Monday 31 March 2014

Fine & Superior promotion!

Last month Fine &Superior were giving away a silver plated photo frame with each order over £100.  I was lucky enough to be sent one to review as part of a blogger programme connection.
 
 
The frame is beautiful and delicate which was perfect for a black and white picture we have from when Evie was small. 
 
All other frames seemed to over power the photo but this one just helps frame her cute little face. 
 I have another on my wishlist for when Amelia is here - then we can have matching baby pics without any fuss!
 
I am sure Fine & Superior will be having more promotions coming soon and I promise to keep you informed of any I think will be of interest to you (my readers) 
 
Who knows we may even have a little giveaway!!
 
TTFN
Debbie
x
 
I was sent a frame to review, all opinions are my own and I was not paid for this post.

Sunday 30 March 2014

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Take a look at the followers list on the right hand side.... 23 more public followers and I hit a rather large number!
 
Help me reach it and I think that is cause for a fabulous giveaway don't you?!
 
Pop on over to my blog facebook page too as I only need 125 more followers to reach 500 - not bad for only having it up and running less than a month!
 
EEK exciting times ahead!
 
Good Luck
Debbie
x

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Handpicked Collection - Connock London Kukui Oil Candle Giveaway! QUICK!!

The fabulous people over at The Handpicked Collection have sent me one of the most fabulously scented candle from Connock London to review  AND ANOTHER TO GIVEAWAY TO ONE OF YOU!!

This candle is AMAZING!  The scent throw is huge and is one of the only candles to have filled the whole house with scent when lit! (yes even you Yankee haven't managed that one yet!) 
 
The fabulous scent of Gardenia and Jasmine blend with a warm woody base and make you smile....yes it really does!
It even says on the box - Infused with sensual, exotic fragrance of Hawaiian flowers (if you cant get to Hawaii - bring Hawaii to you!)

The glass which contains the candle is stunning in its own right and will most definitely be used once empty to store my make up brushes!  Contained within the gift box is a pack of Connock signature candle matches too so no rustling round for a lighter or left over matches anymore!  They have thought of everything! 
 
RRP: £34.95

Entering is simple - follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below. To gain extra entries complete all steps:


Winner will be picked on Mothers Day - Sunday 30th March so would be a fabulous treat to yourself!

TTFN and Good luck
Debbie
x


Sunday 23 March 2014

Behind the Scenes!

We decided this weekend we would take a trip to both my mums and hubbys mums to drop off Mothers Day pressies early and scope out hiding places for the Easter Eggs!
 
Tying it all in together for an upcoming post about a big Easter Egg picnic that I have planned!  
 
The kids are so excited and when I tried to take a photo of them on the way this was the result.
 
..why did I expect a normal picture!! lol 
 
Crazy kids!
 
We have so much planned for all the kids, mum lives on a retirement park near a castle so the perfect setting for a huge Easter Egg picnic party with grandchildren of some of the residents and others popping by to sample the dessert table and play all the games we have planned!   Together with some lovely people that I am reviewing products for its going to be AMAZING!!
 
The fabulous Hen & Hammock have sent a giant jenga set for us to play with and review -
 
 
...it was plain wood (oh yes... freshly cut wood smell when I opened the hessian sack - doesn't get better than that!) but I decided to paint it pastel colours to tie in with the whole Easter theme and may even pop some spring time quotes on some or little challenges the kids have to do - of course they wont see them until its too late and they've already popped them out of the tower! 
 
Might be a good way to tire them all out! lol
 
With am Easter Beach BBQ (lots of games, food and grown up fun!) planned too I can see lots of exciting things coming up with recipes, challenges, home made games and party planning posts :)
 
Must get back to the paint brush - Ive done baby blue, pastel pink and chocolate brown (well it is Easter after all!) and I have 12 bricks to paint in a lovely pale sage colour now...
 
Do you have anything planned for Easter?
 
TTFN
Debbie
x

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Win £50 to spend at Collectables2You!

Another fabulous giveaway, exclusive to the readers of my blog as the winner will be chosen from the rafflecopter widget!!
 
Help Collectables2You reach 1000 likes on Facebook and win £50 to spend!
 
There are some fabulous goodies to choose from including my personal favourite collectables, Willow Tree...
...There is also Disney, Magnificent Meerkats, Dolls & Toys and so much more to choose from when spending your voucher!!
 
They are a local company to me and deserve to be shouted about!  Get entering and stock up on goodies for upcoming birthday or even Christmas pressies!
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner will be picked at 1000 likes so I have had to extend the closing date of this competition.
 
Good Luck
TTFN
Debbie
x

I was not paid or given anything to promote this store and all opinions are my own.

Tuesday 18 March 2014

My last week via Instagram!

I love Instagram!
 
Sometimes it just takes a simple shot to sum up a happy moment or to capture something that makes you smile...these are some of my happy moments from the last week!
 
My little lion (Crunchie) curled up on the sofa sleeping... 
 
Evie made us all Toffee Apples for after dinner with her play dough...
 
 We were woken with the purring of a cat (Crunchie again) which made Evies morning!  She would have them sleeping in the room if we let her!
 
Evies night light...she forgets its on though but thankfully its only battery operated! lol
 
First day out of the house in over a week, I managed to hobble to the park with Stuart and the kids but thanks to SPD it killed me for the rest of the week :(   The kids have so much fun though and Stuart takes them most days, Nina chases the boys all over and loves to be out and running!
 
 Peeps!  The first time we have tried these - they just look perfect for an upcoming Easter project but Evie and Ethan broke into one of the packs already!
 Nina settled in her new bed (ok so its an oversized plastic crate filled with old blankets and cushions but she loves it and it means we don't have dog hair on the sofa anymore!!) wohoo!!
 
My baby house!  We have never known a baby wriggle like this one!  She is constantly bouncing off the walls in there and you can really tell when shes awake as theres no stopping her!  This was taken one night while I was trying to sleep - unsuccessfully!
 Twix isn't a cuddly cat with me but decided to favour my shoulder one night which I knew needed to record it!  It was lovely ...except the claws in the neck!
 
Stuart building up the Teepee we have been sent to review! Evie said it was the beautifullest thing shes ever seen!  lol
 
That was last week in recap :) 
 
I enjoyed looking through them so think I may make this a regular thing - as long as I remember to take the pics for Instagram to start with! lol
 
Do you use Instagram? 
I would love to follow and see what you all get up to too :)
 
TTFN
Debbie
x

Sunday 16 March 2014

Sunday Giggles!

 
 I had to share these pictures of Evie having fun on a supermarket ride. 
 
The boys were running round it after her and high fiving her etc.....
 She thought it was hilarious!!
Too cute!
 
TTFN
Debbie
x

Saturday 15 March 2014

Mothers Day is coming!!

Mothers day will soon be here and I know for one the last thing I want is chocolate.  This baby weight is going to be hard enough to shift without adding extra to it! lol
 
I am however a huge fresh flower fan, theres nothing as nice as receiving a gorgeous bunch of flowers to make a girlie smile!   When Bunches offered to send me a Mums Pride bouquet I almost danced around the room....its not that hubby doesn't buy me flowers but lets just say its few and far between! ;)
 
 When the box arrived the flowers were securely packaged and the stems were in a little box of mulch which kept the flowers looking extremely fresh.  The smell when we opened the box was fabulous and smelled of spring, always a bonus not to be hit by an overwhelming scent of pollen etc!
Having taken the bouquet from the box I realised the stems were fabulously long so all of those tall vases would display this array of blooms in a sunning setting. 
The vase I used was slightly smaller so after trimming down the stems I popped them in the water and was so happy with the way they fell.
 
Sometimes you have to mess around to make some flowers stand out more than others but this bouquet is choc full of deep purple Carnations, pink Aqua Roses, white Euro Chrysanthemums and hot pink Dutch Tulips.  With the addition of Dainty pink Wax Flower for a wonderfully rustic finish.

This Mums Pride Bouquet is £23.99 including delivery and can be delivered from the 18th onwards!
 
I have used Bunches in the past to deliver flowers and have never been let down, I would highly recommend their service especially coming up to important dates *cough cough* hubby I hope youre reading this too!
 
TTFN
Debbie
x
 
I was supplied with a bouquet of flowers and asked to review them, all opinions and photographs etc are my own.

Thursday 13 March 2014

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Cheesecake!

My take on Nigellas Cherry Cheesecake :)
 
Ingredients:
200g crushed digestives
60g melted butter
 
300g cream cheese (I used sainsburys own make)
150g Dark Chocolate
60g Icing Sugar
200g Morello Cherry Pie Mix
284ml Double Cream
 
Chocolate sauce and Cherries to decorate 
 
Serves 12 - calories per slice (you don't want to know! haha)
 
1.  Crush the biscuits and add the melted butter (I did all of this in a food processor - so much quicker and easier than the plastic bag bashing method!)
2.  Press into a 9 inch tin and refridgerate while you prepare the rest of the cake.
3.  Crush the chocolate in a food processor too to get really fine chips.
4.  In a mixer add the cream cheese, icing sugar and chocolate and blend slowly until completely mixed.
5.  Fold in the cherry pie mix.
6.  Whip the double cream until soft peaks form.
 
7.  Fold into the cream cheese mix.
8.  Empty on to the biscuit base and smooth.
9.  Allow to set in the fridge for around 3 hours.
10.  Drizzle with chocolate sauce and a good spoonful of cherries.
 
11.  Slice and Serve!
 
Enjoy
 
TTFN
Debbie
x

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Life with a crafty 3 year old!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised really considering she has seen me crafting since day one but Evies love of making things just blows me away!
 
She wakes up and asks what we are making today? 
 
 Can we paint? 
 
Bake cookies? 
 
Make play dough?!
 
There's no stopping her! haha
 
When we were asked to be part of the Baker Ross Blogger Network I knew I didn't even need to ask her if we should take part - we jumped at the chance and are very honoured to be able to play with such a selection of fabulous goodies!
 
So far this week we have made 2 foam treasure chests for Mothers day and we will fill them with homemade cookies and treats!
Evie loved sticking the hearts and stars on to decorate, she needed a little help putting it together but held each piece until I needed it (....she has to know shes done as much as she can to help!) 
 
I think its a girl thing! ;)
 
We also painted some Mothers Day cards..
It was easier for her to ignore the fiddly bits and just go straight for mass coverage! ;)
 (the only bit I did on this card was to paint the face over the hair (...otherwise it made me look eerily like the girl from The Grudge and freaked me out a little!!) 
Evie was so funny as she wanted to wear her Snow White dress  but wouldn't put it on until she had done the painting .... "i might get paint on my pretty dress"...
 
After a Nutella sandwich (...her current Princess lunch!) and a change of clothes, Snow White was ready to add the finishing touches...
She explained it all to me!
 
 I have a bracelet (which im presuming is wrapped around my neck!), the biggest smile in the world and heart boobies!!
 
Oh well if you have to have them on display at least make them pretty! lol 
 
Im going to link up all the items used during this post down below so that if you fancy having a crafty afternoon with your little one then they are all to hand :)
 
We are now off to eat the gingerbread men (...and butterflies and crowns!) we made yesterday,
 
...a nice ice cold glass of milk while sitting in the sun too - oh the joys of spring!
 
TTFN
Debbie
x
 
 
We received a box of supplies from Baker Ross as part of the Blogger Network, All opinions are my own.

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Fresh Fruit Ice Lollies!

Anyone else loving the ball of yellowness in the sky lately! 
 
I hope it stays - we deserve to have a fabulous summer, its been far too cold for far too long!! 
 
On that theme we decided to make some fresh fruit ice lollies at the weekend.  The boys aren't huge coconut water fans so it was left to me and Evie to eat them all - not a bad thing concidering how good they are for you!
 
First we dropped raspberries, pomegranate seeds and blueberries into the ice lolly moulds...
 
Topped them up with fresh coconut water... 
 
Popped the lids on tightly and then it was into the freezer overnight! 
 
Snow white certainly enjoyed her new ice lollies and its peace of mind that there are no nasties in there too - no colourings, flavourings etc - just fresh fruit and natural waters!  
 
Enjoy
TTFN
Debbie
x

Monday 10 March 2014

Vistaprint Wall Calender Review!

I was looking through my old blog posts and realised how much I enjoyed baking - which I haven't done much of lately due to my hip pain meaning I cant stand for too long! 
 
I really want to get back into it and have made a pledge to bake at least once a week - I love baking more than I do pain so im sure I can battle through! lol
 
Anyways...when I got the opportunity to review Vistaprints selection of Wall calendars I knew exactly what I wanted to do. 
 
There were so many foodie photographs on my blog where I said "ooh I forgot about those!" that I thought I would get 12 of them made into a calendar!
 
I tried to co ordinate them with the months - ie Summer Fruits for the start of the sunny seasons,
 
sweet mince cupcakes in November
 
and Rocky Road for Christmas!
 
This would make a fabulous gift for someone who either loves to bake or select pictures of fun things you have done over the year to remind you to have just as much - if not more - fun next year!  
 
I have lots of pictures of Evie so im going to get another made 12 photos during her first year!  Starting in May when Amelia is due I will have a photograph for each month which will show Amelia growing with Evie - it will not only bring back lots of lovely memories but allow us to see just how much alike or different raising two girls is!
 
I love the quality of the calendar and have never been let down by Vistaprint with both business and personal cards too. 
 
TTFN
Debbie
x

I was given a wall calendar of my choosing to review, all opinions are my own.

Saturday 8 March 2014

Quickest, Easiest and Best Ever Play Dough!

Evie is a huge Playdoh fan but goes through it like a girl possessed!
 
If its not left out to dry, its all clumped together in one lump until it resembles something our dog could have left as a surprise!
 
We knew we had to do something to keep her supplied and that was when we came across the most fabulously quick and easy Play Dough recipe!
 
What you need:
 
2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tbsp. cream of tartar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of boiling water (added until mix is right - I used approx. 1 1/4)
couple of drops of glycerine
couple of drops of food colour
 
Measuring spoons
Bowl
Mixing spoon
 
Rolling pin, knife, cutter - toys to play with! :)
 
Measure out and mix together the flour, salt, tartar and oil.
 
 
Add the water in 1/2 cups and mix well until sticky but combined.
 
Add the food colouring and glycerine and again mix well.
 
Allow to cool slightly.
 
Remove from bowl and kneed until it is no longer sticky and becomes fully pliable!
 
All done - there is more than enough to put half away for later!
 
 
Store in an airtight container for up to 6 mths!
 
And this post shows it is easy enough for a 3 year old to do - obv mummy did the boiling water but the rest is Evies work :) 
 
TTFN
Debbie (and Evie!)
x