Happy Christmas Eve!

Chocolate Truffles

Ok so I just thought I'd post a recipe for how I make my Chocolate Truffles, and some pics!

First you need to melt 225g of Plain Chocolate.

Then add 150ml of Double Cream, and 2tbsp of Rum (it makes them taste AMAZING!) 

Stir that together, it will look really odd for a bit, and nothing like truffles at all, but keep going and it eventually ends up looking like this: 

I would like to mention here that I advise you use a bigger bowl than I did, it gets very difficult to stir at this stage in such a small bowl. 

You then need to chill that mixture for at least an hour, I find it normally needs a little bit longer, and then shape it into little balls and put them on a lined baking tray. 

Leave that to chill for another 30 minutes (whilst you eat the remaining mixture).

Now this is the fun part! Choose something you would like to coat them with, I used icing sugar, chocolate sprinkles and cocoa powder for mine. 

Place a little bit of each coating on a plate or other surface type thing and roll the balls of mixture in it to coat them. 

The finished product looks like this:

Totally awesome yes?

They make perfect Christmas presents, or just really awesome after dinner snacks! They look pretty, and they taste like heaven! (Just taking into account that the only 3 ingredients are chocolate, cream and rum proves this).

PJ

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Christmas

Ok so I have sort of avoided mentioning Christmas much in my recent posts, but OMG only 2 days!!!

So, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow, by far my favourite day of the year. I always find that Christmas day never quite lives up to my expectations. Yes there's great food, and presents, and time with family. But there's also always arguments, people stressing over everything being perfect, and I find that the atmosphere on Christmas Eve is a lot more pleasant.

Every Christmas Eve I spend the day helping my mum with cooking. We make the stuffing for the turkey, bake some mince pies, make chocolate truffles etc. Then in the evening I go to a family friend's house, with the rest of my family, Aunt and Uncle, Grandparents, Cousins, and several other family friends. And we have an amazing time! The youngest of us is now 12, so some of the magic has, of course, died. But we never fail to have an amazing time! There's karaoke, games, loads of amazing food, music and dancing and then we all take a walk in the dark singing Christmas songs, which is just the best fun!

Then when we get home we always watch A Christmas Carol, the Patrick Stewart version:

And then we read The Night Before Christmas, hang up our stockings and then go to bed. Then I always read The Nutcracker before I actually go to sleep. 

I actually really hate waking up on Christmas morning. I'm one of those people who hates going to sleep, and then hates waking up even more! But my brother is always up crazily early so then he wakes me up and then me being angry with him wakes my parents up and so on. But hey, it's Christmas!

Writing this has made me feel extra Christmassy. 

And it just started snowing!!! 

Oh dear I really need to calm down. But, in the words of Noddy Holder, it's Christmaaaas!!

PJ

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Places I would like to visit

This is quite a random post, but I'm bored today. So I'm going to list a few places that I want to go to!

Vietnam and Laos:

I've always wanted to go to Vietnam, I have no idea why. I just think it looks like a really beautiful place! And I didn't really know anything about Laos until one of my friend's sister went there for her gap year. She said it was really amazing, so I want to go there too!

Italy: 

I've been once before, to Rome and the Bay of Naples. The Bay of Naples is amazingly pretty and I so want to go there again! I took this picture as we arrived at the Bay of Naples. It is still one of my best moments of my life, it was just so shockingly beautiful. 

New Zealand:

My grandparents have been here, and I have a couple of friends from New Zealand. Just from listening to them talking about it, I've decided it is definitely somewhere I want to visit!

New York:

I don't think I really need to explain why I want to go to New York. Everyone wants to go to new York! I think I'd like to see it at Christmas time, but I guess it would be crazy busy. Still, I really want to see it!

Egypt:

I love ancient history, so, naturally, I would love to see the Pyramids!

And finally Athens:

Again mainly because of all the history, but also I just think Greece in general sounds like a pretty awesome place to see!

So that's where I'd like to go, what about you?

PJ
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It's Snowing

I just took this picture: 

I waited until it was slightly less blizzardy before I opened my window to take the picture. About ten minutes ago you literally could not see anything, it was all grey and snowy. Quite scary actually. It's slowed down a bit now. And there's thunder too. 

I think we may have a White Christmas. 

PJ

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Christmas List!

Ok so I just thought I would share with you the things that I would ask for this Christmas if I was getting presents. As it is, I'm just getting money in order to save up to go on a trip to Tanzania next summer. But hey, lists are fun!

Ok so first I really really want those shoes from New Look that I put in my other post, they're just so gorgeous!

Then I really want season 1 of The Vampire Diaries on DVD. I mean who wouldn't?

Ok I also want a new diary, preferably a fabric notebook from Paperchase (best shop ever!)

I'm thinking I like the last one best. 

I also want Eclipse on DVD:

And then books! 

I want The Morganville Vampire books, and Vampire Academy books, and Fallen and Torment. 

And I want The Time-Travellers Wife, The Kite Runner (an amazing book!) and I really want my own copy of the Odyssey (not the crappy one I have from school). 

I want these gloves from Accessorize:

and this necklace (also from Accessorize), look how cute! 

And, something that I'm pretty sure I am going to get, is safety pins so that I can make a safety pin bracelet, like this:

And finally, I really really really want a Kindle. I could read anywhere! And books are a lot cheaper to buy for it. Although I think I would miss paper. But still, I so want one! 

That's actually a lot more things than I thought I wanted! And I doubt I'll get many of them, but I have to keep remembering that I get to go to Tanzania. Which will be amazing! 

PJ

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Shopping Dilemma

To celebrate the start of the Christmas holidays I'm going shopping today with some friends, but I can't decide what to buy!
See I really really really love these shoes:

But I really want/need some ankle boots. Maybe like these ones: 

But then I found this top that I like: 

And I do need to get my brother a Christmas present, and I need to get myself a new diary. And I don't have much money. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma. 

I think I might get the shoes though. 

They are so nice...

PJ

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Morganville Vampires

I recently discovered these books at the library, because I had nothing else to read. 

I didn't think they'd be great, I thought they would be just like all Vampire books - Human falls in love with Vampire, some evil stuff happens, everyone lives happily ever after. But they're really not like that.
I don't want to say too much, in case people want to read them, but these books have me hooked! I've read the first 3 in just this week (I'm even amazing myself at how fast I'm reading!)

There are 8 books so far, the first being Glass Houses:

And there will be another 4.

The books are full of romance, and scary Vampireness. Never a dull moment!

So check them out! The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine.

PJ
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Hey!

So I guess I should probably start by saying something about me.
I'm Phoebe, or PJ. Or Jappers, or Dr Pheebs, or just Pheebs or Cay. Wow I have a lot of names!
I'm 16 (very nearly 17!) and I live in England.
I love music, and reading. I love winter, but I hate snow! (I like rain though). I love chocolate, and chocolate brownies, and spicy food. My favourite colour is purple, and favourite animal is elephants, or maybe giraffes, or donkeys, or ducks, actually I just like all animals!
Ok that's me done for now!

Follow/comment please :)

PJ 
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