Christmas Tree Shaped Gourmet Pizzas!

On Thursday night (Christmas Eve), we made Christmas tree shaped gourmet pizzas. We have started a new tradition this year: We are always going to make Christmas tree shaped pizzas and watch a Christmas movie. This year we watched 'Santa Buddies' (a very cute movie about Golden Retriever puppies. There are a few other 'Buddy' movies available.

We all enjoyed making our own pizzas, daddy and mommy too!

We made some pizza dough in the bread maker machine, as making it by hand and kneading it takes ages, especially since we need two batches to feed our family adequately!

My mom then cut out a Christmas tree template while the dough was rising. Then she rolled out the dough and cut out the trees.

















Then my mom put the trees in pans, plates......and whatever else that was oven-proof!

Then came the tomato paste.














Then I helped chop, slice and dice the pizza toppings and put them in bowls on the table.














Then came the best part - well, one of the best parts, other than eating them! Decorating them!
















Why wait till they are cooked? Gabrielle, eating the cheese!














Beth, enjoying putting meat onto her pizza!

Pizzas ready to go into the oven:

















Gabrielle's















Beth's

















Nancy's

















Mine

And the finished pizzas!

















Gabrielle's

















Beth's














Nancy's

















Mine

















Gabrielle enjoying her pizza!

















Beth too!

We LOVED our pizzas! Our movie too! We are all very happy with this new tradition!

It was lovely to be together, laugh and have fun! I feel sorry for families who don't want to be together, who rather delight in friends and parties.

Being together as a family is sometimes chaotic, but the joy of sitting together, snuggled up on the couch watching a movie is great, it is special. We must value each moment spent together.

What Christmas Eve traditions do you have? What do you do? Why not tell me about yours?

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

Wordless Wednesday

Showtime

On Saturday the 19th, I took part in my third showjumping event. I rode Flashy Lady again, a cute little pony who is an amazing jumper!

I competed in the 50cm competition, 60cm accumulator class and the 70cm competition. The jumps were raised in the competition's jump-offs!






























It was a difficult show for me. I was so excited that it tired me out. I was so unaware of everything that I didn't even hear the announcer calling me into the ring!

In my first class I didn't get placed at all. I did fine in the first round of the 50cm, but, in the 60cm jump-off, I forgot to do up my riding helmet. That caused me to lose concentration and I jumped the wrong jump and got eliminated!
I also didn't get placed in the 60cm accumulator class.

In the 70cm competition I got second place! I was a tiny bit nervous, but it soon evaporated when Flash and I were flying around the course!








































































The 80cm jump-off was exciting! I was holding the lead but then someone achieved a faster time than me! I got second place which was pretty good for a pony pair, at least I think so!

















Next time I hope to do better, but for now I must be happy with peformance, even if it wasn't the greatest! I cannot be frustrated, I have to be happy that I got to at least compete!

Wordless Wednesday

Chicken Stir-Fry

This dish is probably my favourite meal! Pizza, pasta...forget those meals! Here is a great meal that is really quite healthy! It is filling, it is fun to make, fun to eat and eating it with chopsticks is the best part! Add a few tiny pieces of chilli and garlic and you've got a meal made! Here is the recipe, so don't waste any time! I can make this meal quite easily as it is so straight-forward! The chopping takes a while but otherwise it is fairly easy! How about making your family a great meal sometime during these christmas holidays?

Ingredients:

100g pasta spaghetti
45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
30ml (2 tbsp) butter
1 medium onion, chopped (you could also use 1 leek, chopped)
10ml (2 tsp) chopped root ginger
3 carrots, peeled and cut into julienne strips
100g broccoli or cauliflower florets (broccoli is my favourite in a stir-fry)
1 medium red pepper, cut into julienne strips
2 sticks celery, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the sauce:

45ml ( 3tbsp) sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) soya sauce
30ml (2 tbsp) worcestershire sauce
60ml lemon juice

Method:














1. Bring water to the boil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add salt to taste. Add pasta gradually and cook until soft, but still firm. Drain and set aside.














2. Heat oil in an electric saucepan and fry chicken strips until starting to brown. Add butter and saute onion and ginger until soft.














Add carrots, broccoli, pepper and celery and fry a few minutes. Add more oil if required. Add spaghetti and seasoning.














3. For sauce: Mix all ingredients together and add to stir-fry. Stir-fry for a few minutes and serve immediately.















Serves 4-6 people.

You can use beef as a variation

Enjoy!

Our Own Advent Calendar

Christmas is on its way! Wow! Already? Has a whole year gone by already? We are now busy counting down the days in a very special way. We are making an advent banner. We have made all sorts of advent calenders over the years including puzzles: putting a piece of the nativity puzzle in place each day.

My mom found this advent calendar on Activity Village. Then, each day you click on a number, for instance day three and then it will give you a whole list of all the things you can make and do. There is also a song and a craft. Sometimes there is also a computer game you can play. I loooove the 'Rain Deer Orchestra'. Have a go.

It took a while to make this calendar, but it was so much fun! I think it was one of the first big crafts that we finished in just one day!

Here is what we did:














What we used: ribbon, glue, sweeties, scissors and the numbers that you can print out here.

















Cutting out the numbers.














My mom cut a A4 piece of cardboard in half to stick the numbers onto.

















Beth and Gabrielle played video store while we did all the 'dirty work'.









We mixed and matched the numbers to the different coloured pieces of cardboard.

















Sticking the numbers on the cardboard.














Punching a hole in the top.

















Now Gabrielle comes to help. We sticky taped the sweets onto the back of each number card, but found the banner was too heavy and the sweeties kept falling off....not a good idea with drooling Little Ones around!

















Cutting ribbon to attach the number card to the banner ribbon.













Tying the numbers to the banner.

















Hanging the banner from one curtain rail to the other.














Hey, there is me!



























You can see some of our other artwork in this picture, like the suns we made.














Each day my mom prints out a new Christmas colouring picture to place over that day's number, then we each choose a small sweetie......a huge treat in our house as we usually keep sweets to a minimum! By Christmas day we will have a colourful, cheerful Christmas banner decorating the room.
We had so much fun doing this craft, so why don't you do it too?

Wordless Wednesday

Operation Christmas Box

There are so many children out there with nothing - hoping that someone would show them a little love this Christmas by giving them a shoebox filled with goodies....

We have been making christmas boxes for the under-priviledged children of Cape Town. We have had great fun buying goodies. The Bible is so true when it says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We have all been blessed out of this project......to think that on Christmas morning, some little girl will open her box with delight and surprise!

My mom found out about this project from one of her favourite homechooling blogs, Se7en.

We have been busy filling the boxes for about a month, but you could collect through the whole year, so you don't get yourself busy and frustrated that you cannot find anything!

Okay, so what did we put in the boxes? Finding toys and things for a little box was fun! Nancy and I did our own boxes, while my mom, Beth and Gabrielle did one together.

I bought three playdoh tubs and my mom, Nancy, Beth and Gabrielle made playhdoh to put in the tubs!










































Aaaaarghh!

Then my mom gave me a set of three Bible stories as I wasn't able to find any at our shops.

I also had a tennis ball, bubbles, lotion, packet of sweeties, a box juice and a teddy bear.

I bought a pretty pink t-shirt too. I also had sidewalk chalk and playdoh toys in my box.

Wrapping the box and it's lid was another story! Mine was the first box we had to wrap, but it took my mom a while to figure out how to do it! It was fun sticking all the Christmas wrapping paper on the box!

Once we had wrapped all the boxes, we put the toys in! Once that was done, we put an elastic band around the box, just in case the lid came off at some point.


























Earlier today we delivered the boxes to the church running the project, so that they can distribute them on Christmas morning.

Next year we are going to fill Christmas boxes again. I encourage you to find a similar project in your area. It is wonderful for small children to help buy gifts for other small children. You would have thought the Little Ones were receiving the gifts!

Having So Much Fun!

We have been having so much fun here at home and we have been very busy with markets.

I am sorry I don't blog as much as I did in Winter, but now the sun shines and we go to the beach very often! I love boogie boarding and swimming in the beautiful ocean, and we are very blessed, as Fish Hoek beach is a very child-friendly beach! Even 5-year-old Beth boogie boards!

We have started a new market at Longbeach Mall on a Friday. It is a very good market, and although it is tiring, it is worth it!

We have also been busy with christmas boxes for the under-priviledged children. It has been great fun to go and buy goodies to put in a shoe box, and I will do a post on them maybe later or tomorrow.

I have been in the garden a lot lately too. I love weeding and checking on 'my vegetables'! We are growing sweet peppers, potatoes (by accident), strawberries and lettuce. We are also waiting for our cherry tomatoes to come up! We still plant in tyres and it is working out well!















The Little Ones' carrot seeds have been growing nicely!
















We are busy experimenting with potatoes.















My mom ate that strawberry in the middle. She chopped it into her homemade muesli and said it was so sweet! The next biggest I'M having (when it is ripe)!

We have had such beautiful days here, and we have had breakfast, lunch and supper outside almost everyday! We were given a lovely table and bench set from the man who owns the markets. it is so nice to sit outside in the early morning and breath in the fresh air!

Horse riding is going well and I have another show on December 19th. So stay posted for pictures of the event! I fell off last week, but I didn't get hurt (thankfully)!

The days and weeks seem to be flying past! Before you know it, Christmas will be here! So now you know what is keeping me busy! But I will try and post as often as I can!