One step closer to being a Stay at Home Mummy............................................................................
I leave work on March 30th!

I like to watch all of the Cookery programmes on TV. I don't always feel compelled to immediately jump off my sofa and start rattling the pans but I like to make a mental note of things I would like to try whenever I get a minute.

I was watching "The fabulous Baker Brothers" on Channel 4 the other week and they made a Ploughmans Pasty which I thought sounded really yummy, a mental note was made and then nothing further. Well today, a month later, I found myself with a few minutes free and when I searched here I discovered that I actually had most of the the ingredients. I used:

• 400g potatoes
• 150g pickled onions
• 200g mature cheddar, grated
• 100g chutney
• Good pinch of sea salt
• 1 beaten egg

I cheated and used shop bought Pastry rather than make it from scratch, I am sure its easy enough to do but really lifes too short!

1. Scrub, peel and boil the potatoes. Drain, cool then chop into medium sized chunks.

2. Slice and fry the pickled onions in a bit of butter and olive oil until soft and brown. Season with some salt and pepper.

3. Mix the potatoes, pickled onions, cheese, chutney, together in a bowl. Add the big pinch of sea salt and a generous grinding of pepper.

4. When you're ready to cook the pies, preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Divide the Pastry into 6 and roll each piece out to the thickness of a pound coin.
   

5. Place 220g of the filling on the nearest half of each round and fold into semi-circle to encase the filling. Leave the underside with an overhang, then brush the edge with water and fold the overhang over to make a tight seal. Crimp the edges of the fold with fingertips.

6. Place the pies on a baking sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle some more smoked sea salt on top. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.

They have a book to accompany the series, I foresee it accidently falling into my cart on Amazon ;-)

Still Alive!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick little post to update you and to let you know I am in fact still alive!

My flat finally sold, it was such a relief to stop paying 2 mortgages! I had a little money back once the Solicitors and Estate Agents had taken the Lion share and I am trying to use it as wisely as possible. Chunks have been paid off of 2 of my credit cards, the car is now taxed for a full year, little holiday to Norfolk is paid for and some is retained for cars MOT in April and also other general Emergency.

My poor Nan has been in the wars as tripped over whilst trying to put her recycling boxes out and broke her arm. Today she had to have an Op to wire it together and Thankfully is now home recovering, she is a tough old bird for 86!

Not much other news in truth, still travelling, still being made redundant in May, still trying to remain a stay at Home Mummy once I do leave!

Will be back soon, hopefully with some nice news to share with you ;-)

TTFN x x

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh whats that noise I hear?

The sound I am currently hearing is an unusual one, one that does not often occur in our house. Some find the sound scary and unerving, some find peace and solitude in it, Parents tend to doubt it is a sound that actually exists whereas others hear to much of it.

It is of course SILENCE!

Chris has taken Aidan to his Mums for the Day and we had heavy snow in the night so no cars are passing by the front door. Once they had left I looked around at the mess in the Living Room, the mess I really should be tidying up, and decided it could wait. I don't often have the house to myself so I am relaxing with a nice hot coffee, catching up with some lovely Blogs on here and looking out to my snowy garden.

I am quite, quite sure that by the end of the day I will be craving noise again and will be glad when Aidan bounds back through the door but, for the moment, I am just going to sit and enjoy!

Hi everyone,

Sorry not been on much as Ive been having the time from hell.

Car failed MOT, other car has 2 slow leaks and needs 2 new tyres, I chipped bathroom sink with a perfume bottle, solicitors insisting I pay £75 for a boiler service before they will complete on flat, ran out of gas credit so cold showers and no heat until Chris gets paid Tues, he found out he didnt get a job he wanted, toilet cistern broke and was overflowing inside and outside house...............and thats all in the last 72 hours!!!

If anyone needs me I will be drowing myself in a bucket of wine!

I hope your weekend has been better x x

Flat Stanley Project

Back in May I told you about a Flat Stanley Project that we were starting where we had made Flat versions of ourselves and they were going to go travelling around the world.
The project is still ongoing but I thought today I would share with you some photos of some of the visitors we have had so far!

I can't wait to see what adventures Flat Vicky and Flat Aidan have had!

Value Baby Wipes, is there anything they can't do?

My Name is Vicky and I am addicted to Baby Wipes!

There, I've said it.

I LOVE baby wipes, I only ever use a value brand, normally Morrisons Savers, and they cost me the princely sum of 48p for 80 wipes yet they have so many uses. Now I know if I was being money saving I would use a reusable cloth but sometimes you just need the convenience and hygiene of disposable.

Here is just a few of the things I use them for:

• Cleaning Aidan up whilst travelling or after a snack
• Taking my Make up off at the end of a day
• Cleaning up in the car, I grab a wipe and dust the dashboard and gear stick whilst I wait for Chris to finish work or whilst stuck in traffic
• Cleaning the Laminate flooring
• Removing colouring pencil scribbles off of the floors and cupboards
• Generally dusting the Living room
• Cooling down when hot and sticky in summer
• Giving a nice shine to shoes
• Wiping over the Bathroom, sink and loo. For extra hygiene you can pop a bit of Disinfectant on them.
• Removing anything sticky from anywhere! Wipe, scrunch and throw away!
• Wiping down your laptop to remove sticky fingers
• Getting rid of grubby finger prints from light switches and sockets
• Removing cat fur from sofas, rugs and clothes
• Wiping Cats wet paws when they come in from outside to prevent a trail of paw prints
• Cleaning bin lids, again you can pop some disinfectant on them too and then chuck away
• Clearing up spills, especially things like coffee granules
• Wiping the handrail on the stairs, doesnt make it slippy or dangerous and god only knows what germs lurk on there.
• Giving a public loo seat a quick once over before use

And thats just a few!
Now do you see why I always have a pack on me?