Autumn bakes

Some of the dainties made on these chillier days. 

Little kids attempted to make some chocolate rolls with pastries wrapped in. 

     Flaky warm croissants are a real delight for the morning. The recipe is simply easy.

Ingredients require are ready rolled puff pastry, chocolate chips , butter or egg .

Spread the rolled sheet once thawed . 

Roll out onto a floured board.

Cut into triangles/ squares. 

Add chocolate on top leaving some edges . 

Transfer to baking tray after egg wash .

Bake at gas mark 5 for 15 minutes.

Leave it to cool and drizzle some chocolate on top. Now yummy to eat at room temperature.

  

      

Then on the feast of St Therese of Jesus, made a caramel slice reminded of Carmelite nun. Caramel slice recipe is hands down one of all time favourite slice recipe. Once you start making, you will absolutely love making .

  Ingredients ; 1 cup plain flour, half cup brown sugar, 125gm melted butter, 1/3 rd golden syrup, 1 tin condensed milk, 400 mg milk chocolate.

Instructions

Combine sugar with melted butter and press into baking tin.

Bake it  in 180 deg for 15 minutes.

Melt butter and add n stir condensed milk with sugar syrup and bake it till thickened.

Once thickened pour on top of base and bake for another 20 minutes.

Get ready melted chocolate and spread on slice  and stick it to fridge to almost set. Cut into slice when it isn't fully set.

      There you go , some of the yummy treats for the colourful season. Relax and enjoy.

Nature detectives

Today was another brilliant day with some sunny spells. To explore autumn with its majestic beauty is very fascinating. Big children at college and home doing their works. Backpack with lens, binoculars, sketch pads, pencils ready to explore. .. These days we were looking at birds in gardens and birds in water.  It was a quiet day , lovely and warm , looked at various types of leaves. 

   Good time we spent close to mini peer , splashing water, made paper boats, watching swan at far with binoculars.  Different types of swans were identified- mute swan with big S shaped neck, whopper swan with long neck and the last one is Bewick swan with round head.

 All the birds hovering around..looked at why birds migrate at this time and some animals hibernate. 

  With so many Michaelmas daisies(aster flowers) bloomed around this season. Such a lovely gaze to watch these flowers reminder of St Michael feast just passed....in the autumn.

Our primary focus was to watch varieties of swan in the water park. Forgot to take feed fir the birds, so geo was bit cranky. But we managed it.

Our lapbook for the autumn season. Looked at squirrels , animals that hibernate and migrate, life cycle of pumpkin. Our corn is nearly ready in our back garden. It was so curious to know the hibernation of hedgehogs, tried to sketch it.

    Theresu's lapbook

  Geo's lapbook with hedgehog. 

 

Saints- October

Month of October also special days st home with the feast of our miracle child Theresu...You could see her lovely smile on her face saying St Therese. As St Therese reminded of like a little rose flower in a beautiful garden of God. 

Kids did some colouring sheets, word search. It was amazing that the science club they took part dealing with the dissection of rose. Pretty amazing.

  Sacrifice bead from long time back...the way saint practised doing good deeds by moving beads after every good deed.

Another feast on 3nd of October was Feadt of Guarfian Angel's.  They are our friends, to whom entrusted our soul too.

To the preteens, little bookmark with guardian angel prayer was decorated with glitters and stones. They all enjoyed after such a huge gap...songs, chat, faith and fun.

  Final craft ready to take home and pray everyday.

   

Angel of God my guardian dear...

Saints of the month- September

   1 . MICHAELMAS

On 29th of September was Michaelmas day. The feast of angels falls near equinox. Traditionally Michaelmas day was the time the new servants were hired or land were bought or sold, money was paid back to people who lent it. This is the another reason in England why schools and uni starts the new academic year.  Even the half term used to be called 'Michaelmas term' Lots of beautiful history associated with it. 

       Michaelmas, is the autumn festival that really awaken up our souls as weather gets colder and and light recedes. Time to strengthen our inner strength and inner reserves. Like we often look around lots and lots of squirrels around this season,  gathering and hiding acorns/nuts for their latter reserve.

  One of the happiest days in our home, as my eldest son is having the name of  patron saint . He was gifted with some money on his feast day.

       Like as we guess from name Michaelmas is all about St Michael. Michael as one of the four archangels , who bring good... Often portrayed as riding a white steer, carrying a heavenly sword and carrying scales, indicates the task of weighing our souls.

  From 2017, with purple daisies around the season

     Often the day to have a roast goose dinner which is the tradition. These  times around the woods and gardens with purple daisies. It is the time to make a tart and celebrate especially last day to collect blackberries and make tart/ jam. Unfortunately I didn't get chance to collect blackberries instead put homemade wine from our friend's garden 

   

The Mochaelmas Daisies , among dead weeds,

Bloom for St Michael's valourous deeds

And seems the last of flowers that stood,

Till the feast of St Somon and St Jude.

  Happy Feast Of Archangels

     

   2.  ST JEROME AND THE LION

Another beautiful person we met this week is St Jerome, who captivates us with his knowledge and courage.  He is often depicted in the picture writing bible sitting next is a lion. Amazing to read the saint who translated bible to Latin to make it accessible to others. The story of the wounded lion approaching him and helped to recover. The lion stood with him always making so fascinating to read the life inside a cave and loving God till end.

   Geo n Theresu drew th lion and painted . Though lion is scary and fierce, reading the story makes us feel the vulnerability of each and everyone before God including human beings and animals and trusting in his care and protection. 

     The final product of the creation. 

    Geos lion

   Theresu's sketch.

Autumn

So Autumn is here finally and time to embrace the season. Still warm enough to go brave outdoors too.Many feasts and celebration on it's way. Since season turn with so many myriad colours around, so wonderful to watch ..those many apples are down, leaves are fluttering down , time for a natter and have some warm drinks, cuppa , cake to warm up the chill autumn.

  We celebrated some other feasts and the birthdays ...

   Decorating the cake with our guests .

On the feast of St Padre Pio, children had some time to narrate the story of the great man....Italian man who had a strong love to God.. Pasta was the food for the day and kidos coloured some pages and wrote about him.

 

Our Lady of sorrows

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of sorrows, on 15th is the feast day. Children were given to taste little tangy lemon juice , explaining that tough we may taste sorrow( sourness) in our life, like Mary had been through, but followed by great joy- joy of salvation

   

     What we did was lit 7 candles and each of us said each sorrowful mystery with some prayer intentions . One of the major accomplishments was making a jelly in the form of heart .

Children did some drawing of seven sorrows indicating 7 swords to Immaculate heart. Some  games were done, along with that I created some table art.

Birthday event

It was my dream for a few years to help with an event. Invitation comes with surprises from the Lord. That is my experience always.  Though the days started pretty much busier with school, college and my clinical training.  I don't want to take up my dream. In the end, let it go happened. Helped Dilla with Joby's birthday gathering and hall decor. Thank God, it fell in place very beautifully and elegantly.

Some of the highlights of the day...

    

Collage of 50 is placed on top of the arch and the tinsel below. 

   Cheat sheet to write 50 things about Joby Dolla.