I Start Out Each Day As Mary Poppins...

Is this just me? I must admit when I saw this picture I had a little chuckle!

Recently my girls (especially the big one) have been driving me up the wall! Each day I wake up promising myself that I won't lose my temper, I will remain calm and patient, I will not shout at my children (possibly leading to later in life psychiatric problems - them not me)! But every day I end up the same way, angry, upset and guilty!

Why will they not get dressed after being asked 7 times, why will they not just brush their teeth properly, why does it take 40mins to eat their breakfast cereal and why does a cataclysmic argument break out every time it is time to don their shoes and coats in order to leave the house?  Quite honestly I am sick of the back chat, defiance and general moodiness coming from my 6 year old (yes 6 not 16 - 6)!  Thank you for listening to me moan and I must admit writing it down like this has been a little therapeutic! 

Is it just me or are others in the same boat?  Do let me know! 

Love Sophie...xxx

Mediterranean Casserole

Check out this really hearty dinner perfect for the whole family. I kind of threw these ingredients together to come up with this casserole but none the less it is really yummy and definitely worth trying! 

Ingredients:

12 x Meatballs
4 x Medium White Potatoes
1 x Onion
1 X Pepper
150g Chorizo Roughly Sliced/Cubed
2 x Garlic Cloves
1 x 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 x 400g Tin Cannellini Beans
1 x Tbsp Paprika

Method:

1) Fry the meatballs in a little oil until brown then remove from pan and set aside.

2) Add onion, pepper, chorizo and garlic to pan and gently fry until softened. Add the paprika and stir.

3) Add the tin of tomatoes and about 1/4 of the empty tomato tin of water.  Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for about 15mins.  Add the cannellini beans and stir through.

4) Meanwhile, while the sauce is simmering boil the potatoes until soft.

5) Add the potatoes and meatballs to the sauce and place in the oven to cook for a further 15mins.

Love Sophie...xxx

Roller Derby

Oh wow have you seen this amazing sport? It is really popular in the USA and it's now sweeping the UK! 

If you haven't seen Whip It yet then get yourself onto Netflix and get watching! A 2009 film directed by Drew Barrymore really gives you a good view of what Roller Derby is all about! With speed hotpants and a good old healthy dose of competition what more can you ask for? 

Click here to take a sneek peek of what this womens-only sport is all about in the UK. If you fancy trying it out for yourself there are teams popping up all over Britain and you can visit Roller Derby UK for loads of great information on Roller Derby including Player Profiles and their own Blog too!

I personally found myself getting very excited that I have a team local to me called Dorset Roller Girls and get this, they practice just down the road from me! Such an empowing sport with great outfits too (I'm thinking hotpants, fishnets & roller skates how can you resist?) really ignites an unkown desire to take up roller derby for myself!  The only thing that puts me off is the fact that I literally cannot skate to save my life plus I'm only 5'1" and not sure I could handle being pushed about lol! I'm totally loving the idea of it though and I'm really looking for an excuse to check this sport out for myself! I may have to be 'passing by' during training one evening or something? Ha! 

Love Sophie..xxx

Getting Creative With Felt

I was on Pinterest the other day and came across the idea of 'Adopt Your Own Monster' a fab alternative to party bags!  

The monsters in the photo are called Ugly Dolls but it got me thinking if you had a bit of time and creativity why not make your own?  

After doing some routing around on pinterest I also found these adorable patterns for other creratures which you can easily make yourself with some felt and a sewing needle!  Here are the photos and links to my top 5:

1) Create your own letters and make your childs name for their bedroom! (Made By Rae)

2) Here are some great Monster patterns to create your own 'Adopt A Monster' from Its Always Autumn.

3) Ooh I love these little Mushroom Houses from Red Brolly they are intended for use as pincushions but I think they would be loved by a little one just as a toy or decoration! Admittedly they look a little fiddley but the end result is definitely worth it and the instructions are pretty comprehensive!

4) These cute owls come from Pregnancy Baby & Child and are meant to be made into a baby's mobile - soo sweet!

5) Mmmm..feeling hungry - these look so tasty with really easy step by step instructions too.  These will be great for creative play time! Click Here.

Enjoy! Love Sophie..xxx

#spreadalittlehappiness

It's a FlashBlog!!!  

How exciting!!  Thank you to Jocelyn at The Reading Residence for organising this great idea to cheer everyone up this January Monday morning.

Here's my happy thoughts for the day in one picture! 

I hope you agree!  Love Sophie..xx

P.S. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram too!

H&M Western Style

Yes it's H&M again! I know I feature a lot of posts about H&M but I love their clothing range and personally find them very affordable and purse friendly - what's not to love? Ha! 

So this week I am loving H&M's Western Style  For easy to wear, fashionable statement clothing check out a few of my favourite pieces!

Breakfast Tart

Check out this delightful Breakfast Tart taken from The Breakfast Book: Wonderful Recipes and Ideas for Eggs, Bacon, Muesli & More What a great way to change up the usual breakfast time monotony of toast and cereal - great for brunch too! 

 

Ingredients: 

(Serves 4)

500g Ready To Roll Block Pastry

4 x Large Free Range Eggs

8 x Rashers Streaky Bacon

75g Creme Fraiche

50g Gruyere Cheese (grated)

Fresh Chives Snipped To Decorate

 

Method:

1) Heat oven to 220C and lightly grease a baking tray.

2)  Lightly flour work surface and roll out paastry to 1/2cm thick and cut into 30cm x 20cm rectangle then place on to baking tray.

3) Using a knife score a border about 1cm from the edge of the pastry then pierce the centre of the pastry with a fork.  Brush the border with some beaten egg and put into the fridge for 15mins.

4) Lightly grease a frying pan and fry bacon until crisp then set aside.

5) In a bowl stir the creme fraiche and cheese and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture on to the pastry keeping the border clean.  Lay the bacon on top slightly overlapping the slices.

6) Bake the tart for 15mins turning the baking tray halfway through.  Remove from the oven and using a fork prick any large air pockets in the pastry. Crack the eggs on to the tart spacing them 5cm apart.

7) Return to the oven for around 7-10mins until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still soft.  Decorate with chives and serve immediately.