Too many sources over the Internet to tell you its original one!  I like the font on this one and it came from here

My Mum and her hubby are here in Canada at the moment on a three week visit.  Three weeks seemed like such a long time before they arrived but two weeks down and only one to go, it seems like its the fastest three weeks ever! 

It's crazy busy in the Canada Madhouse (that's my house, if you were wondering) so blogging has just been a distant haze in the background!  I am taking lots of pictures and have some fab ideas for my blog, but just for now I have more important things to be doing- well not right at this second obviously as I sit here with a coffee in my pj's, but you get the idea! 

Here is just a taste of what I have been up to!

We had some brushes too, so the boys could combine printing and painting in their masterpieces!

Modern art at its best!

These muffins are delicious.  They freeze well and are a perfect pack lunch addition, afternoon tea, or breakfast- oh they are just good, anytime! 

• 300 g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  
• 100g brown sugar
• 50g porridge oats , plus 1 tbsp for topping                                           
• 2 medium bananas (the riper the better)
• 284ml carton buttermilk                                                                                               
• 5 tbsp canola oil
• 2 egg whites                                                                                               
• 150g blueberries                                                                       

1. Heat oven to 180C/350F and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Tip the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Hold back 1 tbsp of the sugar, then mix the remainder with the flour and 50g oats. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until nearly smooth. Stir the buttermilk, oil and egg whites into the mashed banana until evenly combined.

2.  Pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir quickly and sparingly with a wooden spoon. The mix will look lumpy and may have the odd fleck of flour still visible, but don't be tempted to over-mix. Tip in the blueberries and give it just one more stir. Divide the mix between the muffin cases - they will be quite full - then sprinkle the tops with the final tbsp of the oats and the rest of he sugar. Bake for 18-20 mins until risen and dark golden. Cool for 5 mins in the tray before lifting out onto a rack to cool completely. 


Recipe adapted from here

 

1. Granny Makinson's Sugar Cakes (Recipe)
2. Discovering Iced Coffee- strange but nice!
3. Tomato Brushcetta for lunch
4. Kids Strawberry and Chocolate Waffles- I really want a Waffle Maker, but cannot decide if I would actually use it?
5. Afternoon Tea- Chocolate Cake and Banana & Blueberry Muffins (Recipe coming soon!)

 

I decided that the 2 very plain cushions adorning my sofa bed needed a little makeover.  I am a bit of a free-style crafter so I used no patterns and really had not much of a plan before I started.  I used coloured felt and simply cut it, pinned it onto the cushions and hand stitched the designs on.

It's Alfie's Birthday in 2 weeks!  He will change from a terrible two into a trouble making three! 

Alfie's days follow no real pattern.  He is not a creature of habit but more a free spirit of disaster.  He likes to turn toy boxes upside down- the best toys always seem to be at the bottom, apparently!  He likes to break things- especially if they were made by his big brother Harry!  He likes to give the dog things he knows she should not have!  His favourite word is 'NO" and he folds his arms and stamps his feet if he has been told to get to the naughty step. 

This was a little Alfie week review:


1. I asked him if he had been playing with the felt tips- he said "No!"
2. Alfie declares "Skateboard, Easy!"
3. Alfie's new garden farm yard- he still likes to dig my path up!
4. I downloaded a Mickey Mouse App (Link to App) for my aPad (That's not a typo- its not an iPad, it's an aPad- AlfiePad, to give it the full title)
5. Little did I know but the Mickey Mouse App takes pictures and saves them on my iPad.  I checked today and so far I have 82 pictures of Alfie and Mickey Mouse.

I would like to add that Alfie also enjoys cuddles (although he seems to think he has to have you in a headlock to give cuddles), kisses and telling you "love you" as he streaks past to cause more mischief.  He is loud, clumsy, brash and just like me- he is a star and I wouldn't have him any other way!