A knighting (shining armour) we shall go...!

Now I know that working with kids,

and having 2 scrummy boys of my own

I'm a very lucky girl.

(some of you may think otherwise, hee hee!)

I also know that I can enjoy whatever exciting adventures my

boys are into just as much as they do,

even though I believe I'm supposed to be the grown up.

We've gone through many 'crazes' in what feels like a very short

time I've been a Mummy.

Trains being one...

Dinosaurs being another...

then there was the refusing to go out of the house without a painted on

 black nose and whiskers...

oh, and the removing all your clothes no matter where you are craze too!

But an ongoing craze for my pair has been

KNIGHTS and CASTLES!

Oh DO I love this craze.

A visit round a regular haunt of ours, Beaumaris castle, last month was

'WELL COOL'

apparently, when we discovered there was a medieval weekend on at the time.

Watch out Jacob, there's a Knight sneaking up behind you!

Finn gained lots of battling tips from

REAL Knights in the displays.

So when we piled in the car and chugged up the motorway a short while

to CAMELOT the other day, a great day out was indeed in store for us.

Even when the boys have fancied a bit of baking

we've had to involve a couple of jousters!

(and ants! Ugh! BOYS!!)

I've got in on the action too and

thoroughly enjoyed painting a giant

dragon for a school display last term

(sorry for the dull photo!)

Which my boys are very jealous about and

want it on display in our house for them to 'Slay!'

(she's too cute for slaying I tell them)

So this brings me round to telling you of my new chap!

Yes folks, I do have a new man in my life...

I'd like to introduce to you

Sir Ulrich Von Lichtenstein of Gelderland

(a stolen photo eek! Sorry)

Phwoarrrrrr!!!

I have been totally addicted to watching 'Ulrich'

as often as possible lately, he's soooo scrummy.

If you've never watched

'A Knights Tale'

click HERE and have a peep at him in action.

So Lords and Ladies,

I bid you farewell....

Until the next time!

Thank you for reading.

Love Claire. X

(RIP Heath Ledger,

a most handsome and very talented actor if ever I saw one)



A friend who came to stay....

We came home one evening to find a new friend on the doorstep!



Some of you may of heard of him...

'Herman Friendship Cake'

Friendship Cake
1 cup of greetings

1/2 cups of smiles

1 large hug

2/3 cup of love

1 tsp of sympathy

2 cups of hospitality

Preparation of Cake
Cream greetings and smiles thoroughly.

Add hug separately.

Slowly stir in love.

Sift sympathy and hospitality and fold in

carefully.

Bake in warm heart.

Serve often.

He was actually left for Finn by one of his friends,

so I let him take charge of him for the 10 days you

need to keep him for.

(not sure if those hands were washed first,

but I'm sure living in this house you soon

become hardened to a little grubbiness)

After pouring him into a large mixing bowl

you need to leave him until the next day,

Then you stir him,

and then leave him, again.

After a few days he gets hungry,

so you need to feed him with some

basic ingredients,

and then leave him, again!

After 10 days of him growing

and bubbling, stiring and feeding,

you divide him up,

pass on to friends 3 of the 4 parts

you have divided him in to.

And then you add a few more goodies to the bit you kept

and bake him, and of course you then eat him!

I've not been lucky enough to sit long enough to eat

any of him yet, but from what I gather from

the gruesome twosome,

Herman tastes quite delish!

Finn didn't even know I had added

grated apple and cinnamon to the mixture,

and he didn't mind picking out some of the sultanas

I sneaked in there. RESULT!

So, I hope you won't mind if

I excuse myself and settle down

with a lovely mug of hot tea and a huge hunk of Herman.

Love Claire. x

P.S.  How good it would be if I could post Herman to you...?

If you have never been lucky enough to be passed a piece of

Herman to care for don't worry, you can start your own off

by following the instructions here.



Red Velvet Luxury.

 

I've been a very busy bee this evening.

After coming in from work I set to

making these scrummy

'Red Velvet'

cupcakes.

This recipe is in the new Nigella book

and is the 3rd red velvet recipe I have tried.

Finn wants a gruesome birthday cake for his

Halloween Birthday Party

and we thought red velvet would be perfect,

so i've been on a mission with RV recipes.

Don't ask me which was the best

as when I eat cake,

well,

it just doesn't touch the sides!!!

Hee hee,we're enjoying

ourselves so never mind eh?!

I tell you what though,

it has quite a variety of ingredients in it.

Who would know what the difference

is between

Bicarb of Soda

and

Baking Powder?

Not me,

but Nigella wants both,

so both she got.

Half a tsp of one

and 2 full ones of the other...

Why?

What difference does it make to the cake?

If you read the beginning of the book she

gives lots of helpful hints and tips,

and gives reasons or sometimes it's just a

'because I do' reason...

I love Nigella,

I think I have a bit of a girl crush on her to be honest.

Or maybe it's just that she always

invents (or steals) lovely luxurious

recipes that are totally scrummy.

Anyhow,

back to the cakes...

some of the ingredients...

Christmas Red colouring paste!

A whole pot!

Then one of my favourites...

A couple of weird ones thrown in...why?

...and you get a lovely shiny red gloop

that stains your mouth

and gives the game away to boys of a certain

age, who then yell that you've been

'stealing'

the mixture!

Here is the finished sponge...

not really the RED RED

that I have been longing for

but she admits to it being this

shade of red in the book.

After the 'stealing'

comes my favourite bit when cupcake making!

...and then Finn's favourite bit too!

 Nothing I have made this year has

escaped a good glittering!

Thanks to

'Kirstie's Homemade Christmas'

last year I found out about

edible glitter...

...a girl like me can never have enough glitter!

(hope Kirstie makes another series like last Crimbo!)

Nigella's attempt,

she decorated with

'Red Sugar'

Yummy!

 I had better not eat anymore of them,

as there will be none left!

They are for taking to school

in the morning really,

we're having one of these...

Actually, I feel a bit sick now...

hee hee.

Love Claire. x

Finn's special day.

My eldest, Finn,  is 8 years old

and in Year 3.

He and his Brother go to the same school that

my Brothers and I went to.

The same school our Dad

also went to!

Now when you are Catholic

you are able to take your

'First forgiveness'

and your

'First Holy Communion'

from around the time you are Finn's age

and onwards.

Lots of time is spent preparing,

plenty of extra visits to church and many activities.

School organise most of this and

plan lots of their lessons

around it.

So in Finn's eyes, he's glad it's all over!

But me, I have really enjoyed

First Born Son's

special time!

When did he get so big?

Event over and the shirt is already untucked!

Thumbs up all round,

Thank you Father Peter.

Not far down the road and

where's that angelic gorgeous

Catholic good boy gone?

I have a Ninja steath fighter instead!

Hee Hee!!!

Back home with all the family,

all 30 odd of us for Mummy's

home cooking! Yum!

(I surprised myself at such talents!)

The only photo of the food

I remembered to take was of

the gorgeous

Cupcake Tower

we made.

All with our own

henny penny's eggs of course!

And glitter!!!

So there we go,

thanks for letting me share our special day with you.

Finn has a rough time of it sometimes

but is one of the most lovely and caring

boys I know.

Earlier this year he was finally diagnosed

with suffering from ADHD.

Sometimes this disorder is vastly misunderstood

but no more so than the available form of

medication to help children who have to live with

this mean old thing!

Finn struggled with keeping still,

invading other peoples personal space,

ran recklessly around during games that

his friends tried to involve him in.

Often he would put himself in danger and

has many more accidents than others.

He can't learn for more than a few minutes

at a time without it,

and wrote in fluent Japanese before he

began to take it!  Bless!

So...

I am telling you all of this, not to convert the

anti's

nor to

educate the unknown,

but just to put to you why

I am such a very proud Mummy

of this very gorgeous special boy of mine.

I love you,

my sweet little friend...

...and I always will!

Love C. x