The Gallery: Guilty Pleasures

I think we all have plenty of guilty pleasures - books, chocolate, boots but I’m not too sure if a shop or restaurant can count as a guilty pleasure but if it can french cafes do! At least a couple of them do which hold a load of memory’s and wonderful food. Number one would be this tiny little creperie in Paris. Having being introduced to it by my eldest friend when she was working in Paris my husband and I have visited again whenever possible together and take along my family as well. The cafe is tucked away down a little street in the St Germaine district and serves the largest range of crepes I have ever seen. Starting off with perfect savoury ones followed by chocolate, lemon & sugar or a fruit salad arranged inside! The room is one of smallest I’ve seen where a table is eased out to allow you to sit down. (ps the its the size of the window you see!) Well worth it though!

10 Things to make housework a bit more bearable

It’s the weekend and that in our household generally means housework. It’s not something we like doing however it’s a necessary evil so the best thing to do is try and make it as much fun (or at least as bearable) as possible (Two words which shouldn’t go together  I know!)

Tricks & Tips

1, Open the windows before you start. The fresh air even if its tipping down makes a huge difference!

2, Smell - Chuck a cinnamon stick in your vacuum bag or cotton wall bud with lavender or lemon on. Obviously choose a smell you like!

3, Chocolate rewards! I.e. kitchen work tops cleared – one square, Shiny sink – 4 sqs etc

4, Fresh flowers – mind tricks you see. If i see fresh flowers for some reason I want the area around it to be clean.

5, Claim illness and make your husband do it ;) It might just work!!!! And hey worth a try right?

6, Invite someone you like round for dinner or coffee. It doesn’t make the housework fun but you do get a nice reward at the end!

7, Turn it into a workout - Do you know how much energy you choose doing housework? Heres a rough guide!

Calories burned per half-hour

Doing laundry

73

Making the bed

68

Cooking

85

Washing the dishes

78

Ironing

78

Dusting

85

Sweeping

112

Vacuuming

119

Scrubbing the floors

129

Rearranging furniture

204

Yard work

170

Washing windows

102

Washing the car

102

Gardening

136

Mowing the lawn

187

Raking

146

Shoveling snow

204

Carrying a small child (up to 15 lbs.) up and down stairs

289

8, Competition time- First off though you want to make it as short as possible – Use a timer and decide say 15 mins in the kitchen, 15 mins in the lounge and try timing yourself or the kids. Its amazing what you can actually compete in that time and I have to say I tend to do more knowing that after 15 mins I can have a biscuit and cup of tea. Even turn into a competition with a little prize at the end. The children who did the best job can choose the film etc.

9, Duster shoes - If you have some wooden floor or laminate tie some dusters around your feet or the kids and have a skating race. Do be warned though if you go to fast it can be difficult to stop and it doesn’t work on carpet!

10, Music - Fairly obvious I know but it does help to have either the radio or computer blaring out cheesy music I can sing along to at the same time. Since the gym is a thing of the past I do tend to use that place list as its get me up and going.

The Gallery: A Happy Memory

The Gallerys theme this week is "a happy memory" but with a wonderful husband and two gorgeous boys who light up my life how can I choose just one happy memory! My wedding day? Either of the days my little ones were born? they day I found out I was pregnant or we'd bought a house or a trip somewhere? Every day has a happy memory!

However this is a copy of a photo I have up as does my mum and grandma. Its the first time my eldest paddled and put his feet it water and wet sand........something we now do when ever we can!

National Cupcake Week!

Its National CupCake Week this week and so I thought I’d share with my quick and simple recipe. I ended up making three batches over the weekend so I can say they do taste good!

Ingredients

For the cakes:

250 g unsalted butter, softened

250 g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp natural vanilla extract

185 g self-raising flour

60 g plain flour

185 ml milk

Method

For the cakes: preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease a 12-hole 125ml non-stick muffin tray.

2. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and beat until well combined. Sift the flours together and fold in while adding the milk. Stir until almost smooth.

3. Divide the mixture between the muffin holes then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes in the tin. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.

Now of course you can decorate them in loads of different ways (see below for a small sample) You can buttercream them, melt chocolate over them or even use sugar icing and cut out circular dishes. It’s great to allow your little ones to decorate them. Sugared diamonds, orange peel and chocolate drops are all great ways to start – why not try making some faces!

 

Free Day Out - Heritage Day

Just to remind you all that it is of course Heritage Open Days this weekend. Loads of properties through out England are open for free that are normal shut or charge admission. So why not pop along to your local one and try out somewhere new.

A List of National Trusts Free Places

Heritage Open Days Event Directory

Shoes - Guess which pair are mine!

My entry for The Gallery this weeks.

With a family full of boys see if you can guess which ones are mine! ;)

MooSkins Review

At a coffee morning the other day on the table 4 identical blackberrys and 3 Iphones lay. Needless to say while we had been chatting the children had put them in a pile. Picture the minor panic when one started ringing and we could figure out whose phone it was! That night on Twitter Tom at Moo Skins asked if anyone wanted to test one of their phone covers so you can imagine I jumped at the chance!

If you take a look at their website Moo Skins you can glimpse some of the possibilities you can use these for.


Advertising for your company or blog?

Personalised presents? 

Teenagers favourite band?

Anyhow Tom asked if I could send a picture across for mine with the result below:-

                          

And the finished product:-

                                            

When I first heard about them I have to say having seen some of the flimsy snap on cases in the shops I was a bit dubious but they’re made out of durable touch plastic and the finish is amazing.  The picture quality and finish are pretty impressive. The photo is high quality and the plastic has a photographic sheen. I was a bit worried about this but having popped it on my blackberry ten minutes later Harry dropped in on to hard tarmac – not a scratch.  And a couple of days on and it’s been thrown round the room, dropped in car parks and jostled around in my handbag with my keys and is still as scratch free as before.

Do remember to take the back off your phone off though before you pop the back on. I forgot and had a minor panic (it was very late at night!) when I couldn’t get the charger in correctly. However having taken off the back and refitted it on the charger fits in no trouble as does all the other sockets and the cameras the same as before. It would be nice if it came with instructions but it’s pretty fool proof quite frankly and my husband’s already asked for one for his birthday!

So for 19.99 which is I think is worth it pop along here Moo Skins  and have a play about.

What I'm reading this month....

Amazing book about some amazing gardens! And not just for the green fingered. Why not read about how 90% of the gardners went off to war who never came back. The amazing lost valley, the way the whole places runs without outside help!

As you know I make cakes and was drawn by the rather stunning picture on the front of this book!

Thats right! First book by our lovely @motherventing!

A book for when you're having a rough day, guaranteed to cheer you up!

One of my favourite poets and round the start of autumn so many of his fit!