Ta Dah!

Sorry it has taken so darned long but we are super super super excited to say that we have a healthy looking and beautiful daughter in the oven! I did not think I was too worried about the sex but the hysterical tears of joy that ensued as the sonographer revealed a little girl may say otherwise!! Feeling so very lucky.

Snapshots

Our summer has been here, there and everywhere and was completed with a trip to London to visit Granny and Grandpa. We took the kids to The Natural History Museum as Lenny is dinosaur mad and, I dont know about him, but I was amazed - what a spectacular place. I have not been since I was a nipper and there were certainly no moving, roaring t rexs' in my day! In fact, the enormity or the dinosaurs had Lenny a bit apprehensive and so the large mammals were the hit - it is WELL worth a visit of you are in the Big Smoke - and free!! We also went to Battersea Park, on several buses (who knew everyday public transport held SO much joy for a littlun?!) and ate our body weight in fondant icing at our niece Maud's lovely christening. Now we are back at home and I am looking forward to hunkering down for Autumn and having some quiet, homey weekends wearing slippers, drinking tea and watching 80's movies..... and tackling the jungle of a garden.... and the decorating of every room in the house... and some restructuring the whole downstairs... and loft...... and..... and.... and..... AHHHHHHH....!!

19.5 week bump and a fat arm. 20 week scan next week where hopefully we will find out the sex of the new bub. Watch this space!

poo sticks

ICING!

wonder

wow

lucky day. A complete vintage fisher price school and school bus at the charity shop for £6.50!

bye bye summer

stop growing....!

before

after

ice cream face

2 lions

always forget how darn great mac n' cheese is

a chubby me (why cant I be one of those lucky pregnant people who look like they have swallowed a pea?!) and white paint samples

very serious museum stride

pooped

terrorising the poor birds

ah.... where is that stair gate?!

park time

T Rex

throwing stones

the 3 amigos

Battersea Park fountains

C'mon Autumn show us what ya got...

no visitors allowed.

Jools' Pregnant Pasta - sausage and fennel

This is my ultimate in comfort food. I am a pasta fiend and given the chance (and the metabolism) would eat it for every meal. It is taken from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals. His wife Jools craved this when pregnant and, having a bun in the oven myself, I completely understand. It is delicious - meaty, sweet and tangy yet with a subtle heat from the chilli and fragrant warmth from the fennel..... okay, okay I'm not going to get a job writing for Masterchef anytime soon but you get the picture.....

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 spring onions
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 1-2 fresh red chillies
• 1 x 6-pack of good-quality sausages (approx. 400g)
• 1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 500g dried penne
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• A few sprigs of Greek basil, or regular basil

 - Trim the spring onions, carrot and celery. Roughly chop all the vegetables, then blitz in the food processor with the chillies (stalks removed). Add the sausages, 1 heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Keep pulsing until well mixed, then spoon this mixture into the hot frying pan with a lug of olive oil, breaking it up and stirring as you go. Keep checking on it and stirring while you get on with other jobs. Put a large deep saucepan on a low heat and fill with boiled water. Fill and reboil the kettle.

- Top up the saucepan with more boiled water if needed. Season well then add the penne and cook according to packet instructions, with the lid askew.

- Crush 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the sausage mixture and stir in 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and the tinned tomatoes. Add a little of the starchy cooking water from the pasta to loosen if needed.

- Drain the pasta, reserving about a wineglass worth of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan of sauce and give it a gentle stir, adding enough of the cooking water to bring it to a silky consistency. Taste, correct the seasoning, then tip into a large serving bowl and take straight to the table with the rest of the Parmesan for grating over. Scatter over a few basil leaves.

Funky Legs

Most of my kids clothes are from either Primark or H+M both of which I think do fab clothes for smalls that are very reasonably priced. However, I do also splash out on a couple of things each season and more often than not this splurge will be on leggings. Yes, I have 2 boys but why on earth should girls get all the funky clothes? There is limited years I will get away with this I know but for now Lenny asks to wear them most days be it his snake pair or his toucan print or the most recent favourite his pugs! Maurice of course looks just as cute just doesnt know it yet! Here is my pick of lovely leggings for all sexes.....

1. Foxes - Tobias and the Bear, £15  2. Bows and Arrows - Beau Loves, £31 3. Frenchies - Polarn o Pyret, £18 4. Pugs - Mini Rodini, £23 5. Brown bears - Tobias and the Bear, £15 6. Zebras - Mini Rodini, £23 7. Pandas - Tootsa Macginty, £19 8. Tigers - Kidsen, £28

Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the.....

Only just getting round to uploading the pics but we had a perfect bank holiday. Thank you so much Godpops Tops and Sarah for a wonderful weekend in Polzeath. Cornwall at it best - blue skies, puffy clouds, long dinners, splashing about, buckets and spades, drizzle and grey skies, mackerel, lobsters, boating and a very good celebrity spot to boot! You gotta love England.

Paddlers

barbie lamb

looking for creatures

looking a little uncertain....

found one

beaching

the cbeebies face

wave jumping

ello Dave and Sam (not the greatest shot but trying to be subtle and shoot from the hip!)

the cheeriest of chaps

"mummy can I have a boat?".....mmmmmm......

seaweed slugs

the crab walk

dribble monster

very serious

gurnard attack

low tide 

lobbies

pretty catch

Pentire 

the creature hunt continues

supper

seafarers

hostess with the mostess

lazy nights

keeping you up are we mobot?