Vintage and Handmade Fair

I am off here on Saturday.

Are you going? If so, i'd love to say hi!!

I'm getting there about midday (As long as the traffic isn't too bad)

You'll be able to spot me as i'll be with a bored looking tall husband :)

xx

Notebook Monday

-La Bonne Vie

A lovely online shop:

-Sophie Dahls quesadilla

I made these last week and they are yummy!

Ingredients

For the quesadilla
2 tbsp olive oil
150g/5oz semi-firm tofu, crumbled
pinch turmeric
pinch ground cumin
pinch smoked paprika
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, finely chopped
200g/7oz can black beans in water, drained
1 large roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced
few drops Tabasco
75g/2¾oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
½ bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 tortillas, any variety
For the guacamole
1 ripe avocado, skinned, stone removed, mashed
½ lime, zest and juice
½ tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped
¼ red onion, peeled, finely chopped
small handful fresh coriander leaves
few drops Tabasco
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the lime sour cream dip
1 tbsp sour cream
½ lime, zest and juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. For the quesadilla, heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu with the turmeric, cumin and smoked paprika for 4-5 minutes, then add the spring onion, chilli and garlic and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
2. Place the black beans, peppers, remaining oil and Tabasco in a small saucepan over a low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until warmed through. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then remove from the heat.
3. Tip the spiced tofu mixture into the pan with the beans and peppers, and stir well.
4. Combine the grated cheese and coriander in a small bowl.
5. To assemble the quesadilla, place one of the tortillas into a frying pan over a low heat for 1-2 minutes to warm through. Spoon on the tofu and bean mixture, followed by the cheese and coriander. Place the remaining tortilla on top and gently press down.
6. Fry for 2-3 minutes on either side, or until golden-brown and crisp.
7. For the guacamole, place all the ingredients in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir together, or pulse in a food processor if a smoother texture is required.
8. For the lime sour cream dip, mix together all the ingredients and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9. To serve, cut the quesadilla into 6-8 wedges, and arrange on a serving plate. Spoon the guacamole and lime sour cream dip on the side.




-How stuff works

An interesting site where you can find out things like:

why do people blush?

and

How to make easy outside experiments with your kids.




-Charlie and Lola

I love this site......and this one

You can playgames...my son likes these and shop....
i like these:

xx

Poppy and Daisy shop opening and giveaway winner!!

My new blogshop is now open!!!

You can visit here:

Poppy and Daisy

If there is anything you would like, email me at:

poppyanddaisys@googlemail.com

♥

The winner of my Giveaway is.............................

Little Bear Stories

Well done you win the main prize!!

And a small runner up prize goes to................

Periwinkle

If you email me at the above address with your details i'll get the prizes off to you.

xx

(Pictures from weheartit)

Rosali bliss, red for heart and mmm apple pie

Here are some more pics of my work/spare room...i had my first overnight guest last week...so out came the sofabed with the pretty Rosali bedding....i love this room now..its so pretty.

I got my certificate last week from BHF......we raised an amazing............... £461.25!! so thank you to all those that have helped.

Please take a look at the items that are still for sale here......you can buy as bundles or individuals if you'd like..just ask :)

Mmmmm i love apple pie with custard..last week i bought some Asda extra special custard with madagascan vanilla, it tastes more like icecream than custard and i have to say i wasn't to keen on it hot...but the next day i served it cold with cold apple pie and it was delicious.

This brings me onto Weightloss Wednesday:

If you remember..last week i had lost 2 pounds...but i had been ill. This week that to pounds is back on again...so really i guess i've stayed the same.

This week i have eaten 'mostly' correct portion sizes, even when eating out, but haven't denied myself treats.

I have also exercised well this week...we went on a family bikeride on the weekend (my first this year, i was in agony!!), I have also done some stretches and a pilates Dvd, so quite happy with myself this week.

What is you guilty/or not so guilty little foodie treat?

xx

(There are 2 more days to enter my giveaway...2 posts down)

Notecook Monday

-The Gluttonous Gardener

Delicious garden and foodie gifts packed in wooden crates.

-Tip

To find a small lost object on the floor...put a pair of tights over the hose, secure with a band and suck up!

-Oliver Bonas

I love the things from here. Here are some lovely goodies i found on the web that i'd love!

-Childrenssalon

This site is amazing for the gifty bits you can buy:

-Howtocleananything

Does what it says in the title :)

-Have a little treat...you deserve it:

Choose 1 from below

Dip strawberries in dark chocolate,

 Dvd and icecream,

Wash and iron your bedding..get in and relax,

Buy yourself some flowers,

Have a manicure, pedicure.

-Quote:

Spring is when life's alive in everything- Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway on the last post.

xx

(photos taken from relevent websites)

♥Special Giveaway!!♥

I have passed 150 followers!!

Thank you everyone!!

And to say thank you, i am doing a special giveaway for followers or those that have me on their bloglists only.

I remember reading a post once about how nice it feels to be 'followed'...i guess it kind of makes you feel special/wanted/loved   :)

I know theres people that read my blog that don't follow me (I'm sure i read some blogs too that i don't follow), and thats fine, but the support i feel that i get from actual followers is lovely....so here is a giveaway to say how special you all are:

The main giveaway prize will go to the first person out of the hat.

It will include these items, but also some extras (i will decide on the extras when i know who has won, so i can choose some bits i think they may like)

I will also do a small runner up prize too.

If you'd like to enter, just leave me a comment on this post and tell me what makes you feel 'special' and if your a follower or have me on your blog list.

I'll be picking the winners on Friday 23rd April.

Good Luck!

xx

New work room!!! yay!!

♥My new work/spare room is up and running!!♥

There is still alot to do, but at least it is ready for me to start crafting once the kids go back after Easter hols.

Would you like a look around?

Yes?

Come on then!!

There are lots of wonderful items from bloggers in this room. Gifts and pressies!!

Here is where i am writing this post right now.

The t.v still needs an ariel....but how lovely...i'll be able to watch This Morning while i'm crafting and the little ones at preschool! 

The shelves above have some inspirational books, a tin of pencils, notepaper and notebooks, jars and tins of bits and bobs......The lovely Stanley dog was given to me in a swap from Silkie Sue, theres a little tin from her up there as well and a beautiful heart painting that i bought from the Red Heart Day (That day was a lot of hard work, but one plus for me, was i got first choice :)

You can also see a pink pot that i made with fabric from Sal's Snippets, some craft goodies from Lobster and swan, a teacup pic from Dolly Dollop and a pretty crafted box from Bekimarie.

And i love the crocheted hearts from Bliss.....another Red Heart buy.

Do you remember this little lovely??

Its the fairy i bought from My sweet fairy at the country living christmas fair.....esp for my new room!!

Here is the little red sewing machine that i will soon be spending much more time at....with my lovely needlecase from Its Gorgeous. My tin of buttons and a lovely pincushion i bought from (i think?) Lalababy (Red heart day)

And the gorgeous cloth i got in a swap from Ticking stripes.

A bigger look at my desk.....my pot of scraps and a lovely heart basket that my mum bought for me with some scraps all cut up and ready to sew.....ooo and pride of place for my new CK bag. (This room is right of the hall and the first room you come to when you enter the front door....so the cupboards hold coats and shoes.....i can show my bag off here and grab it when i need to go out. I used to want the door to this room closed all the time, but now its so pretty, it can stay open for everyone to see!!)

I have put a few magnets on the radiator.....Miffy with her daisy dress, some buttons from The colour swap and thats me!!!!! when i was about 5/6.

 (don't you just love the fringe??)

Ok..here is the other side:

 I need to get another throw for the sofabed and want some pretty cushions too.

On the bedside (which has some hidden storage) i want a new cloth.

Above are the shelves waiting for some organised folders/mag files.

You can see The sunday tickler up there already and Billy Bear (He has been with me and the hubbie for a long time)

And a string of pictures, that i can change when i feel like it...with the pretty heart pegs from a swap.

I used to have photos covering the cupboards in here....now i want a much cleaner look, so they will be flashing around on this digital frame that my inlaws got me a while ago. Theres also some coasters, a lamp and a clock for visitors when they stay.

Hanging on the doors now is a pretty red heart (please remind me if you made this...i think it may have been Ellieweb from ssc) it was also an item i bought from the Red heart day.

And i've put up a pretty heart garland from Lynn. (Red heart)

Big thank yous to the ladies that have contributed to my room (even though some of you, red heart ladies, would not have even been aware). I'll be showing you a few other bits i got from red heart day soon too and probably more bits from bloggers that will be added to this room.....i love having you all around me for inspiration!!!

........................

A quick note on Weightloss Wednesday:

I was ill this week (sickness bug) so not sure if losing 2 pounds really counts..hee hee.

Have been fairly good with portion control this week.

See you next week....hopefully i can keep that 2 pounds off!!

xx

Sharon (Crafty trundler/Shabby polka dots news)

Just to let you all know that Sharons pc is not working, and not sure how long it will take to fix.

This means that her shop: Shabby polka dots will not be opening this Wednesday.

And she will not be around on her blog, ssc, or FB for a while.

She sends her apologies.

Lets hope she sorts out the problem soon.

xx

Notebook Monday

-Quote:

Work like you don't need the money,

Love like you've never been hurt,

Dance like no one's watching,

Sing like no one's listening,

Live like there is no tomorrow.

-Shop:

Mr and Mrs House (lovely things for lovely people)

-Shop:

PenelopeTom

 I have visited this lovely shop in Totnes, Devon.

-Place to stay

3ChimneysFarm in Kent

I haven't stayed here myself, but a friend has and said it was lovely.

This link and pictures are from Spoonlets, the largest of the cottages.

-Recipe:

Orange and raspberry Victoria sponge taken from The Delicious Miss Dahl. (I must try this)

Ingredients

For the sponge
225g/8oz butter, plus extra for greasing
225g/8oz golden caster sugar
4 free-range eggs, beaten
225g/8oz self-raising flour, sifted
1 large orange, zest only
For the jam
300g/9oz fresh raspberries
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 heaped tbsp golden caster sugar
For the icing
250g/9oz butter, softened
250g/9oz icing sugar, seived
½ orange, juice only
1 large orange, zest only, plus a little zest to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the cake, grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins with baking parchment, and dust with flour.
3. In a food mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Gradually beat in the eggs, then add the flour and orange zest and mix until well combined.
5. Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown and slightly springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Meanwhile, for the jam, place the raspberries, orange juice and golden caster sugar into a small saucepan over a low heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the raspberries begin to break down. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
7. For the icing, beat the butter, icing sugar, orange juice and zest in a bowl until smooth.
8. To serve, place one sponge on a serving plate or cake stand, and spread half of the icing on top. Spoon over the jam, top with the second sponge and
finish with the remaining buttercream. Decorate with a little more orange zest if desired.

 xx

(Photos taken from relevent websites and weheartit)

PollyAnna

Wonderful quotes from a film i love:

Pollyanna Whittier: My father used to say that if we ever had the money you have, we would eat steak and ice cream three times everyday!

Pollyanna Whittier: I'm sorry about the dress, Aunt Polly. Mother said it was a size too big, but Father said I should be glad it wasn't a pair of boy's trousers.
Aunt Polly Harrington: Well, that's hardly anything to be glad about.
Pollyanna Whittier: Well, my father always used to say...
Aunt Polly Harrington: Yes, well, never mind what your father used to say. Pollyanna, this is going to be your new home now, and I hope you'll be very happy with me. Nancy will show you to your room.
Pollyanna Whittier: I'm very glad you sent for me, Aunt Polly. Your home is very lovely.
Aunt Polly Harrington: Thank you.
Pollyanna Whittier: It must make you awfully glad.
Aunt Polly Harrington: Glad?
Pollyanna Whittier: That you're so very rich!
[Reverend Ford starts to cough. Nancy takes Pollyanna out of the room]
Nancy Furman: Honestly!
Pollyanna Whittier: Did I say something wrong?
Nancy Furman: Well, let's just say there are about sixty-eleven things you could've said besides that!

Pollyanna Whittier: [petting her aunt's dog] Hello! What's his name, please?
Nancy Furman: *His* name happens to be Elizabeth!
Pollyanna Whittier: Oh, you're a girl! You're lovely.

Angelica: Stuffy in here. Not much of a room, is it?
Pollyanna Whittier: But it's my own, anyway. I'm glad of that. Ooh, and the bed's soft! And it's got a lovely window.


Aunt Polly Harrington: That dress is disgraceful. Tomorrow we'll go into town and get you some decent clothes.
Pollyanna Whittier: [incredulous] Store-bought?
Aunt Polly Harrington: Why, of course. Where else would we get them?
Pollyanna Whittier: Out an actual store? *New* clothes?
Aunt Polly Harrington: You're a Harrington now. I want you to look like one.

George Dodds: How'd you like to go down the street and get a great big dish of ice cream, my treat? Oh, no, that's a rotten idea. She probably hates the stuff.
Nancy Furman: Probably.
Pollyanna Whittier: Who, me? Oh, no, I love it!
George Dodds: No kidding? How'd you ever develop a taste for that awful stuff?
Pollyanna Whittier: Oh, no, really! I really do love it!
George Dodds: I know the perfect place. Come on, girls, follow old Cousin Fred to the land of strawberry frappe. Unless you'd rather go down the street and have a beer?
Pollyanna Whittier: You're funny.


Nancy Furman: I think it might be better if you didn't mention the ice cream to your aunt.
Pollyanna Whittier: My father taught me never to tell a lie.
Nancy Furman: Oh, Pollyanna, it wouldn't be telling a lie. But there's no reason to bring up the subject if it isn't mentioned. About Cousin Fred, I mean.
Pollyanna Whittier: I like your Cousin Fred. Very much.
Nancy Furman: Oh, he's all right, I guess.
Pollyanna Whittier: He's very handsome, and he has a nice smile. But there's something... I don't know... funny about him.
Nancy Furman: [suddenly defensive] What do you mean, funny?
Pollyanna Whittier: I know what it is! It's his name. He doesn't look at all like a Fred!
Nancy Furman: What?
Pollyanna Whittier: He looks more like a George to me!

Reverend Ford: [reading Pollyanna's locket] When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will. - Abraham Lincoln

What i love about the film:

-The beautiful house and gardens
-How Pollyanna says 'How'd you do?'
-Pollyannas milk moustache
-The music that plays throughout the whole film
-Pollyanna walking 'up the stairs like a lady'
-And walking out of the store like a lady, tripping down the kerb and rearranging her hat.
-The gorgeous, huge conservatory
-The way Pollyanna says 'it's gorgeous'
-All the pretty hats in church
-The cow eating grass, and her copying him eating her peas
-Nancy and Pollyanna singing while making deliveries
-Rainbow prisms in strings across the windows
-'You ought to forget about dying and be glad your living' - to Mrs Snow
-The Glad game: try and find something to be glad about even when things are going wrong
-The glad passages/happy texts in the bible: 'If God took the time to tell us 800 times to be glad and rejoice, he must of wanted us to do it'
-The Bazaar: bikes/music/lanterns/sparklers/balloons/the huge 3 layered cakes/massive chunks of watermelon at a penny a slice/corn on the cob/patchwork quilt/the pretty bandstand and the lady that plays the drums who always makes me chuckle/fishing for a toy.....Mrs Snow makes the lady choose the doll for Pollyanna. Pollyanna says 'Oh my gosh look, shes mine, oh how did they know?'..it brings a tear to my eye everytime/Singing the National Anthem/The horse and cart that takes them all home.
-How Pollyannas dress matches her dolls
-When everyone comes to see Pollyanna at the end bringing her gifts and love...
'We just want to bring a bit of gladness into her life'. 'Like she did into ours, God love her'.
'What is everyone snifling about. My goodness a bunch of ninnies, think a person couldn't get well..'
-'We looked for the good in them, and we found it, didn't we?'
-Harrington..The glad town

Have you got a film that you put on when your feeling down or unwell? This film cheers me up everytime.
xx