TGITW - thank goodness its the weekend!! LOL

This first week of the Easter Holidays seems to have gone so slow - the kids are so happy with that as theyve just realised they have another week off!! LOL I love the fact its sunny and theyre out in the garden running off some energy and im off to join them in a minute - i will not be running however, more sitting with a book or something! LOL

Over at Moxie Fab World the challenge is almost over for paper piecing so i thought i best get a move on and upload my card!!I just received the bird punch and these fab tiny sweet holders from Sarah K who is a rep for Stampin' Up - how cute are these little cups, you can fill them with anything and attach to cards etc! :)

Last night we had a late night as i let the boys stay up to watch Harry Potter (why ITV put HP on to finish at 10.45pm is beyond me but hey!), we ate sherbet pips, cola cubes and snuggled with almost all of us making it to the end of the movie! :) How cute does he look and he did so well, he only missed the last half hour!

Over to you....

I want to highlight some of YOUR recipes for the weekly challenge so im asking today for people to email me at ...

debbie(at)countryheartandhome.com

...with your go to recipe - it doesnt need to be a step by step photo email just a quick outline of what the overall dish is! :) Do you have one you bring out at dinner parties or one you always fall back on when everything else fails - do you have a special cake recipe that has been passed down through the years?

It can be sweet or savoury, starter, main or desert. It could be a one pot wonder or perfect little sweets. It could even be a sauce or preserve - we have 52 weeks to cover so im sure a huge mix would be perfect :)

I will send a goodie bag to anyone whos recipe we use! :)


Because i hate doing a post without piccies heres the challenge card i made for the Bo Bunny blog - we had to take an image and recreate it ..... i went down the card route with the fab Sophie papers and embellishments! *swoon*

Boys and Bargains!! :)

Ive been playing with Bo Bunny goodies to make the boys door signs for the bedrooms! They share 2 in one room 2 in another so these signs were just the right size to fit both names etc on - 12x4.5 inches. Backed onto thick chipboard and embellished with Roughin' It papers for Jake and Ethans and Paradise for Ben and Scotts. J & E love the fact theirs has a NO GIRLS sign on theirs and are delighting in telling me im not supposed to be in there! LOL
Ben and Scotts is a little more grown up with the Paradise papers and embellishments I used twine to hang them both to carry on the boy theme - didnt think they would really appreciate dotty ribbon!! LOL

I just took delivery of some fab Tesco bargains too, its worthwhile checking out the sales on the Direct site as these pedestal mats were reduced to £1.47 each!! The single patchwork bedding was £3.50 - i am going to make some cushion covers for our bed.

Its worthwhile calling in too to see what bargains they have - look at these fab little coats i got for Evie.... The white all in one was £5 and the pink coat was £4!! They were both £15 originally before the sale! BARGAINS!! :D

Chicken & Leek Pie with Filo Topping - week 14 :)

Shopping list is here!

Preheat oven to 190 degres C.

Gather all your ingredients together, slice the leeks, cut the chicken and ham to bite size pieces and make up the chicken stock. Melt the butter in a large pan and gently cook the leeks for 10 minutes. Add the flourOnce combined completely add the stock and cream. Next add the chicken, ham and sweetcorn, mix well and leave to cook through for 5 minutes. Move from the pan into an ovenproof dish. Tear the filo pastry into wide strips, scrunch up and place on top of the the pie mix. Cook for 35/40 minutes. We had it with mashed potato which was lovely as the cream from the pie mix combined with the potatoes so there was no need for additional Philli etc in the mash :)

Here are a couple of projects ive made today for the Hero Arts April challenge - the theme is Home or Mothers.

Ive used my fave birdhouse template to make another 3D card and popped lots of embellishments and stamps etc on it! Total OTT but i love it and would move in tomorrow! :D This one was using the Heart Flourishes background (HUGE!!) and Wonderfully Whimsical stamps again from Becky Oehlers! :)

Thanks for all the fab comments, youre all far too sweet and i appreciate each and every visit here you make!

It really does make my day to read them and i apologise that i dont always get round to commenting or emailing back to you all the time - i do try to follow as many blogs as i can and if theres anything you ever need to know please just ask (make sure you have an email address attached though as a lot of comments have a NO REPLY address in the box so i cant get back to you) :)

Tidy up Tuesday!!

Im one of those scrappers that need to have everything in sight....if its not there i forget to use it!! Hence i have this notice board above where i work and keep everything 'faffy' and light enough to be pinned up there ready to embellish cards etc....
I am going to have to make a dent in cleaning my work surface today though!! I thought I would shame myself into it! LOL Not as messy as it has been but theres still no where to work anymore! lol Take a look at the piccies I took this morning, this is after playing with the new Wonderfully Whimsical set of stamps by Becky Oehlers - how cute are these! All the elements are seperate, the little hill, each house, the sign, the bird and even the musical notes!! I cant wait to see if shes bringing any more whimsical sets out :)I covered the entire stamped image in Glossy Accents and its bled a little but it just makes it look as though its been raining, i think all the sparkle i sprinkled into the G.A helps!! LOL ;) Will have to leave it a little longer to set next time but im too impatient!

Updated bump pic too - it doesnt look too bad from the front does it?? LOL Now how about from the side!! EEK!! I feel massive but because its all bump its pretty uncomfortable on my ribcage when i sit etc....midwife said she doesnt feel too big and shes in a good position etc so with 3 weeks and 2 days to go im now just playing the waiting game :) (I cant get any bigger can i??) LOL

Congrats and Cuties!!

Congratulations to the winner of the new Bo bunny goodies - selected by Random.org....

Here are your random numbers:

121

Timestamp: 2010-04-05 12:57:52 UTC

DONNA E

Please email me your address to debbie(at)countryheartandhome.com and i will get the goodies out to you :)

Oh My Goodness you have to check out this blog - i swear it just sent my tummy into a mass of braxton hicks, my heart aches for the cuteness on there and im so making a list of goodies i need to get some special shots of babe!! :D Photos are shot by Sugar Bean Photography - you have to check them out! I can only hope to take a photo with a fraction of this cuteness!!

Chicken & Leek Pie with Filo Topping - week 14 *shopping list*

Nothing shouts comfort food like a good pie, fresh vegetables and creamy mashed potato (simply make the mash like we did for the topping on the Cottage pie - heres the link)

This week we are focusing on the actual pie though so what you have with it is up to you :)

INGREDIENTS for week 14 :)
350g Cooked Chicken (store cooked is fine but remove the skin)
100g Sliced Ham (shredded)
350ml Chicken Stock
2 Large Leeks (sliced into rounds)
25g butter
25g Plain Flour
150ml Single Cream
340g can sweetcorn (drained)

For the topping:

125 Filo Pastry (ready roll sheets are best)
15g Melted Butter

I will do another post shortly for the winner of the Bo Bunny Goodies etc... :D :D