A Frozen Themed Birthday Cake.

 

My youngest turned 6 last November. She's been a dinosaur obsessed tomboy since she was about 2, but in the last year her girly side has definitely come out! She loves nothing better than to put on her Elsa dress & sparkly shoes & dance around. She still loves her dinosaurs & wants to be a palaeontologist when she's older, but wants to wear pretty dresses while doing so!

 

As with a lot of other little girls, Miss L-R loves all things Frozen, so a Frozen themed cake was in order. The cake itself was a chocolate marble cake with chocolate fudge icing. The base layer of the cake was a layer of ice blue fondant, I'd like to say that the pleated sort of effect was on purpose, but I'm not too good with fondant. You cant tell from the photos but the cake was covered in edible glitter. The figures I bought from The Disney Store, I'd seen Frozen figures being sold for ridiculous amounts on various cake supplies sites, so these seemed the better choice, especially as this meant she could play with them afterwards.

 

The cake was a huge success with my little Princess!!

 

xxx

Sunday

 

Started with a little stitching. I'm taking part in The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery Story Time Sampler & I'm already behind! Ha ha!! Basically for those who don't know, every month the Pumpkins release a pattern over the space of a year, & at the end of the year, you've created a beautiful Kawaii style sampler. The first month was Alice in Wonderland themed, that I really need to finish, so I can start on this months theme of the Secret Garden.

 

As a family, we have decided that Sundays are now technology free days. Too much of our time is spent on iPhones, iPads, DS's, Kindles, etc, we need one day where the urge to do this is taken away. The girls weren't overly thrilled about this decision to begin with but by the end of the day, they actually agreed that this should be something we continue & they had fun without technology!

 

It was a freezing day, so we wrapped up warm & went for a short walk in a nearby woods.

The girls had lots of fun going exploring off whilst myself & Hubby stuck to the paths (I was so cold & my joints were really sore & wobbly, I really wanted to explore with them but I was sensible & took it easy!)

 

We then returned home for lunch & I felt so tired & sore that I went back to bed for a while, whilst Hubby taught Miss K to play Othello. I'm proud to say that after two games, she beat her Dad!!

I spent some time adding two more rows to my Cottage Ripple, I'm so in love with it, I cannot wait to finish it!

We cooked dinner together (which I forgot to take a photo off as I was too hungry!) & we tried The Pioneer Womans Crash Hot Potatoes which got a massive thumbs up from 4 out of 5 of us!! That's a success in my books!

 

We finished off our technology free day by spending some time together drawing. This was my effort, it didn't turn out exactly how I planned it, so I'm going to try it again.

 

So that was my Sunday, the nicest Sunday we've had for a while.

 

How was yours?

 

xxx

The end of summer.

 

My older girls went back to school today :-(

 

I really thought that I'd be looking forward to them going back, but I wasnt. We have had the lovliest summer. Dont get me wrong, there have been lots of whining & arguing. But the bad times were definitely outweighed by the good. We didnt complete all of our list (finances are not good right now), but we achieved quite a bit & spent lots of time doing nothing together. Its been really nice.

 

I still have my youngest at home as her school doesnt start for 2 weeks.

 

I am looking forward to getting back into a routine, actually starting a brand new routine which works better for us than last year! & getting the house under control (Im waging war on clutter!) Ive been busy reading organising blogs & pinning ideas. But then I find I have too many ideas & dont know which ones to use!!

 

Do you have any good tips? Or blogs that you read that you can suggest?

 

I am also looking forward to having some specific crafting time for myself. Im toying with the idea of making some bits to sell. Plus before we know it, it will be Christmas!!! I really dont want to be finishing making stuff on Christmas Eve, that was not fun last year lol!!

 

xxx

Our Summer Fun List

Last summer was filled with many, many days of "Mum, Im bored". It was not fun. There were quite a few ocassions of when we also couldnt think of anything to do, resulting in even more boredom.

This was not going to happen this year! So, on Friday evening, after school had finished for the Summer, we sat down as a family (that paints such a lovely picture doesnt it? In reality I bribed everyone to sit down with scones, cream & jam! This lasted for about 5 mins, before the Hubby kept trying to put the tv on & the kids kept trying to wander off.) & made a list of all the things we wanted to do this summer. That evening, once the kids were in bed, I sat down & made the list pretty as it was gonna be sitting on the fridge for the next few weeks!!!

So far we've ticked 3 things off the list!!

I've left space for more things to be added should we need to, but the list so far goes something like this:

• Picnics
• Go to the beach
• Family Olympic Competition (more on this coming soon!)
• Baking!!
• Whipsnade Zoo
• Go to Nanny's on the train
• Have a Tea Party
• Ride our bikes without stabilisers (This is the older girls challenge)
• Visit Stonehenge & Bath
• Visit Auntie Clair & the Cousins
• Read Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
• Decorate a cardboard house (will add the proper link to this later)
• Go to a Farm
• Nature Drawing
• Go to the Park
• Make collages
• Watch the sunset on Dunstable Downs
• Movie Nights
• Visit Gullivers Dino Park
• Go on a Scavenger Hunt
• Crafty Day with Auntie Cathy
• Go to the Roald Dahl Museum
• Explore Ashridge
• Go on a Nature Walk
• Visit the Horses
• Visit London Zoo
• Feed the Ducks
• Go to Stanwick Lakes
• Make a Volcano
• Visit Audley End
• Go on the Leighton Buzzard Railway
• Go out for Ice Cream
• Play Just Dance 3
• Visit Hampton Court Palace 

Phew, that should be enough shouldnt it?!

What have you got planned?

xxx

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta

Like most families, mealtimes can be a battle in our Home. My older girls are slightly fussy, but can eat for England! My youngest, Miss L-R, well fussy is probably not the right word. Stubborn, strong willed...these are more fitting. She's not a big eater, she'd quite happily graze all day long if I let her, esp if theres biscuits or chocolate involved. Yoghurts, toast & jam, strawberries, ham sandwiches, tomato soup, sausages, chicken & pasta are pretty much all she eats. I try really hard not to cook different meals for everyone, but sometimes I do give in just to make sure she has eaten. This recipe came about one evening when chaos was occuring, during the Witching Hour (why is the hours of 3:30-7pm so blooming hard!?!) everyone was hungry & whiny, & I didnt have a clue what to cook. Then it hit me, my older girls & myself are big fans of spaghetti carbonara, so why not try to recreate it? Although I had no clue how to make it & no time to research it, so it was a case of making it up as I went along. Normally this would be a recipe for disaster, but it was a complete success, with empty plates all around :-)  I cant think of a better name for it though?

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta

4 Chicken Breasts

1 Pack of Bacon

1 Pack of Mushrooms

1 Pack of Fresh Egg Spaghetti (You could use dry pasta instead, we use fresh eg pasta due to Miss K having an intolorence to dried )

50g Butter

50g Plain Flour

1 Pint of Milk

Large amount of grated Cheese

Garlic (Powder or Fresh)

Pepper

Oil

1) Chop the chicken, bacon & mushrooms. Heat some oil in a large saucepan, add the chicken & cook through. Then add the bacon & mushrooms, & a pinch of garlic powder (depending on how much garlic you like), continue to cook.

2) In a seperate pan, melt the butter, then add the flour to make a Roux (Oooh check me out, using fancy terms, lol!), keep stirring the mixture till its smooth. Then slowly add the milk, mixing frequently to get rid of lumps. It usually only takes about 3/4's of a pint of milk to make a decent amount of sauce. Once you have a nice consistency, add a handful of cheese, season well, & keep stirring for a few minutes. Then add the sauce to the pan with the chicken, bacon & mushrooms, stir well & simmer. (If the sauce starts to thicken too much & disapear, add more milk).

3) Whilst the chicken, bacon & mushroom goodness is simmering away, cook the pasta as directed. Once the pasta is cooked, drain then add to the sauce mixture & stir well.

4) Serve with a liberal sprinkling of grated cheese if desired. Garlic bread is also very yummy with this!

**Please note, I am not a professional chef (LOL!), nor a recipe writer. This may not be the healthiest of recipes, although Im sure it could be made into a healthier version. I am just a Mum, who had a small triumph over a fussy eater, & thought she would share this triumph! If I have missed something, or you do make this, please let me know!!**

Thanks for reading.

xxx

The past month in photos

Phew, the past month has been a crazy one! So much happening, school holidays, the Jubilee, a heat wave, followed by torrential downpours. Craziness. So here's the month in photos, enjoy (Please note, blogger has uploaded these in the completely wrong order, but I dont have the energy to rearrange it all!):

Our Jubilee trifle & the girls dressed up for their Jubilee party at school.

A treat for myself :-)

Some painting time.

Some stitching time.

Some Wii time, boogeying away ;-)

The birthday girl, this was in the middle of her party.

Sewing a little something

Making pretties for my home <3

More sewing :-)

An empty ironing basket, this is momentus!!!

A little bit of crochet

Enjoying the sunshine & some baking

Finding a new place to explore :-)

More crochet, these are all WIP's, that I'll do a better post on soon.

My little 'garden' got flooded :-( 

I know nothing about gardening but was proud of how well everything was coming along, until the rains came & the snails & slugs had a feast on everything.

This isnt my garden, this was at the garden centre. I can only wish to one day have flowers like this!!

I attempted polka dotted nails, as polka dots make everything better :-)

A treat in the sunshine

Some painting

Setting up for the Jubilee (pre rain & slugs)

K's Jubilee Crown

Finishing WIP's. This one was started over a year ago, & its finally finished. Very fitting for the current weather.

& thats it!!

**I've become slightly addicted to Instagram, my username is lisapinke, feel free to follow me & let me know your username so I can follow you back!!**

Ok, its now absolutely hammering it down with rain, & I have to go out soon, so Im off to do my little dance to the Sun Gods to make it stop please!!!!

Happy Friday.

xxx

The one where we celebrated a birthday!

This weekend saw my lovely Miss K celebrating her 8th birthday. It was a manic weekend! She had 2 friends come for tea after school on Friday, then a family party on Saturday (which, to be honest, was very overwhelming for her, even though it was all people she knew well. She spent most of it in my bedroom playing on her guitar. This autism thing is so hard to predict, some things she copes so well with, others not so much) then yesterday we went to the zoo, which was fun but blooming freezing! Such a busy weekend, it was definitely hard work getting myself & the girls out of bed this morning & off to school in time.

Miss K is currently loving Lala Loopsy dolls, so that was the theme of her cake. It was a 2 layer Marble cake, with pink frosting. The buttons & flowers were made from white fondant, & the finishing touch was a Lala Loopsy doll (with 2 little friends) sitting on top.

Apologies for the poor photo, I have to admit I had a 'mare with making this, & so this final cake was made on Sat morning & finished about 10 minutes before the guests arrived! I had to snap a quick Iphone photo whilst I had the chance!

The birthday girl loved the cake, which made the stress worthwhile! In fact it was in her words 'the best birthday ever!'

***

I ♡ Hearts!

In honour of it being Valentines, I thought I'd share some of my Hearts with you. I may be slightly obsessed with them, although after taking these photos, I realise I dont have as many as I thought!!

Above is my dresser, which has crocheted heart bunting, some fabric hearts (both made by me), some hama bead hearts made by my girls, & a small wicker heart I treated myself to ages ago.

Next is my heart wicker banner that I picked up in Hobbycraft.

A cushion I made

Heart bunting made for today (doilies from the £ shop, stapled together)

Heart teapot was an xmas pressie from the Hubby, the cups were an anniversary gift.

There are fabric hearts all over the house (made by me)

A wooden heart & heart button canvasses (made by me)

Wicker heart chalkboard.

Heart stone, found by one of my girls :-)

Cushion I made for the sofa. Not sure about it though?

My eldest daughter, Miss M, made me this card. She knows I love sausage dogs!

Didnt get a card etc from the Hubby as he announced a few days ago that he 'doesnt do Valentines anymore' :-(

Guess I'll buy my own flowers then!

Happy Valentines Day.

xxx

Last Weekend

The motto for the weekend.

A new project was prepared.

This pile of crumpled hankies turned into

A pile of fabric ready to be sewn together to become a quilt (I think?)

In the afternoon, the bad weather set in. We were forecast 5-10cms of snow. Now in some parts of the world, 5-10cms is nothing, but the UK doesnt cope well with snow for some reason. The afternoon became very dark & cold, therefore the fairy lights & candles were put into use to brighten the room for us :-)

The big box of Lego was pulled out.

All the 'kids' were engrossed.

Dinosaurs & treehouses were created.

The snow came. This photo was taken at about 10pm on Saturday.

We woke up to this on Sunday morning. We wrapped up & headed out to go sledging. It was absolutely freezing, so after a few hours, we retreated home for hot chocolate.

& I spent some time crocheting. This blanket has created some mixed feelings, I loved it to begin with, then after the first row was joined, I hated it. My joins were not as clean as in the tutorial. But I perservered. As I started joing the next row, I began to fall in love all over again.

That was last weekend.

xxx