* Lazylol *

Graduation Day

My youngest son graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a 2:1 in Civil Engineering.  To say I am proud is an understatement.  Three years of hard work has paid off. He loved his time at Uni and made some great friends. Well done Greg!

We all had a lovely day in Leeds.

Jamie Oliver's fabulous feast where on offer in the University grounds but we'd already booked into a restaurant in the city centre.  The food looked lovely though.

The ceremony was held at the Headingley Campus. I was really impressed.  The University had done a great job and it was very well organised.   

Now he is busy job hunting, keep your fingers crossed for him.  He would really like a graduate job but they are hard to come by these days. 

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

To say my life's been busy for the past few months is the biggest understatement!

However last week I discovered Typepad have an iPhone app. This is why I find myself lying in bed, typing this post at 5:48 this morning. This morning that really is the most wonderful time of the year because I have one day to work and then six whole weeks stretching out in front of me. Nothing but days by the sea and not much else planned. I am looking forward to catching up with my blog reading, Pinterest, a couple of craft projects and maybe trying some new recipes.

Fingers crossed for some nice weather :)

Catching Up

 

I seem to be playing catch up with everything at the moment, even here on my blog. Thank goodness for bank holiday weekends.  I've spent the day doing housework, grocery shopping, laundry etc but now, for once I am up-to-date with everything.  Phew. It feels good.

Seeing as the sun was out for a change (two weeks of rain every day?!) I decided to make a more summery Sunday lunch, in the hope that summer will actually arrive sometime soon.  We had ham (baked in cola), beautiful little mouth watering  Jersey Royal  potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli in white sauce. Plenty of ham left over for packed lunches too, that's if I can stop eating a bit of it everytime I go in the fridge.  

:: A few catch-up photos I wanted to share ::

My favourite breakfast treat, seems to have re-appeared on the menu :blush:

Big mug of steaming tea and a spot of people watching on the harbour.

Mr Fuzz took me out for afternoon tea to make up for the fact that I had to watch football on the telly, 3 nights in a row.  Fair swap :) Those little cakes were to die for.

Things I love about Spring

It is a training day at school and the admin staff get the choice of working or not. I usually work but today I have taken a much needed day off.  I am having a day pottering around the house.  I still got up at 6 am, I am an early morning person. So far i've had a nice long soak in the bath, had a pedicure, read, organised my photos on the laptop, done three loads of washing and cleaned the fridge out. This afternoon I am making some quiches for the freezer, walking the dog and doing whatever else takes my fancy! Wouldn't it be great to have a day like this every week! or even every month. 

I am loving the arrival of.......

Some things I love about spring

• watching the gardens come back to life, sweeping, scrubbing and planting the tubs. 
• the caravan season is here!  
• hanging the washing out to dry
• packing coats and winter woollies aways
• thinking I will soon be back in my much loved summer clothes
• brighter days and lighter evenings
• trips to carboot sale, garden centre and farmers market
• getting out in the fresh air for more walks
• opening the doors and windows and letting all the fresh air flow through the house
• spring cleaning (yes I actually like it)

What do you love about spring?

Snow

Just when you thought it was safe to start thinking of spring, this happens...

Saturday 2pm

about an hour or so later....

Keeping all warm & cosy 

We treat ourselves to a takeaway once a month.  It should have been takeaway night last night but we were snowed in. Good job I am a bit of a food hoarder and managed to whip up a pizza out of the bits and bobs I had left in the fridge.  I used Asda pizza base mix, 54p makes enough for 2 large bases, a small jar of pasta sauce.  I had a little mozzerella & soubel gloucester left so grated them together, added some red onion, pepperoni, mushrooms and a little caramelised onion relish. It cost under £3 to make both pizzas. That is nearly a quarter of the price to buy and although I say so myself, they were tastier.

Yum!

Hope you are all keeping safe & warm x

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my blog friends! I hope 2012 brings you good health & happiness x

I hope you have all enjoyed Christmas and New Year as much as I have.

I need to make many resolutions this year but I am keeping it simple.  Infact I think I will adopt this as my motto for 2012, keep it simple.  Yes, I like it :)

1. Blog more 

2. Lose weight and get healthy.

My first goal is to lose 20 pounds by Easter so that is almost 14 weeks. My plan is to do some exercise every single day, even if it is just a brisk 10 minute walk.  I am going to eat my normal food but smaller portions, plenty of fruit and veggies and less snacks.  Keep it simple.

So I will be spending less time here

and I'm saying goodbye to my favourite breakfast...

pancakes, bacon and maple syrup .........see you again at Easter :)

Music Night

 

I'll tell you a little secret......I love Fridays.  The whole weekend in front of us and Friday night is always our Music Night, the perfect way to shake off the weeks worries and relax.  Once everyone is home from the long working week, fed and taxied to wherever they are chilling out that particular Friday evening, Mr Fuzz and I open a bottle of wine and put some tunes on.  The emptier the wine bottle gets the more we sing, and gawd help us if we open a second bottle and end up dancing around the living room until 2 am.  It's just like the Friday nights we spend out on the town in our youth, only much less expensive and no nightclubs involved. So much more civilised and to be honest, much more fun! 

Tonight, however, Mr Fuzz has also gone out on the lads Christmas 'do' so I am enjoying Music Night alone.  With the help of a lovely big glass of Bailey's & Ice and a selection of Christmas tunes that Mr Fuzz probably wouldn't appreciate. I am getting in the mood for Christmas :)

 

I am a long time fan of the Puppini Sisters and really excited to see they have appeared on the Michael Buble Christmas CD

 

Halloween 2011

 

Image from here via Pinterest

As soon as I spotted these cupcakes on Pinterest I knew I had to make them for Halloween. I thought they'd be ideal to give out for Trick or Treat and to sell on our Halloween themed cake stall at school.

NAILED IT.....not quite :)

Unfortunately things didn't go to plan and I didn't 'nail it' (have you seen the funny 'nailed it' posts on Pinterest and over at Kitschy Coo ?)

So time for Plan B.......

 

 

I'll stick to making the usual ones in future I think!

We had lots of children calling at the house for Trick or Treat, well over 50 so I am glad I made lots of cupcakes.  It was a lovely evening, all the children were very polite and well mannered which is surprising these days and made all the effort worthwhile.

Here is my son who is at Uni in Leeds in his Hallween costume, with a very scary mask .....

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween xx

 

 

Days By The Sea October 2011

We are back home after our five days at the coast.  We visited Scarborough for some walking and retail therapy (of the Christmas variety!).  I am so relieved to have made a start on my Christmas shopping at last, I am normally much earlier than this.  I like to get it done so I don't have to go when it gets too busy. 

They had a warning of high tides, winds and flooding along the coast.  Luckily it wasn't at all bad although we did see the waves splashing up high in Bridlington the day before.  

Apart from it being dull, it wasn't as cold as we expected and it didn't rain.  I'm glad we decided to venture out.

 

 

It was busy even for half term. I think people are visiting the coast later in the season this year due to the warm spell we had at the beginning of October.

 Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....even in October :)

Wedded Bliss

So married life is going great.  I love being a wife, I don't know why we didn't do this years ago.

My new name on the other hand is taking some getting used to.  I keep forgetting and signing my old name.  But I can't help getting a lovely warm feeling when someone at school calls me Mrs C, it's a novelty that I hope doesn't wear off. I did spend 30 minutes the other day trying to understand why I couldn't log into my computer at work, then it finally dawned on me that I was using my 'old' name.

Last night we shared a deicious bottle of Champagne we had given as a wedding gift, when I say 'shared' I may mean that I let my husband have a sip and then I drank the rest of the bottle. 

This week we are enjoying the half term break at the coast.  The weather is still good for this time of year, cold but fresh and bright.  Perfect autumn weather. Brisk walks & hot chocolate. Bliss.