:  This photo was taken just over eight years ago when Benedict was just a small boy and "Little Miss PJ" a baby.  I love this photo, it captures Dave's spirit beautifully and although MS has taken hold in parts of his central nervous system, it hasn't shaken his spirit. Behind that gentle smile is the indominitable spirit of a fighter :-)

Begins With An M:  Our grand-daughter Mary-Grace.  This sunny wee gal will be starting school next week, eep!  She finished her last day at nursery today.  Those four years have truly flown by.

 Time For ... Afternoon Tea and a trip down memory lane :-)  Sara and Tom will be celebrating three years of married life in just over a week.  Their wedding day was certainly memorable!  So another impromptu "do-over" a few days later, with the long overdue wedding cake was much appreciated!

 Tangerine ... Glow from the birthday candles on Dave's 45th birthday cake.  These two imps more often than not fight like "cat and dog" so this photo is a testimony that they used to get on :-)

 Begins with An O:  a bowl of hand dyed orange yarn.

 Whiskery:  Poppy in her favourite spot on Benedict's bed!

 Lace on a shawl for a dear friend.  We "met" via a group of online Catholic mums and this gal has supported me not only via this blog, but also email and Skype. 

 Bridge:  "Bye, Bye, Train."

Letters:  the mechanics of writing has never been easy for this chap and over the years we have had little to "show" for our home school efforts.  A diagnosis of developmental coordination delay ( dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dyslexia) has meant that working online is a far better option.  This photo reminds me of happy days when  work books littered the table :-)

One Of My Own:  one of the very first pictures from this blog.  It began way back in October 2009.  Benedict at the time began  insulin pump therapy for type one diabetes management.  As a result of the many difficulties during those first five months we began our home schooling journey.  The insulin pump has changed both colour and size as Ben has grown and developed.  As from Tuesday September 12th Benedict will be attending college part time and so we will be sharing his learning journey with Myerscough.  One chapter closes and another begins.

Raw Cacao, Fruit, Nut and Popcorn Slices

My goodness I have made it to five posts in one month!  

I had fun in the kitchen this afternoon and made these delicious treat bars that are packed full of goodness and really simple to make.  This recipe made one large "cake" that split into 16 individual slices.

Ingredients:

100g almond butter

100g coconut oil

50g raw cacao powder

100g honey ( or maple syrup if you wish to make a vegan version)

1tsp vanilla extract

50g dried cherries or cranberries

50g flaked almonds

50g popped corn

Melt the coconut oil and mix in a bowl with the almond butter and honey.  Add the cacao and blend until smooth.  Fold in the remaining ingredients of cherries, almonds and popcorn.

Lightly grease a spring form cake tin or silicone mold and spoon in the chocolate mixture.  Place the tin in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Once frozen remove the mixture from the tin and cut into tiny slices and store in the fridge. 

Disclaimer:  I used the fudge base recipe from Madeleine Shaw's " Get The Glow" Cookbook and then added in my own extras of almonds and popcorn ;-)

Eating In The Rain

 Road testing some vegan recipes so that I have something to offer Kath next time she visits :-) 

 Sweet Potato, Chilli and Apple Sauce Burgers served with Cauliflower Moroccan Rice.  The "rice" contains, spring onions, cashews, raisins, dessicated coconut and spices.  The meal was labour intensive largely due to the frying of the burgers but it was worth the effort.  The whole meal was declared a hit by one and all :-)

 Pitter, patter ...

 ... and then the rain came down!  Dave and Ben were sheltered under the big parasol, which unfortunately did not stretch to cover Pip or myself.  Time for lateral thinking and so with careful balancing, we all managed to finish our meal relatively dry!

Ah, The Great British Summer #thatfeelsmorelikeautumn :-)

Sunday Tea :: Mud Glorious Mud

Kathryn and Mary-Grace stopped for the weekend, whilst Benedict spent some time with Tom and Sara.  To save me making an extra journey we decided to meet them Beetham Garden centre for coffee/tea and cake:

We had a sudden change of plan yesterday afternoon.  Our original plan was to visit a home school family but when we turned up they weren't at home :-(  Needless to say Pip was very understandably upset, but thanks to quick thinking on my part, a nudge from a Guardian Angel (!) and a telephone call it all turned out well :-)  We visited Claire and Co and a lovely afternoon was had by all.

Pip and Beth had fun constructing a moat for younger brother's bridge, they dug and dug and continued digging despite the rain!  Thank you God for friends :-)

 

Deliciously Ella Flap Jack

Two posts in one week, nothing short of a miracle!  We had a visit from Nanna and Grandad H today and I actually managed to remain upright for the duration of the visit :-)  I did immediately take to my bed once they had gone however!  After my rest I spent some time in the kitchen making some delicious flap jack.  This one is for you RONDIE, do you remember the times when we used to eat raw flap jack mix, sitting in the kitchen at Furness Park?  Happy Days, dear friend :-) xx 

 

Summer Shenanigans

Still here and still sick.  The last time I was this unwell was before Benedict was born!  I am either suffering from a major relapse of an existing condition or dealing with something new.  Either way it makes simple daily living tasks a challenge. Therefore  I follow a predictable routine of do one thing and then lie down and so on throughout the day.  I am just about managing to fulfill my work commitments but this then leaves me with little chance to do anything else.  The kids have been really great helping around the home, the pots are washed, meals made and clean clothing in the cupboards, so really it is all good.

Here is a photo round up of the past month:

 Visiting Sara and Tom in their new abode.  They have moved out of the basement of number one and are now living in the main part of the house.  This change came about as a result of Grandpa passing away last month but it is wonderful that the whole building is remaining within the family.  Tom's mum and Dad live in the top floors of this family home.

 Tom's mum and dad called in to say, "hello" and were just in time for dessert :-)  Home grown apples and blackcurrant for a fruit crumble.

  

  Both kids have been occupied out of the home during the course of these past few weeks.  Pip attended week one of a Mad Science camp at the end of July, followed by them both attending Heron Corn Mill for Flash Art workshops. Here are Pip's art inventions for the Mad Science Camp in July, she begins round two tomorrow!

 

Deliciously Ella With Friends:

Mum W loaned the book named above and Pip and I tried one of the recipes on Sunday evening.  It was a no bake chocolate and nut pie.  We omitted the middle of layer or peanut butter and a good job too, it would have been way too rich!  This recipe turned out really well although since being on the Wahls Paleo Plus diet, I have now found that nuts give me stomach issues, so I will be giving this one a miss in future :-)