Merry Christmas....

Wishing everyone a magical Christmas filled with love and laughter 

See you in the New Year

Jules xxxxx 

Christmas Bunting Garlands

Noël - £7.00

Christmas - £10.00

Ho Ho Ho - £10.00

As per usual Post and Packaging is included in the price and payment is made via PayPal

Thanks for looking :)

Halloween Bunting....

Beautiful rustic Halloween Bunting

Decoration for the grown ups :)

Halloween.  - £9.50

Trick or Treat.  -£9.50

Free P&P

Payment by PayPal please contact me for details 

iPhone Home Button Sticking Not Working Fix....

I have had a problem with my iPhone for months where  the home button intermittently doesn't work. 

It has been driving me crazy and then today I couldn't get it to work at all, I almost had a panic attack but I did manage to contain myself after all it is only a phone........ 

Yes, right, it keeps my whole life organised and in order!

Any how I thought I'd have a little look on Dr. Google as lets face it Google knows everything

And I came across this...

1. Open an official Apple App like the clock or compass

2. Hold the power button until u get the slide to turn off

3. Hold down the home button until the slide to turn off goes away.

and that's it, your phone will now work

I was a little (lot) skeptical but it only went and bloody worked!!!

Woo Hoo!!!

Problem fixed! 

It seems to be a software collaboration issue with the button - rather than mechanical and according to the forum I was on it works every time.

We went camping... Sort of... Euro Camp

For those of you that know me in real life you know I don't "do" holidays that have the words camping, caravans or the great outdoors in the description.

I have adamantly refused to go camping unless it has an en-suite and room service 

So the idea of Euro Camp was a little alien to me (my husband has just admitted he thought I'd finally lost my mind when I suggested it)

But as we have to cut our cloth accordingly and we are no longer just a couple travelling alone, I decided to "give it a go"

As I didn't want to get stuck somewhere horrendous for a week, I booked us 3 nights at Paris La Croix du Vieux Pont and it was in a caravan not a tent but hey it was almost camping... Right?

And I wanted to take the girls to Disneyland Paris so two birds, one stone and all that...

Price was as cheap as chips, 3 nights including the ferry was £220 and then just fuel costs on the top, so all in about £340, which lets face it for a family of 4 is pretty cheap.

We set off early on the Sunday morning, hoping that the girls would sleep the majority of the way to Dover, Isobel pretty much did whilst Amelia never closed her eyes, she was amazed at stars in the sky and I think she was just far too excited. The girls were fabulous on both journeys and as it was a bit further than I initially thought I was amazed at how good they were. Isobel had a slight blip on the way back where she cried for 30 minutes because I wouldn't let her have a lolly 30 seconds after complaining she felt sick but apart from that they were both great.

Lesson learned on the travel side of things - give a day for travelling and don't leave the return journey too late in the day, get home for a reasonable time as it knackers the kids out too much

Ok so we get to site and I am amazed at how beautiful it was, I don't really know what I was expecting but it was lovely.

Booking in was very simple, English agents see you to your caravan so no language problems, marvelous.

The van was ok, it was clean (ish, as expected for a holiday caravan), beds were ok and after hearing a few horror stories about beds I was pretty relieved that the beds were clean and comfortable. They supplied most kitchen/eating equipment and they even supplied a BBQ and coals (not that we used it) which I thought was excellent.

I have to admit the worse bit for me was the staying in a caravan, but that was me and my snobbery issues rather than anything being wrong with the caravan itself. It was also pretty cold at night and the early hours of the morning it was freezing so next time we need to take warmer clothes.

But the actual site was fantastic, pictures don't do it justice. There was lots for kids to do and the facilities were great.

The only gripe about the site was eating/restaurant facilities weren't great. You have to reserve a table to eat in the restaurants even if they are empty??? So the first night we had to go to their fast food hatch, which was very overpriced and the food was pretty rubbish. Then when we did go to the restaurant it was pretty much the same story very average food that was overpriced. 

My last gripe is that the shop shuts ridiculously early so the night we got back from Disney at 8pm there was no where open to get milk and we had to go off searching for milk which we found for sale in pub of all places a mile from site. 

All a learning curve for us Euro Camp newbies and next time we go we will definitely be far more prepared.

BUT we loved it and are looking to book again for Easter holidays. As long as I can get over the fact I am in a caravan and I may have to cook a bit but apart from that I can't recommend it highly enough, the girls loved it which at the end of the day is the most important thing, it was beautiful, lots to do and a great (cheap) family holiday. 

(Oh and I must add that I was very surprised at just how "Middle Classed" the clientele was, far more Abigail and Thomas's than, well, lets not get into the whole name debate but you know what I mean)

Its just deciding now where we go at Easter.... Brittany... Vandee.... Normandy.... Decision, Decisions...

And we are looking at going Glamping at Warwick Castle next summer as well, next thing you know I will be buying a sheewee and an inflatable mattress ;-) 

Little Millie starts school....

My baby girl started school...

I am not going to write much as they say a picture can paint a thousand words and this is certainly true of this shot.

The look of pure joy on her face says it all.

She absolutely loved it and in her own words..

She loves school more than Daddy but not as much as Christmas

I love this child with all my heart and soul :) 

Halloween Tip... How to keep your pumpkin fresh...

I can take no credit at all for this post as I've pinched it from facebook but I thought it was a great one to share with Halloween fast approaching :) 


After you scoop out and carve your pumpkin, dip it in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp:1 gal mix). The bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer. Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks.”

This little tip came from....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hipandhealthy/

Daniel Entwistle.... The lost boy...

Did you know that on the very same day that little Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal another British family were going through the exact same thing?

Only this happened here in England in Great Yarmouth

He went out to play and never came home

His red bike was found abandoned

His name is Daniel Entwistle, he was 7 Years old and he has been missing since the 3rd May 2003

Despite a major police search and investigation involving many people and other agencies no trace of Daniel has ever been found. He remains a missing person to this day.

But what I really do not understand about this story is why I have never heard of it?

The only reason I came across the story was when I was researching for the #blogging4madeleine campaign

This little boy was only 7 years old when he went missing, yet it never made it into the news??

You would think just the sheer coincidence that he went missing on the same date as Madeleine McCann would be enough to spark media interest??

I really do not understand the press??
No one ever mentions the story??

And he is just forgotten??

I find it heartbreaking 



If you have any information on Daniel Entwistle please contact NPIA Missing Persons Bureau on 0808-100 8777, Norfolk Police 0845 456 4567, your local police or Missing People confidentially on Freefone 0500 700 700. Alternatively, you can e-mail at Help Find My Child 

Home Made Apple Pie...

Well this is a post I didn't think I'd be writing this week!

But what do you do when a juice detox goes pear shaped? (Sorry I couldn't resist)

You make Apple Pie of course!

I didn't have high expectations as last time I tried apple crumble it didn't go too well, it was ok but not great.

And I was even making the the pastry from scratch.

Also as I had two little helpers this could probably go into the records books as the longest time to make apple pie ever recorded :)

But I have to say it was delicious and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Here's the recipe I followed:

serves 6

Ingredients

• for the pastry
• 
  
• • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• • 50g icing sugar
• • sea salt
• • 1 lemon
• • 125g cold butter, plus extra for greasing
• • 2 large eggs
• • a splash of milk
• 
  
• for the filling
• 
  
• • 5 eating apples (I used my left over Golden Delicious)
• • 3 tablespoons Demerara sugar
• • ½ a lemon

To make your pastry

 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4

 From a height, sieve your flour into a large mixing bowl

 Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and finely grate over the zest of the lemon

 Cut the butter into cubes, then add to the bowl

 Use your fingertips to gently work the butter into the flour and sugar until the  mixture resembles breadcrumbs

 Crack the egg into the bowl with a tiny drop of milk and gently mix with your    hands until the dough   comes together

 Wrap it in clingfilm and pop in the fridge to rest while you make the filling

To make your filling

  Peel all of your apples (do not nearly slice off your little finger like I did)

  Cut the eating apples into eighths, get rid of the cores

  Add all the apple pieces to a small pan with the sugar

  Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice 

  Toss to mix then put the pan on a medium low heat 

  Simmer gently until the apples are just tender

  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely

To make and cook your pie

Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour 

Divide your pastry dough into two and roll out one half until ½cm thick 

Carefully roll your pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it carefully over a 20cm pie dish

Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice 

Ease the pastry into the dish, making sure you push it into all the sides

Don’t worry if it tears or breaks – just patch it up – it will look nice and rustic 

Pack the apple mix tightly into the pie dish

Separate your remaining egg and beat the yolk with a splash of milk and brush over the pastry rim 

Roll out the other piece of dough until ½cm thick 

Carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the top of the pie

Fold the excess pastry back in then pinch and crimp the edges together using your finger and thumb 

small incisions in the centre of the pie to let steam escape as it cooks

Bake in the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden and firm to the touch 

Serve with custard, fresh cream or ice cream

Serve and enjoy

Laura Ashley Wallace Range

A new fabric for me

Laura Ashley Wallace

Cushions and Doorstops available 

Cushions 

16 x 16 inch £9.50

18 x 18 inch £14.00

Other sizes are available 

Doorstops £12

All prices include postage 

Car Booting..

I have a guilty secret that I'd like to share....

I like doing car boot sales

I don't know quite what I like about them but I do like them, maybe in another life was a market trader...

Maybe it's the people watching as it introduces me to a whole new world of people whom I would never meet in my day to day life or it's the thrill of the sale, nothing like the joy of cold hard cash or as I am the opposite of a hoarder, it could be the satisfaction of getting rid of loads of junk. I think it's probably a combination of all of them with a little touch of joy at being in the outside world, kind of working with no children attached to my legs. 

One thing I will say is, I've done a few now over the years and it never ceases to amaze me what crap people will buy, and one mans junk is another mans treasure as they say

As long as you don't mind the early start I find it's a great was of decluttering and making some extra cash.

Reuse, recycle and up-cycle 

7 day juice detox

Ok so this blog post isn't going quite as planned.

In fact I should rename it the 1 day juice fast that ended in disaster.

It started off ok, the first juice went down slowly it wasn't unpleasant but it was urm different.

The second juice was the same as the first and it still went down ok. My husband who was doing it with me already couldn't face his second juice so we were already on a slippery slope.

Then I started to get the typical "detox headache" which was expected so no big deal. Then I started to feel a bit sick, now I don't handle nausea or sickness well since I suffered from extreme morning sickness (HG) in pregnancy. It got worse as the day went on, I struggled to drink water, I managed to get the third juice down but that really upset my stomach.

I felt exhausted, I had an horrendous headache and felt terribly sick.

I couldn't face the last juice and thought I'd sleep it off and hopefully feel a bit better in the morning.

Off I went to bed (8pm on a Saturday night, very rock n roll)

3.00am and the vomiting started (sorry)

And didn't end until 6am

That was the curtain call on the juicing, I couldn't even bare to even go into the kitchen this morning as the thought made me sick.

So it's now 4.10pm and I'm starting to feel a bit better.

If a little disappointed and miserable that I didn't finish it but I've only managed a bowl of cereal today and there is no way on this earth I could of drunk a juice (blurgh) 

Worse bit is I have a kitchen full of bloody fruit and veg. 

I am currently researching how to make veggie soup and apple pie (made with golden delicious) 

So I may not be doing a juicing post but I will be doing a couple of good healthy food posts to help me salvage some goodness out of a rubbish detox :)

I don't really do fashion but....

I have fallen in love with these boots from M&S

I first spotted them last week and they didn't have my size which of course made me covert them even more.

I had to go back today (conveniently) to pick up the cutest little gym pumps for Amelia (have I mentioned that she starts school in September, Argh) 

and of course I had to look to see if they had my boots in, it would be rude not to... 

They will be perfect for the school run, aherm...

So I am now the proud owner of these delicious boots :)

You know I love a bargain...

I posted a little while back about searching for winter clothes for the girls in the middle of summer.

I know I may be a little crazy but hey I like a bargain :)

So I got my girls Uggs at bargain basement prices and next on my hit list was Hunters

I stumbled across this fabulous website http://www.countryhouseoutdoor.co.uk/ where I got bargains galore!

Including my girls Hunter Wellies for only £17.45 and I have to say I am thrilled with them, delivery was super quick and the girls love them.

Thought I'd share this little gem with you

Happy bargain hunting...



(P.S. I am in no way associated with Country House Outdoor I just thought I'd share my find)

Operations, holidays and just being rubbish...

Thought I'd better check in as I have been a bit neglectful of my little blog of late.

Well firstly I had to have a little op on my jaw which has thrown me off a bit, I'm on the mend but ridiculously behind on orders so I have been chained to the sewing machine for what feels like years!

And of course nursery has finished for the summer so I have to entertain two little ratbags all week with no hobbies to tire them out.

As always I won't be gone for long and as I am looking at going self hosted very soon, new things will be coming.

Have a good summer

Julie

Congratulations Prince William & Duchess Kate...

I am a Royalist

I unashamedly love The Royal Family, with all its pomp, ceremony and tradition

Its unequivalently British 

I love it

So I will wish the new Royal Baby, the future King of England and its Commonwealth

All the very best, may his life be long and filled with love, laughter and happiness


xxx

Happy Birthday Burlap Bunting

£9.50 (free post)

My beautiful burlap range

Wedding bunting

Not everyone likes girly, pretty stuff, so this range is perfect for the more down to earth couple

Just Married - £9.50

Mr & Mrs - £7.99

Thankyou - £9.50

Perfect for the gift table

As per normal free post and 14 day return policy

How to bag a bargain

Ok in all honesty I am rubbish at getting bargains, it always seems like too much hassle to save a couple quid but as I am getting notoriously tight in my old age I appear to be turning into my Nana.

I got a fantastic deal a few months ago on my tumble drier, brand new from a shop but through ebay, a cheeky bid of £79 won me a £300 tumble drier! Woo to the Hoo!

Now it is the middle of summer and the weather is glorious my mind turns to winter (obviously, duh) so I am on the look out for kids Ugg Boots and Hunter Wellies, I refuse to pay full wack (for Uggs any way) but of course I want new so its a bit tricker.

But once again eBay came up trumps and I have got two pairs of Uggs one for £24 and the other for (wait for it..) £15!! and that included the postage.

Its safe to say I was bloody delighted

I have to say that they would not be my first choice in style if I was paying £140 but for the kids they are great.

and I of course wont sell their old Uggs until the weather turns cold so I can get a good price for them. 

Next thing you know I will be cutting out coupons...

Burlap Wedding Bunting

Oh I'm just a little bit excited about my new range!

Rustic, raw and beautiful burlap bunting

Love, Love, Love it!! 

First one is 

Mr & Mrs 

Price £7.99 (free postage)

Also available 

Just Married 

Congratulations

Cards

Happy Birthday

Pictures to follow shortly 

Millie graduates nursery...

If you had said to me before children that I would get all emotional at a nursery graduation party I would have looked at you like you was bonkers

But guess what...

I got all emotional at Amelia's graduation party at nursery

It was lovely and we got some totally unexpected keepsakes that bought me to actual tears.

A new chapter is about to begin but I'm very reluctant to let my little baby grow up and she will miss all her little friends so much :(

For Sale Laura Ashley Curtain Tie Backs...

Hand made beautiful Laura Ashley Curtain Tie Backs

£9.99 (free Post)

Currently available in

Josette Floral Linen Mix - Dove Grey

Gosford Plum

Millwood Leaf - Duck Egg Blue

Awning Stripe - Camomile 

Hydrangea Linen Mix - Camomile

Irving Stripe - Olive

Pattern will vary  

All seams are overlocked to prevent fraying

They are made to order so dispatch time is 5 working days 

To guarantee your peace of mind I operate a 14 day return policy

If you would prefer to buy through ebay..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181166441024?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Free Post and Packaging

Visit my Facebook Page to see full range

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jules-at-Home/518522438198455?ref=hl

http://jules-home.blogspot.co.uk/