'supporting each other through really tough times'

7_week_wonder

Oh and I forgot to say: I have the opposite reaction to stress. My natural reaction is to start tidying up and hoovering (I think my brain decides that if I can't control the stressful stuff I will try and control something else).

I think my OH was very disappointed when I was writing my PhD thesis. He knows this cleaning reaction to stress and was hoping for an immaculate house during the time I was writing! The only notable incident was when he came home and every surface in the kitchen was covered in gingerbreadmen, cos I'd decided making gingerbread was far more important that sorting out some painful graphs for my work:o

nuttyp

hi everyone, finally a day off from nearly everything. We have snow, fine little flakes dropping from the sky.

Have been into town with both my girls, was nice just to walk chat n dream shop. No of us had much money, so we only had tea and toast while out. While i was gone, posty tried to deliver a parcel. So on my return i drive to the next town with red card, they then ask for ID. Thing is you would need to be inside my house to get the card..... So i produce driving license with nasty photo on. He then said it wont be in till 530pm. They close at 5pm. GGGRRRRR. So tomorrow they will try to deliver sometime. Please can my old posty return, he always dropped it at my mums up the road, was so helpful.

I had the huge bill for my car today, it had to have new tyres as they were borderline - the fine far outways the cost and the insurance for the car is invalid if they are gary baldies. So im super slint and payday is not for 2 weeks.

I returned home today and nextdoor have decided they are moving their drive gates. So when they repossition them they will be driving over part of our drive to get on theirs. IYGWIM. Im so angry as this means we wont be able to use all our drive, and in the future i can see arguments starting. Think i will have to pursuede OH to get some hedge plants and do the whole side. Then put a big post in the corner. I just want to live a simple life, no hastle. Now i know why i try not to talk to any of the neighbours, then they cant try and take advantage.

UNIXGIRL, congratulations on the job. Hopefully the year will be kinder to you.

Hope everyone else is safe and well. Must try and catch up asap - so much to read..

westcoastscot

Katieowl so sorry to hear about your problems, but thanks so much for the red dragon pie - i've been looking for meat-free recipes that are hearty enough for my fisherman son and that looks like it will be great! We're dairy and egg free here so it can be a challenge! We do have lentil pie one day, which we love, and roasted veggies with pasta another, although my fisherman needs some meat with that to make it filling enough.
Don't know the takeaway secret book but shall have a look, we don't eat takeaway because of food allergies, but I may be able to adapt the recipes for some of the stuff he would like to try.
The horsemeat business has really worried me - not so much because of the horsemeat but because of the mis-labelling - makes me doubly paranoid about dairy/eggs being in stuff and not labelled correctly!
WCS
ps great news on the job unixgirl

Hobsons_Choice

For anyone having relationship/past relationship problems take a look at the report about the couple in Derby who tried to burn their house down to get back at the bloke's mistress and get a bigger house with child benefits to spend on cannabis.
My god .. they're up there with Fred and Rosemary West, un-bloody-believable!

fuddle

Aw congratulations unixgirluk!!! Really fab news, well done!

The grocery prices are worrying me too. £15 per week extra without changing my shopping practice. £60 per month extra is just too much. Again I will be chafing the menu plan to more war time focused meals. Jacket potato cheese and beans will become a Saturday night tea again, still with a roast in Sunday but looking at a cheaper alternative to meat, maybe nut roast or meatloaf?

Quick q: I have chicken carcus and bendy veg in the pan making a stock. When I've made the stock then what? Is that to be tipped straight in a pan and used wholly as soup liquid or do I portion it out and water it down? Does HM chicken stock freeze? Thank you

Pooky

Unix - congrats!!!

katieowl - huge hugs, I've been there too, I eventually found the courage to ask him to leave and I never looked back. It wasn't easy, 2 little ones under 5, no income and no idea how we'd cope....but we did. X

kate1974

7_week_wonder wrote: »

Oh and I forgot to say: I have the opposite reaction to stress. My natural reaction is to start tidying up and hoovering (I think my brain decides that if I can't control the stressful stuff I will try and control something else).

I think my OH was very disappointed when I was writing my PhD thesis. He knows this cleaning reaction to stress and was hoping for an immaculate house during the time I was writing! The only notable incident was when he came home and every surface in the kitchen was covered in gingerbreadmen, cos I'd decided making gingerbread was far more important that sorting out some painful graphs for my work:o

I can understand it-when I'm doing my ACA exams tidying bookshelves suddenly seems very important to me!

VJsmum

katieowl wrote: »

You really *HAVE* to have red dragon pie

It's basically a shepherds pie made with Aduki beans, carrots, onions, garlic, passata, thyme, soy sauce, and salt/pepper. Topped with mash, it's really savoury, filling, vegetarian and pretty cheap. It's one of my best sellers in the market. Aduki beans are the little red ones, about the same size as mung beans. I use vegan marge and no milk in the mash, because I keep it GF/Vegan, but some normal mash, and a bit of cheese on top before you bake it makes for a super tasty dinner :j

You do have to soak the beans overnight, and then simmer until they are soft (less than an hour), before proceeding as if they were the 'meat' in a shepherds pie, but a 500g packet makes me about 8-10 meals for one (you know in the little foil trays...) so you could either make the whole lot and freeze it, or just use half the beans and freeze them for another time, I wouldn't bother to just soak and boil half the beans, as it's more fuel efficient to do the whole packet. Sorry if timings are a bit vague, as I do it while I'm doing other stuff and never time it LOL!

Kate

Ooh thanks. I shall try that next week and the kebab from takeaway secret. I shall give the tuna lasagne a miss, though, thanks. I don't "do" hot tuna - mind, DD might like it so maybe I will do her a couple of small portions.

Off for the mums' curry night tonight at the local pub, which is 50 yards up the road. Glass of wine and a curry for £5.25, bargain! I go with a group of mums from when the kids were at primary school - though only one of us now has a child of that age and 2 have them at almost university age. It is something we do about once every 4 - 6 weeks, so hardly out on the razz :rotfl:

mama67

VJsmum wrote: »

When I started back at work after having my eldest, I ended up working 2 days for about £10 per week after paying childminder and petrol. Eventually I got more experience and got a job a bit closer, and the money started to increase. Now DD is 16 and DS 13, haven't had childcare for some time and have experience to command higher salaries. it is a bit like speculating to accumumlate and you gain the experience. Good luck, anyway.



My DS was 9lb 14oz - piece of cake, the big ones get themselves out! The nursing staff were coming in specially to look at the massive baby, when he was a month old I had to have emergency surgery (D&C - long story) and he had to come back in with me so they put me on a maternity ward as it was the only secure ward. Then he was like a celebrity!! A one month old baby is vastly different to a newborn, and a HUGE one month old baby even more so - he barely fitted the cot.

Both of mine were admittedly caesarean, DS1 was 9lb 6oz, and by the time we left hospital he had not only put back on his lost weight but also more. DS2 was 11lb 2oz, and out weighed the delivery room scales!! All the changeover staff kept coming to look at him as well as he was so big.

mama67

katieowl wrote: »

Your not sounding in the least bit fussy to me! I think we should all be a lot more worried about what's in our food. I've just seen on Yahoo mail that one of the suppliers of HM Prisons has been dropped because their 'halal' meat supplied contains traces of 'non halal' meats, this on top of all the horse meat inclusions, I just said to OH "They really don't have a clue what's in food anymore do they?"

I was told about another flour improver, that I meant to come home and look up but I've forgotten what it is, I must ask again next week, and write it down this time. That was the lady at the flour mill that told me about that. I bought some spelt from her to try and see if I could tolerate it better, it's organic and biodynamic, so i thought it might be a good trial, but it's a very 'rough' flour, and a bit too wholemeal for my tummy unfortunately. Yummy though, OH likes it. Been making that by hand though, not in the bread machine.

Kate

Don't know if they still do, but Dove's Farm used to do a white Spelt which was nice to use.