April 4th 2015 - Lovely day
Today has been a lovely day, the sun is shining and we've all been outside. I would like to think this weather will continue but who knows, it will probably be raining tomorrow!
Tonight is meant to be the Red Blood Moon, but according to reports they don't think the UK is going to see much of it, which is a shame. A friend of mine in Australia has added some pics of it from what she saw. I will be keeping an eye out this evening to see if we can see anything and get some pics if we can. I hope we do see part of it as we missed the eclipse due to cloud and rain.
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Friday, 3 April 2015
April 3rd 2015 - Making Army/camo cupcakes
April 3rd 2015 - Making Army/camo cupcakes
As part of his homework over the holidays my eldest son had to make some cupcakes and take photos of him doing it, well having 3 boys they "all have to do the same" or I end up with a big argument, so we all made cupcakes.
We made Army/camo cupcakes, we have made them before and they work really well. Sadly I didnt have fresh ingredients but packet mixes. My youngest son made the green mix, middle son made the chocolate mix and eldest made the white mix.
As you can see all 3 colours are made in seperate bowls. From here you add a spoonful of each colour to the cake cases and then give them abit of a swirl with a cocktail stick - you dont have to mix them - if you don't you end up with 3 blocks of colour instead of them mixed more like camo effect.
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They then go in the oven for 15-20mins or until cooked. When they come out they look like this:
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We have just got to ice them with 3 colour icing as well. Will add a pic once they done.
The inside of the cakes are sort of marbled and 3 tone - each cake is different, this is the 1 I had:
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The icing on them is green, white and brown but not as I had hoped - I wanted the colours mixed but didn't know how to do it so I did them each in own pipeing bag in a row.
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As part of his homework over the holidays my eldest son had to make some cupcakes and take photos of him doing it, well having 3 boys they "all have to do the same" or I end up with a big argument, so we all made cupcakes.
We made Army/camo cupcakes, we have made them before and they work really well. Sadly I didnt have fresh ingredients but packet mixes. My youngest son made the green mix, middle son made the chocolate mix and eldest made the white mix.
As you can see all 3 colours are made in seperate bowls. From here you add a spoonful of each colour to the cake cases and then give them abit of a swirl with a cocktail stick - you dont have to mix them - if you don't you end up with 3 blocks of colour instead of them mixed more like camo effect.
They then go in the oven for 15-20mins or until cooked. When they come out they look like this:
We have just got to ice them with 3 colour icing as well. Will add a pic once they done.
The inside of the cakes are sort of marbled and 3 tone - each cake is different, this is the 1 I had:
Thursday, 2 April 2015
April 2nd 2015 - Bit of everything today
April 2nd 2015 - Bit of everything today
Today has been one of those days! It started off with a trip to docs as 1.I needed medication review and 2. My sore throat and asthma problems of just over a week ago have returned - im now on antibiotics, which doc said I should have had with the steroids a week ago.
From here me and lil man hit the shoe shop in the hope of getting him new school shoes, Bran**** had 2 pairs in sons size, 1 of which he couldn't get the velcro to do up and the other pair the stitching was ripping on it, so we left them. I was going to go down to shoe zone but was feeling dizzy so we bused home.
Then this afternoon I got the sewing machine out (not used one since school and then I got kicked out on week 2!) My eldest son has recently been doing textiles at school so said he would be able to help me. Well he took 1 look at my little machine and asked what it was - nothing like the big ones they use at school! Oh well its me on me own then. As I have less than 2 weeks to get middle sons clown top made!
So I had to work out which way the pins went in the material, good job I checked as I had them pinned the wrong way, I had them how I would sew by hand. I then had a play on a piece of material and seemed to go ok, so I put sons Clown tops (2 tops cut in half) under the foot and set off.
Well I managed to sew the front and back together without too many problems, it got stuck trying to go through the collars and the bottom hems as they quite thick, and in a few places I ended up with some gaps where it didnt seem to pick up the thread:
I have gone over the gaps by hand, as have no idea why it has done it or the best way to sort it with the machine. Had I noticed when stitching I could have gone back over it, but it wasn't until the end I noticed it. But overall it has worked, I have managed to sew the 2 tops together, not sure if it will be strong enough and withstand daily wear but it will do for the clown party.
Today has been one of those days! It started off with a trip to docs as 1.I needed medication review and 2. My sore throat and asthma problems of just over a week ago have returned - im now on antibiotics, which doc said I should have had with the steroids a week ago.
From here me and lil man hit the shoe shop in the hope of getting him new school shoes, Bran**** had 2 pairs in sons size, 1 of which he couldn't get the velcro to do up and the other pair the stitching was ripping on it, so we left them. I was going to go down to shoe zone but was feeling dizzy so we bused home.
Then this afternoon I got the sewing machine out (not used one since school and then I got kicked out on week 2!) My eldest son has recently been doing textiles at school so said he would be able to help me. Well he took 1 look at my little machine and asked what it was - nothing like the big ones they use at school! Oh well its me on me own then. As I have less than 2 weeks to get middle sons clown top made!
So I had to work out which way the pins went in the material, good job I checked as I had them pinned the wrong way, I had them how I would sew by hand. I then had a play on a piece of material and seemed to go ok, so I put sons Clown tops (2 tops cut in half) under the foot and set off.
Well I managed to sew the front and back together without too many problems, it got stuck trying to go through the collars and the bottom hems as they quite thick, and in a few places I ended up with some gaps where it didnt seem to pick up the thread:
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
April 1st 2015 - Making fairy wings
April 1st 2015 - Making fairy wings
9months today will be January 1st 2016! That is crazy, time is going to quickly.
For today's pin I have had to make it myself as I couldn't find 1 that linked to my idea. I am in the process of making more Halloween Potion Bottles/Jars - this 1 is for Fairy Wings. There are lots of threads about making them from plastic and celophane etc, all of which you have to buy and then buy the special paints, my way you only need go outside and find the bits.
First off you need to find some of the "helicopter leaves" - I have no idea what tree they are from, I don't even have any trees in my garden but have loads of the "helicopter bits". Not sure what I mean, well these things:
Unfortunately I haven't got any that are still joined together mine are all individual, but this will work just as well as "snapped fairy wings". From the above you need to make sure they are dry (I left mine on the lizards tank for couple hours). You then need to get some pens, I used sharpies and carefully coloured the "wing part" on both sides, some did fall to bits whilst colouring so I just binned them.
There isn''t any pictures of the coloured "wings" but once I had coloured them in on both sides, in pairs, I started with the silver glitter nail varnish and very carefully applied it on both sides, one at time allowing time to dry. They are very delicate but the nail varnish gives them a bit more strength.
I think they look really effective and my kids said they look as though they "could belong" to fairies, which is what I was hoping for.
They still need to go in a jar, but they are nearly done, need to get a few more made as well.
9months today will be January 1st 2016! That is crazy, time is going to quickly.
For today's pin I have had to make it myself as I couldn't find 1 that linked to my idea. I am in the process of making more Halloween Potion Bottles/Jars - this 1 is for Fairy Wings. There are lots of threads about making them from plastic and celophane etc, all of which you have to buy and then buy the special paints, my way you only need go outside and find the bits.
First off you need to find some of the "helicopter leaves" - I have no idea what tree they are from, I don't even have any trees in my garden but have loads of the "helicopter bits". Not sure what I mean, well these things:
Unfortunately I haven't got any that are still joined together mine are all individual, but this will work just as well as "snapped fairy wings". From the above you need to make sure they are dry (I left mine on the lizards tank for couple hours). You then need to get some pens, I used sharpies and carefully coloured the "wing part" on both sides, some did fall to bits whilst colouring so I just binned them.
I think they look really effective and my kids said they look as though they "could belong" to fairies, which is what I was hoping for.
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
March 31st 2015 - Dragon Egg
March 31st 2015 - Dragon Egg
As lil man decided that he was decorating eggs today I took one out of the packet to make into a Dragon Egg with drawing pins like the one on pinterest. This was very east to do and looks good, the only downside was the last few pins wern't very secure in the egg so I think I am going to have to glue them in.
I am going to look for some bigger polystyrene eggs as well so that we can have an assortment of sizes and places them into a nest.
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Very easy to do, but the egg doesnt stand up on its own
As lil man decided that he was decorating eggs today I took one out of the packet to make into a Dragon Egg with drawing pins like the one on pinterest. This was very east to do and looks good, the only downside was the last few pins wern't very secure in the egg so I think I am going to have to glue them in.
I am going to look for some bigger polystyrene eggs as well so that we can have an assortment of sizes and places them into a nest.
Very easy to do, but the egg doesnt stand up on its own
Monday, 30 March 2015
March 30th 2015 - Harry Potter Halloween Planing
March 30th 2015 - Harry Potter Halloween Planing
Today is the end of the first 3months of the 365 challenge, i'm impressed to have made it this far, there has been a few problems and I have had to pin new things to match what I have done on a few days, but we are here 1/4 of the way through the year.
For today there isn't 1 pin but a whole new board of pins linked to a Harry Potter Halloween Party for next year, 2016. Yep that's right i'm planning Halloween 2016 already and we still have 8months until this years party - but that's not really my problem as it's being held at a friends house, although I am helping with decorations and such for it.
Me and hubby were talking about how we need to beat what we did with last year party and the spider theme - we had spider nests and webbing everywhere, hundreds of spiders all over the place and it too us over a week to put it all up as we were stretching the webs and then layering it with another thinly spread bit in the opposite direction. It did look really cool especially wit the disco and uv lights on. I started looking on the net and the halloween forum for ideas and there was 3 possibles - Harry Potter, graveyard or scary carnival, but as the youngest will only be 5 and the next two up be 7 we decided the scary carnival can wait until they bit bigger and we only have a few graveyard bits that I picked up in the sale, we need to buy more!
So we decided to make a plan for the party - the plan is that everyone dresses up as a character from Harry Potter or comes as a Witch/Wizard. This can be as easy or as hard as you like - Witch/Wizard costumes are widely available and so are proper Harry Potter ones, you can also get iron and stitch on patches that can be added to cheaper outfits. There is no other rules, and if the adults want to dress as one of the kids at Hogwarts they can!
Hubby already has long blue wizard robes and a long white beard so he will be going as Dumbledore. I always have my hair dyed a bright red but will do it purple and I am going as Tonks - the punk Witch. My eldest son has straight blonde hair and a major attitude, along with being gobby and opinionated so he is going as Draco Malfoy. My middle son has dark brown curly hair and wears glasses, so he is going to go as Harry Potter. My lil son is still really small despite his age, so I said about him going as Dobby the house elf but hubby says no he needs be a Wizard, we're just not sure which one or if going as "a Wizard". He also has Wizard robes in blue that he is going to wear this year, but it wont take much to get a Ravenclaw badge and tie for him to wear next year so its not qute the same. I have messaged our friends that will definately be here and 2/3 have replied so far saying it sounds a good idea so I will be going ahead with it. Nearer the date next year when the kids decide which friends they want to invite I will let them all no about the theme so the parents can get Witch/Wizards as well.
My mind has gone into over-drive of the possibilities we can do to the house etc, and although this will be a party a think it is going to end up very big and a thing in its own right. The internet is going to be a great help for ideas and printables as so many people have already held Harry Potter parties over the years. Although my house isn't huge I do have space to do things if I move few things around. Plus I have the garden but there is no guarantee that the weather will behave!
I plan to re-use the spiders and webs etc from last year, with a trail of spiders stuck to my floor, across my bedroom door and into the bathroom where the big spider will be as Arragog! The toilet is going to be re-named Moaning Myrtle's bathroom (as I can't put it as girls bathroom cos it will confuse the boys) and im going to have a picture of Myrtle on the toilet lid, I am going to try and find some quotes from her as well to put in there - if I can find a way to do it I will have her talking from the films on repeat playing somehow - this still needs to worked on as to how we can do it.
I need a platform 9 3/4 sign and a brick wall making - my house is made from concrete so I don't have brick walls, so this will be done via a white shower curtain or bed sheet and a sponge with brown and red paint to give the brick effect. I plan for this to go over the lounge doorway so everyone goes through platform 9 3/4 to get into lounge. And hopefully on the other side of it a picture of the fat lady that is over griffindor house.
I have a BIG idea of making a Professor Trelawney from a stuffed painters suit, hippy clothes (charity shop), wig, big glasses and sat at a table with crystal ball, set of rune stones and few other pieces. This can be used as a photo station as well.
The other BIG thing I will be doing is turning the cupboard under my stairs into Harry's bedroom, complete with airbed and blanket, dressing gown and slippers, a pile of books, a dim light and a few other things! This will be available for everyone to go into (carefully) for a photo that I will print out and they can all take home at end of night.
I have also had the idea of making a giant basilisk and fixing it around the ceiling of the lounge and up the stairs, just not 100% sure on how to make it - im thinking ladies tights stuffed with ? so it's light weight, just need to play around to make it look effective and like a snake not stuffed tights! There is a bigger problem here though and that is HOW I fix it to my ceiling as I have horrid polystyrene tiles on it and I can't afford to take them down and get ceiling artexed. I thought about somehow turning the ceiling black and added small fairy lights to it like the stars in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but not sure on how to do it or to fix it up. So again it''s a possibility that I have time to play with and see where it goes.
There is also loads of other things as possible decorations on my list but i'm not declaring them just yet as I want some of it to be a supprise for the actual party but i'm sure it will be really good by the time Halloween 2016 gets here - I have 20months to get it sorted - that's a long time and gives me leverage to buy bits cheaply as and when I see them! Ebay has loads of jewellery type bits and other things from 1p, sent from China but as i'm not in a rush it doesn't matter.
I have started to compile a list of possible foods, or foods we can name as Harry Potter foods, possible games we can play and ideas for party bags - including Harry Potter magic frogs - i've found a template for the boxes and frog cards to go them. I plan to label sweets as though they are from Honeydukes and hope to get some "tricks" like they have in Zonkos joke shop, all for as cheap as possoble.
I am really excited about this and I plan to make it a night to be remembered by all!
Today is the end of the first 3months of the 365 challenge, i'm impressed to have made it this far, there has been a few problems and I have had to pin new things to match what I have done on a few days, but we are here 1/4 of the way through the year.
For today there isn't 1 pin but a whole new board of pins linked to a Harry Potter Halloween Party for next year, 2016. Yep that's right i'm planning Halloween 2016 already and we still have 8months until this years party - but that's not really my problem as it's being held at a friends house, although I am helping with decorations and such for it.
Me and hubby were talking about how we need to beat what we did with last year party and the spider theme - we had spider nests and webbing everywhere, hundreds of spiders all over the place and it too us over a week to put it all up as we were stretching the webs and then layering it with another thinly spread bit in the opposite direction. It did look really cool especially wit the disco and uv lights on. I started looking on the net and the halloween forum for ideas and there was 3 possibles - Harry Potter, graveyard or scary carnival, but as the youngest will only be 5 and the next two up be 7 we decided the scary carnival can wait until they bit bigger and we only have a few graveyard bits that I picked up in the sale, we need to buy more!
So we decided to make a plan for the party - the plan is that everyone dresses up as a character from Harry Potter or comes as a Witch/Wizard. This can be as easy or as hard as you like - Witch/Wizard costumes are widely available and so are proper Harry Potter ones, you can also get iron and stitch on patches that can be added to cheaper outfits. There is no other rules, and if the adults want to dress as one of the kids at Hogwarts they can!
Hubby already has long blue wizard robes and a long white beard so he will be going as Dumbledore. I always have my hair dyed a bright red but will do it purple and I am going as Tonks - the punk Witch. My eldest son has straight blonde hair and a major attitude, along with being gobby and opinionated so he is going as Draco Malfoy. My middle son has dark brown curly hair and wears glasses, so he is going to go as Harry Potter. My lil son is still really small despite his age, so I said about him going as Dobby the house elf but hubby says no he needs be a Wizard, we're just not sure which one or if going as "a Wizard". He also has Wizard robes in blue that he is going to wear this year, but it wont take much to get a Ravenclaw badge and tie for him to wear next year so its not qute the same. I have messaged our friends that will definately be here and 2/3 have replied so far saying it sounds a good idea so I will be going ahead with it. Nearer the date next year when the kids decide which friends they want to invite I will let them all no about the theme so the parents can get Witch/Wizards as well.
My mind has gone into over-drive of the possibilities we can do to the house etc, and although this will be a party a think it is going to end up very big and a thing in its own right. The internet is going to be a great help for ideas and printables as so many people have already held Harry Potter parties over the years. Although my house isn't huge I do have space to do things if I move few things around. Plus I have the garden but there is no guarantee that the weather will behave!
I plan to re-use the spiders and webs etc from last year, with a trail of spiders stuck to my floor, across my bedroom door and into the bathroom where the big spider will be as Arragog! The toilet is going to be re-named Moaning Myrtle's bathroom (as I can't put it as girls bathroom cos it will confuse the boys) and im going to have a picture of Myrtle on the toilet lid, I am going to try and find some quotes from her as well to put in there - if I can find a way to do it I will have her talking from the films on repeat playing somehow - this still needs to worked on as to how we can do it.
I need a platform 9 3/4 sign and a brick wall making - my house is made from concrete so I don't have brick walls, so this will be done via a white shower curtain or bed sheet and a sponge with brown and red paint to give the brick effect. I plan for this to go over the lounge doorway so everyone goes through platform 9 3/4 to get into lounge. And hopefully on the other side of it a picture of the fat lady that is over griffindor house.
I have a BIG idea of making a Professor Trelawney from a stuffed painters suit, hippy clothes (charity shop), wig, big glasses and sat at a table with crystal ball, set of rune stones and few other pieces. This can be used as a photo station as well.
The other BIG thing I will be doing is turning the cupboard under my stairs into Harry's bedroom, complete with airbed and blanket, dressing gown and slippers, a pile of books, a dim light and a few other things! This will be available for everyone to go into (carefully) for a photo that I will print out and they can all take home at end of night.
I have also had the idea of making a giant basilisk and fixing it around the ceiling of the lounge and up the stairs, just not 100% sure on how to make it - im thinking ladies tights stuffed with ? so it's light weight, just need to play around to make it look effective and like a snake not stuffed tights! There is a bigger problem here though and that is HOW I fix it to my ceiling as I have horrid polystyrene tiles on it and I can't afford to take them down and get ceiling artexed. I thought about somehow turning the ceiling black and added small fairy lights to it like the stars in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but not sure on how to do it or to fix it up. So again it''s a possibility that I have time to play with and see where it goes.
There is also loads of other things as possible decorations on my list but i'm not declaring them just yet as I want some of it to be a supprise for the actual party but i'm sure it will be really good by the time Halloween 2016 gets here - I have 20months to get it sorted - that's a long time and gives me leverage to buy bits cheaply as and when I see them! Ebay has loads of jewellery type bits and other things from 1p, sent from China but as i'm not in a rush it doesn't matter.
I have started to compile a list of possible foods, or foods we can name as Harry Potter foods, possible games we can play and ideas for party bags - including Harry Potter magic frogs - i've found a template for the boxes and frog cards to go them. I plan to label sweets as though they are from Honeydukes and hope to get some "tricks" like they have in Zonkos joke shop, all for as cheap as possoble.
I am really excited about this and I plan to make it a night to be remembered by all!
Sunday, 29 March 2015
March 29th 2015 - Boys Bedroom (or total tip?!?)
March 29th 2015 - Boys Bedroom (or total tip?!?)
This is the million dollar question! Is it a bedroom or a total tip??? I am led to beleive that it is MEANT to be a bedroom BUT it looks like the local council tip/waste dump! I told the boys (9 & 12) to tidy it this morning, they came down with armfuls of washing (supposedly dirty, yet some was folded) and then a while later came back down and said they had done it, I believed them (more fool me!) and I said they could play on the Wii (mine!).
When I next went upstairs I decided to stick my head in their room to check if it was tidy and they had picked everything up off the floor, and yes I could now see the floor which I couldn't before (and no it wasn't piled on the bed like pinterest pic. lol) BUT I could also see a nice pile of "stuff" sticking out from under the bed. There was clothes both clean and dirty screwed up with toys and games and books thrown in for good measure, not to mention the random lego bricks on the floor! So I did what most mothers would do drag all of it out from under the bed and dump it in a heap in the middle of the floor and told them to get off my Wii and get upstairs to sort it out - they had 20minutes!
This was part of the pile I pulled from under the bed:
They seem to get distracted very easily whilst tidying up - they find things that were deemed "lost" and start playing or they get into a fight over "whose mess it is anyway" or "that's mine!" and start shouting at each other as "the others not helping". This causes me to get even more worked up as they are not tidying up their room as I have asked them to!
However, after the battle today I have made a decision there room is now going to be a "no-go zone". I am not going in it unless it's tidy or there is an emergency! There is going to be some rules though, and they have been told them -
1. No food or drink or plates/cups will be allowed upstairs.
2. Clothes WILL be brought downstairs for washing daily.
3. Clean washing WILL be put away in the wardrobe and drawers.
4. Room needs to be tidy if they want friends round
Apart from these they can do what they like - if this means they tread on lego and hurt their feet on the "plastic carpet of bits" their problem. If they have lost game pieces under the bed or on the floor then they cant play their games. If their books get ripped then it's their problem I am not replacing them. If they wish to have a pile of paper work, drawings and magazines on the floor they can. This may sound harsh but they have got to learn and I am fed up of arguments and battles over the state of their room.
I appreciate that they need "their space" and want to have all of their figures set out in "battles" but they need to realize that if they want their friends to come round then their room needs to be half tidy! Neither of the boys are great fans of spiders and bugs and really freak out when they find them in their room, yet they don't seem to believe me when I say that bugs like mess!
This is the million dollar question! Is it a bedroom or a total tip??? I am led to beleive that it is MEANT to be a bedroom BUT it looks like the local council tip/waste dump! I told the boys (9 & 12) to tidy it this morning, they came down with armfuls of washing (supposedly dirty, yet some was folded) and then a while later came back down and said they had done it, I believed them (more fool me!) and I said they could play on the Wii (mine!).
When I next went upstairs I decided to stick my head in their room to check if it was tidy and they had picked everything up off the floor, and yes I could now see the floor which I couldn't before (and no it wasn't piled on the bed like pinterest pic. lol) BUT I could also see a nice pile of "stuff" sticking out from under the bed. There was clothes both clean and dirty screwed up with toys and games and books thrown in for good measure, not to mention the random lego bricks on the floor! So I did what most mothers would do drag all of it out from under the bed and dump it in a heap in the middle of the floor and told them to get off my Wii and get upstairs to sort it out - they had 20minutes!
This was part of the pile I pulled from under the bed:
They seem to get distracted very easily whilst tidying up - they find things that were deemed "lost" and start playing or they get into a fight over "whose mess it is anyway" or "that's mine!" and start shouting at each other as "the others not helping". This causes me to get even more worked up as they are not tidying up their room as I have asked them to!
However, after the battle today I have made a decision there room is now going to be a "no-go zone". I am not going in it unless it's tidy or there is an emergency! There is going to be some rules though, and they have been told them -
1. No food or drink or plates/cups will be allowed upstairs.
2. Clothes WILL be brought downstairs for washing daily.
3. Clean washing WILL be put away in the wardrobe and drawers.
4. Room needs to be tidy if they want friends round
Apart from these they can do what they like - if this means they tread on lego and hurt their feet on the "plastic carpet of bits" their problem. If they have lost game pieces under the bed or on the floor then they cant play their games. If their books get ripped then it's their problem I am not replacing them. If they wish to have a pile of paper work, drawings and magazines on the floor they can. This may sound harsh but they have got to learn and I am fed up of arguments and battles over the state of their room.
I appreciate that they need "their space" and want to have all of their figures set out in "battles" but they need to realize that if they want their friends to come round then their room needs to be half tidy! Neither of the boys are great fans of spiders and bugs and really freak out when they find them in their room, yet they don't seem to believe me when I say that bugs like mess!
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