Thursday 1st April

How d'you like the mask?

Grandma Karen's present to the boys after their trip to WWE.

They just love it to bits and were only to happy to have their photo taken wearing it for Granny Jo!

So, Lucy keeps a magazine rack in her bathroom and I was browsing through 'Looking Light' November 2009 when I came across this recipe!

How to remember it. . .

Write it down on a piece of paper?

Could lose it.

Inspiration! Why not write it in the blog - it's safe and it's available for anyone else to try!!

Chicken and Butternut Tagine with Pistachio Coucous

(chicken can substituted with more butternut squash - or any other vegetable you like, I suppose)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups of chopped onions

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 ground cinnamon

1/4 ground ginger

2 cloves garlic

1lb chicken cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups of chicken stock

8 oz butternut squash

1/3 cup olives

8 pitted dried plums

fresh flat leaf parsley/ coriander

Heat oil, add onion and cook for 8 mins.

Stir in cumin and next seven ingredients - including chicken

Stir fry for 1 min

Add everything else and simmer for 10 mins

Garnish with leaves

Meanwhile add boiling stock to couscous leave for 5 minsStir in 1tsp grated lemon rind and 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios

I think it sounds nice so I'll try it when I get home.

Today was a good day. . .

the sun came out again - hurrah!

Braeden, Holly and I had a home day.

Lucy and Scott had a work day.

And Scott and Ian squeezed a golf outing into the afternoon.

After disappointing myself by 'thinking I would have a day off' when Lucy asked me if I wanted to go with her to walk Holly yesterday', today, I stepped up to the mark and walked for an hour.

I may just be getting to know the area a wee bit. . . I was only lost for about 80% of the time!! :)

Disaster struck this afternoon when Cade and Braeden were playing on the trampoline.

As Cade came down from a bounce, Braeden came up and CRASH. . . one sore jaw and one sore head.

Oh the pain and the tears!

A drink of fruit juice for the sugar and a rub on the back with consoling words seemed to do the trick at the time but later Cade gave us a scare when he happened to say, "You know mum, I can't see my hand when I put it out to the right hand side..."

Yikes!!

It was only a temporary blip, thank goodness, and he seems fine again.

Kids!

Don't they just age you something awful!