***HAPPY NEW YEAR***

***MERRY CHRISTMAS*** to one and all!

In The Bleak Mid Winter!

Brr...I am allergic to the cold and it has been freeezing here. Not that we have had snow but the central heating has decided not to work!

It has been like that - on and off for a few weeks now and last week was the last straw! After some investigating, it was noted that there was a leak in a water pipe that was dripping onto the electrical components and was shorting out. Eek!

When the plumber/electrician arrived - finally - yesterday, he said that the wiring behind the pipe had worn. Well, over 25 years, I guess something had to give up in time. So, I am very happy to say that we now have heat but it will take quite a long time before the house will feel anything but normal again.

On a more positive note, I had my post op results and I have been announced healthy. *Ü* That is such a relief, as always, the worse possible news does come to mind.

So, now I can concentrate more on Christmas.

It will be a quiet Christmas for us this year - just the 2 of us, so we have invited 2 of the missionaries from our church to join us for Christmas lunch. They are away from home for 2 years and miss their families - especially at this special time.

The autumn and run up to Christmas always finds me in my kitchen, cooking and baking tasty treats. This year hasn't been any different. I have found warmth in the kitchen from the gas cooker, so it has doubled the benefits of baking! *Ü*

These Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting were soo good...

...as was this roast pork a la Nigel Slater - marinated in blackberries.

I made chocolate marshmallow fudge and a cake that my mother in law used to make when she was alive. I just wish I had taken more notice of the ingredients but I have managed to find a similar recipe on the web.

I LOVE all of the cookery programmes that are on at this time of the year. It brings back memories of when my 3 daughters were little and that was one of my favourite things to watch on the television.

Writing lists are something else that I do a lot of! They are reducing though and hopefully, I will have everything wrapped up by the weekend. Enjoy your preparations and don't get yourself stressed.

Toots for now and stay warm,

It doesn't rain but it pours!

I LOVE autumn. It is my favourite season. We get all types of weather in autumn. So far, we have had some beautiful sunsets after glorious days of sunshine and we have also had our share of showers!

There are so many stories of flooding and disaster right now, it seems unfair to mention my 'little' problems. However, they are just as devastating when they happen and it takes a while to get them sorted after the time it takes to find the source. Take for instance, the boiler! Why do they choose to go wrong when the weather is cold and you need the heating on?

Then there's the water tank! The water heats to boiling point and bubbles over the tank on the flat roof and gushes through the bathroom ceiling on the 1st floor! It's happened on more than one occasion recently. (We have an old tank that needs to be replaced).

Just as I pulled the plug from the sink yesterday morning, I heard water spraying from a pipe that didn't sound like it was travelling through the pipe. Eek! That is another job to be done and it's getting expensive. We are being challenged to the limit right now!

Hoorayyy! We managed to get heating on by Thursday evening. I had been in hospital for a procedure on Tuesday and was hoping that it would be fixed by the time I arrived home! I HATE the cold. I am allergic to it! Thank goodness for my electric blanket. I LOVE my electric blanket.

OK...we've had the showers, now it's time for the sunshine - which is said to follow, so bring it on - pleease!

***HAPPY HALLOWEEN***

I hope you all have a wonderful day and evening whatever you have planned. Enjoy the 'spirit' of the season and don't eat too much sugar!

HALLOWEEN - Food

Halloween is a time to have some unusual foods - whether you are celebrating with a party or not. It makes a change to have something different. There are lots of seasonal foods around right now and in plentiful supply.

Pumpkins are a substantial food when it comes to decoration and eating - they serve both very well and you can use them in either savoury or sweet recipes. Last year I made a Pumpkin soup (as seen in my previous post) and a Pumpkin Pie with a meringue topping.

As for recipe ideas, you know by now that I do like to visit Martha Stewart's website here.

Last year, for my Halloween party, I made some 'disgusting' and frightful recipes that both delighted and earned gasps of ewww from my family. *Ü*

Quacamoldy!

 A 'severed' hand meatloaf with Monster Mash and Swamp weed!

A cream cheese and parma ham skull with bat toasts (not seen).

Worm rolls...

I think everyone was suitably entertained by the way food can be presented.

Check out this website for some more yummy and disgusting food!

Whatever you make or bake, please share, so we can all be inspired. *Ü*

Happy eating.

HALLOWEEN - Pumpkins

The big orange globes are beginning to appear in the shops now and it might be a good time to get your pumpkin design sorted. Maybe there is a pumpkin farm or patch near you, so you can go choose your own. There is a HUGE patch on our way to church which looks like a fun place to get some photos too.

Find those carving tools and check out these numerous ways to decorate your pumpkins. You could even throw a pumpkin carving party to keep the children occupied during the half term school holiday.

One of my favourite sites to visit at this time of the year is Martha Stewart. Click on this link to take you to a plethora of pumpkin carving designs and ideas - and they even show you what to do with the seeds.

For more inspiration, click here - and here.

I made a simple one here...

...and I covered this one with a mesh pair of tights. Don't stop at pumpkins. There are other lovely shapes and sized vegetables and ghourds to get you creative. Try a watermelon which has a nice deep red flesh...or butternut squash - or you could even be different and paint your pumpkin - black - or white or whatever colour you choose. 

I used the flesh to make this delicious Pumpkin Soup...

Ooo...that has made me feel hungry...I am off to roast a Butternut squash to add to my Korma curry sauce.

Have fun carving and designing and I hope to see you next time when Halloween food will be on the menu.

HALLOWEEN - Decoration

Now that the invites and cards are underway, it's time to decorate the house - whether you are having a party or not, those little monsters who come calling, like to know that they have dressed up all in good 'spirit'! *Ü*

One of my very favourite sites for ideas to decorate the house (or any other ideas for Halloween) is Martha Stewart. This link will give you about 16 homemade decorating ideas.

I have some 'scene setters' to line the walls in my room which give a totally different look and very cool when it comes to transformation. You can get them here - and a nice assortment of other decorations that you might need.

One of my son in laws at my Halloween party last year. *Ü*

Have fun planning... and next time, I shall be giving ideas of pumpkin carving.

HALLOWEEN - Halloween cards

Hello bloggers. I am back with more Halloween ideas for you. Not everyone will be having a party but some still like to send a card to family and friends, so here are some examples. First up is a set of free digital Halloween stamps with the edition of Simply Cards & Papercraft. Inside the centre page of the magazine are some examples of how to use your images. (Thanks MaryAnne for the headsup). *Ü*

Over the years, I have collected several hundred fonts and many of those are called 'dingbats'. That means that instead of a letter, each key has a little picture. Fonts are a good way of using images for cards and scrapbooking etc. Here are some dingbats for you to check out at www.dafont.com where these can be found. 'Hallocuties' is here.
Trick or Treat is a nice one that I have used several times and AEZ Halloween Dingbats is another cool one that I have used over again.

Scroll down and see there are lots more. Have fun creating and I shall see you next time. *Ü*

HALLOWEEN - Party invitations

If you are planning a Halloween party, you will want to send invitations.  Whether you decide to make them or buy them, the following can give you some inspiration. This one is from '2 peas in a bucket'.

This one is from the same site...

You will find more examples here and here. Please do let me know if you have made some and leave a link. It will be fun to share each other's ideas.

Stop by next time for some ideas for Halloween cards.

Have a Thuper Thursday peeps.

HALLOWEEN - Wreaths

Welcome to the 1st day of October - what promises to be the start of party season and the best of times with family and friends.

The secret to a successful party is the organisation and preparation, so let's begin the month with decorating the house with a Halloween wreath. If you have never made one before, it can be easy. You only need the simplest of items for an effective look.

Some of the following wreaths I have seen on Pinterest and around peep's blogs. There are plenty on the internet and they don't have to be round!  I have seen square ones too. *Ü*

First up is this 'beware' wreath. I love the purple and black together.

The instructions on how to make it can be found here.

There is a varied assortment here.

If you make a little something each day, it will lighten the load and I can predict that your party will be stress free and a LOT of fun.

Enjoy ... and I hope to see you again for more Halloween makes.

It's beginning to feel a lot like...AUTUMN!

With the temperature having taken a dive from last week and the official day of autumn being Saturday 22nd September, it means the time will soon be here to party! By that I mean Halloween and Guy Fawkes nights. *Ü*

They both conjure up thoughts of fun and intrigue. Cosy sweaters and steaming, comfort food. Nights in around the fire hugging a mug of hot chocolate and dressing up for a fun time with family and friends.

For the past few years, I have been posting links on my blog to help with getting your gathering under way and this year, I intend to do the same, so watch this space. *Ü*

Of course, if you can't wait for 1st October to start the countdown, here is something you may want to make - a Halloween advent calendar. Tashia gives a tutorial which looks pretty easy. Here is another by Jenn.

I haven't forgotten to post photos of my recently decorated bedroom. It's just that I have had some real bad problems with my computer and ended up having to buy a new monitor! Now, all is not quite right but I am keeping my fingers crossed. It would be so kind of you if you would too.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good day.

Month in Numbers - August 2012

This is my very first time of documenting my 'Month in Numbers' that was started by Julie Kirk at notes on paper. I have been viewing other's posts and scrapbook layouts and have been inspired to do one of my own. So here goes...

August was a busy month as there were a couple of special birthday celebrations in my family, which entailed me visiting my eldest sister and then my family staying with us for a few days to come together for a family reunion to celebrate our son-in-law's birthday.

First number up - the biggest amount...

• 171 - Number of photos I took at Monkeyworld! *Ü* For my sister's birthday, she chose for us to go to Monkeyworld and it was a beautiful day. We had fun watching the antics of the different species which are currently in a series on the television.

• 109 -  Number of Ferrero Roche chocolates it took to make a 'tree' for my son-in-law Homero's birthday.

• 24 - Number of eggs that I used to make Homero's birthday cake! The first and biggest cake I made didn't turn out as I expected. I multiplied the mixture x 4 - which included 12 eggs, and baked it in a flowerpot as I wanted the graduated 'bucket' shape for the cake. Fortunately, I made it a little earlier than planned, and I just had enough time to make another cake - which would be the original but it was very tight - timewise. I made a 'KFC' cake and 'fries' - made from marzipan. I borrowed a KFC tray to present it and Homero was thrilled. The cake turned out moist and delicious in the end! Phew!

  

 

 'Steak fries' to accompany the cake.

• 32 - Number of pounds I paid for an ice cream treat at Morelli's for 9 of us!

• 11 - Number of sheets and towels I washed after my family went home.

• 4 - Number of days I was without my computer due to a fault of my own! I took the phone plug out of the socket to make a call on the phone in my office and wondered why my pc didn't work! LOL. Duh! I couldn't figure out why and it was 4 days before I managed to get back online. It is so frustrating when I am without my pc and I realise that it makes me miserable.  

So that is the sum of my Month in Numbers post peeps.

Toots for now,

Bathroom makeover!

I am so happy that my Blogger typeface has returned to 'normal'. I have missed blogging for a while since it was so frustrating that every time I created a post, it wouldn't include photos. Let's hope it remains this way now.

Welcome to my new followers. Thank you for joining us and I hope you like what you see.

For the past 6 months, I have been busy... dieting and losing over 1 stone - or for the benefit of my American friends - 18 pounds. That is good for me! LOL. I am a chocoholic and have had to curb my temptation, which I am pleased to say has been successful.

I have been decorating - my bedroom and 1st floor bathroom and having a general cleanup, as well as making a mini album for my sister's birthday (which I posted previously).  Phew! Maybe having such  rainy  weather this year has made it possible to get things done. If the sun is out, so am I and I do like to catch some rays in the garden - or at the local beach.

So here is my 1st floor bathroom makeover...

Before...it was more of a beach/seaside theme.

Without changing the bathroom suite - which would have cost a fortune in this size room, I basically painted the walls and ceiling white and added some colour!

After - still keeping the grey, I added black and white with a zing of yellow. It kind of gives it a 'buzz'! *Ü* What do you think?

 I transformed/recycled the big photo frame - painted the border gloss black, used some yellow card for the backing - and black card for the photo frame. I LOVE this photo of 2 of my grandchildren Eden and Ethan. It is a few years old but it makes me smile every time I walk into the room. *Ü*

So there it is. In another post I will blog my bedroom makeover...if only I didn't have so much hassle with editing the photos! I have an old editing programme which came with my pc and since I had my last camera, the programme can't handle the bigger pixels!

Have a nice day peeps.