Nov 2011 - Mat B forms are in and time is flying not long now

[PamSco]

Sorry just went for a new thread as I couldn't see another.

Hope you are all well this morning

BuffyFan maybe it stays less runny with very little icing sugar, then if you put too much in, it goes too runny, then if you go a step further and throw a load more in, it thickens up again! Maybe I'm clutching at straws......

Actually, that reminds me, was there someone on this thread who said that she makes and sells cupcakes? Can I get some advice (or advice from anyone else who has any!). When I make cupcakes, the paper cases peel away from the side of the buns as they cool, and then they look awful, as if someone has been pawing all over them. I've tried various different cake recipes, but it still seems to happen. Any advice?

Never Here's my recipe for carrot cake topping:

200g cream cheese
50g softened unsalted butter (real butter, not Utterly type spreads)
50g sifted icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Fluff it all together - the butter keeps it from "weeping" as much.

Snoozle As for cupcakes - have you tried different cases? Some dry out worse than others. Also, the moister the cupcake recipe the better - I really like Nigella's:

125g self-raising flour
125g caster sugar
125g soft unsalted butter
2 eggs
Half a teaspoon real vanilla extract
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour.
Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get a dropping consistency.
Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top.

Just a quick update from me as on phone (in weymouth at the mo with DS so no comp!!)

caz am glad Xander is moving lots & that your weekly check ups are helpful for you - hang on in there, you are doing well x

pam :( for sickness, hope it one off

mamas&papas I found the products I've had from their to be worth their money but trying to return anything is an absolute nightmare (tried returning a bag as it didn't come with the change mat it should have; as didn't buy it at local store they wouldn't take it back so had to go via customer services - had been great until they say they've been trying to contact me & they want me to phone them -after 4days still haven't managed to get through!!!)

cream cheese icing you need to get the correct amounts first time; the nmore you stir it the runnier it becomes - it is difficult to salvage once starting to become runny!! Can't help with cupcakes though

Never don't feel bad! I managed tO wangle an extra month of salary at the higher rate I've been getting whilst covering a mat contract that was due to run out end sept. Happy enough with that I guess! Plus I know that it's past the 15th week before my due date and that they will be paying me at the average rate which is the higher one. Oooo look I found some PMA! Haha!
Carrot cake sounds yum!
Going to sleep with fingers crossed for OH, he's been so unlucky and him getting a job now would be perfect and take so much stress away from me and him!

Thanks Buffy and Bump was a bit rough this morning. Going for a hypnotherapy session tomorrow morning to try and stop this damn morning sickness.

Oh well all my fretting about weight loss can go out the window. 27 weeks tomorrow and I've put on c6lb in the last 5 days. Cripes I don't think I have eaten 6lb of food? Looks like I'm going to make up for things now.

Pma ...yay mum and dad arrived yesterday afternoon. Lots of small DIY jobs for dad and mum is going to teach me some gardening.

Jumped on the scales and gained a stone and a half since becoming pregnant. As was small to start with this came as a shock. People now asking if baby due this month and once I say novemeber if I may have got my dates wrong. Getting in and out of bed difficult and getting dressed painful as can't stand on one leg and have to sit down. Is this normal at 27 weeks?

Yippee 27 weeks and finally third trimester. Have been lurking on august board thinking it won't be too long before we are posting birth announcements.

cookie definitely normal, I've had to sit down to get dressed for a while, takes 2x longer, and def finding getting in and out of bed a struggle, feel very much like an elephant seal :( Will need some sort of Wallace and Gromit style winch before long.

Haven't dared to get on the scales since falling pregnant, I'm going to wait until the wain is born. Hoping that BF will aid a multitude of sins

Well after 2 lovely weeks of near normal sleep it seems I'm back on the 3/4am wake up :( Crazy dreams about quiche mysteries are not helping (must lay off the Rebus and Agatha Christie) I'm also starving, spent half the night scoffing digestives and decaf tea. Do you think we're having a growth spurt?

Anyhoo, I'm off to try and get some more sleep, though Modom's decided bladder trampolining is a good idea a again

i have a glider, we bought ours from tutti bambini at the baby show when pg with ds, but they have got a website, and with rocker footrest it was a hundred and something.

bumps enjoy weymouth, (love weymouth)

i've put on about 9-10lbs, but about 3-4 of that has been this week, it's been a bad week for food.

Morning all,

cookie, I've been weighing myself have put on about 16llbs so far, but as I haven't worried a jot about what I have been eating all this time and usually anything I eat shows up instantly on my waist, am really pleased, diets are for next year anyway.... I have a shorter torso so there is only really one direction for bump to go and that's old, so am pretty big already

I seem to have also hurt my shoulder and neck from I assume using my neck muscles instead of stomach muscles to sit up in bed, so stopping that and rolling out of bed when i want to get up is working well, Stripey, your description of an elephant seal sounds just about right, I make the sound effects too sometimes, but DH finds it funny rather than odd, so going with that approach for a while, till he has to haul me out of bed when I get too big!!! Also, I was so hungry last night I got up and had a jam sandwich and glass of milk at three this morning, just total regression to childhood comfort food :)

Never, Boots have a glider chair and footrest for about £150 I think, was thinking about it ourselves, but have a chair that might work ok at the moment and with mat leave in a couple of months, feel like it might be too much at the moment with the other things we still need to get.

Hope everyone has a good day, am going to be brave and go to a knitting group that meets once a month on a Saturday as when bump comes my usual mid week one isn't going to be possible anymore, grown adult and it's still scary to try and meet new people, still there will be wool and we will ignore how much I already have....

snoozle I make a lot of cupcakes (about 300 a month) to try to pay for our loft conversion. On the cake case front I have to say you get what you pay for and the cheaper cake cases do peel away from the sides after a few hours. I'd totally recommend foil ones - you can get them from Lakeland.

When I make cream cheese icing I put about 55g of butter in. This seems to make it less runny. Will post recipe later.

Now I'm off to try to perfect lemon, lime and ginger cake.

Have a great day everyone

Xxx
Ziggi

Thanks Ziggi I will pay a visit to Lakeland. The cheap cases might well be my problem, as I tend to buy them in Asda, and they are very thin etc. Any excuse for a Lakeland spending spree suits me!

I bake a lot, and am always quite pleased with my cakes, pastries, brownies etc, but I have grown to hate cupcakes because of the peeling away at the sides issue, so I might get a new lease of cupcake life.

I am today hosting DDs birthday party (in local hall, thankfully!) so wish me luck with keeping a dozen five year olds entertained for two hours! And she insisted that I bake her a teddy bear cake, so that was an entertaining couple of hours last night, trying to turn my sponge cakes into a teddy bear, but I got there in the end. Have spent the morning wrapping pass the parcel and stuffing crap trinkets into party bags. Putting feet up for an hour, before I go back to party prep!

cookie I had gained 1 stone about 3 weeks ago and was . Haven't been on the scales since for fear of what I'll see!!! I was small pre-pg too (size 8) so didn't expect so much weight gain early on. The majority seems to have been gained after 16/17 wks as I I'd only gained about 6lb then. Glad to know I'm not the only one having gained a stone as my work colleague is due the day before me and she's gained a mesely 6lb at 25wk!!!!

buffy very sweet that your oh is panicking about the nursery! I wish it was something we had time to think about as I'm itching to start. But our bathroom is still half finished, we have a vw camper to finish working on and the entire contents of our attic are in the baby's room and it's a shit tip thanks god I've still got sept and oct! we've bought bedding etc for the cot (but not the cot) but I haven't really decided in what the decor will be like. Has anyone finished their nursery? Would love to see pics?!!

Happy Saturday every!!! X

Hellllo everyone,

I've been awa. Three day city break in Liverpool- with riot vans and neenaws and restaurants closed on the tuesday then couple of days in a country hotel, swimming pool, sleeps, bit more relaxing. Really liked Liverpool though- although new Museum of Liverpool was a bit meh.

Suddenly this week I feel very pregnant. I'm huffing and puffing around, rolling out of bed, having to psyche self up if drop anything that needs picked up, and doing this big sigh rub belly routine after eating a meal, it's a cross between urrrgh and uaaaaaa. Did quite theatrical one at breakfast one morning in the hotel, totally forgot I was in public Bump has also grown- parents noticed difference when we got back yesterday.

Nursery- muahahahahaha. We need ceiling skimmed, repainted, carpets cleaned, cupboard/wardrobe to be made, cupboard to be painted, cot and any other furniture to be chosen and built. Also have lots of other jobs to do around the house like all carpets cleaned, painting in garden, woodwork. Everywhere I look there is something to do.

Boobs- anyone else's resembling a tube map?

folic not my boobs, but my belly is!!!!

Collie is that stretch marks or veins? My boobs are almost blue from the amount of veins there are like a map. The only upside is that the stretch marks I already have there from - ahem- growth are blending in now!

Veins!!! It's gross!!! But I'm happier with veins that stretch marks!!! I'm generally a veiny (is that a word?) person, my hands are like spaghetti junction!!! I've got a couple if stretch marks on my outer thighs that I think are new- just on the inside before

Yussssssssssssss! thank gawd, someone else! I'm not a complete freak! At least the veins will go away- I think?

Lol!!!! Glad my grossness pleases you! only kidding! Totally understand how much of a relief it is to know your ugly symptoms are not unique to just you! And yes, I hope so too! Just got to assume the skin is thinner so they are closer to the surface but eventfully when the tummy goes back down, they'll be hidden again

Ah veins, my boobs and belly are ok but my arm and leg veins are gross. The MW said this week that it was because of the increased blood flow so all will go back to normal at the end of this!

collie and cookie I was a size 8 before and have put on 1st 4lbs - I'll be huge in another 3 months time!

I can only echo the really pregnant feeling, bending over to do up shoes etc is such an effort. DH painted my toenails for me as it was too uncomfortable to do it myself, he did a really good job!

Has anyone else not bought anything yet? I have not made one purchase. The new bathroom suite plus a million boxes are in the "nursery" so will be some time before we are decorating and putting a cot in place.

Just had morning sickness hypnotherapy. It was very very relaxing, fingers crossed it works.

I'm too well padded for veins to be visible! Good to see you back Folic I'm off down The Pool in a few weeks to see family. You had riots we had monsoon in your absence.

Damn rain has blighted my spuds and I think my garlic and onions have rotted. Gutted. My first veggy garden year :(

All this baking talk! If I wasn't out tonight and the next 3 nights I'd deffo be greasing a tin or 2!

Ooh I know I'm a bit behind but if those who bake could post a lovely carrot cake recipe and an indulgent brownie recipe I'd be delighted. I can bake scones and big round sponge cakes but that's about it - the last time I attempted brownies (for a charity sale) it resulted in tears and me taking my electric hand blender outside to kill it with a hammer (and I wasn't even pregnant).

Not massively ready nursery wise (we need to evict DD and our attempt at room sharing with DS failed miserably - after 6 weeks we gave up as they were just staying up too late and we were getting too stressed). Might need to start saving for a loft conversion here. We'll have baby in with us for 6 months so we have a bit of time.... It would be nice to give the paint a freshen up and clean the carpet for new baby though but not possible whilst occupied.

I have managed to arrange to borrow the base for my car seat and the cocoon for my Phil & Ted so feeling chuffed about having fewer things to buy - I still fancy the carrycot for the P&T, need mattress for cot, new monitor, car seat adaptors for P&T and would love a new change bag (and a breadmaker - not exactly baby related but with DS starting school I think it might be easier to bake for him as he has a soya allergy).

I have to admit I have not weighed myself or looked at myself in great detail - I know my arse is enormous and my stretch marks are back with avengence (looks like I've been clawed by a tiger) so I'm just not looking anymore!

Oh lots of varied posts the last day or so!
Caz my lovely, from my limited knowledge it was so much harder carrying DS than DD. Remember boys are about 25 per cent bigger, so they take more growing and even then they arrive with less digestive systems and generally need more rocking and fuss generally (as with all men). It's harder being pregnant with a girl at first because of the nausea but I'm finding the sheer heavy lifting and effort of growing a boy is definitely more tiring at the end. Right now chasing after DS I'm still forgetting I'm preggers with lovely DD!
Veiny boobs mine were shocking with DS, terrifying, I don't know if it's because they've never really stood down from duty but no veins at all this time round, guess they're just ready to go as is.
Rebus am a huge fan too, and don't know if anyone has seen the TV version but we lived just around the corner from his flat when we first moved up here. Was ridiculously chuffed about that coincidence.
SMP I had the statutory minimum last time, 90 per cent for six weeks then the rest on SMP. This time DS is the world's worst employer, no SMP at all, so I'll just be surviving on the £300 or so from DH plus the additional child benefit. Not easy to feed and clothe a family of four on that.
gliding chairs we got one from Tesco for not too much and it was brilliant for when DS was at the older than newborn but still cluster feeding stage and therefore wasn't ready for his cot of an evening. Now he likes to climb in it himself and rock it like a doddery old man.
Tubigrip I got one from my MW and the chemist said if she wrote a prescription out then I could get another from her too. Kind of need more than one for hygiene reasons. Am going to investigate on the internet as I don't see my MW again til the 30th.

I haven't bought anything of any note apart from cute baby grows and stuff like that if that makes you feel better mashpot?! Don't really see the point when baby room is so far from ready, dunno where we'd put it all...starting to get abit antsy about it though.

Rebus Last winter I was going through a really horrible period emotionally and spent a lot of time going round second hand shops at weekends buying up Rebus books and rereading them. Was comforting. poppetdid you also go for a drink in the oxford bar?

I've just been for a mani and pedi as a treat as have a wedding to go to and feel like a bit fat pregnant hippo so attempting to glam and accessorize the fuck out of outfit. Well as glam as a 12 quid maxi dress can get ;)

So chilling in just now watching the sopranos and attempting not to chip nailpolish on laptop.

Names anyone else struggling to decide? We have such different taste that it's proving to be difficult. Both vetoing each other's choices. I think if we have a boy it will be a standoff and a little baby nameless for a while.

Folic with you on names - I'm findinf it so hard as there are fewer boy's nams and this being no 3 I feel like a lot of good ones are 'used up'! Had one in mind but then sat next to a family with a really badly behaved one and that put me off. We didn't name DS for about 5 days so hopefully inspiration will come. Or we'll go with Baby Bear as DD wants ;-)

Mashpot just ordered carrycot as was 15% off in Mothercare so I have now officially started buying...