June 29, 2012

FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE: this weeks findings...

1. We are in the midst of a teething hell so this post by Charlotte had me nodding along whilst glugging copious amounts of coffee. Yawn.
2. Dexy found this video of a lego Superman hilarious. Is it a bird? Is it a plane?...
3. This video promoting Papermash is too too cute!
4. Wow! Look at those party bags! That is one awesome party.
5. This week i'll be making this gorgeous bean side dish from Girl's Gone Child. I'm hungry!
6. Now the weathers warmed up, I will be treating myself to this cocktail from Shutterbean. Someone pass me the gin!
7. I'm enjoying the relaxed vibe of Bleubirds new look blog...
8. I adore anything turquoise and this bedding is pattern at it's best!
9. I think i've just found a present for my friends baby due in August! Yay!
10. Beautiful flower crowns for the beautiful girlies in my life.

June 27, 2012

SPICY BEAN BURGERS

Do you remember not so long ago, when I blogged about this black bean salad? 
Remember how much i said i hated, hated, HATED red kidney beans? 
Well, that's changed.
You see, I seem to have completley changed my mind about this weird little funny shaped, funny coloured bean.
I can't apologise for that though because I'm human, we do that A LOT & it's totally acceptable, especially when it comes to food. In fact, when it comes to food it's a very important thing!
So, yes, I can now be heard singing from my little pink kitchen about how I love love LOVE red kidney beans. Well, i do when they're mixed up in this burger anyway, and I still reserve the right to hate them again at any given time...
This wind of change started when I recently went out for lunch at The Swan in Swineford & ordered pretty much the only thing i could eat off the menu (gallstones...yawn). What came out was the most delicious veggie burger i've ever had & it was topped with a homemade chutney your grandmother would be proud of!
Then a couple of days passed & whilst I pottered about doing 4 billion laundry loads, school runs, 4 squbillion nappy changes etc etc, i could not get that damn burger out of my mind. So, I gave in & decided to make my own - y'know just to share the love with the folks around me (nothing at all to do with being food obsessed....)
I found this recipe & although the flavours were good, it just didn't hit the right notes for me. The burgers didn't really hold their own & weren't 'substantial enough', which really means 'i have the appetite of a bloke & need more umph'.
So, I tweaked it and for some bizarre reason, i added my worst bean ever. I don't know why? It's totally possible i forgot I hated them, but who cares, right? This burger is amazeballs. 
I just said Amazeballs
Geeeeeez..... 
Anyway, it is...
We served ours with some sweet potato chips, but a good salad would be enough as these burgers fill you right up. Result!
Go fourth my friends & make!

June 25, 2012

June 23, 2012

5 THINGS I'M LOVING NOW

Because this blog is a memory catcher (amongst other things) I thought it would be fun to occasionally post about some of the things I am loving at the moment. 
I am totally faddy (is faddy a word?). I know I am totally faddy, and I am fine with being totally faddy. I go through stages of LOVING something so much that I use it / wear it / eat it constantly, then a couple of months later, i'm wondering why I loved it quite so much. 
It's just what I do & at the moment, i am getting along just fine with these items...



1. Mr Moleskin. 
This little fella is a KEEPER. 
I recently hooked up with some of my oldest friends & they introduced me to the world of Moleskin. I have always been a stationary geek, something that got me into a few 'situations' shall we say at work. It was important to me to have pens in every colour known to man. It was important to me to have the right shaped rubber (seriously, who am I?) and it was very important to me to label said items with ALIA THOMAS then later ALIA BILLIMORE so everyone around me knew where they stood. Trust me, there are some serious vultures out there and it's not the done thing to shout "GET YOUR OWN BLOODY STATIONARY" in peoples faces. I tried that, and it just got me a warning. Pfffft!
So, yep. I like a good diary, and these are the best on the block. Loads of space for notes, loads of space per day, a weekly, monthly, yearly planner, pockets, a separate notebook, and -wait for it- STICKERS! Yep, stickers. So, now when I have a hair appointment I get to stick a little hairdryer symbol on the page.... don't even attempt to lie to me & say you don't want to do that too...

2. My Saltwaters. 
I LOVE these and have waited almost a year to get my feet into them. 
They were proving quite difficult to get hold of in the UK, so I got my sister-in-law who lives in California to ship me over some and... they didn't fit! Cue major 'bulldog chewing a wasp bitchface' from me. After what was essentially forever (that afternoon) I found some in my size, in the very city I live in and  only 15 minutes from my house. See, i told you they were near impossible hard to find in the UK. So, once again all was well with the world. My feet found happiness & my face went back to normal. 
The next day it rained. And it hasn't stopped since. FAIL.

3. Ahhh, My slouchy hobo. 
I am a bag girl, a bag girl 'til i die. I love them all, but my favourites are big over sized slouchy ones. You know the type right? They can hold the whole world in them, and add at least 10 minutes to any time you need to spend looking for your keys or phone. This does annoy me slightly i'll admit, but this one is different as it has zips & multiple pockets inside so all my important things are never where they should be right there for easy reach. Perfection! I have never been a changing/nappy bag kind of mama (why are they all so ugly?) so with 3 kiddos, my bags have to be mahoosive. I got this one from Urban Outfitters & it's recently gone on sale. Go get!



4. Elle Decoration. 
This is one of my monthly must have magazines, along with Living ETC, Jamie Magazine & my ipad version of Donna Hay Magazine (please start stocking in the UK Donna, we've been waiting for you forever!) 
Ahh yes, Elle Decoration, a cup of coffee & a mountain of jaffa cakes (i wish) and i am one happy girl! My mum got me into this magazine ages ago, but if she thinks she'll ever get me on board with Country Living she's got another thing coming.

5. And finally, my TOMS. 
Possibly the comfiest things I have ever put on my tootsies. It's like i'm walking on air! Plus, they look so good with jeans and having spent my whole life trying to find a pair of jeans that suit me (true story) I finally have, and I don't think i've taken them off since. I'm a little late with the whole TOMS thing to be honest (gimme a break, i'm in my thirties) but i like them. 
Plus the One for One idea is a genius one, and i'm happy to be a part of that. 
Yes, I like TOMS, I like them A LOT i really want to write "lets go to Aspen" whenever I say that.

xox

June 22, 2012

FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE: this weeks findings...

1. Make every meal a picnic? With these you can! How cute?!
2. I just love Conn & Johns home in Hawaii. Aloha!
3. I found some amazing recipes Observer Food Monthly  I made the herb burgers. Nom.
4. I've spent ages looking at this Selby feature. I love everything!
5. I've heard good things about An Everlasting Meal. I'm getting on board.
6. Imagine, just imagine, being this organised mum. My mind boggles.
7. I LOVE this idea from Meet me at Mikes blog - Pip's Instagram Lookbook....
8. A Vegetarian Mapo Doufu will be happening this week. I promise you that.
9. Cuuuuute Nursery Hooper! Indi has a Jalopy too!
10. Why have I not been to the Society Cafe yet? I may need to put that right next week.

June 19, 2012

BAKED BERRY RICE


A couple of days ago, Dexter came down stairs waving something he'd printed out from the internet: "Look Mum, I want to make this for our pudding" ...
Aww bless! He'd been looking through the Cbeebies website & found this recipe for baked blackcurrant rice. Yup - Dexy does have & always has had a major sweet tooth thing going on!
So, with a little recipe tweaking (we used Scottish blackberries instead of blackcurrants which we chopped up a bit, and we had to cook it for about 20 minutes longer than 'I can cook' Katy suggested) they made this for their pudding this evening.
Although we did all our working on the hob (why? I dunno) - you don't actually use the hob at all, so the kiddos pretty much took control until it came to popping it in & out of the oven. They loved the responsibilty of that almost almost as much as the pudding itself! I must admit too, that it was pretty damn gooooood!
Here's some pics (Flo was all "Mum - take photo's of EVERYTHING" ha!)



June 18, 2012

DYRHAM PARK

This year, we spent Fathers Day at Dyrham Park, a National Trust place just outside of Bath & wow - this place is mind-blowing! There is an insane amount of space for the kids to run wild & explore, just what we needed after being cooped up F.O.R.E.V.E.R due to the crappy rain, which I may or may not have mentioned before. Whatever!
It really was the perfect hazy summers day full of English charm... we picnicked, we ate ice-creams & we supped a real ale under a bright blue sky. 
Jolly Good Fun!
P.S Check out India... she learnt to boogie! CUTE!

June 17, 2012

LATELY // 4


1. Farmers Market Finds
2. Fathers Day Prep
3. The pregnancy craving that never left
4. India
5. Egg
6. Morning sun, view from my garden
7. Chicken burger salad

Joining in with Bleubirds Bits & Pieces for the first time in ages...

June 16, 2012

AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK

As a mum of three, i am constantly trying to get one - just one - photo of the three of them together.
Ideally this photo would be snot/grime/food free and they will all be smiling, or at least look as if they don't want to kill each other.
Has is happened yet? No.
How long have i been trying? 14 months.
So, i thought i'd share what happened today on the sofa.
They were cuddling, smiling, being FRIENDS! Then I take my lens cap of and this happens...









but then, we got there in the end.... (ish) Miss Florence stop gurning & Miss India, look at me goddammit! Ah. I give up.