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Watty1

Lovely new dog.  Do a like a sighthound, they make such great pets, gorgeous and not a huge amount of walking unlike WattyDog who seems to need hours and hours and hours!

Jessy103

Watty1 said:

Lovely new dog.  Do a like a sighthound, they make such great pets, gorgeous and not a huge amount of walking unlike WattyDog who seems to need hours and hours and hours!

Thanks @Watty1 they are very low maintenance compared to some dogs! BF had never seen a whippet or greyhound in person before we met and now he goes on about never having another type of dog lol

We have booked to go to our venue and pay the deposit for the wedding on the 19th so looking forward to that. We've booked the registrar and just need to confirm the time we're going to get married and pay for that and that's that sorted. We've been looking at rings, so we've got an idea of cost, so that will be our next purchase. I've found a few dresses that I like, all under £300 which I don't think is too bad, but I'm wondering if I ought to try some charity shops just in case I come across a special bargain. Things are coming together but we've still got plenty of time to get it all sorted. My mum is pleased we are getting married next year as her MS is worsening. I told her not to be so silly and she's just having a bad time at the moment. I have to, because I'm not ready to think about the alternative 😔

The slow cooker is being used more than ever, we had veggie sausage casserole with dumplings on Sunday which was superb. I'm wanting to try a macaroni cheese recipe I've seen soon, but it is a bit naughty! 

SuperSecretSquirrel

Our children love a home made "mac and cheese". What they don't realise is that it's more a veggie pasta bake than mac and cheese, but it's still seen as a "junk food treat" on a friday night 😁

Stick some dry pasta in a casserole dish, cover with boiling water, and leave it to one side to soften a little. Make up a butter and flour roux in a big pan (we use olive spread instead of butter to great effect), stir in the milk, then the cheddar, and add salt, pepper, garlic, and mixed herbs to taste. After about 10 minutes, drain the pasta, then throw plenty of very finely chopped raw broccoli (including peeled and finely chopped stalk, it's the best bit!), carrots, and peas into the casserole dish. Pour on the cheese sauce, give it a good stir, then if you like (and I would recommend it) top with a small sprinkle of lightly dampened sage and onion stuffing mix, then bake in the oven until golden. We usually serve with sausages or crispy bacon and a big "rainbow" side salad.

As far as the bake itself goes, the cheese sauce is naughty, the pasta and optional crumb topping not exactly virtuous, but the rest is all good. We easily get eight or more different vegetables of various colours on the plate when served, and it looks and tastes great.

Edit: Just realised you were planning a slow cooker mac and cheese. Same principle applies though - stuff it full of veggies, serve up a smaller portion with a big side salad, and you have turned a naughty meal into a not so bad one that still feels like a treat 😋

themadvix

Ooh, the sage and onion stuffing mix on top for crunch is a stroke of genius SSS - will have to try that (probably healthier for crunch than croutons, which is my go-to!). Jessy, you can always dilute the milk with water when making it - I get away with 1/3 of the liquid being water and the other two-thirds semi-skimmed - you can't tell the difference!

Jessy103

Thanks SSS & Vix, that all sounds sooooo good! 🙂

newgirly

Hi Jessy, I didn’t realise I’ve not caught up with your diary for ages! You new dog is beautiful, greyhounds are one of my favourite dogs, I am sure she will have the best life you you now 😊 Good luck with the wedding dress hunting, my best friend had a lovely dress from the monsoon sale years ago, it was about £70 I think and was one of the best dresses I’ve seen.I’ve seen some rather interesting choices on some ladies when shopping with dd and dil this year in very expensive shops, money clearly doesn’t equal taste! 

Jessy103

Thanks NG 😃

Well, I've done It, I'm under £45k! £44,975 to be exact after a £600 op. I'm feeling very proud of myself. We get paid early this month so I will make another small overpayment when we do and then even with the interest added on for December, I won't be going back over the £45k mark!! 😀

Next year's target will be to get under £40k and the super target under £35k, which will be very tough with the wedding but we'll see.

We're hoping to get the wedding rings in the January sales, so there will be a little bit saved there. 

Still some Christmas shopping to do, but not feeling very motivated. Must try harder!

South_coast

Excellent work 😀! You're doing so well x

Jessy103

Thanks SC x

I woke up this morning feeling absolutely rotten and coughing a lot. Yep, it's finally my turn for the dreaded covid 😔 At least I'm getting it out the way before our holiday over Christmas. Very annoyed at my boss though. I'm not off work due to illness very much at all, so after telling my boss, getting a message back saying could I at least do some work from home was quite upsetting. And although work is much better and my promotion made me happier and better paid, I do not want to work a moment longer for someone else than I have to! The dream would be to be self employed doing something that I enjoy. I now need to think about what that might look like. 36 years old and still no idea what I want to be when I grow up! 😂

Anyway, plenty of rest for me and I might turn my work laptop on if I can be bothered 🙂

newgirly

Oh dear I hope you feel better soon jessy x