May 09 - Six months on. Sleepless nights, hen nights and a sexybuilder.

[HeadlessLadyH]

Over here!!!!

Back again (obviously).

Spangle your grumpy Santa piccy is lovely. Loved the one of H in the bath too - how old was he then?

Pula love your Xmas name. Am sat here with Xmas hits sounding out in the background (bad music channel on tv - Rocking Around the Christmas Tree is on at the mo), and getting in the mood.
Well done on the Uggs btw and congrats on being an auntie. You'll be broody before you know it .

Anyone got any ideas for an original pressie for dh (aka gadget bloke)?

Xmas tune is now Steps with 'Heartbeat'. Not sure why I know all the words to this song .

Tummum at cruising / walking. How's dd?

Dandy nice to be missed .

Interesting to read how everyone is going with the weaning. Tried B with a 'lump' twice last week and he projectile vomited both times exorcist style. He wasn't even gagging or choking. Funny boy. So I'll leave that a bit and carry on shovelling purees down his mouth and giving him the odd cooked carrot stick etc to hold. Not quite sure why he shoves everything in his mouth except 'solid' food .

Loft is progressing. I'll say no more as it's really windy and forecast to pish it down tonight. Should be ok unless the rain is horizontal.

Saus congrats at being an auntie too. Has he got a name yet?
Had a sneaky peek at your photies and really loved no 31 .

This is turning into a rambling irrelevant post isn't it? Oh dear. I've not even had a drink tonight. BTW has anyone tried alcoholic ginger beer (made by Crabbes??). Tis gorgeous and reminds me in a nostalgic fashion of the alcopops I had as a teen (anyone else remember Hooch?).

Well that's G finally asleep! she was full of giggles and smiles this evening and definitely not desperate to go to sleep... she eventually gave in a few mins ago.

hiya reggie glad your loft is getting there I've not tried the crabbes ginger beer... but have just seen the adverts for it today and thought ooooo. I remember hooch but don't think i ever drank it

G had great fun squishing batons of roasted sweet potato between her fingers at lunch today. I put some through the baby grinder as well so she had great fun chomping the small amounts loaded on a couple of spoons... she's not wanting to eat that much at meal times just yet though. We made pizza from scratch for dinner. DS had great fun building his and ate most of his toppings before it made it to the oven We'll do that again as he had a ball and G really enjoyed gumming the crusty pizza edge bits that had tomato and mozzarella on them.

Right off to find the bread sausages sticks recipe and back in a min...

I'm baaaaaaack

Hi all, am back from bonny Scotland off to catch up... 10 pages. I might be some time.

hello lovely ladies - i've found you thanks to someone kindly redirecting me - thanks RK!!

So I can't expect to catch up on all the news as not posted for some 5 months or so no idea how u all manage it!!) Nothing new here really - Arch is gorgeous and funny as is his big sis Charlotte, but then I'll be biased won't I!! I've been weaning since 4 months as A was a hungey boy and is now on 3 BIG meals a day of pretty much anything really. Stopped B'f totally and now just on formula - had a little bit of emotion about that as am mad hormonal woman.

Still desp desp want another - yes I know, already etc, but Rob is saying no way and I have to be sensible, hmmmmmmmm

Oh god no - everyone seems to have a new name - I have no chance now!!

And so so so glad its not just me thats all most nights. at all hours - more often nowadays with the toddler - relief to know I'm not alone at 1,2,3,4 am

Not so glad however that I seem to be back to old routine of talking to myself....helllloooooo is anyooonnnneee there....

ok the bread sticks... recipe from ITALIAN cookery book by kate whiteman, jeni wright & angela boggiano

15g / 1/2oz / 1tbsp fresh cake yeast
(or 7g / 1/4oz / 1/2tbsp active dried yeast)
100ml / 4floz / 1/2 cup lukewarm water
pinch sugar
10ml / 2tsp malt extract (optional) (i didn't use)
5ml / 1tsp salt (i didn't use as i was making them for G)
200 - 225g / 7-8oz / 1 3/4 - 2 cups plain flour ( I had strong bread flour and it worked no prob)

1. In a warm mixing bowl add warm water, yeast & sugar. Mix/whisk to dissolve and leave to stand for 5-10 mins until it has a decent head of foam.

1. Mix malt extract & salt into liquid if using & 1/3rd of plain flour. Mix well with wooden spoon. Add another 1/3rd of flour & mix until dough forms a mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

1. Sprinkle some of remaining flour onto a smooth work surface and remove dough from bowl. Knead dough working in remaining flour a little at a time. Knead for 8-10mins by which time the dough should be smooth and elastic. form dough into a ball.

4.Tear a lump the size of a small walnut from the ball of dough. Roll it lightly between your hands into a small sausage shape. Set it aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat until all the dough is used up. There should be about 30 pieces.

5.Place one piece of dough on a clean smooth work surface without any flour on it. Roll the dough under spread out fingers of both hands moving your hands backwards and forwards to lengthen and thin the dough to a long strand about 1cm thick. Transfer to a lightly greased baking tray & repeat with remaining dough. Making sure to keep all the Grissini about the same thickness.

6.Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F / gas6. Cover your tray of uncooked Grissini with a cloth and place in a warm place to rise for about 10-15mins while the oven is heating. Bake for about 8-10mins. Remove from the oven turn them over and return them to the oven for 6-7mins. Do not let them brown. Allow to cool.

I followed 4 & 5 but obviously wasn't very good at the long thin strands bit... hence them being more like sausages On my 2nd attempt I rolled the dough out until it was the thickness of a £1 coin with a rolling pin like you would pastry. I then grated some mature cheddar cheese lightly over the surface and rolled it again to make sure it was stuck well onto the doughs surface. I then cut the rolled out dough into strips about 1cm wide and transferred them to my baking sheet (they stretched a bit more at this stage) that i'd lined with greaseproof paper rather than oiled. I then followed stage 6.. covering & leaving them to rise while the oven heated up etc. Mine didn't need as long to bake as the recipe as I have a fan assisted oven... only about 12-14mins total. Next time I think i'm going to grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano over the dough... YUM! Poppy or sesame seeds would be good for older dcs too. Also you could add herbs.. or add some saffron strands to a small amount of hot water & then top up with cold to use as your lukewarm water to activate the yeast and add a different twist to your sticks

HIYA detsy took me ages to type the recipe or i'd have been nattering

Hellooooo. Nice to see you back.

Just managed to do a quick catch up but am knackered so bit of a name check amnesty please, except to saus. Love your wedding pics. You look gorgeous and your day looked so wonderful. M is a poppet too. How you are going to narrow down those photos, I have no idea!!

DS1 has his first taster day at school tomorrow for his full time start in January. DH and I are going too, with support from R, as the parents get a talk whilst the children are taken off by their teacher. DS is so excited and its lovely as lots of his pals from nursery are in the same class. I hope I can manage the morning without tears as I do feel a bit emotional about my first baby starting big school.

Oooh must say reggiee I do remember Hooch. Does that mean I am old?? I also remember Diamond White. Well sort of. Many a messy student night had on that stuff......

Detsy Blotted grumpy Hello ladies. Long time no read.

Jael Why don't you try giving ds your food? It sounds like he'll do great with it.

headless big school... it will be our turn next year & i know exactly how you feel I remember Thunderbird

hello girls - lovely to hear from u again - not surprised that recipe took an age!! Much easier to buy them from Tesco, lol x

Detsy!!!! Hellloooooo!!

NEWS!!!! Suitcase arrived today! PHHHHEEEEEWW!!!

Am a bit pissed, so not staying..... am in awe of all the babies and their chomping! We have literally only just started with M and I think it goes everywhere apart from her mouth. Hmf. When does it all start going in?

Reggiee - poor you re the loft - your fb pics are terrible! Hope it gets sorted soon. New nephew is called Jack Mum called me to say she didn't like it and it's an old man's name! Miserable old bat. Anyway, he is off oxygen, and is bfeeding well and is getting tons better, so should be home soon. And thankyou, I like 31 too

Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat. DH and I are going OUT on Saturday! Into London! Bonkers ILs are babysitting! We are going out at lunchtime! I'm getting my haircut! (mostly because it's falling out everywhere) THEN we are mooching around shops! For us stuff! THEN we are going out to dinner! THEN!!!!! We are going to a PARTY! I think I am going to faint with all the excitement......

much easier to buy yes... but when you're looking for no added salt at all ones and something to keep a bored toddler occupied it seemed like a good experiment idea

fi yikes thunderbird! Do they still make that??? As a student, DH got so drunk on it after a drinking game,he had to be taken home in a wheelie bin. I have some cracking drunk DH stories.

Perhaps I should bake the bread sausages for him to soak the alcohol up in future....

Headless - I remember escaping from boarding school to Harrow one Saturday evening in 6th form and getting absolutely legless on Diamond White. I thought I was so bloody cool. Tsk. (and ps, have a slosh of my red wine)

Detsy and Blotted - you missed a cracker of a virtual hen night... as did many others..... it was a hoot.... (who was sexybuilder?!)

I want to hear the cracking drunk DH stories....

Am going, am going......

Yay for your suitcase saus. No wonder you are slightly giddy what with that and the excitement of a day out on Saturday.

I am going snowboarding on Friday night
and am slightly giddy about that. Even if it is just in Tamworth.

at your saturday plans but imho you can never have too much of that kind of excitement lol. great to hear your bag has arrived... what a relief to have al your work back. Not much food is going into G atm i think... we've just started properly here too. I'm taking it at her pace and she doesn't seem to need much atm... but thoroughly enjoys gumming sticks of anything. as far as eating it goes a lot of it comes back out after being manouvered around her mouth for a while

Oh Saus that all sounds v lovely - lucky you. We keep saying we must make the effort but thats as far as it gets!! Have a FAB time.

Fi - thought it would be the good old salt problem!!

I remember Hooch - we used to use it as a mixer for the infamous vodka surprise concoctions of my youth - oh those were the days

snowboarding?! wow headless I can barely ski on skis

Hooch & Vodka?! owwww my head hurts just thinking about that combination!

Just for you saus:

He got so drunk at a party we had, that on our way to another party close by ( gosh two parties in one night, we were young and energetic back in the day!) DH fell asleep before he had even got to the end of our road. I had gaily gone on and left him behind in a caring fashion .

The following morning DH volunteered to go to McDonalds to get us breakfast, and began to look for his shoes. He then realised that he had walked home after waking up without shoes. They had been stolen off his feet whilst passed out ( and no, it wasn't one of us in jest). He was so incensed by this, that he actually reported said shoe theft to the police. And made an insurance claim! He received a check for £1.99 once you deducted the policy excess.

He is priceless. I still chortle when I think of the phone call to the police who were also struggling to keep the giggles in check as DH explained what happened. The officers name was PC Lager. I couldn't make it up if I tried!

Remember 20/20 anybody? Foul stuff mind.

Fi I've been making bread and experimenting with adding garlic granules instead of salt, trying to get some flavour in. It's a bit grim without it. I find myself lashing the butter on for the salt.