Teacher's Pet

 

When I was at school(back in the day's of the Ox Wagons....) We never knew when our teachers birthdays were, let alone had parties for them and gave them presents......  Teachers were, well stuffy,old and  not very nurturing and never ever did I  vaguely think they were attractive!  So fast forward Many- MaNy- MANY  years, and my how things  have changed.... these are the words that spring to mind about Little Madame's two teachers..... Funky, Young, PRETTY and so Loving, so much so that  I want to go back to school - In fact, I want to be the Teachers Pet! 

 

When I was told by a very excited Little Madame that it was Mrs Blackman's birthdays and that she needed to get a present! make a card! make a cake! buy balloons!(we have a balloon thing that we do here at home for birthdays) I had to calm her down! We had to decide exactly what we could get/give said teacher, the gift idea's from Little Madame ran from giving her a used Barbie and some Barbie clothes to giving her a bowl of Little Madame's favourite food of the moment - Cauliflower(Yes, that's no typo.... she loves Cauliflower) I finally convinced her that a big jar of home made cookies would do! And told her to make a card while I baked..... But what to bake- then I remembered these very decadent and delicious cookies I  made last Christmas! White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies! They went down a treat and I made countless batches, because they seemed to jump out of the cookie jar and force their way  into your mouth at the kitchen door - cheeky little things(my hands had nothing to do with it, I swear!)

 

Now you all know me... any excuse to bake- Into the pantry cupboard, out with the recipe book, ready, set ......... gooooooo!!! 

 

 

150g Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

75g oats

125g Soft Butter

75g Brown Sugar

100g Caster Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

100g Cranberries

50g Pecan/Walnuts(have made then without nuts)

200g White Chocolate

 

Put the first 4 ingredients in to a bowl

Cream the butter and sugars - add the egg and vanilla essence

Beat in the flour mix

Add the Cranberries,Nuts and Chocolate

 

Roll into balls and and place on a baking tray squish down with a fork(not a big Squish)

 

Bake for 15 min at 180 Degrees

 

Let them cool(If you can - Letting cookie's cool has never been my strong point)

 

EAT!

 

 

Busy With A Birthday Card

 

Ready, Set, Go!

Golden Eggs And Vanilla

Ruby Red Cranberries

Rolled Balls Ready For The Oven!

Present Ready

A Few Added Extras

All Wrapped Up

There was an air of excitement when I dropped Little Madame off the next day! The class room had been decorated and looked very festive - The Birthday Teacher, Mrs Blackman, had a huge smile on her face! Our present was added to the ever growing pile of presents on the teachers desk! Alas, mom's  were not invited to the party, but it was apparently a very good party, except,  as I was later told - "there was NO cake Mama - Only Ice Cream..." Oh Horror!! Well  in our day....our teacher's were lucky if they got an Apple! Cheeky Little Mare!! xxx

PS :: HaPpY BiRtHdAy Mrs Blackman, Hope you had a WONDERFUL day!!!




A Few Sneaky Biscuits for Mom!

PSS:: Try different variations of them - I have tried Dark chocolate and Raisins - yummy!!

Spicy Peaches

 

I think I am in BIG TROUBLE!! As a matter of a fact Trouble with a capital T. Why you all ask?..... I cannot stop preserving things! My pantry runneth over so to speak and we are not eating things quickly enough. I though I would go and count exactly what was in there, but got too scared when I opened the pantry door!

 

BUT

 

Still I carry on preserving.... my latest yummy thing - Spicy Peaches and are they good...... Full of Ginger, Cinnamon and Cloves! Let me explain to you before I go any further..... I sort of read recipe books like you would read 50 Shades of Grey(will leave that for another post - well actually, don't think I will blog about that book!!)  I get bored, wonder through to the kitchen and haul out a cook book and then I go into a food trance and I MUST PRESERVE!! (My voluptuous rear end is never gonna be any thing but voluptuous!) And Nigella just does it for me!( Her rear end is pretty voluptuous too  Quick and Easy  ....... of course!

  

This Recipe is in the Nigella Express book.  I got so excited about these peaches that I took very few pictures- SoRrY!

 

 

Ginger

 

Ready for The Stove

 

So this is the gorgeous recipe:

2 x 400g Cans of Peaches(in Syrup)
15ml White Wine Vinegar
2 sticks of Cinnamon
4cm Piece of Ginger (finely sliced)
1/4 tsp Peppercorns
1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
4 Whole Cloves

Wait for it...... Toss everything into a pot and bring to the boil, let it simmer for a few minutes and put the stove off. Pour into sterile bottles and seal! DONE.... Seriously what could be more simple!

Bottled

The smell of these Gorgeous Golden Peaches wafted out my kitchen window, over the garden wall and into my neighbours kitchen, I know this because I received an SMS asking what the delicious smell was!(maybe I should give her a bottle- will be one less to eat!)

Now about all that yumminess in my pantry - I WILL NOT PRESERVE ANYTHING ELSE TILL I WE HAVE EATEN SOME OF IT!...... Do you believe me? OOOOOh, you know me so well! Happy Preserving darling Peeps! xxx

Actually Not as Bad as I Thought!

Beautiful Botanic Gardens

 

 

I think by now that you all know how much I LOVE my home, LSO and I refer to it  as the 'estate' and we love being at home, in our garden! We love the warmth, the smell and the absolute little haven that we have created for our selves..... In saying that , I must also admit to the fact that I have become a little bit of a recluse and am always able to find something to do at home on the weekends, resulting in us not visiting all the lovely attractions that we have here in our little fishing village!

 

One such attraction is our beautiful Botanical Gardens!  Little Madame was recently asked by one of our friends, if she would do a photo shoot for her, she is a budding photographer, with so much talent and such a good eye for detail! Now being that my Little madame thinks she is Heidi Klum, she said she would love to. Said Aspiring friend asked us to meet her at the Botanic Gardens, I rolled my eyes, because I thought it would be HEAVING with people, it was a Sunday afternoon after all...... Well did I have to eat humble pie, a BIG FAT PIECE of it!

 

While the model and the photographer, did their thing, I wondered off with my trusty little camera in hand to try and capture some of the beauty around me. The tree's were massive and old,  the lawns green(thank you Mother Nature for all the rain lately)Tiny flowers were blooming everywhere! Bamboo was thick, and the Banyan tree's amazing with their root system that begins in the actual tree itself.

 

 I was amazed at the peace and tranquillity the prevailed in these gorgeous green gardens..... People were picnicking on the lush green lawn, games of soccer and cricket had sprung up everywhere.  Lovers were quietly gazing into each other eyes oblivious to to screaming children being chased by their dad's. There were monkeys, geese and large noisy Hadedas adding to the general relaxed mayhem....... Mommy ducks, marching tiny baby duckling along the lake side, were so sweet.  It was wonderful, I really enjoyed it so much, so much so that I have promise Little Madame a picnic there this coming Sunday.....

 

I wished that I could capture the afternoon and keep it forever......  

   

  

Botanic Beauty

 

 

 

 A Banyan Tree- Where Does It Start Or End 

A Fluffy White Feather

  

Flowers and Sunlight

 

 The Tranquil Lake

Lovers



Children Playing

 

Endless Green Lawn

Seed Pods

Sunlight Dancing

Wonder If She Knew That Monkey Was Sooo Close?

 

 

 

Huge Old Tree's

Interesting Sculptures - See the Real Child In the Middle?

Thick Bamboo

It really was a wonderful afternoon, I cannot wait to go back with a picnic blanket, basket full of yummy things, book and a ball, and while away the afternoon just watching people be happy..... xxx


Ps:: My plans for a tranquil picnic were ruined when it rained again this entire weekend.... Oh Well maybe next weekend  - Dare I chant 'Rain Rain go away......' xxx

It's Raining .... It's Pouring.....

 

It's been chucking it down here in the Fishing Village - and I do mean chucking down!!! For about a week it has poured with rain, causing all kinds of flooding and road blockage and general havoc...... I have watched as our swimming pool got really full and then just sort of over flowed! Now everyone in my family seems to think its my fault...... No one can go outside - So it must be MOM'S fault! Try keeping a toddler, a dog and 2 cats  entertained while it is raining cats and dogs outside - mmmmm NOT EASY!

 

 Now I am a very optimistic person - in fact I am one of those infuriating people who try and find the good in everything - you know the kind " The rain is lovely - the earth needs it, look how it's washing everything clean!" But even I was a bit over the rain, so when opening the curtains on Thursday morning to yet MORE RAIN!!! I turned to Little Madame and told her "Stay in bed, it's still raining" this was met with a whoooop of delight and she promptly turned over pulled the duvet over her head  and went back to sleep..... I did what any good, self respecting mother should, I joined her!!! Sheer Bliss!!!

 

Later, much, much, much, (and another) MUCH later, when we finally got up and wondered through to the kitchen in our PJ's, we decided to bake some Banana Bread for breakfast(there always seems to be over ripe nana's in my kitchen) This my mom's recipe and although mine never turns out as yummy as hers, I never stop trying....... 

 

The Making

Yummy!!!!

So after tea and warm Banana Bread we set about pottering, colouring in(I love colouring in- why do we stop colouring in when we become adults, it is therapeutic and above all else FUN!) playing with play dough and generally lazing around by the fire, it was soon time to think about supper. Now to be brutally honest with you, I could have have MORE Banana Bread for supper but Fussy One wanted and I quote....' Beany Soup'

Now I must let you all in on a wonderful secret little book (and it is Little) and I need to do a Ta Dah before I tell you the title-that is how BRILLIANT this little book is, so ready ...... TA DAH!!!!! 101 SMART SUPPERS! It is a BBC book and I purchased it a few years ago in Wales. Most of the meals only take 20 minutes and are all delicious!! In particular Bacon, Bean and Pasta Soup! I always have a packet of Bacon in my freezer and Mixed Beans in the cupboard..... as it has become a family favourite and is often requested! 

So here is the Recipe for you to try.....

1 packet streaky bacon (chopped)
2 Leeks (halved and chopped)
4 Carrots (you guessed it Chopped)
1 tin of mixed Beans(drained)
1 small tin Tomato Puree
50g Pasta (any kind - snap Spaghetti in half- it works just as well)
Chicken Stock - about 1 lt
Parmesan cheese

Fry Bacon
Add leeks and carrots -fry for about 5 min
Add the rest and simmer till carrots and pasta are soft
Put in bowls with Cheese on the top
MUNCH!!!!!

I serve it with warm toasty bread, and normally go back for seconds and thirds and .........

If there is any left, it freezes really well!
 

The Making
 

The Munching!

 

Pretty Pink Things

 

Playing with Play Dough

Pretty Play Dough Flowers

After Dinner, we jumped into a warm bath then snuggled up in front of the now roaring fire to watch TV, but soon there were yawns all round so we took Hot Chocolate(and Banana Bread)  and huddled under the warm duvet . We fell asleep while listening to the rain playing soft tunes on our roof........Sheer Bliss! xxx

 

 

Crochet Bits and Bobs!

I have a confession to make, my beautiful ripple blanket, has become one of those very long and very laborious projects, it involves lots and lots of concentration and lots of counting, so it's not something I can do while in front of the TV every night, so it's really slowed down, well it's at snails pace to be quiet honest!

Love the Ripple

It Is Growing in Size-SLOWLY!

I have found 2 really gorgeous Crochet books,(at a local book store - nearly fainted) they have small and very fast little projects in them and I am really enjoying churning out some quick things(with a bit of attention given to said blue ripple blanket every now and again!)



This Book is Gorgeous!

 

Love Those Dolls!
 

In the Crochet Adornments book I found this headband and as I have never tried to do any "Lacy" crochet, I decide to tackle it. I love it because it is very vintage and lacy, and also I have a bit of a headband fetish if truth be told! It was very quick and easy and was done in about an hour, I love it when you can see things coming together quickly, there is nothing worse for me than going on and on and just never seeing the item take shape. I blocked it the next day(blocking is pinning an item out so that it takes shape and sort of stretches out to shown the whole pattern, you pin it to a hard surface-I use my sun room floor, then you spray it over with some water and leave it to dry, and Voila! It stays exactly the way you have stretched it out and looks lovely!

 

 

Blocking

 Very Vintage

 

How it Looks! Love It!

I LoVe, LOVE, LURRVE IT and can already feel another one in another colour coming on, with maybe a huge crochet flower - what do you think?

Moving swiftly along...... This bird brooch was too darling to resist and after I had mastered it,(was a little tricky) the next one took all of 7 minute to whip up - LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!  Another thing I love about the book is that is shows detailed diagrams, exactly where a stitch goes and how many- and once you can read the plan(for want of a better word) you don't really have to follow the worded pattern - gosh that sounds ridiculous!!!!

 

Birdie number one done(above),  Then all three (below) now I have to starch it and sew the three little feathered friends together- mine seem a little big compared to the book so will have to see, don't want an entire flock of birds fly across my chest.......... 

 

Three Little Birdies .....See the Diagram??

 

 

 

 

The Flower for my mother's Granny Square blanket also came from this book!

  

 

And gorgeous earrings too!

 

Two Pairs

 

A Cuff Thingy I Am Working On - Haven't Quite Got it Right Yet

Another Neck Scarf - Just Because ......

 

So this week has been taken up with lots of yarning pursuits and it has been fun, I have also sort of committed to doing a market with a friend of mine in October(will show you somethings soon - busy with some gorgeous rag dolls!), sooooo must get the fingers flying...... and the beautiful blue ripple blanket....... I promise to give it lots more attention ...... sometime soon! xxx

 

Old Dogs, New Tricks....

You know how as a girl you always think that your mom can do anything and everything....... She is your hero, she teaches you everything you know... Cooking, baking,knitting,sewing(well maybe not sewing) she sort of introduces you to everything really, then lets you spread your wings and fly!

Well, as you all know my mother, taught me how to knit, and I automatically thought she could crochet.( I mean she is MOM) She has been poorly and I a while ago, I sent her a care parcel,(I live about 6 hours away from her) with some crocheting bits and bobs in it, and heard nothing more so thought that she was hooking up a storm!  Well.... she came to visit recently and in her suitcase was a rather large shopping bag brim full with  yarn..... "Here, crochet me a blanket" - WHAT???? Do it yourself, you can crochet. To which she said, well actually I can't!!

 

 

Bag Full of Yarn

 

You could have knocked me over with a feather!

It would appear that years ago she had tried but could never  quite get it right so she simply gave up! Weeelllll that just would not do!  I WOULD HAVE TO TEACH HER!!! I looked at the wool, we chatted and brain stormed and finally decided that a simple granny square blanket was the answer! It was also decided that the blanket would be a hand made gift for the dear friend who had  loving looked after her while she was ill! This wonderful lady is an Angel and my mother really wants to thank her, and what better way than with a beautiful blanket, loving handmade!

 

 

The Start of The First Square
 

I had to  talked her through the first square(I am a lefty and she righty), it was a long and very frustrating process for my mom, she would get a few clusters done perfectly, then totally mess up the next few clusters and have to pull all the work out and start again(I now know where I get my perseverance from!) and so we struggled on. Lots of encouragement was needed! 2 days of frustration later,  I  suddenly remembered how she taught me to knit.... Do you remember?..... If not click here!! We sat opposite one another and suddenly everything made sense and she was on her way......  

 



The  First Square Finished



 

We decide on 9 small squares in the centre, and then she would work her way around and around, 1 row per colour(does that makes sense??) until all the yarn was finished, then do a picot edging. It looked quiet pretty but something was missing, then I remembered my granny square blanket with the flower in the middle, and made 9 flowers and sewed them onto the small squares, it looked gorgeous, the colours of the yarn are warm and inviting. 

 

 

My Contribution -  A Beautiful Flower

  

Working The Pattern Out
 

Once I started to see it come together, I became a bit envious - I wanted the blanket- The bigger it got the more I coveted it but it is going to someone much more deserving than I, it is sooooo gorgeous and soooooo PRETTY, and is the perfect gift for the wonderful Yvonne!

 

 

Getting Bigger

 

Beautiful Colours

 



Warm and Snuggly



 

My mother has gone home now, and I will call her everyday and ask how it is going and whether it is finished yet.......

 

It would seem that who ever said you cannot teach an old dog you tricks, needs to think again..... just look at this gorgeous blanket, and know, anyone of any age can do anything they want to, if they just put thier mind to it! xxx