Its quite difficult

...to find something to blog about that wont bore the heck out of anyone who may fall upon my blog.
Its been the usual routine here, although its getting to the point of more gardening on the plans now.
We decorated the kitchen, its now "clotted cream" a light yellow colour, I was going to go for a sage green but its not a very big room and I think it would have made it feel dark and clostraphobic. So its a cheery pale yellow and looks fab!
Amy now has a hamster which has a routine all of its own. A chart printed out every week that needs filling at bed time, water, food and cleaning. Amy is doing a brilliant job with it and has taken on the responsibility really well. I'm very proud, she even kept her tooth fairy money to spend on hamster treats rather than sweets.
I'm currently on a photography course so am busy with that as well as organising a scrapbook and cardmaking day.

The cutest cookies

These are from yesterday. Amy and I made cookies, I really need to get some new cutters as I had to borrow these two from my friend.

Tiny Pink Cookies

50g (2oz) butter, softened

25g (1oz) icing sugar

drop of food colouring

1 tsp milk

drop of vanilla essence

75g (3oz) plain flour

2 baking trays wiped with cooking oil

Heat oven to 180c, 350f

cream the butter and icing sugar, add the food colouring mix well, add milk and vanilla, then sift flour and make a ball (get your hands in!) Roll out onto a floured surface and cut out as many biscuits as you can, around 5mm (1/4") thick. Prick cookies with a fork (or cocktail stick, just to make patterns) and then bake for approx 6-8minutes, leave on a tray to cool.

Hope that was ok to follow. Managed to nab the photo when there were only 5 left!

I love baking with Amy, and I love the recipe cards we use, from a company called Osbourn Books, they had fab little cards, all things, crafty and cooking. They are smart because Amy can pick one and then we can go to the store and get everything we need. I think it teaches her alot.

We also made cute little decorated eggs (hard boiled) for a school competition. Here are Robin Hood and Maid Marion

Been battling

I just have been so sick and tired of my neighbours, it is really upsetting me. I am hoping the last few days events will help to improve things.
We have lived here for nearly two years and for that time we have had to live with their behaviour. The shouting, banging, dis respectfulness and the smell! Oh my, the smell. The dogs (6 in a small 2 bed house) and the constant smell of cigarettes, wet dog and fag smoke, how delightful. Even my addiction to Yankee candle doesn't help with this. It gets me down. I can use pure bleach on the bathroom walls and surfaces, wash the floors and have everything looking like a showroom and yet the smell still comes in. It gets to the point where I wonder why I bother. Then, last week the building began for their conservatory (sun room) and my heart sank, would this escalate the problem, after all it means more room for them to shove the dogs in, would the smell be worse when the room heated up? Or would it be the case of something new would spur them on to looking after the house. I guess I have to wait. But for now I just have to try my hardest to get rid of the smell and filth they emit.