All you need is Love

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. Amy Bloom::

Many of us are way too skilled at living with plan B. We are all too good at painting over cracked walls, at working around broken plumbing and at rigging dysfunctional wiring. We are all too good at getting along, making do and hoping for the best. We are too good at talking ourselves into a belief that things will get better, that our problems aren't really that big and we are better off than many couples. We all too skilled at living with less and thinking it's more.

Unfortunately when we do this we don't end up fixing what's broken, we aren't moved to seek help as we no longer see the places help is needed. We get up each day and make things work the best we can, but our best falls way short of Gods best... (Paul Tripp, What did you expect?)

Ouch! So challenged by this book! It's my hearts desire that Tim and I enjoy the miracle of growing old together and in turn celebrate a lifetime of love, yet way too often I let the self-love he speaks of replace genuine, sacrificial love and its these moments that cause my impatience and selfishness. Its this self-love which convinces me that my way is the only way and makes it more important for me to win than to develop unity.

These are the moments that over time shatter the fine china that is marriage. 

Love however celebrates the other person, it prizes unity and is willing to make the sacrifice necessary to achieve it. Love is not impatient and does not walk away, it perseveres and stays active until what God has planned becomes your actual experience. 

Love listens, works and waits.

As Paul pointed out in an earlier chapter, you don't build a marriage of unity, understanding and love in a few big moments of life, but in tens of thousands of little moments. Little promises are important precisely because they are little, and the cumulative effect of your little moments of faithfulness will convince your husband/wife that you can be trusted with the greater matters of life.

Today I'm praying hard God will show me the areas that I've become lackadaisical and mediocre and all the places I fail to live out Gods best. I pray we all learn to fix the cracks and blemishes as they appear and not settle for anything less than Gods perfect design for our lives and our marriages.

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

xx

Spiced Pear and Cardamom Cake

I went looking for a cake idea for my Mother in laws 64th birthday celebrations the other day, one that didnt contain any chocolate as they are migrane inducing for some poor family members! (the stuff of nightmares for me right there!!) 

Anyway, I came across a picture of a pear and cardamom cake on Instagram that I thought looked amazing but couldnt find a recipe anywhere for one that didnt include chocolate, so I took this recipe and made a few adjustments, came up with this.. and it is a winner! 

Spiced Pear and Cardamom cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cardamom
250g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

3 large pears, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 180°. Generously grease a 10-cup round cake tin.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer (or food processor like me) on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Stir in sour cream.

Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Stir in pears.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove cake from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

~~~~~

I had been wanting to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream for ages and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.. I'm now hooked! So much nicer than regular frosting and not half as sweet. I looked up a number of recipes and settled on this one from Serious Eats.

• 1/2 cup egg whites from about 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Continue to whisk until sugar has dissolved (you can check by rubbing a bit of the mixture between your fingers; the mixture shouldn't feel grainy). If you're not worried about salmonella, you can take the mixture off the heat and proceed.
• If you want to pasteurize the meringue, keep whisking until the mixture registers 160°F on a thermometer, then remove from heat. Using a hand-held or a stand mixer, beat the warm mixture until the meringue holds stiff peaks and has cooled to room temperature.
• Beat in vanilla. Add butter one cube at a time, beating well with the electric mixer after each addition. Sprinkle with salt and continue to mix. The mixture may start to look as if it’s separating during this process but don't panic, just keep beating and the buttercream will come together and become smooth.
• (Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container or a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To use buttercream that has either been refrigerated or frozen, first allow to come to room temperature, then beat until smooth and spreadable again. Cakes or cupcakes decorated with buttercream generally keep up to 3 days when refrigerated in an airtight container. Allow buttercream to come to room temperature before serving)
• 
  
• Decorate your cake and enjoy! 
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• 
  

Our favourite cookies

Hey guys! Its been nearly a year since I last posted something on here! I've missed this space so much but kinda lost my blogging mojo. I found it again today, not sure if it will last or not but in the meantime here is a super yum chocolate and almond cookie recipe I came up with to use my favourite chocolate. 

Pretty much the perfect combo. 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2T hot water

2t vanilla

1 cups rolled oats

3 cups flour

1t salt

1t baking soda

3/4 block of whittaker's dark almond chocolate (roughly chopped).

Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor, add eggs, vanilla and hot water. Scrape down the bowl and throw in the rolled oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Empty the mixture into a big mixing bowl and add the chocolate.

Roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins until lightly browned.

You're welcome

x

our sunset

This week marked the end of the most beautiful chapter of our lives

I have permanently removed the option of us having more babies

and my heart is so sad.

It is the right decision for us as a family 

but the thought of no more newborn

babies, no silky soft snuggles and

no tiny fingers curled around mine

is a heartbreaking idea that

I am struggling to comprehend.

I will move forward and celebrate the

next phase, I will delight in my children

for who they are to become

and not only for what they have been.

And I will forever remain thankful that I was blessed

with six gorgeous souls to train and guide

and love

and three more I get to spend all of eternity 

with.

I am recovering well... resting my body and 

taking this rare opportunity to do nothing and be pampered.

Having so many big babies took their toll on this body of mine

and it needed quite a bit of repairing. 

(They would only do this if I was certain that we would be

having no more, hence the tubal ligation)

I feel so blessed to be surrounded with such love and care

and am grateful for the kindness and nurture

I am being showered with.

Thank you friends.

xxx

$10 leggings in 10 minutes

I have been trying for weeks without success to get my hands on some black and white leggings for Theo.

I had almost given up when my sister in law spotted this wee number in the pumpkin patch outlet shop on sale for $10.

 I figured the fabric and elastic would cost more than that

and a ready to go waistband and pre-sewn hem would make these a breeze to make!

Here's how I did it.

Fold skirt in half, grab a pair of pants that fit and lay them on top for your guide. Allow a 2.5 cm seam allowance on the side not already sewn and cut out your shape.

 Separate and sew up each leg

Turn one leg in the right way and leave one inside out.

 Tuck the pair thats right side up into the inside out leg.

Pin into place and sew right around 
pulling it into a line as you go, it will pop back into

 shape when you are done.

 Like this!

Untuck them and trim  the excess thread

and watch your sweet baby dance in his gorgeous new pants!

Cute!!

Huge thanks to Jenny over at mend and make new

for the use of her overlocker. 

My machine is still in the repair shop.

Must pick it up!

Been making anything lately??

xx

a month of cakes

I loved the balloon cake idea! Instead of blowing out candles - you pop the balloons instead! Except when you have a mama fail moment and make this cake for the child who hates popping balloons! oops!

Billy's sign caught on fire which made for fun drama at his birthday and last minute desperation called for a quick sprinkle cake when I realized an hour before Charlie's party that I 

hadn't made a cake for him!

I worked out the other day that I had made no less than 56 birthday cakes 

over the last 15 years!

No wonder my creativity has been somewhat depleted.

Especially when you foolishly commit to two! One for the actual birthday and one for the party!

I would have shown you the failure that was Theo's first cake but

somehow I managed to get absolutely no photos of it!

Oops - another fail.

Tell me, have you got any simple easy cake ideas?

Inspire me!

xx

13/52

Family dinner night at the grandparents was interrupted by the rugby game.

hello Pa! 

nice of you to join us for our family photo!

xx

8/52

This was the week our two teenagers were at youth group camp.

It was Pa's birthday so we joined the rest of the extended family in Napier 

for a fish and chip dinner to celebrate!

12/52

Perfect day for a walk and scooter ride along the waterfront.

We are so fortunate to have loads of places to ride and walk and take in 

the stunning view here in the Bay.

Loving this Indian Summer!

xx

11/52

Relishing the last glorious days of this neverending summer.

10/52

a legacy of love

This weekend we farewelled darling Sara-Jo. She was such a beautiful person both outside and in - the girl with the biggest heart.
I have spent the week in tears, devastated at the loss of this cherished wife, mama and friend who left us in such a sudden and heartbreaking way.
I have also spent the week in deep surrender. Oh how we know in our heads that life is a fleeting thing, we know in our heads that any moment could be our last. 
But do we live it?
Do we breath that thought?
Does it echo in our minds when we snap at our babies, or argue that point over and over with our spouse or when we speak harshly to a friend or colleague?
This week I surrendered my desire for a beautifully presented house and nicely ordered life and replaced it with a desire to love.
To treasure my husband, my children and the people God brings into my life and to make them my priority. 
To give of myself more, even when it hurts.

Ultimately... my desire above anything is to honour God with my life, with all those moments that make up my day. To live every minute as my last so that my life will be a testimony of His goodness, grace and mercy.

Because, really, my house is not going to stand up at my funeral and tell everyone what an amazing job I did at keeping it tidy. I pray though that God will use those extra minutes instead for His glory and for His purposes and not my own. 
I'm not talking about living in squalor here... I'm just saying its time to reprioritise and focus on the eternal  more than the momentary.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

I am so determined not to forget this, I pray Sara Jo's legacy will be evident in the lives of all her knew her, that we all may be known as one who loved and gave without reserve.

The last of summer: a week in pictures

a busy beautiful week full of dinners with friends,

birthday parties and trips to the river exploring woody glades and

rocky riverbanks with the cousins.

Relishing these last blissful summer days.

(photos courtesy of Mollie Robinson)

A simple bedroom update

My dearest and I have long disagreed on how our bedroom should look

While I love to embrace my inner nana... he, well. not so much.

We had agreed only last week on a simple update to lighten up our room

that would both appeal to the pair of us and keep the bank account happy,

when lo and behold I won a giveaway from The Art Room!

Not only had I been drooling over this king and queen set for ages, we both loved it!

Simple, restful and no hint of nana.

Well.. for a few days anyway.

xx

9/52

Saturday night at the river. Rope swings, deep swimming holes and 

sausages grilled on the cooker.

Perfect way to spend a weekend.

(Oh and hello extra person! Charlie turned eleven this week and his best friend David

 came to spend the weekend with us.)



Linking in with practicing simplicity 

An overwhelmed heart

These last few weeks have been tough. 
Really tough.

Our beautiful sister suffered a stroke a month ago. An unexpected, hard to stomach shock that left our family reeling.

She should be ok but it will be long tiring road to recovery.

Everyday new curveballs get thrown into the mix; financial pressures, health issues and mounting uncertainties have at times left me feeling like I'm treading water desperate to keep my head above the dumping waves. 
 I too had a health scare a few weeks ago that shook me to the core and forced me to my knees. Forced me to surrender, to accept that my life is not my own, that I have placed my trust and dependency in Christ

I'm so thankful to have Someone to run to amidst the chaos... He has gently reminded me that our days  are perfectly numbered and He has us securely in the palm of His hand. 

Despite this believing and trusting its hard not to feel overwhelmed, to rest securely and peacefully in the knowing.

I  turned again to this verse... this truth that never fails to restore and comfort my soul.

From the ends of the earth I call to you when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I - (Psalm 61:2)

It is so reassuring to know we are not alone.. never left to sink. We have a rock that we can cling to while the turmoil and waves crash around us. 
While the circumstances may not change, and life may not take the direction we would choose, we are not abandoned amidst the pain... 
As my beautiful friend reminded me yesterday
'I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand I shall not be shaken.'  (Psalm 16:8)

I pray my friend that you too will know His peace, and His grace will sustain you with whatever you may be facing this week

xxx

7/52

Strolling through the trees on the family orchard.

We enjoyed a 'family love feast' with the extended family for Valentines day

a blessed time of family, fun and amazing food!

Theo wasn't sold on the idea though... he wanted to get back inside and find 

more chocolate to devour.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 project

xx

stress free lunches

With a total of 7 school lunches to be made every morning these past weeks 

 I needed to devise an easy plan. I was reminded about these stuffed bread parcels I used to make and just like that the stress was gone!

A few batches of these, wrapped straight from the oven and popped into the freezer meant that the kids could easily make their own... a bun and muffin from the deep freeze, a piece of fruit, one treat and voila! 

Done!

Here is my super easy, yummo recipe for stuffed buns or scrolls 

(I use a breadmaker at the moment for these but also make them by hand... it's just a tad more time consuming!)

6 tsp yeast

2 T sugar

50g softened butter or 3T oil

1/4c milk

2 1/2c warm water

1 1/2 tsp salt

6 cup flour

Set to dough timer but pull out once it has all kneaded and started to rise. On my one this is when there is about an hour to go but all breadmakers are different so it may be a wee bit of trial and error. As it is a large batch it will overflow if left too long!! Also keep an eye on it and add more water/flour as needed to produce a soft but relatively firm dough (does that even make sense!!?)

Tip out the dough and roll it out to a large rectangle about 1/2 cm thickish. I split this lot in half and made half sweet and half savory 

For the savory ones I spread a mixture of tomato paste and relish over the top, added grated cheese and ham/bacon and then cut them into squares and pulled the opposite corners over and squished them in the middle.

 I also roll them up sometimes and make scrolls like I did here with the sweet ones. These have softened butter rubbed over, been sprinkled with cinnamon, brown sugar and chopped up dark chocolate. In a word. Divine.

Cook at 200C for around 15-20 mins. Till golden brown and oozing melted cheese. 

Or chocolate.

 Preferably not both at once.

If you have the self control to not eat them right then and there...

Cool slightly, wrap and throw in the deep freeze 

and enjoy an extra few minutes with your coffee in the mornings without the time consuming hassle of making lunches!

Go you!

xx

6/52

A rainy cold Sunday afternoon spent snuggling on the couch alternating between 

watching winter olympics and cricket.

We are once again a family of eight.. I'm missing those other two!

(A slight improvement on those grimaces from previous weeks!!) 

Joining in over here for the 52 project

xx