-
7 Most Important Drywall Tools to Have in Your Arsenal
When you’re considering your drywall, look at it as the canvas of your home. It’s where you’ll put your paint, your art and memories, and the structure in front of which all your furniture will sit. Your drywall shouldn’t draw attention to itself but should exist seamlessly in the background. However, if your drywall is lumpy, has visible seams, or wasn’t properly sanded down, then you will start to notice the issues in your drywall over that’s on your actual walls. Let’s talk about drywall tools. Drywalling requires a specific set of tools and substitutes just won’t do. Whether you have a hole to patch or full sheets of drywall…
-
Data Governance and your business
Data Governance can seem a really daunting term but if you want to run a business or organisation successfully, you really do need to get to grips with this topic. What is Data Governance? Data governance (DG) is the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity and security of the data you use. Data is that great business term for information. When you think about it, data is collected and used by businesses and organisations in numerous ways. If you get it right it means you have precise systems to handle that data in given sets of circumstances. It also means everyone is clear on their rights and responsibilities when…
-
Wife Living Dangerously by Debra Kent
Wife Living Dangerously by Debra Kent is a book I found in a second-hand book store. The title amused me and I was intrigued as to what led a wife to live dangerously. After all, so many wives lead pretty mundane lives like mine I imagine. Perhaps it is just that as the menopause strikes, I question so many of my life choices including the one to get married at all. Is it possible for a wife to live dangerously? Is doing so recommended? Wife Living Dangerously Julia is the wife in question. Due to her upbringing she has always played by the book as a good woman, wife and…
-
Benefits of Booking your Work Flights through a Travel Agency
Life is quite hectic when your work involves a lot of travel. Frequent travel trips demand lots of energy, money, and time from your side. But when you are too busy working, you hardly get any time to research for good travel schemes and offers and end up spending more than required. This results in wastage of finances and your precious time as well. This is where a travel agent comes handy. When you hire a travel agency, all your time is saved as they take the sole responsibility for your travel and stay. There are several other benefits of booking your work flights though a travel agency, some of…
-
What Are The Benefits Of Portable Generators?
What are the benefits of portable generators? Power cuts are common even in the most developed countries. The reasons for outages are different in different countries, some are due to environmental factors like storms, hurricanes, etc. while for some countries it is due to lack of enough power generation capability. Irrespective of the reason, having a power backup like a portable generator is essential, as it can power up all the necessary appliances and keeps your home running without any glitches. Most homeowners consider generators as an unnecessary investment but it is not so. Listed below are some of the benefits of having a portable generator at home. Benefits of…
-
CICA UK – 10 Warning Signs of Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is, unfortunately, a common crime, but not everybody who is a victim of it might realise this. You may be in an abusive relationship without knowing that what you experience is sexual abuse. Or you might notice unusual behaviour in a child without realising that it is a sign that the child is a victim of sexual abuse. It is important to be able to recognise warning signs of sexual abuse so that victims can get help and perpetrators can be held accountable. Definition The definition of sexual abuse is when a person forces sexual contact upon another person. If the abuse only occurs once, then it may…
-
Easy Pumpkin soup recipe for Halloween
Pumpkin soup recipe Serves: 10-12 Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 24 minutes Ingredients 2-3 tbsps of olive oil 2kgs pumpkin, peeled and chopped into approx 2.5cm chunks 1.2ltrs fresh carrot juice or water 2 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots 50g finely grated Parmesan cheese 100ml double cream Black pepper Serve with: Freshly grated Parmesan to sprinkle over the soup and a twist of freshly ground black pepper Method 1.Heat a large heavy casserole dish on the hob. Add in a splash of olive oil, spread evenly in the dish and then add in the diced pumpkin. 2.Cover the dish and cook over a medium heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring now…
-
Tips for busy working mums that really change things
I am always keen to help busy parents find ways of managing the difficult balance of handling stressful workloads both in the office and at home. So, I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to a couple who are raising a young daughter while also running a global charity. Here are Chloe’s tips for busy working mums. JJ and Chloe Harvey are the husband and wife co-directors of marine conservation charity The Reef-World Foundation. They are based in Bristol, UK, where they share responsibility for the running of the charity and parenting their young daughter, Olivia. Today, I am pleased to share an interesting chat I had with…
-
Reflecting on my values in life
As part of my work on myself and A Good Plan, I am reflecting on my values. Values are very important to me. When I berate myself for being a less than perfect mum as I often do, the one thing that rescues me is knowing that all three of my children have brilliant values. By this I mean they care for other people and would not let anyone be hurt even if that meant putting themselves at some risk. They have a particular interest in those who are disadvantaged in some way. This makes me proud. A Good Plan asks you to consider a list of values and to…
-
Stuffed pumpkins recipe for leftovers from Halloween
Stuffed pumpkins recipe Stuffed Pumpkins Ingredients 2 x 700-800g pumpkins, halved and pips scooped out 75g couscous 2 tbsp SuperValu olive oil 1 SuperValu leek, washed, trimmed and sliced 175g SuperValu chestnut mushrooms, chopped 50g SuperValu pine nuts 2 tbsp SuperValu parsley, chopped 100g SuperValu feta cheese, crumbled Freshly milled black pepper Method Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/ Fan 170°C/ Gas Mark 5. Place the pumpkin halves on a baking tray and cook for 40 minutes. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over 100ml cold water and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a pan and cook the sliced…
-
Lunchtime activities to boost your afternoon
Here is a guest post by Isla Knight of JustUWellness about the six quick lunchtime activities to boost your afternoon making you both relaxed and productive. The stresses and strains of daily life can often leave us feeling exhausted and in need of a recharge. Fortunately, there are actually plenty of quick fixes that can fit into our working day to boost our ability to cope better. For example, there are plenty of things you can fit in to your lunch break to re-energise and re-direct your mind and help you sail through that mid-afternoon slump. Here are my top six lunch-hour destress activities: Fast Yoga Fast Yoga is a…
-
Easy Spider Cupcakes Recipe for Halloween
I love spider cupcakes for Halloween. Gruesome food ideas always entertain the children. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves: 12 Ingredients• 175g (6 oz) Stork tub • 175g (6 oz) golden caster sugar • 300g (11 oz) self raising flour, sieved • 3 medium eggs • 5 tablespoons milk • ½ teaspoon baking powder • 100g cooked pumpkin or butternut squash, mashed • 50g chocolate and hazelnut spread • Zest of 1 orange • Topping • 115g icing sugar • A little orange juice • 55g (2 oz) plain chocolate, melted or use chocolate and hazelnut spread • Liquorice sweets and laces to decorate Method 1. Place…
-
Witches Fingers Recipe with Blood Dip
This witches fingers recipe is a must-have for any Halloween party. Perfectly tasty and gruesome treats. Makes: about 32 Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour rising Cooking time: 12-15 minutes Ingredients: 225g strong plain white bread flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon caster sugar ½ teaspoon fast- action dried yeast 1 teaspoon Very Lazy Garlic Paste 1 tablespoon Very Lazy Basil Paste 1 tablespoon olive oil 150ml warm water 1 egg, lightly beaten 25g freshly grated Parmesan cheese 32 blanched almonds Little paprika For the dip: 125g soft cream cheese 150g roasted red peppers, from a jar, drained 1 tablespoon tomato purée ½ teaspoon Very Lazy Piri Piri…
-
Book review of The Missing Wife by Sheila Flanagan
As I attempt to get into a regular blogging pattern so that my readers know what to expect, I am using Mondays to focus on reading. I hope you enjoy my book review of The Missing Wife by Sheila Flanagan. Book review of The Missing Wife The book starts with a journey as we meet our heroine Imogen for the first time. I always think at public transport stops and stations that every passenger probably has quite a powerful story to tell. Imogen is making a journey from A to B but also from a relationship of coercive control with Vince to one of self-discovery and liberty. She uses a…
-
Pumpkin and sweet potato soup recipe
Pumpkin and sweet potato soup combines two of my favourite things for a taste sensation. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 700g (1/b 6oz) pumpkin flesh, roughly chopped 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 1.2 litres (2pts) water or vegetable stock 200ml (7fl oz) Alpro Soya Original alternative to milk 4 tbsp Alpro Soya Alternative to cream For the breadsticks: 4 assorted part baked bread sticks 2 tbsp olive oil Method 1 Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes to soften. 2 Add the pumpkin and sweet potato and cook for…
