Bristol bucket list

Since we moved to Bristol, we haven't had a lot of time to explore the local area much. With a baby and toddler, our days are quite short once we factor in naps, feeds, and tantrums. I've been collecting a mental list of things to do and places to go, and it's time to decant it as my brain space is full.

Our Bristol Bucket List

Clifton Village and Suspension Bridge
Old Down Country Park
Ashton Court
Bristol Zoo
Dyrham Park (on a Tuesday, as there are toddler activities then)
Lawrence Weston Farm (Wednesday farm tots)
Brean Leisure Park
Day trip in Weston (reliving my childhood!)
Wot Pots pottery painting
Clifton Arcade
Eastfield Inn (our local pub, reputedly one of the most family-friendly pubs in the UK)
Day trip in Clevedon
Chew Valley Lake (walk and fish and chips)
Henbury Park
Hengrove Park
To be continued...

Sea swimming {30 for 30}

Goal 9. Swim in the sea

I did it! And it was really, really cold!

On holiday last week, I swam in the sea. I love sea swimming, the water salty and refreshing, the seaweed brushing toes and ankles, the horizon in the distance. I had wanted to swim longer, but we were in Brittany, so my toes and fingers needed to get out. Hoping for a warmer swim next year! Sophie absolutely loved the water and would have stayed in all day if she could, but, seeing her shivering all over, we insisted that she get out and wrap up!

Completed: 1/30

Strawberry ice cream

We made this ages ago, but I forgot to publish the post, oops!

300ml double cream
200ml milk
200g strawberries
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Wash, hull, and chop the strawberries. Crush with a hand blender, food processor, or potato masher. Sieve to remove the pips.

Mix the cream, milk and maple syrup or honey. Then mix in the strawberries.

Pour into an ice cream machine and leave to churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. For our machine it takes about 20 minutes to create a thick, yet soft ice cream.

Delicious!

30 for 30

In a little less than three months, I will be 30 years old. Exciting! You certainly won't find me snivelling or whining about this milestone. I'm pretty relaxed about birthdays generally but this is a whole new decade! I'll be able to say I'm 'in my 30s'. I won't feel bad about being boring, having no social life, or enjoying knitting. I spent my 20s acting like I was in my 30s, and soon I actually will be!

I've been thinking about some things I'd like to do or achieve in honour of my 30th birthday and - inspired by my love of all things list-y - I decided to make myself a 30 for 30 'challenge' of 30 things I would like to do in the coming year. It's not really a challenge, as I won't feel bad if I don't manage to do any or all of them: it's more of a 30th birthday bucket list. A good number of them will be easy, some will be more challenging and some will be outright too expensive - but hopefully I'll achieve some of them! I will be the first to admit that this list is pretty self-centred, but that's the nature really of personal goals. Of course I want to keep growing as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and person, and keep (or get better at!) being kind, hospitable, compassionate, gracious, and wise. Those things go without saying, but they don't appear on the list. They're not just for my 30th birthday - they're for life.

30 for 30

1. Picnic at a park or beach
2. Read a book (preferably in a day, but just reading a whole one would be fab - even better would be writing one!)
3. Blog more
4. Pray more
5. Do a jigsaw
6. Finish my jumper (that I started about four years ago!)
7. Make macarons
8. Learn and perform a new piece
9. Swim in the sea
10. Exercise more
11. Make someone a birthday cake
12. Go on a day trip to the seaside (Weston-super-Mare, anyone?)
13. Sort photos into albums
14. Buy new cushions for the lounge
15. Enter a baking competition (or run one?!)
16. Host a dinner party
17. Do something different or dramatic with my hair
18. Have a facial
19. Do a 10K run
20. Take the children to the zoo
21. Sew a skirt or dress
22. Invest in and use good face creams (I'm in my 30s now!)
23. Go out for Japanese food
24. Host Christmas
25. Start studying something
26. Floss every day
27. Do a hat making class/course
28. Go on a hot holiday
29. Spa day
30. Go on a weekend trip with Nick (Paris? Bruges? Bognor?)

Other things that didn't make it onto the list included using cloth napkins (I have them, I should use them, and not buy paper ones except for big parties), printing and framing photos (we live in a rented house, and have nowhere to hang them), writing letters (I will do this anyway so it's not much of a challenge), a bike ride (I no longer have a bike), join the WI (I'm 30, not 50 - but I might still join!), and sell unwanted things on eBay (I should do this, it would fund some of the other things on the list...). 

Ready. Set. Go!

(Oh. Nothing happened. That'd be because is 21:05 on a Thursday evening and it's past my bedtime. Rock and roll.)

Wholewheat fudge brownies {Baking with my babies}

Sophie and I have been getting up to lots of baking mischief in the kitchen recently. She's now at an age where measuring, tipping, and stirring are really fun activities, and she also really enjoys eating the cakes afterwards! We've tried a few recipes. I keep things simple because we have to fit in the entire process (except the actual baking) within 45 minutes, as that's how long Matthew tends to sleep in the afternoon.

We made wholewheat brownies which were really delicious, more like a slightly fudgy cake than a brownie really but I'll still call them brownies because of their shape.

Wholewheat fudge brownies
Makes 16 squares

175g caster sugar
60g wholewheat flour
30g cocoa powder (I use Green and Black's)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
125g butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g plain chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Butter a brownie dish (I used a 9x9 inch tin).
2. Gently melt the butter.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients. Tip in the eggs and vanilla, give it a quick stir, then gently pour in the butter and mix thoroughly.
4. Add in the chocolate chips and fold in.
5. Tip it into the dish and flatten the top. Bake for about 30 minutes until a wafer-like crust forms on the top. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

New blog!

See my new blog at http://twolittlebabies.tumblr.com/

I haven't yet decided what to do with this here blog... life is a little crazy... we just had a new baby and we are moving house within the next two months... so we'll see what happens!

XYZ are for Xmas, Yule, and Zzzz

It's Christmas Eve! And I'm left with the final three letters of the alphabet. So...

X is for Xmas - a reminder that the Christ in Christmas ended on a cross

Y is for Yule - an old word for Christmas, but one which actually stems from a pagan midwinter festival - which is basically what Christmas has become again - which is why I wrote about Jesus in many of these advent posts

Z is for Zzzz - I'll be offline for a while now. My blog will be moving to a new site soon so I'll be spending a bit of time setting that up, which means I won't be posting as much, if at all, for a while.

So, all that remains is for me to say Happy Christmas, and I hope you will know the peace and grace of Christ this season and in the coming year.

Laura x

W is for Wrap

One of my favourite things about Christmas is wrapping all the gifts. I love all the paper, ribbon, tissue, and tags! This year I have gone for a brown paper theme, with parcel paper and pretty ribbons. I also bought some brown paper sandwich bags to use for the hand-made gifts, as I thought it would give a nice earthy touch.

Wrapped and ready to go!
{Ribbons, Hobbycraft; brown bags and coloured tissue,
 eBay; brown parcel paper, Rymans; tags, WHSmith}

It's important to me that the wrap that I use can be reused or recycled easily. The brown paper and tissue can go into household recycling, and all the ribbons can be reused for other gifts. I also use a lot of gift bags which get reused until they no longer look the part! Then I take the handles off and put what I can into the recycling. Some of my relatives have been known to iron wrapping paper and reuse it, but I don't go that far!

Happy wrapping, everyone!

Laura x

V is for Vacation {Recipe: Christmas pudding}

We're off on our vacation today, so this and the rest of the advent posts have been pre-written and will appear as if by magic while I am far away from a computer!

We will be having a French Christmas this year, with family in north Brittany. Oui! I have packed all the essentials: Christmas pudding, brussels sprouts, mince pies, pigs in blankets. How do the French survive without these annual delicacies? (To be fair, they do feast on fruits de mer, foie gras, and a strange ice-cream concoction which they go ga-ga over for dessert, so they've got their own flavours to gloat over.)

I made my Christmas pudding, as is traditional, on stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before advent. I can't wait to try it!

My Christmas pudding
Serves 8-10

90g self-raising flour
125g chilled butter
30g flaked almonds
125g carrot, grated
250g raisins
125g currants
125g sultanas
125g breadcrumbs
60g Italian mixed peel
90g light muscovado sugar
Zest and juice of a lemon
A whole nutmeg (you'll use half)
2 eggs, beaten
75ml brandy

Grate the butter into the flour and rub together to a breadcrumb texture. Add the almonds, carrot, raisins, currants, sultanas, breadcrumbs, mixed peel, sugar, and lemon zest. Grate in half of the nutmeg. Mix these ingredients together. Add the lemon juice and eggs, and mix well until fully combined.

Butter a 1.25-litre (2-pint) ceramic pudding bowl, or several smaller bowls (this year I used a 1-litre bowl and two mini pudding moulds). If using a large bowl, cut out a circle of baking parchment to fit in the top of the bowl, butter it well, and place it in the bowl. (This helps the pudding to stay together when you are releasing it from the bowl.) Spoon in the pudding mixture almost to the top. Flatten the surface, pressing down well.


Cut out a circle of baking paper and a circle of foil, each two inches bigger than the diameter of the bowl. Butter the baking paper. Make a pleat in the middle of both the baking paper and the foil. Lay the baking paper buttered side down over the bowl, and the foil on top. Tie them tightly with string under the rim of the bowl.

Put the bowl in a steamer or in a pan of simmering water which comes halfway up the side of the bowl. You now have two options:

1. Steam the pudding fully, for 8-9 hours. Afterwards, remove the foil and baking paper. Pierce several holes in the pudding with a skewer and pour over the brandy. Cover the bowl. with clingfilm. Store in a dark place. On the day of eating, replace the clingfilm and pierce it several times. Microwave on full power for 5 minutes, stand for 3 minutes, microwave on low/defrost for 7 minutes, and stand for 5 minutes before unmoulding.

2. Steam the pudding for 6 hours. Afterwards, remove the foil and baking paper. Pierce several holes in the pudding with a skewer and pour over the brandy. Then put on fresh baking paper and foil, buttered and pleated as before. Store in a dark place. On the day of eating, steam the pudding for 2-3 hours, then rest for 3-4 minutes before unmoulding.

Whichever method you use, you must make sure that you keep topping up the steamer/pan with boiling water.

Serve the pudding with traditional brandy butter, custard, or (my favourite) extra thick cream.

U is for Undeserved

Hello again everyone!

Today, I'm writing on the theme 'Undeserved'.

U was another tricky letter, but in the end I'm pretty pleased I get to talk about this theme!

Before Christmas, we hear so often the idea that children have to be good or 'Santa' won't bring them any presents on Christmas Day. There's even a (slightly creepy) song about it: 'He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good...' etc.

The essence of Christianity is the polar opposite to this. Jesus came to the world because humankind turned away from God and had no hope - none whatsoever - of returning to Him. We could not become good enough, and we were not worthy of God's love. But love us He did, and in his grace gave us a truly undeserved and wonderful gift: new life, because Jesus took our sins and overcame death for us. 

We give and receive many gifts at this time of year. When we give, we do it because we love the person we are giving to, not because they 'deserve' a gift. It is the same with God: He gives because He loves. 

It is up to us whether to accept the gift.

Laura x

T is for Tree Decoration

Happy Friday everyone!

Some people have a lot of handmade decorations on their tree. Most of ours have been bought from various shops (though we do have a lovely bauble that Emilie made for Sophie's first Christmas, and a felt star that my Nan made for Sophie this year). I thought it would be a nice idea to start a tradition of making a new decoration for Sophie for the tree each year. So today I quickly made this felt dove inspired by the Christmas special of the Great British Sewing Bee which I watched this week.

Isn't it cute? It was so easy to make. I made a paper template and cut out two pieces of cream felt. Then I cut out some tiny hearts out of red felt, and stitched them on using small running stitches with red embroidery thread. I used the same thread to sew the two doves together with mattress stitch, around the outside and over a small loop of ribbon for hanging the ornament, tucked between the layers. Just before getting to the end, I pushed in some toy stuffing (using a chopstick!), and sewed up the final few stitches. It took less than an hour, and that was alongside entertaining and feeding a baby!

Have a great weekend!

Laura x

S is for Stockings

This year, I decided to make some stockings for our family, so that we have pretty and matching ones to hang up each year before Christmas.

But they're not finished yet, and so neither is this post!

To be continued...

[Update: June 2015 - finished, but not blogged!]

R is for Redeemer

It's Wednesday, and I'm up to R in my advent alphabet!

In the Bible, God says of himself: 'I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob' (Isaiah chapter 49, verse 26). After Jesus came, the apostle Paul wrote that 'In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding' (Ephesians chapter 1, verses 7-8).

What does it mean to redeem? It is the act of buying back, of paying something to regain something that was once in your possession. In biblical times it often referred to the act of buying freedom for a slave.

When the Bible says that Jesus redeems, it is saying something incredibly profound. While we may not often feel it, our natural state is as slaves. We are slaves to sin, to the darkness of the world, to a lying enemy who flatters to deceive. The freedom that we think we have - to be our own boss - is actually slavery to untruth. True freedom is being redeemed from this slavery and brought back to God. The Bible tells us that this happens not through our own willpower, or decision, but through Jesus's blood.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Saviour, but I am also so thankful when I remember that he was born to die in our place to redeem us and free us.

Laura x

Q is for Questions

Hello everyone,

I've been posting a lot about the busy joyfulness of making gifts for family members - whether knitted, crafted, or baked. It's been so much fun! I've also posted about the person Christmas celebrates: Jesus, God's Son. However, I've been thinking about Christmas and asking myself: Why do we bother so much about this same day every single year?

Picture this. A family spends a whole month (or perhaps longer) thinking about, preparing for, shopping for, looking forward to, making plans for, buying food for, one day at the end of December. It's overwhelming, expensive, and all-consuming. It can lead to family arguments about who attends which home on which day. It can cause stress for parents who feel under pressure from their children or other parents or the media to buy the most expensive gifts. Then, on the day, people gather together to exchange gifts and eat a lot of food. Why? What is in it for most people? What is the purpose of Christmas?

For some, it's being on holiday with family. For others, it's about cooking, eating, and relaxing. For others, giving presents. For many around the world, it's just a normal day.

I've been a bit saddened by the comments and posts I've seen on social media and in articles the past few weeks. People saying they 'can't be bothered' with Christmas, or they 'don't know what to buy' for people, or inevitably, after the day, 'I'm so sad it's all over' or 'Never again'. Why all the focus on just one day?

A life of grace and giving doesn't stop when the turkey has been eaten and the floor is strewn with crumbs of mince pie and scraps of wrapping paper. Giving is an attitude which puts others ahead of ourselves, doesn't look for glory, and goes beyond mere duty. The poor woman in the temple who gave just two small coins to God gave more than the rich man who put in far more in monetary value, but far less in generosity. This coming year, I'd love to be more like that woman - giving of myself, my time, my gifts, and my money generously, freely, and joyfully.

Just my two cents' worth.

Laura x

P is for Pincushion {Tutorial}

Good morning!

Today, I'm going to show you how to make these lovely kilner jar pincushions. They are so easy and would make a wonderful gift. I've made several to give this Christmas.

Materials

A kilner jar with 2-part lid
A piece of cotton fabric about 20x20 cm
A small piece of felt
A small handful of toy stuffing
Craft glue / PVA glue
A spatula
Fabric scissors
A pencil
A ruler

Instructions

1. Unscrew the lid of the jar and draw around the jar plate on the reverse of the cotton fabric. 

2. Use a ruler to mark a circle 2.5cm bigger than the jar lid. Cut out the circle.

3. Carefully cut small triangles all around the edge of the fabric. This helps reduce bulk so the lid will still fit on the jar.

4. Cut out a circle of felt to fit inside the jar lid.

5. Take the stuffing and scrunch it into a ball. Place it on the centre of the fabric.

6. Put the jar plate over the stuffing, and push it through the jar rim to form the pincushion.

7. Use craft or PVA glue to stick the fabric to the plate. Use glue underneath and on top of the fabric so it sticks really well and as flat as possible.

8. Glue the felt to the plate to cover the raw edges of the cotton fabric. Screw the lid of the jar on straight away so that the glue sets in place.

(It should look like this.)

8. Have fun with your embellishments! I used some lace trim (£1.39 per metre) and paper flowers on wires (£1.29 for 6) from Hobbycraft.







You can fill the jar with whatever you would like. I included a tape measure, some ribbons, cotton thread, a needle (safely tucked inside the thread), some cute buttons, some safety pins, and a needle threader.

Laura x

O is for Origami

O - such a tricky letter! So, O is for Origami. During holidays or weekends, Nick and I sometimes enjoy puzzling over books instructing us on how to make a fish/crane/rabbit/rose out of squares of patterned paper. He has much more perseverance than me!

I wonder if we will do any origami this holiday.

What are your favourite holiday pastimes? We also enjoy board games. I will probably insist on a family game of Articulate at some point, to the disappointment of my long-suffering parents!

Laura x

N is for Nuts {Recipe: Honey-Roasted Almonds}

Have you noticed how everyone goes nuts over nuts at Christmas?

The supermarkets roll out platters of lovely mixed fruit and nuts which you couldn't find any other time of the year. Why do we eat so many nuts at Christmas?

My favourite kind of nuts are the roasted, sweet kind. Mmmm. Today, I decided to make my own honey-roasted almonds. It was so easy and they are so delicious!

Laura x

Sweet and salty goodness

Honey-roasted almonds

400g whole almonds

115g runny honey

A pinch of salt

100g granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Heat the honey in the microwave on full power for 30 seconds.

3. Put the almonds in a large bowl and pour over the honey. Add the salt and half the sugar. Mix well.

4. Place the coated almonds on the baking tray in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the whole tray, so the nuts on the edges don't burn.

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 2-3 minutes.

6. Sprinkle over half the sugar and mix well. It is a good idea to move them to new baking parchment at this stage, so that they don't clump together so much. Then sprinkle over the remaining sugar and allow to cool.

You can put them in pretty bags or boxes to give as presents!

M is for Mincemeat

Hi everyone!

I made my own mincemeat this year. My lovely husband looked after Sophie while I chopped up a whole bunch of stuff in the food processor and spooned into sterilised jars. It has yet to make its way into mince pies, but that will follow... I adore mince pies!

Jars of Christmas deliciousness

What is your favourite Christmas treat?

Laura x

L is for Love

'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.'
The Bible, book of John, chapter 3, verses 16-18

'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.'
The Bible, John's first letter, chapter 3, verse 16

The world has hijacked Christmas. Alright, some will argue that Christianity hijacked a pagan festival (Saturnalia, way back in the 4th Century) as a means to convert the masses, but really, if you had the best news in the world - ever - wouldn't you want to share it with others?

To return to my point: The world has hijacked Christmas. Most children (and many adults) today believe that Christmas is about a mythical big man in a red suit who lives at the north pole and delivers presents to millions of children one night each year. Well, here's the thing: Christmas is about God's Son, Jesus.

The Bible tells us exactly why Jesus was born as a baby and lived on this earth: because of God's love for humankind. There was no way that we humans could find our way back to God by ourselves. And truthfully, we didn't really want to. So God, in his love, sent Jesus to die in our place, so that those who believe in Him as God's Son and as the saving lamb who makes us right with God, can live eternally with God.

I think it's wonderful that we take time every year to celebrate, and be with our families, at Christmas. It's a haven at the end of our year, whether our year has been busy, quiet, happy, sad, or a mixture. It celebrates the most wonderful love in all existence: God's love. It celebrates Jesus.

(Not Santa.)

Much love, dear friends, from a cold and dreary Oxford.

Laura x

K is for Knitting

Hello everyone!

As you know, I {heart} crafts. I've been doing a lot of knitting recently. It's the perfect winter occupation for a person like me who has to stay home in the evenings while baby sleeps, has no TV, and doesn't enjoy computer games (my husband's favourite pastime!)

I'm quite slow (read: very slow) at knitting. But that doesn't bother me. It took me until Sophie was almost out of her carrycot to finish the pram blanket! So, I decided to knit her another one. I used a pattern online that I'd been wanting to try for ages. It was actually quite quick to knit because it was on big needles. We use it to keep Sophie warm in her cot at night.

Lovely wavy stripes

Happy baby!

The wool I used is a soft baby double knit wool by Sirdar. In the past I've not usually been too fussy about wool, but I'm getting increasingly 'into' it - oh dear. The trouble is, it can be so expensive! However, if I'm going to spend a lot of time making something, I should use quality materials, right?

Anyway, as a result of all this knitting, I've got a stack of hats, hairbands, and hot water bottle covers ready to give as Christmas gifts. When will I find the time to make something for myself?!

Laura x