Wise Words Wednesday

Source: j-jump-jennifer.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Introducing the brand new Pink Lining Twins Bag

I have always lusted after Pink Lining change bags... they are just the right amount of cute, with the added benefit of being practical at the same time. Unfortunately many things have kept me from owning one... two of those being my gorgeous little monsters... and the worry that an ordinary (in the sense of it being designed for a single baby) change bag would not provide sufficient space for all the extras that you carry around when you have twins.

There are very few (that I'm aware of) change bags that are designed specifically for twins (and even fewer, if any, designed for higher order multiples), and I think that so many brands are missing a trick with the incidences of twins and multiples increasing year on year.

That's why I was extremely excited to be told by Pink Lining that they would be introducing a twins changing bag in January 2012... and they wanted me to roadtest, video and review their only sample available before launch!! Wow!

Their twins bags are available to pre-order now and will be available from January 27th 2012.

Here's the first of the videos that I've put together... this one introduces all of the great features of the beautiful Pink Lining Twins Bag...

It's absolutely gorgeous don't you think? I really enjoyed filming this... do you think I could make a blossoming career on television shopping channels?!!

Disclosure: I was provided with the Pink Lining Twins Bag in order to video and review, but this does not affect how I write and will always blog with honesty and integrity.

Just a little Christmas baking!

I can't believe the amount of parchment paper we've got through this month!

The pièce de résistance... my red glitter Christmas cake made using the Tesco/Mary Berry Christmas Cake Baking Kit. A little overdone, but looked fantastic!

A close-up of the bow... it took me ages to get it just right!

Lots more Christmas biscuits...

... hearts for Tilly...

... and stars for Jasper :)

Sparkly Christmas snickerdoodle cookies!

Festive fridge cookies... recipe coming soon!

OK... not offically baking, but couldn't resist including our festive popcorn. Butter popcorn drizzled in honey and lots of sprinkles!


Keith even braved making mince pies with Tilly and Jasper. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any photos, but it was a delight to listen to them as I was wrapping presents in the next room.

We've still got a stollen baking kit unopened... It may be a while before we decide to make this... perhaps when the Christmas excesses have worn off!

Hope you all had a relaxing and joyful Christmas

xxx

Don't let meningitis ruin your Christmas

A little while ago I was extremely fortunate to be invited to join a group of bloggers in a forum to discuss the complexities of one of the most worrying diseases - meningitis.

It was very eye-opening. I thought I already knew quite a bit about meningitis... the photo-sensitivity, stiff neck, the rash etc. but it turns out that these are just a few of the symptoms. In fact it turned out that I was one of the 34 million people in the UK that unmistakably believed that the rash was one of the main symptoms. How wrong could I be? The rash is actually one of the late symptoms, and only occurs when you get septicaemia associated with meningitis, so you may not even get a rash.

Although there are a couple of 'at risk' groups (small children - due to their weak immune systems, and college students - due to their increased 'social' activities) meningitis can strike anyone at any time regardless of age, gender, race or class.

At Christmastime there is a slightly higher risk of contracting meningitis. Families and friends come together indoors to spend time together, so please make sure that you are aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis. It is better to be safe than sorry :)

You can check out the following websites for further information:

Meningitis Trust  web // facebook // twitter // vimeo // iPhone app

Meningitis UK  web // facebook // twitter // youtube

Meningitis Research Foundation  web // facebook // twitter // youtube

If in any doubt or worried at all contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647

Disclosure: I received expenses to attend the 'Unfolding the complexities of meningitis' bloggers forum in October 2011

Wise Words Wednesday

Source: emilymcdowell.posterous.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Recipe: Christmas Snickerdoodle Cookies

Last Sunday we headed over to visit Keith's family to help pick their Christmas tree and to take Tilly and Jasper to see Santa in his grotto. We had a lovely time and it definitely helped to get me feeling a little more festive.

While we were there they gave me a copy of Cake Days (from the Hummingbird Bakery) for my birthday present, and Keith's sister also gave me some edible red glitter to try out. So as soon as we got home I immediately picked out a recipe that I wanted to adapt... I'm not one for ever following recipes to the letter, even if they are new ones!

When I opened up the page for their snickerdoodle cookies I automatically assumed that this was some kind of cookie made using Snickers (or Marathon for those of use old enough to remember) bars, but I couldn't have been more wrong! It appears that snickerdoodle cookies are a festive American tradition... to which my brain suddenly flashed into life and got thinking about how I could utilise the red glitter.

As we hadn't got any ground cinnamon I made a few other changes to the recipe and also added a bit of red food colouring... I was going for festive overload! I think next time I might leave the food colouring out and see what they look like 'au naturelle' with just a sprinkling of glitter in the coating... anyways, here's how they turned out... I love the little glints of glitter! Festive, don't you think?!

Christmas Snickerdoodle Cookies

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 14-18 cookies

You will need:

FOR THE DOUGH

60g unsalted butter, softened

160g caster sugar, peeled and roughly chopped

1 capful vanilla essence

1 capful red food colouring

1 large egg

240g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp mixed spice

FOR THE COATING

1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp edible red glitter

Directions:

Begin by creaming together the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and food colouring (if using) until light and fluffy.

Add in the egg and beat well until all of the ingredients are combined.

Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place in a covered bowl and refridgerate to rest and firm for about 40 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 170^oC and line baking trays with parchment paper.

Next mix together the ingredients for the coating in a small bowl.

Remove dough from fridge and break into about 18 walnut-sized balls, roll in the coating mixture and place on baking trays allow room between each for spreading.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, then remove and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.

Enjoy!

Travelling light for Christmas? I don't think so!

Are you one of those families that pack everything up and go visiting friends and family over the Christmas holidays?

Because we are the furthest away, with everyone else more-or-less relatively local to one another, it inevitably falls to us to pack up our lives and do the rounds at Christmas and New Year.

I wouldn't mind, but I've calculated that we'll be doing about 500 miles (not including any incidental little trips that are bound to crop up), staying at 3 different places, and stopping in at nine different addresses! Christmas is one of the most stressful times of the year and this just adds to the exhaustion... and the costs!

 

And then we've got to make sure we pack everything we need... which, when you've got twin toddlers, isn't easy, and when Keith is involved it doesn't necessarily mean packing light anyway! We're talking about the guy who insists on taking snorkelling gear to any destination we go that is within driving distance of the sea... and it usually comes back unused ;)

 

Items we must remember to take are:

• Enough clothes for the twins for a week, plus a few spares
• A large carryall for all of Keith's stuff
• A smaller bag for all of my stuff
• A few toys to keep the twins occupied
• Duvets and pillows for the twins
• Enough nappies etc. for the week
• Christmas presents
• Keith's winter survival kit for the car (snow shovel, bottles of water, bottles of energy drinks, biscuits, blankets, winter coats and boots for all occupants of the car)
• 2 travel cots
• 2 high chairs
• 1 double buggy
• 2 single buggies (for if we need to go separate ways!)
• And a partridge in a pear tree*

 

 

If you have any tips for travelling and packing of the Christmas season why not head over and share them at flythomascook.com and be in with a chance of winning an Antler Purelite suitcase.


*May or may not be true ;)

Vintage Blue and Red Inspiration

A little while ago I was given the opportunity to try out and review some of the Vintage Blue range from Brabantia. Having once owned a rather splendid pastel yellow Brabantia pedal-bin many years ago... in fact I think it now has pride of place in my sister's kitchen... it only took me a few seconds to consider the offer and then quickly replied with a big YES PLEASE!

A few days later there was a delivery man on my doorstep bearing two large boxes which very generously contained a roll-top bread bin, a couple of window canisters and an awesome touch bin... and all in the gorgeous vintage blue! Tilly and Jasper had a lot of fun helping me unpack the goodies, and then proceeded to pack each other into the boxes. It was difficult to restrain myself from taping the boxes up and marking them 'return to sender'! ;)

The colour of the vintage blue is indeed that... vintage blue. Inspired by the denim of the 70's, it's a lovely 'warm' blue and is a bold choice for a colour that is not often associated with kitchens. But I think it works beautifully. Combine it with a few other bold colours such as red... a bit of Cath Kidston... a splash of Laura Ashley... throw in some rather cool retro-inspired gadgets... and you've got yourself a rather fabulous kitchen... or hopefully one day, when we've finally got ourselves back onto the property ladder! A girl can dream can't she?!

You can find links to all of the above products and many more in my vintage blue and red inspitation board on pinterest... and of course the question on everyone's lips is 'what did we think of the Brabantia products?'... check out this little video to find out:





For me there is only one brand for bins... and that is Brabantia!

Wise Words Wednesday



Source: ffffound.com via Rebecca on Pinterest



Recipe: Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

This week I decided to make my most favourite of soups... well, I say most favourite - it changes every time depending on what's in the fridge, but the basics are always the same and it must always have carrots and butternut squash in it!

I think it started life as a Delia recipe many years ago when her How To books were first out, and canned chestnuts were all the rage and readily available in supermarkets. Then the supermarkets started hiding them away, or all you could find was chestnut spread. That's when the adaptions started... and now I just freestyle it!

This is what I used this week to make a huge stockpotful... giving me 12 very generous servings, 7 of which are now sitting in the freezer waiting for those lazy days when you just can't be bothered... 

Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup - Heaven in a bowl!

 

Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 12

You will need:

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped

4 Carrots, large, peeled and roughly chopped

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped

2 tsp Dried Thyme

Boiling Water

1 Chicken or Vegetable Stock Cube

Salt and Pepper to taste

You could garnish this soup in any number of ways... chopped chestnuts, crispy fried bacon lardons, but this time I went with a dollop of cream cheese and a grating of fresh nutmeg.

Directions:

Begin by heating the oil over a low heat in a large stockpot and letting the onions soften slowly while you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Then throw in each of the vegetables to give them a bit of a soften as they are prepared. I usually do carrots, then sweet potatoes and leave the squash until last as I will scare myself silly by nearly chopping my fingers off trying to peel the thing!

Once all of the vegetables are in the pot sprinkle over the thyme and season with salt and pepper (if you are using), and allow to soften for a further five minutes.

Next pour over enough boiling water (about 2 litres I think!) to come to about an inch above the vegetables, crumble over a chicken or vegetable stock cube and give it a good stir before covering and simmering over a low heat until all of the vegetables are soft.

Use a hand blender to blend to a beautifully smooth and even velvety texture and then serve with your choice of garnish and enjoy!

Jasper absolutely loves this soup and will regularly polish off 2 cupfuls in one sitting!

I am entering this recipe in the Christmas Carrot Competition over on lovethegarden.com. If you've got a carrot recipe that you're particularly proud of why not head over and enter yourself?

Wise Words Wednesday

// Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Thrifty Christmas Decorations

We've been getting into the festive spirit recently by making our own Christmas decorations... and it hasn't cost us anything so far, we've just been using everyday bits and pieces from around the house. I thought I'd share of few of the creations we've already made and a few ideas of what we have planned...

CD Snowflakes

I meant to make some of these last year after seeing something similar at the nursery when Tilly and Jasper were there... but this morning we finally got around to 'gloopy' gluing (as Tilly likes to call it) and sticking.

There are lots of different ways you could go with the CDs... draw intricate designs with permanent markers or chinagraph pencils... embellish with glitter glue and sequins for extra bling... but we went with cotton wool balls as we've got plenty lying around having used very few of them when the twins were younger. And then I suddenly remembered the bagful of packaging peanuts from the delivery of one of Interflora's Christmas hampers that we reviewed last week.

They aren't complete yet... the plan is to sandwich two matching 'snowflakes' together with a piece of silver cord so that they can be hung... I'll post a picture once they are finished, but I hope you get the idea...

jasper gets stuck in

tilly and the tongue of concentration

Toilet Roll Christmas Owls



hopefully soon to be one of a family of four

I made this one evening when I was at mum's last week. It was inspired, yet again, by something I found on pinterest and fell in love with! I think the originals were painted loo rolls, but I opted for Mr Maker's favourite technique of covering with PVA glue and tissue paper (again from the hamper!)... I then drew on the feathers with a permanent marker and stuck on a few buttons. I can't tell how relaxing and therapeutic it was layering on the torn tissue paper!

Jasper claimed this one, and Tilly has asked for a red one... so I think mummy and daddy will be silver and gold. I think they'll make a lovely Christmas mantel decoration nestled amongst some pine cones.

Pine Cones

Source: gettyimages.com via Michelle on Pinterest

I have a huge bucket of pine cones from mum's. The plan is to make a few bouquets out of them strung with florist or thick jewellery wire and tied with ribbons from my scraps bag.

With the remaining I want to make a garland and/or a wreath... I've been madly pinning ideas for inspiration, and should I go down the wreath route I plan to use a wire coat hanger for the frame.

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Source: brinandnohl.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

More Pinteresting Thrifty Christmas Decorations

Source: marthastewart.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

This is a sponsored post

Make it Monday: Christmas Biscuits

Today we have been getting sticky in the kitchen! It's my birthday, and this morning I was presented with a huge pile of goodies that included pyjamas, slippers, a cardigan, 2 cook books, gingerbread cookie cutters, glitter icing pens and a stollen baking kit (which will come in handy for one of our later advent activities!).

The last few days seem to have been non-stop tantrums... but... we did manage to have a break in the proceedings and had a lovely afternoon decorating Christmas Biscuits.

fresh from the oven

Being the control freak that I am, I baked the cookies first quickly (using Mari's delicious recipe, but substituting mixed spice for the cinnamon) whilst Tilly and Jasper were occupied with CBeebies. I then called them in to give me a hand with the decorating... they made a beeline straight for their stereotypical colours leaving me with the purple and white glitter icing. We then all got totally absorbed in creativity for what seemed like hours to eventually finish up with this selection of delicious little beauties:

mummy's creations

jasper had a little help from mummy

more of jasper and mummy's biscuits

tilly insisted on no help at all!

Picasso or Dali-esque?

Here are a couple of Tilly's latest masterpieces. All totally her own work, with no suggestions from outside influences. I've titled them what she said she was drawing at the time. Not bad for a 27 month-old, no?

'Face' by Tilly aged 27 months

'Pink Eye' by Tilly aged 27 months

Review: Dirt Devil Reach (DCC038) Vacuum Cleaner

The Product: Dirt Devil Reach (DCC038) Vacuum Cleaner

The Price: £69.99

What They Say: High powered vacuum cleaners generate better suction power and are therefore better, and quicker, at cleaning your carpets. At 2200W, the DCC038 has a great pick up performance and makes vacuuming faster overall.

Along with all of these features, the DCC038 also has our unique Microban, anti bacterial, dustbags which are also sealable. Keeping the dust where it belongs - in the bag when you empty it.

This cleaner comes with a flexible 4 in 1 stretch hose, giving you a generous 13 metre cleaning radius, enough to clean an area up to the size of 2 tennis courts. No need to change the plug as often as well as making stair cleaning effortless. With the Pet Hair Turbo brush, you can pick up pet hair from furnishings and it is also great for use in the car.

For maximum comfort the telescopic tube is adjustable to perfectly match your height and with variable power you can control the suction power as you vacuum from carpets and hard floors to soft furnishings and curtains.

What We Say:

The Pros: Quality, lightweight, high-powered, fairly quiet, excellent value for money.

The Cons: Not come up with any yet. The only conceivable 'issue' is that it is a bagged vacuum cleaner.

The Verdict: Top marks! 5/5

The Supplier: The Dirt Devil Reach DCC038 is available at Argos and Tesco

Dirt Devils Socially: web // blog // facebook // twitter // youtube

The Disclosure: We were sent a Dirt Devil DCC038 to test and keep in order to perform this review.

Tilly Sings... Row, Row, Row the Boat

Competition Closed: Win an Interflora Christmas Hamper

Most people associate Interflora with flowers and bouquets, but did you know that they also do Christmas Hampers? I didn't either! They also do gifts for her, him, your aunt in John-O-Groats, and anyone else you can think that you might need to send a thoughtful gift to!

At the last place I worked... the best company I've ever worked for by the way... they gave all staff a fantastic Christmas box stuffed full of goodies which really upset Keith when I had to leave, this time last year, as it meant that we wouldn't get it anymore! So when Interflora asked me if I would like to review one of their Christmas hampers, and also give one away, I knew that it would make Keith extremely happy!

We were sent this rather splendid Christmas Cracker Hamper:

You'll also notice in the background that Keith was the first one to get a Christmas item into the house this year as he came home all excitedly with a poinsettia last week... to which I killed his spirit by telling him they're not my most favourite of flowers... hey, if I can't be honest with my own husband who can I be with?!

The hamper contains:

• Willowglen Brut Sparkling Wine 75cl
• Healthy Ideas Christmas Fruit & Nut Mix 160g
• Border Deliciously Different Plain Chocolate Covered Brownies 175g
• Furniss Traditionally Baked Shortbread Fingers 150g
• Maxwell & Franks Round Top Iced Cake with White Stars
• Just Chocolates Chocolate Selection in Red Box 125g
• Barfield Bakery Mince Pies x 3
• Convivial Yorkshire Natural Sea Salt Crisps 100g
• Mondovino Bambino Spicy Moroccan Seed & Nut Crackers 45g
• Maxwell & Franks Christmas Pudding with Cider in Foil with Bow 454g

Obviously we've not tried any of the items yet, but it all looks good quality and exactly what you'd expect to find in a Christmas hamper. The hamper itself is a decent size and I can see myself putting it to use after Christmas... I can see a craft project coming on to turn it into a lined picnic hamper with matching rug and napkins!

So... how do you fancy getting your hands on one of these hampers? Good... just keep on reading and follow the instructions below...

HOW TO ENTER

Complete the Rafflecopter form below to confirm your entries made via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook etc.

This giveaway is set to run until Friday 9th December 2011.

Please make sure to read the rules below.

Winners are announced on the Rafflecopter form after claiming prizes.

Video Tutorial: How Rafflecopter Works

No form showing? Hit refresh and it should appear

Complete the form – or your entries will not go into the draw

Mandatory entries to be completed first; i.e. leave a blog comment

Want more chances to win? Come back daily to confirm bonus entries via Twitter

Viewing this by email? You need to click through to enter.

Good luck!