At a loss - modern technology!

How did we all survive before the internet and even more so pre-broadband?  Our connection went down on Friday.  We finally managed to get it reconnected last night!  My poor husband is trying to run a business from home which is internet dependant.  So much is done online these days that I too have been at a bit of a loss.  I couldn't book in for spinning at the FitnessMix, check my Weight Watchers pro points or most importantly ensure that I had transferred enough money into my bank account to cover the bills.

Whilst I am on the point about technology I really considered all of my options when choosing my new phone.  After much deliberation I finally opted with the HTC desire as it seemed like the best option for the money.  However just lately I have become very jealous of iphone users and wish I had shelled out the extra money.  Whilst I think the android app market has improved it is seriously inferior to the iphone.  What brings me to this conclusion is that there are several apps I would like to download but they are all only accessible on the i-phone.

Instagram allows you to take photos with filters on
your phone and then share them online

I would really like to use instagram (just think how good this would be linked to my blog), the weight watchers app and the Annabel Karmel app but unfortunately I can't and I am feeling increasingly frustrated.  According to the online forums instagram is coming to the android SOON!!   I think that Weight Watchers could make far more use of their website and apps and I am surprised that they have not created an app which lets you scan the bar-code of a product in the supermarket which tells you the pro points value.  I have emailed them to complain and they said that they have a team working on it!  However I have now been waiting a year!

Modern technology aside life in our house has been fairly busy.  Saturday I had a morning on my own - it was amazing and I had totally forgotten what that feeling of "me" time felt like.  I went to have my hair done at The Chair then on to meet K for coffee.  I truly believe that my hair has never looked so good since I have been going to The Chair.  Over the years I have struggled to get a good haircut as my hair is so curly but Katie is just amazing.  I would highly recommend having your hair done at The Chair.  Sunday we had a two back to back birthday parties.  Good job I went shopping in the Christmas sales and stocked up on a heap of birthday presents.

Mimi is becoming fairly independent and will only wear what she wants to.  It is becoming a little stressful and I may have to start hiding some of her favourite outfits.  Not because I want to be mean but because they just don't fit any more and its a bit too chilly to be wandering around with leggings up to her knees.

I just found her neatly lining up her shoes with Mr Doggy on the naughty mat.  I asked why he was on the mat and apparently he had touched the orange shoes hence why they are not paired up!

We made some gorgeous birthday cakes for my Mum.  Mimi had as usual a lovely time baking and I think even more fun eating the end results!!  I asked her last night what she would like to do today and she said "make something".  I suggested a cardboard monster but that idea was dismissed.  "No mummy I want to make a big cake with pink icing."

Birthday Cupcakes!  Yum Yum. Goodbye Diet!

So we have made scrummy brownies from Fay Ripleys book (no wonder it is taking me so long to loose some weight!) and done some painting.  No pink icing but someone had fun!!

How messy?!?  I think that there is more on her face than in her mouth!

Different types of markings using a comb in paint.

Rain Rain Go Away!

With the end of the summer holidays nearing the end there is a definite chill to the air.  I would prefer not to have been woken up this early but when I got up at 6.30 this morning it was only 12 degrees outside.

There are lots of positives about being a teacher but I am starting to come to the conclusion that the holidays are too long as I have almost managed to convince myself that I no longer work.  However unfortunately this is not the case and it is now dawning on me that on Tuesday I will have to walk back through the school gates!

The weather has been pretty shocking over the last couple of days.  One minute it is raining cats and dogs and freezing and the next its brilliant sunshine and you are sweltering under your fleece.

This is exactly what happened on Thursday when I took Mimi to Dover.  We went to see if there were any baby joules clothes on sale at De Bradelei Wharf.  Mike had gone the day before and said that there were loads.  However I am not sure what he was looking at because we couldn't find much.  It was all for children about 3 years older than Mimi.

By the time we came out of De Bradelei Wharf it was seriously warm and the sun was shining.  So we decided to go for a walk along the promenade.  Mimi insisted on pushing Mr Doggy in the buggy.  She was really cute, we had to stop every few mins to check that he was ok.

If you look carefully in the photos you can just about see Dover Castle on top of the hill.

It was so bright I could hardly see anything.  When we set off from home it was dull so I hadn't bothered with my sunglasses.

Mimi made a horrible mess with her ice cream and we were chased by a swarm of wasps that were in her hair and sitting on her hands.  A swarm might be a slight exaggeration but there were at least 5 or more.  In the end I had to literally throw her in the buggy and run with her to get away from them.

Then Friday evening my mum came to babysit for Mimi and we went down to see some friends for the most amazing supper.  Slow roasted belly pork.  It was seriously delicious.  When people talk about Belly Pork it always brings back horrid memories of the pork my mum use to do.  But this has made me a convert and I am off to try a belly pork recipe I found in this months Women & Home Feel Good Food.

On Friday I came across pininterest.  I have heard people talking about it on other blogs but I finally got the gist of it on Friday and I have to say I have become quite addicted with it ever since.  I have come across some great people, new blogs and great ideas for both, home and school.   One of the best ideas I have come across in ages is this organisation system.  So simple yet so effective.  I am definitely going to be using this from now on.

Check it out on Jen & Jakes Blog.

After a lovely evening and not too much alcohol we set off early for a trip to Canterbury as I had my hair cut at 8.30am.  I go to this really cute hairdressers called the Chair.  As I have really curly hair in the past I have really struggled to find someone who can cut my hair well and this is the first place I have been where they know how to deal with it.  Then I had my eyes tested at Vision Express (they had sent me a free voucher plus £50 off).  I have really noticed that when I am tiered I struggle with my vision and have to squint lots.  I find it difficult to read in bed and after a while on the computer I notice it.  Anyway the upshot is that my eyes are ok, but they are just on the edge.  So  I decided that I would get a pair.  However they first pointed me towards these great glasses but at £395 a pair not including the lenses, I thought that they were having a laugh.  Eventually I did find a pair that were considerably cheaper and with my free eye test voucher and £50 off they seemed much more reasonable.

Final choice.  Very similar to the Tiffany ones but at a third of the price!

After a few other errands we were home by 11.30 which in Mikes book is a good shopping trip!  Mike was supposed to go on a sailing expedition with the sailing club but just as he left to go to the club a huge thunderstorm came through with squalling winds.  Hence he didn't go and was then under my feet for the afternoon.  Had I known I would have gone to Canterbury on my own.

In the afternoon I made a jacket for my note book.  I have been struggling to find a good note book for the start of the new year.  

Then last night in an effort to be more economical and waste less (we had some left over Gammon in the fridge) I made a Ham, Peas and Cream Pasta for dinner.  It was a slight adaptation on the recipe I found in The Geometry of Pasta book.

Now on a very different note I have just been to the toilet to find a "WHOLE" toilet roll stuck down there!  I wonder who did that?

A week of dusting to come?!?

Jobs for today:

• A little bit of washing
• Recover from a slight over indulgence last night
• Attempt to tidy the house
• Pitch the tent for Mimi to play in.

Additional jobs which crept in

• I made some fab focaccia bread for Mimi's tea which using Annabel Karmel's idea I then turned into mini pizzas.

Just before it went in the oven.

The finished bread fresh from the oven.

• Started to dig over the vegetable patch and weeding of the garden - the bindweed was strangling all of the roses.

Whilst we were sitting at the table for Mimi's tea the farmer has just turned up with his combine harvester and has started to harvest the wheat in the field in front the house.  To put this into some perspective the field is about 3ft from our kitchen window.  I don't mind as we have fab views out over the field and the sea but just check out the dust cloud it is creating!

View from the Kitchen Window

Yesterday I took Mimi shopping because I had promised her that if she managed to get 10 smiley faces through out the week then she could have a Thomas the Tank Engine.  I have learnt a valuable piece of parenting knowledge - Never promise something like this until you have checked the prices.  I nearly had a fit the first Thomas we found was about £40.  Luckily for me as Mike would have killed me Mimi found some Rabbit ears (in the sale so even better!) which she pranced round the shop in and a little set of George Pig & Danny Dog figures.  These were considerably cheaper than Thomas although I did find a slightly cheaper version for £10 which I will have to remember for future.

Raspberry & Almond Bakewell

We have had a serious dose of the "terrible twos" today and I was totally worn out by bedtime.  So I decided we were in need of a well earned treat and made a Raspberry & Almond Bakewell Tart.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees

Pastry:

170g of Plain Flour

75g Butter

Mix the flour and butter together until it looks like breadcrumbs (I did mine in the magimix) then slowly pour in about 2-3 table spoons of cold water and mix until it forms a soft dough.  Roll it out and line a 23cm flan dish, then place in the fridge for 20-30mins

Filling:

170g Seedless Raspberry Jam

Two handfuls of frozen raspberries

110g Unsalted Butter

110g Caster Sugar

110g Ground Almonds

3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

1tsp Almond Essence

Spread the Jam on the base of the flan dish, carefully place the frozen raspberries on top of the jam.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, whilst you are waiting beat the caster sugar, ground almonds, eggs and almond essence in a bowl.  When the butter has melted pour it in to the mixture and beat it until it is smooth, (I used my Dualit handheld mixer) once its smooth pour it over the raspberries and the raspberry jam and place in the oven for 25mins, then add your blanced almonds and return to the oven for another 5 mins.