Wednesday 30 November 2011

Almost December!

Last post of November should be about December! Something I have done for many many years now if fill our own Advent Calendar. I bought it when Kelly was about 3 out of Baxter's. I thought the chocolate ones where crap so invested in a pretty cloth one. What I love about it is buying decent chocolates for it. I am not a huge chocolate fan but if I am having a bit I want it to taste nice. This year I got them chocolate Santa's and Snowmen out of Johnston's of Elgin.  
All set out ready to go


Love this Calendar! 

Up and ready for morning!

So tonight I came back from Slimming ( lost 1/2 pound) got the Calendar out the cupboard ( always make sure it never goes away with the Christmas Decorations otherwise its not out in time). Sat at the kitchen and filled it up. I love it! The kids ain't bothered about it and would be happy enough with the tacky cardboard ones but for me........it signifies that Christmas is coming and I adore it! Tis the season to be Jolly!

Saturday 26 November 2011

Simply M&S.....Simply deliciousness!

Got to Love Markies ( M&S, aka Marks and Spencer). Their food has always been fantastic. A few years back my biggest treat was to end a day shopping in Aberdeen or Inverness with a visit to Markies for a few ace things for supper. Now we have a Food M&S in town but I still think of it as a treat even though I go more often!. My treat now is when I have no kids and Mike and I can enjoy a meal deal. Well it was till I thought about  it. You got your main, side, pudding and wine for £10 BUT I don't like wine and the last bottle is still in the fridge and will soon make its way into the cupboard. ANWAYS tonight we have no kids as one is at McD's with her mates and the other is at his Nan's. So the treat was a delicious meal.




 Chicken breasts wrapped in Parma Ham, stuffed with Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses and green beans, with Red Cabbage, Vegetable Selection, Potato Gratin and I had a few M&S Potato Croquets! BUT  the Pudding is one of my most favourite puddings ever! Panna Cotta




The Chicken was so moist and CHEESE! Oh I adore cheese



Love red cabbage and beetroot, both seem to always brighten a plate.

OH HEAVEN in a dish! I spend ages eating it to savour every mouthful.



I think I may have a gain at Slimming this week haha

Thursday 24 November 2011

Twig Lights


Having always fancied a vase of twig lights and having seen a few of my friends with them I decided it was time I treated myself. The plan was to get some that I could have out all year. Uh Huh! I screwed that up. I just can't help myself. Mine most defiantly have the winter/ Christmas / festive  feel to them. I just hope in January I can make them look less festive. I did start off with good intentions by buying the Blue silk flowers to tie in with the blue in the room ( Sofa and Rug) then it all went wrong when I bought the snow covered frosted cone filled twigs ha ha. Also the new vase I bought out of TK Max is not making itself look spring like with its red and gold look! I am terrible. What can I say! I love Christmas! Ho HoHo 

How am I going to make this look good in Spring/Summer??


SEE I added blue!!!


I just cant help it! I love bling, glitter and anything festive!


I just can't see this vase with Daffodils in it in the spring? Maybe red tulips haha

Slow Cooking again....

I so so so want to have some success with my Slow Cooker! I have tried a dozen or so recipes so far and maybe 3 or so I loved, 3 I liked, 6 were just OK. I seem to have the ability with the slow cooker to make everything taste the same. I was at 1 st using the little packets of Schwartz powder mixes thinking that would be good but they seem to give off the same kinda aroma. I have done some roasts in it, Roast Beef and Roast Gammon. They were ace just impossible to carve as they fell to bits. So today I am making a brand new slimming world recipe from scratch! Fingers crossed it will be good! It is however using an ingredient I have never ever used or bought!( see last Photo)
Slow Cooker recipe of the Day is .................Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Casserole

Looking good so far and its just on!




I have never ever used this before! 

Fingers Crossed it tasty

Cauliflower Cheese Soup!

This is another new recipe out my little Slimming world cook book. We had it at a taster night last week and it was delicious but I did think that maybe eating a whole bowl would be a bit much for me. Anyways, I made the soup and it was very quick and easy to make so thought I would share it.

The recipes in this book are very easy to follow

Browning the onions with Smoked Paprika gives a wonderful colour.
All in! Takes about 10 mins! So fast

Goes a lovely colour once its blended.
Creamy thick and tastes EXACTLY like Cauliflower cheese.



Monday 21 November 2011

Please Sir can I have some more??

There are 3 Slimming world recipes that my family and myself could now never live without. They occur at least once a month each. I thought they deserved a wee blog.




Chicken Fried Rice! WOW what a Friday night hit this is! Its so so simple to make. I buy the little packs of prawn crackers and the kids ( and myself and Mike) love to scoop it up and eat it that way. If I have time some chips is a treat with it too. I prefer it now to the Chinese one! This is most defiantly a 10/10 recipe.



Diet Coke Gammon ( as its called in this house). Lovely Sunday roast meal this is. I normally serve it with the usual roast trimmings. I have done it in the Slow Cooker and though it worked it fell to bits when carving. Another 10/10 and very easy.





Finally, Balsamic Glazed Chicken. This one is just yum and I serve it with what's shown with. Potato Slices with a shaking of Paprika on them and some frozen veg. The smell is awful when you have to reduce the vinegar but the taste is to die for once the chicken is cooked. This is 11/10! 

Eyebrows and Eye Lashes

What an odd topic for a post eh?


 But its something I used get done regularly. This last year however with me having Whooping Cough, then my friend who does it being pregnant and having a wee cutie pie of a baby, then me being ill again I ain't been getting it done the same. But tonight I got my eyebrows waxed which I would say on a pain scale of 1-10 ( 10 being highest) it would get a 2. My legs waxed ( cause its winter and being ill I had been neglecting them) they however get a 10! BUT I get it done as it lasts so so long on me. I would say about 3-4 weeks before I notice the growth much. I say its sore but its like a slap with a nettle bush. Once you have been slapped its gone however. 





trying to show how long they look with no mascara!


But my most favourite bit, its my eyelashes getting tinted. I adore the effect it gives. I don't wear make up apart from nights out cause I am way too lazy to put it on. I just use face creams and  lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm depending on what is closest to me. Having my eye lashes tinted gives them the look of long dark mascara. I am blessed with naturally long lashes but not nearly as blessed as my daughter who got hers done tonight too. Hers look wicked!
My lower ones are normally very fair and not seen

Thursday 17 November 2011

Slimming World Creamy Mushroom Soup

First recipe out my new book that I bought last night was Slimming Worlds Creamy Mushroom Soup.
It was easiest for me to make as I had the ingredients infact I sorely needed to use the mushrooms as they were about to turn.
Start of the soup. The Chocolate Crepes in the back ground are not mine! I really don't like them, they belong to my daughter Kelly.

The recipe. Pretty basic ingredients so easy and fast to prepare.

Almost there, just needs blended.

 A lovely steaming hot bowl of Home made soup. Nothing better at this time of year.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Getting back to normal life slowly

Started back at slimming tonight. First time since I took ill after my birthday in October! 

Trusty old book dragged out

After all my sitting about, eating crap, munching on whatever I fancied I was expecting a rather large weight gain. I truthfully was expecting about 5 pounds HOWEVER I was delighted to see that I had neither gained nor lost. A Maintain. I am happy with that. Just need to spend some time tomorrow reading all the books again. Seems so long since I had to plan my eating. I think the last post I did before I took ill was about having to re-read the books which I never got round to doing. It was a taster night at Slimming tonight too based on Soup. It was due to the launch of the newest Slimming World book which is all Soup. I adore Soup! So I grabbed myself a copy.


My new Soup book

 There was one soup in it which I saw and tickled my fancy and then low and behold it was there for tasting! Cauliflower and Cheese soup. Very tasty though might be a bit heavy if you ate a huge bowlful. Anyways......back to it

on the mend with Flowers

Having been ill and off work and my usual social activities for the past 5 weeks its been nice to receive visits, cookies ( thanks Sharon) and flowers. Here is some of the lovely bunches of flowers I have received. Sadly there is not a picture of the cookies as they did not last long enough to be photographed!


The new in thing seems to be adding small cabbages to bouquets, pretty yet unusual. ( wonder if I can eat them afterwards)


Tuesday 8 November 2011

I'm iIll again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Seriously W T F! Since I stopped smoking almost 2 years ago I have changed my entire way of living. I lost weight ( still 2 stone to go), I eat healthier, I exercise............


.............. and O M F G! I am always bloody ill! This year has been a nightmare. Its started with bug after bug then Whooping cough for 3 months! NOW a bloody chest infection which seems to have taken a massive hold in my chest and won't leave! I have now had it 4 weeks! Been off work all this time too. I am starting to feel better now ( you can tell that as I am updating my blog) which I have not had the enthusiasm to do till today.I am OK as long as I am just sitting. When I move about, nip to the shops ( in the car) do the dishwasher, in fact anything that involves me moving I am left completely exhausted, breathless and coughing. 2 lots of Anti biotics later and my chest still rattles now and again. But today at lunch time I took a little coughing bout that sounded very familiar. SURELY not! I can't get that back again.Fingers crossed it was just a little choking coughing fit and nothing else. I am awaiting a chest X-ray but I imagine by the time I get that appointment in all will be gone. Anti biotics are also finished now so I am imagining its just a matter of time till I get myself built up again. Have to see the Dr again on Thursday/Friday. Hope to feel allot better by then.


I feel so guilty though cause now Marcus has it. He seems to be running about a week or so behind me. He is now also on his 2nd lot of Anti biotics. Poor wee man. 

Fireworks Night


                           Remember remember the fifth of November

                                Gunpowder, treason and plot.
                                  I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
                                          Should ever be forgot...

Fire works night is one of that nights I adore. For me it brings on the excitement of Christmas. Standing watching the fireworks sparkle red, green, gold, white just makes me think of Christmas lights on the tree, Christmas Decorations, The sparkle, the bling, the cold just makes me tingle with anticipation of getting my decorations out the attic!

Marcus and a Sparkler

Marcus with a sparkler

Bonfire with a Firework

Kelly and a Sparkler

This year however Marcus and I were poorly. Marcus just starting on the chest infection and me just finishing my anti biotics for mine. We did however head out on the Friday night to Sypnie. Its just out the town, smaller yet completely brilliant. We stood and watched the display then headed to Mikes work mates house for a BBQ! In November!" but it was great. Will be even better next year when Marcus and myself are fit to enjoy it and eat. Met a lovely lady there too who it seems is a teacher at Kelly's school! Small world up here right enough lol.

Halloween

Halloween in our house is normally one of the big holidays, next to Christmas its the one we celebrate. Marcus adores it so it was sad this year since Marcus and myself were ill. He managed his school Halloween Disco on the Thursday before but sadly never got out Trick or Treating on Halloween. ( which I will yap about in the next post)
Kelly as a Pirate

Marcus as Darth Vader

Marcus attacking a pumpkin man

Kelly with her pirate weapons

Our Pumpkins, Left to right, Mike, Marcus, mine.( Kelly's came later)

Kelly however, for a change, was WELL! She headed out to the local Youth Cafe Disco then she went out with her friends on Halloween. I imagine this will be her last year as she is a bit old now. We say that but 14 is still a baby really! Just people don't want teenagers at their doors after dark. She may manage another year if she takes Marcus out though.

A Bang to remember!

A bang to remember! Tuesday 18th July. Nice enough day weather wise, I decided to go out onto my swing seat in the garden with my coffee. I ...