My Mortgage Free Mountain - A 7 year expedition to climb to the top

Baileys_Babe

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

It was very windy here overnight as well, sorry to hear it contributed to your rubbish night's sleep.

If you are able focus your energy on your crafting and try and get as many of your orders completed.

Before booking his hair cut did your son discuss with you times which would suit you or not need you to give home a lift?

Sorry to hear you have the bad weather too.
My plan is to certainly try and concentrate on making things to help keep my mind busy and hopefully save me slipping into sadness again.
Miracles did happen this time as son did talk to me about his haircut before booking it so maybe he has turned a corner? Now just to train the daughter and hubby up and I will have cracked it   

Well a miracle might just happen 🤣🤣🤣

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

It was very windy here overnight as well, sorry to hear it contributed to your rubbish night's sleep.

If you are able focus your energy on your crafting and try and get as many of your orders completed.

Before booking his hair cut did your son discuss with you times which would suit you or not need you to give home a lift?

Sorry to hear you have the bad weather too.
My plan is to certainly try and concentrate on making things to help keep my mind busy and hopefully save me slipping into sadness again.
Miracles did happen this time as son did talk to me about his haircut before booking it so maybe he has turned a corner? Now just to train the daughter and hubby up and I will have cracked it   

Well a miracle might just happen 🤣🤣🤣

I shall ask Santa but that might even be above his paygrade       

LadyWithAPlan

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

Well a miracle might just happen 🤣🤣🤣

I shall ask Santa but that might even be above his paygrade       

Have some faith! 

On the airfryer - I have a halogen  oven instead (for over a decade) and the tech is v similar and it does amazing roast crisp chicken and pork joint  in a quicker time so worth trying to cook a roast in there. Add the potatoes in at the end.
How was the toad in the hole?

I also have a clever chef 6 in 1 inc a  pressure cooker  which has changed my life especially for speed of soups and the saute function is amazing on it.

craftingmad

LadyWithAPlan said:

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

Well a miracle might just happen 🤣🤣🤣

I shall ask Santa but that might even be above his paygrade       

Have some faith! 

On the airfryer - I have a halogen  oven instead (for over a decade) and the tech is v similar and it does amazing roast crisp chicken and pork joint  in a quicker time so worth trying to cook a roast in there. Add the potatoes in at the end.
How was the toad in the hole?

I also have a clever chef 6 in 1 inc a  pressure cooker  which has changed my life especially for speed of soups and the saute function is amazing on it.

Thank you. I shall persevere until I love it. 
I actually have a halogen oven too which I very rarely use so maybe I need to get that off the top of the kitchen cupboards and use that too. Any recipes for either would be gratefully received. 

craftingmad

Morning all.

My car has had the engine management light come back on and has hardly any power at all so that is now off the road until our car mechanic neighbour can fix it (estimated to be the second week in January). Luckily I can use our daughters little car which I am sure might be more fuel efficient than mine but do now have a problem as I have to collect mum and dad for Christmas (they both turn 80 next year) and there is no way they will be able to get in and out of a small Toyota Aygo yet alone fit all their luggage into it as well. Hubby's midlife crisis car is a sporty number so there is no way they are getting down into those seats either so that only leaves the van (which will be far too high for them to get into) and father in laws car which the insurance runs out on today. Looks like we will need to pay for another months of insurance for it which will be another £150 odd quid but hey ho hopefully we can then get it sold in that time too. I'm beginning to think we will never get our £5k back and it will just keep costing us even more  

In good news though I did finally manage to finish reading a library book which I have pretty much had all this year so that feels good and I', really going to try hard t make time to read a little everyday as I forgot how much I love it. 

I've currently got no orders (which is pretty much unheard of at this time of year) and I'm not in the chippy until Friday so I am planning to use this time to get the two bedrooms sorted out ready for our daughter and parents arriving for Christmas. I will also need to do the last Christmas gift shopping before son breaks up on Friday. Np pressure then

So it's a shorter list from me today but most things on my list will take hours so here we go.

Today I WILL:-

1. Write remaining social media posts for December and schedule
2. Promote business in three different places - DONE posted in two different FB groups and also on Nextdoor
3. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get some new orders - commented on three so far
4. Make plantable shapes stock for farm shop and deliver
5. Raise invoice for farmshop for plantable heart packs sold 
6. Sort out holiday countdown calendar xmas present for boss (either order or start making) - came across a frame where the glass has broken but think it would make a great holiday countdown calendar so am thinking hpw to turn it into a decent present  
7. Play on Mistplay (aiming to cash out a £25 voucher next month) - 12 points so far
8. Take a survey on Prime Opinion 
9. List car on Autotrader as having no luck with FB
10. Sort out upstairs spare bedroom
11. Sort out downstairs bedroom - made a start filled a big bag full of rubbish and found lots of my towels I have been looking for for ages under a pile of daughters things. Now in the washing machine ready to dry and put away where they belong!!!
12. No heating on other than the times it is set for - DONE I'm actually quite warm today so no chance of heating going until tonight  
13. List an item on FB Marketplace - DONE two items listed on FB - set of next ties for £15 and elfs story DVD for £2 Fingers crossed they sell quickly and I get them out of the house getting a little bit of cash to also put in the pot  
14. Check to see if money received in bank account for stickers order - still not received  
15. Download more free courses ready to take in 2024 - DONE 12 more courses downloaded
16. Brainstorm ideas to help my MF journey in 2024 - DONE got a long lists of things I can do to help me become MF asap  
17. NSD - DONE  

Looking at it now that does not seem like a very short list!!! Lets see how much I can achieve.

Baileys_Babe

I can't believe it is Christmas day in less than a fortnight. I don't feel anyway near prepared and we are so busy for the next fortnight. I need to schedule when the tidying, cleaning, Christmas decorations, shopping, and present wrapping are going to happen.

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

I can't believe it is Christmas day in less than a fortnight. I don't feel anyway near prepared and we are so busy for the next fortnight. I need to schedule when the tidying, cleaning, Christmas decorations, shopping, and present wrapping are going to happen.

Me either. I am not prepared at all and still have to do pretty everything for it. 
I'm not even feeling Christmassy at all  

Good luck x

craftingmad

Morning all.

Bad news on hubby's new car front - an engine warning light has come on. He has a testing machine now and it is saying that the cam shaft is slow to respond. I've told him to phone the garage he bought it from and get it looked at and repaired while it is still under warranty but he didn't seem that keen. Honestly I could throttle him sometimes!!!! How can a man who can mend helicopters not realise a car has a problem when he buys them!!! 
At this rate he will just have to have my Father In Laws and like it!!!! 

I managed to read two chapters of a new library book last night before bed so my early New Year's resolution is going well so far 

I've nothing exciting planned today - more tidying ready for our Christmas guests and I might even try and get some wrapping done too. I've more washing to do as well but the house already looks like a Chinese laundry so I may have to hold off until this first lot is dry and I have somewhere to hang it all!!!   
Hubby did buy a turkey crown last night along with a joint of beef and gammon so I feel a little more prepared now. Christmas is not Christmas without turkey  

So today's list looks like this. I WILL:-

1. Write remaining social media posts for December and schedule - posts written now just to schedule
2. Promote business in three different places
3. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get some new orders - commented on 4 so far  
4. Make plantable shapes stock for farm shop and deliver
5. Raise invoice for farmshop for plantable heart packs sold 
6. Raise invoice for Christmas envelopes for a customer - DONE fingers crossed another little £4.20 order will be received. At the minute I'll take anything  
7. Start making holiday countdown calendar xmas present for boss and then decide if I need to order something instead  
8. Chase hubby re contacting garage - DONE but I'm not holding my breath he will!!
9. Play on Mistplay (aiming to cash out a £25 voucher next month) - DONE 111 points today 
10. Wait in for person to collect DVD from FB Marketplace - didn't turn up and now ignoring me on messenger so guess she no longer wants it I cannot believe how sad I get when I lose a £2 sale!!!
11. Take a survey on Prime Opinion - DONE 122 points from two surveys
12. Try and claim online for two parcels which have gone missing to my customers - DONE claims raised  
13. List car on Autotrader as having no luck with FB
14. Sort out upstairs spare bedroom
15. Sort out downstairs bedroom 
16. No heating on other than the times it is set for - DONE
17. List another item on FB Marketplace
18. Check to see if money received in bank account for stickers order - DONE still not there so I have reminded my customer  
19. Download more free courses ready to take in 2024 - DONE  
20. Read MSE weekly newsletter - DONE bookmarked the Amazon finder for cheap items - always handy when I need something inexpensive  
21. NSD - DONE although I did get hubby to stop off for milk on his way home but I didn't spend anything  

Baileys_Babe

Your hubby needs to contact the garage about the car. Is he able to communicate why he is so reluctant? I know when my OH gets like this he isn't able to explain it. Would you be willing to talk to the garage on his behalf? Would he be open to returning the car for a refund?

LadyWithAPlan

craftingmad said:

LadyWithAPlan said:......

Thank you. I shall persevere until I love it. 
I actually have a halogen oven too which I very rarely use so maybe I need to get that off the top of the kitchen cupboards and use that too. Any recipes for either would be gratefully received. 

On the halogen  with an uncooked chicken - I  stuff  the breasts  with lemon quadrants and garlic pieces  under the skin and then roast the chicken upside down at 230 for 20 mins. (Using the extra high collar to get the halogen higher up so no fat can splash back). I then flip the chicken over so it starts cooking right side up - add herbs, salt pepper and some oil and then roast at 200 for another 35-40 mins - often adding a sweet potato or large onion to roast along side..
I then check chicken but it is generally ready to rest then for 5 min then serve. So it quicks much quicker and moister than in an oven.  If it needs more time then just cook in 5 min surges.
You dont need to cook upside down first for a while but it ensures the fat goes to the breast following gravity and held in by the skin so it does seem more moist to me.

On halogen for a pork crackling joint  also I pre heat it to 230 and having rubbed salt into the skin (and sometimes a bit of balsamic)  i then blast the top for 10 mins then turn down to 200, I often end up turning the joint all 4 sides over. I tried this with some rose harissa paste rubbed in everywhere but the crackling skin side  the other day it was wonderful - again you can roast potatoes in there alongside.

I dont have an airfryer so ..