30 days of happiness

I recently found a new blog called 'Blue Bird Baby'.

I like it a lot.

August has been a happy month on her blog, September will be a happy one on mine.

Thank you, Erin, for this happy idea, I hope you will visit once or twice so I can share my happy moment with you too. I've been enjoying yours!

HAPPY ONE

When I asked my sons what would make us happy today, my dearest Kiefer instantly called out: 'STRAWBERRY PIE!'. Your wish is my command, I thought.

Who on earth will refuse a request like that?

So we went to the Whole Food store and bought the ingredients needed. We hanged the full fat organic yoghurt and added some real vanilla and icing sugar to taste. We baked a crust, without any sugar and of course cleaned the strawberries. Healthy, but sure special enough for our afternoon in the sun, to celebrate our 'first day of thirty, blog Happiness'!

Babieeeeeeeeee

After long, hard work, especially from my Love, the nursery is finished! Everything, windows, walls floor and ceiling is new, we've made the hanging closet, the painting jobs where enormous. The sliding door is huge, so we can open the room up, good for playing children.

We are so pleased and at 37 weeks, it's very welcome as well. My maternal instincts went nuts with all the baby stuff still in my parents garage last week. I so much enjoyed buying the little nappies in the last photo, for me a milestone in this pregnancy, we have the room in order.

Now I can start focusing on the mental part of having a new baby in the house, get calmer, more spiritual and in touch with my soul. Every mother knows, you need that desperately to survive the overwhelming experience of labour and childbirth. Not to mention the stage after that. Adrenaline, love, sleepless night, worry, happiness, tears and hormonal ups and down.

You need to keep a close eye on yourself and be the kindest person you can be to your soul and spirit. I'm sure we will be fine, the four, soon to be five of us, are very close with each other.

The only practical thing I really would like to do before our daughter is born, is to make a mobile. I've made every child a mobile, a woolen fishy one for Kiefer, a little woolen dragon with lots of stars and moon for Roemer.

I wonder what to make this time, any ideas? I still have none.

Oh and when any time left, I will clean the windows, alright?

Morocco

I loved Morocco when I visited, especially the colors and interior fabrics. In my white home, they would fit perfectly well. So I started a vibrant, delicate rug for us. Lots of work, the yarn is so thin compared to the thick cotton I used for the last projects!

ETEN, dit gerecht!!!!

Cous Cous met Marokkaanse saus

1 Theelepel van:

-kaneel

-gemalen gember

-gemalen kurkuma

-gemalen nootmuskaat

-gemalen zwarte peper

-gemalen komijn

-gemalen koriander

-gemalen paprikapoeder

-karwijzaadjes

een ruime snuf gemalen kruidnagel en saffraan

3 geraspte knoflook teentjes,

1 kleine chilipeper klein gesneden.

Mix allen en zet apart.

Gemengde groenten garen. Ik doe ze het liefste in de oven, klein geneden en een beetje in olie, peper en zout tot ze gaar zijn. Groenten die ik graag gebruik zijn aubergines, courgettes, wortel, zoete aardappel, uien e.d.

In een zware pan olie doen en het kruidenmengsel 3-5 minuten al roerend laten bakken.

Daarbij voegen: -1 blik tomaten -1 blik kikkererwten -150 ml groentebouillon -100 g dadels fijn gesneden Dit 20 minuten laten sudderen Dan door de saus een eetlepel honing en een handvol gehakte verse koriander. Groenten erbij en serveren met de cous cous.

Ik vind het lekker om er een lepel dikke yoghurt bij te eten. Eet smakelijk!

PS. This weekend, I will post our results of hard, long labour (;-), not baby!) in the nursery!

Play and just gorgeous rug, Part 2

Here a little update, looks cute, don't you think?

It's not finished yet, I need to sew a backside, maybe with a little edge. Keep you posted!

Paella

Finally a little break in our groundhog days.

A big Paella party!

Play and just gorgeous rug

I'm working on a play, or just fun to look at, rug for the children. I'm so excited about it, that I share it with you long before it finished. I'll keep you updated!

See you soon!

Interior

Between painting the doors, white washing floors, I try to do somethings for myself as well. I know I've been terribly neglecting this blog, sorry about that, but after all the house has to be in order in a month :-) YIPPIE. I promise I will post photo's when the job is done!

Some days, I manage to take a little time to myself and do something creative. So here a small chair brightened up.

How much crocheted items can an interior handle before it becomes really granny-like in a bad way?

Do you know, my blogfriends?

Carrot Cake

A sneak in the oven:

Nothing beats a good baking session early in the morning.

Cinnamon scent all over the house,

a warm kitchen in this bit sad, cloudy weather.

Carrot Cake Recipe

If you have a hard time finding whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
4 ounces unsalted butter, heated until just melted
1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and finely chopped into a paste
3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups), mashed well
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or lowfat is ok)
2 eggs, lightly whisked

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5x3 / 8-cup loaf pan (or 8x8 cake pan) and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and set aside.

Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.

In a separate bowl combine the bananas and carrots. Stir in the date-butter mixture, breaking up any date clumps as you go. Whisk in the yogurt and the eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake - it'll be less if you are using a standard cake pan. Remove from oven and let cool.

While the cake is baking whip together the cream cheese and agave nectar. Taste. If you like your frosting sweeter adjust to your liking. When the cake has completely cooled frost the top of the cake with an offset spatula.

Makes one carrot cake.

NOTE: This recipe is a exact copy from 101 COOKBOOKS, my favorite recipe blog!

Serious cheering up stuff.

Do you know these days, that all is too much? That all chores of the day become a burden?

Well, that's how I felt the last few days.

So tired from the building activities, a two year old who decided not to listen at bedtime (I won't call names, you might guess).

So, time to put the blanket aside for a moment and make something to cheer us up.

Of course I suffer from serious nestling, so cosy and comforting comes from hardcore Arts (I start to miss my normal interests instead of the baby ones, so good news, it will be back in no time!).

But for now, Meet this very tall cutie-pie. She will be our Miss Sunshine for the day.

PS. If you got a cheery comment left, please, don't keep it inside! Leave us a pick me up!

Big Kisses, Guusje

Family blanket grows slowly....

Don't you think it starts to look really nice?

SWAP

My turn to make presents.

So I got up early,

took the sewing machine, fabric paint and TaDAaaa..

Jane & Pien, 1000 times thanks for the beautiful gifts!

We so much enjoy them!!!!

The postman is coming, Jane, Daan, Mus and Pien!

And....ah...., Marjolijn as well, she raised 4 boys, so she more then deserves it!

PS. The underpants were sold out, so I treated the children a bit less and the mama's a bit more.

Have fun with it!

Break time is over!

We had a fantastic time:

We fed the chicken.

Sat on top of each other.

Sat again on top of each other.

Went to the beach.

Threw stones in the water.
Practiced reorganizing skills.

Took lots of rests.

And took little drives......

Nice to be back, my blog friends. I'm looking forward to see what you've been up to!

Love Guusje