The Last Instalment For NaBloPoMo!

It's the 30th November and today is the last post for NaBloPoMo! I hope you have enjoyed hearing from me everyday!?  If not don't worry the torture has come to an end! Thanks to Vonnie at Nowt Special for hosting NabloPoMo 2013 for us and to answer her Day 30 prompt - The hardest part about blogging everyday for me is trying to come up with something interesting to say!

For this last post I thought I'd link to some of my favourite November 13 posts:

1. Turning 30!
2. Buns In My Oven
3. Job Description Of A Mum
4. The Book Of Bedtime Stories
5. Ode To Mummy
6. Pizza Rolls
7. Meet The Kittens
8. Give A Three Year Old A Camera...
9. This Week I'm Loving...
10. A Blast From The Past

I hope you enjoy reading these...if you would like to hear more from me please follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin!

Now let's wave goodbye to November and welcome in December!

Banana Muffins

I was looking for another idea to use up our over-ripe bananas at the weekend (it seems we have a lot of these soft, spotty bananas in our house by the end of the week) and came across this great recipe at a fab blog called This Mummy  The recipe makes 12 muffins, it's very easy and quick to make and as Laurenne says, not to bananary! I also added chocolate chips to mine and made some little cases for these muffins using baking paper squares pushed into the silicone muffin moulds. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

125g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
A Few Drops Of Vanilla Extract
1 x Egg
2-3 x Bananas Mashed
190g Self Raising Flour
60ml Milk

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C

2) Heat butter and sugar until melted (you can do this in a microwave or in a bowl above a pan of boiling water).

3) Add the vanilla and bananas and str to mix.

4) Add the egg and stir then sift in the flour.  Add the milk. (I also added white and milk chocolate chips at this stage).

5) Pour the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the oven for around 20mins or until golden and cooked through.

There are loads of great posts on Laurenne's Blog so please pop over to her and check them out!

Sophie...x

For more tasty recipes featured on my blog click here.
 

Ok Baby Born You Win!

So this year my three year old has been begging for the new Baby Born range every time the advert is shown on TV.  I think the makers of Baby Born have clearly hit the nail on the head with this latest range consisting of Interactive Potty, Bath and Doll each costing a small fortune.  I mean what three year old can resist? A ‘working’ potty and bath...it’s a miracle.  

Well here I sit making sarcastic remarks about these new toys but I have succumbed and bought these items for Christmas…oh dear! Well at least I will have an incredibly happy daughter on Christmas morning and who can resist that? Not me that’s for sure!

Love Sophie..x

NaBloPoMo #26 - Please visit NowtSpecial for more Blogs taking part!

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Goodbye Cone Heads!

Hurray! We can finally say goodbye to the Cone Heads who have invaded our house for the last ten days! 

No I'm not talking about aliens from outer space but actually of our kittens who recently had an operation and came back looking like Queen Elizabeth 1 and feeling very sorry for themselves! 

As part of the conditions of adopting a cat from the Cats Protection we were required to get the kittens neutered which is of course best all round.  We don't want an influx of kittens and neither to the Cats Protection. With almost 9 million cats in the UK the only effective way to reduce the numbers of unwanted cats is to have them neutered at an early age.

The operation is quite painless and the Vet makes a really small incision to the left side, pain relief is administered and the surgery is quick.  I must admit that BeeBea and Betsy were not themselves for a few days after the surgery and keeping the plastic collars on them for 10 days was hard but now they are absolutely fine and almost ready to be trusted outside in the big wide world.  

So now we have made our contribution to keeping the cat population under control we can rest easy.  I urge all cat owners to consider having their cats neutered as they will be less likely to wander, stray, call (if female), spray (if male). The chance of contracting some infectious cat diseases will be reduced, as will the likelihood of developing mammary tumours (breast cancers), pyometra (life threatening womb infections), testicular cancer, and many other illnesses. Male cats in particular will improve in physical body condition and their urine will smell less pungent!

Thank you for reading my NaBloPoMo post #25! 

Sophie..x

This Week I'm Loving..Where I Live!

Happy Sunday everyone it's NaBloPoMo #24!

I took this photo from outside my Mother-In-Law's house in Mudeford on Tuesday morning before work and I think it's beautiful! 

I live in Christchurch which is in Dorset down on the South coast.  I have lived here all my life and really love it, with direct access to the beach, New Forest and towns I have never felt the need to live anywhere else in the UK! (I maybe convinced to move somewhere a bit warmer but that's another story!) 

I hope you enjoy the view while your here!

Please check out my other posts and feel free to comment - I love to hear from you!

Sophie..x

Give A Three Year Old A Camera...

Morning Everyone - It's NaBloPoMo #23 today!

My daughter Sasha is three years old and decided she would like a go at using my camera.  The results are quite amusing and gave me and my Hubby a good giggle so I thought I'd share them with you!  

This is what happened...

You've got to love them! 

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Body Shop Poducts Tried & Tested

Its NaBloPoMo #22 and I have recently been given a few Body Shop products to try by my local Consultant Trudy McKnight which I am incredibly grateful for and thought I should shout about it especially as Christmas is coming up.  Hopefully this review will give you a few ideas!

1. The first product I have tried is Cranberry Joy Body Butter:

This Body Butter is part of the new Christmas range and has everything you can expect from The Body Shop's notorious Body Butters.  They are thick and creamy and incredibly moisturising.  The Cranberry Joy scent is fruity but not too fruity )if you know what I mean) and I felt incredibly luxurious and Christmassy using this after bathing.  Buy this as a Christmas present for someone else or even for yourself and you won’t regret it!

2. I have also been trying out the Foundation Dragonfruit Lip Butter: 

I suffer from dry lips and have found this lip butter gorgeously scented and really moisturising especially now the cold weather is coming in.  You will find this product moisturising and caring on your lips perfect for this time of year. Another great reason to buy this lip butter is that The Body Shop split 100% of the profits made between their selected charities!

3. The third product I have tried this week is the Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream:

At first I was a little reserved as I was not keen on the smell from the tube.  But I have been using this all week and once applied the smell is much nicer than first impressions led me to believe and leaves your hands with a subtle leafy scent.  The best part about this product is how your hands feel once you have applied it, my hands felt as smooth as velvet and so soft.  It may be pricey but you only need a small amount and I would definitely recommend it!

Click here to go to The Body Shop online catalogue to get you into the festive mood. Also for a limited time they are offering a 40% discount with free delivery using code: 14322!

I will be testing more Body Shop products and will post the results soon! 

Sophie.x

Girls Hairstyles - Waterfall Braid

Waterfall Braid

Good morning everyone and Happy NaBloPoMo#18! I hope you had a great weekend?! 

Today I am featuring a waterfall braid/plait for my hair tutorial.  If you have a fringe this can be used to keep it off your face.  This hairstyle can be a little tricky especially if you have hair like my daughter Brooke which is very shiny and slippery In this photo I have left her fringe on the right hand side to frame her face and have used the hair on the left side where it is longest.

1) Take a small section of hair above the temple and begin a French type braid only taking and adding hair from the top of the head.
2) Once you have one complete crossover, drop a section from the bottom braid section to create a 'waterfall'.
3) Carry on with the braid dropping a small section from every bottom crossover as you go.
4) Go round the head as far as you like and finish off the braid with a normal plait down to the end of the length of the hair.
5) Tie the plait at the end with a hair tie.

Red Sky At Night....

Its NaBloPoMo #17 today and thought I'd share this with you...

As I left work the other day I was greeted by this wonderful sight! It really makes you stop and think doesn't it..how beautiful the world can be.  I must admit sometimes life is so hectic I do not stop to smell the roses but when I saw this sky I couldn't help myself and stopped to take this photo in the middle of the street!  

Happy Sunday Everyone - I Hope You Are Having A Fab Weekend!

Dont forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Bloglovin - please click on the links to the right. You can also register to receive updates direct to your email by adding your address to the 'Follow My Blog' bar!

Sophie..x

This Week I Am Loving...

This week I am loving... reading to my 6 year old daughter as she is especially into the Clarice Bean books by Lauren Child.  These books are fab and it's not only my daughter who can't get enough but me and my hubby love them too! 

Check out the amazing interactive official website of Lauren Child who is also the writer of Charlie & Lola too.

Don't forget its NaBloPoMo #16 - Please visit http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com for more Blogs taking part! 

Pizza Rolls

These pizza rolls are incredibly easy to make and really taste good.  As chief lunch box maker I do sometimes feel despondent  at the thought of another daily lunch box making sesh, so these are great to make at the weekend and store in the freezer.  When you need to provide an easy yet scrummy lunch all you have to do is whip these bad boys out and send them on their way (the family and the pizza rolls)! 

1) Make your dough, I make mine using a bread maker all you need to do is tip in the correct ingredients, press start and wait for 90 mins.  If you don't have a bread maker you can easily make your own dough using a recipe on the net.

2)  Once the dough is ready to handle, roll out into a large rectangular shape using a rolling pin (see below).

3) Using ready made pizza sauce or red pesto or even your own home made sauce cover the dough thinly. Grate some cheese and sprinkle over the top of the pizza sauce (Quick Tip: Don't be tempted to add too many toppings - less is more).

4) Roll the covered dough carefully into a swiss roll shape and cut into sections around 1-1/2" wide.

5) Place the cut rolls/sections onto an oven proof tray lined with baking paper and cook in a oven set to 200C/Gas 6 for around 20 mins or until golden and firm.

It's NaBloPoMo #14 today! For more Blogs please visit Vonnie at http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com.  You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter just click on the Links to the right! 

Ode to Mummy (Me)!

Isn't this lovely?! I was tidying up the lounge the other day when I found this drawing among a pile of paper work.  At closer inspection I realised it is a drawing by my eldest daughter Brooke (aged six) where she has written down all the things I do for her and her sister!  I must admit after I deciphered what she had written it pulled at my heart strings hence the photo I took and this post! 

If you are also finding it hard to read (I don't blame you) let me decipher it for you now:

Brushing our herre (hair).
Taking us out to fun playses (places) with are (our) frends (friends).
Takeing (taking) us on rides at theme parks.
I like playing skiping (skipping) - I don't think this one is relevant to me! Lol!
Helping us all.
Ceeping (keeping) safe.
Doing chors (chores).
Helping me not to be late whenever I need to go enewer (anywhere).

Ahh bless her, the six year old teenager can be so lovely when she wants to be (cue tear to my eye)!  

Please feel free to comment - Take care everyone!

Remember I am taking part in NaBloPoMo and this is #13! For more Blogs please visit Vonnie at http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com.  You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter just click on the Links to the right! 

NaBloPoMo #2

So I have decided to take part in NaBloPoMo (bit of a mouthful I know) which stands for National Blog Post Month courtesy of Vonnie at http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com.  This means I will be taking up the challenge to post on my blog every day in November!  I try to post five times a week normally but this month I am going to try and up my game and post every day...you lucky things!

This is my 2nd post for NaBloPoMo so here are some links to a couple of my favourite past posts for you to check out - please read through and leave a comment as I love to hear from you & talk to new people!  Enjoy!

• Pizza Cake - Step by step instructions on how to make a fantastic looking pizza cake!
• Laser Eye Surgery - My experience (Part 1).
• Story Starters - 21 starting lines to help you create your own bedtime stories.
• Oh No The Vacuum Cleaner Has Blown Up - My thoughts on cleaning...ha ha!
• Doughnut Muffins - These are gorgeous - you really should try them!
• Wrap Around French Braid - My post popular hairstyle, if you have girls please try this it's fab!
• The Tooth Fairy - Our version of events.

Have A Great Weekend Everybody, Sophie!

NaBloPoMo #1

Thanks to Vonnie at http://nowtspecial.wordpress.com/ I am taking part in NaBloPoMo which is National Blog Post Month to you and me! This means every day in Novemeber I will be posting on my blog!  To start off NaBloPoMo I have a few facts about myself for you:

1) I am surprisingly small at 5" 1 1/2" Yes that's right - five foot, one and a half inches!

2) I love tattoos and have five of my own and another in the planning stages.

3) I'm not very keen on water even though I am the water sign Pisces.

4) I love leopard print in fact its a bit of an addiction for me.

5) I love American TV - my absolute favourite is The Middle!

6) I'm rather partial to pizza and chocolate - Actually I'll even go as far to say its LOVE.

7) I have had laser eye surgery and cannot believe the results it is literally a miracle!

Click here to read some more great Blogs taking part in NaBloPoMo! Thanks for reading, Love Sophie...xx