... spending Saturday sewing.

This morning, I purposely got up very early for a Saturday. On the way home from work on Thursday, I notice a lovely sewing box on legs and with ornate hinges in the window of the charity shop round the corner from our flat. I am at work for the whole time the shop is open, so I was hoping, HOPING it would still be there. 

Yes, I Have floral tools. Makes DIY more fun. :)

And it was! Isn't it lovely? It's edges are all dove-tailed, so I think it may be hand made. It was a bargain at £5. Look at those hinges! I am considering painting it red and giving it new handles. Fay suggested lining the drawers with felt, which I will definitely do, but what do you think of it being painted? opinion seems to be divided so far.

Having gotten home and admired my sewing box (I keep walking past it, and opening and closing it, eliciting a 'you could put stuff in it you know' from Dave), and done some housework *yawn* I set to my next task of the day. The tension on my sewing machine has been wonky for months. Normal methods of adjusting it did nothing to sort it, and I was almost ready to throw the machine out of the window after my 3 hr attempt last time. I sat down to deal with it, and miraculously had it working after half an hour.

My first task with my newly functioning machine was to finish the cafetiere cosy I made for Dave. Despite measuring everything, it's a little to short, but it will do the trick I think. As Dave is the coffee drinker, I used nice manly dark grey t-shirt material. He seems pleased with it.

I was aiming for a sunburst effect with the quilting.
It is moderately successful!

Next, I  paid some attention to the sewing box I already owned. It was a gift from Dave's mum, and is perfectly functional, but after a few years, I have gotten a bit bored of the fabric covering the lid section.

A couple of section of fabric, some embroidery and a few sewn on buttons do a lot for it I think! It's far from perfect, but it will do for me. 

I haven't done much sewing since Christmas time, and I am glad to have jumped back in! I hope everyone is having a good Saturday :).

...houseproud (Hallway Stairs Makeover phase.1)

Dave and I headed to Paisley at the weekend. Among other things, Dave played a show with (and we got rather drunk with) Miles Hunt (of the Wonderstuff), we visited my SIL, BIL and adorable nephew, went for delicious Vietnamese food with Dave's family, and did a lot of staying in and avoided the rain. It was a good weekend all in!

We also decided we need to focus more of our effort and money on renovating the flat. It is not even close to what both of us want it to be, but when we lived there all the time, we were both students and didn't have enough money to deal with the fact that it's rather shabby (and has dodgy plumbing). We pretty much just mended things once they got to the point of no return. Now we live between two places, and are only just getting to the stage where we can afford to do little bits. 

Since one of our plans to move back to Paisley full time, we talked about doing the small, inexpensive things now, and saving up to do bigger things (even if we don't move back, it will add to the value, so it's win-win).  I've been wanting to do something with the hall for a long time, and on Sunday afternoon, I convinced Dave we should have a look under the carpet. We actually did this tentatively a few months ago, but realised there was a whole mess of stuff underneath and put them back. 

Imagine this, but stairy (also, this is a sneak
peak of my completely free picnic basket!)

this is just after we have taken up both layers
of carpet. Note the weird white edging. it's laminate!

I really did want just to have a better look and make a plan, but after pulling the carpet up and revealing many layers of mismatched flooring, and then pulling those up,we found that we have beautiful solid wood stairs (with a lovely overhang on each step). I showed Dave a few pictures of ways we could paint them, and we decided to start right then. Otherwise, we really might have just put the carpet back. 

cream carpet over green runner edged with white laminate,
overcork tiles, over boards, over original floorboards.

I say we, but our stairway is narrow, so actually Dave pulled everything - carpet, runner carpet, really weird nailed in laminate edging, many different sized nails, 19 of those horrible carpet gripper things with the sticky our nails - up, and I tidied around him and made the dinner.  I can't help but feel ripping up carpets and things must have felt satisfying after hours of thesis work.

Lovely stairs. Horrible laminate(it was on the uprights too),
nails and carpet grippers.

Dave at work

The evidence - finished stairs before tidying

This is the result. It's far from beautiful, but it's not bad for a few hours work! At the bottom, we discovered concrete (currently covered by the rugs) and are thinking we'll have floorboards cut for that area so that everything matches. 

How they look now - from top

how they look now - from bottom

At the weekend, we are going to sand all that paint off, and eventually, we'll varnish the floor, give the whole stairway a fresh coat of pain and paint the  stair uprights, and hang pictures. we are aiming for something like this

via The Decorologist,

...with darker steps (Dave's choice. He was firmly against white. quite sensible really) and yellow uprights(he was also against painting each a different colour), though not with pattern.  I think both of us feel like we are actually doing something about our current life situation - we are making the best of what may well be our proper home again. We aim to work our way through the flat from front to back. As and when we move back,we will move back to a better cared for, brighter, cosier place.

Oh, also, I have a Pinterest now, where I am collating ideas for each room. as well as recipes and dare I  say it, Christmas ideas. It is a bit addictive, so I apologise if you add me and see a bazillion things I've posted for the  first we while.

P.s. Be honest here - are you going to get bored if I continue showing these happenings step by step? I assume other rooms will be done more as a whole, this is just a big job. I thought about saving it all until it's done, but that could be a month from now and I am very excited about this!

...a sweetcorn hater.

First of all, thank you for everyone's really lovely comments on the last post. Empathy and insight are alive and well in the blogosphere it seems. :)

Now, with regards to the post title. I hate sweetcorn. I hate every form of it. It's too sweet, and it is all membraney on the outside and squishy on the inside. I hate peas for the same reason.

Dave, however loves sweetcorn. He has been bemoaning the fact that Covent Garden Soup Co have stopped doing thier sweetcorn chowder for a couple of years. So on Sunday, while Dave was doing thesis work and we were both trying to make the plan(s), I gave in and decided to try to make some. And make it so that I could eat it too. Handily, It also used up chicken leftovers, stuffing and stock made from the carcass. I think by not using seafood stock, I might be cheating, but chicken is what I had.

Sweetcorn and Chicken Chowder

600g sweetcorn (half tinned, half cut from cobs in my case)
300g cooked chicken (leftovers)
1 onion (baked in quarters)
2 cloves of garlic (baked whole)
1/2tsp fresh ground pepper
1.5l chicken stock
1/2pt milk

•  I baked the onion and the garlic inside a roast chicken, if you aren't using leftovers, dice and fry for 5 mins on a medium heat in a soup pan.
•  Put the rest of ingredients in, turn up heat and bring to the boil. 3. Turn down, simmer for 25 minutes till liquid has reduced and thickened.
• I blended it till it was quite smooth, but if you like soup on the chunky side, whizz it for a wee bit to thicken slightly and leave chunks.

I am really pleased with this, I think I may have been converted slightly. The pepper takes the edgy off the sweetness, and blending it got rid of the texture issue. The chicken flavour cuts through too, though Dave said he thought it still very sweetcorny in flavour. I'm calling this one a win!

...ready for some changes

I've been trying to write a post for a few days about something fairly personal. I try to be honest in here, but I also don't want to overshare and i feel really strongly that the other people in my life deserve privacy. On the otherhand, I started this blog because I wanted a record of my life, and i can't just post recipes and happy thoughs while big things are afoot. I hope this strikes the right balance.  

The long and the short of it is that Dave and I have realised that long term, living and working in (or in my case near) Dundee does not seem to be for us. Neither of us is particularly happy here, and whilst we are managing fine, it is a big strain financially keeping up two places. We are very much still tied to Paisley, by family and friends and by our flat, and we feel quite strongly that moving back  would be a good for us. Our eventual aim in life was always to end up living somewhere near there anyway, but we've gone from thinking 'eventual' to 'as soon as possible'.

We have a sort of plan, and we won't be moving in the immediate future, but we will be working towards doing so. The worst thing when you're in a bad situation is to feel stuck, and fortunately we have been able to make loose plans for a few eventualities, and that got rid somewhat of the being stuck.

I will update on all this when things are more concrete, and until then the recipe posting and life cronicling will continue.

...baking a classic

It may not be beautiful, but it's tasty good.
Dave took that whole enormous slice!

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been giving the blog a bit of an update. I'm trying to organise it a bit more, so I've removed unnecessary tags, and there is now a recipes page! I realise when I was sorting the recipes for the page that I haven't posted a recipe for six months. SIX MONTHS! We have been having a lot of the same things for dinner - quick, thrown together things,  and I really haven't baked very much at all. Life is all over the place and very busy at the moment, and having more than a couple of hours to spend doing something doesn't happen often.

Today though, Dave has been doing thesis work, and it has been tipping it down on and off, which makes it a perfect day for baking,  soup making and pottering about. I like making cakes that don't require much faffing about or delicate decoration - I am in awe of other people's, but don't have the patience to do them myself - so to ease back into recipe blogging, I decide a classic was the way, and there aren't many cakes more classic than a Victoria Sponge. This is my take.

Victoria Sponge
(the recipe I worked from was for a 7" cake. My pan is 9", so I added half again to the mix. The cake is bloody enormous as a result! If you have a 7", take a third of each measurement).

The outside of my sponge is slightly overcooked.
 It tastes ace though!

For Cake
335g butter
335g caster sugar
6 medium eggs
335g self raising flour
3tsp vanilla essence

For Filling
200ml  extra thick double cream (you could also use whipping cream and whip it)
50g icing sugar
100g good quality fruit jam (I used raspberry)

optional
Sliced fresh strawberries, fresh bluberries or raspberries can be used as well as or in place of jam

• Pre-heat oven to 160(fan)/180c
• if your are using tins, grease and line two 9"(I have silicone pans)
• in a large bowl, cream butter till soft
• add caster sugar and cream together well
• beat in each egg separately, followed by a bit of flour each time(keeps cake fluffy)
• add vanilla essence and beat quickly
• divide mixture between two tins
• bake for 25 minutes, till golden and springy to touch
• allow to cool.

• once cool, spread jam on cake one (if using)
• mix 30g of the sugar into cream
• spread cream on top of the jam
• if wanted, top with fresh fruit
• add second sponge to the top
• dust with icing sugar
• If you feel a bit fancy, decorate with more fresh fruit or a ribbon. ribbons are always fun.

If you could have a look at my recipes and tell me if you think I'm drastically lacking in anything, I'd be grateful. I think it definitely needs more salads (to balance out thinks like this cake!)

I'm away to have a wee slice and some tea and watch Apollo 13. Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday.

...updating!

Yet again, It's been nearly two weeks since I posted, and yet again, I haven't baked or cooked or made anything blog worthy. Still, in that time, a few blog worthy things have happened so this post is a bit of a buffet of news. A hot beverage and something to munch might be a good idea whilst reading (I am certainly having one whilst writing)...

...as you may have noticed (unless you are reading this in google reader), I have changed the design of the blog a bit. I've cleaned it up, made it fresher (I think?) and I am working on adding pages on recipes, books and crafts. I like the new design, but am completely open to suggestions! What do you think?

...Dave and I went down to Paisley on Tuesday, as he has a gig and we are still registered to vote there. I know we could do postal voting, but it's not nearly as exciting as going to the polling booth. I am very sad that people voted no to AV - I have heard a lot of 'PR or nothing' but those people don't seem to realise that they have just thrown away our only chance at electoral reform for the next 30 years. HO-HUM. In other more exciting voting news, we had our Scottish elections too, and I could not be happier with the result.  waking up to the news that SNP had twice the seats of Labour, and then during the day watching the countdown to overall majority (on twitter because I was at work!) was spectacular. I am proud of this wee nation. Like most here I feel completely unrepresented by the UK's Tory government, so at least I feel represented at home!

History is made.

...I have been lucky enough to receive two parcels in the post this week, both from bloggers! The first was from the amazing Elizabeth of Rosililium. Elizabeth is an ambassador for Green & Black's. To celebrate her Very successful expedition to the Dominican Republic to build a gravity-fed water system to serve a whole village (where she was bitten by a spider and stayed there and kept digging!), she asked us to tell her what we thought community meant. My wee answer won me a rather lovely box of Green & Black's. I am exceptionally pleased about this as Elizabeth is rather learned on the subject of community!

There was a big bar of milk chocolate too, but we
scoffed it for breakfast before I took the picture

The second was from lovely Lisa of Mathilde Heart Manech. I cannot describe how pleased I was to receive one of her little embroideries in the post! Entitled 'Tea at Liberty's', It has a teacup on it in Liberty fabric, with purple details! Also in my wee parcel were a lovely card and some of her beautiful vintage tags!

Such a sweet gift! If you love this as much as I do, and you fancy your own, Lisa has a

vintage/handmade shop which is full of delights! Thank you Lisa!

...What else? Oh, yes. One  Day a week at work, I have taken on an additional child, which means on a Monday I have four rather than three. It seems once you get past three it's all the same really.

...Lastly, this here wee blog has been given some awards! One by Evil Pixie, who is having a giveaway now if people should want to follow her and enter. The other is from the above mentioned and fabulous Lisa. Ladies, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to mention them, I am extremely grateful and there will be a full post in the week!

...Actually that wasn't the last thing. The last thing is a bit of a teaser though. In the next couple of weeks, to celebrate the redesign of m'blog, when it's all finished and I have added the pages I want, I will be having a wee give-away involving some pieces made by a fabulous friend of mine!

Ooft. Right, I really am done now. If you made it this far good work!