So easy even I can do it and I don't bake. 

Saturday mornings are usually spent dressed like a human duvet having a natter with some other mums whilst watching Small Thing do his football training. Today? It was cancelled and I made Irish soda bread. Yes I really did! Last week the Grumps had it in his head that he wanted to make it and I was despatched with a shopping list of the required ingredients. He made it, it was good and I declared him a keeper on Instagram. This week, I bought the buttermilk for him to make the soda bread again but I felt that maybe I should give it a shot as the Grumps was standing outside for a couple of hours with the big boy in the coldest of weather. So I did and that's my loaf up there ready to have with some homemade soup!

And if I can do it - you can (my previous attempt at banana loaf went in the bin - a baker I am not). The recipe I googled off BBC Goodfood by James Martin but here it is for your delectation. 

Ingredients 

Preparation Method

Eat and enjoy! Now I don't normally do food recipes but I was so surprised that it was so simple that I thought it only right to share with all you baking virgins out there. 

Anyway, this week, it was the Grump's turn to declare me a keeper ;o)

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Last Note :

Can I be honest here? I don't actually strut around in silk shirts and high heels on the school run. I am actually really normal and boring. And the other thing - I am actually a ..... fair-weather fashionista. On good weather days i.e. not freezing, not snowing, not cold, not raining ... I look okay. But if it is freezing, snowing, cold or raining ... I am practical. Very practical. On the school run, fashion doesn't really come in to it very much where the elements are concerned. See!

When it rains ... I wear

• Black Sprayway Gore Tex walking jacket. It's ten years old and it keeps me dry, I go up mountains in it (or at least I used to until the Grumps got tired of the whinging) and I also go on school runs in it. It does the job and it's practical, windproof and light. If I'm going away in the UK for a couple of days, this invariably ends up in the car and does what it needs to do. Like when I'm standing on a beach being buffeted by strong winds - it takes the edge off and keeps me dry.

• Hunter wellies. In aubergine. These are about five years old and still going strong. I used to wear them when it was snowing but these have been usurped by the Sorels which are infinitely warmer and far comfier than over tight wellies - I used to try and wear three pairs of socks to keep my feet warm in my Hunter wellies. They are however great for country walks and mud. Lots of mud. Squelchy mud. And rain. I have been known to stand in puddles wearing my wellies just because I can #bigkid

• Black Next gaucho style nubuck boots. These are also about five years old. Plain as plain can be, no buckles, no laces, no zips, no nothing. They do the job, have worn in nicely, look a bit rough around the edges ... they're basically a practical goody. They're the kind of boots which you pay £200 or more for, for a similar pair in Toast. They're also the reason why I bought but didn't keep the Zara Pistol'like boots I wanted before Christmas - I knew I wouldn't get the wear out of those as I would default to these old faithfuls. They do the job and they do it brilliantly.

When it's icy, cold or snowing, I wear ....

• Black Zara parka. I can't say anymore about this parka that hasn't already been said by me here. It is serving it's second winter with me and I still love it. It's a little cumbersome but oh it's toasty and on those arctic days we've been having recently, it is the coat of choice. And I still love that Kenny hood.

• Black Primark padded coat. I thought this would be going in the charity bag this year. I thought it was looking a little peaky or rather it wasn't looking as perky as it used to and maybe it had had it's day. But I dragged it on one day last October when I was in a rush and I thought "I can't let you go buddy! You kept me warm when I was standing in the park and hugged my baby bump George all those years ago and you still keep me warm now. For £13 - you owe me nothing and I owe you a space in my wardrobe". 

• Sorel boots. Yes, they feel like weights strapped to your legs but hey ... they are warm weights. I have been truly thankful for these since becoming one of those sporting mums who stand on a pitch for several hours at a time with their feet slowly turning to ice. You can't wear Uggs ... wet grass just soaks through. Wellies are cold. Sorels ... they do the job. Mine are worth every penny I paid for them and I still get people who ask me about them as they obviously look like they are the dogs doodies.

• Ugg Kensington boots. These are for those cold cold mornings where regular boots don't cut it but the might of the Sorel boots are a bit much. They are snug and they are warm and they are flat. They are a bit of a mare to put on and they are a bit of a mare to take off ... but hey, some things are worth it. Like warm feet.

• Trapper Hat. This is the hat that I automatically reach for to keep my head properly warm. I pull it on and it automatically goes right. I can't say the same for the woolly ones I have where I have to do all manner of tweaking with my hair and my fringe before I look half sane. However, this trapper hat has magical look perfect every time properties. And it's warm. And it doesn't blow off. And I look like massive fur ball but that's okay - I'm good with that.

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Last Note :

The word on the street is that denim is a biggie this summer. If you read one article, the jean hems are getting wider, the denim skirts are getting longer (think midi to maxi) and everything seems to be a little more polished and structured. Or if you read another article, you can go the other way and wear your denim totally destroyed, stick patches everywhere and wear your denim skirts all short, cute and a-line. Basically it looks like anything goes where denim is concerned - make up your own rules if there aren't any out there to suit you. 

So what have I found that I think will add a little denim oomph to the old wardrobe this year? This :

I thought I'd go over to the long, dark structured side. This Toast skirt is not my usual thing but I liked the asymmetric front fastening detail. It's also a longer length which is perfect if you're one of those who are a little shy about getting the old knees out. I don't suit long boho floaty numbers so this is a great way to do a longer style in a more flattering way. However, if you're a lady who goes to an office and you can wear denim for work - this type of skirt could be a chic way to do denim instead of usual jeans. Team it with a smart white shirt like here if you are looking for inspiration. I had a little play with what I had to hand (my white shirts are in hibernation at the moment so navy blue silk it is then) and I think this works as a smart look :

But as you know, I don't have an office to go to - I have a school run where casual and practical reigns. Rifling through the wardrobe, I was thinking it could be worn in the following manner when the weather warms up a little. Remember, I'm planning ahead #squirrel

• If you have good legs and prefer your denim short and sweet and looking for something similar to the Alexa Chung for AG Jeans Kety skirt which has sold out everywhere, ASOS have this one here which is a good dupe. 

• The Toast skirt sold out today (sorry) and it was only £25 (sorry sorry sorry) in the Toast sale. Sorry I wasn't quick enough with this post. However ASOS have a couple of long denim skirts going here and here for £4.50 each.

• Amendment 21:29pm. Just spotted a couple of sizes left online for the Toast skirt here. I am wearing a size 8 which looked better on me than the 10 though I would normally take a 10. Now if it had been a size 9 - that would have been just perfect.

Okay so I waved the Lulu & Co jumper off with the DHL man mid week. I loved it but there was no way I could live with that annoying bump on the front and believe me I tried really hard to get rid of it. So what's a girl to do who wants to wear a rainbow on her chest? Use her noggin and see what she can come up with. And this is what the noggin came up with.

• Lay your cut out image on the tee.

• Idea! For mums who have mucky pups like me - maybe print out a few designs on a sheet (like the stars I've done on the transfer sheet above) and save them and cut them out to use over stubborn stains! 

I caved :o/

There was only one left in my size on NAP. I've been watching this since the NAP sale started. It was the only thing I was really holding out for. I ordered it and kind of hoped it wouldn't fit and was horrid.

And of course I loved it on sight. For goodness sake, it's a grey jumper at the end of the day but it just happens to have an embroidered multi coloured lurex rainbow on it. Love!

So I banked on it being a horrid fit. Nop - it fitted exactly as I would have liked - just on the right side of fitted loose. As Goldilocks would say about all Baby Bear's things .... "it was just riiiiigggghhhht".

Or was it? Those 2 pics above are after I gave the rainbow a press with a cloth and iron. Can you spot a slight bump in the rainbow? Before that, it looked like this which I just put down to the way it had been packed.



Arghgh! So giving it a press helped but didn't get rid of it entirely and if you look carefully at the top picture of the model - I swear there's a bump in the rainbow on her jumper - I have spent more time scrutinising her chest than I care to admit.

So that's kind of killed the jumper for me. I did really want to keep it, it was fun and even the Grumps said he'd go out with me in it but I can't - that slight bump is nothing short of annoying and as it wasn't that cheap - I did want it to be "just riiiiigggghhhht".

So all is not lost ... there is hope at the end of another rainbow. I might try this one next!

Happy new year everyone.

Look at that above. New cup, new diary and a bit of fruit.

Well the cup is mine but the diary is the big boy's and the fruit has now been devoured. Yes, new year, new good intentions.

Basically on New Years Eve, I reached saturation point. I was a poisoned pup. Not a morsel more could pass my lips. I couldn't even manage the New Year celebratory Champagne - not even a tiny sip. If I had, I might have exploded. It was that bad.

So I have calmed down. And since January 1st, I've only had 2 chocolates. And a lot more fruit and I've been salivating over people's Instagram food feeds. The Grumps laughed at me the other night as I sat in bed grumbling about how hungry I was whilst flitting through photos of nice food complaining about how I was starving which was interrupted every now and then with "that looks amazing". It must have been bad because he even asked me the next morning if I'd got up in the night to satisfy my food cravings. No. I didn't. I was fast asleep dreaming of Byron Burgers.

But nearly 10 days in to the new year, I am feeling a little better. The belly bloat has subsided thought the girth is still there and I have taken to standing on the scales again. I haven't actually been on a pair of scales for more than a year and I was masochistic enough to go and stand on them just to see how much I'd put on. I prayed for good news and didn't get it. 

So I am eating better and cutting out naughty snacks. And double breakfasts. I used to have breakfast at 7am with the boys and then at 9.30 after the school run. Every little bit of abstinence helps. And I'm getting to grips with advocados mashed on toast with poached eggs and the such like (I blame Instagram) and hoping this works for me ... for at least the month of January till I get bored. I'm afraid I'm not getting on the Nutribullet bandwagon like so many - I need to chew. 

So what are you peeps up to? New beginnings for you too?

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Last Note :