An Early Harvest Of Beautiful Scottish Bramley Apples - How To Clean And Store Them Once Gathered...

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  All well I hope, and having a great week 💖 Well, it's that time of year again! It's Harvest time for the apples on our little apple tree 🍏

Yesterday was a really exciting day.  No shift at work so, helped by my beloved little assistant, our furbaby Jade, I went out into the garden and gathered the apples from our tiny tree.  Of course it helps that our tree isn't tall, there's no way you'll ever find me on a step ladder! It also helps that the apples were just falling off the tree 😊 

It does feel very early to harvest the apples, although it's only a week or so earlier than last year, but there really was no choice in the matter.  Over the past week or so we've been losing so many apples from our tiny apple tree because they're just setting out to prove Sir Issac Newton's theory by falling off the tree and bouncing off across the patio 🍎

Every spring I watch our tiny apple tree burst into gorgeous, delicate pastel shades of white, pink, green and yellow as the apple blossom appears.  The blossom eventually falls away leaving a blanket of petals on our patio looking as if we've had the prettiest wedding as it's scattered all over 💖

From this beautiful apple blossom lovely Bramley apples appear as if by magic.  We planted our much loved little tree in the back garden of our home in the spring of 2007 knowing it would take some years before we could expect apples for our kitchen.

The very first apple, a single perfect apple, appeared in 2014 and the following year, 2015, we had three apples 🍏

While the following year, 2016, in October, later than the now more usual earlier August harvests, we were blessed with only two apples again.  They might have taken longer to grow but they were the most perfect Bramley apples! Of course,  I immediately decided to make apple crumbles using these perfect apples grown in our own garden on our own tiny tree 💗

Last year we had our very first real crop of perfect apples and, by storing them properly we had apple crumbles all the way through till March this year!  To be fair though, they lasted that long (and were still perfect when I cooked the last of them) because there are only two of us and we don't have apple crumbles or turnovers or other yummy treats every single week, we're trying to live a healthier life after all 😊  When I did bake though, it was such a joy to know the apples I used were homegrown 🏡

So, why not grab a cuppa honeys and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here and I'll share our apple adventure yesterday and how you can store your apples if you too have a little apple tree...

Super Easy, Scrumptious Banana Bread - Don't Waste Those Ageing Bananas...

Hello Honeys
How are you today?  I'm trying to catch up on laundry and other little household tasks from the weekend, with the help of our furbaby Jade of course 💖

With the high temperature these past few weeks, even when it's been raining, we've been facing a too often annoying waste of fruit.  We always have fruit in our kitchen honeys, Hubby takes an apple and orange to work with him each day, along with a small "snack pot" containing nuts (right now that's dry roasted peanuts.)

The excessive heat in the kitchen seems to be really shortening the basket life of our fruit, especially the bananas.  I really dislike waste dear ones.  Everything, especially food it seems to me, is so expensive these days so binning wasted food just seems so wrong.

If we had room I'd store our fruit in the fridge but since we've gotten into meal prepping the fridge is always stocked with lovely fresh salads and glass pots of fresh yogurt and fruit.  We need a bigger fridge (and freezer) which we're working on right now, but that brings us back to lovely bananas just wilting away in the heat of our kitchen.

So, I had gone into the kitchen and spotted four little bananas that had to be used or binned and immediately thought of making some yummy banana muffins.  Having made up a (double) batch of muffin mixture (to use the four bananas) well this happened...

Yum! My banana muffin mixture actually became a loaf of banana bread and some yummy muffins too and they were wonderful!

Just like the banana muffins, this delicious loaf was so easy to make it practically made itself 😊  Why not grab a cuppa honeys and meet me back here in a few mins and I'll share how I made it 💖

Finding Smiles & Counting My Blessings...

Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  Well, here we are in August again!  How did that happen?  Summer seems to pass so fast now, I only wish winter would pass as quickly.  I know lots of people love the winter months but winter really does feel as if it goes on forever here.

We have less than six hours daylight each day in winter and I've said so many times that I'd like to hibernate like a grizzly bear every year 😊

Which season is your favourite dear ones?  Mine, without a doubt is spring.  The all too dark days of winter start to loosen their stranglehold, the temperatures begin to rise a little and our much loved garden starts to wake up from its long winter slumber.

Of course as the garden wakes up, mother nature does too.  The garden has been blessed with so many tiny visitors this year.  It's been such a joy standing at the kitchen window every day watching the birds (so many babies this year!) hopping about the lawn 💖

It's good that I'm an early riser too because they wake me around 5am with their singing, looking for their breakfast, bless them 💗  I'm sure the neighbours are used to seeing me shuffling down to the bottom of the garden very early every morning in my nightclothes to feed them, it's a wonderful way to start the day with the biggest smile 💖

I have to admit I (nearly) felt quite sorry for myself this morning honeys.  It was really difficult getting through last weekend's shifts.  By the time I finished on Saturday evening I had an awful headache and this whole week has felt like trying to run underwater.  Then to add to it all this morning I woke up with an ouchy sore throat.

Which brings us to the point of this post dear ones (and thank you for bearing with me.)  Whenever I start to feel as if I'm not coping very well, one of the ways that I can make myself feel better is by being in our garden.

Just feeding the birds can make me feel so much better, standing at the kitchen window watching them, I swear feels like it makes my whole heart smile 💗

Well, today I really needed to find my smile so I took myself out into the garden and sure enough what I found made me feel better 💗  Our tiny apple tree, which we planted the first full year we lived here, is so full of apples again this year that the branches all seem to be drooping really low with their weight. 

Our little tree produces Bramley apples, more commonly known as cooking apples and I can't wait to make some lovely apple turnovers, hubby likes those and I've promised our next door neighbours I'll make them a lovely apple crumble 💖

Like last year, the apples are all very large already.  Do you remember last year's apples honeys?

I wrapped and stored them and it took us months to work our way through them 😊

Of course when I'm looking for smiles I really only have to open our back door.  Just outside the back door, in a very large planter, we have lavender.  I adore lavender!  As do our other little garden visitors of course 🐝

I so wish I could have shown you the busy guest who was buzzing around as I was taking these photos earlier but she just didn't seem to want to be photographed 🐝  Maybe she just wasn't in the mood to stop for a chat  😊  Unlike recently when I had a buzzy friend come visit, rest a while and then fly off again 😃

I have to go get organised for work honeys, but I already feel a little better for sharing some smiles, thank you for sharing them with me 😘  I hope your day is chock full of smiles, hugs and sunshine dear ones.  Till next time, have a wonderful weekend honeys, hugs always x

 

Harry Potter Stationery Smiles...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or stores, just wanted to share a couple of little stationery smiles in the hope they'd make other stationery fans smile too 😊

Hi Honeys,
You might have heard me mention once or twice before that I'm a bit of a stationery fan... OK maybe more than a few times then 😄  I can't help it.  No matter where I am I'm drawn to all things stationery. 

Whether it be notebooks, pens, pencils or colouring pencils, they make me so happy I'm almost giddy 😊 I'm still loving my regular "me" time when the house is quiet and there's just me, a (usually) napping furbaby Jade on the sofa next to me and the sound of my pencils on the page.... joy!

If I'm in an actual, physical store (admittedly very rare these days since my limited mobility means I don't get out very much) I'm irresistibly drawn in the direction of the stationery aisle.  Almost as if it has a little homing beacon that my feet follow all on their own 😊 

If I'm online it would be a safe bet that at least two of the always-too-many-tabs I have open in my browser will be my favourite stationery stores 😊

Imagine my happiness then when Hubby brought me home a couple of surprise gifts he'd spotted in Primark (thank you sweetheart x)  Bless him, whenever he has time he quickly pops into Primark every few weeks or so to see if they have anything new in stock for me.  I'm a very lucky lady 💖 

If, like me, you're a Potter fan you'll have noticed that the packaging of Potter items is changing.  I like the older packaging, it looks... well, old 😊  The new packaging is lovely too though and I'm just grateful that there are official Potter items available to buy without the eye wateringly high price tags we've all seen online making them far more accessible. 

Why not grab a cuppa then honeys (and maybe a cookie too) and meet me back here in a few minutes and I'll share what Hubby found, including the most adorable pen and pencil set in the shape of wands 😊

Easiest, Tastiest, 4 Ingredient Tuna Muffins....

Hi Honeys,
I hope you're well and enjoying the sunny weather.  We're expecting thunder storms today, to be honest it would be a blessing really.  It might clear the air a little.  It's been so warm and humid and the rain would be great for the garden. 
So, while our furbaby Jade and I are in the living room waiting for the laundry cycle to finish I thought I'd share a little kitchen experiment that was quite possibly the best yet 😄

Do you remember those egg muffins I tried making recently?  Hubby and I loved them, paired with a lovely, crisp, salad of course, that I've been experimenting with different fillings for them every week and we've yet to find a version we didn't like!

Egg muffins make such a great snack to have in the fridge too, so much healthier to reach for a muffin when feeling peckish than to raid the biscuit tin.  Perfect for packed lunches too.

On the look out for yet another filling for our now loved egg muffins honeys, I thought what about tuna?  We're great fans of the humble pantry staple, a little tin of tuna.  Tuna salad is a long time favourite so trying to find a way to make tuna muffins seemed to make perfect sense.  Would it work though...

In a word dear ones.... yes!  I really was pleased with how these perfect little muffins turned out, Hubby liked them so much he took a couple to work with his salad next day and they were so easy to make they practically made themselves!

Why not grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes and I'll share with you how they turned out and how I made them.  See you in a few mins then....

How To Help Busy Garden Bees By Making A DIY Drinking Station🐝

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  All well I hope 💖  Our furbaby Jade and I are having a quiet day today, just like we do most days actually I suppose 😊

We've had an especially fun few days in the garden, with one of my favourite activities this week so far setting up a new drinking station in the garden for our visiting bees & butterflies. 

Do you remember last summer we set about trying to attract more bees and butterflies and ladybirds and... well everything really 😃 to our garden honeys?  Well, it worked!  I love watching through the kitchen windows for the birds, and our two regular squirrel visitors, every morning after I top up their food supplies.

Butterflies are still very rare unfortunately, so far this year I've only seen one single beautiful butterfly in the garden and that's just heartbreaking.  I remember as a child seeing so many butterflies all through summer.  I'll add a link to the end of this post honeys if you'd like to find out more about the UKs butterflies and moths, the struggles they're facing and what you can do in your gardens to help.

Our buzzy friends have been in my mind quite a lot recently, more so since I was (nearly) adopted by an adorable little bee a few days ago 🐝

Why not meet me back here in a few minutes with a cuppa (and maybe a cookie) and I'll tell all dear ones ☕🍪  See you in a mo...

A Heads Up For Any Fellow Marvel Fans: Thor Vs Loki At Poundland...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any product or store, just wanted to let fellow Marvel fans know about a surprise collectable find...

Hi Honeys
Just a quick post before I dash off to work to share an awesome tiny collectable Hubby found for me in Poundland...

You could have knocked me over with a feather when Hubby popped this onto the coffee table in front of me when he got home from work honeys 😊

I mean... it's a tiny Loki! I know, I know.... there's a tiny Thor there too but if you've read this blog you'll have seen the adorable, tiny Loki who lives upstairs in his frame, he was a gift from a dear friend who makes them. 

Of course there is also the Loki figure who now lives on that same picture ledge upstairs now too, alongside the figure of Thor actually because I mean they are brothers, in spite of their occasional falling outs and where else am I going to put a Thor figure if not alongside Loki... I'm rambling 😊

What was my point again.... oh yes!  That I'm a hopeless Loki fan, an unashamed, Marvel universe loving nerd girl who can't help adoring the poor wee put upon younger Asgardian brother of Thor 💖     

Did I just hear someone say but Loki is the bad guy?  <shocked expression> He is not!! <stamps little foot> he's just misunderstood is all and possibly needs a hug 😊

Anyway, as I said this is just a quick post to let fellow Marvel fans know that Poundland has somehow laid hands on a mini collectable which, according to the packaging, appears to have been produced for Loot Crate, the subscription box company which provides a monthly shipment of fandom and games related collectables.

I've snapped some photos of the tiny Thor Vs Loki collectable in question so you can have a look honeys...

How To Use Less Plastic And Live Healthier Too!

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or retailers, I'm just sharing how we're trying to live healthier and to eliminate as many single use plastic products as we can in our day to day lives x

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  Our furbaby Jade and I have spent today pegging out laundry working on a few tiny organisational projects and we've had a great day 😊  I still have a while before Hubby will be home from work and I thought I'd share a few tiny changes we've been making in the hopes of cutting down our use of plastics and what we're using instead...

The last few months have been all about change here honeys.  Not huge, mind blowing changes, just a whole series of little things we've done to try to be healthier and to try to make sure the things we use every day aren't having a negative impact on the world around us.

Why not grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes and I'll show you the tiny changes we've made.  No lectures from me dear ones, I promise, just some solutions I've found that I hope might help and wanted to share in case they do.  See you back here in a few minutes...

Changes In The Garden And The Easiest, Most Delicious Apple Crumble Recipe Ever...

Hello Honeys,
How are you today?  All well I hope💖  I've spent the past week or so happily shuffling outside very early every morning, at around 5am, armed with bird seed, peanuts and suet balls.  Why so early I hear you ask, well that's when I'm usually awakened by the insistent cheeping and singing of our baby feathered guests 🐦   We have baby birds honeys and oh my are they noisy in the morning!

They are hungry after all and how else are they going to tell me 😃  I'm having such a great time, standing at the kitchen sink and watching them fly in and out of the blueberry shrub and bobbing about on the lawn and patio 🐤💗

Well, while outside in the garden feeding our tiny songbirds I noticed that the apples on our little apple tree had started to appear... 

This is going to be a long post, with lots of photos too, so why not go grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie or two, and meet me back here in a few minutes... oh, and there will be baking involved so maybe grab an apron to put on while making your cuppa, see you in a few minutes...

Wanna Join Me On A Shopping Trip Honeys? An Afternoon Of Fun And Smiles :)

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or shops, just thought you'd like to come with me on a little shopping trip and share the fun x

Hello Honeys,
How are you today?  I'm having a sofa day with our furbaby Jade and trying to ignore the rain pouring down outside.  We really do seem to have had more rainy days than sunny so far this year and it would be lovely to see some sunshine🌻

After an appointment with our lovely practice nurse at the Doctors recently, I decided that since I didn't have a shift at work, I'd go to the hairdressers and have my hair done before heading home.

Well, when I got there the hairdressers was busy and it was obvious that I'd need to wait a while so I thought I'd check out a couple of my favourite shops (the hairdressers is part of our local shopping centre or mall) while I was waiting.

Would you like to share my mini shopping trip with me?

There are a lot of images in this post though dear ones so you might want to go fetch a lovely cuppa and maybe a cookie or two?

Challenge 25 - Why You Might Be Asked For Photo ID While Shopping And Which Products Are Age Restricted...

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice, I'm just trying to explain the Challenge 25 policy, used in many situations including the world of retail.  I hope it helps honeys.

Hi Honeys
When was the last time you were asked for ID?  Honestly, I never think about it unless I'm at work.  Working in retail, as I do, we sell lots of age restricted products, everything from tobacco and alcohol to DVDs and games, so naturally I'm often required to ask customers, should they be lucky enough to look under the age of 25, for ID. 

Outside of work though, well, let's just say it's been a while since I was asked to prove my age 😃 

Of course age isn't the only reason we might now be asked for ID.  Identity theft is a genuine concern for all of us unfortunately, and in today's world, everyone we interact with must be sure that it is, in fact, us they are dealing with and not an impostor.

The idea that we have to prove who we are has always felt odd to me honeys.  I mean, I'm me, right?  I know I'm me, I recognise the face in the mirror, shouldn't that be enough?

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie and we'll have a closer look at when, and why, photographic proof of your identity (and age) might be needed in an average day and what you can use to prove that you are positively you and that you're old enough to buy that computer game...

Zucchini & Carrot Noodles Baked In The Creamiest, Most Delicious, 3 (at least!) Cheese Sauce Ever...

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  We've had days of rain now in Scotland, days and days.  The closest I've gotten to our garden, one of my happiest places, is popping out to top up the bird food for our beautiful little garden visitors.

I keep telling myself that we still have most of June and all of July and there's still time for a little sunshine to arrive.  I hope so dear ones, I do love to potter around in our garden and of course there's always laundry to peg outside 😊

Well, since I haven't been able to be outside in the garden I've been pottering around inside our home instead.  Tiny organising projects, including a perfect new storage system for those Ikea glass dishes I've been collecting to allow us to dump the plastic containers for healthier meal prepping, which I'll share soon.

Speaking of meal prepping, Hubby has been enjoying taking salad to work each day with him, all prepared on a Sunday evening and thanks to those glass dishes with the airtight lids, still as yummy on Friday as they were when I prepared them days earlier! 

Of course I've been having fun making delicious dinners too.  I love to experiment and since Hubby really liked the Chicken, peppers and mushroom oven bake in that creamiest of cheese sauces (seriously yummy!) I wanted to find something else I can coat in that fabulous cheese sauce and bake for him.  Then this happened...

Do you remember my waffling on about the spiralizer we bought recently?  I'm a woman on a mission!  Constantly looking for new ways to cook assorted different vegetable noodles and we're not missing the pasta even the slightest bit 😊

Why not grab a cuppa then honeys, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes and I'll share all...

Meal Prepping For An Easier Week Ahead...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or a certain store in this post, I just wanted to share what we've been doing this past couple of weeks and how awesome we think it is 💖

Hi Honeys
Do you remember I mentioned that I was curious about something I kept seeing mentioned online called "meal prepping"?

In the past I've always made Hubby's lunch the night before of course and popped it into the fridge for him and when making a casserole or lasagne (or anything else) I've sometimes made an additional large lasagne or whatever I'm cooking to freeze for later in the week.  It makes efficient use of not only my time but if the oven is going to be burning away anyway, it's just as easy to make double and save on the eye watering fuel bills.

The form of meal prepping I keep seeing mentioned though is different honeys.  I decided to be brave and try out meal prepping (in the way it's being shown online) to see what all the fuss was about and I have to tell you I'm completely sold on the idea! I just love it!

We're into the summer months honeys, as I write this I've just pegged out lots of laundry in the gorgeous sunshine outside, and summer months in our house means salads.  Lots (really lots) of lovely crispy, green salads topped with heaps of health boosting fresh tomatoes 😋

Something wonderful has happened to our lovely salads though honeys.  Well, it's all sort of happened by accident.  Sort of....  Why not grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie, and I'll explain....

Chicken, Peppers & Mushroom Bake in the Creamiest Cheese Sauce.... yum!

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  All well and enjoying the sunshine I hope 🌻  This is our second day in a row of beautiful sunshine and, with the company of our furbaby Jade, I've been pottering around the house looking for little projects to do 😊  There's laundry of course, I adore laundry, but I also decided I'd spring clean our tiny bathroom too.  It's been such a wonderful day honeys 💝

Today I thought I'd share one of our favourite oven bakes.  It's ideal as a mid week dinner because it really doesn't take too long to make and really feels like a treat too.

We actually had this yummy oven bake last night and Hubby liked it so much he took some to work with him for lunch 😊 

Let's take a look at how to make this extra, extra cheesy, extra, extra creamy plate of deliciousness then honeys 😋  To the kitchen then dear ones...

Small Item Delivery From Ikea & A Look At What We ordered...

Disclaimer: I haven't been paid to share any products I just wanted to share my experience of online shopping at Ikea and what I choose for my first order x


Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  Our furbaby Jade and I did some laundry this afternoon, got it all pegged out and when I went out with my next wash, a gorgeous sherpa throw Jade got for Christmas from her Auntie Miriam (She still adores it honey, thank you x) I felt the rain on my face!

So, that was it, luckily the bedding and towels were all dry but I couldn't help thinking it must be wonderful not to live in the rainiest place in the world 😄

In yesterdays post I shared a tiny kitchen organising project I'd planned using some items from the Sunnersta range from Ikea.  I recently discovered that Ikea will now deliver smaller items!

I knew our nearest Ikea would deliver large, bulky items, having previously ordered a kitchen cabinet and full size worktop from them, but the fact that I can hop online and order organising project supplies and have them brought to the front door is a real game changer!   

I haven't been to my favourite store in around two years I think honeys, we don't own a car and it's just too far away, so home delivery is just the best news! 😍

So, having discovered this wonderful news, of course I wanted to try their home delivery service, so I went to their website and placed an order... 

In yesterdays post I promised I'd share the contents of this first order and I'll do that today, so, why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie or two and meet me back here in a few minutes honeys?

A Mini Kitchen Organising Project With Sunnersta!

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any items, just wanted to share a mini kitchen organising project and being excited that my happy place now delivers smaller items 😊

Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  A rainy day here all day today so no laundry being pegged outside unfortunately but laundry has to be done none the less, so not for the first time I've been so grateful that we bought the couldn't-be-without-it-now pulley 😊

Other than laundry, our furbaby Jade and I spent some time upstairs de-cluttering and tidying and also had some fun in the kitchen on a mini organising project. Well, I say we, Jade keeps me company and is in charge of smiles and bringing me one of her toys to play when I'm busy cleaning or dusting or whatever else I'm doing 😊

On Monday we did have a great pegging-out-laundry kinda day and peg out laundry we did ☼  We were also eagerly awaiting a delivery from my happy place... Ikea 😍   Now we already knew we could order large items and have them delivered (as we did when we partially re-modelled our kitchen by buying and installing a new worktop and storage unit along one wall) but I recently discovered that it's now possible to order smaller items too!

I can't even tell you how excited this made me honeys, ridiculously excited 😄

I love to visit Ikea, love it!  Unfortunately we don't own a car and it's quite some distance from our home so we don't get to visit very often.  Then there is my limited mobility to be factored in now too.

Last time we visited I was in pain for days afterwards so the very idea I can just pop online and have items for our organising projects delivered is beyond wonderful 😄

I decided I'd test the delivery waters so to speak by ordering a few items (I'll write a post sharing my mini haul soon honeys, promise.)  Included in that order were a few items I'd hoped would improve the storage we'd previously set up at the side of our kitchen cabinet.

Do you remember my dismay at the discontinuation of the Bygel range at Ikea?  Ikea replaced Bygel with a new line called Sunnersta and as it turns out, it's incredibly useful.  We even replaced the Bygel rail in the bathroom with a Sunnerta rail (and containers.)

So, for this mini organising project, we ordered a Sunnersta rail, a packet of Sunnerta S hooks and a Sunnersta container.

Have You Tried Spiralizing Yet? Zucchini Noodles In Cream Cheese... Yum!

Disclaimer: I haven't been paid to promote any products, I just wanted to share a little culinary experiment that worked out really well x

Hi Honeys
I've been having the most fun with a new kitchen gadget and had to share.  The thing is though, in search of some mention of (or dare I hope recipes?) I typed spiralizing into a search bar and wow does it seem that I'm late to the spiralizing craze!

Oh well, better late than never I suppose 😊  I'm trying to cut carbs, having been diagnosed recently with diabetes, and the idea that I can swap out things like courgettes (zucchini) for pasta is just awesome.

After experimenting recently by making one of Hubby's favourite dinners, a lovely cheesy lasagne, using long slices of courgette/zucchini in place of pasta, I'm loving the idea and wanted to try other recipes.  I then spotted my new favourite kitchen gadget online (on sale too!) and immediately hit "add to cart"

Which brings us to spiralizing...

Our new spiralizer (a Kenwood electric one) was delivered, washed and set up.  I fetched two courgettes and a large carrot and away I went.  This was my first attempt...

So, now, having lots of lovely veggie noodles, the question was, what to do with them...

A Whole New Use For Those Hogwarts Ticket Boxes...

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  We've had a lovely, quiet week here.  I've even had time to work on some crafting projects, including the one I wanted to share today 😊

Do you remember a recent trip to Primark where I bought some quite wonderfully packaged, Harry Potter themed, fluffy bed socks?

I knew I had to do something with the fabulous little boxes the socks were packaged in and today I finally did 😊

I can't wait to show you how I've re-purposed them, why not grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes...

Fun With Air Dry Modelling Clay: A Smile Filled Afternoon Of Crafting :)

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products or stores, just wanted to share a fun new hobby :)

Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  It's been such a beautiful, sunny day outside today and, with the help of my trusty assistant, our furbaby Jade, I had the best day pegging out laundry 😊 

Well, to be fair, I did all of the actual pegging of clothes but Jade always keeps me company.  Jade is in charge of smiles and dropping her ball into my laundry basket to remind me to throw it for her 💗

Other than loving the beautiful perfect-for-laundry weather, I've been dipping my toes into the pool of a new hobby this week too.  It really has been such a lot of fun honeys and I thought I'd share it with you...

Have you ever tried modelling with air drying clay?  I have to admit that my knowledge of modelling is limited to many happy hours spent playing with Plasticine as a child, but of course that was a (very) long time ago 😊

Plasticine can obviously be re-modelled over and over again. Making it perfect to keep tiny humans occupied and happy during playtime. 

The same is only partially true with the air dry clay I've been using.  It can, of course, be rolled out and modelled into different shapes and designs repeatedly but over time it will begin to harden and set into it's final shape.

Because of this, it's important to only have the amount of clay required for the task at hand out of the packaging and to immediately seal the rest into an air tight container.

This is the clay I used honeys...

I bought it from The Works and, at £4 for a large kilo pack, it wasn't too expensive to be able to try out a potential new hobby.  They have smaller packs too for around £2 I think.  Having opened the pack and cut a piece off,  I then folded the packaging closed again and popped it into one of the ever-present-in-our-kitchen Istad clip seal bags from Ikea.

I then remembered a rolling pin I'd bought some time ago from Lakeland.  It's patterned, intended to be used when cake decorating, but I've never gotten around to using it and it was still sitting in it's packaging.   
   

I've now decided this rolling pin will be kept exclusively for clay modelling, it left such a pretty pattern on the clay.  Let's have a look at what I made shall we honeys?  Don't expect too much, remember I'm only a beginner and even though I adore crafting, I'm not lucky enough to be gifted in the way so many others are who have a natural talent.

Let's take a look...

Latest Little Hogwarts Smiles 🐍

Disclaimer:  I'm not being paid to recommend any products or stores, I just wanted to share some smiles x

Hi Honeys,
I hope you're having a wonderful weekend so far.  It was such a lovely day yesterday, our furbaby Jade and I pegged out some laundry 😊 It's still a little chilly in the wind but it was such a lovely day I didn't mind all that much and the winds dried my laundry in no time.

I have to dash to work soon but I thought I'd share a smile or two before I go 😊

Do you remember the bag my dear Hubby brought me home as a surprise recently?

Well, I had a thought.  I've noticed so many "attachments" to handbags recently, you know, items similar to the tiny gorillas attached to Kipling bags?  I've seen these little "bag charms" in lots of different designs. Some are made from beads, some from brightly coloured pom poms, there are large sparkly initials... lots of different designs. 

Wouldn't it be fun, I thought, to add a bag charm to my new bag?

Spring Arrives And Brings New Life To The Garden...

Hi Honeys
How has your week been so far?  Full of smiles and all good things I hope 💖  Yesterday, we had the loveliest rain.  It wasn't heavy, depressing rain (we've had more than our share of that over the winter months) it was more a series of short showers really, it was spring rain and it made the garden look so pretty 🌹

I was standing at the back door, looking out into the garden and spotted how much our much loved peonies had grown in just a couple of days!  Naturally, I grabbed my camera in the hope of being able to share a beautiful, Scottish spring afternoon 💗 

This really is my favourite time of year.  I adore spring honeys, I love to watch the garden wake up from its long winter nap, to see new shoots on plants and most of all to see our much loved roses come back.  I so miss our roses in winter!

Speaking of roses, our beloved peonies seemed to be enjoying the rain showers...

In no time at all they'll burst into colour as they do every year, a beautiful, deep burgundy shade of red...

The Sweetest, Coolest, Surprise Gift 💖

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or stores, I just wanted to share the sweetest surprise gift from my dear Hubby x

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  I'm dashing off to work soon but before I go I wanted to share the sweetest, coolest, little surprise that Hubby brought me home 💝  This has been a week for gifts, hasn't it honeys?  With a dear friend at work surprising me with the most adorable little wizard gnome and now Hubby bringing me this... 

Honeys, I have a new work bag 💖 

These past few weeks haven't been the best, I've been feeling very drained and to be honest it's started wearing me down a little. 

Hubby came home from work with a smile and a surprise for me, bless him 💗  He'd been in Primark during his lunch break (he's always popping in to check for new Potter goodies, I married an angel honeys x) well, he'd popped in and spotted this all too fabulous bag and knew I'd love it...

Isn't it awesome?  He said that so far Primark only seem to have two designs available, the Slytherin one and a brown and red Gryffindor one. I'm sure there will be a bag for the other houses too eventually. 

Let's have a closer look shall we?

How The Sweetest Little Wizard Has Kept Me Smiling All Week...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products or stores, I just wanted to share the sweetest surprise early Easter gift from a dear friend x

Hi Honeys, 

How are you?  I hope your week has been fabulous and that you're looking forward to a wonderful weekend ahead. In the UK the clocks change this weekend, the mornings are already getting lighter and even a little bit sunnier ☼  It's such a joy to wake up and see the sun shining outside 😊 

It hasn't been the best week honeys, not a bad week or anything, but my arthritis has been trying to turn me into a human pretzel, or at least that's what it feels like 😖  It is what it is dear ones and, like all Spoonies, I try to put my best smile on and get on with things 😊  There are times when being downright stubborn can actually be helpful 😊

In spite of the creaky, painful joints though, I've had the sweetest little guy helping to keep me smiling all week 😄  Last weekend I was given the sweetest, most adorable gift by a dear friend at work.  He is the cutest little garden gnome, dressed as a wizard. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him honeys 💖 and he's the perfect wee friend for my much loved and equally as adorable Harry Potter themed meerkat, as you can see... 

Aren't they both perfect honeys?  Let's take a closer look will we?

Low Carb Spinach & Ricotta Lasagne - A Little Experiment...

Hi Honeys
Today's is an odd post....

How is it odd Rosie? I hear you say.  Well, I thought I'd share a kitchen experiment that actually worked, in that the resulting dish was honestly delicious.  Hubby liked it so much he took some with him for lunch next day, but I still feel (even though I have to admit that it did taste really lovely) a bit "..meh..." about the whole thing. 

I know, I hear you, I've said the same thing dear ones.  We carry out these little experiments in our kitchens hoping to find perfect recipes that can easily be added to our meal rotations, meals that are met with smiles and "happy to see this again" happiness from family members.

I tried to make a low carb version of what is my signature dish, and above all else Hubby's favourite meal, lasagne.  Make it I did (there are so many great low carb recipes and ideas on Pinterest, so there's no shortage of inspiration) and Hubby did in fact like it, and so did I. 

So, what's the problem Rosie?  I really don't know honeys.  I'm exasperated! It's a success, it ticked all the boxes to be slotted into our meal rotation but I'm still sitting on the fence and altogether "meh" about the whole thing!  Maybe you can help me figure it out?   

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie then honeys and we'll have a look at my little experiment 😊 see you in a few minutes...

Shopping Fun & A Mini Haul

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products or stores, just wanted to share the little smiles I found x

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  All well I hope 💗  I recently had a short, fun, shopping trip 😊   I already shared what I saw on my trip here and here honeys in case you missed them, and I thought today I'd share the mini shopping haul I came home with.  Can you believe I bought more Harry Potter socks? 😊

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie or two honeys and we'll meet back here in a few minutes to take a look shall we?

Bargain Skincare That's Worth Shouting About!

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products or stores, I just wanted to share a bargain I found and have been loving x

Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  It's felt like a long week this week honeys, not a bad week or anything, just very long and tiring is all.  We're into spring now though and the garden is beginning to wake up from its long winter nap.  I always feel better when I can spend time in our garden with my beloved roses 🌹

This is a quick post to share something something fabulous I've discovered in the health and beauty aisle at Asda.  Am I late to the party?  Does everyone else know about these already?

You might have read on this blog already that my sweet Hubby does our weekly shop because for some time now my mobility has been getting increasingly worse.  Well, each week we make up a shopping list and I'd noticed some new (to me anyway) skincare wipes, something I use a lot of, on the Asda website at the most unbelievable price too, but more of that later.  

Well, I asked Hubby to bring a couple of packs home for me.  I originally thought there was only one variety, the Fresh & Clean ones I'd seen online but in-store Hubby spotted three different types and brought me one of each home (thank you sweetheart x) Let's take a look will we... 

These skincare wipes are such a bargain honeys that I can't believe I haven't heard about them before and as I said I just wanted to share in case you hadn't heard about them yet either.  They're from Asda (Walmart) and from their own product line.  Let's take a look at the three different varieties Hubby brought home for me...

1. Clean & Hydrate: for dry skin

The wrapper says these wipes are made with sweet almond extract and hyaluronic acid, it also says they are paraben free.  Having very dry skin, this is also the pack I'd opened and have been using so far, so they're the only ones I can give my "I've been using these every day" opinion on honeys.

As with all of the varieties, each pack contains 25 wipes and is supplied, like most wipes, in resealable packaging.  The wipes are a good size, larger than I thought they'd be.  I was also really impressed by how strong they are, no tearing or splitting while using on my face, very moist and the scent is lovely.  They feel cool on my face and leave my skin feeling really clean.  I haven't had them long enough, only a few days, so I'm not sure if they'll help my dry skin but they're so nice to use I'd definitely give them a huge thumbs up 👍 


2. Kind & Gentle: for sensitive skin

The wrapper says these are made with vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5 and they are also paraben free.

I just opened the pack before writing this and the wipes certainly seem to be of the same size and quality as the Clean & Hydrate ones I'm currently using.  The wipes are fragrance free and since they are intended for use on sensitive skin, this seems wise.  The lack of a fragrance doesn't really bother me.

The wipe from this pack again was quite moist, it felt nice on my skin and when my skin dried again it felt lovely and clean. I can't find anything bad to say about these wipes and I really can't believe how little they cost... but more about that in a minute 💗


3. Fresh & Clean: for oily/combination skin

These wipes, according to the wrapper, are made with vitamin B3 and witch hazel and again are also paraben free. 

Again the wipe from this pack appears to be the same size and good quality as the others, it seems a little more moist and there is a slight scent which I can't place.  The scent isn't unpleasant but I just can't place what it is.

As with the other wipes, it felt nice against my skin and when it dried it felt good, no "tightness" in my skin which I've had with other products in the past.   

I'm really impressed by these skincare wipes honeys, I've paid far more for wipes of a lesser quality.  Now for the part that surprised me most.  These skincare wipes are on sale for 45p per pack! I know, it makes no sense does it, but there it is.  As I said I wanted to include them in this post so that anyone who doesn't know about them has a chance to grab some while they're available.

I'll be adding some more packs to our shopping list for this weekend because at that price they really are, in my humble opinion, a bargain as well as a great product.

I tried to track down web links for you and here they are honeys.  You can see the Clean & Hydrate wipes here, the Kind & Gentle wipes are here and the Fresh and Clean wipes are here.  While finding the links I discovered the Kind & Gentle line has other items such as a moisturiser for 99p!  I'll definitely be trying the moisturiser I think.  I've tried so, so many moisturisers to try to soften my far too dry skin and after all of the money spent on different creams it would just be perfect if the one that finally works is a wee bottle costing 99p 💗

Update:

It's been a little over two weeks since I wrote this post, I've been using these skincare wipes every day and I just love them!  They're every bit as good as the more expensive, brand version I've been using for a while now and because of that, as I said in the original post, I decided to stock up 😊

I added them to our shopping list and Hubby, bless him, picked up two packs of each variety in store for me(thank you sweetheart x) or at least he meant to...

This is why I'm updating this post honeys, it turns out there is a fourth variety I didn't know about!

I had asked Hubby to bring me home an additional two packs of each variety and as you can see he did pick up 8 packs of skincare wipes but mistakenly picked up 3 packs of the Clean & Hydrate and only one of the additional variety I didn't know about.

Not that this is a problem honeys, and anyway, how sweet is it of him to pick them up for me anyway? So, anyway, the additional variety is called Clean & Refresh...

4. Clean & Refresh: for all skin types

As with the other skincare wipes, these are paraben free and are dermatologically tested.  They're made with vitamin E and avocado oil.  Having used them, they are, in my opinion every bit as good as the others in the range.  They left my skin feeling so clean and there isn't that awful "tightening" of my skin as it dries that I've had before. They're just my newest favourite product and at 45p a pack they're a bargain too.   

Have you tried any of these products honeys?  Am I the only one not to have heard about them?

I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start, have fun, smile lots and hug even more 💖  Till next time dear ones, when I'll share what I bought on my mini shopping haul, hugs always x

  

Shopping with Rosie: Part Two - A Visit To Primark 💗

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products or stores, just thought you'd like to come with me on a (very rare these days) shopping trip x

Hi Honeys 

I hope you're well and the new week is off to a great start.  I've had such a busy weekend, but today is laundry day so I thought, between loading the washing machine and dryer, I'd share the rest of the photos I took during my all-too-rare shopping trip a few days ago 😊  If you missed part one you can find it here honeys. 

The photos in this post were taken in Primark. I hadn't been in for quite some time so I had no idea what I'd find there.  They seem to be having a mini clearance of older stock.  I'm wondering if that means there are lots of new items on the way? 

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie or two and meet me back here in a few minutes to see what I spotted on my visit? 

Shopping with Rosie: Part One - All Kinds of Prettiness & Useful Items in Home Bargains 💗

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products or stores, just thought you'd like to come with me on a (very rare these days) shopping trip x

Hi Honeys
I've said before that I don't go out very much anymore, my mobility is very limited so anything other than my limited shifts at work and trips to the hospital or to our Doctor's surgery happen so rarely as to be nearly non-existent. 

This week though I needed to have my hair done.  Before Christmas I'd had my shoulder length bob cut into a far shorter, easier to care for style because of the pain in my spine and shoulders and it had started to reach a length that was becoming increasingly annoying.  You know honeys, when it's not long enough to pin back or pull up into a bun out of the way but long enough to just be irritating and sort-of-in-the-way 😊

So, having recovered (mostly) from a very busy weekend shift at work, I phoned a taxi and off I went up to the shopping centre/mall.  Since Hubby does our weekly shop every week (thank you sweetheart x)  and it had been quite sometime since I'd last had the chance to visit some of my favourite shops I thought I'd take my camera so that you could join me 💗

I ended up with a lot of photos though honeys, I mean really a lot, so I've had to split this post into two parts.  This first post will share what I saw in Home Bargains...

Now, as I said I hadn't been shopping in quite some time so there were a few ranges I hadn't seen and some of them are so pretty!

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie or two dear ones and meet me back here in a few minutes?  This is a long post with lots of photos and I can't wait to show you what I saw...

Egg-stra Yummy, Cheesey Egg Muffins...

Hi Honeys,
I'm sorry I've been missing, I'm still battling my don't-seem-to-want-to-hold-a-charge-for-very-long body batteries but I'm still enjoying my morning yoga, the garden is starting to wake from it's long winter nap and summer is on its way, how could I not be smiling 😃 

I've been experimenting in the kitchen again honeys 😊  Since it's been raining all day today, and since Hubby has a long, busy commute home, I wanted to make something nice for dinner and this happened... 

I love mixing and matching and creating things in the kitchen honeys, don't you?

Recently, I was in the kitchen looking for inspiration for dinner that evening.  Nothing in the fridge or freezer was "jumping at me" 😊  It's not just me is it?  I often wander into the kitchen in search of some ideas for that evening's dinner.  Opening the fridge and just staring, waiting for something, some notion to jump out and.. that'll be dinner 😄

You might remember I had a really bad tummy bug over New Year?  There's not enough yuk in the world for how I felt, well, a little over three weeks later when I started to feel human again (horrible bug, not a fun way to spend the holidays honeys, really) I decided that one of my new years resolutions was to take more care of my health.

Living with long term health conditions can wear a person down honeys, they have me.  I think somewhere along the line it all got too much and I think I just gave up.  I know, I keep saying we can't give in, we can't let illness win but it did... for a while anyway.

This year, and after talking it over with Hubby of course... well, I'm not going to cook separate dinners for us both every day that would be silly, not to mention a whole lot more cooking, well, I decided I would try, as best as I could, to adopt the Mediterranean diet.

Having taken that decision, detective work was done by reading as much as I could, shopping lists were made and just like that we're eating oily fish, such as tuna steaks, at least twice a week, and our diet is so full of beautiful colours! The bright, vivid reds, yellows, green and oranges of the peppers, the lush green of the broccoli and spinach.  Yep, I said it, I love spinach 😊

So, onto these beyond delicious muffins then honeys.  I do love muffins, do you?  Till now though I've always made fruit muffins using berries or bananas but having made these savoury egg muffins I'm in love!  Seriously, if you make these once they'll turn into a family favourite for sure.  Hubby's already said he'd like them again, and wouldn't say no to finding a couple in his lunchbox with a salad in place of his usual baked potato... success! 😊

Why not grab a cuppa and maybe a cookie and meet me back here in a few minutes and we'll make some scrumptious cheesy muffins?

The Good Place.... A (Really) Good TV Show.

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just sharing my thoughts on something that's really made me smile 😊

Hi Honeys
Have you been bewitched by The Good Place yet?

On 13th December last year Channel 4, here in the UK, began screening season one, having spent the previous couple of weeks teasing audiences with a trailer.  From the first time I saw the trailer honeys I was hooked!

Wait a minute though, I'm assuming that everyone has watched this fabulous new sitcom and maybe you haven't seen it?  Just in case, I promise I won't allow any spoilers in this post 🙋

Let's take a closer look shall we?

Happy February Honeys

Hi honeys,
Well here we are on the first of February already.  The weather is dreadful, almost everywhere is covered in snow and ice and it's so cold. 

My thoughts, as always at this time of year, turn to spring 😊  Does anyone else adore spring as much as I do?  Watching the garden slowly wake from it's long winter nap, seeing the days get slowly longer and, in spite of the cold, if we're very lucky actually seeing the sun now and again ☼ 

To take our minds off the cold and snow honeys, I thought I'd share some roses and some beautiful lavender too with a tiny visiting bumble bee 😊

I feel better already 😊 It won't be so long till we have lovely spring days honeys, till then, please stay warm and have a wonderful weekend, hugs always x