Getting a Grip on 2013

Birdie85

Wow, that top looks so cool now! Well done! :T

May I come round for tea?! Sounds super nice, I'll be having something very boring! Although I am half planning to bake tonight so it may be cake for dessert!

Nice that you got to see Mr Tattooman yesterday. I get that about clicking with people, I really like my nail lady and always have such nice chats with her about anything and everything and she always remembers all the little things I tell her even though she must have a hundred ladies life stories to remember... just a shame I have to pay £20 whenever I want to see her!

Cinny91

Another payday, I managed to live another week :j I have £42.90 in my purse for the weekend. The goal is to make this last all week. I've left £30 in my bank account as back up, but I'm hoping after the weekend I'll have a better gauge of what I'll need money wise for the rest of the week and will be able to pop this in the loan over payment savings Put £55 into that this morning too. Phew! So that's at £142.83 now.

Still no update on the ebay situation, agh! I'm still only stewing because my savings should be at £200 but they're not. Maybe it's a big cosmic sign I'm meant to keep it?! OH told me to just put my tax refund into savings as he'll pay for our date night with his matched betting winnings. Fair play!

Birdie85 wrote: »

I really like my nail lady and always have such nice chats with her about anything and everything and she always remembers all the little things I tell her even though she must have a hundred ladies life stories to remember... just a shame I have to pay £20 whenever I want to see her!

I'm starting to think that maybe it's just a really good sales patter. Make us feel special so we go back Still gives me a case of the warm and fuzzies. He told me to pop in whenever for a cuppa, so I don't need to be in bloody pain to see him. Which is nice!

Had a very unproductive afternoon yesterday. Cleaned the oven, and sorted the bedding out so I can change it this afternoon, cooked tea (with yorkshires!) but after that we just laid out on the sofa to watch the Batman movies that are on Sky. I always root for the bad guy which never works out well for me

Did anyone catch Celebrity Big Brother? I had the biggest crush on Screech growing up, it's always weird to see your first celebrity crushes older - but I'm not complaining :cool: Probably the worst nuddie tapes of all time, but he's got a strong beard so it evens out.

Getting a menu together for next weeks teas, printing recipes off and getting a little shopping list together for after work. Oooh, my life is all thrills!

Birdie85

LOL, trust you to have had the crush on Screech rather than Zack or Slater! Only watched the first hour of CBB last night and missed Screech going in! Boo!

I don't doubt that these people have good sales patter to keep us keen... but it works! I couldn't do that!

BTW, I think the fates are saying you should send that bracelet to me...

I'd say a clean oven, sorted bedding and a home cooked dinner equals a pretty productive afternoon! My evenings are just spent practically horizontal at the moment, I'm useless! I did get off my bum to bake a chocolate cake last night and it wasn't a total disaster either, even though it took twice as long to cook as the recipe stated! We're having a bake-off at work next Thursday so I had to practice since my cakes are usually no good!

Cinny91

Birdie85 wrote: »

LOL, trust you to have had the crush on Screech rather than Zack or Slater! Only watched the first hour of CBB last night and missed Screech going in! Boo!

I used to get teased so badly, but there must have been something in the water as all the guys turned out quite lovely! I just liked how nice Screech was compared to the other two who were big headed and annoying. Wasn't a looks thing!

I've said it before but you're baking a human - you get a free pass to have relaxing evenings! I finally made that cookie loaf so I'd say go for that. I used this cookie recipe which makes the cookies all chewy and caramelish. OH is basically more in love with the cookie loaf than he's ever been with me. But chocolate cake sounds so good right now *pats stomach* would murder for a glass of milk and a brownie!

Birdie85

I would do that cookie loaf for the bake-off but we've made a cake only rule this time (last time is was cookies!). We can't even do muffins or cupcakes, it must be a proper 'cut a slice' cake! Will save the recipe and make it after my holiday though. Yummy!

Oooh I've made major headway with OH's party planning, instead of making lightsabre cupcakes I'm going to bake/going to ask a friend to bake/buy a cake and I've ordered a printed icing sheet thingy to stick on the top and it's got all the Star Wars people on and says 'Happy 30th Birthday Mr Birdie!' so he'll be impressed with that! Also ordering a load of balloons from the cheapy card shop in town, can get a helium balloon 'bouquet' for about £7 which seems pretty good value to me and makes it look like I've put loads more effort in than normal.

Cinny91

There's so much butter in them, they're bound to be nice! My favourite cake to make is my Grandma's chocolate cake. Two layers of chocolate sponge sandwiched together by condensed milk fudge and topped with melted cadbury chocolate :drool:

You could have gone to the make your own cake station in Mr A, where you can put your own photo on the top! Balloons sound like a cunning plan though, £7 is decent too. Plus you can play with the helium afterwards.. or would that give the baby a really high pitched voice?!

Meal plan done and lists made, a good mix of OH's favourite chinese meals and the south american food that will be the death of me. Aiming to get everything for under £30 this week :eek: We'll see!

Birdie85

If I could have ensured that I could get to Mr A on Party Day I'd have done it but we don't have a local one and I think I'd have just gotten really stressed out trying to pick it up on top of everything else! As it is I've got a 90 minute window to decorate since I have to go down to watch the rugby in the afternoon as OH's friend is visiting with his girlfriend so I have to keep her company (and explain the rules) whilst the boys play. Organisation will be key I feel! I did order some personalised confetti though, that arrived today but OH was there so didn't want to open the box for a peek, hope it looks good!

Your Grandma's cake sounds lush! I decided for the bake off to use the same recipe that I used last night (from the Carnation site) but to make it into a sandwich cake, never thought about putting fudge in the middle! Mmmm, will have to figure out how to do that!

Hmmm, I don't think I'd dare to suck the helium out of the balloons now just on the off chance it makes my baby sound like a chipmunk! :eek:

alioops78

Argh all the talk about really nice sounding food, I might have to boycott the thread if it continues as I can feel the pounds coming back on just reading about the yumminess :rotfl:.

Birdie - can the girlfriend not help you set up for the party instead? It would definitely give you a less stressful time and better to be relaxed when, as Cinny says, baking a human.

Cinny - glad that you popped in to see Mr Tattooman, pity you can't pick up some extra work with him and get paid in tattoo's.

Loving the Dr Who remake too, can't wait to see the other creations you come up with.

I actually won a bundle of baby clothes from Mr A's and so everything that we have baby wise is going into an old suitcase including comfortable clothes that are too big for me now (:T).

Hope you enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

Cinny91

Sorry, Ali! If it helps I have a wholemeal wrap that's hummus, carrot, avocado and salad for my dinner at work tomorrow

I'd share the fudge recipe but it differs a little from the norm and is considered a family recipe - my Nan's cake senses would tingle, and her technophobia vanish as she hunt me down!

Wound up at the cinema yesterday like I hoped, we saw We're the Millers which was just as I expected it to be - no ragrets I felt like a grumpy old woman though, spent ages complaining that afternoon tickets were £9 each, regardless of the fact we went to a morning showing for £6 each :rotfl: But that is insane, right? I went back on my diary when I last complained about cinema prices and tickets were £8.60 at the start of the year. I mean, 40p isn't much but it really is the difference between a family on a tight budget being able to afford for everyone to go to the cinema - or just one parent. We did have a cheeky starbucks too, I had a peppermint mocha because I'm pretending it's Christmas

Was a little spoilt when I popped out on Saturday with my Mum. Alongside buying me some things from the G21 Autumn/Winter range (what can I say? I'm a designer girl ) I also got a pretty neat OWL MUG. It actually holds all of the coffee. Seriously, all of it.

Updated my signature as I put a little more into the overpayment savings. Pretty impressed with my little self as I've put £274.57 together over the past 10 days :beer: thar'll do, pig.

Had a lovely weekend, but I'm looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow Have the world to crack on with, and I'm in the office on my own so I have plenty of time to get some things organised! Hope everyone else had a nice weekend too.

Birdie85

Glad you had a nice weekend. We went out with OH's parents on Saturday, my Mum on Sunday then went for a picnic with my whole clan yesterday, it was exhausting having to be lovely for 3 whole days! Was good though, both lots of parents made big baby purchases for us and was great to spend some time with Jakey yesterday when he wasn't being a grumpy bum, got some smiles and giggles and cuddles out of him for once!

I went to see We're the Millers on Friday with my friend. I was appalled at the cost of the ticket too, they put this advert on at the Odeon about how piracy is killing the cinema but it's not, it's the bloody prices they charge! I used to go every week, now it's about once a month if that and we only see films we're reallllly excited about! Friday was an exception as I was with my friend and she used to be my cinema buddy (before moving away ) so we *had* to watch a movie for old time's sake.

More baking to be done tonight, OH has asked me to make a cake for him to take into work so I'm using it as an excuse for another practice cake. I'd better win with all the effort I'm putting in! Oh and I understand about not being able to share secret recipes, I've got my own secrets that I don't divulge!