The Ultimate Hard and Fast debt clearing mission

poddle911

wendz86 wrote: »

I expect the kitchen floor will need doing again in a couple of hours as Poppy likes to throw her food round the room haha.

Lol, Poppy sounds like fun Wendz you sound like such a natural mum - taking everything in your stride! Glad the dentist was ok.

Dinah! Splashing out on a trip to Venice for your mum is neither hard nor fast! But SUPER lovely mums are the best, aren't they?

Birdie, the croquembouche was a disaster! It may have been a little ambitious :rotfl:The recipe (which I'm not totally blaming btw!) said pipe golf ball-sized blobs to get 25 choux buns - we got 11. So we made another double quantity, piped them smaller, remembered to sprinkle water on the tray to make them rise - and boy, did they rise! So we ended up with about 40 giant, misshapen buns, piped in the chocolate creme patissiere. Oh, and apparently I can't make caramel - I just managed to crystallize two pans full of sugar You get the picture...

Fortunately the ingredients aren't too expensive. I'm going to try once a month until I can bloody do it!

Dinah93

I was going to do one of those for Christmas Poddle - you're making me really glad I scaled back my ambitions!

Dinah93

Dinah93 wrote: »

Posting my to do lists for today to try to get myself feeling a bit more organised.

Today's to do list
Write engagement/[STRIKE]new house[/STRIKE]/[STRIKE]godmother cards[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]wrap amazon parcels[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Reply to friends email[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]arrange courier for maternity stuff and shower[/STRIKE]
Tidy lounge
[STRIKE]soak fruit for cake[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]tidy kitchen
[/STRIKE][STRIKE]clean kitchen tops
[/STRIKE]Put up spare decorations
Tidy conservatory
lay out to dry/pack away all pre-bump clothes
Find mums photo
[STRIKE]put 3 loads through the washer[/STRIKE]
5 vine reviews [COLOR="rgb(0, 100, 0)"]Three done[/COLOR]
[STRIKE][COLOR="rgb(0, 100, 0)"]Tidy bedroom[/COLOR][/STRIKE]

NIM tonight
Put up conservatory lights They didn't work
[STRIKE]Attach doors to cupboard [/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Clear hall[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Print courier, HoF[/STRIKE] and mothercare pick up slips
Scrub all floors + shower tray [COLOR="rgb(0, 100, 0)"]Kitchen, bathroom and hall done, conservatory and shower tray to do[/COLOR]
Finish payday loan report
Hoover conservatory chairs

Night night x

Birdie85

Ah Poddle, sounds like you had a laugh even if it was a disaster! Would love to see pics once you've mastered it! They make it look so easy on the Great British Bake Off!!!

I made chocolate covered toffee pretzels last night, messy! Got some pretzel stars, popped them on a baking tray and popped a Rolo on each one, put in the oven till the Rolo went squishy then sandwiched another pretzel on top (lining up the star points). Covered the whole lot in chocolate. They look very effective even if they turn out to be not-very-nice, I've put them into jars to give as gifts! I also made some festive spiced mixed nuts from Nigella's Christmas book and wowzers they're so nice I could have eaten the whole pan full! Put some of those in a jar too for my Dad, the rest are for me to nibble on! :drool:

Just got a very excited picture text from my friend, a naked picture of the McFly boys (minus Harry)... bless her. She'd be bored of naked men if she had to live with my OH; the words, 'Oh for crying out loud put it away' are said far too often! :rotfl:

Dinah93

In he interest of quality control I demand you try a chocolate-toffee pretzel, they sound yum.

Birdie85

I had one before the covered in chocolate phase as I managed to break it when I was taking it off the baking tray (honest, it was a mistake!) and it was a bit yum, might have to 'help' OH eat his jar I've still got 2 packs of Rolos and 2 bars of chocolate left so I could always make another batch tonight for me...;)

Oooh and I've been making little chocolate rounds. They were supposed to be chocolate slabs but I couldn't find a cheap enough square silicone cake tin to use as a mould so I improvised and dug out a silicone muffin tray to make mini versions! I've got them with Smarties on top, Minstrels on top, crushed up candy cane mixed in, milk chocolate with a white chocolate button 'core', and one last night with a milk chocolate outside and white chocolate inside (still in the mould so I don't know if that one worked!). Not too sure how to present them though, they're just wrapped up in clingfilm right now!

N.I.M

Dinah93 wrote: »

Night night x

In my defence I did end up with the bristles horizontal on the brush rather than vertical.

Dinah93

I didn't ever imply you needed a defence, you worked hard.

N.I.M

Dinah93 wrote: »

I didn't ever imply you needed a defence, you worked hard.

Was more going for the "I use it once and now its no longer a brush comedy bit"

To be fair I did have the worlds second greatest DJ providing me with working music.

Dinah93

You had me confused there, I was thinking 'Johnny Cash wasn't a DJ'

Mum just called and she's taking me for lunch, part of me is panicking about the 'wasted' time as I'm so stressed I won't get everything done in time for Christmas last night I had nightmares I was made to cook Christmas dinner in the attic, I didn't have enough potatoes for the Irish, and my mum kept coming up and telling me it wasn't looking as good as usual!