Eee is Five

My little Eee has turned five.

I can hardly believe it.  Usually this age signals an entry into school life. I am very glad to say that we are enjoying our home school life so much we will be continuing that for little Eee as well.  Of course she is already learning but I guess I will 'up that a notch' as her early literacy skills develop and need enhancement.  She is currently at that lovely stage of absorbing so much information and eagerly desiring to learn new things.  "Would you like to go and play? or would you like to do your Maths?", "Maths!" is her reply.  I'll lap it up while it lasts. :)

The cake required for the birthday was quite a simple trampoline. I was very grateful for this as I was unwell for most of August.  Getting my head around a more complex cake was not what I needed as I recovered from persistence congestion and coughing.

I have always included my girls in cake decorating for their birthdays rather than keeping the cake a surprise for them.  For this also I am grateful as it means that they set to work in decorating for themselves while I simply supervise.  They are also learning valuable skills as well as setting their creative minds and fingers to work.

And with the addition of a few sweet little dollies the trampoline comes alive.

Happy Birthday little Eee!

From your cute little nose

to your tippy-toes

God's wonderful work surely shows.

Happy Birthday Tutu you.

You made me and formed me with Your hands. Psalm 119:73

(printed on the card received from Granny)

Violets In My Winter Garden

The sun does not shine for a few trees, and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. The lonely pine on the mountain-top waves its sombre boughs and cries, 'Thou art my sun.' And the little meadow violet lifts its cup of blue, and whispers with its perfumed breath, 'Thou art my sun.' And the grain in a housand fields rustles in the wind, and makes answer, 'Thou art my sun.' So God sits effulgent in heaven, not for a favoured few, but for the universe of life; and there is no creature so poor or so low that he may not look up with childish confidence and say, 'My Father, Thou art mine.' ~Henry Ward Beecher

It is almost my sweet niece's first birthday.  I'm made aware by the appearance of sweet violets in my winter garden, even though it is not the same garden as I enjoyed when she was born.  Last year my awareness of the violets in our garden came on the day she was born.  It was such as precious time. 

This year I am enjoying a new winter garden - my own.  I do love the garden in winter.  

It is a time of rest as we shelter indoors while the plants take a rest from their rigorous growth.  

It is a time of last farewells as we say goodbye to summer blooms such as this rose blossom which was mostly hidden by the weeping cherry during summer.  

It is time of anticipation as we wait for the budding blossoms to burst forth and reveal their delightful colours and fragrance.

Waiting for your first birthday little Eleanor...

Ess is Eight!

As has become tradition for our Ess' birthday, we found a beach to explore.  This one is on the South Coast of NSW.  I really do miss having easy and convenient access to the beach as we did in South Australia.  Indeed I miss South Australian beaches and seaside towns - they are just less developed, less commercial and more rustic.  Nevertheless the girls had fun playing in sand and water.  It was a lovely time.  (I shouldn't be so critical should I after my first trip down this way.  Forgive my pining heart for the home that was :))

First of course, we had to bake, decorate and eat cake.

For as long as I can remember Ess has wanted to have this octopus for her eighth birthday.

Apparently she has "wanted the octopus for ages but it only looked good as an eight".

Indeed it does, I'm sure you'll agree.

I used to bake and decorate for my girl - now Ess is very much involved in the whole process.  I think she really baked the chocolate cake quite independently, now that I think back on it.  She made the icing, coloured it to her liking, and is really keen to learn how to spread it.  It's a tricky job but she'll get there as Mum learns to let go more and let her just try!

This is Broulee Beach.

South Coast, New South Wales.

A nice spot for some beach fun...

and creating a new beach fan in our little baby.

Look who's One!

My little baby J has turned one!

We celebrated with a delicious Lumberjack Cake by Not Quite Nigella.  You must explore her site if you haven't already.  Her work is delicious.

We enjoyed a ride on the Carousel in Civic with friends who have made this a family ritual to celebrate birthdays.  Indeed it was such a sweet thing to do, I think we should also make it a birthday ritual.

If indeed we last that long in this part of the country.

Meanwhile, we are currently in a contract to purchase a house.  All is proceeding OK but we are not doing so without extreme caution.  Neither of us could say we are excited.  Neither of us can see that it is actually going to happen.  The events of this year have knocked it all out of us.

Cooking with Division

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~Chili Davis

Today we spent the whole day decorating a special birthday cake for my Generous Gentleman. We worked at it from 9am until 2.30pm when my Ess was adamant she would soon be having a rest, yet at the same time so willingly helping with packing and tidying up.

Seeing as we are exploring division in our mathematical thinking at the moment I decided that baking and decorating a cake with multiples of evenly divided lollies using an old-fashioned recipe handed down to me via Mum from my Gran would be motivating and inspirational. This was just such a fabulous decision as Ess took on the whole project with ease and I took on the role of facilitator/supervisor. I just love that role and have been longing for my family to reach the stage where I could assume that.

First task was to make icing. The recipe required Ess to measure ¼lb butter providing a fabulous mathematical thinking opportunity. Having just completed a unit on measurement whereby Ess had learnt all about grams and kilograms, there could be no better opportunity to extend that learning into incorporating the old imperial system used by her grandparents (and myself in my childhood), just after a visit from Granny. Armed with the information I provided her that one pound of butter (1lb) is equal to 16 ounces (oz) she quickly counted out her favourite pip squeak pencils to discover she needed to weigh out 4oz butter.

Then came the fun part: creaming the butter with a pound of icing sugar, and some stiffly beaten egg whites to make the icing.

Each carriage of the train required a different coloured icing to yet again Ess was required to measure and divide her icing before she coloured it. One whole bowl of icing needed to become four even bowls of icing. This she did entirely independently.

After watching her mother ice most of the carriages, with a whinge or two of frustration thrown in here and there, (I just find the placing of the icing onto the cake the most horrible part of cake decorating!) Ess quickly took over the role and finished icing a carriage by herself while I attended my baby.

Upon assembly of the cake my older pair of girls each assumed mathematical roles. Little Eee counted out the paddle pop sticks and laid them as train tracks. She also sorted the smarties into colours, while Ess counted out and multiplied and divided her sweets until she had an appropriate number per carriage. "Hmmm, one pack of mint slice biscuits divided between four carriages. Do I need to open the second pack? Will there be enough bikkies for each of us to have a bikky now?

Little Eee is randomly decorating the engine with her smarties here. :)

The jellybeans loaded up on each carriage were great to use as counters as we explored division a little further with our Singapore Maths workbooks, concretely representing the pictorial division problems contained therein. Receiving a jellybean per each correct maths problem proved great motivation as well. I was amused when Ess decided she had completed enough maths problems because she now had enough jelly beans. It just happened to be before one of the more complex division word problems...conveniently.

Happy Birthday my dear beloved!

Oh the joys of home education.

We are able to spend our whole day delighting in how much you mean to us, by creating something special for you, and still have such a meaningful day of education.

Lots of thought was also put into planning and preparation of cakes for upcoming birthdays as well. ;)

Ess is Seven

A girl like you

deserves a birthday

sprinkled with fairy dust,

twinkling with happy thoughts

and sparkling with lots and lots of fun!

Have a Magical Day

(printed inside the card received from Granny)

Sponge cake baking...

and decorating. (I just love that mound of toasted coconut hay!)

playing with friends on the beach.

All enjoyed together, as a family.

That's what this time of year is all about isn't it!

I am so very glad that the cake she chose for herself, the Pony Paddock, was a nice and easy one for me to prepare with her this year. Time is of the essence these days with three little girls to care for, the festive season to enjoy to the utmost, and our impending move interstate.

Wishing you a very merry festive season.

The Cutest Little Chef

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.

There are seven million. ~Walt Streightiff

These little eyes are keenly watching her Daddy as he prepares a full cooked breakfast for us all on the weekend. You see he really truly is a very Generous Gentleman. I get to sit down nursing my growing bump while he prepares food and...wait for it...cleans up the greasy mess afterwards. I know, I am truly blessed.

I know she is learning so much as she perches herself on her pink stool by her pink Daddy in her pink pajamas with her pink apron and her pink chef's hat perched upon her head.

I know one day she'll be keen to be preparing meals for her loved ones also. She's also been known to don her apron and hat to assist us with pizza making at lunch time. Ah bliss, me and my growing girls preparing our lunch together. It's what I always dreamed of, although it is perhaps a little more challenging that my dreams would have had me believe in my younger years.

I made this little outfit for my little pink three year old for her birthday. Well that was the intention at least. Halfway through stitching it I sent my machine off for a service which lasted longer than I'd hoped. The sewing machine needed more repairs than planned as it is a 20 year old Pfaff machine, made in Germany, which the technician convinced me would be better off being repaired than my buying a new computerised one made in China. I agreed. And I love it...all over again...it is like new!!

So it is a little late in coming, but that doesn't matter does it!

My source: Kid's Apron and Chef Hat

Eee is Three!

It's looking rather festive around here at the moment.

Little Eee has turned 3.

All she has been asking to do for her birthday is to eat Mermaid Cake. So, very grateful that the little bub is still being well taken care of in utero, I set about decorating the lovely Mindy Mermaid. It was no mean feat for a very tired, brain stretched, heavily pregnant lady who can hardly stand up long enough to complete my usual duties let alone this enormous extra one.

My brain went mushy. I couldn't figure out how to place the spearmint leaves for the tail effectively. I wondered why I do this to myself. Fortunately my Ess along with my Generous Gentleman came to my rescue and joined me in preparations of this enormous cake. The challenges began to wane and the fun increased.

As we sat down outside enjoying cake together, little Eee announced, "I love my mermaid cake" with the sweetest little smile on her growing face, her head cocked to one side. That said it all, I realised why I put myself through all the challenges of cake decorating for each birthday. The girls love it so much. They love requesting a cake of their choosing and then seeing it come to life, they love helping in the process of creation and they love consuming all the sugary icing and lollies (of course).

I love the memories that are being created, the skilled, generous children that are being created who I know will want to do this for their children one day. After all, it was my mother who taught me with all her cake decorating. Some of a much greater standard than mine. She made wedding cakes in her prime.

Happy Birthday little Miss Eee, we love you so much!