Home Aloooooone

So it's my first full weekend back from uni and my parents have buggered off to Harrogate for the weekend. My sister's gone over to a friends house, too, leaving me sat in my house watching Friends repeats and snuggling with my dog.

It's not so bad, really.

Anyway, I've taken advantage of the empty house to do some experimental cooking. Actually, all my cooking is experimental; I am a terrible cook who refuses to use recipes and tends to just chuck stuff in a saucepan in the vague hope it'll taste like something...and it rarely does.

Anyway, I've got some bourbon balls fixing in the freezer (very loosely based off this recipe, except with butter icing instead of creme cheese and bourbons instead of oreos) which I'm quite looking forward to trying, but I also cooked up some spiced cranberry cider based very vaguely on this.

Ladies and gentlemen, the biggest mug of all time. Literally my entire saucepan-ful fit in one mug, give or take.

Put simply, the recipe was a bit of a flop. My haphazard "throw some ground cinammon in" turned into "LET'S MAKE A CINAMMON MOUNTAIN" so I had to add a shit-ton of sugar to balance it out. My teeth are genuinely aching right now from the sugar OD. And it was still too cinammon-y. So below is the recipe, adjusted to be less kill-you-with-cavities and more delicious wintertime treat.

Ingredients

• 1 x 440ml can of cider. I used Strongbow but I think Blackthorn or Bulmers or Brothers or something might be nicer.
• 350ml cranberry juice. 
• 3 or 4 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• Tablespoon ground cinammon (AT THE MAXIMUM) 

Things you'll also need

• A reasonably large saucepan
• Some form of stirring implement
• A hob
• Enough years under your belt to legally drink teh alchoholzz
• A blanket, a dog, and some suitably bad sitcom repeats.

The Method

Stick it all in the saucepan. Warm it up. Stir until hot. Add less or more sugar until it tastes about right. Switch on the TV. Enjoy.

Conclusion

It's warm, it's sweet, it's slightly alcoholic (you can barely taste the cider, to be honest.)
If I can get the recipe right I'll definitely be trying this again!

Emma x

DELICIOUS MOTHER'S DAY

It's Mother's Day today, and for the first time in my life I've made a conscious decision to be away from home for it. I kind of feel like a terrible human being, but I've sent my mom a card and a text and a present-by-proxy and a facebook message...I'll probably ring her later too.

Because let's face it, my mom is fabulous. On a mundane note, she singlehandedly does all the housework at home, organises everything we do (my family would genuinely fall apart without her,) and on top of that still holds down a ridiculously demanding full-time job. She's also just a fantastic mom. I mean literally, I would not swap her for anyone ever no.

So...Happy Mother's Day everyone! Show your maternals some love! 

Emma x

So there's this thing I do when I'm drunk, right, I cry a lot.
I get really depressed about life the universe and everything and then I spend an hour or so crying in the toilet.

BUT TODAY.
I hadn't even started drinking and I fucking walked into the dining room to start pre-ing and then BOOM.
Can't breathe.
Crying again.

What the actual fuck?

This is a room full of people I know and love (admittedly more at once than I'm used to) and I can't even get past the entrance without crying?
I don't care whether or not it's acceptable, right, it makes no SENSE.

So now I'm going to pre-drink alone in my room, in the vague hope that when I finally leave this dump I can be relatively sociable.

Gah.

An update:

So it would appear none of the links in my last blog work.
Well...here are some non-technophile links to help you on your way :)

http://pinterest.com/eleanorjr/nails/ (This is where I go to when I'm looking for nail inspiration.)
http://pinterest.com/emmatree123/the-board-of-all-boards-/ (Aaand this is my Pinterest board. Although it's not very Pinteresting if I'm honest. HO HO HO)

And here's Chalkboard Nails: http://www.chalkboardnails.com/

Well, it's messy, but it works :)

And in a departure from the norm...

Lessons in Procrastination
By Emma Crighton

So the way my course is set up, my assessed essays are handed in in two blocks: two in Week 5, two in Week 9.
It's Week 9 right now, and my Global Lit essay is causing me SO MUCH STRESS (it's due Friday.)
So I figured I'd take a break, paint my nails and get an early night.
ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATER...

I did nails. They are cool.

Well no, actually, they're a bit messy and still drying. I also have no idea why they took me that long.

I also feel like I'm committing a cyber-crime by uploading fuzzy webcam photos, but my battery charger has broken so it's this or an intense verbal description.

Anyway, the point is, I really like to paint my nails when I'm stressed. 

The other point is, if you have a Pinterest account and like nails, you should follow my friend  Elly's nail board or, if you fancy it, my board which occasionally has nails on it but mostly just things I find good.

The little guy in the middle of this hand was totally intentional. My hand absolutely did not slip. Nope.

Nail varnishes used, for anyone who cares:
Cha-Cha from the Strictly Fab-u-lous nail varnish set (£16)
17 standard black nail polish (£2.99)
Laval French Manicure white nail polish (£1.25)

Addenendum:
SO BOOTS DO MAGNETIZED NAIL POLISH NOW.
YOU HOVER THE LID OVER THE POLISH AND IT MOVES.
HOW AWESOME IS THAT.

Looks cool, right?!

I've also been lusting after some glow-in-the-dark nail polish.

Because it's awesome.

You should also follow this blog. Yaknow. If you like nails.

Well...this was a nail related ramble. Night, all.

Emma x