Goodbye 2013!!

I've been trying to think of anything major that's happened this year apart from the normal birthdays, school & days out and can't think of anything....Nothing majorly bad happend which is a good thing....We've been plodding on with life....Living quite happily!!

I had to share this which I found when looking through my photos writing this post....On mothers day I got my presents and some lovely cards and Ellie's made me laugh out loud but at the same time feel so loved and lucky to have a child like her....

In case you can't read it....It says - My mom is special because she has Winnie the Pooh pajamas - Ellie Aww!! 

The girls of course had great birthdays.....11 and 6!! Someone please tell me how they are growing up so fast!!

We had plenty of great days out so much fun especially for Becky and Ellie.....Museums, parks and beaches...We also took our annual trip to the hospital for the check up on the girls hearts! The wonderful doctor said their hearts are still working fine...As well as expected to be....There has been no change since the last time we saw him....The valves are still leaking but no worse then they were...We're back in two years!! Yippee! Certainly a highlight of 2013!!

The kids weren't the only one's to have fun though....I had a fair bit of it myself too!! In June I went to see the amazing Bon Jovi while they were on tour over here.....WOW! I have had many a night out with great friends....With many a morning saying I'm never drinking again....Especially not those shots!! We saw the best Bon Jovi Tribute act 'Bad Name' again and ended up on stage with them again.....hehehe Who says kids have to have all the fun....

So all in all it hasn't been a bad year!! We are happy and healthy and that's all that matters!!

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year....Have a great night tonight. Stay safe if you are out and about and finally all the best for 2014!!

Sponge Cake Gift Card - Review!!

A little while ago I won a giveaway on Twitter from @spongecakesltd I won a 'Cake Card' I thought it was such a great idea and being a big lover of cake I thought it was a brilliant competition to win.....

Sponge Cakes Ltd sold sponge in their own cafe and deli in Holt for nine years.....The reputation and following was immense therefore they thought they would share a bit of sponge with everyone who loves cakes delivered to their door.....A fab idea!!

As well as buying the cake cards which I will get to in a moment you can also buy fantastic, delicious looking full size cakes from £11.99, baby sponges from £11.99 & gluten free cakes from £11.99...If you cannot decide on a flavour there are sharing cakes from £21.98...All flavours in one 10" Sponge cake and pre-sliced into 16 wedges, so no arguments over who gets the largest wedge. You can even buy a subscription and have tasty cakes delivered every month!! 

So onto the cake cards....I think this picture explains it all....Choose the occasion, put a message in, pick the cake, add a photo if you wish and send!! It is as simple as that!!

When it arrived it was clear what it was....I was eager to get into it!! 

What a lovely surprise when I saw the cake! A special Christmas flavour! Cranberry and Orange!! Yum!! 

It was delicious! Just enough there to have with a cup of tea....It was so tasty, still moist and full of flavour!!

These would make fantastic gifts for someone who you may not get to see on their special day!!

Silent Sunday!!

Our Christmas Day!!

Ahhh Christmas day seems such a long time ago but it was only a few days ago and no I still haven't managed to tidy up properly!! Of course we had a lovely day!! We actually got through the day without the girls fighting and arguing! A real Christmas miracle!!

We tried something new on the morning....We made the kids eat breakfast before they opened there presents....They were actually fine with it....It meant they weren't trying to eat the sweets as soon as they opened them and also helped when it came to eating Christmas dinner!! Who'd of thought it...lol

They both dived into opening their presents!!!

Becky of course got nearly everything to do with One Direction which she is over the moon with....Becky said the present ever was the Harry Styles doll....Him from One Direction! lol Oh and her new tablet.....So much faster then her old one or so she says....I don't have a clue how to use it....

Ellie got a lot of kitchen themed toys....A cooker, microwave, toaster, pizza, sandwich set and cakes all made of wood.....Which she adores!! As well as a lot of Disney Princess dolls, make up & Doc McStuffin things....She was so excited and took her time opening her presents so much so Becky had finished opening hers and Ellie was only half way through....lol

The kids got on with playing while I got on with making the Christmas dinner.....The Tooth Fairy game was a big hit and they loved their scooters! No riding them in the house but did they listen...lol Nope!! 

Christmas dinner would of been perfect but this happened just as I was dishing it up.....Eek!! The excitement and day caught up with her.....

We had 3 choices....Wake her up and her be grumpy, wait and the dinner be ruined or eat it without her.....We choose to eat it without her!! Might sound selfish but she wasn't too bothered when she woke up and realised we'd eaten without her....She had her dinner on the settee watching Toy Story 3! lol 

I have found the best stuffing ever!! Pork & Clementine Stuffing from Asda.....It melted in your mouth!! Delicious!! Stu didn't like the sound of it but when it was cooked I gave him a bit without telling him what it was and he said it was the nicest stuffing he had ever eaten! Fab!!

The rest of the day was spent playing with toys, munching on chocolate, watching tv and trying to tidy up....lol Ohh and how good was Doctor Who!! 

I hope you all had a fabulous, wonderful Christmas too!!

Our Christmas Eve!!

As much as I moan about Christmas Eve I do love it and this year we had a lovely day.....We didn't get half of the things done that I'd planned....No dvd watched, no crafts made but we were kept busy preparing for Christmas day!!

Shopping in the morning and tidying up & preparing the veg on the afternoon then more tidying up...

The fun started after bath time though!!

New Christmas Onesies....Prawn Cocktail for tea and lots of smiles and predicting what Santa will be bringing!!

We had sweets and a special message from Santa from the Portable North Pole.....Both the girls were very impressed and they were getting more and more excited!!

I didn't get to watch Eastenders in peace.....lol They wanted to put out the mince pies, milk and carrots for Santa and his reindeer's....

For once the girls were dying to get to bed....They were upstairs in bed by half eight with no arguments or messing about.....Great stuff! It gave Stu and I the chance to relax and wrap the last of the presents.....

I love playing Santa.....It makes all the stress of the last couple of months so worth it....

Happy Boxing Day!!

Merry Christmas!! Have a fab day!!

It was the night before Christmas......

It was the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode
Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
while visions of X-box's 4 and Barbies, flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
With a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.
So only the mum heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
Which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs, and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug.
"Oh great," muttered the mum, "Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake."
"Your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that?
Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat."
Sure enough, it was the mother's twin.
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch what you want."
"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true!
"I'll shop. I'll read., I'll sleep a whole night through! "

From the room above, the youngest began to fret.
"Mummy?! I scared... and I'm wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the mum smiled, "She knows her part."

The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune,
as she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon.
"You the best mummy ever. "I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you, too."

The mum frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal. "
That's my child's love, she's trying to steal."
Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear, "
Only one loving mother, is needed here."

The mum kissed her child, and tucked her into bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
when they'll be too old, for my cradle-song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the clone by his side Santa said, "Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, Mum, You'll be all right."

One More Sleep!!

Are you excited yet? Are you ready for the big day?

We're just about ready!!....We had a bit of a blip yesterday!! Weeks ago I booked my delivery slot for the big food shop to be delivered.....I checked the bank yesterday morning and the money was still in my bank which I found strange....At 1pm I got a text message saying the order had been cancelled.....I was livid!! More then enough money was in the bank!! After speaking to the call center on the phone and them telling me I can book it for another day later in the week I was nearly crying!! They didn't know what had happened so started to come to terms with the fact I would have to go and do the shopping myself....

3pm and Asda van pulled up outside!! Could it be!! Yes!! My Shopping! I could of kissed the delivery driver!! He knew nothing about the order being cancelled and just think of it as a Christmas Miracle....lol I am! What I'm finding strange is that they still haven't taken the money out of my bank!! It was there mistake....Imagine if I had dashed out to buy the food shopping myself and then it was delivered!!

Ohh well! I don't care the fridge, freezer and cupboards are fit to burst and I have found my Christmas spirit!!

I still have to go out today to hunt down some Bucks Fizz....The only thing not delivered and a few other bits to buy....The veg to prepare and have a good tidy up....
 
The kids are just about ready to explode with excitement!! lol They better go to sleep early as I still have presents to wrap....Yes I've left some until the last minute!! Then hopefully an early night as Ellie has promised for weeks that she will be getting up at 5am!! Eek!!

I hope you all have a fantastic day tomorrow!!

Our Christmas Eve Treats.....

When Becky was about 3 years old I started the tradition of new PJ's on Christmas eve and the last few years they've had their PJ's and a dvd....This year they're getting a few extras....It's purely for selfish reasons....I'm hoping to keep them busy on Christmas Eve while I'm preparing veg for the Christmas dinner....

This year they will be getting.....

A couple of Christmassy books each and some craft sets....The one's I have got them is the Christmas Stocking Sewing Kits and the Crayola Friendship Bracelet Kits....

There will also be the Elf DVD to watch.....We have seen it before and both the girls love it but we have never owned the dvd.....Popcorn of course....You can't have a film without it....New mugs to have hot chocolate in and some chocolatey treats including the Snowman which I think is far too cute to eat...hehehe

And of course they will have the Christmas eve pj's!! They will both be getting onesies....Eek! I'm so excited for Christmas....

Silent Sunday!!

Party Songs....

We all have a song which puts us in the 'party mood'.....The song you listen to when you're getting ready to go out.....Not that I go out often but when I hear these songs they really put me into the party mood....

1. Black Eyed Peas - 'I Gotta Feeling'

2. N-Trance - 'Set You Free' - An oldie but a goodie...

3. Beyonce - 'Single Ladies' (Put a Ring on It) - Fab for a quick dance around the living room....

4. Queen - 'Don't Stop Me Now'.....One to have a good sing along too....

5. Andrew WK - 'Party Hard' - We tend to listen to this at our 'mummy' coffee morning on a Friday....lol....Sure gets the weekend started!

 What song gets you in the mood to party?

 

Chocolate cocktails you have to try!!

It is the Christmas season so fancy drinks are a must.... 

How about these....Two of my favourite things! Alcohol and Chocolate....hehehe 

Chilli-spiced hot chocolate!

Hot chocolate with an injection of alcohol is one of the most delicious things in the world. This is certainly a winter warmer...

You will need:

250ml milk
3cm vanilla pod, seeds scraped out (or a drop of vanilla extract)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cocoa
1 tbsp single cream
a shot of rum (spiced is good if you have it but normal is fine as well)
tiny pinch of chilli flakes
2 cloves
½ cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp powder)

Infuse the milk, chilli, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla seeds together in a pan over a low heat. Separately, whisk the sugar, cocoa and a little cold milk together to form a paste, then add to the pan and whisk together.

Add the cream, warm gently and finally add the spiced rum. Strain into cups to serve.

After Eight cocktail!

You will need:

1 shot of peppermint schnapps
3 shots chocolate milk (either follow the instructions on the back of whatever hot choc drink you've got, minus heating it up OR buy some chocolate flavoured milk)
Ice cubes or crushed ice

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes or crushed ice. Pour in the peppermint schnapps and the chocolate milk. Shake or stir well.

White chocolatini!!

You will need:

1 1/2 ounce vanilla vodka
1 ounce white chocolate liqueur
2 ounce cream
White chocolate shavings for garnish

Pour the vodka, liquer and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a well-chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with white chocolate shavings.

Bounty cocktail!

This is a chocolate drink with a tropical twist...

You will need:

1 shot Malibu coconut rum
1 tbs golden syrup/honey
3 shots of chocolate milk

Shake well and pour over ice, top with cherry or chocolate sprinkles. Sit back, close your eyes and you can pretend you’re on a tropical island...

 

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor - Review

I hate shaving my legs...It's such a chore!....It's all lather, shave, rinse, find missed spots, repeat!! In the winter it isn't so bad I can leave them for a bit longer than usual without feeling too bad but in the summer it's every other day....Why oh why didn't I find this razor in the summer....lol

You love the feeling of soft, smooth skin, but shaving can sometimes make your skin dull and dry. Only the new Venus & Olay razor combines Venus shaving technology and Olay's skin expertise all in one. Olay Moisture Bars help lock-in moisture to your skin for less dryness*, and with every smoothing stroke, Venus 5 blades shave you close.

Just wet the razor to activate the built-in Olay Moisture Bars, releasing a light lather that contains Olay skin conditioners, to help replenish your skin's moisture. No need for separate shave cream, your skin will emerge ultra smooth and beautiful....

I usually use cheap disposable razors and use them in the shower with body wash...Really hard to keep your legs covered in body wash in the shower when there's water dripping everywhere....lol Not a problem with this at all! Just wet your legs and off you go...It creates a lovely lather it's self!!  

The razor glides smoothly over the legs at all angles and it gives a close shave thanks to the 5 blades and the added Olay moisture bars really do make all the difference...The moisture bars work a treat....They smell great and leave an amazing soft feeling even for some time after shaving.....My legs feel smooth, moisturised and fresh..

This razor has cut my shaving time in half with not a single cut to my legs and not itchiness!! It really is the best razor I've ever shaved with...

I also liked that it had the holder so I can attach it next to the shower....Way up high away from the kids!!

Prices do seem to vary.....£10.99 at Tesco or they were 3 for £10 at Asda....So make sure to hunt about for the cheapest price...

I was sent the Gillette Venus & Olay Razor free of charge to try....This is my honest review....All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Brussels sprouts....

Call me mad but I love Brussels sprouts but the only time I have them is on my Christmas dinner though....It's part of the tradition of Christmas....Of course the kids hate them....Last week they had their Christmas lunch at school and they were served sprouts with it....You'd think they had been given something to eat off a Bushtucker Trial....lol They came home saying the school was trying to poison them....A bit dramatic!!

I read earlier in the week that farmers have taken a year to perfect the taste of the NEW Brussels sprout that kids will eat....Yeah right....I'm not convinced!

Packs hit shelves last week at Waitrose where you get a 330g pack for £2.50....The chain’s innovative Kid Friendly sprouts have twice as much vitamin C per portion than an orange and are being hailed as the Holy Grail of green veg for children.....

Scientists say kids turn their noses up at pungent, grim tasting sprouts because their brains go into survival mode and send out messages that bitter food could contain toxins but these are sweet and distinctively nutty....

To get my two to eat them I think they'd have to change more then the taste...I could tell the girls they taste of chocolate and they still wouldn't eat them....lol

Do you like Brussels sprouts....Do you only eat them at Christmas?

Love From… Forever Friends Magazine - Review!!

Have you seen this? One of the cutest magazines I have seen in a long time featuring the lovely Forever Friends Bears - Love From… Forever Friends is aimed at 4-6 year old girls....Perfect for Ellie who's 6!!

Love From… Forever Friends is made up of two 16-page magazines....Each packed full of wonderful things to do such as colouring, collage, recipes, drawing and doodling...Both are packaged together in a clear Love From… branded bag which will also contains a character sticker sheet, a craft kit and free collectable stationery and accessory gifts....

When I opened the envelope it came in my first thought was Aww!! The Forever Friends bears certainly are cute....Ellie soon took it off me and got on with looking through it of course looking at the little gifts which came with it first....When she got onto reading the magazines she was quiet for a long time....Looking, reading and completing the writing activities in it....Only speaking up to ask if we can make the chocolate lolly cakes....hehehe

The magazine kept her attention and kept her busy for over a hour....She came back to it the next day and read and used it again...

I looked through the magazine and thought it was great....It is educational in a fun way.....There is plenty to read and do and of course it is so cute....There are plenty of stickers which are now all over my house....lol Ellie loves them though! The toys and little gifts were not the usual cheap tat you get on some magazines and can honestly say I thought it was brilliant!!

Love From… Forever Friends launched on 4th December and is available until 8th January....The magazine will be available at mainstream retailers including The Co-operative, Martin McColls, One Stop, Tesco, WHSmith, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Asda and Hobbycraft along with multiple independent retailers...

RRP is £3.25 which I think is average now a days for a magazine.....I think it is worth it just for the cuteness factor and the length of time it kept Ellie amused!!

I was sent a Love From… Forever Friends Magazine free of charge for the purpose of this review....This is my honest review....All thoughts and opinions are my own!!

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday

I think this will be my last meal plan for the year....Next week will obviously be a mixture of Christmas dinner, turkey sandwiches, buffet type food and probably far too much chocolate & many mince pies....

I'm so looking forward to Christmas....We're just about ready.....I still have ALL the presents to wrap which I'm hoping to get done this week before the kids break up from school on Friday....Eek I'm so excited!!

Last week the meal plan went ok until the end of the week....Stu was down with Man Flu and Ellie was sent home from school being sick on Friday so the Pork and Apple sausages with wedges got bumped to Saturday and Becky and I ended up stuffing our faces with pizza on Friday night....hehehe

So on with this weeks meal plan.....I will use the last of what I can in the freezer before the Asda delivery comes on the 23rd....lol I swear my freezer is like the Tardis....Bigger on the inside...lol Everything is going to be simple and easy to cook...Probably not the healthiest or exciting week of the year but it's all about simplicity....No faffing about this week!!

On the menu this week we have...

Monday - Fish finger sandwiches since I found 8 boxes of 10 in the back of the freezer....lol
Tuesday - Quiche and salad....
Wednesday - Greggs Sausage & Bean Melts from Iceland! 3 packs of two lurking in the freezer with some sort of chips...
Thursday - Chicken Stir Fry....I have a lot of Chicken breast pieces in the freezer too...

  Friday - Freezer diving again! I have no idea...lol
Saturday - Hot Dogs in buns....  

Sunday - Sandwiches, cakes, crisps....

As always I've joined in with the wonderful Mrs M's #mealplanningmonday linky....

Silent Sunday!!

Christmas Button Tree Decorations Tutorial....

Christmas is now less than two weeks away and most of you have probably either already got the tree up or will be doing so very soon. Although shop-bought tree decorations can look amazing, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your own handiwork adorning the tree.

 

Country Baskets have put together a fantastic tutorial to make these wonderful button tree decorations which all the family can get involved in making. The process is so simple and the final result really looks like something quirky that you could pick up at a Christmas market. So just follow these steps for your own Christmas button trees!

What you will need:
 

• Wire Reel
• Multi Pack of Buttons

Step 1

This is such an ideal festive craft project to get Children involved with so if you have them, make sure that they are right there with you!

Step 2

Choose your buttons from the pack, to keep it really festive choose green ones for the tree, a little yellow one for the star on top and a few nice red ones to make the pot at the bottom. This also works with different colours if you want to make something a bit more quirky. Place the buttons on top of each other to see how tall you would like the tree to be. This allows you to cut the wire to the correct length. The wire needs to be double the length of the tree and approximately 3 inches extra to create the tie at the bottom and the loop at the top for hanging.

Step 3

Begin by threading the yellow (or ‘star’) button and follow with your smallest green button. Keep going until you have your biggest green button at the bottom to make up the tree and add the red (or ‘stump’) buttons at the bottom.

Step 4

Thread the wire through two holes of each button to keep it secure.

Step 5

Twist the wire at the bottom of the tree to secure it all in place. Leave a folded length at the top of the tree, creating the hanging loop.

Isn't it such a lovely idea....

Currys PC World Gift Guide - #bloggergiftguide

When I think of buying electricals I always think of Currys...It's a shame we don't have one in Ashington anymore....It closed a few years ago but there's always the website.....

Currys are asking bloggers to organise their Christmas gift list for a chance to win an ACER Aspire V5-122P 11.6″ touch screen laptop!

Here is my wishlist.....Something for all the people closest to me!

I of course would love a new laptop!! You tell me a blogger who wouldn't....hehehe Mine went kaput a few months ago and I'm using the spare one the girls used to play on....There's nothing wrong with the one I'm using I would just love to give it back to the girls!!

For Stu it would have to be a fancy keyboard for his computer....He is a big 'gamer' and like's to spend his time playing PC games....Especially games like World of Warcraft....It's a wonder the keyboard he uses now isn't broken the amount of bashing it gets...hehehe

For Ellie a Tablet.....She loves playing on Stu's phone and on Becky's tablet....Life would be a lot more peaceful in this house if she had one of her own....lol

Becky would love an Apple iPod touch.....She can put all the One direction songs in the world on it and listen to them without torturing me with them....hehehe She is really into her music at the moment so this would be perfect....

For my dad and his girlfriend I would get a couple few things...A travel mug each because they are always on the go and always complain they never get to finish a hot drink.....A coffee machine!! and a Clipper gift set because when ever I see my dad he needs his hair cut...It's a long running joke between us....hehehe

This is my entry into the Currys PC World BloggerGift Guide Challenge....