Fun things to do with babies - Part 3:Playdough

I have been waiting sooooo long to get the play dough out and have some fun with my little man, I actually made this dough months ago but immediately my boy tried to eat it which was a bad move, (cue lots of retching), I thought I would try it again today and...result!  No dough was ingested.
So although he is technically still a baby (becomes a toddler when he starts walking right?) he is a bit older so this sort of project really isn't suitable for babies under 12 months.  I don't need to tell you a recipe for making play dough, there are plenty here, I used the cooked play dough recipe and added yellow, blue and red food colouring.  We stamped shapes, stuck in feathers, rolled balls and made shapes, so here are just a few pics of the fun we (I) had with dough this afternoon, and hopefully some ideas for you to make it even more exciting.

He wasn't into it for that long to be honest, and seemed a bit scared of it, but I am hoping he might get into it a bit more once he is more familiar with the feel, it's cheap to make so I don't mind if it gets wreaked or dries up (though I don't think it will because this has already kept for months).  There are loads of other fun, dough related activities that I want to do with him when he is a bit older.  Are you a fan of the dough?  What sort of fun games do you and your babies play?

Tasty Hot Cross Buns

Easter is fast approaching so appropriately I have been baking hot cross buns, yummy and spicy and delicious hot with butter.  They are fairly easy to make but you have to be a bit patient because they contain yeast so there is a bit of waiting for it to rise.

Here is the tasty recipe:

Ingredients:
Two tsps yeast,
500g/1lb plain flour,
4 tbsps caster sugar,
1 tsp mixed spice,
1 tsp cinnamon,
40g/1 1/4oz butter
155g/5oz mixed dried fruit.

paste for the crosses:
30g plain flour,
1/4 tsp caster sugar.

Glaze:
1 1/2 tbsps caster sugar,
1 tsp gelatine.

Place yeast, two teaspoons of the flour, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 125ml/4fl warm water.  Leave in a war place until foamy.
Sift the flour and spices into a bowl, mix in the sugar then rub in the butter with fingertips.  Add fruit.
Stir in the yeasty water and add up to 185ml/6fl water to  make a soft dough.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 mins or until smooth.
Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 30-40 mins or until doubled in size.
Pre-heat the over to 200 degrees C.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface, knead gently to deflate and divide into 12 portions.  Place on a greased baking tray, cover and leave for about 20 mins or until doubled in size.
To make the crosses, mix the flour and sigar with enough water to make a paste, pipe onto the buns in crosses.
Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.
For the glaze mix the gelatine and sugar with 1 tablespoon of water and stir over a low heat unti dissolved.  Brush over the buns.
Leave to cool, or eat immediately and enjoy!

Holiday bliss

Oh joy, oh rapture!  It is finally the Easter holidays, 15 days of work-free bliss, then another two days for the Royal Wedding!  Yipppee! What could be better?  And I feel I truly deserve it, I am totally and utterly exhausted, the past week has been stressful and hard work I really am just going to enjoy myself and relax over the coming two and a bit weeks. Things I am looking forward to include seeing my lovely family, walking on the beach, going to the allotment, sleeping in, Easter (and chocolate of course), more art and craft projects, going places with my hubby and seeing friends.
But right now I am off for a shower and a loooong sleep.
Night night everyone
x

Searching for a new look

A new year and a new look.  I feel like that is what I need.  I have had the same hair style for about the last three years with it gradually getting longer and longer until I have had enough, cut it badly myself than run crying to the hairdressers to get them to sort it out.  I have extreme hairdressers phobia which means I rarely visit, something about the shininess of the place, all those tanned women with perfect hair and nails, not to mention the make up, and there I come looking like a complete tramp with no make up, stubby nails and bad hair...Not a a great way to make myself feel good.  But I am going to have to face my demons and get my bonce sorted once and for all. Here are a few ideas I have been thinking of, I want a fringe, but don't know if I am brave enough:

However, I don't have wavy hair, it is dead straight, so I am worried I will look more like this:

Or worse, like this:

Can you imagine?

New Years resolutions

What I love most about new years is not the drinking and partying (although that can be good too), but the feeling of starting a fresh.  For some reason the transition of one number to another on the calendar gives us a feeling of having another chance, a new start to life.  And this year is no different.  I have many many hopes for the year ahead, I am so excited about it but I didn't want to over do it with the ol' New Years Resolutions so have just come up with 10 (maybe that seems like a lot).  I have tried to be really specific with them rather than making sweeping generalisations and grand gestures:

1.     Read the bible in a year - following my new "Read the Bible in a year" book,

2.   2. Buy nothing new for a year – Only buy new if I can’t make what I need or find it second hand, I am not going to beat myself up if I do buy something, but I am going to try to keep this in mind before making purchases,

3.   3. Exercise – at least 3 times per week, workout videos and walking/jogging, I want to get fit, but also want to enjoy myself, not torture myself,

4.       Eat more healthily - don't buy something ready made when I could make it for myself, eat at least 5 piece of fruit and veg per day,

5.   5.Finish wedding scrapbook before 2^nd anniversary in July.

6.   6. Grow more veg – Tidy allotment and plant over the whole of it, spend at least 1hr per week, (don't get eviction letter), eat what I grow,

7.   7.Make £400 per month through photography, art and craft by August, this is the amount I will be losing by going part time at teaching,

8.   8.Pay off overdraft, be at least at 0 at the end of every month,

9.       Watch less TV -  it is no secret that I am a telly addict so I am going to try to only watch the TV for specific programs and not just put it on because it is the default entertainment activity,

10      Have 100 followers of blog by May,

Le    Let's see how I get on shall we...
          (All photos from weheartit)

Things to do in October

Found this really fun card generator at blyberg, gnna try and do one every month.  Here is October:

What do you have planned for October?