As a follow on from the Great Bloggers Bake Off those of us that were involved whilst the Great British Bake Off was on telly are continuing to bake and blogging about it. I'm very much playing catch up, but finally this last week have found time to use some gorgeous smelling mixed spices that I was sent by Steenbergs. After having a look at the recipes on their website I was rather taken by their recipe for North Riding Loaf (which seems to have now been renamed on there as North Riding Bread). Now this isn't a bread in the true sense of the word, but more of a tea cake. What really ... read more
Thrifty Mrs C Review: Wilko Cleaning Range
I should start this review by telling you that I am a HUGE Wilko fan. My family has lived near their HQ for years and my mum even lived in the same village as one of the Wilkinson Family for quite a few years. I've been to their shops all over the country and I love the range they sell and the quality of their own brand lines. Here in St Albans we have quite a large branch which I probably go into about once a week and buy everything from chocolate bars, to moisturiser, to cold and flu treatment, to fish food to kids craft materials. Where else can you get all that under one roof and at ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Handwriting
As regular readers will know I do love a bit of tradition. I went to a very traditional school as a child and firmly remember having to do lots of handwriting and grammar exercises in English class and I think that's why the Ladybird book of Handwriting appeals to me so much. The book starts off with explaining how the pen (or pencil) should ideally be held and then introduces a series of preliminary exercises to help children gain confident control over their "writing instrument" in preparation for actually forming letters with it. It then launches into letters - grouped as ... read more
Marks and Spencer Chocolate Advent Calendars
I don't mean to worry you, but I'm afraid that those nasty rumours about Christmas getting closer are actually true. Even the TV adverts have started in full force - although I admit that I'm yet to see the distinctive red and white trucks coming over the horizon yet. And as if that wasn't enough Advent is even closer still making it the perfect time to turn our attentions to chocolate advent calendars. I know you can buy advent calendars without chocolate, but let's be honest, unless you have a deadly allergy to chocolate why would you? Marks and Spencer kindly sent me a ... read more
Learning and Playing with the Bigjigs Lacing Animals
I don't think I've ever been sent anything to review by Bigjigs Toys that I haven't liked, but when I unwrapped our latest Play Patrol parcel I have to admit that I gave out a little squeal of excitement when I saw the Lacing Animals that they had sent. As anyone who reads this blog regularly will know I love to craft - especially sewing and knitting. Without wanting to wish away time I'm already looking forward to being able to teach Little Miss C how to sew and knit, although I'm also being careful not to try too early so I don't put her off by it being too ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: 3a Things we like
So let's just pretend it's still Tuesday OK? This week's run away a little bit! Things we like, book 3a from the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme is a such a reminder of my own childhood as these covers are exactly the ones I remember when I was young. I love the artwork and the innocent time that it represents. Things have changed quite a bit since 1964 when this book was first published and I find it fascinating to look at all the day to day things that children did then and I think they're a great reminder of how children are still entertained by simple things. Little ... read more
The Story of Babar – Jean de Brunhoff
Babar the Elephant is one of those characters from children's fiction who I think everyone knows of, but how many of us have actually read the first book that introduced him to us? I know I certainly hadn't until very recently. The Story of Babar was the first story of the orphaned elephant and tells of how he escaped hunters in the jungle and went to the city for the first time. It's amazing to think that it's over 80 years since this title was first published in French and then a couple of years later translated into English. This version of the book is ... read more
Christmas – Dick Bruna
It's only the first Monday in November, but it seems that now that Halloween is out of the way everyone's attentions have now turned to Christmas. A certain supermarket chain even had a tree up just inside their entrance when I visited this morning! I personally love Christmas and it's exciting to see how Little Miss C is going to react to it all this year, now that she's that bit older and also now that she's got the whole build up to it at pre-school. I was intrigued to be asked if I wanted to receive a review copy of Christmas by Dick Bruna as it is a book ... read more
Review: Matchbox 60th Anniversary
The world of toy cars is still a little bit of a mystery to me. I know that there is supposedly no difference between boys' and girls' toys, but I don't really recall having toy cars when I was a child and Little Miss C's never had many either. Whenever we used to visit DorkyMum and DorkySon for playdates (before they moved to the other side of the world!) I saw a true car obsessive in action. DorkySon loved nothing more than playing "traffic jams" when he would line all his toy cars up all over his road rug and I can see Master C going the same way. As soon as he ... read more
Halloween Cupcake Decorating Workshop
I was delighted to manage to get myself a place on Heaven is a Cupcake's latest cupcake decorating workshop - a special Halloween themed one. I've enjoyed Lucy's cupcakes for a while now and am always admiring photos of her amazing works of art that she regularly posts on her Facebook page. Ever since my attempts to make Thomas the Cake for Little Miss C's 3rd birthday I thought I'd better do something to up my game before I need to make the next one. Heaven is a Cupcake run regular evening decorating workshops here in St Albans and I've always heard good things about ... read more