Spring days..........................................x

I love this time of year.........blooms, sunshine, even boardering on picnicing ( albeit in snuggly jumpers, clutching a hot cup of something )......

As I write today, I have the two bumblebee's upstairs playing with two other children.......I can hear muffled voices, the occasional squeal, but more than that......I can hear birdsong. Windows thrown open, back door wide open.......fresh air through the house, bringing with it the promise of warmer days, garden days, lazy sunshiney days, reading books in the garden days.....under the dappled shade of the crab apple tree.

Ahhhhhhhhh I love our English springtime, we've even played wizards chess on the grounds of a local Estate......( ok, perhaps NOT wizards chess, but - is it wrong I wished it was? And maybe even pretended a little bit it was????? )

In other news..............it's all pinkin pink at the mo here. Starting with a little jobbie I was wanting to get on with errrrrrr since the day we moved in the cottage some three years ago..... the coal bunker. Right firstly, I didnt want to get rid of it, too much hassle, mess, and it's quite a good storage thingy....so you know the drill round these parts by now....It had to be painted right? Out came the Annie Sloan, bita red, bita white, and oooooh a nice pink evolved ( Q still raises his eyebrows at it as he walks past it )....I like it......ever so.......

I'm not sure there's even such a thing as too much pink....is there?

I hope not, have just bought some more PINK paint......yippeeeeeeee I squeal leaping up and down like a frog on a lilypad.......

( actually the kitchen just needs refreshing, tis already pink don't you know.......but this time it's called HOT PANTS........these companies know me so well " right bigwigs, lets name our paints funny names like top banana and hot pants....that Nattie down in zummerzet will lap it up.........this is what we must do"....and they did didn't they?

Must go and lay down, think I've drunk too much tea today...

xxx

Happy Easter Y'all......................x

I must admit to having had quite a lovely week so far. And now what is that you say? Eastertime?CHOCOLATE? ......Here's the thing.........I LOVE chocolate, it's quite possible I have a problem actually. So I will be eating vast amounts of the stuff, and no apologising about it either. Lifes to short don't you think, to not allow yourself some naughties every now and then?

I also made some hot cross buns today too. My first shot at these...ever. Though I usually like my baking to be quite quick because I either. 1. forget about things in the oven etc and 2. get bored. With these ( recipe on bbc good food website ) I literally breadcrumbed up the flour and butter then whacked everything into my bread maker to proove.......no cursing the flipping room temperature ( or people opening and closing doors )....no cursing the dogs for jumping up and eating the dough ( they do this alot, any food, even cake cases, nothings safe........little tinkers actaully they usually get called something else, not fit for here ) easypeasy..........

....Or you could just go down to the supermarket and grab 2 for

£2....ahhhhh but then, you wouldnt have wonky crosses, or perfectly warm buns drizzled with golden syrup ( putting on my best Marks and Spencers advert voice) sliced and spread with butter...oooooh I say!!!!

Will the Easter bunny be hopping about your garden, leaving chocolate eggs for lucky finders keepers.........

Will you, like me, have chocolate smeared around your chops now until you see sense, or at least until will power kicks in? ( WHAT is that by the way....will power, I'm not sure I've even heard of it before...)

Here the Q's will be spending Easter Sunday gobbling chocolate, drinking tea, depending on weather playing board games/dog walking/bike riding, eating yorkshire puds...........and feeling full.

Wishing you all a wonderful day...Happy Easter.....enjoy, be happy, eat chocolate........over and out.

xxx

It's time......................................x

It's been a while, and truth be told, I've missed blogging this last week or more. A busy few weeks took over, and I'm afraid to say it, but I seem to be the only female on the planet that can't juggle very well..............

So, sigh, I'm going to take the Easter holidays to re group my thoughts,  direct my attention to the bumblebees,  discover some new inspirations, and take a break....stop.......and be.

I think this must be how most of us feel from time to time. But it's good. It's good to take time away from the normal things to you, and come back fresh, new, happy and inspired.

I will pop in ( I know I can't stay away too long....I'd miss you all terribly! ) and share soon though.

Ho hummmmmmm..........there is one thing on my mind. Windows. THE bedroom window. Stripped, sanded, undercoated, painted, puttied, pheeeeeeew it's tiring ( for Q at least ha!  )......7 more to go.  But once I spy the Vert de terre (paint ) going on....................oooooh I do get excited, I really do. I love green. I heart you green, greeny green, you are my most bestest, most favourite colour in the whole entire universe..........you are, you know it.

Enjoy your Easter hols lovelies.......I hope the sun shines, and the chocolate lasts.

xxx

Easy Ice-cream lemon and Vanilla Cupcakes .......x

In all the madness and busyness this week.....some cupcake making happened. For a class 1 cake sale......what do kids love? Cakes? Ice-creams? Lets put them together.............

Ice-cream Cupcakes.....

6oz unsalted butter.

6oz caster sugar.

6oz self raising flour.

half teaspoon of baking powder.

1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

3 free range eggs.

2 tablespoons of milk.

Pre-heat your oven to 200c........

Mix butter and sugar until light and creamy, then sift in your baking powder and flour, add the eggs, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Next add the milk, this give the batter a lovely creamy texture, and makes it easier to work with I find ( I always use milk in my basic cake recipes)

Now spoon in to cupcake cases....or if you are making these for little people, fairy cake cases would probably be better for them , as there is ALOT of icing to these cakes once finished.

Bake in the centre of your oven for around 15 minutes ( 10 if making smaller ones ) or until risen and lightly golden. You can always use a skewer to test the middle.

Leave on a wire rack to cool completely before adding.........

Lemon Icing.....

3.5 oz unsalted butter.

8 oz icing sugar sifted.

1 lemon.

This is a basic butter icing, but using lemon for flavouring. I find using the lemon makes for a nice smooth icing which will be a dream to pipe out.

I pop the butter and icing sugar in a mixer and blast for a few minutes, once combined, I then squeeze some lemon in and then mix again....be careful not to over mix. How much lemon you add is entirely up to your taste buds...we love lemon, so practically a whole one goes in.

Now using a piping bag ( disposable cheap ones can be found in most kitchen shops, or try the web )...and I simply cut the end off, filled the bag with icing and piped in an ice-cream manner...imagining I was a 1950's ice-cream lady....There's no need for fancy piping sets and bags here, I personally HATE swirly poo looking topped cakes ( sorry to put you off ), though this one demands a large swirl!

Add hundreds and thousands then using a flake chocolate bar, quarter it, and add 1 quarter of flake to each cupcake, pushing down through the icing into the cake to secure.....

Don a tea dress, curl your hair, add red lipstick.........and afternoon ice-cream style tea is ready...enjoy x

Oh the weekend joys.......

..............................of teaching biggest bumblebee to use the singer sewing machine to make a dress for her soft bunny..........................

.....................of reading the weekend papers with a glass of red......................................

............of noticing the sunlight bouncing on garden picked grape hyacinths and daffodils................

.........of re-reading Mother's day cards and poems over and over again, and displaying them for the world to see..............

............................of placing potatoes to be chitted on the window sills, looking forward to all the yumminess they will bring later in the year.....

..........of receiving two glorious books from the bumblebee's, and actually being able to read them a while, uninterrupted I may say...............

................................am still dreaming of my weekend.....................................xxx................................

A weekend wander.........x

Meandering through magnificent gardens, wandering historic rooms full of secrets past, this afternoon was time to get out national trust cards out, and have a little visit to a local house and gardens.

Montacute is such a pretty Somerset village, but also a great way to spend an afternoon, when you don't quite know what to do, because you've spent the morning food shopping and saying goodbye -till the next visit, to Grandpa ( off he zoomed back to Sussex ). And waiting to take a bumblebee to a birthday party late afternoon........a few hours to kill.....then lets soak up a bit a Englishness ..........."oooh yeah" we said....( and pocket monies were spent in the gift shop, more tat, but what can a girl do? They love all that nick nack  nonsense, anyway, mostly it'll be eaten by one of the dogs, or sucked up the hoover....I don't mind which )...............

Now can I just mention a most excellent giveaway on one of my most favourite blogs?  A THRIFTY MRS X is giving away something quite perfect...go take a peek and enter, though if you win, you will have to give the prize to me as I told you about it. Those are my terms..............hehe...

Hope all mummies everywhere have a lovely day tomorrow......sending much love to you all, we have the best job in the world. THE BEST, and no matter how tough or testing it can be at times, just a little smile, a hold of your hand, those three words spoken oh so softly, you feel like your home. Where you are meant to be. Doing what you are meant to be doing, with those lovely people you love so much.

xxxxxxxx HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY LADIES xxxxxxxxxxx

Going slowly.....................x

My mind is as muddled as my knitting basket......I'm having a day to be me today. 

 Though am slowly doodling with some work I've been asked to do.....listening to Ed Sheeran, looking out of the window at the daff's........and even though it's a damp, foggy Somerset day. It's beautiful to me. And perfect for my frame of mind today......

 I think even Sethy dog is having a day to himself......dreaming about bones, biscuits and apples ( he like apples, infact he's crazy for them.....and I'm sure he smiles at you when you give him one....funny chap )

Hope you are all finding time for you today x