winter branches.

January 4, 2014 by mama lola

i know many of you might be slightly crafted out from all of the holiday projects, but this is a super easy craft with big effect. my mum taught me how to make these gorgeous winter branches.

MATERIALS:

tissue paper

scissors

green branches (pine, balsam, spruce, cedar…)

white glue

glitter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. cut the tissue paper into tiny pieces. keep in a container.

2. place branches in chosen vase or basket.

3. add glue generously to branches and needles, sprinkle cut tissue paper onto wet glue. add glitter as desired to wet glue. ensure the tissue paper is evenly spread amongst your branches creating a realistic snowy effect. that’s it.

now that christmas is all packed up, these winter branches are a wonderful decorative touch for the first months of the year. i have received so many compliments on my branches!

hiya january.

January 1, 2014 by mama lola

well, hello there january! check you out looking all pretty and new.

a fresh new year, a clean slate, the start of something new… well, not really since all my baggage from previous years are still following me around where ever i go.

bah.

i will be posting about my resolutions soon! did you make any new years resolutions this year?

35.

December 27, 2013 by mama lola

i will be 35 on the 28th of december. happy birthday to me!

this is the first year in a while i don’t really feel like i’m getting older. turning 30 felt like a huge deal, and the birthdays proceeding that one have all had an aging quality to them. but, this year something is different. but, i’m not really sure what.

it’s been a year of great personal growth for me. i have come accept many qualities about myself rather than focusing on how to change things, i have learned to live with them. for some, i guess that kinda thing comes easily; not for me. don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of traits and quirks and details i would love to improve about myself, but there are some things that just are the way they are. which is ok.

in the past i have blogged a lot about focusing on myself and learning how make myself a priority. this is a skill that i have made leaps and bounds in this past year, clearly made easier as the kids get older. hard times forced me to really look at myself, how i make decisions, why i do the things i do, say the things i say and so on. i have come to understand that i have great deficits in my confidence, self-esteem and belief in my own abilities, but i trust that with time those will improve. to balance out the hard stuff, i have placed great efforts into my personal relationships. i have tried to be social and active within my community and make connections with people. i have tried to be good friend, giving more of myself to people outside my family. i am a work in progress, and some areas require more work than others.

source

as i enter the second half of my thirties, i feel optimistic. the first half was filled with babies, illness, tremendous worry, sleep deprivation, anger, and enormous stress. so yeah, as you can imagine, this definitely wasn’t fun. there were times when I actually thought that my life would fall apart. I just couldn’t see the end of this torment and emotional stress. luckily, I could speak to my friend who had experienced something similar. she said that she looked at how CBD oil UK could help her, and low and behold, she soon saw a difference in herself. a positive one. this made me feel better because I knew that something could be done if it continued to affect me. I came out of them in the end, but I definitely don’t want to experience anything like it again. i am hopeful that i can leave those aches and pains behind me and move on towards new, perhaps a slightly less bumpy road. i feel grateful for so much, especially after the ice storm that hit southern ontario. with so many people freezing in their homes for days (my parents included), surviving through the holidays in unexpected ways, i will continue to try not to take my life for granted. i have said it here before and i will say it again, and i will keep saying it, because taking ones family, friends, home, cars, food, running water and everything else for granted is so easy.

source

i love my birthday and this year my three guys have all sorts of secrets tucked up their sleeves. my mummo shared my birthday with me, and since she has passed there is a loneliness about it. even though my grandmother and i weren’t very close, because she lived in finland while we were here, and trying to have a telephone conversation with someone losing their hearing was next to impossible! i will remember her fondly on the 28th and share stories about her to my kids.

i am excited to turn 35 and look forward to the adventures this new age brings.

almond cranberry biscotti recipe.

December 21, 2013 by mama lola

this is a fantastic recipe from the joy of cooking. my dear hubby is the one who bakes this holiday goodie at our house! the word biscotti is italian and means twice baked biscuits. the name perfectly describes how you ultimately bake these yummy treats, TWICE (or so)! biscotti is a wonderful holiday gift, as it is easy to make and lasts a long time. it is a bit time consuming, but well worth it in the end, in my opinion. so, let’s get to it.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 teaspoon anise or almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup dried cranberries

(* although we typically bake and cook without eggs, this recipe was made with eggs. at our house biscotti is more of an adult treat, so our egg sensitive bear will not be nibbling on these)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. combine oil, sugar, eggs, zest and extracts together. then stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

2. add chopped almonds and dried cranberries. mix well.

3. shape two loaves out of the dough on parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 25 minutes. allow loaves to cool then cut on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. then, bake slices on sides for 10 minutes and turn over and bake for another 10 minutes.

4.cool on a rack. serve with a cuppa tea or coffee and dip biscotti in the drink.

enjoy!

this moment.

December 20, 2013 by mama lola

as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words, only an image to sum up our time as a family. one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this time in our lives.

please feel free to leave a link to your this moment from this past week.

cranberry blueberry bars.

December 18, 2013 by mama lola

i found this delicious recipe from smitten kitchen, but tweaked it to fit the flavours i had in my cupboards.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg or egg substitute
1/4 teaspoon salt
orange zest
4 cups cranberries and blueberries combined
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

INSTRUCTION:

1. preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. in a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. mix in salt and orange zest using a fork to blend in the butter and egg or egg substitute. the dough will be crumbly, but that’s what we want! pat half of dough into the greased pan.

3. in another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. with a potato masher, crush the cranberries in a bowl, mix in the blueberries. then, pour the cranberry blueberry mixture evenly over the crust and spread remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. bake in oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

this is an easy recipe to complete. the cranberries are tart, so some may prefer more sugar in the recipe, but i decided not to add sugar. instead, i will add a scoop of ice cream or make a big mug of hot chocolate to go with my yummy bar.

enjoy!

christmas orange pomanders!

December 14, 2013 by mama lola

christmas pomanders are something i make every year. they are a wonderful gift for others and beautiful decorations in your own home.

they smell like christmas!

all you need to make these are oranges (or clementines) and cloves. i have made pomanders with different patterns; spirals or hearts, so pretty! adding a ribbon is a nice touch as well, just remember to add it first. some people suggest placing a rubber band around the orange to guide in making a straight line. just take a clove and poke it through the rind. it can get painful for your index finger after a bit, but it’ll be s worth it in the end… trust me!

i made a pomender three years ago and it tried beautifully and still smells yummy!

candy cane treats! YUM!

December 13, 2013 by mama lola

tis the season for candy canes! my kids are a bit little for just sitting and eating a cane; it tuns into a huge sticky mess, which i hate! so, instead i love to incorporate candy canes into all sorts of treats we like to eat. here is a round-up of super yummy candy cane treats of all sorts… from cookies to fudge to bark!

ENJOY!

chocolate peppermint bark cookies from recipe girls

candy cane cookies from foodless

candy cane hearts from glorious treats

candy cane joe joe’s from cake or death

candy cane marshmallow pops from liv life

which one is your favourite? which recipe will you be trying this season?

the marshmallow treats look perfect for a cuppa hot chocolate, so i think i will make some when we head up north to the cottage for the new year!

this moment.

December 13, 2013 by mama lola

please add a link your moment from this week.

christmas cookie round-up!

December 10, 2013 by mama lola

the christmas season is full of yummy cookies. we love to bake all sorts of cookies this time of year. here is a round-up of decoration ideas from snowflakes to snow globes to hurt gingerbread men.