Why buy yourself a beautiful red ring of course!!!I have spent hours catching up on my blog reading but for some reason I could only leave a handful of comments. It didn't seem to matter what type of blog I was reading, those comment pages just weren't showing up!
For those who guessed it's not a vicar and tarts party. The white and virginal was a reference to 'look at me I'm sandra dee' whilst the black and sexy was 'you're the one that I want'. Now I most definitely do not have the body to be squeezed into a black satin cat suit a la Olivia Newton John so it's on with the bobby socks and the full skirt and I'll be 'grease lightnin'!
You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:
FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again.They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.
TYRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated HOT AIR
BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.
SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.
WEB PAGES: Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.
EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying New Law:
The dreaded P word is Project.
Yesterday there were smiles of relief as he finished it.
Lucky Ben.
Mollie's project starts on Monday and she has two and a half weeks to produce twenty pages on Luxembourg. The children were all given an EU country and guess what? The school library has a book on every single EU country except Luxembourg. The children have to write to their countries embassy for information and guess what? There is no Luxembourg embassy in Ireland so Mollie wrote to their UK embassy, it could take a week for her letter to get there which leaves a week and half to receive their reply and use their material in the project.
I'm really not looking forward to the next two and a half weeks!
As nobody guessed correctly it's time for clue number two: Next week I need to bring a scarf along to the class to tie around a part of my body (over my clothes)!
I just thought I'd include this picture of Ben sleeping. For some reason he's taken to removing his pyjama top (copying big brother and dad I guess) and he's sleeping on a big Snoopy which was mine when I was a girl and survived the trip back to Dublin two years ago despite being dropped in a pool of mucky, oily water in the airport carpark.
Yesterday I started a new exercise activity and my children had great fun trying to guess what it was. After three clues Mollie guessed, it was very funny as they threw out wild suggestions so I thought I'd ask you lot to guess. The first clue is that it was a form of exercise, if nobody guesses there will be another clue tomorrow...and yes there will be a prize for the winner.
Witty Wednesday comes from my usual supplier.
A man was in a long line at his local supermarket. As he got to the checkout he realised he had forgotten to get condoms so he asked the checkout girl if she could have some brought up to the register. She asked; 'What size condoms?' The customer replied that he didn't know so she asked him to drop his trousers. He did. She reached over the counter, grabbed hold of him and called over the intercom; 'One box of large condoms, Checkout 5:
The next man in line thought this was interesting, and like most of us, was up for a cheap thrill. When he got up to the checkout, he told the check out girl that he too had forgotten to get condoms, and asked if she could have some brought to the checkout for him. She asked him what size, and he stated that he didn't know. She asked him to drop his trousers. He did. She gave him a quick feel, picked up the intercom and said; 'One box of medium-sized condoms, Checkout 5:
A few customers back was a teenage boy. He thought what he had seen was way too cool. He had never had any type of sexual contact with a live female, so he thought this was his chance. When he got to the checkout he told the assistant he needed some condoms. She asked him what size and he said he didn't know. She asked him to drop his pants and he did. She reached over the counter, gave him a quick squeeze then picked up the intercom and said; 'Mop and bucket to checkout 5'.
Dillon's mock exams start this week. These are a practice for his Junior Cert exams in June, which are his first serious examinations. Although these exams aren't important in the long run, his Leaving Cert exams at 18 years will determine which university he will attend, they are a practice and to be taken seriously, ie, turn up on time with all the equipment. Fortunately Dillon will turn up on time with all the equipment, thanks to his mother. Idle chat late last night and I discovered that he didn't know which exams he had today and when he read his timetable I discovered that he had lost his calculator needed for his maths exam. If I hadn't asked him last night he would have gone into school totally unprepared, luckily Joules had a scientific calculator so he'll be prepared but I'm sure I have a few more grey hairs!
When I saw Robin's post which involved the chance to share recipes and be entered in a draw to win a cookbook I signed up straight away, then spent the next two weeks wondering what to post. Well I changed my mind a few times and finally decided to submit this bacon and pasta recipe, adapted from cookiecrumb who throws together the most wonderful dishes. As I've said before my photography is not up to much but this dish is delicious and it is easy to cook up a huge bowlful for those social gatherings.
Cook up required amount of tagliatelle, grill bacon rashers so nice and crispy, gently fry red onion and garlic. Drain pasta, add some olive oil and stir in the bacon, onion and garlic. Stir well and sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top. Serve with fresh bread, I recommend this no knead bread.
N.B. The bacon, onion and garlic can be cooked in advance making this a very quick and easy meal to serve up.
Thanks to Terri I don't feel so bad about those few extra pounds I gained over Christmas!
Tennis winter league started today, we got off to a good start with all our team winning their matches. As we were hosting the match we provide the tea after. I am getting a bit of a reputation with my baking so I decided to wow everyone with this.
And wow them I did. I have to confess that it is very easy and as for the icing...divine!
Angelic Chocolate Cake
(recipe taken from You magazine)
Angel Sponge
8 medium egg whites
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
250g icing sugar, sifted
110g plain flour, sifted
30g cocoa powder, sifted
Icing
100g milk chocolate, broken up
15g unsalted butter
30g cocoa powder, sifted
50ml water
1 tbsp golden syrup
Preheat oven 170C/150C fan oven, grease 20cm angel food tin (or 20cm deep loose-bottom cake tin).
Whisk the egg whites, salt and tartar until stiff peaks are formed.
Whisk in the sugar.
Fold in the flour and cocoa.
Pour into tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool in tin.
Gently melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
In another pan heat the cocoa, water and golden syrup, whisking until smooth.
Combine the two to make a thick icing.
Gently ease the cake out of the tin and slap on the icing. Leave to set.
Make lattices by melting some dark chocolate and leave to set. Stick the lattices into the cake as the icing sets.
Enjoy.
After pigging out on the tea at the tennis club I returned home to the beautiful aroma of a lasagne cooking. Since Joules has finished his degree he has loads of spare time and has started making dinner every Sunday. He researches his recipes and makes them all from scratch, no bolognese sauce out of a jar for him. Today he spent two and a half hours in the kitchen and much as I hate to admit it, he made an extremely good lasagne...ok, ok I admit that it was better than mine and, most importantly, he washed up all the pots and pans whilst I sat back with my glass of wine and booked...
After not one but two disastrous attempts I am please to announce that my flapjack baking mojo is back...
....Long may it stay!
I've decided to join in the Valentine's Day Goody swap hosted by An Island Life. It's not too late to sign up if you fancy sending and receiving some valentine themed goodies. Part of the swap is to answer the following questions.
John over at Publog has asked what's in your dresser? Unlike John I do not have a beautiful old dresser that has been in my family for generations, in fact I don't have a dresser full stop. My house is affectionately known as a shoe box and you'd be lucky to find room at the dinner table if you came visiting. John's dresser is full of antique silver, old photographs and plates with the willow tree pattern. My cupboards are full of cheap china and glasses from Ikea (that way I'm not upset when something gets broken). However I do have one plate that I love hanging on my wall. When I was younger my granny had four plates on her wall, three of which I thought were old fashioned 'fuddy duddy' and this one. I always loved this one and wished that granny would take it down so I could eat my dinner from it. No such luck but when granny moved in with mum she asked me would I like any of her furniture. I asked for the plate, granny offered me all four. I replied that I only wanted the one to which granny said but it's not worth anything the other three are collectibles. I wasn't looking for an antique, I just wanted the plate I spent hours looking at as a child. This plate now hangs on my wall and evokes sweet memories of time spent with my granny.
Ben's birthday was nearly two months ago when my computer was broken and I was unable to post. I had promised mum pictures from his party which we held in Fitzone. The children went off for supervised play and we were given a voucher and retired to the bar/cafe where we ate a leisurely lunch and read the Sunday papers. We returned in time for the food and cake (a treasure chest I'd made the previous day), then it was home to open the presents. It had to be the easiest, most relaxing party we've held.
Yesterday was not a good day. Well it probably was for Dillon because there was no mention of phone bills. First I had a disaster in the kitchen. As you know I introduced the USA to flapjacks...well some of you anyway. I was so good at making them I could do it standing on my head, blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back, (you want to come and see me try)? Then I lost my baking mojo. I blame it on the lack of sunlight last summer but for the last few months I've been very uninspired in the kitchen and if my family got a decent meal they were lucky. Somewhere along the line I've refound my baking mojo and have even been trying out new dishes when I remembered that I owed the wonderful Laurie some flapjacks. So I baked a batch yesterday, they looked perfect when I took them out of the oven and I was dying for them to cool so I could sample one. Then I forgot to remove them from the parchment in time and they stuck...solid...they were not budging an inch without bringing all the paper with them. On the bright side it was better than sticking to the pan, as the only place for them was the bin. Guess what I'm making today?
Also Mollie decided to have her third preteen temper tantrum in ten days. I was not the easiest of teens, in fact I'd go as far as saying I was very difficult, argumentative, stroppy and sulky. When Mollie was little she had some pretty bad tantrums but we found a way of dealing with them, she got over them and turned into a nice, pleasant, helpful girl (most of the time). I think mum will probably be smiling and thinking what goes around comes around, as for me? I'm hoping for a longer break before the next one and I'm hoping they don't go on for too many years.
Now after a bad day like that I need a laugh and who better to provide me with one than John:
THREE LITTLE DUCKS!
Three little ducks go into a Bar......
"Say, what's your name?" the bartender asked the first duck.
"Huey," was the reply.
"How's your day been, Huey?"
"Great. Lovely day.. Had a ball. Been in and out of puddles all day. What else could a duck want?" said Huey.
"Oh. That's nice," said the bartender. He turned to the second duck, "Hi, and what's your name?"
"Dewey," came the answer from duck number two.
"So how's your day been, Dewey! ?" he asked.
"Great. Lovely day. I've had a ball too. Been in and out of puddles all day myself. What else could a duck want?"
The bartender turned to the third duck and said, "So, you must be Louie?"
"No," she said, batting her eyelashes.
"My name is Puddles."
