Dining Dining - Chocolate Stirrers

I can't believe I'm about to write this post at the end of August, but yet I'm sat here writing it.

Its dark outside and I'm sat with my cardigan on (I sound 90 not 20 something). It makes me realise that like it or not autumn is coming. To be honest autumn is my favourite time of the year - its not too cold outside and the colours are unbelievable.
So whilst I'm sat here thinking of autumn it started to make me think about what my first dining dining post could be about, and then in a blinding flash it came to me CHOCOLATE STIRRERS.

They make great gifts so if you're already starting to think about Christmas make sure you've got the supplies to make these!

What you need....

* Great quality chocolate - Not cooking chocolate unless you're particularly partial
* Wooden Lollipop Sticks
* Ice cube tray - or other silicone mould

How to make them......

1) Firstly you need to melt your chocolate.
Personally i prefer using a double boiler (bowl on top of a pan of boiling water - if like me you didn't know it had a name). I'm not good with microwaving chocolate - i tend to burn rather than melt!

2) Have your Lollipop Sticks to hand.
Or any other "handle" you want to use - to be honest you can use all manner of things for this from lolly sticks to candy canes to the ends of spoons.

3) Pour your melted chocolate into the ice cube or silicone mould.
At this point you need to leave your chocolate blocks to "set" partially. This is the hardest bit - no pinching now!!! Although you could eat any remaining chocolate from the bowl!!!

4) When your chocolate block is partially set, add your handle/lollipop stick.

5) Leave the chocolate to harden completely - do what I do and stick them in the fridge!

.......Then comes the best part.......eating/drinking the hot chocolate!

To use the chocolate stirrer....

1) Heat up some milk - enough to fill a mug + a bit extra!

2) Use your chocolate stirrer to melt the chocolate block

3)......Enjoy!!!

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If you'd rather buy than make...check out these fab on-line stores:

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Play Time - Back to school Coats

Here in the UK back to school time is fast approaching - i can hear mums across the land sighing a collective sigh of relief.

Back to school usually means the start of the bad weather, so its time to get prepared and have a look at some of these super cute winter coats - guaranteed to leave your child looking the cutest in the playground.

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In the beginning

Hello and Welcome to The Lincoln Wife!

Autumn is coming and with all the dark winter months looming, i couldn't think of a better time to be starting my own blog. What better way to spend the evenings than snuggled up reading a good blog - how times have changed!

Technically this is day one as its my first blog entry however, i've been blogging in various guises for many years most recently for my own business The Little Lollypop Shop. However i finally decided that i do in fact totally love blogging and miss it when i don't do it, so decided it was time to start my own blog - not one related to a business but one where i could blog about the things that matter to me, particularly design, style, decoration, food and my little family.

So after much deliberation The Lincoln Wife was born. 


Whilst there may not be much to look at now, over the coming days, weeks months this page will be jam packed with prettiness.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to make this blog work, so i've come up with a "editorial calendar"  this will keep me on track and hopefully give you something to look forward to.

So for the next few months the calendar looks like this:

Monday:
Amuse Me - A great amusing quote or story to kick start your week - to submit any please email me. 

Tuesday:
Pretty, Pretty - Pretty ideas for transforming rooms in your home and  Gorgeous traffic stopping outfits for all shapes and sizes 

Wednesday:
Play time -  This one is all about the kids, great ideas from the internet on bringing up kids, from playing to sleeping, to dressing,

Thursday:
Dining, Dining - Gorgeous recipes from around the web.

Friday:
All Work no Play - Links to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Seasonal Series

Entertain, Entertain - Gorgeous event design ideas - particularly useful for the upcoming holidays

Gift Guides - Our best present recommendations, produced to correspond with Christmas, Mother’s Day and other gift-centric holidays. 

Places to Go, Things to Eat - Reviews on local restaurants, entertainment venues, etc