...A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL...

Well hello again...its been a while, but I guess you might have an inkling why....some sort of holiday going on,  too much to do and too little time.......but was it all worth it for you?

For me it has to be a resounding   'YES'.

Lots of precious time with those we love......

 Enjoying morning cuddles with little visitors who came to stay during school holidays.....

Finally finishing home made decorations and loving them so much they are staying in place after the celebrations.......only the garland I hasten to add I think the letters and baubles had better go away....!

Receiving the most beautiful and most useful presents....the grey bag held my new shopping trolley....beware all those who have run over my feet in the past... woman on a mission coming through.....at least I'll be able to fetch the wine now....

  And the fabulous clock now gracing my mantelpiece..it was intended for the bedroom but is too nice to hide away so we are swapping things round....

watching the grand children's faces as they opened their presents, a privilege and a joy....

 We have been royally wined and dined by our great kids and have had a wonderful party here at home with them all and my brother and brother in law. It has been what Christmas really is about, family , fun, sharing and caring and all the rest has been an added bonus. It was of course tinged with a little sadness that my beautiful Sylvia wasn't there to share it with us but we loved having our BIL and though we were perhaps a bit noisy for him I think he held up well and enjoyed sharing it with us.

And finally among all the wonderful books and gifts that we have received DH and I were presented with tickets for TWINWOOD 2013 by our darling girl and her family. I am still in shock, and am already researching 1940s costumes and finding patterns for hats etc. My SIL is as excited as us as she and her hubby will be going with us. We're stopping 2 nights and have tickets for the Sunday so will be able to attend late into the night.

Ummmm.....that gives us about 7 months to learn the jitterbug....but then perhaps not....I think we will be happy enough to watch all the experts and just revel in the atmosphere...I cant wait.......anyone know of a forties hairstyle for very short silver hair.....help!!

So thank you to everyone for making our Christmas a true time of joy and happiness and for those of you who have not been so fortunate I hope that 2013  holds better things for you and new beginnings.......

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wherever you are

TTFN

Jenny xx

AND THE WINNER IS.......

Well I was a little disappointed at the response to my giveaway, only 7 entries, but as I didn't specify the prize perhaps it didn't appeal.

However of those who entered, the winner as drawn from my paper hat by my DH is.......

MARIGOLD JAM

Congratulations a pre Christmas parcel will be winging its way to you sometime this week. Please let me have your full name and address details (to the email on my profile) and I will rush it off to you.

As for the most interesting idea, I think it has to go to.....

 HAPPY HOMEMAKER UK

A paper rose on paper shoes, well in view of my business, I think this has to win the runner up prize...congratulations a little token of my appreciation at your taking part will also be in the post as soon as I receive your details.

To everyone else thanks for making me feel that at least someone is listening out there, It always amazes me that out of  over 100 views in a day only one or two actually say hello! I don't bite and  a ' I just popped by to say hello' will do.

Finally the answer was a wreath...OK so not so extraordinary but I am so happy with it and the tutorial I followed here.

Mine is on a 12 inch willow wreath painted white and took 390 roses!!

I have since created a bell decoration for Christmas

so my book cannibalism is set to continue.....

Paper garlands next I 'm thinking...and perhaps handmade crackers with gifts relating to book heroes and heroines....my mind is racing now and the ideas are flooding in .....am I becoming obsessed....look out for further exciting chapters soon.......

But now for the epilogue...

TTFN

Jenny xx

Off to bed with a good book...the ones I saved because they are worth reading....!

Bye Bye Autumn.......and a little giveaway!!

Well that's it Autumn has definitely left the building here...

With the delivery of some fabulous mercury glass ornaments and then this........

 ( surely I could enter a competition for the messiest cook....and win!!...)

and a quick look at my poor cookery book will only confirm this..........

but when you see the year I received it and I have made the same cake every year since, perhaps I have a little excuse.....

but no doubt there will be cookery book guardians out there who will still not forgive my wanton destruction. My only defence is that it is still a well loved and definitely used book, and the results do speak for themselves.....

 The cakes will now be subjected to forced alcoholism until about a week before the big day when they will be dressed in there finery.

I have also been working on a little project that  I have just realised only confirms my book cannibalism Ooops!!! Involving (honest) a very worn 600 page novel that I didn't enjoy (and therefore did not pass on to others as usual) and rather a lot of hot glue, it has taken several hours so far but if it turns out half as beautiful as the one in the original tutorial I will be thrilled....can you guess what it might be?........

 There will be a little parcel in the post for the first correct answer pulled out of my paper hat on Friday 30th November.... and one for the most creative or bazaar idea (for those of you who quite frankly haven't a clue what I am up to!!) so come on have a go and let Christmas come early to the lucky winners......

I will then reveal the answer with the link to that tutorial, (Just in time to make one yourselves) so good luck......

TTFN

Jenny xx

BLOWING AWAY THE COBWEBS...

As we get well and truly into the shorter days and as anyone looking after pre-school children will know, get out and about a little less (especially in those sudden downpours) it is always great if you can abandon everything for a couple of hours to 'blow away the cobwebs'

Well this is exactly what we did last weekend. Our original plan was to walk from Foxton Locks to Market Harborough and back, but when we realised that it would take us about 3 hours one way, involved walking across fields and there was no way we could fit it all in in daylight we had to slightly amend our plans.

The lovely sculpture as you approach the top lock

So we just drove to Foxton and followed the canal path for about an hour and a half before we retraced our steps. Mind you we nearly didn't get there at all as there was a diversion on the Northampton road due to flooding, but the alternate route we took was actually more under water than the main road! So you can see that it was just as well we abandoned the original plan as the fields were and probably still are absolutely waterlogged.

 What an amazing feat of engineering, such a simple system but what hard work it must have been!!

The locks are a staircase system of ten locks in two runs of five. This means that each lock opens directly into the next one. This was one way of allowing boats to navigate steep terrain.
Another way was by a lift system consisting of two water filled tanks which literally hoisted the boats on a cantilever system up and down hills and you can still see the site of the Foxton incline plane. This was built in 1900 to try to replace the ageing locks and speed the flow of water traffic. However a combination of extended hours where the locks were opened to allow night travel and the railways meant that the lifts were never used to their full capacity and in 1910 were closed after only 10 years of use. A shame when you think that the descent in the locks took 45 minutes where the lift took only 12! There is still talk of the waterways authority and the volunteers trying to get the lift restored, but whether this will happen who knows.
The site is well worth a visit though, especially in better weather, with a museum, cafes canal side pubs and lovely walks.

We continued our walk just along the tow path and even though it was raining for most of the time  the autumn colours still glowed and the whole area had a kind of magic.

And on the return journey what a welcome site as it must have been to weary boatman in the past....

This was certainly one of the prettiest walks we have had for a while and we will be back in the spring or summer, though I expect it will be a bit more crowded then....

Hope you all have a good week

TTFN

Jenny xx

Use Your Loaf....

Well do you...and no I'm not being rude or casting aspersions on your intelligence, I mean it quite literally!

We don't eat a lot of sliced bread, but I do like to keep a bit in mainly for making toast....hot, buttered, covered in home made jam.....yummmmm.
But sometimes a full loaf is a bit too much. OK so I can freeze half of it but to be honest I'm not keen on thawed sliced bread. Rolls never seem so bad, but thawed sliced bread can be a bit soggy I find.

Anyway the point of this post is really a make do and mend one as at this time of year I can think of nothing better than a good old Bread and Butter pudding! So I thought I would share my busy mums (or Nanny's) version with you.

First you need to gather your ingredients...

 About 8 -10 slices of bread

Soft brown sugar

Sultanas

2 eggs

3/4 pint of milk

I like to use a large ceramic souffle dish for mine but any deep sided dish will do. However this is to be cooked in the microwave, so although you may get away with a square dish, I would avoid an oval or oblong as they need to fit on your turntable.

Cut all the crusts from the bread (but don't throw away) and then butter each slice generously making sure you cover right to the edges. Next cut the slices in half across the diagonal.

Arrange 2 slices (4 halves) in the bottom of the dish, one slice laid one way and the other in the opposite direction...

Sprinkle about a dessertspoon of soft brown sugar over the bread and then a generous spoon of sultanas. The amounts are pretty open to interpretation here, depending on how sweet or fruity you like your puddings...

Continue in this fashion, 2 slices at a time until the last 2 are added and cover these again with a little more sugar and plenty of fruit. Don't worry if the stack is now above the dish as this will shrink down when the liquid is added and again when it is cooked.

Next you need to whisk the 2 eggs with a spoon of brown sugar. Heat the milk in a pan to blood heat (just hot enough to still be able to put your (clean) finger in) and when ready carefully whisk the milk into the eggs. Don't ever try to pour the eggs into the milk as you are likely to end up with scrambled egg instead of custard.
Carefully strain the custard mixture over the bread trying to make sure that all of the top slices are soaked.

Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes and if possible up to half an hour to allow the custard to be soaked up by all the bread.
Finally pop into the microwave and cook on full power for 4 minutes and then turn down to the defrost setting and cook for a further 20 minutes.

The pudding will shrink slightly from the sides of the dish as the custard cooks.

And voila one absolutely delicious, definitely not calorie conscious pud.....

This shot makes it look as though it wouldn't go far but there is more than enough for four people.....

.....and of course not forgetting those crusts which we are certainly not going to waste....pop them on a grill pan and carefully toast them turning them so they brown well all over. Then blitz them in a processor and store in an air tight jar to cover your homemade chicken kievs or scotch eggs...but thats for another time....

Enjoy

TTFN

Jenny xx

COSY HEADBAND (Tutorial)...and Finally

When I wrote the original Tutorial here I mentioned that if you bought a little extra fleece you could complete your cosy outfit with a scarf.
So here is the method. Not really a full tutorial this time as it is so simple I am just going to tell you how I did it.

Take your fleece usually 60 inches or 54 inches wide and fold in half width ways. Make sure you have a completely straight edge at the top of the fleece and measure down 10 inches making several marks across your fleece to link and draw your second straight line.
Cut out on this line as carefully as possible or use a rotary cutter and mat if you have them.
You should now have a strip of fleece 60/54 inches long by 10 inches deep. On each end mark a straight line to cut off the selvedge. Then mark another line 2 inches away from this (on each end). This is to create the fringed ends. Make 1/4 inch cuts from each edge to the 2 inch line.
The scarf is made!!...

However I am sure you will not want to leave it there......

There are so many ways you can personalise it. My first method is to create a pattern with needle felting, either by hand or an embellisher. I have used both methods here.....

Next I copied a portion of the fleece flower I created on the orange headband, using the same buttons as centres.

Of course these scarves don't only have to be for the adults. As we all try to find ways to save money and live a less consumer led existence what better present could you give a nephew,niece or grandchild than a handmade scarf, with perhaps a matching hat ( find loads of free patterns here) personalised with their favourite toy, pet or even their name.

I took the Stanley and racing car templates from the Cath Kidston books, intended to be used as patterns for applique's and created machine embroideries, but you could appliqué them just as well...

 For a little girl you could use ribbon embroidery, or attach crochet flowers. The options are endless.
And don't forget snowflakes, snowmen and reindeer if you want a truly traditional Christmas gift!

I hope some of you try them and let us all see your creations. Just have fun and make something warm and practical at the same time.

In the meantime don't get too spooked this evening.....Happy Halloween

TTFN

Jenny xx

AT LAST.....!

I am so relieved to be able to show you the two latest completed rooms. It seems like forever ago that I showed you this.....

and this......

I am sure our experience has been nothing compared to some of the traumas I read about on a daily basis, but I'm still so happy to be able to say...we did it.....

One almost perfect Sewing Room...I only say almost because you sewers and crafters out there will know that whenever we reorganise 'our space' we are never quite sure if it is just right. There will no doubt be minor tweakings (please let that be a word, I love it) for some time, but I do appreciate how very lucky I am to have it at all......

And finally the revamped Dining Room.....
I confess when I first saw the room minus my beautiful Victorian fireplace,

I almost wept. I am still not 100% sure that we have done the right thing.....bit contemporary for our 180 year old house?......
Still it is done now and DH loves it!

I do love the freshness of it and it did need redecorating but this has been a big step.
It is slowly growing on me. (Mind you I absolutely love the oak fire mantel, made locally)
So that's that and now we're planning the next projects. These old houses are like the Forth Bridge...once you think you are done it all starts again. However I think that may have to wait until after Christmas ( I did whisper that , honest) but at least I can make a start on the soft furnishings.

So lovely people if you know anyone in or around the Lincoln area who wants a fireplace and are able to fetch it, we have one we're burning to get rid of (Sorry, that was bad). The pine surround does need repainting, but the Victorian insert is complete and the tiles intact. It cost us over £1000 to have installed but would be happy to accept £300 ono, cash on collection. Ps I would throw the mirror in if anyone wanted it!

Off to play in my new room now.....I may be gone some time.....

TTFN

Jenny xx