Monday 23.03.

What a lovely weekend I had - it was so nice to catch up with family and friends over a few glasses of wine on Saturday night, but still be up and about early on Sunday morning.

The Mother's Day lunch went very well (I made 2 dishes that I had never tried before and they were both fab). The Caramel banana Blondies were a huge hit - they were so easy to make - I will be making them again soon!

After food shopping, preparing lunch and washing the floors we even managed to squeeze in a little trip to the park to feed the ducks and stop in at our favorite coffee shop (it is becoming a bit of a Sunday ritual).

I love the way that these trousers hang, I think they flatter my legs! The trousers have quite masculine detailing so I think that this frilly chiffon blouse works really well - I only wish it was a bit warmer as this is really not an outfit for a cold and windy day!

Today's outfit is:

Checked trousers - Vila

Cami - Primark

Frilly blouse - Forever 21

Black patent t-bar wedges - Barratts

Necklace - Ann Taylor Loft

Friday 13.02.

Yay, it is Friday again, even though I work on Saturdays I do love it when Friday comes around.

We are having friends over for some dinner and drinks this evening, we have not seen them for about a month and they are getting married in 10 weeks so I am sure that there will be lots to chat about.
Tonight is my turn to cook for us and I have decided to go for full risk and do two recipes that I have never ever cooked before. I am doing Balsamic Rosemary Grilled Pork Tenderloin that I found over at The Recipe Girl and for desert I am going to make a Chocolate Banana Fool which is in the "20 minute Cookbook" that I got at Christmas.

Today's outfit is:

Black jersey dress - Vila
Grey long cardigan - Vila
Black patterned tights - Tesco
Grey suede shoe boots - Armani Exchange
Faux Pearls - eBay

Friday 09.01.

Got up early to make cupcakes before coming to work this morning - it is my bf's birthday on Monday and we are having people round for birthday drinks on Saturday night. I plan to ice them when I get home before going swimming and then heading out for an evening with friends, that is if I do not fall asleep on the sofa - I am feeling very sleepy, I am sure that the brisk walk home will help to wake me!

Nothing very special about this outfit, but it is still way more dressy that I was being. I am glad that I layered this morning as it has stayed really cold and frosty here today.

Today's outfit is:

Plum knitted dress/long cardigan - Vila
Grey cami - American Eagle
Grey argyle tights - Matalan
Grey boots - Topshop
Teal necklace - Primark

I love it when a plan comes together......

On Saturday's post I mentioned that I was going to attempt to make bread for the first time. Well I did, it worked and it tasted amazing (even if I do say so myself). I simply typed " easy bread recipe" into my friend Google and it gave me this.

So Saturday night I went home at 5pm and got started on making this bread. We have no bread maker - and this recipe is for making by hand anyway - these two facts together meant that I lasted about 5 minutes before I shouted for my bf to help as my arms were just killing me.

So now that I know how good this bread is, and I have had my trial run, I am going to bake fresh bread on Christmas day to have with our soup starter. YUMMY!!!
I also had a trial run at my Christmas Cookies before I start giving them out as gifts to grandparents and aunties etc.

Here is what I baked over this weekend!

The Weekend.

As always the weekend was too short but we managed to pack quite a lot in!
Saturday night was a fab night of lounging around and eating comfort foods (it was so cold and horrible outside). We watched the X Factor ( i am so happy with the results!!) and caught up on some of the shows that we had Sky + while we were away.

Sunday I got up nice and early sorted out some washing and then made a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and lovely thick toast. We then went out to the supermarket to stock up on the essentials for the coming week. I talked my bf in to going to B&Q on the way home to look at their selection of fresh Christmas trees!

After lunch we decided to go to a local park to feed the Ducks! It was lovely and there were lots to be fed, they were all on the banking and on the path as the pond was 75% frozen! We then went into the tearoom to heat up and treat ourselves to a toasted scone and home made jam! YUM!

My main achievement on the weekend was cooking Braised 5 hour lamb (from the Jamie Oliver-The return of the naked chef Book) it was delicious (we are having the left overs for tea tonight and I can not wait).

The rest of the evening was spent getting ready for this week and making a start on the Christmas cards!

Tuesday.

My outfit is so grey today - I kind of feel that way too. Again I did not sleep too well, then when I got up (eventually) this morning it stayed dark until 8am. The weather here is cold and dark, today the high has to be 46 - and I am feeling it. At the moment it is raining, the kind that is falling side ways so no matter what you do you get soaked to the skin.

Anyway, enough about the weather here in Scotland, the jumper dress that I have on today has been in a pile for eBay for a few weeks. The last time I wore it I was carrying a bit more weight and the look was not very smooth. I thought I would give it one last try this morning and I am happier this time around. But, I think my cream boots would have worked a little better than the grey. I think there is just too much grey going on.

This evening I am going out walking with my friend. We are trying to keep our walking up no matter what the weather is, that way we hope we will keep it up all winter. Winter is not even here yet and already I feel tired and sluggish. I am going to plan lunches and dinners to keep us going over the next few weeks, hopefully this will keep me on the healthier eating track. Any good recipes that feature lots of vegetables would be great!

Today's outfit is:

Grey & Cream jumper dress - American Eagle
Grey vest - Tesco
Grey Leggings - Vila
Grey boots - Topshop
Grey long cardigan - Blendshe
Turquoise necklace - Primark

Saturday.

I have my NEW TOP on and I LOVE it! I bought it in Manchester on Tuesday, I love the shape of it and I really love how bold and bright it is! Orange is most definitely my favorite colour at the moment.
I have to point out that the belt is actually tied to the side of the top, on my hip, and not in the centre of my tummy as it is in the photo. I did not notice this until I was uploading the photo.

We are having a nice quiet night in tonight watching the X Factor (I can not wait to see what Cheryl Cole has on this week). I am also baking a batch of Toffee Apple Muffins and Red Velvet Cupcakes. We are having a family day at my bf's sister's house tomorrow afternoon and I am making these yummy treats to take along!

Today's outfit is:

Orange top - H&M
Black skinny jeans - Primark
Black and white shoes - Nine West
Black necklace - Primark

Thursday.

Yes, I do know that I have almost the same colour combinations on as yesterday. I am just going to point out that I had a very early appointment at the dentist this morning and I did just go with what was clean and ironed!

So, I have decided on my dessert for Saturday night, I am going to make a Banoffee Pie. It was a toss up between Chocolate Brownie Sundaes or the Banoffee Pie, but the Banoffee won. This was because I always think that Brownies are going to be better than they actually are!?
After I finish tonight I have to head to the post office to post some eBay parcels, nip home pick up a card before heading to my mum's for dinner. My cousin is coming to visit with her new baby. After all of this I am going to go and get all of the bits that I need to make the Banoffee Pie. I am also going to make a batch of the yummy Toffee Apple Muffins for my bf coming home - really need to use up the huge amount of apples from our tree.

Today's outfit is:

Plum oversize shirt - Blendshe
Black vest top - Primark
Black leggings - Forever 21
Black riding boots - Bakers

Thursday.

I have a bit of a stars and stripes theme going on today (without meaning to). I really wanted to wear my new scarf, which was a total bargain in the Tesco sale - £2.

I am making my mum her dinner this evening - Fresh Tuna steaks with roast vegetables and new potatoes. We are then going to take a little trip to Ikea. I have really go into cooking and baking in the last year. I am finding that the more adventurous I am getting I need new tools, so a trip to Ikea should sort me out and keep me going for a while.

Today's outfit consists of:

White wide leg linen crop trousers - Primark
Red, white & blue top - H&M
Silk scarf with star print - Tesco
White leather Grecian sandals - New Look