a decent bauble shot!

Posted on December 18, 2005 by | 2 comments

well, more or less in focus, could have done with some cropping, but at least thats one!!

www.flickr.com

2 Comments

Posted in General, photos

You can put it on the blog

Posted on December 18, 2005 by | 4 comments

Stringbean is getting the hang of this. Twice in the last few days she has got me to take photos, and told me that I can ‘put them on the blog so that everyone can see it’ :roll: :-)

Firstly on Friday when she did this at the Puddlers group:

IMG 1331

Never knowingly under pom-pom-ed our girl…..

Then today, after she had been clearing out the melted chocolate bowl:

Chocolate chops

4 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, photos, Stringbean

Dundee cake

Posted on December 18, 2005 by | 8 comments

Couldn’t decide on title – a misquote ‘just say a prayer for me now, don’t leave it till the morning after’ or ‘a prayer to the kitchen god’s wife’

Anyway, having only made muffins [which aren't really cakes] and carrot cake [ditto] before, I have made my first foray into real cakes with a dundee cake – help! to make matters more scary, due to broken arm, I have done quite a few of the beating type stages in the mixer. PLEASE let it come out OK – find out in 2-2.5 hours!

www.flickr.com

8 Comments

Posted in Cooking, General, photos

Flickr post

Posted on December 18, 2005 by | 8 comments

For the first time in ages i have looked at most viewed

1. 950 views
2. 247 views
3. 116 views

wierd choices [my christmas list comes in at 54 at the moment!]

How do they choose the interesting ones?
1. 50 views, 2 facourites and 2 comments
2. 3 views and 2 favourites, no comments - but a very nice shot!
3. the sun one again

8 Comments

Posted in General, photos

Aaarrgh

Posted on December 17, 2005 by | 1 comment

why does beautiful list not translate into all items ticked??

Also, why can’t I take beautiful tree pictures – have put my meagre offerings on flickr, but just can’t get the focus right- so you’ll just have to see the tree after you have drunk about 2l of mulled wine! Gives an impression anyway – sulk sulk. If any do come out good in the next week, at least I can substitute!

Anyway, mince pie muffins not done yet Heather, but in the lakeland muffin book – and easily vegan too!

Have done – sausage rolls, peppermint creams and dahl, and sokaing the fruit for dundee cake. Chris didn’t do the shopping today, but having a delivery ? I think he organised it anyway? on Monday.

Good news, that SB finally back into her bedroom – woohoo – with new early Xmas pressie of fabulous bunk a la Portico! And speaking of the Portico, BB wearing a rather snazzy Portico dress – so today obviously a homage day [rofl!]. Oh, did being a contact mean that the list could be viewed in big?? Anyway, room in pink and lilac- surprise! However, bit of a shock in that she wanted a yellow stripe, so there it is. Will flickr at some point.

The spare bathroom now has a single bed all made up in it ready for Little Nanny and the spare room already sorted for my parents. I obviosuly haven’t done any of the furniture removals or lifting due to massively annoying and still v painful broken arm! Chris’s parents came round after he rang them [whilst I was asleep]

SB painted some glass baubles today and put the on the tree, and did 2 more vases we found as pressies, as well as helping with the baking. Other than that, she was mostly helping with the room restoration upstairs.
Oh, forgot that we ate pomegranates and discusse persephone in the underworld, and that in the bunkbed wrapping we played egyptian mummies in a sarcophagus. otherwise mostly christmas caroled!

Gave me lots of time to play with BB in a seriously one to one fashion. We got about 4 hours nearly uninterupted – apart from me doing aside tasks, like soaking the split peas and cokoing their tea. It was really great. Though I did miss SB’s noise!

Just watched the video of restoration – argh – how awful to let house fall aprt. Probably worse as I have a few misgivings about this one – ie the windows and conservatory desperately need some tlc, and we have a small roof leak! But we painted BB’s room. Finances though…

Anyway, glad you all enjoyed the list – what do you think I have missed off it??

tomorrow :-
print labels for jams/chutneys and wrap as mini hampers.
SB finish the 2 vases,
18 more early years HE cards [though we have sent to everyone we know, and thanks to those we have received],
fudge and choc truffles,
dundee cake
potato and cauli curry – yep you know the one!
When SB in bed, wrap her pressies.
Find the heat thingies for the dining room table,
remove boxes from dining room and living room to squirrel away somewhere.
go to Christingle
breathe!!!!

less than a week before 17 people come to stay – what was I thinking of!

www.flickr.com

1 Comment

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, DIY/ house renovation, General, photos, Stringbean's HE

I’ve got little list……..

Posted on December 17, 2005 by | 25 comments

Christmas is coming, the list is getting long……….. Well you need to be prepared :-)

IMG 1436 edited-1

Maybe it needs some tinsel?

Oh, and here is the xmas tree, been hard to get good photos, the camera doesn’t seem to like focussing properly on it in low light.

IMG 1382

Hapy xmas everyone.

25 Comments

Posted in General, photos

type 1 Parents R Us!

Posted on December 16, 2005 by | 4 comments

I am not sure quite why I had the gall to complain – well, I wasn’t really, just laughing at myself!
anyway, as a tried and convicted flickerite……

Today was Mudpud group end of year bash. Resolutedly with no Christian theme as it is multifaith. Actually, I am going to digress immediately.

SB wanted to know why all the usual people weren’t there, and to use Merry’s phrase, I said the scarf ladies weren’t there because they were Muslim, and knew that a Chrsitian church hall was bound to have loads of the usual Christian decs. this was a bit of a gloss, as they all had other apologies, but a good way of introducing faith and how you must respect each other. As we have the Hannah and her grandmother book, and a few other faith type books, we have discussed Islam before, and talked about Eid when it was. She wanted to know how you knew which god was right – a bit deep for bedtime really. SO I discussed that it was the one that you felt comfortable as having, either because your family had had that God, or as you grew older and looked into these things, that God was the one that you felt was right [I think most of the scarf ladies are converts] I always find this more dificult being an agnostic. However, I guess if we do it often enough, I will feel more comfortable, and she will have an open mind. Although Chris’s family are very religious [baptists], I don’t want their religion to be the automatic default one should she choose to follow one. To that, I may struggle to go the the church Christingle this weekend with her, or to the carol service next weekend.

for those that do Christingle – do I have to make an orang and candle thing, for most C of E, will it be OK just to turn up and look hopeless? Is there a particular form to follow?? AArrgh.

Anyway, we took along a dancing ladies craft made from paper plates – though mostly called angels by those doing them, they didn’t actually have wings, and I cut them to have crowns instead of halos. There was also a decorate the snowflake from Merry, and a decorate a biscuit. SB was rather over the top with the decorating [surprise surprise], but Amelie exceeded all with her snow lady – totally whited out by cotton wool!

the bouncy castle brought was a fab idea, and a great hit with the children. A food spread and party games completed the very enjoyable no faith end of term party.

on our return, SB insisted on wrapping up some christmas presents [sorry to the recipients!] but did write their names and hers on a tag. lots of roller skating being different animals. Again the T rex was best, though the grasshopper quite amusing.

She is being a reluctant to go to bedder again – this time she came down because she thought she saw a dragon peeping around the corner. I suggested that could she ask it to live with us, stay in the utility room to replace the boiler, and we will feed it catfood with the occasional treat, and it can have all summer as a holiday!

www.flickr.com

4 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Dance/drama, General, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing

Thinks not to do when baking…

Posted on December 15, 2005 by | 2 comments

… wear trousers that have a tendency to slip down and then off just as you have got to the hand mixing in the egg!!

Oh well, 2 dozen chilli scones made. hopefully very nice, but in oven at the moment, and I made up the recipe! 5 cups self raising flour to 1/4 pack of butter – all in my quest to not have to use weighing scales at the mo. certainly seem to be rising nicely. weight watchers also taught me that 45g cheese looks a lot like a matchbox, so also included 3 matchboxes of cheese – rofl! 2 teaspoons harrissa paste, 1 of cayenne, 2 of mustard powder, and also 5 ish pepperdew whizzed up and fried with 1 large onion [and the spices] oh, 3 teaspoons of salt and 3 eggs. lets hope it tastes good. I am hoping for them to have quite a kick to them!

1 handed baking a bit of an art form – so daren’t do anything requiring a light hand!

A late start to this evenings baking as BB been unsettled and fed almost constantly for 2 hours. So not done anything for tomorrows party yet [these are to freeze for xmas, as scones - savoury at least- do freeze well. of course mothing tastes as good as fresh from the oven - ooh first beep!].

ooh yes, very nice. could actually do with a bit more of a kick, but the pepperdew pieces in it are really nice.

2 Comments

Posted in Cooking, General

2 more weeks

Posted on December 15, 2005 by | 7 comments

Have been suggested to me as appropriate sick leav, so have notified work. I still ahve to go in 2ce next week – once to the fracture clinic, and then do a mound of paperwork, and then to do my yearly appraisal to make sure I am not dodgy. i have to do it by end of Dec as otherwise no pay progression. Seems unfair, as monday will be spent chasing the details, which I did initiate in Nov, but not been in since!

As for today, SB’s bedroom nearly finished. not done tax return though

it was SB’s nursery nativity, so midafternoon we went in for that. SHe, being part time, had a chorus role only. But to be honest, at least she would have said some of the lines – only the angel could bring herself to talk! Very cute, but full of type 1 parents in a dither about it. Anyway, SB enjoyed it, we told her she sang fantastically, and all was well. BB had obviously been very messy and in nursery clothes. She really looks much older in jeans!

At home we did some water painting, SB helped me make pasta bake – she is rather good with a sharp knife! She also spent ages being a drama queen – pretending to be different animals etc. She was rather good as a roller skating T rex! I am still surprised she didn’t enjoy stagecoach as she really does love doing shows here, and gets more and more inventive with her characterisations. Bit of bob the builder watching on video, and now [hopefully] asleep!

www.flickr.com

7 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, music, photos

Never knowingly underlit

Posted on December 15, 2005 by | 10 comments

Christmas tree hasn’t looked quite right, just not enough lights. So bought another set of 250 lights today and put them on (bit of a faff with the decs on) now it looks much more twinkly and sparkley and magical – much better :-)

Note they are just static clear lights – this a tasteful understated tree you know, none of your chasers, flashers and other illuminatory abominations here………

Of course we do have two other non working sets of lights, but;

1. can we find the spare bulbs we have somewhere?

2. among the innumerable bublbs in the shops can I find just the right variety of fitting/voltage/wattage?

Twinkle, sparkle, twinkle, sparkle……..

10 Comments

Posted in General