Felt and stitches

This little stitching project started Friday night. Manny was off to a friends for 2 nights. Last time Manny was away I made him some felt bunting and decorated the house with even more bunting.  So a tradition was started. Manny was only going to be away for 2 nights so a little stitched picture was the best project!

In the end he came home a night early, but I had just enough time to finish the picture and put it on the wall. I kept it in the embroidery frame and I quite like it! I think I may make a few more things like it, I just need to find the best way of making the back look neat - on this on the fabric has been sellotaped to the hoop! Maybe some washi tape to hide this - I just don't know! If anyone has any ides please let me know!

Lastly this was Thursday night at work! Our first bit of snow for the year - it didn't settle but I enjoyed watching it falling from my desk at work!

Spouffle

These are what I would like in my belly RIGHT NOW, well actually if we are being honest then the picture below is more accurate - can't just have a few smarties! 

 However no smarties will be eaten, not right now anyway - maybe soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe I will come up with some recipe that I need them for so that I have to them!

Anyway back on topic - this is the Spouffle! It went very well and it tasted delicious (actually tasted better the next day cold!) If you have spied the bread that wasn't made by it but it was homemade and delicious (Manny made it!)

A while ago I talked about resolutions one of which was to go the cinema once a week. Since the post this has happened. I have seen Shame and The artist. I enjoyed Shame (more so after watching it and thinking back about how it all linked), but I don't think it is for everyone The artist was amazing and I would highly recommend it - however if you are the person that laughs at every movement on screen then consider going to a film with lots of dialogue and loud noises as it can be quite off putting to others around!! I would love to go and see it again!

Thats enough from me, nearly time for bed and back to work!

My Saturday

Manny went paint-balling with his work this morning so I invaded the kitchen! I started with the more mundane things and did the laundry and washing-up! Then out came the cook books, one of our new years resolutions is to use the cook book more and we will each take it in turns on a Sunday to cook a meal from them. Last week Manny cooked frittata with home made bread (seen below) After much thought and book reading (2 loads of washing done in this time!!) I settled on spouffle - yes the "P" is meant to be in there it is from Hugh's veg cookbook 

However looking through the books had got the food thoughts well and truly embedded on my brain, so when I went to tesco to buy the spinach for the spouffle I picked up mushrooms, tinned tomatoes and sesame seeds. 

One muddy Manny returned home to a very hungry me - so only 2 feet in the door and I was telling him that we would be having tortilla wrap pizza's for lunch (now 3pm!) and everything was ready for topping them! Here ismne below. Very quick to do and also lots of fun. I don't know what it is about putting your own toppings on pizzas but everyone seems to enjoy it!

I made the tomato sauce base and added cheese, feta, baby corn and egg!

Then on to stage 2 of my baking - breadsticks. I have been wanting to make these for a while now. They were really easy to so and delicious warm! I did salt and pepper and sesame and poppy seed toppings. 

As we are talking about I thought I would show you the giant yorkshire I made for last nights dinner - very happy with how it turned out - I have never made one big one before!

Finally stage 3 of the baking! I fancied something sweet, so cupcakes were the way forward. I made nutella filled cakes, chocolate, marzipan, cherry cakes and mincemeat cakes. A few of the cakes were eaten warm before I took the picture!

Now I am sat down catching up on blogland and sorting some more of my Barcelona pictures! Hope you have had a good Saturday!

Birthday!

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and we had just come back from Barcelona. I was treated to a birthday lunch - red pepper and walnut tart, it was delicious!

On the walk home I stopped for a rest (we had purchased a bedside table and had been carrying it home!) secretly wanting a go on the swings - my wish was granted!

It is more difficult than you would imagine to take a picture mid swing!

I got the Kirstie Allsopp craft book - I have already looked through it a couple of times and am just trying to decide what to attempt first!

In the evening it I had my request of homemade pizza (photo still on my camera!) Then came Birthday number 2 the day after - a trip in to town with my mum and a new haircut (just wish I could make it look like that myself!)

Sagrada Familia

Just pictures for you today! Hope you enjoy - I had a fantastic time going around!

Barcelona - a few pictures

I had a fantastic time in Barcelona and took over 800 photos! I am not going to bore you with all of them, but today I have selected a few of my favourites for you! The one day we had brilliant sunsets, the clouds made the colours and patterns in the sky much better! I loved the silhouette of the seagull against it.

I was playing with some of the settings on my new camera and came across colour pick, above is one of the results of my fiddling! We were lucky enough to be there when the christmas lights were up - they were fantastic, something different on each street.

This was from the rooftops of one of the many Gaudi buildings! I loved spotting all the bottles and the way the light caught the glass.

I have always liked the ornamental cabbage plants but I have never seen them in such a large quantity!

We did a lot of walking, we tried to take as many local roads as we could and avoid the more tourist routes. I am very glad we did as we came acros lovely parks like this one! We saw several parks with these horses in - much nicer than the plastic version we get here!

First plane ride

A sneak peek for you all! I went to Barcelona last week (a christmas and birthday present - one very happy girl!!) and we returned yesterday. Today being my birthday I haven't quite got round to all the blog catching up and picture sorting yet (washing can wait - these are obviously more important!) I am part way through the photos though and promise to be back with more.

This was my first time on a plane and I was very excited - there was a slight ordeal with getting to the airport and had our flight not been delayed I would not have got on the plane!! Long story short there was a few navigation errors thanks to the GPS and a cowboy "airport" parking firm (miles away in the middle of a housing state in the back of someones garden) we were later than expected due to satnav misguiding and then they didn't have anyone to drive us to the airport (website advertised a bus would go every 10 mins) Decision made to drive to the airport and park there!! We arrived at the airport 5 mins before our gate should close, but luckily the flight had been delayed and the very kind lady on check in managed to get us through and our bag on the plane! Not the best way to start my first flight experience but from then on in everything was perfect! I loved flying and had a great time taking pictures.

Anyway enough rambling from me for now - I will be back with pictures soon! 

Films

One of my new years resolutions is to try and go to the cinema once a week. As a group of friends we do try and go every week and watch a film (we have the unlimited card) this year I didn't manage every week - but from what I can remember I did see nearly 30 films, which isn't bad!! Here is a list of last years films and I will try and update you each time I go with what I saw and a little bit about what I thought of it!

Horrible bosses

Captain America

Super 8

Cowboys and Aliens

Colombiana

Tinker, Tailor, solider spy

The Guard

Red State

Tintin

The awakening

In time

Hugo

Sherlock Holmes

Harry Potter - deathly hallows

The Hangover 2

The Mechanic

I am number four

The adjustment bureau

Limitless

Insidious

Source code

The king's speech

Hanna

Scream 4

Thor

X-men first class

Attack the block

I started 2012 with a double bill and we saw Mission Impossible and then Girl with a dragon tattoo (with nandos in between!) Mission Impossible was exactly as to be expected but I enjoyed it. The girl with a dragon tattoo however was really good, and a film I would definitely like to see again.

Monthly make 2012

I've joined in the Monthly make 2012. I hope that I will have more than one thing a month to show you - this is part of my resolutions this year anyway! More on those another day!

Here is Januarys make - made out of necessity, a new camera bag for my new camera! I'm off o my hols soon and so purchased a new camera and I didn't like/couldn't afford any of the camera cases out there. So I set to making my own. I am very pleased with it, never made anything like this before and I managed to hide all messy bits!! 

I made it using old material I had, purple cord and a pink fleece to keep the camera nice and snug inside! Once I have got the hang of the camera, hopefully you will see a difference in the photos i upload onto here!!

Swaps

Head here for the swap, hosted by clobelle

Head here for this swap hosted by laalaa