We have fire!!

So even though it's still to warm we got impatient and VERY hot and lit the woodburner tonight.

I'm in love....

Monty gets a makeover

Monty is our family heirloom woodburning stove.

He's been in a sorry state in our garage for ages so last week I gave him a makeover.

Here he is before

And here he is now

All it needed was a tube of £2.99 grate polish and a LOT if elbow grease!! 

Saturdays in our house are all about DIY

Project lounge is well underway!

My aim is to get it done by Christmas so I can lavish it in beautiful homemade Christmassy things! 

Today we stripped the walls. We have been so lucky so far as the wallpaper comes off great, it's what's lurking beneath that's the problem...

Horrible thick flakey orange paint!

It all needs removing for the walls to look flat :( 

Scraping it of today has not been fun but I refuse to have the walls plastered as it's a 1930s house I want it to be rustic. 

Here's a picture with the fireplace

We also painted the ceiling today, can you tell A helped?! 

I'm hoping to have all the prep work finished tomorrow then next week is all about painting. 

Baking in my new kitchen

I am a MASSIVE fan of homemade cakes and try and bake something every week.

This week, this is what we had left in the kitchen.....

Yeah you guessed it, I made banana bread!!

Here is the recipe, it's a Mary Berry one, mine didn't quite need the full hour in the oven.

Mary Berry’s Banana Loaf 

Ingredients

100g Softened Butter
175g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas (mashed)
225g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tbsp. Milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4.
2. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin, then line the base and sides with baking parchment
3. Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface
5. Bake in the pre-heated over for about 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown.  A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean if the loaf is ready.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel of the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.

And here is the finished product!

Hubby doesn't like banana, shame, more for me then!