A Day For Malcolm

I can't tell you how chuffed I was when at a Sunday car boot sale a couple of months back I found this little felt finger puppet.
I bought the cat, a lion and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
They were all in their original packaging and cost 30p for the lot.
I passed Goldilocks and the Bears on to a friend who teaches Reception aged children so they have gone to good home.

With a clasp glued to the back he became the perfect brooch accessory for black cat day.

Malcolm may not be a totally black cat but I couldn't let the day pass without including a photo of him and Melvin.

Yesterday  I blogged about my attempt at baking a pumpkin pie. I am pleased to report that it was delicious. When I opened the tin of puree there was certainly a vegetabley aroma about it but this turned into a very subtle taste once the sugar and spice was added. 
I would say if you've ever wondered what it's like then definitely give it a whirl.

Smashing Pumpkins

I've been looking forward to Pumpkin Day so much.

First up I get to wear these cute ear-rings.

Secondly, in last December's advent swap one of my gifts from my sister T was this smiley pumpkin brooch and so at long, long last I got to wear it.

The final reason is I got to bake a pumpkin pie.
It's been on my to try list for ages.
Of course I cheated and bought a tin of pumpkin puree from Waitrose, I really couldn't be faffed with doing that part myself.
I can't tell you what it tastes like yet as it's not long out of the oven, but I can tell you it smells divine.
I'll deliver my foody review tomorrow.

Pasta

Pasta Day has given me the chance to try out a recipe from the free Co-op magazine.
Ideal for a mid week meal, it's easy with minimal ingredients.
Pasta, peppers, bacon. 
G isn't a huge pasta lover but S really liked this meal and they both liked the Co-op tomato and chilli pasta sauce.
I think in the future I may cook up a batch and freeze into smaller portions. Then when G is on a late shift I can have a really lazy meal prep and S gets something she enjoys.
I call that a win/win situation.

French Kiss

French Kiss is such a lovely movie.
If you liked Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail then you'll love watching her in this one too.
Her co-star this time round is Kevin Kline whose birthday falls on 24th October.
Kline plays a Frenchman who sits next to Ryan's character on a flight to Paris and stows away a vine and diamond necklace inside her leather handbag whilst she is napping.
Ryan is travelling to France to win back her fiance from the clutches of a beautiful goddess (his words) with whom he has fallen in love.
Who ends up with the vine, the necklace and the girl?
Watch it to find out, you won't be disappointed.

Apple Cake

The 23rd October is the birthday of Diana Dors.
Seeing as it was Apple Day on Saturday I thought we would go for a Diana Dorset Apple Cake.
This one was made by S and her friend P who came for a sleepover.
They used this recipe from the BBC Good Food website and I can recommend it.
It may not be the most photogenic cake ever produced but it disappeared very quickly.
S loves apples but doesn't like them as much when cooked but she liked this cake and G gave it a huge thumbs up.
Half of it was given to P to take home and share with her family. Fingers crossed they liked it just as much. 

On the Button

One of the more unusual days is Count Your Buttons Day.

I haven't counted mine but

I have sorted out a handful in black, white and grey which I am going to use in a little craft project. I will share it with you once it's been completed.

To be honest these are the kind of buttons which I would prefer to count.

Count them as I eat them that is.

The 21st is also Apple Day and so I have made a couple of rosy red apple tea light holders. 
I saw this idea a few years ago in, I think, a Christmas edition of Country Living magazine and I liked the simplicity of it.

What I Wore

This week has been a bit of a full on for one reason and another and so I have once again turned to my jewellery stash for inspiration.

Monday 16th was the anniversary of the founding of the the Walt Disney Company. 

I wore a bangle my sister bought me a couple of years ago which has Wish Upon A Star written on it which is very close to the name of a song which is strongly associated with the company.

As an added extra here's a photo of S sporting some Mickey Mouse ears during a little shopping trip we had this week.

As previously blogged I did the baking for chocolate cupcake day at the weekend and on the actual day itself I wore this brooch, a birthday present received from G's niece a couple of years ago.

Today is the birthday of the author Tracy Chevalier and I had planned on watching Girl with a Pearl Earring but I am feeling a bit under the weather and not in the mood. I have an irritating cough and although I feel I am sleeping ok I have not been waking up feeling refreshed. With the jewellery collection I have you'd think I would have owned a pair of pearl earrings to wear today but it's devoid of such an item. 

Tomorrow is International Sloth Day and so when I get home from work I'm going to change into my PJs and chill out, in readiness for the weekend and some extra time off for half term.