Scrappy Kitchen

Sunday hike

2011-05-25T00:38:00.000+02:00

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A visit to the stables

2011-05-25T00:32:00.000+02:00

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Into Space!

2011-05-19T11:29:00.005+02:00

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This year's primary school concert was themed "Into Space" and the children spent a few weeks learning about space travel and astronomy.
Thomas's class learnt the order of the planets using a German mnemonic: Mein Vater erklärt mir jeden Sonntag unsere Nachthimmel.
(Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune)
(Where's Pluto? Pluto was downgraded from planet to dwarf planet status in 2006).

Thomas had to learn a speech about Alexej Leonov, the cosmonaut to do the first spacewalk, which after a few weeks of practising we all new off by heart.
This was Ben's first big school concert and he was a space rocket, but didn't seem very thrilled with being on stage. I think after all the rehearsals the shine had worn off and he just wanted it all to be over!

Click on to enlarge!

Then last Saturday we went to the special show for children the planetarium in Jo'burg and we all learnt quite a bit more...

We've been looking for constellations in the night sky with the help of a sky map we downloaded from the planetarium.
Sky maps are also available here. (Make sure you get the right one for your hemisphere.;))

On Tuesday evening just after 6:57pm we were very lucky to see the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour passing over us. Who would have guessed so much excitement could be caused by two brightly flickering "stars"? It's especially poignant as it's Endeavour's last flight.

Thomas has learnt to "Google" in the past few months and had fun looking up stuff about NASA.
NASA has an excellent website with live space feeds. http://www.nasa.gov/

Read more (click on below):
The launch and docking of Endeavour (fab summary with great pics)
The Twitter photo that launched a woman to instant fame (you must see this!)

And before it's too late don't forget to watch out for the gathering of planets at dawn! I've been treated to this on my early morning runs - really amazing if you get up early enough and have a clear view: See the tightest gathering of planets this century!

♥Love from "stars in my eyes" Sam

The Princess turns 2!

2011-05-11T12:49:00.001+02:00

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April - Easter!

2011-05-04T10:37:00.001+02:00

What's easter without hot cross buns?!
We made most of our own hot cross buns again this year. I try to avoid buying Woolworths buns - as delicious as they are they are not healthy with all the preservatives they contain.

(2 years ago we did an experiment and kept a Woolies hot cross bun in the cupboard for a year - it stayed soft, intact and apart from a few insect holes had not a trace of mould! Try it for yourself and see...)

Our hot cross buns and are really delicious, soft and fruity. Really easy to do - just put all the ingredients into the bread machine and put on dough function. Form dough into balls and leave to rise again (as usual we were a bit impatient with this part, hence the flattish buns), pipe over crosses (mix a few tablespoons of flour with water) and bake for 20- 25 minutes in a 180 degree C oven. Glaze when hot and serve while still warm, sliced open and spread with butter - yum!

Easter weekend was very wet and soggy! (And after a very wet Summer our garden has become rather jungley as you can see.)
It rained the whole night before Easter Sunday but stopped just in time for our Easter egg hunt. Ben was so excited, and could barely wait to get out the door to start searching!
The Easter Bunny did a very good job of hiding the eggs in the vegetable garden for a change this year, and led us on a merry trail around the house but we found all the eggs, and 2 big bunnies eventually...

♥ Sam

February...our month that was!

2011-03-08T13:11:00.001+02:00

What a busy month February was, and it flashed by....

After an extremely wet and rainy January, summer returned and most days were hot and sunny, with only the odd evening thunderstorm bringing a bit of rain to our very now scorched garden.

Here are a few highlights of the month:

Click to enlarge - see how woody the mantis's body looks!

Ben's sharp eyes spotted this creature one Sunday afternoon.

It's a praying mantis cunningly mimicking a stick (insect)!

It was very shy and moved quickly, so was difficult to photograph.

We have lots of the green type of praying mantis in our garden but this is the first time we have seen one like this.

See this incredible photo of a praying mantis catching a humming bird!

Click to enlarge

While the most of Gauteng was suffering from U2 fever and getting ready to trek to Soccer City for the big concert (see amazing photos here) we just relaxed at Struben Dam.

We often forget we have this little piece of paradise just up the road, a stone's throw away from Menlyn.

If you're lucky you can catch a fish, but the boys prefer hunting for crabs and exploring.

At the end of last year I was flabbergasted to hear that I was awarded the title of "Novice Female Runner of the Year".

Unfortunately crooks had broken into the club's storeroom and stolen most of the trophies, including the one I was supposed to get. The club had to have new ones made, and I eventually got handed my trophy on the 15th of February.

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I was supposed to have run the Pretoria Marathon again this year but due to a stress fracture unfortunately (or thankfully, as it's a really tough race!) could not.

So instead we all volunteered to help at the CSIR water point at at the top of Klapperkop.

Around 4000 runners took part in the half- and full marathon and we spent five hours pouring Coke and handing cups of Coke and sachets of water to thirsty runners almost continuously streaming by.

Thomas was a star and helped wherever he could...Ben on the other hand soon got a bit bored and wreaked havoc wherever he could! (Jumping on water sachets, throwing water sachets, squeezing water sachets.....you get the picture?)

At the end of a very hot and sticky morning I swore that running a marathon is infinitely easier than being a water point helper (especially in the company of Ben)!

♥ Sam

It's "back to school" time - yay!

2011-01-13T08:28:00.000+02:00

New school books and stuff for a new school year!
Thomas and Ben yesterday morning before leaving for school.

I covered books, and stuck on labels on hundreds of items in preparation for BACK TO SCHOOL yesterday! And boy, aren't we all very happy!? Yes!
This year's first day was very uncomplicated. Thomas started Grade 2, so there was no big fuss - he went straight to his new class and was glad to see all his friends again.
Ben is very very proud that he has moved out of the Kindergarten and to Grade R (Vorschule) in "big school". (His classroom is in the main school.)
And I'm really happy that I don't have to do the long walk between the Kindergarten and car park anymore, which was always a pain, especially in the afternoon heat with tired and whiney children.

Ben on being in "big school": You have to be really careful at school because the big children run right over you!
This morning (very excited!): Today we are doing Rechnen (Maths) and we will also be learning numbers.

♥ Sam

Thomas

2010-12-04T20:37:00.001+02:00

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Thank you to Desre for making one little boy very very happy!
(By the way he wore his school trousers, but I'm planning to buy those beige chinos at Woolies - I think they will look cuter.)

The lengths we go to to make our children happy:
One of the things that Thomas enjoys doing (now that he can read) is reading through the weekly advertorial brochures (the ones that come inserted in the local rag).
In a brochure for Game he found a digital watch advertised for R50, and has been saving up his pennies (quite literally) for the past month for it. Now as the "special" came and went over the past weeks he was very happy to see it re-appear this week and insisted that we go to Game this afternoon so that he could eventually buy it, having accrued the necessary funds. So off we all go to Game at Menlyn....
Now you should all know that going to Menlyn during the pre-holiday-dash-for-coast is pure hell as it's overcrowded and jostling with people doing their best to finish their Christmas shopping. So we battle our way through the hoards to Game's jewelery department, but sorry, that particular watch is sold out! Thomas' face drops. I ask a lady at customer services to please phone around to see if they could find a store carrying stock.
The lady phones, we wait. Centurion Game....sold out. We wait some more...Bloed Street Mall...have stock!
Ok, this was definitely not the way I envisioned spending a Saturday afternoon, but anyway we battle our way back out of Menlyn empty handed, back in the car and head west to the city, to Marabastad.
Marabastad on a Saturday afternoon is 100 times worse than Menlyn!!!
I never thought anything would be worse than Menlyn, but there is, trust me!
Envision Africa : it's sidewalk hawkers, taxis and people walking and driving EVERYWHERE. It's complete chaos, and after some stressful weaving through taxis and avoiding people on the road we are lucky to eventually find the mall, AND a parking spot directly outside it on the street. Thomas and Daddy leave Ben and I waiting (a bit nervously - I'll admit that's me) in the car and venture out to find the Game shop in the Bloed Street Mall.
About 20 minutes later they return... Thomas with a big grin, holding his new watch.
Thank goodness! Happiness is a happy child!
Menlyn to Marabastad and back in one hot and sweaty afternoon - all for a R50 watch.

♥ Sam

Menlyn and Bloed Street Mall - a world apart, but they do both have a Game!
For more info on Menlyn click here
For more info on Bloed Street Mall click here

Soccer star!

2010-11-24T10:06:00.000+02:00

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The Football World Cup made a big impact on Ben and he was (is still) adamant that when he is big he is going to play for Germany! He was just a bit worried about logistics though, and asked his Daddy if he would please take him to the airport so that he can fly to Germany when he is bigger!

Ben suddenly insisted he had to take part in the school matches even though the Kindergarten boys don't play in matches. So he attended 4 Eastern Schools League matches, and despite being only 4 at the time he enthusiastically played for the Under-7s, and sometimes the Under-8s when they were short on players.

Tom's stitches!

2010-11-15T18:18:00.000+02:00

Tom's teacher called me to say that he'd had an accident and that I'd better come and fetch him as she thought that he might need stitches. So off to the doctor we go, the doctor calmly stitched his knee up, and Thomas did not cry a single tear! (Thomas also didn't cry at school even though he said he had bled right down his leg.) Actually Thomas was very happy as he got the rest of the day off school, and Mommy ended up buying him a milkshake and calamari lunch at the Ocean Basket! Spoilt brat!
Now if all future medical emergencies are as drama-free as this one was then I'll be very happy!

PS. Ben, on the other hand, had his first stitches at the age of 18 months when he slipped and bit his tongue into shreds. He got home from the hospital (after being in surgery for almost an hour) and promptly pulled all the stitches out!

Aufwiedersehen!

2010-11-15T09:23:00.000+02:00

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Sadly Thomas' teacher is leaving at the end of the year. (In the junior school the teachers stay with a class for 2 consecutive years).
From 2011 she'll be working for the opposition in Johannesburg :) (which is our huge loss, and their huge gain).
So our class is busy making a photobook as a memento for her which we'll be presenting her at her farewell party. This is Thomas' contribution.

A few happy memories of his first year at school.... which has just flown by!

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

2010-11-08T11:52:00.002+02:00

Click on to enlarge.
With love from Aunty Sam ♥

Ben's Bee Cupcakes

2010-11-05T11:28:00.000+02:00

(I'm eventually getting around to processing the boy's birthday photos. Better late than never...)

Ben is in the Bee group at the DSP Kindergarten, and so I thought it would be cute to make bee cupcakes for him to take to school for his birthday. He absolutely loved them!
All his class mates especially wore their bright orange bee T-shirts, and I managed to take the cutest photos of him "bee-ing" with his friends on his special day.

How to make Bee Cupcakes (just in case you feel like whipping up a batch ;) ):
Bake cupcakes (I used Ina Paarman's cake mix, which is our favourite, and is quick and easy) and leave to cool. Smear on yellow coloured butter cream icing, and pipe over black coloured icing stripes. Stick on white mini marshmallows for eyes, and then use an earbud dipped into black food colouring to dot on the irises. Stick in licorice strips for antennae and sting, and lastly push the wings (which are cut out of edible rice paper) into the cupcake liner. Enjoy!

What we saw in the sky on Monday...!

2010-11-03T10:38:00.005+02:00

Click on collage to enlarge. Photos from the internet.

A halo around the sun, caused by ice crystals in earth's atmosphere, put in a colourful cameo appearance on Monday.
“The rainbow ring around our sun is called a sun halo...just like a rainbow it doesn't last long and will probably be gone within the next hour,” Johannesburg planetarium astronomer Claire Flanagan told Sapa mid morning.
She advised people not to look directly at the sun as it could cause eye-damage.
According to Wikipedia, sun halos are the result of ice crystals trapped in cirrus clouds, in the lowest layer of earth's atmosphere.
The crystals act as prisms, reflecting light that mimics bands of colour found in a rainbow. - Sapa

http://www.iol.co.za/news/science/rare-sun-halo-appears-1.690877

Summer = creepy crawly time!

2010-11-03T07:54:00.009+02:00

Click on image to enlarge (if you're brave enough!)

The last week has been quite eventful as we have had a few creatures "visiting" us from the garden!
Last Friday we had the rain spider popping in to say "Hi!", on Sunday night we had another brown house snake (this has been the third in a year) exploring our dining room, and last night I found this even scarier creature - a big centipede - casually ambling along our passage!

Wickipedia on centipedes: Some species of centipede can be hazardous to humans because of their bite. Although a bite to an adult human is usually very painful and may cause severe swelling, chills, fever, and weakness, it is unlikely to be fatal. Bites can be dangerous to small children and those with allergies to bee stings. The bite of larger centipedes can induce anaphylactic shock in such people. Smaller centipedes usually do not puncture human skin.

Lovely to know!

So when next you happen to visit here, please LOOK before you step or sit, otherwise you might have a close encounter with one of our other "visitors"! You have been warned!

By the way, below is one of the boys' favourite videos. Look if you dare and try not to fall off your chair! Hee hee!!!

The big sandbox by the sea!

2010-10-20T10:20:00.002+02:00

Our Sunday adventure - a ride on the Gautrain

2010-08-01T07:42:00.007+02:00

Click on images to enlarge.
For more information on the Gautrain click here: Gautrain

Just another visit to the zoo....

2010-07-30T08:32:00.000+02:00

Strawberry Season!

2010-07-29T11:52:00.005+02:00

Decorating Lebkuchen

2010-07-28T17:25:00.003+02:00

Happy Birthday Luca!

2009-02-18T20:23:00.002+02:00

Yummy Dung Beetle Balls!

2009-02-17T11:31:00.010+02:00

I was looking for a lunch box filler this morning, so quickly made these.
The boys were impressed!

Take a 250g block of dried stoned dates (or alternatively use fresh or dry loose dates)
and mix in a blender with a little bit of boiled, slightly cooled water (go easy on the water - rather add too little than too much). Add about half a cup of dessicated coconut and blend again until a workable mass is formed.
Take about 2 heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into a ball on a board covered with more coconut. Repeat...
Place your Dung Beetle Balls in the fridge or freezer for a while to firm up slightly and there you go....

This recipe makes about 10 balls.
A serving is about 1 or 2 balls. Store left-over balls in a sealed container in the fridge out of reach of little beetles!

Hello....we are back!

2009-02-10T13:40:00.003+02:00

It's been a quite a while but I will hopefully be posting on a more regular basis, or at least once a week. In the meantime we have all been busy and my boys have been busiest of all....GROWING!

I can't believe that they are getting so big. Tom has started Preschool (Grade 0) in January this year which has been a big change for all of us. He has settled in and is enjoying it, and comes home everyday with stories about everything he has learnt. He has a brain like a sponge and loves soaking up new information, especially when it has to do with his favourite topics - science or nature.

Today it was his first official (compulsory)sports day. We were a bit apprehensive as his swimming is not the greatest but he did very well and swam 2 lengths of the small pool in doggy paddle! Slowly we are getting there!

Ben's birthday -1 August!

2008-08-07T15:11:00.005+02:00

We celebrated Ben's third birthday last Friday! I can't believe my little baby boy is getting so big, sob sob! (I think birthdays are always bittersweet occasions for mommies.)

He had a fabulous day - almost non-stop party - from the time he woke up 'til he eventually collapsed late in the night! More party pages coming soon, and this bright and funky birthday kit will be posted soon too.

Work on Scrappykitchen.com is slow and tedious...but is getting there! Yay!
Cheers for now,
The exhausted, but healthy-again mommy

Ben

2008-07-16T10:37:00.002+02:00

Took such cute photos of Ben this weekend, I just had to use them for a page!
Ben insists on drinking out of a glass when we are out - nervewracking...