Wednesday 28 March 2012

first bbq of the year

a random purchase from paradise park for only 7.99 today

children (and puppy) waiting for charcoal to start glowing so food can be cooked

mini chicken breast fillets wrapped in american streaky bacon, riley's sausages and corn on the cob

bananas with chocolate buttons and waffles with butter/syrup

topped with yahtzee and cards afterwards and you have a delightful afternoon

Tuesday 27 March 2012

are you ready to go back to titanic?

ellie and lottie very excited to see this in 3d on the giant screen
(not sure i want to sit for over 3 hours with uncomfortable glasses perched over my own glasses?)

best form of recycling!

4000 bottles (that's a lot of wine)

The Bottle Chapel at Airlie Gardens, North Carolina

even better at night!

shell mobile

last time at rottingdean we purposely collected shells with holes so we could make a mobile

string, a twig and shells

now hangs on the patio to remind us of a lovely day out

flubber

squirt glue into a cup to cover the bottom, add one capful of biological washing liquid

stir and stretch

flubber...slimey, gooey, ploppy and smells real good!

paper gun

it's amazing what comes up when you type 'how to make' on youtube

lottie discovered this and made it all without any help

a paper gun with paper bullets which really does shoot far with just one breath

sugar glass

lottie wanted to make sugar glass to smash over ellie's head after seeing 'science tuesday' videos on youtube

3 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

line a baking tray with foil and oil

boil ingredients for a good 15mins and add food colour if wanted

pour into tray and wait to cool

play dough

lottie wanted to make play dough, so following instructions from me whilst i put my very tired feet up after work, she did this:
take 2 cups plain flour, 1 cup salt, plop of oil, enough water to bind

divide dough into 3, add food colouring to each bit and knead in

3 different colours of dough for a lottie to mould into whatever she wanted

Sunday 25 March 2012


made zingy lemon cupcakes, brandy spice cupcakes and brownies...
my team leader made loads too...
sold at work in our department...
made 18 pounds

Tuesday 20 March 2012

my kinda place

want to go here
(california)

want to stay in 'swiss belle' room 202

want to eat fabulous food in the restaurant

Sunday 18 March 2012

happy mothers day

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer. Guide her, protect her. When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait. O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.” ― Tina Fey, prayer for her daughter, Bossypants

limey the dinosaur

it took us a while but we made him
stuffed with carrier bags which i have to say are very good for this purpose
(make a great crinkly sound when you hug him)

hanging hearts

lottie likes to order freebies off the internet
she particularly likes cath kidston and john lewis
she got fabric swatches this week

so we made hanging hearts for her bedhead and stuffed them with 'toasted marshmallow' infused cotton wool

simple running stitch around the edge and ribbon to hang
san antonio

it makes cinnamon rolls so vast i would be in utter heaven

I WANT TO GO!

Saturday 17 March 2012

st patricks day!

today celebrates the patron saint of ireland...in ireland it rains a lot so everything is lush and green...because of all the rain, shamrocks (clover) grow very well...the shamrock is a symbol of ireland...if you find a 4 leaf shamrock it is very lucky...leprechauns live in ireland and they are very naughty fairies...when they are not being naughty they are very busy making shoes and all the money they make from shoes they hide away in a crock at the end of a rainbow...if ever caught by a human, a leprechaun has the magical power to grant 3 wishes in exchange for their release, hence why some people try to set traps for them
coffee filter and coloured ink to make rainbows

gluing on curled strips for a beard

foam hearts to form a shamrock

sun and rain make a rainbow and look what's at the end!

shamrocks and a lucky 4 leaf one!

cute leprechaun
(lottie used mummy's red lipstick on her fingertips to make his rosy cheeks)

and of course what else should you have for dinner on st patricks day?
sausages and potayto!

Friday 16 March 2012

guinness and chocolate cakes


as it is st.patricks day tomorrow, i am taking cakes to work and what is more irish than the black stuff?
so buy a bottle but only use 5floz (and drink the rest whilst watching 'those who kill' on the sofa)

topped with buttercream so they resemble a pint and a hidden lucky 4 leaf shamrock under green glitter

5floz guinness, 5oz butter...melt slowly in a pan, take off heat and add 4oz white sugar, 3oz dark brown sugar, 2oz cocoa powder, 1 egg, plop vanilla extract...mix well, add 9oz sr flour...bake 20mins 170c

“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire”

Thursday 15 March 2012

brainy

charity shop purchase

option chosen

with instructions

mix water and plaster

pour into brain mould

make hearts too with the leftover plaster

once dried, label your brain with felt tips and learn what each part controls

Sunday 11 March 2012

a lovely spring day

what to do?
spend the day in rottingdean village!

lottie did some chalk art on the rocks
(having just discovered that the reason mummy could produce an instant piece of chalk is because the cliffs are made of the stuff)

rock climbing

beach in a bottle!

we then toodled off to the flea markets in the high street who had a 50p basket!
i got this...perfect for saturday and st.paddy's day

another brooch for me for halloween

a miniature fabric hand-bound notebook for lottie to keep her secrets in

a vanilla cupcake candle with glitter

pretty cake cases for the next batch
(which lottie has decided will be raspberry and white chocolate)

toss in lunch from the smugglers (chicken chunks for lottie, scampi for ellie) and a honeycomb hash ice-cream and you have a lovely, lovely day

Tuesday 6 March 2012

joy of cardboard part 2

lottie got a new bed (33 pounds sterling from tesco direct sale...was 150!)

anyway...giant cardboard box...what to do?

burn half on fire because the bin is full
use other half to make an open-casket coffin with lid for your lounge

what else?