Two Shoes, New Shoes, Bright Shiny Pink Shoes!

My little helper finally has a pair of shoes that fit her dinky feet! She's been walking since Easter and only now have we managed to find a pair of shoes that fit - just. She was measured as a 1.5 and the lovely ladies in our little shoe shop went through all the size 2s (that's the smallest you can get) and eventually came up with these:

They're by a Spanish company, so slightly quirky, but I love them!! I couldn't have chosen a better pair myself! (Although, I have to say, I was so desperate for her to have something that fitted that I really wouldn't have minded what colour they were!!)

Here are a few more pictures of her enjoying them (and the sunshine)

New House

Well I now feel pleased enough with the lounge and dining room/snug to be able to show you a few before and after shots!!

To give you a bit of background...

...my husband and I have been renting for the last few years and moved to a bigger (still rented) house in our town last year - meaning to stay for a few years, or at least until my little helper is school age. However, my lovely in laws offered us the money to put a deposit on a house that would be big enough to get us a good mortgage.

So in March we started looking casually (not really wanting to move until the summer holidays) and by 28th May we had completed and moved in!!!!!

So a few weeks later, here are some before and after shots!

The Lounge...

The Dining Room...

Excuse the mess on the table in the dining room (we've just been putting up lights for the new kitchen!)


The Snug...

Oh, and my little helper's room...

I'll post later in the week about the new kitchen!! I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited about it - not just because we've been without a sink or cooker for 3 weeks, but because it's all mine and it's brand shiny new!!

Strawberries and 'Cream'

Last night we had a BBQ with my parents and my mother-in-law (having just moved and not yet unpacked we're trying to eat using as few pans etc as possible!!).

For pudding we had strawberries (and raspberries) and cream - boy oh boy was it good cream, so here is my secret recipe!!!

1 LARGE punnet strawberries

1 punnet raspberries (or blueberries etc etc)

1 tub of extra thick Jersey double cream

1 tub fromage frais (or creme fraiche, or marscapone)

icing sugar to taste

and the secret part...

vanilla paste

(not essence, flavouring or beans).

My mum makes this stuff last for ages, but it tends to last only a month or so in my cupboard. It goes in cakes, milkshakes, cream, custard etc. Great big dollops for me!!

Back to the cream ... if you add the paste to the cream, fromage frais and sugar you'll end up with something that looks and tastes like velvety ice cream (but not as cold).

Scrummy!