When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade

Today I would like to introduce you to a brand new blogger. Lisa is an online friend of mine who has shared the highs and lows of pregnancy and baby raising with me. Recently she gave birth to the gorgeous Remy. Along with the joy of meeting her baby, she was also given news that no new mother ever wants to hear. Her life has taken a shift she couldn't have imagined, but she is not letting it slow her down. I have included Lisa's very first post for you to read today so you can meet her and hear her story. I know you will love her blog and  I hope you will follow her blogging journey at A Lemonade Life.

It’s a cliché you often hear bandied about by cardigan-clad optimists, or written in jaunty font on Hallmark cards – ‘when life hands you lemons, make lemonade’. Meh, so trite. Recently I was thrown one of those proverbial lemons however, when my second son Remy was born at 36 weeks with Down Syndrome and an imperforate anus. (Just to clarify, Rem is a peach, and having Down’s is by no means lemon-like, but having no bum-hole is positively citric). He is now 5 weeks old, a beautiful bub with almond eyes, a strong heart, and a squelchy colostomy. His brother Yves is a reckless, parkour-loving 16-month-old with a penchant for dancing on table tops and eating dirt. Yeah, it’s been busy, but life is settling down a little after Remy’s dramatic arrival, so here I sit while my babies sleep, dodging housework and contemplating the rest of my existence. A bit heavy for a Monday afternoon, but apparently there’s lemonade to be brewed, and no time like the present, right?

The gorgeous Remy

Now don’t get all fidgety – this blog isn’t going to be a sob story, a violin-accompanied campaign for disability tolerance, or a tedious blow-by-blow account of my daily life. I might throw the odd family photo out there, or have a bit of a rant about the frustrations of stoma care (more about that later), but generally this is just a virtual space for me, a repository for the unvoiced detritus occupying my mind.

Besides motherhood, my interests are styling interiors, playing squash, adoring dogs, and junk shopping. I love editing and collecting other people’s unwanted stuff, and I can’t pass an op-shop or antique store without breaking a sweat (and a fingernail) rifling through their contents. I won’t be revealing my trusted sources of said bargains, rest assured! But I will post about what I find, and hopefully inspire some of you to look around your own area, and indeed your home, for pieces that could be resurrected, repurposed, and loved anew. Much more rewarding and fun than buying plastic replica crap, and better for the environment too!

Beyond petty scrounging and the odd spot of squash, the real subject I want to wrestle with in here is the question of perspective. The omnipotence of a more considered worldview has been a looming truth in my life for a long time, and through recent events this need has been thrust under my nose again. What does perspective mean for me, what might it mean for my family, and how can we best disperse some of what we learn along the way? That’s the big question in our household right now as we begin to deal with our son’s health issues and his ongoing development. We have been shown incredible care, compassion and professionalism by his medical team in these first few weeks, and as consumed as we are with caring for Remy, my partner Dan and I are also thinking hard about how we can give something back. Crisis is always a time of opportunity, and in the tumult of Remy’s arrival we have been gifted a viewpoint exceeding our previous reach, one that is taking our thoughts beyond our picket fence.

So, that’s where we’re headed…

Find Lisa's original post at leecylou.wordpress.com make sure you pop over there and follow her blog via email (find the button at the bottom right corner) so you can keep up with her wonderful blog. Also, make sure you leave her some comment love.

 

Share Your Passion {Calling for Guest Post Contributors}

What are you really passionate about? For me there are so many things and I am sure that you are bored of hearing all the things I am passionate about. With that in mind, I am hoping to start a series of guest posts from my readers, other bloggers and anyone else who is keen. I would love to have guest contributors share what they are passionate about. It could be anything from your faith, your family, fitness or even something as simple as your passion for chocolate :)

I am happy for it to be a blatant plug for your blog or small business but I also want to hear from non bloggers. If you have never written a blog post before don't be afraid. I can give you some tips. Who knows...you might get a taste for it and start your own blog.

If you are interested, send me an email (mummysundeservedblessings@gmail.com) and tell me what you would like to write about.

As soon as I have a few people to share their passions I will start sharing them on the blog.

I hope you are as excited as I am. If you know anyone else who might be interested share this post with them.

I look forward to hearing from you.

By Royal Appointment: Stealing Kate Middleton’s Look! {PR Collaboration}

I'm no fashion blogger but I do love getting some tips on looking great. I am excited to have this guest post today to give you some tips on looking great during pregnancy. There are so many styles that show off a baby bump and Kate Middleton has really nailed dressing well during pregnancy. Even if you are not planning on having any more bubs, you can still appreciate Kate's style and grace. 

It feels as though the whole world is holding its breath waiting for Kate Middleton to give birth, an event which should be happening any day now! While we’re now all excited to see the future heir to the British Empire’s throne, I’ve been thinking about Kate’s maternity style.

She’s managed to find the balance between grace and style during her pregnancy, something which we’ve only seen before with Princess Diana. Yesterday I was reading a blog about Royal maternity style on show and I was taken back to Diana’s impeccable style.

It seems as though the crown for style has been picked up by Kate, which is just as well as she is to be the mother of the future king or queen! If you’ve admired Kate’s look as much as I have over the past nine months, you’ll be glad to know I’ve found the perfect outfit!

The Necklace

Available to buy from Etsy, this necklace would be a treasured piece of jewellery which you’d be able to hand down to your own children. Think of it as a future heirloom!

The necklace has a gorgeous, timeless shape whilst remaining modern thanks to the additional gold pendant. Very Kate!

The Dress

Lace has been Kate’s calling card since day one, and the detailing on this Amber Lace maternity dress from Tiffany Rose – which I found after seeing the blog post - is all down to the stunning lace design. Managing to find a balance between demure and sexy, this is perfect for regal occasions.

The neckline would hold the necklace beautifully, while the midnight blue colour would set off the jewel in the centre of the accessory. Meanwhile the cinched in waist will show off your body to its very best!

The Shoes

This high heeled court from Darcy Seashell on Style Tread couldn’t be more Kate. Understated but classic, it will lift your calves to a flattering height while ensuring the attention stays on the dress and you!

They’re really comfortable and can be worn with pretty much any outfit.

What do you think?

How I Have (Almost) Got Over My Fear of Flying {Guest Post}

This post was written by a friend of mine (who prefers to remain anonymous). She is a fabulous mum who balances a successful career with family life. I would never have expected her to have such a great fear of flying. Today she shares how she has been able to board a plane again. This post also contains a sponsored link relevant to this story.

If you like me, have suffered a fear of flying, you are in good company. It affects as many as one in four people and for many the fear is so paralysing that they are unable to board a plane.

For me it started almost 11 years ago when before this I had flown many times before, confidently and with much enjoyment. I was a recent uni graduate backpacking around Europe and having the time of my life. I remember it was a short flight from London to Nice and I remember suddenly going from enjoying the flight to suddenly the feelings of suffocation and claustrophobia and being suddenly wanting to escape and get off the plane.

It was the start of something that only got worse over time. From then on I couldn't shake the irrational fear of flying every time I had to fly. Needless to say the anxiety got so bad over time that I made excuses all the time for not getting on a plane: too busy, too expensive, too many parenting responsibilities etc. It got to the point where I decided not to fly altogether,

When I became a parent in 2009, my thought processes started to change (as most new parents do!). I had "toughened up" having gone through child birth, sleepless nights etc. But also my focus suddenly changed from just me to my children. My son (now 3.5) was fascinated with planes and anything that flew (helicopters, hot air balloons, rockets etc) and I realised that kids basically have "no fear".

I think the turning point was about 2 years ago I had googled "fear of flying" and came across the Fearless Flyers course. Fearless Flyers Inc. is a Non-Profit, volunteer organisation run by women pilots since 1979 in association with Qantas Airways Ltd and Air services Australia. (For more information refer to http://www.fearless flyers.com.au/) and I enrolled myself in the course.

Over time I made the decision to fly after 4 years of no flying. Over the next few months I started looking at YouTube videos filmed by people inside airplanes taking off and landing to see how normal and wonderful flying was. I started watching planes take off and visiting airports (including going through the security) to get myself used to what going on a plane involved. I realised also that my fear was linked to claustrophobia and fear of heights so I also started practising by taking lifts in shopping centres and also looking down from glass windows on the 4th level of my work building.

The time came for my flight. When I boarded the plane I tried my absolute hardest to breath deeply and pay attention to the surroundings - one of the problems that anxiety sufferers have is internalising so it was important for me to think of things I could see, hear and feel[1] and basically stay aware of the external rather than shutting myself out.

As the plane took off with the whirring engines my heart was pounding but rather than hold on to the armrests I had my hands in my lap and looked out of the window. I was pleasantly interested about the clear views and the clouds and I realised that I was feeling ok! I also noticed everyone else carrying on as normal, so this started to reinforce to me how ordinary and natural being in this plane was. I started to pass the time by chatting to my husband, paying attention to his conversation and reading a bit of the magazine in front to me.

I had actually endured the flight without the lightning bolts of nerves, dry mouth and numbness that I had before in 10 years. I got off the plane feeling exhausted but I realised this was a turning point for me.

I am still a recovering phobic but I now feel more in control of myself and have some techniques to help me feel more calm. The flight I took has given me enormous confidence and I feel like it is going to open up so many wonderful opportunities to me and my family. I now feel I can take it one flight at a time.

If you are a confident flyer or like my friend want to face your fears of flying you could use these great travel voucher codes  for discounted flights.  Start planning your next holiday now!

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[1] A self hypnosis tool for relaxation see: http://mashabennett.com/2011/07/09/simple-relaxation-see-hear-feel/

What is your greatest fear? Or have you faced your fears?

Weekend Cookbook: Lemon Explosion Cupcakes {Guest Post}

I can't remember how I found Honey, You Baked!, but it is one of my favourite food blogs and I just love the title. Recently I asked them to guest post for the Weekend Cookbook and I am very excited about this yummy recipe. If you want to follow Honey, You Baked! or know more about the girls, read their bio at the bottom of this post.

Lemon Explosion Cupcakes

Firstly, I need to give a BIG thankyou to Lisa for letting me guest blog.  We will have to get her over to Honey, You Baked! Sometime soon!!

Now there is not much in my life that can compare to a great cupcake.  They always cheer me up and the utter scrumptiousness of something seemingly so simple never fails to amaze me.  Today I thought I would share a recipe for one of those cupcakes.  Hold on to your hats! Your tastebuds will dance and sing!!

Lemon Explosion Cupcakes

                                                                                                                            

YOU WILL NEED:

For the cakes:

175g unsalted butter – softened

175g white sugar

3 eggs

A splash of vanilla extract

175g SR Flour

Rind and juice of 2 x good size lemons (rind finely chopped)

1/2 cup (or so) of milk

Cupcake moulds and papers

2 x soup spoons

For the Filling:

Cream Cheese

4 x Tablespoons sifted Icing Sugar

Juice of 1 x large lemon

1 x piping bag and round nozzle

Small sharp knife

For the Top:

Icing Sugar to dust

THE HOW TO:

• Preheat your oven to 180Deg C and get your cupcake trays and papers all ready

• Cream your butter & sugar in an electric mixer till light and fluffy

• Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time

• Add your flour, rind and lemon juice and milk and mix up well.

• Using the soup spoons, ladle the mixture into your papers.  You need them about 3/4 full.

• Bake for approx 20mins until lightly golden.

• Whip up your cream cheese, lemon juice & icing sugar until smooth and well combined.

• Place some of the mixture into a piping bag with round nozzle.

• Once the cakes have cooled, you can have a bit of fun with your presentation.  I’ve made Butterfly Cakes (always a hit with the kids), Cupcake Sandwiches and Filled Cupcakes (both fabulous as you can pop them in a container without fear of the icing sticking to the lid!). 

• For the Butterfly Cakes – Use the sharp knife and cut out a little cone shape of cake from the middle.  Cut this cone in half.  Fill with cream cheese mixture and then re-attach your “wings”.

• For the Cupcake Sandwiches – Slice your cakes through horizontally just under the mound section.  Dollop on some mixture and replace the top.

• For the Filled Cupcakes – grab your piping bag and stick the nozzle down into the cupcake and give a squirt of mixture.  You may have a little escaping out the top, which is easily wiped off. 

• Once all your cakes are done, give a liberal dusting over the tops with icing sugar.

Glorious little morsels – just waiting for the perfect occasion.  Afternoon Tea, Mothers Day or indeed ANY day!

About Honey, You Baked!

HYB is Danni & Mel, two friends and mummies, who used to work, cook and play together in Sydney. Now Mel has moved home to Tasmania and the girls spend time blogging about Baking, Making, Books, Babies and just about everything else in between! Drop us a line we would love to hear from you!!

www.honeyyoubaked.com

www.facebook.com/HoneyYouBaked

www.twitter.com/honeyyoubaked

About Danni (That’s me in the blue!)

I’m a SAHM mum from Sydney with two beautiful girls (6 and 16mnths) and a hard working hubby.  As well as HYB with my blog buddy Mel, I spend my time running after my family, my dog, growing my own veggies, sewing & crafting and expanding my small cake business (read: organisational freak lives here!).

What have you been cooking this week?

 Weekend Cookbook Guidelines
1. Link up a recipe that you have posted recently.
2. Link up by clicking on the link below and pasting your post URL (not your blog's URL)
3. Share some love by checking out the other links and leave a comment. 
4.If you make other blogger's recipe take a photo and post it in their facebook page (or yours and tag them). 
5. Add the Weekend Cookbook button to your post/blog (it is on my sidebar).

Weekend Cookbook: Macarons with White Chocolate and Raspberry Ganache

This week my photographer friend, Annette Audrey is guest posting for the Weekend Cookbook.She is such a talented lady! Not only does she take amazing photographs (see our Cherry Blossom shoot & Alicia's Newborn shoot and all the pics of me and the kids on my blog) but she is also an amazing cook. I have been lucky enough to sample her delicious creations and after tasting these Macarons I just had to ask her to guest post. 

 French Meringue Macaron
3 aged egg whites (100g weight)

50g caster sugar

200g icing sugar

110g almonds (whole or ground)

1. Make sure your bowl is immaculate and egg whites are at room

temperature. Whip the egg whites to a foam and then gradually add the

caster sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Mixture should sit in

the bowl if you lift it over your head.

2. Combined the almonds and icing sugar in a food processor.

3. Fold them into the meringue. This is the most difficult part! The

mixture needs to become this magma like consistency where if you tip

the bowl to the side, the mixture should slide back. It generally

takes me about 40-50 strokes.

4. Fill a pastry bag with the batter and pipe into small rounds onto

trays lined with baking paper. (Test a small amount. When piped, It

should hold its shape and the peak formed should fold back into

itself. If the peak doesn't flatten, give the mixture a couple more

folds. If you don't get a peak when piping, then you've probably gone

too far.)

5. Leave the piped shells to dry and form a crust. Time required is

dependent on humidity. I usually leave for an hour.

6. Bake in preheated oven 180 degrees for 6mins (you should see the

feet starting to form at this stage), then reduce the oven temperature

to 150 degrees and bake for a further 6mins. Take out to cool. If the

macarons are stuck to the baking sheet making them difficult to

remove, pop them back into the oven for a couple more minutes.

7. When cool, sandwich with your favourite filling and macarons are good to go!

This is my favourite filling as I find the tartness of the raspberries

compliments the sweetness of the macaron.

White chocolate and raspberry ganache

 50ml pouring cream

100g white chocolate

50g raspberries, chopped (frozen is fine too)

1. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to the boil.

2. Remove from the heat and add white chocolate. Let it stand until

melted (about 5mins ) and stir until smooth

3. Refrigerate until firm and still pliable (about 45mins) and add

chopped raspberries

4  Pipe or spoon onto macaron to make a sandwich

Tips:

* Age your egg whites: This means separating the yolks from the whites

and storing the whites in the fridge for at least 24 hours (up to 5

days). I usually age mine for 3 days. This reduces the elasticity of

the egg whites and contributes to good looking feet. Make sure you

return the egg whites to room temperature before using though.

* For chocolate macarons, add 15g cocoa powder to the almond and icing sugar

Annette, is a wife and mother of two gorgeous children. She is currently living in Canberra however next year she will be moving to the U.S.for three years. She will be greatly missed by us all and so will her photography skills. If you are interested in booking her for a photo shoot or just checking out her beautiful photos head to http://www.annetteaudrey.com/blog/ 

 Weekend Cookbook Guidelines:

1. Link up a recipe that you have posted (it doesn't have to be a new post).
2. Link up by clicking on the link below and pasting your post URL (not your blog's URL)
2. Follow Mummy Undeserved Blessings on facebook
3. Check out the other links and leave a comment. 4.If you make other blogger's recipe take a photo and post it in their facebook page (or yours and tag them).
 

Weekend Cookbook: Guest Post: A Bit of Everything Risotto

  Today I have coerced another of my friends to guest post for me as I have been moving this week. I am looking forward to cooking up some more wonderful recipes from my new kitchen in the very near future (when the benches are not covered in boxes). Thanks to Sami for posting this recipe for me.

When I was living at home, the first dinner recipe Mum asked me to cook was Vegetable Risotto. I am not sure where the recipe came from and I think all it had in it was sweet potato and vegetable stock. It quickly became my staple contribution to family meals and that didn’t change when I got married. One thing did change though, I got a bit creative. You can take or leave most of the ingredients in this recipe and quantities are not that important; the more the better really.

You definitely go away full after this Risotto! 

A Bit of Everything Risotto

 Serves: 4-5

Time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients

* 1 cup baby spinach

* 250g button mushrooms, sliced

* Balsamic vinegar

* Mixed herbs

* Bacon, diced

* Chorizo (optional), sliced

* 1 large sweet potato, cubed (approx 2cm square)

* 1 brown onion, diced

* Vegetable oil

* 1 cup Arborio rice

* 1litre chicken stock (or vegetable)

* ½ cup parmesan, grated

* Extra parmesan and black pepper to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°

2. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and mixed herbs over mushrooms and baby spinach. Leave to rest.

3. Bake sweet potato for 20 minutes (or until cooked through). Turn halfway.

4. Cook bacon and chorizo. Set aside.

5. Cook mushrooms and baby spinach in their liquid. Set aside.

6. Cook onion in vegetable oil until brown.

7. Add Arborio rice and stir on medium until coated in oil.

8. Add chicken stock to rice, ¼ cup at a time. Wait until all liquid has been absorbed before adding more. (You may need more or less stock depending on what you’re cooking in, the temperature and brand of rice). Stir continuously. 

9. Once rice is cooked (make sure there are no crunchy bits inside) add mushrooms, spinach, bacon, chorizo and sweet potato, combine until warmed through.

10. Add ½ cup of parmesan, stir through. 

11. Serve with extra parmesan and pepper.

Freezes and reheats fabulously too! 

Sami is wife to a wonderful husband of 19 months as well as an oldest sister and daughter. She loves her kitten, cooking, knitting, Scottish Highland dancing and teaching. Sami recently launched her Teacher Blog; Teacher On Training Wheels and is excited to become a part of the blogging community.

Weekend Cookbook: Guest Post: Deconstructed Moroccan Chicken Pie with Sumac Yoghurt

Last Thursday night, my husband and I cooked up a recipe for Deconstructed Moroccan chicken pie with Sumac yoghurt. I jokingly put a photo up on facebook, because although it tasted fantastic it wasn't a beautiful dish. However, Lisa called my bluff and asked me to share the recipe on this blog. I was going to say no, but then I remembered that commandment in the bible "Thou shalt honour thy minister's wife's blog"

If you haven't cooked with Sumac before, it's a sour-tangy spice with a vibrant purple colour. I was introduced to it by a Saudi Arabian friend and workmate. She invited a bunch of workmates over to her place to eat a home-cooked banquet. After I gushed about the food she gifted me with a whole kilo of Sumac from her pantry! Obviously I'm still going through my kilo, so I am not sure how easy it is to find in supermarkets, but any oriental grocer or spice shop will carry it.

The original recipe makes this into a pie, but I decided to instead cook some pastry separately and serve it on the side. This way, the meal is ready earlier and I could control how much pastry I wanted to eat.

Deconstructed Moroccan chicken pie with Sumac yoghurt
(based on Moroccan chicken pie in Weightwatchers' Food you'll Love recipe book, available at supermarkets)

olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup dried apricots
400g can diced tomatoes
500g sweet potato, cubed
1 sheet puff pastry
1/2 cup low-fat natural/greek yoghurt
1 tsp sumac
fresh coriander

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Thaw sheet of puff pastry on the bench.

2. Heat oil in frying pan over high heat. Add chicken and cook in batches until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add a dash of oil and cook onion, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander and stir for 1 minute.

3. Add chicken back to the pan with apricots, tomatoes and sweet potato. Add just enough water to cover (about 200ml). Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until potato is tender. 

4.While the chicken is simmering, cut the puff pastry into approx 2cm x 10cm strips. Place the strips on a cookie tray lined with baking paper, and twist the strips once over to create a curve in the middle. sprinkle with a little sumac, and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and just starting to brown.

5. Sprinkle sumac over the yoghurt. Serve the 'pie' garnished with coriander leaves, with sumac yoghurt and pastry strips on the side.

This was a really tasty and easy pie, and we'll definitely be adding it to our high rotation list. You could also add a can of chickpeas, either to bulk out the meal or replace the chicken if you're vegetarian. If you have kids, it would be fun to use the strips to make their first initials.

Kath is a grew up in Hobart, Tasmania. She met a guy called Matt in high school, and married him in 2008. She loves live music, handmade crafts, and fresh coffee. She has an honours degree in medical research that doesn't get used much. Matt and Kath moved to Canberra in 2011 where she is slowly learning to follow the politics and the roundabouts 

What have you been cooking this week?

 Weekend Cookbook Guidelines:

1. Link up a recipe that you have posted (it doesn't have to be a new post).
2. Link up by clicking on the link below and pasting your post URL (not your blog's URL)
2. Follow Mummy Undeserved Blessings on facebook 
3. Check out the other links and leave a comment.
4.If you make other blogger's recipe take a photo and post it in their facebook page (or yours and tag them).