Reading challenge

Hiya peeps!

What a lazy writer me?! Nothing here since... months!

Right... been kinda busy... we can say... Xmas, leak (actually 2 leaks) from bathroom into kitchen, plumbers, electricians, few new jewellery pieces etc etc etc...

My man gave me kindle for Birthday /Xmas. .. so I thought I challenge myself.

I  told myself : 'you think you are bookworm! Right we'll check it! Read 225 books till 31st December 2020 then!'

Kindle gave me chance to back to Thorgal comic books - I enjoyed them as much as when I was late teen (doesn't matter I read them first in Polish :) ) and to check Witcher written by Paul Tobin, actually not bad (I know Sapkowski's serie since years) - it was really interesting to read about Geralt's adventures in English and not novel but comic book.

Also had chance to read books written by girls I 'met' on Twitter :). Defo will read more :). Who? Lizzie Chantree and Vivian Conroy.

Trying to find and read novels by Agatha Christie I had no chance to read before and found out that I love Robin Hobb's writing style.

If you like English history I can recommend Toby Clements and his serie Kingmaker about Wars of the Roses:

At the moment reading last book from this series:

Below few which awaiting my attention hihihihihihi:

Yes, I'm also checking cooking/baking books - you can always find something yummy in them :) plus I'm baking lots of bread lately so anything about breads is highly interested for me :)

Do you read anything good lately?

Write about it in your comments please, so I can add it to my reading list :)

Till next post Friends!!!

Writing

Hmmm... hi!

I'm hardly writing lately... not much crafting too... trying to find a job, which is not easy task these days.

Definitely I'm reading a lot :) Always was bookworm :)

I'm thinking: 'Should I try write something more substantial then blog posts?'

I was kinda good in writing poems and short stories as a kid and teen... 

When came to the UK over 15 years ago, I write a poem on ESOL classes, whole in English from start to the end and translate it to my 'mother tongue' later :)

My man is saying I should have a go... but... I'm kinda afraid I'll be not good... I know I'm silly, cause how I can be so sure of it if I didn't try yet.

And..

What should I write?

Poem?

Short story?

Something for children?

Or maybe something for teens or adults?

I'm not good in grammar... geeez... I never was :)

Maybe I should try bit harder to find some writing group near me... who knows, maybe town I live in is full of writers :)

I think I'll check library and maybe... community centres... Wish me luck :)

I wish I could be about half as good as Jack Higgins, but... at least I know how to make nice beaded bookmarks :)

Hmmm...

Think woman... think...

...

...

Need to 'sleep' with this idea :)

Dom's new painting

Hiya peeps!

So rarely writing in here...

Making cards (different blog for this), back to jewellery making (different blog for that too)... and possibly for that I'm not writing in here as much as before...

So...

My newest card here :)

Newest jewellery pieces here :)

And for you here newest painting of my 7 years old boy :)

He paint it 2 days ago (Thursday) after school.

Sorry for blurry pic!!!

He used canvas board, rest of acrylic paints and sponge brush.

I like colors on it :)

Aquarium and Turkish cuisine

Hiya peeps!

Didn't write here for LONG time... sorry!

Loads happened since my last post... but that story for other posts...

For now - our today's little trip 😊.

I supposed to be on art course today (will write about it in next post ), but teacher cancelled it due sickness. My son has midterm break and his Daddy week holiday - that supposed to be theiron day together, but sitting at home alone wasn't option for me... so...

I met them in cafe where they had some drinks and mega-muffins and...

First we back books to library and then catch bus to go to Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth (we promised it to Dom sometime ago).

First time in my life I saw white ray!

Nemo's family 😁

Took me a bit to have good pic of this guy! I missed seal feeding and water splashing 😁.

Catch some sharks 😊

Beauty!

This one was soooo... cute and ... honestly don't have word to describe it...

Then we stopped on playground in Cullercoats, then back on feet from there to Whitley Bay... 

We decided to find some good place for lunch/dinner and just to hide for a bit cause started to be very windy and drizzly...

Our choice: Turknaz - Turkish restaurant near Promenade in Whitley Bay.  We never were there before and...

We definitely back there!

We decided to try stuff from their Lunch Special Menu.

Yummy starters ( 2 per person) and then

Chicken Shish for my man 

Chicken  Beyti for me 😊 (no more pics as my phone battery went flat).

Then dessert and tea.

We all 3 enjoyed the meal 😋.

We had totally full tummies!

That's all for today! 

Till next post! 

Gingerbread cupcakes

Hello, hello!

For some time I was looking for recipe for easy and kinda foolproof gingerbread.

Took me a bit to find something what actually catch my eye. On one of Polish webs/blogs I found recipe for Gingerbread Teddies.

As I don't have Polish gingerbread mix (nearest Polish shop means a shopping trip) I decided to use Mixed Spice, which you can find in any shop. My son is not a fan of jam/preserve in mini-cakes, so...

I decided to make cupcakes with no jam in, and my version contains:

* 120 g unsalted butter
* 240 g honey
* 150 g plain flour
* 150 g wholemeal flour
* 2 eggs
* 1.5 tsp baking soda
* 2.5 tsp mixed spice
* 1 tsp cocoa

Line your muffin/cupcake tin with paper cases.
Put butter and honey in little pan and heat it until melted and combined, cool down sightly.
Preaheat oven to 180C.
Mix both flours, soda, spice and cocoa,then add butter/honey mix and eggs. Whisk until combined. Dough will be sticky.

Divide between cupcake cases 

and bake for about 20 minutes - until wooden skewer coming out clean.

Cool them down on wire rack and decorate as you wish.

Here melted dark chocolate and green sprinkles!

Enjoy!!!

Not only Halloween :)

Hiya!

Oh yes, I know Halloween is gone, but..

Over a week before Halloween Dom decided he wants to have carved pumpkin, sooo... he choose one in the shop and ...

My first carved pumpkin :) Hard job!!! And he wasn't happy cause he wanted bat on it... so I carved bat on back of this pumpkin later :)

On Halloween day I baked pumpkin muffins, I used Mary Berry's recipe for carrot cake which you can find here: Mary Berry's Carrot and Walnut Cake, just changed carrot for pumpkin and didn't add walnuts.

Result: very yummy!!!

Meantime Dom was working on Birthday card for his friend Grace.

He's going for her Birthday party this Saturday.

He's also waiting for his school trip to Druridge Bay next week.

That's all for now :)

Midterm break :)

Hello, hello!

I'm very bad with writing here :) Time to add some updates :)

Sooo...

Dom back to school after his Summer holiday happy to see his friends again, he likes his new teacher and he's learning lots of new things.
Last week he had his midterm break... We worked on part of his big homework (Inventors and Inventions), spelling of new words... but also had lots of fun :)

We were on day trip in Newcastle - great day - on pic: St Andrew's Church in city centre.

We had fun on Blyth beach - on pic: birds outside Coastline Fish and Chips Restaurant (we were eating yummy chocolate/orange cake there).

We were in Jarrow Hall - on pic: one of buildings in Saxon village

Dom loved feeding animals - pic taken in Saxon Farm (Jarrow Hall - ex Bede's World).

Plus lots of walks, playing in Ridley Park, etc.

More updates soon!