To A Sweet Little Lady ~ On Her Birthday

Today a very special little lady in our family celebrates her ninth birthday...

Miss Gabrielle is now a precious nine year old who can bring sunshine to so many through her beautiful, captivating smile!

Her heart is small and true, and she has a precious, sincere faith in the Lord.  

It was Gabrielle who particularly shed many tears each time another baby was miscarried, and it was she who faithfully prayed for the baby brother we are about to meet...  God answered the earnest prayer of this little girl, and her trust in Him has deepened...

Ever since Gabrielle began reading a few years ago, her free time has been spent with her nose buried in a book.  Books are wonderful friends to her, and she takes great pleasure in adding useful facts to her store knowledge...

Apart from her love of learning and literature, she has an incredible aptitude with babies and small children.  Her sole delight is in entertaining little children and making them smile - isn't this glorious in such a wee girl?

She is ''mommy'' to her dolls and takes particular care of their every need or want...her dolls are her children!

Although her interests may change as she grows up, she has expressed a desire to study midwifery when she is a bit older, and loves asking questions to do with babies...  Pregnancy and the gift of life fascinates her.  I believe this is a God-given gift, and if this is indeed her calling, the Lord will keep her inspired and motivated as she matures...

I could write much more about my Gabrielle...I say ''mine'' as she was the baby that at the tender age of ten, I carried around in a sling whenever I could, and devoted hours to.  She was my real love doll - a cheerful baby with gorgeous golden curly hair and big blue eyes and dimples that were too adorable for words...

I can still picture the day I met this little sister for the first time, and how much I enjoyed being able to cradle her in my arms after watching her grow within my mother's womb for nine months - something that seemed like an eternity to me.

Gabrielle and I have always been close, although over the last two years or so, we have drifted somewhat as I have become so busy with my little business and other interests.  

Little girls become little ladies in such a short space of time, and Gabrielle has grown up in the blink of an eye!

My desire is to draw nearer to this sweet little lady and discover her beautiful heart.  Oh, I love this sister of mine!  The girly girl...the ballerina...the blue-eyed princess...the entertainer of the family...the giggling little miss who will often drive me to my wits end...  But she is a treasure, and today is her birthday...her ninth birthday...

Please would you join me in wishing this sweet nine year old a wonderful birthday?

...And now for some pictures of Gabrielle through the years that I have shared on my blog, in no particular order...

 ^ April, 2016 ~ Gabrielle and Rebekah

 ^ Christmas, 2013

^ October, 2015

 ^ November, 2015 ~ Gabrielle and I dressed up for tea...

 ^ February 2016, Gabrielle and Rebekah

^ April, 2014

^ 2014

^ 2014

^ 2014

^ 2014, Gabrielle and Beth

^ 2009, Gabrielle and Beth

^ 2009, Gabrielle and Beth

^ May, 2008 ~ Beth, Mom and Gabrielle

^  April, 2007 ~ Two year old Beth holding baby Gabrielle

^ January, 2015

^ January, 2015

^ June, 2015

^ November, 2015 ~ Gabrielle and Beth

^ June, 2015 ~ Gabrielle and I

^ February, 2016

^ February, 2016

Oh So Delicious Chocochino Puddings

I do not have a very sweet tooth and try to avoid sugary treats where possible...but...every now and then I see no harm in enjoying a delicious something or other that is just a little bit unhealthy and indulgent!

These sweet little chocochino puddings were on the menu for our special Valentine's meal and oh!  Were they ever so good...{{Smiles}}

Although our original idea was to have a delightful picnic birthday/Valentine's celebration, our plans had to be altered somewhat due to unforseen problems with our cars...  But...we still had a wonderful day, and made some sweet memories!

Now...for an incredibly simple recipe...I know you will enjoy indulging in these delicious chocolate puddings...perhaps you have a special occasion coming up and would like to try something new and scrumptious...

Chocochino Puddings...
 {Recipe Courtesy...Ideas Magazine, September 2014...slightly altered} 

15ml freshly brewed strong coffee, cooled
 85g (90ml) soft butter
85g (95ml) castor sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
85g (155ml) self-raising flour, sifted
50g dark chocolate, chopped
30ml cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Beat the butter and sugar together until light.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the coffee and beat well.  Fold in the sifted flour and the chocolate.  Divide mixture equally between 6 greased ramekins.  
Bake for about 15 minutes until just done...you don't want to dry the puddings out.
Just before serving, top with a dollop of whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.
Serve and and...enjoy!

With love and blessings...

  ~

  This post may be shared with...

~ Five Star Frou Frou, The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up, Cooking and Crafting with J and J and Modest Monday

Wishing...

Picture taken on our little road trip, October 2015, when Mom had just found out she was expecting another precious little one...exciting times lie ahead with our baby brother due in April this year...

...My dearest mother a wonderfully happy and blessed birthday!  

~

Dear Mom...oh, how I love and admire you!  I am so grateful for your beautiful example of Godly womanhood, motherhood, and for your constant guidance, love and support in my life...

Thank you for inspiring me to use my God~given gifts to glorify Him, and for encouraging me to walk the path the Lord has seen fit to give me...

May the Lord bless you abundantly in this next year of your life and may you continue to grow you in grace and wisdom...you are special to many, including me, and I do pray this day - your birthday - will be rich in in joy and love!

~ Your loving daughter...Kelly-Anne

...Her children arise up, and call her blessed..."

~ Proverbs 31:28

Celebrating Love GIVEAWAY!!

Whilst I am still on a blogging break, I thought I would take a moment to share some happiness with you!

~

I have a special giveaway planned for you today, my dearest friends!

I love showing you all how much you mean to me and I greatly appreciate your rich fellowship and sweet encouragement, so I am offering a lovely little something for your homes…

As this month is February…the month of love, I have asked my dear, creative sister to make something very fitting and truly ‘’love-ly” as a gift for one sweet reader!

 Nancy creates beautiful pictures with fabrics and her sewing machine, and she is working on a range of lovely cushions and wall hangings which she is hoping to market at our stall each Saturday…I absolutely adore her work (and not simply because she is my sister...), and she is making me one or two sweet wall hangings for my sewing room which is in progress at the moment in my mind…{{smiles}}

She very kindly agreed to make a pretty wall hanging for one lovely reader…  It says, “Love’’, which I thought was very appropriate for February (and all year round!) when our focus should be on loving one another as Christ first loved us…don’t you think having this pretty wall hanging in your home would be a wonderful reminder to love others…?

Now, to stand a chance to win this picture, simply do the following…

Leave a comment telling me how you enjoy showing those your care about how much you love them…

If you would like to gain extra entries…

Tell someone else about this giveaway in any form you choose.  But please be sure to leave another comment telling me that you did so…

There is also an extra entry for followers, so please include your following name in your comment.

Favourite heartmade shoppe on Etsy {here} or follow heartmade’s blog {here}…again, please let me know that you did so in order that I may give you more entries!

~

As usual, this giveaway is open to all countries, and will close in ten days’ time which will take us to Wednesday the 10th.  I will announce the sweet winner on the 11th…

Oh, and if you are a first time visitor, you are more than welcome to enter…the more the merrier!   

It always makes my day to ‘’meet’’ a sweet new friend, so let the commenting delights begin!

~ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  John 13:34 ~

Christmas Celebrations…

And so another delightful Christmas has passed, and I am truly happy to say that it was a special day…relaxed and simple which is just what we like!  {{smiles}}

Our Christmas dinner consisted of lovely salads and a few cuts of cold meat…

My sisters were a wonderful help to me, and we had such a special time of fellowship as we prepared our meal…I am cherishing these precious moments, as I know how quickly seasons change…

 

Beth and I baked adorable little loaves of white bread, dusted with flour…Beth and Mom then wrapped each baby loaf with lace and hessian twine for added charm…  They placed a loaf at each person’s place setting.

  New baby potatoes harvested from the garden…with parsley, garlic and butter…

 Herby marinated vegetables with roast beef and Basil…

A simple green salad…

Courgette and carrot salad with homegrown piquante peppers and rolled leg of lamb…

We also made our traditional Christmas crackers…this was our fourth year making them now.

Each person got chocolate balls in theirs, along with a little gift – Nancy and I got some pretty ribbons and the little girls got magnetic bookmarks or stickers…

Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake which Nancy and I decorated to match our tablecloth of gold stars…

Christmas Eve we enjoyed our traditional homemade pizzas, whilst watching the new Celtic Women DVD…  This is probably our favourite Christmas tradition, and there is always such a festive atmosphere in our home on Christmas Eve!

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I do hope your Christmas was just as lovely as ours, dear friends… 

How special to celebrate the birth and coming of our Lord and King who would eventually die in order to atone for our sins…what a Saviour!

~

Blessings to you, and I pray you have a wonderful, blessed New Year!