If Only I Could....

Last day of 2014.

Let's hope 2015 might be a bit kinder to me...

I went and saw my dream house,

It's for sale and empty

I could just move in tomorrow...

I need the money first to buy it!!

One pence, two pence......

Happy New Year!

The Crooked House

My hubby has been talking about The Crooked House for the past four years.

So today we went and visited it.

It's a public house, and we enjoyed a (soft) drink.

My kids did the marble trick.

Even went and saw my dream house (more tomorrow about that)

Floppy Sausage

Now to use up 4 rolls of sausage meat.

I added some special ingredients

After mixing everything together in a bowl.Time to add the floppy sausage mix to some rolled out puff pastry.

Put them in oven

Now to eat them

Chomp!

No More Soggy Bottoms!

Looking through the sales on the Internet

There were 3 items in the sale at Salisbury's.

Trouble is,Salisbury's don't do click and collect on sales items,

So I popped in to my local store.

 I had a upgrade....

Of oven gloves..

No more soggy bottoms either when I bake pies...

Got more than enough bags to pipe with now

Hook,Line & Flower!

While watching The Great British Bake Off,

My fingers were itching to do something.

So out came the crochet hook and wool.

Amazing what I can do!

Now it's attached to my coat!

The Bake Off

It's good old Boxing Day.

Finished off the turkey.

Now to start on the Xmas cake I have made.

So we have got cosy and ready to watch Great British Bake Off from the beginning!

Back to back episodes....

Later on I can give my hubby a good stuffing!

A Good Ride

Hey Hey Hey It's Christmas Day.

Had my Christmas ride to start the day off well.

Kids opened their presents.

Hubby opened his presents.

I opened mine.......

My favourite present.....summed me up....

Cheers Everyone!!

I was in the supermarket by 8am to stock up on my drink for Xmas.

It will be nice not to wake up with a bad headache and feeling crap!

Not having to worry about driving over the Christmas period

And not being done for drink driving.

I raise my glass to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

No Sore Head This Christmas!

I was wished a Happy Christmas by my boss of my third job.

It nice to feel appreciated.

I did tell my other co-workers I haven't had no alcohol for 12 months this Friday.

One said dryly,"You best see the Doctor about that!"

I smiled and carried on with my job.

Next minute I was given lovely present!

No sore head with these!

Action Tonight I Hope!

First day of my two week holiday.

Time to get some bargains!

We popped into our local Salvation Army Charity Shop.

Where people go mad for shoes and handbags.

I go mad for.....duvet covers!

Now let's hope the new duvet cover sees some ACTION tonight!

 

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

Today we had a new addition to our family...

Chocco the hamster is no where to be seen after a week

So we now accept he has gone to the big hamster wheel in the sky :(

Now for Poppit.

She was up for adoption as she is six months old and big.

Hubby cleaned cage, and she is now asleep for now!

Nice Price, Nice Item

I was not one of the people spending money I haven't got today!

I have a strict budget to stick to.

I came across something which didn't cost a lot,

Only £1!

I can use while writing my books

Tale Of Two Presents....

Last day of work for two weeks.

I got a present from the school for being a Dinner Lady.

Previous years I got a pair of socks, and a bath bomb.

This year I got a candle...

I got a present from a parent for being a Lollypop Lady.Nothing from the school, not even a Happy Christmas!:(

Playing With Lemons!

I had a day off from making children eat their dinner at a school today.

Time, I have bags of it to use as I so wish!!

Tided the house a bit,

I needed to do some thing else,

To do something with those lemons I bought last week...

Oh what to do???

Out came the book, flicked some pages...

Bingo....

Lemon and White Chocolate Muffins.....

For Me?That's So Nice :)

I went to collect my Lolly Pop Stick and noticed something for me.

It made me have a warm glow.

After facing death twice a day

It was nice to be appreciated.

First present as a  Lollypop Lady!

Missing...

Chocco the Hamster has been missing since Sunday.

Food has been left out.

I have been lying in bed trying to listen out for him.

The kids have been calling his name out at night.

Not seen or heard from him.

Time to rip the house apart later...

Reduced, Reduced,Reduced!

I popped into my local Tescos to get some female supplies.

I noticed the reduced stand was rather full.

So I stocked up soup and chopped tomatoes!

When it gets really cold, soup is the answer!

It's amazing what you can rustle up with a tin of chopped tomatoes at short notice!

Flowers? For Me????

The last day of the weekend..

What am I going to make or bake??

My hands wanted to do something.

So let's not disappoint them, shall we?

 I also made two Xmas cards as well.

My hubby even bought me some flowers (to help get me out of the black mood I was in yesterday & today)

Second batch of mince pies made.

Now to find the vase for the flowers!

Death By Chocolate!

Today I needed to do something without spending any money!

I looked through some magazines,

Checked to see if I had all the ingredients.

I even got 4 eggs from a visit to my dad.

Spiced Chocolate Bundt Cake

Date With The Rolling Pin Again!

Today is National Christmas Jumper Day

I wore mine!

 It was time to get out the rolling pin once more

To make the first batch of mince pies for Christmas.

I was supposed to make 12, and ended up with 16.

Soon as my kids saw them, 

It went down from 16 mince pies......

It's About The Log

Back in the kitchen this morning,

Kenny the Kenwood was more than grateful to come out to play

Made something to eat at Christmas.

Certainly wasn't going to buy one from the shops.

A bit of dusting with icing sugar

Drum roll please

My Yule Log

Away In A Manger

My friend comes out a couple times of a week to play.

He is more the merrier.

A shop owner has used my friend and others to creative a nativity scene.

Very good I thought.

Speaking of my friend, it's time for him to make appearance in my house not in a shop window!

Keeping My Hands Busy

I was in the frame of mind to make tonight's tea.

I had an hour and a half to get it done.

Lots of singing and dancing.

And got it all done.

The only thing to do tonight is to put the oven on!

Shepherd's Pie & Peach Crumble

Kissing Time

I had been searching for this picture for ages,

I finally found it in the loft when I was getting the Xmas decorations down.

It was took over 76 years ago.

It was of my dad's mum & dad.

It's nice to see people being romantic, 

even if my nan didn't want a kiss!

Snow Angel Time!

All the Christmas decorations are up now,

all the Christmas cards been done.

Now to get the Christmas cake decorated.

Having snow predicted gave me idea for the Christmas cake!

Santa doing a snow angel on the top of my cake

with two snowmen watching!

 

Time For A Good Scrape

It's getting colder by the minute..

Woke up this morning, and the Pink Princess needed a good scrape!

At least there was blue skies and the sun was shining

Got the snow plow on order, as it's forecasting snow tomorrow!

 

Gone Past Due Date Again!

I am waiting for a delivery of a new Tumble Drier.

Twice the delivery date has been moved.

So this morning I waited in making more Xmas cards

 Until I got the dreaded email and they have again pushed the delivery date back again by 3 weeks.

Now cancelled the order!

Will have to use my dad's tumble drier until January 2015....

 

Pat A Cake

I now have the time to make the Xmas Cake.

Kenny the Kenwood came out to help too.

Once it has cooled down, then to add the marzipan, and fondant icing...

Then to add some decoration to the top ;P

 Reminds me of an old English Rhyme...

 "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. 

Bake me a cake as fast as you can;

Pat it and shape it and mark it with "B",

And bake it in the oven for baby and me."

 

Screw Time!

Time to reach for the hammer, nails and a 

pink shoe lace.

My garden gate had come off it's hinges..

So out came the tool box.

Got rid of any tension I had my banging those screws hard with the hammer

Tension free, and using my time up constructionally

Let's see if it can survive the harsh winter ahead...

 

Where Have You Been?? :(

I have been missing someone so dearly.

Not just me, some children too.

He vanished over a week ago.

Then by magic he appeared...

He needed a good bath and wash.

Now he is drying off..

Welcome back George!

 My pink hippo from the TV series Rainbow!

Time For It To Come Out...

It's that time again.

1st December.

Time to dust off the cobwebs...

It keeps my head warm

Starts to get me into the Christmas mood.

Once the kids see it, they know it's not to far away

Drum roll...

Sticking,Licking & Stamping

Now to get the Christmas preparations back on track

Today I put my precious time into card making..

My dining room was covered everything to do with Christmas

That could be stuck on a card, with help from double sided tape!

With a break, I got seven cards done,

No rest for the wicked...

More card making tomorrow...

Come Dine With Me

Having survived the crowds in my local 99p store and Poundland

I popped into my local Library to read the free paper and grab a coffee

There was an advertisement to appear on "Come Dine With Me" in January 2015.

 I know I am a good cook, and whip up some great grub for four people...

But....

I don't want four people finding my locked box of sex toys, and asking for the key!

Black Friday

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.A , often to kick start Christmas shopping season.We are now following this in the United Kingdom.

I however have not got the money, time, or patience to participate in it.

It's like ants fighting over a leaf in some places...

I feel like a King Midas in reverse....

 

Time To Smile!

Whoo hoo it was a second attempt of having my photo taken this morning.

For the local newspaper to highlight the Stop campaign.

To get car drivers to stop when I walk in the road,

instead of driving around me or not stopping!

Put the pink lipstick on, and all ready.

Cancelled at the last minute.......

A third attempt will be made a later date.....

Keeping My Hands Busy!

After coming back from a cold morning trying to stop cars and buses,

I needed to use my hands in a more meaningful way.

Making some shortbread helped!

Then to make the butterscotch sauce....

Result!