Live on £4000 for a year - part 4 (Oct - Dec 2008)

Skint_Lynne

I don't see why you couldn't shaz unless you are tied into a contract with any of them, I would look into it. There's a phone thread on here somewhere I am sure.

bails

Cheryl, I was so sorry to read about your husband. Heartfelt hugs for you and your boys today and every day. I'm glad you've felt able to come here and keep posting; we're all here for you. Much love xxx

Frugaldom

Good afternoon to all, special wishes to CW and family, I sincerely hope that everything goes the way you planned it.

Bails, welcome back, seems ages since I saw you here.

FrankieM - If you look at post 1, your name is on the challenger list at #86 from when you joined us for this year. I'll just be carrying the same list forward into a new thread for the 2009 challenge. I'll get the new one started towards the end of December so that it starts as close to New Year's Day as possible

We've been over to finish emptying & cleaning the old house - that's everything gone from there, just the keys to hand back this weekend. Got a load of washing done whilst there, so it's hanging out now. It's a beautiful, sunny day here, blue sky, breezy and, hopefully, drying all the towels.

I've managed to get into a bit of a routine with the electricity meter, although it ran a little high trying to heat water and warm the rooms when parents came to visit. In total, we've spent about £53 over the space of a fortnight, so it's about half of what the last house cost but twice as warm here. Hall thermometer was reading 18C, as opposed to the 10C we had before moving! :eek:

Loads still to do but I'm being drawn outdoors into the sunshine. I think I'll go log spotting and play with my electric saw and make the most of the fine weather. If I stick an apple sponge into the mini oven before I go out, that'll do pudding tonight! It's such a handy little oven, especially with the timer built into it. I still have about a dozen tubs of stewed (homegrown) apples in the freezer.

FrankieM

OK nyk..thanks...
I'll wait till the new one before posting budget etc, shall I?

sophiesmum_2

whitewing wrote: »

cw, very much thinking of you and your boys today. Hope all is peaceful and comforting amongst the sadness.

Have read the posts and hullo to everyone. (Special hullo to Janey; hope that you're still lurking).

I am on a mad declutter frenzy and have a pile to do before DH finishes work at 2.30pm. Then it's off to town for a planned spend And somehow I have to get ingredients for marizipan as I want to make some marzipan treats for advent for DH, and it has just occurred to me that it's December next week. Aaaarrrggghhhh.

sophiesmum (aka guru), do you have a recipe for making marizipan from scratch, please?

SL BTW, my £50 amazon voucher from Qype came through. Thank you so much for telling us about it on here, as I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

Hi whitewing I use this one, it's good for making marzipan fruits etc from.

Ingredients

• 450 g ground almonds
• 225 g caster sugar (fine granulated)
• 225 g powdered sugar (icing sugar!)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks (make some meringues!)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( or use 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp brandy)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Sift the 2 sugars into a bowl.
2. Stir in the eggs and yolks.
3. Place over a pan of nearly boiling water and whisk until thick and fluffy.
4. Remove from heat and sit base in some cold water.
5. Whisk in essence, and lemon juice.
6. Carry on until cool.
7. Stir in ground almonds and knead to form a firm paste.
8. Use as you will.
9. leave for a day or so to firm up.

This is yummy but if you don't have some of the stuff already in your stores it can work out expensive. You can buy blocks of marzipan in asda etc and they work out much cheaper and fine for making marzipan fruits etc. You will find it in baking aisle near cake decorations.
OH loves marzipan -I like to make little oval shapes and dip half in dark choc;) - now you have reminded me I may have to make some as an extra xmas pressie for him.

Skint_Lynne

I'm still amazed that you don't do dentistry, how about adapting this marzipan for my teeth.:D By the way, I got my £50 amazon voucher today, do I get a gold star from one of my teachers? (I will need to ask nyk this as well).

Marru

Hello all!!

Welcome to all newbies! :hello:

Hugs to all of you even if you are not in a desperate need of one, :heartsmil

Loooovely to have you back Bails!! :j

WOOHOO, I won a Curly quiz, another £20 of MnS vouchers on the way to me when they are back in stock. And when I was going through my survey accounts on weekend I found account from where I was able to order £10 Arg0s voucher, this will go towards DD's birthday pressie next year. :T

Need to go as I am in the middle of finding out about [FONT=&quot]oxidative phosphorylation :eek:

Back later,

Marru
[/FONT]

sophiesmum_2

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

I'm still amazed that you don't do dentistry, how about adapting this marzipan for my teeth.:D By the way, I got my £50 amazon voucher today, do I get a gold star from one of my teachers? (I will need to ask nyk this as well).

Good result with the voucher SL no gold stars but you can have one of these :

sophiesmum_2

Marru wrote: »

Hello all!!

Welcome to all newbies! :hello:

Hugs to all of you even if you are not in a desperate need of one, :heartsmil

Loooovely to have you back Bails!! :j

WOOHOO, I won a Curly quiz, another £20 of MnS vouchers on the way to me when they are back in stock. And when I was going through my survey accounts on weekend I found account from where I was able to order £10 Arg0s voucher, this will go towards DD's birthday pressie next year. :T

Need to go as I am in the middle of finding out about [FONT=&quot]oxidative phosphorylation :eek:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Back later,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Marru[/FONT]

and I think marru deserves two with piggy wins and vouchers:T
"oxidative phosphorylation :eek:" mmmm think I will stick with making marzipan:D

Marru

sophiesmum wrote: »

and I think marru deserves two with piggy wins and vouchers:T
"oxidative phosphorylation :eek:" mmmm think I will stick with making marzipan:D

Thank you! I have passed that and now in lipogenesis. Those are things that your liver is doing after you have eaten the marzipan...:rotfl: