a terraced home

We're not in the financial position to buy a house, but I still love to look. I found this gorgeous, recently renovated terraced house in the Livingetc See my Home forum.

This type of house is very typical of the area in which we live and I love what the owners have done. The entrance hall is just gorgeous!

I can't get enough of the vintage clock, which they bought from Trainspotters. They also bought an antique luggage rack to hold the pots and pans in the kitchen.

I'm pleased to see that Trainspotters isn't too far away from us (hint, hint, to the hubs). The items are pricy but just so unique.

Factory work table - £575

Old laboratory science stools - £45

Czech wall clock - £180

30 before 31

I turned 30 today. Where does the time go?

Inspired by several other bloggers, I've decided to created a list of 30 things I'd like to do this year.

1. Make more use out of my library card (for fun reading not school stuff)
2. Make a blurb book of our wedding (once the DVD arrives)
3. Bake real bread (involving proofing and kneading)
4. Travel to the continent with the hubs (maybe cycling in Brittany?)
5. Continue the tradition of an annual meet up with my former U of Edinburgh classmates (Glasgow 2006, Limerick 2007, Dusseldorf 2008, where's next?)
6. Camp somewhere listed in Cool Camping (one of our great wedding gifts)
7. Visit the Lake District
8. Have our 4-year old niece over for more sleepovers
9. Buy fresh flowers at least once a month
10. Write letters to my Nana
11. Skype friends more often (and harass those who don't have it to get it!)
12. Run the Stratford half marathon
13. Print out the best of the digital pictures I've taken since moving to the UK and put them in some albums
14. Finally get my UK driving licence (although driving on the life hand side scares the life out of me)
15. Be more assertive with my boss/PhD supervisor
16. Enjoy a 99 by the river Severn with my husband
17. Moisturize daily
18. Continue saving for our dream holiday to Seattle/Vancouver in 2010
19. Get down to London more often (work-related trips don't count)
20. Go on several picnics
21. Write and submit two more research papers for publication
22. Buy more prints off of Etsy
23. Go for more walks after dinner
24. Use my cookbooks more often
25. Wear more skirts
26. Finally get a new haircut - I pretty much have had the same long hair for years
27. Buy some 'fun' tops for going out (I find I only buy clothes that I can wear for work)
28. Be more productive during my commute to and from work (sleep does not count)
29. Use the Worcester farmer's market more frequently
30. Support our local businesses (green grocers, the butcher, our bakery)

Just call me Suzy...

Suzy homemaker that is!

I really wanted to use the vintage Hovis bread tin that I picked up at Bailey's earlier this week. I found what was advertised as a three-minute bread made with spelt flour that did not require any kneading. Right up my alley.

The bread turned out quite well (much to my surprise, given the fact that you don't let the bread rise). It's rather dense but really quite tasty. I like to think of it as 'artisanal'. ha.

Lee was also a bit upset that he didn't get to try any of the chocolate cookies that I made for Christmas gifts so I made another batch for him. I used the same recipe: the consummate chocolate chip cookie recipe blogged on Smitten Kitchen. I didn't have chocolate feves this time (which had been given to us as part of wedding gift) so I just chopped up a pound or so of 70% cocoa chocolate bars. I also didn't have any of the cake or bread flour that the recipe calls for but all purpose worked just fine. (As an aside, chocolate chips are very hard to get a hold of in the UK but I don't think I'll go back to using them as the chopped up version is far tastier). Lee requested the addition of dried cranberries and they did make quite a nice addition.


And just to show you the man I married, this is his 'coffee blackboard'.


He enjoys using the vintage blackboard I ordered him from H is for home for Christmas to advertise the different coffees he buys... What a dork! (I love that guy).

out and about

I sometimes take for granted the area in which we live. Worcester is a lovely historic city and it's actually quite close to a lot of places like Birmingham and Oxford.

But I was very excited when I finally realized that we were only a 45-minute drive away from Bailey's Home and Gardens. (I had read about them on a countless number of blogs and had always assumed that they were located somewhere down South). Lee and I travelled down there on Monday and had such a nice morning poking around the barn and enjoying the coffee shop.





It is such a pretty place and everything is so wonderfully displayed. They don't allow any pictures inside the barn but I snapped a few of the exterior. (Look at all of the apple crates!).

We picked up a few basic items like these and lots of gorgeous grosgrain ribbon:

and made a note to start saving for a few larger items.





We also took a quick trip up the Malvern hills. It was great to get out and try and work off some Christmas calories (and try out my new puffy vest).