Angel Jem's City Cottage

I'm still mad busy with applications. No interviews, no chances. I am not doing well at getting full time work. But I keep trying. I'm back in my favourite Matt Malden. I have been through Mr Chameleon and Antonio my red hot Chilli Cuban,  but I always keep coming back to Matt. I keep on trying, but he is the One.  And I did give Antonio a good go; he is set up beautifully.  Here is the eye candy to prove.  Look at the washi tape;  look at the top tabs,  just look  look  look. *sigh* Perhaps if I had full time work and a larger bag everyday I would........ but A5 is just too big for day to day use. I keep on trying. I keep on trying.

I think I posted this song before, but I can't remember was it here or on Facebook. Never mind. It stands repetition. My youngest baby has gone to PGL for 4 nights. Yes, she will be fine. Yes, I will be fine. Think I'm deaf but feel fine. She looked so happy going off, how could I be sad? And she has Piggy so she won't be afraid at night. Time is always slipping through my fingers. Speaking of slipping through my fingers, I have to point you to BBC iplayer and the wonderful Book of the Week this week, The Reason I Jump . Written by a 13 year old autistic boy it is just such an insight into a condition that creates isolation even as the child seeks to be part. Listen to the last few minutes as he explains in his own words why he jumps. Heart breaking. Wonderful. Inspirational. All three at once.

My my the weeks fly by. Princess is away for the week, so all meals are only for 4. Mon; Macaroni Cheese. Or it might just be spaghetti and a sauce. Lazy, lazy. Tues; Sausage roast. Or toad in the hole. Princess doesn't like toad in the hole. Wed; Chicken thighs with mini roastini. In homage to Nigella (poor lady; give her a break and let her figure out what to do without badgering her) that means fried gnocchi. Thurs; Pork kebabs with homemade barbecue sauce. OK that's tomato ketchup and some sugar, in translation. Wimbledon's on, it's got to be quick and easy! Fri; Burgers and chips for the kids, probably salmon risotto for us!

My my how time flies! It doesn't seem a week since my last weekly meal plan. Barely seven days? I have more applications to do; more online torments to undergo. I want to learn how to design free printables (and some I can charge for) for Childminders. Ho hum. But Monday it is, and here is the list for the week. Monday; Tuna Pasta. From Apples for Jam , one of my favourite cook books. I loved it enough to review it on Amazon and I keep it just to look at the pictures and dream of having a recipe book that captures a childs' eye view so well. Tuesday; Sausages with Cheese pie, well, mash with a toasted cheese topping. An idea from the hairy Bikers. Love them. Wednesday; Spicy Bean pot with baked potato. A warm but not rampaging hot chilli. Thursday; Moroccan Chicken with rice. A St Delia classic. She made hers with lemons; I use rather less citric fruit. Friday; For the kids; Meatball marinara sub with chips, homemade not from Subway. The Co-op make nice meatballs or ...

I have a confession to make; sometimes I am a hopeless baker. I don't mean I can't, I mean I will try a recipe and love it, but forget which recipe I used.  Take the tea loaf here. I know it didn't use tea, I know it had spices in and took about 40 min to cook, and I know my daughter loved it because it had no raisins in..... but I forgot to mark it down, or put it in my recipe box. Bad Mummy.  It will have to live in our memory as a lovely and unique experience. Until I find it again. And I will, I promise. One day. Post Script; I knew I had it somewhere! It was in my recipe box, just not in the right place. You can find it here on my recipe blog .

I know what these cotton granny squares are going to become..... Any ideas?

I have a load of necklaces, bracelets, earrings etc like any other woman I suppose, and a daughter who has taken to beading like a duck to water. My cases were full, my drawers packed with beads and I couldn't see clearly what I had and what I wanted to wear. This state of affairs was obviously unacceptable, so I sought an answer. This is the doppleganger for my noticeboard... I'm thinking of vamping up this one as well! In the study we had a blue noticeboard. It was functional, but ugly, and the dark blue wouldn't match my bedroom either as it is or as I hope for it to be after decorating. Revamping seemed like a good idea. The frame surprised me, as it had been sealed around the board. No easy manoeuvre like changing a picture here then. I took the frame apart and got to work I am not left handed, so I needed my right hand to take the photo! My staple gun is a new purchase. I have some upholstery in mind, soon, but covering the board was a good starter pr...

I have always loved recipes and collecting them, which is funny because I probably only cook a limited set of recipes 80% of the time. Capture methods  have varied from an envelope on a shelf to a proper scrapbook courtesy of my Mum years ago, but I like having the recipes I use most easily available. My first married kitchen notebook was just that, a notebook, but the lack of flexibility....!!! My Mother's Day gift a good few years ago was a file, from Paperchase (when Borders was still my Happy Place) with dividers for starters, fish, meat, vegetables, baking and desserts. The binder was a convenient A5 size, three holes and quite useful since new recipes could be added and subtracted. I really enjoyed it, and used it for several years, but a binder is only thin and the amount I collect and catalogue meant that it was getting full. Every section had an index, but no numerical system so no easy way to find a recipe! Recipes fitted very nicely on one side of a page;...

I have read   At Home with Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday s for ages now and always meant to join in. I always plan my meals for the week because I send Mr K out shopping, so it helps to be organised. And today is the day (procrastination, did I hear you say? You betcha! I have applications to do, so I'm trying to find something to do. Anything will do. Don't worry, I'm going back to my fevered computer work in a minute) so here goes; Mon; Meatballs and spaghetti, with a tomato sauce Tues; Sausage bake with red peppers and rataouille served with rice Wed; Breaded chicken using chicken thighs served with baked potatoes and sweet potatoes Thurs; Fish served with roast potato cubes and a pepper tomato mush Fri; Homemade pizza for the children, risotto con funghi e parma for us. Nice glass of cider to wash it down with. Sat; Probably tea at my parents. Sun; I fancy marmalade pork as made by Jamie . May have to downscale if a child offers to make tea for me.

They are back at school. I am back in my house and tutta sola again. As I look around my living room (quite clean),  Kitchen (very clean; this was my half term project) and the Family room (unfit for human habitation) I can smile for the days when having the three of them off would have meant games, toys, models and crafts spread all over the house. Nowadays the lads sleep til 11 am or later if possible, while the waking hours are spent either in their bedrooms or revising or playing on the computer. So this morning I can carry on with the job hunt secure in the knowledge that I don't have a couple of hours worth of clearing and cleaning to do.  I may feel slightly lonely later, but at the moment I am happy to have my space again. And relax.