Weekly Flylady Thread 7th December 2009

greenbee

Had a lovely lunch and gossip with froddy (yup, we talked about ALL of you ) who is lookin very well and has a very big smile on her face like this one now she's sorted stuff out at work.

Dustykitten wrote: »

I want a perfect smooth cake - professional like - I was going to get ready rolled icing what do you think? I'm wondering about only doing the top and putting a ribbon around the outside - cheating I know but I'm not sure how to do the covering malarkey!

I haven't used the ready rolled (but its got to be easier than rolling sugarpaste without silicone board/rollingpin etc), so can't be entirely sure. Is your cake round or square?

Think of the marzipan as the practice layer - its also the base, so if you can get that smooth, you are more likely to get the rest smooth. Bear in mind that professional cakes are trimmed so that the tops/sides are flat (you make a 7" cake out of an 8" one). With a fruit cake, a good tip is to turn it upside down as the bottom will be flatter than the top!

Get the marzipan/icing rolled out on a board. Put the cake on a cake board. Roll the icing back over the rolling pin so that you can lift it (so the front of the icing goes back over the rolling pin and the underneath of the icing is on top...). Slide the cake onto your board under where you have lifted the icing up and then (when it is far enough under that the back of the cake will be covered with not too much overlap) gently lower the icing back over the cake.

Check to make sure that the cake is roughly central under the icing, so you havne't got a gap one side and loads of spare the other. Then smooth over the top with the CLEAN palm of your hand (you need clean, dry but warm hands for this). Once the top is flat and firm, if there is excess beyond the edge of the cake board, trim it off (use scissors). You then need to smooth the icing over the sides of the cake (if you aren't doing this, just cut round the top with scissors). Do this by holding the edge of the icing with one hand and smoothing down with the other, being careful not to smooth in any creases. For a round cake, turn the cake slowly and go all the way round, pressing down when you get to the bottom. Then press the bottom edge with the handle of a knife before cutting the excess away.

For a square cake, deal with the corners first, then the sides.

If you're a bit short in some places, you'll find that the icing will stretch if its warm.

Smooth round the top edge using the palm of your hand (the crease between thumb and palm is great for this). If you have any cracks, rub them gently to smooth them over. If they can't be repaired, cut out a nice holly leaf to stick over them!!

If Moam is around, she can probably tell you how to get smooth royal icing.

If you get stuck, let me know - I can always talk you through it on the phone!

I've been to the farm shop, so have veg and a small christmas tree (need to work out how I'm going to get it to stand up though!), and have also filled up with petrol and bought smokeless fuel for the stove.

Need to get a bit more flying done now...

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Right...up this morning, did electronicaly assessed piece of coursework for OU. All questions answered correctly (whoo hoo!).

No sound from DDs by 9am, so played dirty. After 5 minutes of frying bacon lardons with the kitchen door wide open, they soon decided to make their appearance. The pan was rapidly decluttered, as was the bread and butter and two cups of tea.

Sat with cuppa and booked last standard delivery offered in the area with Ocado for next weekend. I'm figuring that if I have forgotten anything, I can amend the order until 2am the day before and it should come. Had I waited to order until I needed it, I would have missed the last slot. So, atm, he will be delivering tons of cat food, litter, toilet rolls, cereal, yoghurts and milk. I shall get the main things over the week - chicken, beef, fish, etc, along with more presents.

Then ordered an organic veggie box for the following Tuesday, which should keep us in veg for about a fortnight.

Checked the new LED light strings I hid in the wardrobe last week. They're rather nice and will hopefully save a little electricity. And no replacing bulbs!

Then marched DDs into local shops, where DD1 got the big frame she is going to make a photomontage of friends and fun days for her boyfriend with. Popped into Aldi and spent £20 on junk food for the month - like they say in the ads, when it's gone, it's gone - but my, oh my, Disco Biscuits are yummy!

Sky turned a funny colour and it looked as though it were about to snow - but the smell wasn't quite there IYKWIM. Ushered DDs under the canopy of the garden centre just as great big freezing globs of rain started falling. Bloke who owns it threatened to charge us a pound each for using the shelter, so I suggested he knocked it off the price of the tree. Being cheeky really helps sometimes - he grinned and said 'Free delivery if I can get the car started?'. So DD2 got to choose the tree for the first time and it should come tonight after he closes.

Tree will spend night outside having a nice long drink before coming in tomorrow or Monday, depending on how long it takes the branches to drop down so we can decorate it.

Junk for lunch today and pizza & wedges tonight. So messing around on this as they watch a bit of junk TV and then I'll probably do a bit of swish swipe n bleach as there are two cats melding into one amorphous fuzzy blob on the sofa and I would feel guilty if I got the vacuum cleaner out again.

In any case, my hands are freezing so I'm finding it hard to type accurately. About time I got off my bum and did something.

Lady-Liberty

Hi

Just popping in to say hello.....I'm OK....just a bit busy......didn't want anyone worrying about me

Love to All xx

hollyh

Afternoon all,

We had a lovely time seeing Santa, there was a Punch & Judy show there as well so that was fun. I'm freezing though and haven't been able to warm up since i got in. I've got to go back out to OH's soon as well as he's cooking us Tea. Ds1 got out of seeing Santa, he went to his Grans instead to see his Dad. ( who answered the door in his pants:eek: )

kazmeister

Finances all sorted and accounts reconciled.

Started the order process for big bro's xmas pressie. He wanted socks (which I have bought) and I said he had to have more than that so he said a Lamborghini :rotfl:. Unable to get a toy one so DS suggested a race day and was all set to book one with Tesco deals (long way away and not a Lambo) when found I found they do one closer and in the right car . Problem being I should have done this about a fortnight ago so might not be here in time but at least its ordered and very MSE.

Oh no, got no munchies for X factor final tonight.

Better go and walk doogie down to Mr T to get some.

Oh and no flying done at all

hollyh

I'm decluttering emails i now have 2 instead of 643.

Valli

The best laid plans of mice and Valli gang aft aglay
(or whatever the phrase is...)

DD hasn't gone to her dad's today as she arranged to go Christmas shopping with friend BUT her remaining gerbil, which has got thinner and thinner over the last few weeks was looking decidedly iffy. Popped her on a hot water bottle as she was VERY cold, she started twitching but still laid down and eyes closed (and the twitching was violent for such a tiny creature...)
Daughter sobbed
Off to vets
brilliantly, when I told them I thought she would need to be put down as she was clearly suffering they let me stay (surgery had closed although there were stil people waiting to be seen)
So there I am, knowing the outcome and I STILL broke down when the ver confirmed that she was dying and we could put her out of her suffering...
So by the time I got to town it was HEAVING...
and I forgot the eggs
and now a headlight's gone and it's probably too late to get one tonight..

But worse things happen at sea...

hollyh

Hugs to you and your DD Valli.

Dustykitten

Greenbee - fancy popping in before Christmas, preferably on the day I ice the cake! Cake is 8" circle - thanks for your tips - I wonder if there is a youtube video of somebody doing it as I'm a visual learner.

Tree is in and huge - each your heart out Kirstie! About 3 inches from the ceiling (8') Think I'll leave the decorating until tomorrow as it needs to settle.

Fabric cut, just need to hem it and then we can do the stiffening tomorrow - why am I making a blind so close to Christmas when we have had a bare window for 15 months?

Time to fed the mogs.

Made a lovely (well I think it is) candle display. Old fashioned silver stonewear bowl (from outside) filled with cheap salt, topped with flakes of sea salt and tea lights stood in it - looks like they are in a dish of snow.

ETA - valli - huggles xx

SummerMoon

Kitchen and living room DONE

getting there, bedroom is still a tip so will be doing that tomorrow while DP does the bathroom.
I'm going to chill out and watch TV tonight, while DP is at his works do.