Take one pan...

I'm getting quite good at these bung it all in a pan teas.

So, inspired by 'A Girl called Jack' I thought I'd blog it. 

First chop and fry an onion, add grated carrot and courgette and swede, the courgette was grown by my mum so was delicious, (we'd had two in last nights tea with some homegrown beans, pasta shells and a jar of Aldi tomato and mascarpone sauce.) the swede was left over from a pie I'd made a few days back ( ok, ok last week!) 

Then comes the magic... Open the cans and bung it in. 

In no particular order...

small tin of sweet corn

small tin of chickpeas 

tin of cannellini beans

tin of green lentils 

And a tin of tomatoes

Some passatta 

Two-ish teaspoons of veg stock

Two teaspoons of curry powder 

One teaspoon of garam masala

After tasting a bit I also put in a teaspoon of marmite and a teaspoon of miso. 

I do get a bit George's Marvellous medicine when I'm cooking!

I served it with basmati rice. 

Delicious, I shall freeze the rest and maybe add more stock for a yummy soup. 

The best complement.

Lunch.

I'm going to miss our holiday lunches, the boys have really embraced sandwiches! 

They just aren't the same when they've been wrapped in plastic and left in a corridor for 3 hours. 

And bargain of the day, these baguettes were 29p from Lidl. 

 

Whoops!

I didn't do very well on the blog a day challenge. Sorry.

But I have managed to unsubscribe from a lot of my emails, there have been a few that seem impossible to, but on the whole I now have a 'lighter' inbox.
If only it was easier to unsubscribe from the junk that comes through my front door.

'besöksstol' The Millennium Trilogy. An observation.

No spoilers.

A friend gave 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson to me ages ago and I'd never been able to get my teeth into it, then we went on holiday and 'bingo' I was hooked.

I was two thirds of the way through the first book when it struck me that visitors chair was an odd phrase but thought nothing of it, then on Wednesday I heard Front Row on radio 4 about authors and translating books

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037v4gb

And it made think about the visitors chair again and if what I was reading was as intended etc etc but I didn't want to spoil my own enjoyment of the book so put it out of my mind again. 

I was close to finishing book 1 and my birthday was on Friday so I dropped boulder sized hints to the kids for book 2, they did pick up on them but no book materialised - so off I went to the local charity shops, I picked up the third book in Barnardos for 49p and the second book in Oxfam for £1.09 (ooh and a new bag) 

I'm now very nearly at the end of the second book and there's been lots of people sitting in visitors chairs, so I downloaded the Google translate app and set it up for English to Swedish and put in visitors chair. 

besöksstol

I even went back and forth between a few languages and always got visitor chair. 

I imagined a scenario when an English man/woman was sat with a Swede asking them to explain things, pointing at objects...

What's that?

-Bord-Table

That?

-Thats my chair, Stol. 

Your chair?

-Yes

So that? 

-Um, another chair, a visitors chair, besöksstol. 

Ooh besöksstol I like that. 

Maybe they'd had trouble with visitors and seating etiquette, visitors climbing on the lap of their hosts, so there was a need for visitors chairs?!? 

Who knows. 

I put  besöksstol into Google again and found this...

http://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/index.php/book-translation-an-insiders-perspective/

Seems I'm not alone!

So when does a stol become a besöksstol and when does a besöksstol become a stol?

And am I a visitor in my own home sat here at my Ikea 'Norden' table on my Ikea 'Gilbert' chairs?

Day 13, 14 and 15!

Eurgh I think I've melted ...

Day 13

Sorry I can't write a film review its toooo hot. Go and watch anything by Pixar they're the best, I like other grown up stuff too but I can't remember in this heat!!!

Day 14

My favourite place - home. 

I just love being at home,I always have you can't beat it, as a teenager when it was all about going out and clubbing etc I still had to go home at some point in the day and 'touch base'. 

Even when we lived in dodgy bed sits and shared house I was happy in my four walls. 

Day 15 

My most cherished belonging has to be Terry my Tiger. 

Thank you I'm off to stick my head in the freezer. 

Day 12 create something

I made this for our wedding anniversary. 

I think it's known as a paper cut? 

It was great fun to do and has lots of hidden messages. 

On Paul's side there are 21 leaves and on my side 17, our ages when we met. 

The two daisies between us are Tommy and Jack. 

Day 11

I've had trouble writing this one as I just kept thinking...

"You had to be there"

Like the time on the flight back from the previous posts holiday when Paul's ears had popped and he kept asking the air hostess for a boiled sweet, and she got fed up of telling him they'd all gone  so went and got the empty basket to show him. 

Or recently when I told him that he needed to clear out his wallet as he'd got ten years worth of loyalty cards and we went to the cinema that evening and the guy asked him if he'd got an Odeon card and he replied (a little too smugly) "Yes, yes I do."

There have been thousands of drop down funny moments, but I just can't put them down in a blog. 

Sorry. 

Day 10 best holiday.

Quick one today as its shopping day, parents evening and gymnastics tonight. 

Corfu 1994 with Paul. My first holiday with him. 

We flew from Heathrow so travelled down by coach from Birmingham which I paid for with my £50 winnings on a scratch card...happy days! 

We had two weeks in Paleokastritsa it was brilliant. We had fun laughing,  sunbathing, snorkelling, sight seeing, eating and drinking. 

And then laughed our whole way home. 

I shall search for a photo later as I like to post one with every blog but this was pre digital camera days! 

Day 7 amendment to my goals!

To unsubscribe from all the emails I delete every day with out reading!!!

It might take me six months!! 

Day 9 outfit of the day.

We've been having some unusually good weather and my wardrobe is unprepared! 

I bought a summer dress on Sunday and wore it Monday and Tuesday so what to wear on Wednesday ?

I work in year one at a primary school and most schools built in the UK (that aren't Victorian) resemble green houses!!! 

It's boiling down in early years, cool and floaty has to be 'en vogue' at the moment! 

Went for black Tshirt and red swirly patterned skirt as it a little cooler today. 

Best photo I could take of myself!!

Day 8 favourite quote.

Bit of a theme going on 😊

Day 7.

What are your goals for the next six months.

This kind of goes against my way of thinking, I'm not someone who sets targets, I don't really do New Year resolutions either, maybe it's a fear of failing I don't know?

Well lets see, six months. 

I'm growing my hair (again) and I'd like to lose weight. I'll keep you posted on my progress with both. 

I say I don't set myself targets but I do write list of things I want sometimes, there's a new tv, car and computer on my want list at the moment as well as redecorating but that's on it all the time.  

Day 6 Favourite homemade meal

Tomato Lasagne (sometimes vegetable)

I've made this meal a million times, it's originally from Linda McCartney's home cooking book, but over the years I've taken a bit out and added a bit in.

I make it from sight so I'm not sure of measurement etc. 

Gently fry a chopped red onion in a little olive oil. 

Add a crushed garlic clove. 

Chopped celery (sometimes) 

When onion is soft add two tins of chopped tomatoes (one if doing vegetable version)

Now the questionable measuring...

Some tomato purée I'd say maybe half a tube or two tablespoons!!!

Some passatta if I have some. 

A little bit of veg stock cube or marigold bouillon. 

Always a teaspoon of sugar to take away the acidity of the toms. 

Salt. 

Pepper. 

Simmer. 

Quorn mince can be added or carrot courgette, red pepper, aubergine and mushroom for a vegetable version, omit one can if toms as I said. 

I'm a bit lazy as I don't make my own white sauce! 

Ladle a layer of the tomato sauce into a large rectangle dish. 

Then a layer of lasagne fresh, dried whatever you like. 

Repeat with sauce and lasagne. 

Then a jar of white sauce, I've tried most now and have to say Aldi's is as good as Ragu or Dolmio. 

I put it in the oven now for about 15 minutes then take it out sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and return it to the oven for another 15 mins. 

Post a favourite photo of yourself...

Ok. 

Two photos if that's ok. 

Both taken with a mobile phone which is all we use now. 

Paul took this one, I'm helping Tommy put his shoes on, I'm pregnant with Jack and I just look happy and healthy. My hair is its natural colour and its a lovely snap shot. 

I took this one myself. Me and Jack in the kitchen in the pervious photo (which I can't find) we had stickers all over our faces. 

I have thousands and thousands of photos but I'm not very often in many so in a funny way today's task was quite easy. 

Day 4 something your good at.

What is it? 

Tell us how you go about doing it. 

Why are you good at it?

Oh my another toughy. 

What is it?

Quick and Easy Teatimes. 

Pasta and salad always a winner with everyone. 

How do I do it? 

Put food on plate. Yell TEATIME. 

Why am I good at it? 

When I was a new mum I went through turmoil thinking that I had to present nutritious and healthy meals every day. Whilst nurturing their minds and teaching them to swim, learn a foreign language, limit their tv viewing, read a bedtime story every night, enrol in baby yoga, breast feed,use cloth nappies and bags for life. 

I soon learnt that we can't all be domestic goddesses or earth mothers. I live in a suburb of Birmingham, I'm not pushing a bugaboo down the Kings Road to a play date with Jocasta and and baby Indira. 

These women must have pizza and chips in front of the tv and sprint round Asda in their slippers surely.  

Have to admit I'm quite lucky as they do eat well, Tommy could live on tomatoes but on the other hand Jack could easily survive on biscuits. 

We're all vegetarian so the majority of what we eat is healthy and thought out but I'm not going to be deluded and make Quinoa stew with squash, prunes & pomegranate and then wonder why they've not touched it. 

 I'm not prefect, I have somedays when I've made something new or 'experimented' and I'm met with sullen glares and folded arms (and that's just Paul) 

Stick the toast on, open a tin of beans! Balance restored :) 

Happy memory.

A happy memory, wow I'm finding this one difficult, don't start feeling sorry for me though, I just can't narrow it down to one memory. 

So I'm going to have to be predictable. 

27th February 2011. 

Wembley Stadium. 

Birmingham City take on Arsenal in the Carling Cup final. 

To any passing Blues fans I'm talking about that day, that match, that wonderful feeling, the atmosphere, the joys not the sorrows that followed it. 

For me it started off wet, it was a cold, wet February day, we'd parked on a friend of a friends drive in Wembley and had walked to the ground so we were soaked. 

I went to the loos and tried to dry my shoes under the hand dryer. 

Then we went to our seats

WOW

We can all say something is breath taking but has it really taken your breath away... That moment did, to see Wembley unfold before me was amazing it took my breath away and I stood speechless for a moment. 

I'm not going to give you an account of the game, that's not my style and to be completely honest as a mum when you go anywhere with your children you've always got one eye on them or in this case me and Jack had our eyes on the backsides of the rather worse for wear girls in front of us!

The build up to the game was exciting and (bias alert) we were the better set of fans. The pitch decoration was awesome and has been Tommys screen saver on many occasions. 

Any journey with a four year old and an eight year is filled with untimely toilet breaks and this day was no exception. 

At 1-1 Paul turned to me and said I think we can do this!

At 2-1 we went BONKERS

And so did everyone else around us!  Two men gambolled through us, I think it's safe to say they'd been drinking! 

Final Whistle. 

We'd done it, we, the under dogs had won. 

I cried, Paul cried, the kids cried. 

Amazing. 

Jack needed the loo just as we were about to lift the cup, so we did a mad run to and from the toilets!

A truly happy memory. That can never be  taken away. 

A typical day.

A typical day, honestly, really I can't lie and say it starts with a family breakfast where we discuss current affairs, ok.

A typical week day starts, thankfully, with Paul bringing me a cup of coffee, he does this 99% of the time but the days he doesn't are the days I could punch him in the head so thankfully it's most days. 

Paul's up first which is good, I get up when I hear the woman next door go to work, it's a bad system to rely on as it can back fire if she's ill or has a day off. 

Most days are the same, Paul opens the kids curtains, they groan, I get in the shower, Jack comes in uses the loo, promises not to flush. 

Tommy is usually downstairs lounging on the setee eating his cereal like he's got all the time in the world. 

I then have to find one, two or all of their clothes! Get my self dressed and dry my hair, I hate drying my hair and never put much effort into it. I then go down stairs and make the sandwiches, hunt for school bags and shoes and moan at the kids to eat up, get dressed, clean their teeth, move faster. . .I get the dog in if she's outside barking, tidy round  (load dishwasher on a good day!) And try to leave the house tidy as it will annoy me all day if I know we've left it a mess. 

Most days we have the car but some days we rush I mean walk to school, I work at the same school so that makes life a little easier. As I said in the previous blog I'm a teaching assistant, I work in early years, which is great fun. 

'you might not ever get rich, but let me tell ya it's better than diggin a ditch'

So 8.45 - 12 or 3.15 (yeah as if!) depending on the day consist of all kinds of fun! 

Noise, snot, tears, stories, paint, play doh, toast, milk, maths, reading, writing listening, talking, laughing, walking not running, more coffee, letters, sounds, the bell. On my afternoons off I catch up on cleaning, shopping or Mad Men. 

Then its Home time. 

The complete opposite of the morning, a leisurely stroll home (or short drive) chatting about their day. 

Through the door and a half-hearted welcome these days from Martha, a cup of coffee, chat to the boys, snack and a drink, tv, ipods or garden for them, tidy round, unload dishwasher and washing machine and think about tea whilst checking Facebook for me. 

5 pm Martha's tea time heaven forbid you forget!!

We always sit together for tea and Paul's usually home before or during. 

I like to tidy the kitchen after tea and I like to think this always happens. 

A typical summers day means the kids are back outside playing football or if its really cold and wet we're all in watching tv together (I'm talking sub zero and torrential rain as they'll be out all weathers) , one of us will take the dog out and lately I've been going for a jog but this hasn't become regular enough to be typical yet! 

Then the moan we had about getting them out of bed turns into the moan about getting them into bed. I'm usually competing with a football match and I usually lose. 

Once we've gone through the never ending bedtime ritual (that's a blog in itself) I usually hit the sack myself all my plans of doing the sandwiches or ironing or reading the books that are gathering dust by my bed fly out the window and I sit in bed watching tv with Martha snuggled between us (or growling underneath it) 

As you can see we're pretty relaxed, no after school clubs or scouts, beavers or boys brigade. We have gymnastics on a Thursday and our weekends are filled with football, training Saturdays, matches Sundays, I wouldn't have it any other way.

*         *        *

Others taking part in blog everyday

Penelope's Vintage World 
JJC Photography
Little White Cottage 
Elfie's Smile
Gianina Blog
Kay Patterson's Blog

Who am I

I have joined a blog challenge set by PVB.

Today the subject is 'Who am I' I started to write the opening to this blog in my head when I saw it on the Little White Cottages Facebook page, then I read her blog and we'd had a similar idea. 

Of course there will be those of you that are a similar age to me who instantly started repeating 'who am I, who am I' (who are you in the film!)

Luckily I didn't have a biro to clip on my lip and push up my nose like Brian from The Breakfast Club. 

So Who am I...

I'm Lindsey, as a toddler I was the one with wild blonde hair that liked dancing and singing in front of the tv, wanted a little sister called Polly, got a brother, called him Polly any way (sorry Dan)

I'm the girl who didn't mind going to school, who liked school uniform, who loved to make a revision timetable but didn't do the revision, who loved art, loved a gossip and a laugh, didn't have loads of friends but lots of people remember me. 

I'm the one who's done a bit of this and a bit of that, I wanted to be a fashion designer or a teacher when I was at school, I'm now a teaching assistant.

I've worked in bars, restaurants, shops and abroad. 

At 17 I was working as a waitress (not in a cocktail bar) when I met Paul,

In 96 I moved to London and worked at Selfridges, in 97 I came back. 

In 99 we went to Corfu for the summer. I came back.

I like my home, my space. 

In 2000 I started university aged 26, a fine art degree at last! But more portent events meant I didn't complete it.

In 2001 we got Martha our westie. 

In 2002 we had Tommy, a beautiful boy who kept me waiting and came out like super man. 

In 2004 we got married on a gorgeous summer day. 

In 2006 we had Jack, another bouncy boy,he arrived through the sunroof!

The last four dates are the most important to me, as a child I'd always wanted a westie and two boys ( and ironically to marry a boy called Paul lol)

Who am I ... I'm lucky. 

Who am I ... I'm Lindsey.

I'm a mum, a wife, a dog owner, a vegetarian, a Birmingham City fan, a homemaker, a cook, a cleaner, a story teller, a listener, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a cuddler, a soccer mum, a blogger, a lover and a fighter, a finder of lost objects...

Many things to many people. 

But when I'm on my own I'm the girl with the (not so wild - not so blonde) hair dancing in front of the tv, round the kitchen, in the car, the super market...

http://www.pvbonline.co.uk/blogs.html

Other blogs in the challange...

Penelope's Vintage World 
JJC Photography
Little White Cottage 
Elfie's Smile
Gianina Blog
Kay Patterson's Blog