icklebabe.com, it's in the blog

I thought it was time for a new fun foodie blog, but I have to confess its been hard to muster up the energy to do one lately.

I’m not sure why, but I seemed to have misplaced my cooking mojo.  Kind of stopped channeling my domestic goddess , the cooking version of “writers block”  I guess.

I think every mum (or dad) who has to cook for a family every night feels this at some point.  In my case it has to be not too spicy for Ten Boy Jack, but not too  bland for Big J.  Not  heavy on the calories for Teen Ellie, but not so you’d notice….. or Big J will think he’s eating “diet ” food and insist on a pizza an hour later!

Tough job really, and I am sure you could add plenty of your own family’s  food “eccentricities ” to the list!

And with a little tired toddler pulling at your leg it feels tougher than cooking on master chef most nights! (more…)

This month I joined the secret post club, devised by the very clever  Heather from Notes from Lapland. The premise being that bloggers from all around the world post something special to each other, once a month.

It can be anything close to your heart  from something  hand made, to a poem thats been written, even a good bar of chocolate!

If you want to join or learn more get in touch with Heather, she is lovely and a total genius for putting the whole thing together, and keeping us all orginised!

Anyway, basically it means by the 15th of every month you send out your little parcel to your mystery person, and a couple of days later you receive one yourself from another lovely blogger, my first was sent from  the amazing blogger Victoria @ Modern Dilemma …….

I have been reading her posts for a while so it was great getting a parcel from her. (more…)

This one is from Susan over at SusanKMann ( Lovely lady with a great blog, go check it out, well not now… because your reading mine.

But  in a bit when you’ve finished and the kids are not screaming for their tea…what? oh, thats just me.? ok then…. )

Anyhow these are da Rules:

1. Open your first (oldest) photo folder in your computer library ( Oh eek….scary, god only knows what I will find, but ok…)
2. Scroll to the 10th photo (again … scary, have had some pretty tragic fashion moments you know…)
3. Post the photo and the story behind it (oh good  its of Ellie, she will be mortified but she hardly ever reads my blog…bonus!  )
4. Tag 5 or more people to continue the thread (easy;D)

Let the fun commence! (more…)

I had a very full house of kids this week so decided to do a bit of cooking with them. But by the time I had got all the ingredients out, Ellie “teen” girl was on the phone, Jack “ten” boy was engrossed on the  xbox and baby milly was asleep!

So this only left a very eager Aime May. Bless her, she LOVES to cook and paint just like me. She says she wants us to get a big house with a maaaasive attic  (thats just how she says it!) so we can use it as a painting studio, with two easles and a big shelf of paints! Add a sewing machine and rolls and rolls of glorious fabric and I think I would be in heaven too!  Awww.. Dream…..

Anyway, as I was saying, me and Aime were going to make something…. something yummy…. something that included the rest of my east egg, as if I ate any more eggs I was sure to be the size of a small Winnebago ;D

So this it what we made, big J says they are the best cookies he has EVER tasted, praise indeed!

If you have any easter eggs left it probably takes a little over a quarter of an an egg, or about half a big bar.

Butterscotch Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

40z of Marg or Butter

2 oz of caster sugar

6oz of plain flour

And about 3 and a half 0z’s of Green and Blacks Butterscotch Chocolate, you can use any chocolate really. But this gives them another yummy dimension!

Method -

First pre-heat the oven at 150 oc or  gas mark 2.

And lightly greese a baking sheet. Then get the egg or choc in a plastic sarnie bag and bash with a rolling pin, you can just break the chocolate up, but its not half as much fun!

then beat the marg with a wooden spoon until soft and creamy, add sugar and then flour.

Bring the mix together with a wooden spoon and then using your hand make it into a ball. (try not to over handle the mix as this makes the cookies a bit hard when cooked) .

Then roll your cookie dough (you may need to flour your rolling pin too)  to about 3mm thick and using cookie cutter cut your shapes.

place on a tray and bake on a highish shelf in the oven for about 30 mins until just going golden. Nom Nom Nom!!!

I’ve been tagged by the lovely Elaine Scott with the Plastic Joy Award.

Sounds fun right? it  requires me to list five fictional characters which I would, you know invite into my boudoir on a cold lonely night, wink wink….

The thing is I have found it a bit hard, (oh Lordy, no pun intended!) I must only have eyes for big J or something! Either that or he’s hypnotized me somehow little Britain stylie, but thats love for you…weird !?

Anyway after much racking of the man babe memory banks I came up with my list.

It also reminded me of the top 10 boys list I used to write every week with my best friend Debbie, we must have been around 12 and we used to gather in secret and both write a list of the boys we liked, we would then fold it 20 times (not sure why) and place it under my bed till next week. It was a very ceremonious occasion and one we could never miss, I think it faded out after about a year when one of us actually got a real boyfriend. Shame, I would have loved to see those lists today!

Anyway, on to my Plastic Joy list…

Or my new top ten of boys list (even though I only managed 4… )

1) Christian slater in Heathers. I saw this movie when I was about 14 and he was the first guy I ever fell in love with on screen, dangerous and fabulous!

Who wouldn’t want to be with a guy who would sort out all the evil people who bullied you at school in such a kick as ” moody man” way!

A great dark, funny movie too.

2) Brad Pitt from Thelma and Louise, If I need to explain this you either haven’t seen the movie or are clearly blind ;D

3) Josh Hartnett  in 30 Days Of Night, despite spending most of the film in a big puffer jacket and woolly hat he still manages to be adorable.

I wont spoil it for you if you haven’t seen the movie, but needless to say he goes an awful long way to save the one he loves….awwww!

4) James McAvoy  in Penelope, cute bad boy type who is really caring and sharing underneath. He spends allot of the movie looking sultry and moody up a tree. .. class act!

So thats my list, I would love to know what you think so I am now metaphorically folding it 20 times and placing it under my bed for you to find. Enjoy Ladies! ;D xxxxx

Oh almost forgot! …and I pass it onto the lovely….

http://englishmum.com/

www.louliblog.wordpress.com

http://www.redgrayblog.blogspot.com/

http://allabouttheboysdesignerclothes.blogspot.com/

and the very lovely and funny  missleslieanne @   http://www.kookyboutique.blogspot.com/

Ellie at 4, so sweet!

   Eloise is going to be 15 this year (eek!!)…

   And a thought  has been on my mind for a while.

Ellie-now, bless her!

  I have been thinking of all the good advise I wish I’d had at her age. All the little and big stuff that would have made my last 15 years easier.

So I thought I’d write it down, (and share it with you guys) .

Not sure it’ll help, but its what Ive learnt…

Well the important stuff anyways ;D

I will start with the small stuff ….

 Beauty…. Don’t wear to much make-up-

There is nothing worse than looking like you tried too hard (except maybe not trying hard enough )

1) So follow this simple rule, if your wearing a “in your face” lipstick then go easy on the eye shadow, and visa versa.

 It always tends to look best. Unless your Scarlett  Johansson, and I have my suspicions that she is an alien or robot from planet  “way too good looking and sexy” so she doesn’t count.

2) The same applies for jewelery. A good necklace needs no earings and a good pair of earings need no necklace.

3) Don’t EVER shave your legs with your dads razor. Or you’ll spend at least 3 weeks in agony, covering them up and waiting for the skin to grow back.

I know this one to my cost… hot summer of 1989 ;D

House work-

1) iron shirts when they are still damp….  That’s all I really honestly know about the strange art of  house work that’s worth repeating!

Love..Life…& beyond -

My dad always used to say….”Helen, You Can’t Polish a Turd”….

This applies to so many things….a huge spot, a bad hair cut. But most of all to the opposite  sex.

If you follow this, you will save yourself allot of time and heart ache and you’ll leave yourself open to someone really good!

To be filed along with leopards and spots ;D

2) Don’t be overly hard on yourself and your looks. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t  say they look at photos of themselves when they were younger and wish they’d realized how hot they were!

I am not kidding you, I know right now you don’t think your not pretty, thin or hot enough, but you are!

You will look back at photos of yourself in 10 years time and go, blimey I was gorgeous!  (or at least passable!) Why couldn’t I see it?

The evil thing of it is, by then its to late. So enjoy it now. ;D

This is me just 3 years ago, I remember looking at this and thinking I looked old and fat. Wish I was that old and fat now, is all I can say about that! 

3) …. and most importantly, If there is something you want to do, don t be afraid to do it.

 Even if its a bit frightening. Things you don’t do when your young can cause bitterness and uneasiness when your older.

So in the great words of Nike, ” Just Do It!” (this does not apply to drugs, alcohol or boys.. just in case you were wondering) ;D

So thats it! i very much doubt  she will listen, don’t think I would have done  at her age either! ;D