Sunday 9 October 2011

RETURN OF THE FILOFAX

Wow i didn't realise how long it has been since i started this blog, and how I've failed at blogging, I'm just going to drop in and write when i feel like it , i don't want a full time commitment on my hands.

I got a metropol personal filo ages ago, and i dutily filled it in and set it up, i tried really hard to carry it with me wherever i went and for a few weeks was very successful, but as time went on i would forget to take it out, end up writing on bits of paper and needless to say just turned into a waste of time. But i so badly wanted to use my filo daily and feel superduper organised. I think the major issue with it was the size, while it was perfect for my writing style i just found it too large for the chuck in the bag school runs etc.

Now Ive gone a few months without having a serious relationship with a filo, but i miss it, the comfort and security of knowing that everything is in one place, and i can find my great aunts birthday in a few swishes of paper!

So after much deliberating and spending an hour in staples feeling and handling the filos (they thought i was stealing im sure) ive decided on a pocket malden in crimson (with much help from philo's king steve)  making the use of the 50% off sale. I love the smell and the feel of the malden, im just hoping i can fit my writing in it, now i await my package and will do a post about it once received with lots of filo pics yipeeeeeeeeeeee!

Friday 18 March 2011

LEMON MERINGUE PIE, SEARCH OVER

Morning all, im sharing today my lemon meringue pie recipe that i made a couple of days ago, this has been one recipe that i try to avoid, for some reason it seems to take me ages to make one and lots of non interupted concentration which is no easy fete with a little one. So i got the lego out and some chocolate bunnys for my princess (bad mummy), and off i went into the kitchen to finally master the lemon pie, armed with my best emma bridgewater apron and my trusty mixer i felt ready for action, i wanted enough tart in the lemon and lovely chewy meringue, and i think my lovelies ive done it, yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee !

Here are some pictures, i will post the recipe later on today, at the moment im being called to build a house out of lego, much more difficult x


Monday 14 March 2011

My filofax and me x

A post dedicated to my beloved filofax, Ive always had a passion for stationary i love love love going into whsmith, paperchase and the holy grail the filofax website, i can spend many a happy hour in theses stores looking at notepads, pens, diary inserts, whilst trying to keep my daughter entertained at the same time, funny enough at 4 years old she doesnt have the same enthusiasm about stationary shops as i do, i wonder why ?

So i decided to buy myself one diary/Filofax that i could have everything in rather than trying to juggle the family wall calender,shopping list book, and lots little cheap diary's, too many to count.

So here it is voila !


I decided i would go for the metropol personal size, i felt i would be happy to carry this with me as its not too big, i did look at the mini and pocket size, but i write quite large and i think it would have got on my nerves trying to fit things in it. Next came the fun part filling it all in yippee, oh joy i brought myself 2 new pens just a black papermate flexgrip and a lovely coloured Bic for the important task of highlighting.



When i first open it i have my sticky notes, stamps and a few family pictures in the plastic clear file, puts me in a good mood seeing my little girls smiling face, i also stick various things in the pocket, bank statements,business cards etc.



This is 2 weeks on 2 pages, the spaces are big enough for everything i need to write in, i also pop a "to do" list in here which i move from week to week and add or cross of as and when things get done. Behind my to do list is that weeks meal planner to, and at the bottom of the meal plan page i write down things i need for next weeks shop, so when i run out of something i straight away put it here.

Next is my monthly planner on 2 pages, i use this mainly for noting when money comes in, how much i have to transfer each week for bills, i like to see "my money" for the month it helps me plan, rather than flipping through a week at a time.

Are you still with me ? lol, or am i boring you to death with my Filofax love ?, there are many more like me out there honest x


And finally i have my dividers which i just stuck a post it on so i can reuse or change there use, at the moment there:

MONEY -Iin here i write all my direct debits and what we have to pay every month, theres also a my voucher list, i pay monthly into a voucher scheme for Christmas, so every time i make a payment i mark it here and gives me a running total of what i owe.

LISTS - These are all my lists for all sorts of different things, i have a birthdays list that i just move from diary to diary every year, movies i want to see, books i want to read, websites people have mentioned, crochet patterns/things i wanna make.

CHRISTMAS - so far in here is a list which has 3 columns name, gift ideas, purchased. So throughout the year if family mention something i quickly note it in here so I'm not stuck come 6pm Christmas eve !

Then last but not least is just a plain pad for jotting down  things quickly, or making my weekly meal plan. Hope you enjoyed your little tour of my ff, much love x

Sunday 13 March 2011

For the love and joy of baking

Ive been debating about what to do for my first official post, after much thought over tea and biscuits I've decided to start off on the right foot by sharing a recipe, I've made this many times and its yummy. I took it with me to my mothers today for Sunday lunch and it went down a treat !

This is a great recipe for those stressed out days, when your child has decided that they no longer like the oak dining room table and would much prefer it in a crayola red !, it can all be bunged in the mixer and whizzed up together, perfect x

CUSTARD AND STRAWBERRY SLICE
200g soft butter
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
140g self raising flour
50g custard powder
6 tbsp strawberry jam
and a little custard made up to packet instructions

Heat oven to 180c, line a square baking tin about 20ish cm.

Put the butter,sugar,eggs,flour and custard powder into a bowl/mixer and beat fast and hard until light and fluffy, pour this into the pre prepared tin and whack in oven for about 25/30 Min's until tester comes out clean.

Leave to cool in tin, once cooled, remove and slice in half, brush both sides of the cake with some of the custard mixture, just enough to moisten it up you don't want the custard running out, i just brush it over with a pastry brush, then put a layer of jam, sandwich together dust with icing sugar and voila x

Just a note to say this recipe if versatile you could use fresh cream and strawberry's/raspberry's, I've also sometimes sandwiched it together with nutella.

Saturday 12 March 2011

Welcome to my brand new blog !, ive never done this before so kinda learning as i go along, will be posting over the next few days to get it up and running. x