Christmas Cookies : )

Hello lemon bon bons how are you all today? I have had the most ridiculously lazy day ever. I didn't wake up until 11 (no alarm clock in half term!) and then allowed myself to stay in bed til half 12. It was so nice not having to rush around for anything, I am going to enjoy it while it lasts! I decided to have a practice run making some Christmas biscuits today so set off later in the afternoon for a couple of ingredients from Tesco. Here's how I got on...

1) Get all of your ingredients ready, you will need 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 250g butter, 140g caster sugar, 1 yolk of  an egg and 300g plain flour. The cookie cutters to the right were a Christmas present from my mother in law and were perfect for creating festive shapes.

2) After weighing out the ingredients, mix the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until light and creamy.

3) Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat in quickly. Then sift the flour and continue to stir in. Towards the end, you will have to get your hands in in order to turn the mixture into a firm dough.

4) Flour the kitchen surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Use the cookie cutters to cut out shapes., and evenly space them out on a greased non-stick baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes at 180 degrees, and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

5) Decorate! I used an icing sugar mix to create the white icing, and a sprinkling of icing sugar on a few as hubby is not such a big fan of icing as I am! You could experiment with different colours and toppings too as I intended to (but ran out of time!) Still, I like the white, I think it looks like snow, simple and effective : )

So there you have it, I think they turned out quite well for my first attempt, however, I have learnt some lessons for next time:

1) The icing sugar mix was quite messy and tricky to apply so next time I may try some ready to roll icing stuck down on top of the biscuit with apricot jam.
2) I am going to buy some tubes of different coloured writing icing as it will be quick and easy to create designs then without having to use my piping bag.
3) Make sure I only using my baking sheets (I used a regular cooking tray with one load of biscuits, and despite being greased it was not non-stick at all, so all the biscuits on that tray broke up).
4) Remove my wedding rings beforehand - when kneading the dough, it all got stuck between my diamonds, meaning I had to use an old toothbrush and washing up liquid to scrub it all out afterwards!)

Love to you all, more soon xoxo

A sprinkling of glitter and sparkle

Happy Saturday strawberry cupcakes, hope this is finding you well. Sadly, I am not well still : ( Last Saturday I blogged that I had been ill and this has got worse this week, culminating in a trip to the out of hours Doctor at the hospital today. Trying to remain positive though, I have new drugs now and am hoping to feel a bit more normal soon!

While I've been ill and off work this week I have been putting more thought into my Christmas wish list! A few new bits and pieces have come to my attention that I feel very sure I must have... : )

Liz Earle skin set £41. I love the Liz Earle cleanse, tone and moisturise routine, I don't think I have ever used another brand that has made my skin feel so clean and soft. I am running low on products now so this would be a good chance to stock up.

This would make a good little stocking filler (must try hard NOT to purchase before Christmas!) Facets of Fuchsia nail polish by Revlon. I love the deep dramatic colour of this and the gorgeous glitter.

A selection of soap and glory cosmetics. I really like  the soap and glory toiletries range so am looking forward to trying out their cosmetics!

Mulberry iPhone case £65. I saw these the other day on the Mulberry website and think they are gorgeous. Plus the chocolate brown will match my new bag : )

Jinkksy heart on my sleeve bracelet £35. This brand has come to my attention recently as many UK celebs have been spotted wearing the gorgeous pieces, particularly the bracelets.

Well that's everything for today, has anyone else started writing their Christmas lists yet? Hope everyone is having a nice weekend : ) xoxo

Friday Night With Friends

Hello dolls how are you all? It seems like an age since I last blogged, I had a really busy week and then was ill again at the end of the week so I just haven't had the opportunity to just sit and write! Today was a great day, hubby went to play hockey so I had a lovely lay in before dropping into town for a spot of shopping. I loved my shopping experience today as there was a food market in the shopping centre and they were selling Christmas bits and pieces which really put me in the festive mood! (Like I need any extra help with that!) I also got a few more Christmas things - cards for all my close family and friends, gift wrapping and ribbon, some presents for the children in the family, some gift bags and a little wicker sign for the front door saying 'welcome', with a snowman and reindeer in the middle! (Never fear, this will not go up until December!). I am feeling pretty smug right now as I have most of my Christmas stuff, and now just have a few more pressies to get for family and hubby! Woo hoo ; )


Yesterday was my best friend's birthday so we had a fabulous night out in Rochester. It was really nice to get dressed up and go out with hubby as well, as usually I go out with the girls only. 

Me and the birthday girl : )

I wore a Hollister camisole vest top, a grey/black ruffle skirt from H & M, my H & M tweed blazer, chunky bangles and earrings from Primark and grey heels from Primark too.

Pout off! Me with hubby and friends

That's everything for today, I hope you have all had good Friday nights/Saturdays too, I am soooooooo excited for tomorrow, I am going somewhere very special indeed... will reveal all tomo!! : ) xoxo

Fairytale December

Hello dolls, how are you all today?? I am just fabulous, had a fun day at work and a bit more laid back than my Monday to Wednesday routine as I finally had some free periods!! I left work about 4 which was very good for me, I was super productive today and got a lot done so no late stay! When I arrived home I did some cleaning for about an hour (I actually enjoy cleaning and sorting so this wasn't too much of a chore!), then I settled on the sofa with a cup of tea and biscuits waiting for hubby to come home.


When hubby arrived home we discussed my forthcoming birthday (OK its not until December but I do like to plan in advance!) and discussed some different options. Obviously we are going to Berlin (blogged about here) as part of my birthday celebration, but that is not until the 18th December. My birthday is the 12th so we wanted to do something around that date. We discussed a show in the West end, and having done some research, I stumbled across Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker at Sadler's Wells. I have wanted to see the Nutcracker for years, the combination of dance, costume and classical musical, with a score by Tchaikovsky is hugely appealing and something a bit different to the usual show in the West end. Hubby booked tickets for us in the stalls and I am so excited! December is shaping up to be a completely fabulous month, and it will all be topped off by Christmas!! : )

Unforgettable sets and costumes

I am completely in love with these pink costumes!

I am really loving the new season, I love the weather getting chillier, and the new term at school. Everything just feels new somehow, and I am one hundred per cent on the countdown to December now! So exciting!!! xoxo