Meet my new kittens

I'd spent a few months trying to convince my boyfriend to get a dog. I really fancied getting a pug, chihuahua, westie or pom but with no luck he eventually suggested we get a cat. So of course I wanted two.

Meet Charlie (cream) and Violet (blue)...

They are 7 week old British Shorthair kittens and came from a lovely breeder in Bradford. They were from a litter of four, three girls and one boy.

So far I've learned Charlie is quite laid back. He enjoys being held and likes chasing around a laser toy I bought for them. He even likes to follow us around from room to room.

Violet is still quite immature compared to Charlie. Both are really good climbers and love to climb all over the sofa. The cutest moments are when they play fight.

I wanted to call them something with the same initial but we couldn't agree on names. I eventually gave up on that idea I chose Violet and the boyfriend chose Charlie.

DIY Shellac nails

I love getting my nails done but found I was spending far too much money every them every month. For valentines day I persuaded my boyfriend to buy me a home kit so I could do them myself and save myself £50 a month. It was worth the investment.

(Blue colour used above)

What I use

UV Lamp

Base Coat & Top Coat

UV wipe

Nail buff

Nail file

Lint free wipes

Acetone

Colours

Cuticle Pusher
Cuticle Oil
Tin foil

What I do
First I start by shaping my nails using the file then using the buff I smooth the edge of my nails.
I clean and moisturise my hands and nails and use the cuticle oil and pusher to push back the skin. Making sure my lamp is plugged in I work on one hand at a time. I apply a base coat and stick it under the lamp for 10 seconds, I apply a colour and stick it under the lamp for 120 seconds, I repeat the last step and then apply a top coat which I leave under the lamp for a further 10 seconds. I then use the UV Wipe and lint free wipes to remove the sticky residue from the top of my nails. I repeat this with the other hand and then I have lovely painted nails. They usually last between 5 days to 3 weeks without chipping depending on how much you use your hands.

To remove Shellac
Do not remove with normal nail polish remover as it is not strong enough. I use Acetone. First I start by getting some tin foil and cutting 10 pieces into squares (they should be able to wrap around your finger easily). Pour a little Acetone into a bowl and dip one lint free wipe into the bowl, place the lint free wipe on your nail using one piece of tin foil to wrap around your nail. I usually keep the acetone on my nail for around 10 minutes but it can take longer if you have a few coats on. Use the cuticle pusher to gently scrape off the polish if you still find its slightly stuck to your nail leave the acetone wipe on for longer, be careful not to scratch your nail. I then use the buff to smooth the top of my nail over. Example below.. I do have a full set of fingers btw just a very dodgy photo.

Recipe - Pizza Hut Cookie Dough

As you can probably tell I have a bit of a thing for cookies. I love Millies cookies, Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream, Yorkie Cookies, double chocolate and white chocolate cookies but I absolutely love Pizza Hut Cookie Dough.

If you have ever had Pizza Hut Cookie Dough then you will absolutely love this recipe. I found it on Jen's Place. It's perfect and tastes just like the real thing. They are really simple to make and doesn't take long at all.

Ingredients
125g butter or margarine · 100g Caster sugar · 100g light brown sugar · 1 egg · 1tsp vanilla essence · 1/2 tsp salt · 225g self-raising flour · 100g chocolate chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C fan assisted / 220C / gas mark 7 and then mix all the ingredients together until combined really well. It should turn into a sticky texture. Place the mixture into an oven dish. I used one medium-sized oven dish and 3 singular serving ones (so we could eat them straight away).

I cooked them for around 15 minutes, the large one was perfect but the smaller servings were more cakey, which I didn't mind. It should be gooey in the inside with a soft top. Ideally cook small ones for 7-11 mins and large ones for up to 15 minutes. I would keep checking until you feel it's right.

My Week

This past week has been very quiet for me, my membership to the National Trust ran out and I haven't got round to renewing it yet. After weeks of rain, wind and snow the weather has only just started to look up so soon I'll be able to blog about a few local day trips.

My week has mainly consisted of work, family and cooking. I've been trying to opt for healthy food for most my meals and in particular I'm loving my strawberry parfait breakfasts. I guess I'm on a diet although I'm not really calling it that. All I'm trying to do is watch what I eat by swopping my usual meals for healthy alternatives with higher protien.

1. Lemon & Poppy Seed muffins · 2. Traditional white bread · 3. Strawberry parfait · 4. Ham and cheese toasty · 5. Chorizo and tomato salad · 6. Pineapple Crunch · 7. Citrus berry smoothy (absolutely disgusting) · 8. Fortune cookie · 9. Boys keeping tabs on me

Recipe - Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins

These big muffins are tasty as hell, light and addictive so it's a good job there's plenty to go round. I have been trying to find alternative breakfast ideas other than cereal and specifically breakfasts that will keep me satisfied until lunch. These muffins are great and I can't wait to share them with family and friends.

Makes 20 large muffins 

Ingredients

345g caster sugar · 1 and half lemon juice · 3 eggs · 370g plain yogurt · 340ml whole milk · 1 and half tablespoon vanilla extract · 535g plain flour · 65g self-raising flour · ¾ tablespoon bicarbonate of soda · ¾ tablespoon baking powder · 4 tablespoons fresh poppy seeds · 250g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Method

Preheat oven to 375F / 190C / 170C Fan assisted / gas mark 5.

Separate 12 large muffin cases in a large muffin baking tray.

In a large bowl, mix until smooth the lemon juice, eggs, yoghurt, milk and vanilla extract.

Sift the flour in a separate large bowl, together with the baking soda and baking powder, adding the sugar.

Add the butter and poppy seeds. Slowly mix in the other bowl of ingredients stirring as you go along (this bit can take quite a while).

Spoon the mix into muffin cases and bake for around 30 minutes, checking every few minutes after 25. The muffins should have a slight tan and a shine to them. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes then enjoy.

Most people add a little lemon drizzle on top but I think these were fine without.