Missed last Wednesday’s “C”ute Casual Outfit ideas?  Click here for last week’s installment of OWW.

Let’s begin shall we….. my stomach is already growling.

As ever, all recipes and ‘pins’ available here on my ‘Absolutely Edible’ pinb board.  I’ve worked hard on that sucker!

702 pins and counting!

A greedy girl’s gotta do what makes her happy.

To the foooooood ——->

Feta, Cheddar & Spinach Muffins

Because I love spinach and I don’t care who knows it.

Chicken with Olives

I’ve made this.  It was rich.  It was delicious.  Pioneer Woman, I love you to the moon and back.

Beef Stew with Beer & Paprika

Another Pioneer Woman recipe.  Frikkin amazing, this stew is to die for!

Ms Ree Drummond, it’s leap year.  Will you marry me?

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon Sugar Chips

I want to swim in this.

Frozen Grapes as Ice

Even Jesus had sense to turn water in to wine.  He was a clever man and knew what was good for him! Amen to wine.

Baked egg in a ham cup with parmesan cheese and green onions

Because breakfast foods are where it’s at.

Gorgonzola Garlic Bread

That goes for bread too.  Atkins was a fool.

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

Stews are the foodstuff of the Gods.

Spicy Pasta Salad with smoked gouda, tomatoes and basil

My name is Kate and I am addicted to carbs.  It has been 40 minutes since I last ate pasta.

Mozarella, Tomato and Gnocchi Bake

Gnocchi is the shiz.

Mozarella, Tomato and Avacado Salad

Something healthy for good measure.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans, Feta & Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing

Am I feeling virtuous yet?

Inside-out Carrot Cake cupcakes

Not. One. Bit.

A great recipe book….

Hungry now?  Sorry….

Why not!?  I did it last year.

I hope you are all having a lovely Valentine’s Day whether you are celebrating or not.  If you aren’t then I hope you have a lovely day anyway!

Valentine’s Day wish list 2012 …

Luxury Pink Tulip & Rose Globe flowers from Interflora - gorgeous!

14K White Gold Overlay Angel Wing Necklace from Overstock – LOVE! Because Angels exist.

10k White Gold 1/10ct Diamond Pendant also from Overstock – because a girl can never have too much jewelry and I have always wanted a diamond cross pendant.  This one is one of the nicest ones I have seen.  Gorgeous vintage style.

Self explanitory!

Pampered Chef Stoneware Rectangular Baker - on special at the moment on the US store too $39.00 $31.20!  A practical gift is always good, and a girl’s gotta feed her man!

and lastly

A trip to Paris in the Spring time.  Because a girl can dream….

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! xxx

This ‘subject’ was covered in a certain episode of friends where Ross gets to meet Isabella Rosselini, but she got ‘bumped’ from his laminated list just the day before.  Not sure what I am on about?  Well, see here

So back to the point.  I myself have a “list”, but don’t worry, it isn’t a pervy weird sort of list – a list of one’s I ‘do’, LOL!

I have my man for that!  Get your minds out of the gutter!

My list is more of an absolute girl-crush list.

A list of fabulous famous girls that you SO want to be your new BFF and no matter how damn good they look all the time you can’t help but love them, when you should totally be hatin’?

Well ‘LDR’ Lana Del Rey has just totally been added to my list.  It takes a LOT to be added.

Gorgeous? Check

Cute as a button? Check

Talented? Check

Seem friendly? Check

Here’s more on why…

Sister if frikkin GORGEOUS!  Not many redheads about these days.  I am not sure if this is natural or not.  I have Google’d pics of her and some older ones look as though she was bleach blonde at one point.  Whatevs though, she is rocking this red and it is to die.  Almost making me consider going back to red.  Almost.

Have you checked out that make up style?  Preened, primped but not overdone.  She reminds me of the Ralph Lauren campaigns, their models are always natural and fresh looking with a certain polish.  Plus, I can totally attempt a Lana Del Rey make up look like that without ending up looking like Aunt Sally.

She made the cover of VOGUE UK already?  Yep, she’s somethin’ special

Without a DOUBT, one of the best ‘new voices’ I have heard since Adele.

Just listen to (this is my FAV) “Born to Die” (opens in YouTube) from her album.  There is something totally sexy about this track and it would fit right into a Twilight movie.  Win, win.

Link to her album here.

Remind you of anyone?

On her album cover she reminds me of Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias.

Julia Roberts = another girl crush of mine.

It’s not just me who has developed this love of all things Lana Del Rey it seems….

PLENTY of Lana Del Rey inspired make-up and hair tutorials are popping up all over YouTube, I found a good one here.

I ‘m off to make myself a flower crown….

Or perhaps I’ll just buy one instead…

B = BROODY.

Surprise, surprise. 

Check out “A” here.

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So, it is a very lazy post today, as you can tell, because I am just sitting here, daydreaming about crunchy golden leaves, low setting suns, warm casseroles, crackling fireplaces in dusty country pubsm and hats and gloves. But I love a good Meme, just like Modern Mummy whose post I spotted this on check hers out here. I think you have to be ‘tagged’ to take part in these post links – but what can I say, I am a rule breaker.

ANORAK…Do you have a sad side?
Embarrassingly yes. I am a proper curtain twitcher. Living in a block of apartments on the ground floor does NOTHING for helping the habit. I just have to be nosy and see who is coming/going. I am also the one to leave notes for my fellow residents about the state of the communal bins (animals) and complaints about the slamming of doors, yes, I am THAT neighbor. So far as any hobbies, I am a Historical Fiction nut, and love anything to do with Tudor Royal history, in fact, anything to do with Royal history for that matter.

BODY…What physical attribute would you most like to change? 
Hmm, if money were no object I think I’d opt to have my nose and boobies altered a little, but nothing else. Well actually that is a lie, I think I’d like smaller feet too, but nothing can be done about that so I just have to live with my Yeti feet.

CELEBRITY…Which one would you most like to date and why? 
Gary Barlow. Gary Barlow. Gary Barlow. Always has been, always will be my number 1 crush, probably since I was about 10 years old. Our love has endured. Ha ha!

DEBUT …Tell us about your first ever blog post. What made you start blogging?
Hmm that is a question I can’t easily answer. I have always enjoyed reading and writing, and I’ve never kept a diary in my life so I thought it might be a fun way to start doing at least something. I am a bit of a start/stop/starter. The way the blog has evolved has surprised me a little, because I wanted it to be a bit more of an information site as I was wary of it becoming too ‘personal’, but life and thoughts spilleth over and it is what it is now.

ERROR …What’s been your biggest regret? 
Getting a credit card at 18. Huge mistake. Who in their right mind gives credit cards to teenagers anyway!?

FUNNY – who’s making you laugh? 
My fiancé is the most hilarious person I know. Together we can make jokes out of anything or any situation good or bad and I love that about him.  He can draw fantastic cartoons too, sometimes they are wholly inappropriate – but the inappropriateness is what makes them so funny.

GRAND…If we gave you one right now what would you spend it on? 
I’d go right out and get myself a brand new wardrobe. In the last 12 months I have bought 1 pair of jeans, and 1 jumper. To say we are on a tight budget at the moment is an understatement, but good things come to those who watch their pennies. I just wouldn’t watch that £1000 though; it’d be gone before I even blinked.

HOLIDAY… What’s your favourite destination?  
HARD question, we’ve been to Greece twice because it is amazing there, but one of my favorite destinations was Paris. Mr S and I went there on our first trip abroad together and it was just magical. Spending a balmy evening drinking Champagne cocktails at The Ritz is still one of the best nights I have ever had and one of my favorite memories of my life so far.

IRRITATE… What’s your most annoying habit? 
*I* don’t have habits, but I notice other people’s! Ha ha! No, seriously I wouldn’t know what any were. What I do do, I think is normal. I am sure Mr S could enlighten us all a little here though….

JOKER…What’s your favourite joke {the one that makes you laugh every time you hear it}? 
I think it is funny phrases rather than jokes that set me off, or perhaps joke accents. My Auntie once claimed when drunk that she could talk in about 30 regional (to the UK) accents. Watching her attempt it was friggin hilarious. Mr S does a great ‘Dirty Old Irish Man’ accent too, which also make me giggle.

KENNEL… Do you have any pets? 
Yes, I have a wonderful cat called Cleo. She just turned 2, so is technically a cat now, rather than a kitten. I think it is about time we added to the fur brood.

LOVE…Are you single, married, engaged, living with a long term partner? 
I am engaged but feel married, if that makes any sense at all?

MEAL… What’s your ultimate starter, main and dessert?
Oh I love this question, suddenly I am very excitable! My starter would HAVE to be a Caprese Salad – Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella drizzled in olive oil with cracked black pepper with EXTRA tomatoes (tomatoes are my favorite thing in the world). My main would be a Roast beef dinner, but the beef would still have to be a little pink and bloody. I want LASHINGS of gravy and a huge Yorkshire pudding with that to make a gravy swimming pool and you can’t forget the sweetcorn, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Then for pudding, it has to be the KING of all puddings – Apple Crumble and Custard, but, the Apple Crumble has to be piping hot, and the custard cold, straight from the tin. Yum yum! I am topping this all off with a bottle of Merlot to myself and a few After Eight mints by the way.

NOW…If you could be anywhere right now where would you be and who with?
I would be in my dream house, with my husband, and surrounded by my babies and it would be Christmas time. I took creative license with this question, if you couldn’t already tell.

OFF DUTY…What do you do in your spare time? 
Housework, cooking, reading and slobbing out. My little family of 3 are a good team when it comes to spending the weekend slobbing out and doing nothing apart from eating popcorn and watching movies on the couch. Some days we don’t even get out of our pyjamas. It is bliss.

PROUD MOMENTS …What are you most proud of? 
I’m not really sure. I haven’t had any great career achievements, because I have never pushed my life in that direction, I think my best is yet to come and I have a feeling it might be to do with having babies. Although I am pretty proud of getting grade C in Maths at GCSE when I was predicted an E. Does that count?

QUEASY …What turns your stomach? 
The sound of people eating with their mouths open, and also people who breathe too loudly or stand too close to me in queues. Icky!

RELAX…How do you relax? 
Wine is always good for relaxing anyone, but apart from that, sinking into a chair with a good book or staring gormlessly at naff TV always does the trick. I love watching rubbish programmes that don’t require you to engage your brain too much.  Keeping up with the Kardashians is wonderful for that – absolute trash tv.  I love the E! channel!

SONG…What’s your favourite song of all time? 
I have four, I could never, ever pick between any of them.
The first one, which has sadly been murdered countless times recently by wannabe pop singers on The X Factor, is ‘You’ve got the love’ by The Source & Candi Staton – NOT the Florence and the Machine version. I like me the original baby.
Next up is Street Spirit by Radiohead (my favorite band of all time).
Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack which is an absolute classic and from a defining moment in my life.
Lastly, and just might pip the others to the post ever so slightly is In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins.

TIME …If you could go back in time and relive it again, when would you choose? 
1996. Just before I left London. It was the last year of living close to my Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and best friend; I should have appreciated it a lot more.

UNKNOWN…Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows?
I have a birthmark on my forehead that only shows up when I am stressed out or angry. A perfect warning sign for others, if you will.

VOCAL…. Who is your favourite artist? 
Vocally, for me, they have to be haunting, clever lyrically or entirely dramatic. For this reason, Thom Yorke, Maxi Jazz, Phil Collins, Kate Bush, Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler all make it into the list.
 
WORK….. What is your dream job, and are you doing it now? 
I would love to own a children’s bookstore. A little boutique place where story time is held every afternoon. Much like Meg Ryan’s character has in You’ve Got Mail. I am sadly not doing that right now. My days consist of Marketing and managing an office.

XRAY…Any broken bones?
No, never, thank goodness. I can’t even fathom how that could happen. Aren’t bones meant to be strong!?

YIKES…What’s been your most embarrassing moment?
I can honestly say that I don’t really get that embarrassed! So much so, that I can’t even recall anything mildly interesting!  I doubt I’d tell you if I had one though! Ha!

ZOO…. If you were an animal, which one would you be? 
If they kept cats in a zoo then I’d be a cat. Or maybe a Penguin, they look like they have fun going down slides all day although their diet is a bit sucky. Who wants to eat raw fish all day?

Much like a Wordless Wednesday (which I was never any good at, because I always had to say something) this series will be one word, accompanied by images that reflect that word. I’ll be running right through the Alphabet in order.

This is also a great way of pulling together some of my pins from ‘pinterest‘.

I’d love it if you want to comment below with your “A” word, and link back to your blog using the site field.

Use any image or images that reflects the word, but credit the source, of course. – Poet, don’t know it.

Today’s Word: Aspire

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