Family Sunday :)

DH has been flying today and my mum, sister and niece came to visit. Five noisy kids, one very long game of trivial pursuits and some baking this afternoon (chocolate cookies for the boys packed lunches tomorrow - cranberry and white chocolate cookies for dh - hes addicted!) Detox starts tomorrow so i have bowls of healthy snacks incase i want to pick - fruit, veg, nuts, pulses etc......im onto my 3rd day without caffine and after a whopping headache yesterday i feel so much better today. All im drinking is camomile and fruit teas. After 21 days of the detox and no meat or alcohol i am hoping to maybe carry on after that and turn vegetarian. ( notice how i didnt say tee-total! LOL) I cant promise anything as ive always been a meat fan but im trying concious eating and will see how i get on! Oprah has a lot to answer for! LOL

I have loved having the boys off school but boy are we all ready for tomorrow! The novelty of being off has worn off for them and im looking forward to having a routine back. Uniforms are ready, packed lunches are planned and the alarm clock is set :)

Oh and arent these stamps just the cutest ever!!

Chocolate overload!

Today i made Nigellas Chestnut Chocolate pots - wow are they rich!! May seem silly but i think you actually have to eat them with cream to cut the sweetness! LOL
Unsweetened chestnut puree ready to mix with sugarsweet chestnut pureeCrushed chocolateFinal mix of all the ingredients, milk, cream, chestnut puree, egg, rum and chocolate.Pour into cups and chill for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a week.I managed to source a seller for the cooking lavender!! The Spice Cellar These fab little jars arrived this morning and i cant wait to try some Vanilla Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting!!
So far im managing to keep up with the layout a day for 2009 - i have finished 3 already! The boys have so many games and toys to play with i hardly see them unless its feeding time or they want to help me bake! LOL

Lazy Saturday......

I went bargain hunting yesterday whilst out on the hunt for printer ink. It wasnt intentional though but when i was in M&S i spotted the chocolate cups my mum has mentioned before and im sure she paid around £2/£3 for a pack......2 packs left......never had them before....oh no what do i do theres no price on the shelf!! EEK!! OK, pick up both packs as someone else is eyeing them, wander over to the checkout and ask if she can check the price........ 96p!!! I almost took her hand off! LOL *i promise the diet is still starting monday as these have until 05/09 date on them so no hurry* haha
While i was at the checkout though there was little box that someone had obviously changed their mind about then just dumped. It looked like a sweet little jam box and it wasnt until i got outside i saw what it actually was....so happy, simple things n all that!! :DThen a visit to Accessorize saw me bagging a new ring (its HUGE), a fab new locket necklace and a lovely little sweet thoughts book (plain inside to record things) - all for £6! The ring was meant to be £10 before the sale so i was rather impressed! :)I got back just after lunch and I finished my first layout of 2009 (bearing in mind i hardly scrapped at all in the latter half of 2008)Chatterbox papers
butterfly button embellishments
Rub ons
chalk ink
Gems

Claire gave my blog a lovely award :D I have to post a piccie of the award here and list 5 obsessions (im not going to go down the family and friends route as there arent enough numbers so i will do a purely selfish pleasure obsession list!) i have then pass the blog on to 5 more fab bloggers :D

My five obsessions are:-

Baking
Scrapbooking
Cardmaking
Sewing
Reading

This is hard as i love so many blogs its hard to choose just 5 so I pass this award on to the first 5 people who comment on this blog - i visit all of your blogs after you have left comments and although i may not comment myself, i often wander back over to see how things are going and love catching up :D

A new scrapping start!

Over at Its a Creative World we are doing project 2009 which consists of 12 projects, 1 for each month of the year. I have made the front cover for my book so thought i would share a couple of snippits before the whole things is unveiled on Sunday!I really enjoyed getting back into the swing of scrapping and making things again and even used some of my little butterflies on the cover :) After finishing the book i was still in full scrap mode so made a little thank you card too:)

I really need to head out and get some printer ink - the coloured is well out and the black is now turning blue! Why is it when the mojo returns things start running out! LOL

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A huge hug and a massive Happy New Year to everyone who visits my blog :) I have a stat counter and it amazes me how many people visit every day - yesterday i had 187 original hits (more than 200 return visits!) and did you know if you search for nigella christmas rocky road my blog is the first link on google! MAD!! LOL
I am determined to make 2009 a better year than the last - we had so many problems and heartache last year i really want to take this year out to make my mark. Not sure what that is yet but its all part of the fun isnt it! :)
I also have some fab news on the creative front! The girls over at Its a Creative World invited me to join their team and i jumped at the chance. I have featured on their blog in the past doing renovations on furniture so i am more than happy to now be able to share a little more of my time and creativeness with them....Thank you girls!! xxx
This year im determined to keep a full diary too - ive started with the first pic of 365 for this year, Anna did this challenge last year and i always meant to join in but never got round to it. She isnt doing it this year but i will join in with the next challenge she sets - check out her blog for details.
Since this year is going to be a good one lets start it off by giving out a present - please leave a message in the comment section and i will send a little rak to the first name picked :D

New Years Eve...

Cant believe its New Years Eve already, it seems as though its been ages since it was Christmas! For some strange reason this year i just cant wait to get all of the decorations down and get back to normal!
Ive blitzed the kitchen today after another baking session yesterday - i made cranberry and white chocolate cookies and another big batch of rocky road. Diet starts tomorrow......erm ok then, Monday at the latest!! LOL
Thank you to my lovely hubby who has made my new banner - its taken from the new website which is really starting to take shape!! :D

Sweet, sweet things...

I feel at home when im in the kitchen! I mean, once i put that apron on its like adding a pair of underpants to the outside of your outfit, slapping a big S on your chest and feeling invincible! LOL No one can burst my little bubble once im in the kitchen :) I dont know if its the smells or the hands on feeling of making things from scratch and watching them transform from raw ingredients into something that (sometimes) resembles what its meant to end up looking like! :)

Hands up - i cant make meringue! I tried again yesterday and i dont know if its just because i hate my gas oven (ive always used electric until this house!) or if im just one of those people who will never master this angelic desert! Please say someone has a foolproof way of making it out there - give me a shout and save my sanity please :D

Heres what i made yesterday - peanut butter and chocolate cups, then fresh cranberry and lemon scones :)Todays mission is cranberry and white chocolate cookies, lemon sponge cake, peanut brittle and chocolate/chestnut cups. Yumm!!

OOhhh does anyone know where i can buy cooking lavender and roses from? Ive tried searching but have come up with very little option and would love to knowif someone out there has sourced some they rely on.