A Step By Step Guide to Baking A Cake By Annie-Joy!

This was Annie Joy's first go at baking & she LOVED it! Here's how she helped to make my birthday cake;

1 put sugar & margarine into a bowl

2 Cream them together (with Mummy's help!)

3 Add the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of flour & mix well

4 Fold in the rest of the flour & add cocoa to make it chocolatey!

5 Mix really really well (until Mummy says it really is time for the mix to go into the oven & try not to cry too much!)

6 Stop crying & enjoy licking the bowl!

7 When the cake is baked, cover with melted chocolate & smarties. Mmmmm!!

8 Sing Happy Birthday to Mummy

9 Eat the cake! Yummy!!

10 Repeat steps 1-6 two weeks later for Daddy's birthday.

When the cake is baked let your three brothers cover the cake with butter cream & decorate with Maltesers!

Sing Happy Birthday to Daddy before eating the cake after dinner!

World Book Day

Yesterday was World Book Day at the boys' school & for the first time they had a dressing up day where everyone (teachers included!) went as a character from a book. Timmy went as a Little Ladybird from the book Ten Little Ladybirds, Luke went as Harry from Harry & His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs & Jordan went as Mr Bear from Mr Bear Babysits (he loves the part where Mr Bear sings 'Twinkle, twinkle little slug, leaving slime trails on the rug'!!). We went to the park after school along with an assortment of Power Rangers, Princesses & the Peach from James & the Giant Peach! It was fun!!
This what the bear face painting I did in a hurry after breakfast looked like before it got smudged at school. It did the job but I would make a few adaptions now that I look at it again, to make it more bear like! There wasn't time to take a good photo of all the boys in the rush to get out of the door on time though.
Annie Joy joined in the dressing up & wore her Very Hungry Caterpillar coat. Did you know that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is 40 years old this year? Eric Carle is 80 this year too! We bought the coat for Jordan in America when he was Annie's age. We all love it!

As part of World Book Day talking homework the boys had to take photos of their family reading in unusual places. Here they are reading in the bath.....

....under Timmy's bed.....

...and on the stairs! We also had to talk about my favourite children's book & children's author. I found it really hard to choose just one favourite book but in the end I decided it was The Box of Delights by John Masefield. I couldn't narrow down the authors though & sent the boys back into school with a list including C.S Lewis, Noel Streatfield, Paul Gallico & Lucy M. Boston. Lee's favourite book is The Hobbit. There are just so many great books out there aren't there?!

Luke also had to make a book for WBD. He made up his own story & stuck photos in to illustrate it except for the last page where he drew his own picture (because I didn't have a photo already that would 'do'!!). It's a sweet story!

Timmy wrote a book with 6 facts about himself in it. I love his Winne the Pooh drawing!

And now I am worn out with all these projects!! :o)

Today is Lee's birthday so Annie Joy & I have made a cake for the boys to decorate when they get in from school. Busy little bees we are eh? Till next time! Byeeeee!!

Big Brother

At last I have a little time to post piccies from half term! Half term was a blur of visiting friends, playing in the park, telly watching, gardening & cake baking to name a few things we did! I love this photo of Annie Joy & her big big brother. They get on so well! (That's just as well because they share a bedroom!!)
Jordan is so caring towards his little sister & she loves him so much! She runs to her Dan Dan to hug him so often.
On this trip to the park Jordan was showing me his Spiderman moves (doing backward roll thingies holding onto the swing chains). He is very good at them but on his last attempt he fell off & landed on the ground....

.... Annie Joy rushed over & stroked his head to make sure he was alright! How sweet!!

Timmy & Luke love running on the swings (if you get what I mean!!)...

... and everyone enjoyed spinning on the roundabout! Luke got VERY dizzy though!! It was good to see how the boys played so well with each other over the holidays. They created some wonderful imaginative games together. In fact, the chalk road markings they drew on our driveway for one game are still visible today! Who says we have a lot of rain in England eh?? LOL!!

Annie Joy loves to push her pram around although it's a bit of a stretch for her!

She also loved sitting on the see saw with or without Timmy on the other end.

The boys made butterfly cakes in half term too. They pretty much did everything themselves except for cutting the top of the cakes off. They did an excellent job! Timmy declared the cakes to be The Best Butterfly Cakes In The World!! I think he was right, don't you? ;o)

Hope all who so faithfully read are well & enjoying the sunny weather we are having at the moment. TTFN!

Snapshots from the Family Album

On February 16th the Green side of the family got together under sad circumstances namely the death of my Uncle Richard's second wife, Marianne. Despite the sadness it was really good to see the family again, most of whom I had not seen since I was 15 years old! The photo above is of the Okines family- me, my sister Helen & Mum & Dad.

Here I am with Helen & our cousin Zoe. The family resemblance between Helen & Zoe is amazing! The last time I remember seeing Zoe she made my Flower Patch doll, Izzy dance like Fergil Sharkey!!!

And here is my dear mother with her two brothers, Ben & Richard. Richard really does look like his Dad!

During the two days away we did lots of catching up with other friends in Stevenage. We looked through Mary's scrapbooks & had a HUGE laugh at all the 80s fashion disasters etc that were contained therein!! This photo is from my 10th birthday party. I am just on the left hand side. We are playing pass the parcel in case you think everyone is trying to steal my present!!

This photo should be entitled 'What was I thinking?' on so many levels!! I have no idea what possessed me to go ice skating in shorts!! And where did that top come from???!!! I am with Marie of blog commenting fame by the way!

Again, what were we thinking?!! (Left to right; Marie, Me, Helen & Jessica). Check out my Matt Goss knee patch on my jeans! Boy did we think we were the bees knees then!! We were helping Marie with her paper round. I am still waiting for my wages Marie!!! LOL!!

And this photo of me, my mum & my Dad busking at Spring Harvest highlights the reason why I must have hair products on my hair! I'm wearing the flowery leggings by the way! :o)

Incidentally, it's my birthday today. I have had a lovely day & feel thoroughly spoilt! Piccies to follow of me & the cake soon (ish!!). Hope all who read are well. TTFN!!