God Jul! (That's Swedish for Merry Christmas!)

 I love these glass tree ornaments available from Ikea!

They go perfectly with my 'Christmas look!' (check out my 'Christmas house' here and here)

I'm so excited at the prospect of decorating this year.  Not only is it Sophie's first Christmas but I never got my beautiful decorations out last year due to being so heavily pregnant!

From the reaction we got when we decorated for Halloween this year I think Sophie is going to love Christmas as much as Mummy!

Lots of Love xxxx

The Good Life!

I'm loving these fab shopping bags available from 'The Good Bag Co.' not only because they are fair trade, environmentally friendly and really reasonably priced but because they are available in absolutely tonnes of fun designs!

I was really struggling finding unusual Christmas gifts for Sophie's Nursery Nurses.  They have been fantastic and I wanted to get a thoughtful present to show how much we appreciate them.

Imagine my delight when I spyed these!

I also wanted to get a collective present for the staff but didn't want to buy the normal box of biscuits.

This bag filled with Christmas tea, coffee, hot chocolate, marshmallows, and a few other goodies should make a perfect gift for them to enjoy in the weeks running up to Christmas!

I hope they like them!!!

Lots of Love

xxxx

Who's Your Poppy?

'Come To Poppy' one of OPI's new colours.........

Even if the weather is dull and cold, my toes remind me of summer!

Have a lovely weekend!

Lots of Love

xxxx

It's a Wrap!

I am very excited about Cath Kidston's new Christmas card and wrap range, so much so that on a recent visit to Bluewater shopping centre I couldn't help but find a few items placed lovingly into my basket!

Loving these retro cards, reserved for 'special' people that will fully appreciate their gorgeousness!

I've decided that this year's theme will be brown paper wrapping with colourful ribbons, tags and stickers Cath style!

 I cant wait to get wrapping!

What are you doing this year?

Lots of Love

xxxx

A Balanced Diet.....

Is a cookie in each hand!

As well as Blogging, I have decided to use some of my baby free time to indulge in a bit of baking.  I have several lovely baking books that I haven't so much as looked at let alone actually tried any of the recipes!

First on my list was the 'Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook'.

I had a quick look though and found lots of things I want to try but settled on the 'Nutella Shortbread Sandwich Cookies'  I always seem to bake cupcakes or make large celebration cakes and wanted to try something different.  They were really easy and only use a few ingredients, one of which is Nutella, Bonus!

Here is the recipe if you want to try them for yourself!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pinch of salt

1/2 jar Nutella

Preheat oven to 180C . Grease two sheet pans or line with parchment (or Silpat).

Toast and skin the hazelnuts. In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts with the sugar until they are finely ground. Add the flour and pulse again. Add the butter pieces, and process it until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a work surface.

Roll out dough to approximately 1/8-in. thickness (this is quite delicate and tore easily so make sure you are well floured!). With any shape cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer the cookies to the prepared sheet pans.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, depending on their size and thickness. Cool the cookies on the sheet pans. (these are really easy to overbake, they are ready when slightly golden at the edges, I overbaked mine!)

Once cooled: spread the Nutella on one cookie and make a sandwich by topping the Nutella with another cookie.

Yummy!

 

Lets just say they didnt last long and I'll be making them again!

I even made a special super cookie for James!

Lots of Love

xxxx



King of the Jungle

I don't normally make a point of watching 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' but after catching the first show and seeing fellow Essex dweller Mark Wright enter the jungle I have to admit to a sneaky series link on the old Sky Plus!

Any TOWIE viewers will know Mr Wright hasn't always been portrayed in the best light but as far as I have seen he has conducted himself really well!

Oh and he is very good looking!

Vote Mark!!!

Lots of Love

xxxx

Hi Ho, Hi Ho........

It's back to work I go!

Well its been about a month, and we seem to be getting settled into what would pass as a routine, or as close to one as we can get with us both working shifts!

Its been horrible leaving Sophie, but she is genuinely loving nursery now and is really benefiting from being with the other children.  We love that we can get things done in half the time and when we pick her up we can devote our attention and time to her without worrying about the pile of washing or errands that we need to run!

For me its been a bit more difficult, there is lots of new equipment I need to be trained on, permits and licenses to renew and generally brushing up on my duties (not an easy prospect when the most brain taxing thing I've done for the past year is watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse!)

On a positive, though, it means I get a little 'Me time' that I plan to use to get my blogging head on again.  I have missed keeping up to date with what's going on in blogsville and can't wait to have a good read!

Lots of Love

xxxx