Halloween on it's way.

What a nice morning. Haven't done half of what I planned, isn't that always the way. Popped up to get toffee apple bits n bobs, and spent WAY more than planned in supermarket. Isn't it always the way.
Came home and made some tasty beetroot soup. Decided to use my handy Pampered Chef chopper to save getting my hands all purple (kids sewing club today - might put them off).. so happily bang bang banging beetroot too much and slinging it in pot, when one biggy rolled off the board. Had to catch it, juice was chasing it, threw out a hand to grab... beetroot juice chasing it...
...disaster, beetroot everywhere, juice on me, floor, worktop, eggs sitting innocently nearby!!! Should have just used a knife and plastic bags on my hands :-/ Isn't that always the way.

Anyway, then, not to be beaten by kitchen madness, threw together Pumpkin Muffins. Now, I've had a go at a lot of things to use up the flesh of the lovely pumpkin and I'm sorry but I have been mightily disappointed BUT these look promising. Waiting for the childers to come home and offer to taste.

Similar to carrot cake idea I think, we'll see.
I did finish another pumpkin to add to the growing menagerie of Halloween decorations - that are still in their box awaiting me to get off my lazy rear.. I'll start after tea. Nieces and nephew filled weekend so I really ought to.

Taste-y Day Out

TV chef James Martin is easy in the eye and could rustle up a taste-y plate full any day of the week. A little too risque in his mouthy drivel but easy on the eye none-the-less. 

A bit of Masterchef too... although wasn't too impressed with John Torode's constant "don't understand the Scots" joke. We aren't all Billy Connollys, not that there is anything at all wrong with Mr C.

Today was the first day of No1 D's Art School classes. Every Saturday until March she will go and have a treasured experience (I hope) at one of the most prestigious art schools there is, how cool is that!!
VERY cool, I think :-D

We took the train into town in the late autumn chill and walked up the hill, a walk I remember well. She was relaxed and calm and extremely composed. After two hours out she came blethering about all that she had done and what to bring next week.

I'm wondering where this kid came from... I wouldn't have said boo to a goose, in fact if my mother had suggested trying these kid classes I would have been terrified to go. SO well done to my No1 D, she's more than fab!!

and check out the flowers at the station, still looking gorgeous...

Pleasant Sunday :-D

I've been making sure the old girl is working well - and she is. I am aware that it's tempting fate, but she is running like new again after her clean out.

This log cabin wreath is on a foundation base of light weight vilene. I drew out 3 1/2" squares giving each bar of log cabin a width of 1/2", centre a 1/2" square - finished. The whole thing is 18 3/4" square in size, finished. 

Whilst I was pottering the No2 D...

...whipped up some pancakes. They were very tasty. They have almost made up for the disappointment that I forgot to take the beef joint out the freezer early enough so it's pasta for dinner instead. I was so looking forward to the whole shebang of beef, potatoes, veg... it'll have to wait until tomorrow :-(

A hooray and a day out...

Hooray, the trusty sewing machine which is now in it's 10th year enduring my non-stop use has just come back from it's visit to the health farm. A strip down, right good ear-waxing, and a thorough towelling down has brought back the tension and returned the lovely big lugger to it's special place in the work room. She was missed. It was a bit like losing the car for a fortnight, you can walk places, still get to the shops and get things done but it's not the same.
To walk into my room and there be an empty space on the table was torture. Especially as I got the December issue of BHG American Patchwork & Quilting and it is full of delicious things to immediately begin (even though there is a backlog of UFOs).

Anyway, so I had to go to STIRLING to collect her, so took No2 D and cousin A for a day. We had a roam about and a browse here and there and then made our way to The Wallace Monument .

246 steps to the top, chasing young legs is not easy but fortunately there were a few levels to rest the legs and pretend that I was as fit as they were.

Some lovely busts on the second resting level...

And then on the way out we got to see some falconry and pick a new pet...

( We didn't bring it home in the FIAT - bit of a swizz! Man said... "Girls would you like to hold the bird", looked at me - "You can take a picture". Girls both excitedly agreed it would be fab. Brought the bird over and as he slipped the glove on the hand of Cousin A, said to me "£2 each in the bucket thanks") Nicely done I thought as I emptied last coins from my person :-/

Stindgy Scot you are thinking.

Got the laptop back.

When I announced I was treating myself to my lovely laptop I made it quite clear that the computer upstairs (non-portable) was free to use for smaller fingers. Then No1 D got an Apple second-hand from Mr. H's work when they were upgrading technologically. So she won a watch... can you feel the "but" coming?

BUT - these are not so much fun as sitting with the laptop whilst watching telly. So I have to wait and wait and wait and wait.. and it can be a pain I must admit.

Anyway, last week I was busily doing this wedding cake for my cousin and his bride-to-be. I didn't want to post the pics until after the event - which I still feel tender from :-[ 

It was a really great weekend up north with lots of dancing and chinking of glasses - hence the heed!

So yesterday was a lovely quiet day, sitting, so out came the crotchet squares that have been going since.. old PollyHope blog  and so, maybe eventually, I will have something that I have always wanted to be able to make...

This is only a bit of it..

In amongst the busyness...

Well apart from putting together a wedding cake, which is complete now and awaiting it's journey north this weekend (can't show pics, cos you never know who's looking and it's a surprise). We have been paper mache-ing a planet. No2 D is doing "Planets" as a theme at school. They have to build their own planet. So the bold girl with a bit of help from her sister has been having fun with glue and paper.

As usual her mother wanted to take it too far with little battery operated christmas LED lights and stuff but was told to cool it. She made a lovely job and enjoyed it. 

Oh dear, too busy, too busy :-[

It has been over a week of dashing from one thing to another, to another, to another. It'll be alright next week and back down into third gear, but at the moment it's been forth to fifth constantly.
And isn't it always the time you feel like dusting, or cleaning... or is that avoidance! To get me through it all I have been slipping half a teaspoon of sugar in my tea. I know - SHOCKING!
Just before the rush we had a day out Largs

It looks like somewhere in the West Indies. It was a lovely day. I made some bread and soup for our picnic, which was closely followed by ice creams from Nardinis and squeezing in some fish'n'chips before we left. Truth be told we pretty much ate from the moment we arrived.