Ta-dah! Tuesday - Nails inc goody bag giveaway!

Hey hey. I haven't forgotten you all, honest. I'm feeling a lot better now, but even in the midst of feeling grotty I did haul my bones out once last week. Nails inc got in touch with me and asked me to go along to a consumer focus group they were having at their head office. All I had to do was have a free manicure treatment beforehand, then talk about nails for a couple of hours. Plus, cash and goody bag were promised, so obviously I'd have to be at death's door to have turned that down. 

Anyway, because I'm the caring, sharing type, and to say thanks to everyone who's stuck with the blog for a while - plus hello to new followers - I have a goody bag of my own to give away. 

Kensington Caviar speed dry top coat - new

'Tate' - red nail polish - new

Crackle effect 'Hoxton' and 'Camden' polishes in purple and turquoise - new

Mustard nail polish 'Hampstead Gardens' - used once - I love this colour but it doesn't suit me so have chucked it in as an extra.

Prize value approximately £50.

I'm trying out a new way of running competitions as this way means I don't have to scribble on little bits of paper! Hopefully the Rafflecopter widget will make things easier. [There is no obligation to enter more than one way]. I haven't tried it before though so let me know if it doesn't work! Usual rules apply - open worldwide but for blog followers only. ***NOW CLOSED***WINNER HERE****

Lakota x
No link up this week as a catch up is overdue with everyone!

Ta-dah! Tuesday - Rosehip Syrup

Oh dear, it's Tuesday again already. Apologies for not having been around much, it's been a busy week and now I'm not feeling too well. I have a horrible sore throat and am full of cold. Hopefully this week's make will help me recover a bit quicker than usual, though if I'd made it sooner maybe I wouldn't have caught the cold at all. Or possibly it was the wandering around in wet fields picking the ingredients which started it in the first place. Hmm.

Hedgewitch ingredients

Rosehips contain a shedload of vitamin C - yes, this is a technical term - as well as antioxidants, and during WW2 children were sent out to collect them. The collected fruit was then turned into Rosehip syrup, and some will remember it being given as 'medicine' right into the 60s. Oranges and other citrus fruit were in short supply in Britain, and the Government was presumably almost as worried about the populace dying of scurvy as it was about Hitler. I still shudder when I think about the daily spoonful of malt extract my dad decided was good for us as kids - but was encouraged on looking up recipes to see that rosehip syrup can be poured on ice-cream and pancakes. Rather more appealing than thinking of it as a Lemsip alternative.

Ta-dah!

If you want to try it, the recipe I used is below. Watch yourself when you're picking them - wild roses do have thorns, and the fruit can be slightly prickly too - also, the seeds can be an irritant. And don't forget to leave plenty for the birds for the Winter, don't strip a bush completely. [If you have roses in your garden, you can use those too, assuming you haven't sprayed them with pesticides etc]

Rosehip syrup
1lb - 2lbs of rosehips
1llb 12oz sugar
Water
Screw top bottles, washed and rinsed and put in low oven to sterilise. (or put through a dishwasher and still hot when needed)

• wash the hips, and chop them in a blender/food processor. You'll end up with something that looks like chopped chillies.
• Bring 3 pints of water to the boil and add the chopped fruit. Return to the boil and then turn off the heat. Leave 15 minutes and then strain through a jelly bag (or you could use a clean pair of tights or a colander lined with a teatowel)
• Reserve the strained liquid. Add the contents of the jelly bag back to the saucepan and pour on another 1.5 pints boiling water. Leave another 10 minutes and strain again.
• Add all the liquid to a clean saucepan and boil until the liquid reduces and you have about 1.5 pints left.
• Add the sugar and dissolve slowly before boiling rapidly for 5 minutes.
• Pour into hot, sterilised bottles.

Apparently it doesn't keep that long once opened so use small bottles if you can. [I used salad dressing and vinegar bottles]. It has an unusual but pleasant sweet flavour, and I can confirm that it is indeed nice on ice-cream. Boy2 enjoyed it, and he's 4. [He's also managed a full week and a half without shoving anything else up his nose, thanks for asking]. I reckon it would make a really good base for any cocktails which require a sugar syrup too. I will look into that as soon as I can swallow again.

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Hello to my new followers, it's lovely to have you. I'm working on the swap now (as well as getting rid of my cold) so again apologies if I'm not posting or commenting much. There's still a little time to sign up if you'd like to send and receive some Christmas cheer. And of course, I'd love you to link up your latest and best makes, finds, outfits and general 'ta-dah!' moments as usual.

Lakota x

Ta-dah! Tuesday - What was he thinking? Who nose...

There was high drama in my house this weekend. As is usually the way, there was little warning of what was about to occur. My parents were due to arrive for a flying visit pre their holiday. Mr FHCS was making a lasagna,  I was wrestling with duvet covers, and the children were playing nicely. Or as it turned out, Boy1 was playing nicely. Boy2, for reasons best known to himself, but apparently 'to see whether it would fit', had decided to embark on a journey of experimentation involving his nasal passages and his favourite toy. Our industriousness was therefore cut short by a sudden blood-curdling wail.

Through his sobs, we were able to ascertain that there was 'wego up my nose, and I can't get it out!'. Further questioning revealed that there were in fact two small 'dots' stuck together up his left nostril, and that the pieces in question were 'yewwoh'. However, we couldn't see anything and a Sunday afternoon trip to A&E beckoned.

A kind nurse with a 'snotoscope' and some tweezers managed to extract the offending pieces and Boy2 left with the ability to build car headlights and a rather undeserved 'well done' sticker, given that he apparently screamed blue murder. Perhaps they were just congratulating him on his pioneering research into the limits of parental patience the human body. I knew we should have bought him a shape-sorter...

Ta-dah!

[Yes, it's been washed since]

I suppose it's a good thing he told us, unlike the six year old who had a lego wheel up his nose for three years. 

Let's hope it's Boy1 who'll be looking after us in our dotage...

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Oh, and in case you missed it - sign up for the Christmas Swap 2012 is now OPEN! Make new friends, go shopping guilt free and receive parcels in the post. What could be better? Spread the word and sign up over on yesterday's post.

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So, anything to link up this week? Preferably less disgusting than mine please.

Lakota x