blessings in the sadness

there are so many blessings that can be found if you only know where to look. in amongst all the sadness and things that are currently out of our control with what's happening with doug's mum... there is still so much to be grateful for. let me tell you about a few things that i am grateful for. number one. although oli needs to have radiation that comes at a huge cost, we have the money. we were so blessed that all of stephen's affairs settled quickly and without fuss, with no issues, no delays and no claims being rejected. we can pay for it and do not have to go into any form of debt to make it happen. she is receiving the best care available and we are grateful every day.

i saw this print for sale just the other day and i love it. so very much. i have always loved the blue boat house on crawley bay and we even had some of our wedding photos taken out the front on the jetty. so imagine my delight to see that kmart had released it as a print and then my annoyance when not a single store any where near me had any stock of it. i posted online asking if everyone could keep an eye out for it as i really wanted one, only to have a friend drive all the way to cockburn central, wait in the stupid long line at their store opening, buy it for me and bring it to our house. oh my goodness. she even wrote in the card, "you are forever doing lovely things for me and i have never had the chance to return the favour. here is my chance." i was so touched.

another absolutely amazing thing that's happened... i saw this tv unit on marketplace and saved it because it was 100% exactly what i wanted, then didn't get around to messaging the seller because oli went into hospital and we were more concerned about her than anything else.

a few weeks later, the exact same unit, not a similar one, same unit, same seller, gets posted on our local free page, right as i happened to be online - and after asking on the post, i was given it! for freeeee! i still can't believe it. plus, our lovely neighbour went with doug to pick it up. excited doesn't even cover it.

i listed my pies for sale for thanksgiving and sold out within 2 days. this is incredible for me too, as the money goes straight into buying dougs christmas gifts. i know the money we have is "ours" not his, but because he is out there working to earn it, i like to be able to buy him gifts with money i've earned myself. it just makes me feel good to do it that way.

and last but certainly not least, there is never a shortage of people willing to drive our kids places or help out when on the odd occasion we can't get them somewhere or need to work around oli's appointments.

in short: the windows of heaven are pouring more blessings upon us than we can hold.

when upon lifes billows you are tempest tossed,

when you are discouraged thinking all is lost

count your many blessings, name them one by one

and it will surprise you what the lord has done

count your blessings, name them one by one

count your many blessings see what god hath done.

lds hymns #241

stitching for the babies

sometimes i like to sew. i find stitching back and forth creating words or an image quite therapeutic. in december one of my friends from church had a baby and i decided i would make a little sampler of his name for his room - and it only took me three months to get around to it - and less than three hours to finish it hahah. add a cute coloured edge frame from our local reject shop and ta-dah! i thought it was sweet. 

then our adorable next door neighbours had a baby this week. a long awaited rainbow baby who will be very loved! i thought what the heck - let's do another one... 

so baby april got one too. i loved making them - hopefully their mums liked them too. 

christmas baking

it's lucky this baking got done this year to be honest... i have delayed it over and over, dougs dad is in hospital - and it just felt like it was all too much to actually get it done... but i persisted and pushed through and the western power boys got their treats! yay!

it's been a while since i have shared all the recipes on one post - so stay tuned, they are all following...

merry christmas boys! 

top left: brownies

top right: peanut choc chip cookies

second row: mars bar slice

third row left: fudge 

third row right: salted cracker toffee slice

fourth row: apricot and white chocolate slice

fifth row: chocolate rocky road

sixth row: chocolate truffles

bottom row: white chocolate rocky road

Brownies

200g butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

2 eggs

1. grease a 20 x 30cm tin, pre-heat oven to 180 deg cel

2. melt butter in a big saucepan on a very low heat, add brown sugar, allow to melt a bit and mix together. do not boil!!

3. add cocoa and vanilla, stir very well

4. take off heat, sift in flour, stir it in

5. add eggs, beat in really well

6. spread mixture evenly in tin, bake for 20 - 25 mins

Peanut choc chip cookies

125g softened butter

1/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth doesn't matter...)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup choc chips

1. preheat oven to 180 deg celcius, cover oven trays with baking paper

2. beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and egg in bowl with electric mixer until smooth. stir in flour and soda, then nuts and choc chips

3. roll small balls of mixture and place on trays, flatten slightly with fork

4. bake for 12 minutes, then cool on trays

Mars bar slice

50g butter

1 tablespoon golden syrup

200g (ish) Mars bars (use the fake ones! They totally work) finely chopped 

3 cups rice bubbles

200g milk chocolate

20g copha

1. Grease and line the base and side of a slice tray

2. Combine the butter, golden syrup and 3/4 of the Mars bars in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until Mars bars and butter melt and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Place the rice bubbles and remaining Mars bar in a large bowl. Add the Mars bar mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Place the chocolate and copha in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water, stir until chocolate melts. Pour chocolate over the top of the slice to evenly coat. Set aside until to set. Cut into squares to serve.

Caramel fudge

125g chopped butter

395g can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white choc chips

1. grease and line metal dish

2. in a saucepan, stir butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and sugar together over a low heat until simmering (and sugar is melted!) stir constantly for 10 minutes until slightly thickened and golden brown

3. remove from heat, add choc chips and until mixture is smooth and chocolate is completely melted

4. pour into dish and refrigerate until set. slice with a hot knife into small squares.

Salted cracker toffee slice

1 cup salted butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups choc chips

premium crackers

unsalted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius, line a baking dish (i used a lasagne sized one...) with baking paper then grease the inside of the paper well.

2. Lay a flat layer of crackers on the paper

3. Melt sugar and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly.

4. Bake for 8-10 mins, until toffee is bubbly, then remove pan from oven and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.

5. Sprinkle choc chips over, allow them to soften and melt and then spread them into an even layer. Sprinkle peanuts (optional!) over top and top with ground salt to create a sweet salty flavour.

6. Set in fridge then cut into slices.

Apricot and white chocolate slice

250g packet scotch finger biscuits (crushed in a food processor)

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup desiccated coconut

395g can condensed milk

100g chopped butter

1/2 packet white chocolate chips

50g melted white chocolate

1. Lightly grease and line an 18 x 28cm slice pan with baking paper. 

2. In a large bowl, combine biscuit crumbs, white chocolate chips, apricots and coconut. 

3. Combine condensed milk and butter in a medium saucepan. 

4. Stir over low heat for 4-5 minutes, until smooth. 

5. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. 

6. Press mixture firmly into prepared pan. 

7. Chill until firm. 

8. Drizzle top with cholate, then chill again until set.

Milk chocolate rocky road

500g melted milk chocolate

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped peanuts

1 bag pink and white marshmallows (halved)

1pkt coles honeycomb squiggle biscuits (chopped)

1 pkt party mix lollies

1. Melt chocolate on a low heat in microwave for short intervals until completely melted and smooth.

2. Mix all ingredients into melted chocolate and pour into prepared tray, refrigerate until just set and then cut into bite sized pieces. 

(really the sky is the limit, you can add pretty much anything you want... glace cherries, any kind of nuts, honeycomb, biscuit chunks... let your imagination run wild!)

Chocolate truffles

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 pkt (250g) milk arrowroot biscuits

2 cups desiccated coconut

1. Crush biscuits finely in a food processor

2. Add to milk and cocoa and mix well

3. Take teaspoon sized amounts and roll into balls

4. Roll in coconut

5. Place on baking paper in fridge to set

White chocolate rocky road

2 x bags white chocolate melts

1 x bag  marshmallows (cut into pieces)

1 x bag lolly bananas

1 x bag lolly raspberries (cut into pieces)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 packet gingernut biscuits (chopped into pieces)

1. Melt chocolate melts in low in microwave

2. Add chopped lollies, biscuits and coconut, stir well to mix

3. Pour into greased lined pan and place in fridge to set

(As with the other rocky road recipe, this is totally a make it up as you go recipe, add anything you want (within reason) and it works!)

gifts and love!

i've had some lovely surprises arrive at my house since baby alexander came home from the hospital... i have some amazing friends and family. this gorgeous bunch of flowers was delivered from my friend kelly the day we got home,

these were on my kitchen table thanks to my lovely mum (at my dads insistence ♥) i love rosemary and they smell gorgeous!

and this! this! this arrived a few days after we got home... from my friend hayley - gourmet snack hamper from mrs. p's pantry, a new dessert business made locally here in ellenbrook. she said it was the perfect gift for the person and baby who have everything.

and it totally is. midnight breastfeeding snacks here we go... licorice allsort slice, caramel slice, fudge, rocky road... yum!

and last but not least these gorgeous flowers from my girls keryn and elena... i loooove yellow flowers and was absolutely chuffed when these arrived with the girls when they came over to give baby alex some cuddles.

how blessed am i? ♥

ward father’s day gifts

our ward father's day gifts are officially sorted. a cute idea, worded right... and all packed into bags ready to go.



i made the handout on the app "canva" which took all of 5 minutes, then printed them off at our local big w...
-pads were 3 for $2 from red dot, a discount variety store
-chocolates on 1/2 price sale at coles
-pencils were wood engraved by a member in our ward, who owns winter woodworking (and can pretty much make anything!)
-clear bags from the reject shop, 30 for just $1!

miss madeline helped me bag them up and they are now in the bishops office ready for next sunday! hope they are enjoyed by the boys in our ward. ♥ 

ward fathers day gift

every year the mothers in our ward get a present for mothers day... and the fathers look on. this year i broke the mould and made something for the fathers too. something really simple, that i found on pinterest and modified to suit: many & many thanks m&m packets! ta-dah!

they were perfect. small and cute and made the dads feel like they had been remembered.

_______________________________________________

(here's the template if you want to print, print on piece of 4x6" photo paper and select do not crop, then cut to size. staple to a bag of fun size m&ms.

school christmas gifts

it has been madeline's first year of school this year and i wanted to make sure i did something nice for all the kids in her class at the end of the year. browsing instagram (as i do a lot), i came across a gorgeous page who made cute as classroom gifts, at glittergluedesigns. i especially loved her reindeer lollipop holders and snapped up a set for maddie's class here. i was so pleased with how cute they turned out.

madeline has had two particularly close friends this year also and after hearing about them day in and day out, i wanted to give them a little something too, so grabbed some cute little necklaces from lovisa and made these cards to attach them to using the free app "red stamp" on my iphone. i loved how they turned out and according to charlotte and isabellas mums, they loved them too. oh to be 5 again. it seems like the greatest thing in the world! ♥

birthday love

another birthday, another year older... and now i am 33! i had an awesome day being spoiled by people i love and receiving some incredible gifts. doug got me tickets to the stage production of singin' in the rain, mum and dad kindly had my wedding rings sized for me... some beautiful earrings and a ring from dougs parents and i must confess, my favourite gift arrived in the hands of my eldest niece laura, a plate of handmade star shaped, green coloured icing sugar cookies. so so cute and delicious. i was blown away at the thought that had gone into them, i love green and stars, and of course cookies!)

aniwa and myron also dropped past with this beautiful bracelet with a heart shaped tree charm attached. such a sweet gift from people who obviously know me so well! and the coolest bit? they were in a gift box with a strand of flower lights which were lit up and waiting when i opened the box. what a surprise that was!

being 33 looks like it's going to be pretty good. ♥

the most wonderful time of the year...

i love christmas! i love pretty festive tables and decorated houses and just the vibe that is in the air as we go about our normal schedules... knowing that christmas isn't far away... and now it's here!

the kids woke up this morning, joseph calling us to lift him out of his bed as maddie raced excitedly through the house exclaiming over the gifts under the tree... and the new bike parked behind mum and dad's bed!! after breakfast we retired to the lounge to open gifts and as usual the kids were loved rotten...

hats and copious amounts of toy cars were amongst our joseph's favourite gifts...

while maddie lost her mind over this pineapple cup that daddy had bought for her...

joseph also loved his new basketball set from poppy and grandma

and madeline's absolute favourite gift was her "raphael ninja turtle" costume which even had a hard shell! best present ever, well done poppy and grandma.

the absolute highlight of my dad was when dominique aka sister kendall skyped us from new zealand where she is serving her mission. she was so happy to see us and we loved having a chance to catch up... we are proud of her and her dedication to serve the lord.

my mum and dad at lunch

madeline and poppy with their crackers at lunch, what a gorgeous face... she is laughing at one of the lamest jokes ever... how do snowmen get around? on their icicles!

after lunch and skype and relaxing we headed off to my brother jareds house for dinner... where more craziness ensued... ben and doug had a field day with the cracker toys, deciding that the mini combs they got were much better suited to their eyebrows and beards. hahahaha.

grace and i chilling out... (please note the beautiful grecian crown i got from mum for christmas)

and my beautiful boy. i could look at that face for hours ♥

my favourite photo of the day... just makes me laugh every time i see it, 5 of the 8 goodlet grandchildren (laura is in the u.s. with friends for christmas, jared david had other plans and jonas is of course with his parents in brisbane) number 9, another for aaron and katja is due in just a week and we are so excited! 

and me with my love

christmas is indeed my favourite and fills me with such joy. i am so grateful to celebrate the birth of the saviour each year with family! it really is...

the most wonderful time of the year

four years down - mat & jen

i can't believe it has already been 4 years since mat & jen got married! feels like it can't have been that long, but the calendar doesn't lie.

happy linen anniversary guys!

i found this amazing cushion from a girl on madeit.com.au , that could be personalised with all your own info. it's so cool, with such a reasonable price (close your eyes jen - $39 shipped within australia) that i wanted to put it on here for everyone to see. it was made really quickly too and i am so stoked with the result! you can order one here!

baby book

we have been so lucky... when mum and dad decided to go to samoa to serve a mission teaching at church college we were so worried about who would live in their house, of course we wanted to make sure their home and their things were safe... but time started to creep up on us and still we had no idea who there could possibly be that wanted to live in a house in clackline! 

but god works in mysterious ways and one day i received an email from a friend - who knew i had attended northam branch when i was younger - asking if i might know of anywhere near there for rent, as people from his home branch in new zealand were moving over for work... boom. obviously it still all depended on whether or not the people were happy with the house and wanted to live there but it was a start.

greg and his wife chris turned up to have a look, they got along with my parents like a house on fire and a few weeks later they moved in - and are taking fabulous care of the place.

much like my mother, chris is into all kinds of art and crafts - and a few weeks ago gave me this beautiful book she had made, as a gift for baby joseph. i ummed and ahhed for some time about what to do with it and then had an amazing idea... when i was pregnant with madeline and in her first year and a bit of life i wrote in a journal for her to have, with all her milestones and the likes, but it always struck me as a little boring. it was all writing and no pictures - and although beautiful was not something she would probably want to share with anyone, as it was very personal, being full of her mothers thoughts and feelings.

so i decided to make the book full of the photos i had taken and to handwrite his milestones into the book alongside them. here is the beginning! our first look at our little boy - at my half way ultrasound...

photos of my growing bump as time went on throughout my pregnancy...

then his birth announcement and little bits and pieces, like a small paragraph about jourdin our student midwife who helped throughout my appointments etc...

and then... each month i'll add josephs month shot on his chair (see here for the ones i took of maddie) and write a little something about what's going on. i am so super excited about it and can't wait to keep adding to it. thank you so much chris, you're the best!!!

mother's day

i have the best little girl with the best daddy who knows exactly what this mama likes. needless to say i was pretty thrilled with my mothers day gift's - a bottle of my favourite perfume, marc jacobs daisy eau so fresh and a madeline board book to read to, my madeline - obviously. what cool gifts.

i also came home from ben and laura's wedding yesterday to these gorgeous flowers from my mummy, what a lovely surprise! i am going to miss her very much... ♥