Here are the pictures of my boys today.

Food is on my mind today .......

 

Yesterday I made a Lasagne but without the pasta.

I had been watching the Hairy Dieters on the telly and this was one of their recipes

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/skinny_beef_lasagne_87277

 

I didn't follow the recipe exactly as I was using up some left over veggies,

 but I stuck to the principal of the recipe.

So I didn't use any fat or oil and I used blanched leeks instead of pasta,

 just like the boys said. 

It was really filling.

Well worth doing again.

 Even the bairns ate it, picking out only the odd thing hear and there.

 

Today being Friday we had fish from my favourite Fishman.

 

 

Smoked haddock and fresh haddock landed this morning.

 

Haddock and Mushroom Bake.

 

Bring a pint of milk with 12 pepper corns, an onion , a bay leaf and salt & pepper to the boil then switch off the heat and put a lid on the pan and let it stand for 10 minutes. I didn't have any bay leaves.

 

Put 2oz butter in a pan and melt. To this add a tub of sliced mushrooms and the juice of a lemon. Cook until just cooked.

 

In a large buttered dish put some fresh and some smoked haddock.

 

Drain the mushrooms and put them on top of the fish.

 

In a pan melt another 2 oz butter then add 2 oz of flour. Cook until nice and bubbly. Remove from the heat and add the milk a ladleful at a time through a sieve and mix really well. Return back to the heat and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. I added some dill but that wasn't in the original recipe. Pore this over the fish and mushrooms.

 

In a bowl, grate some breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it on top of the dish. I didn't have enough bread to grate nor did I have any Parmasan so I mixed ruskalin and grated any hard cheese I could find in the fridge.

 

Put in to a preheated oven Gas mark 5 for about half an hour.

Serve with baby tatties , peas and salad.

 

Next time I think I'll use less butter and if I make it again I'll try other fish, My favourite fish is Stonebiter.

 

 

For the rest of the day I have been giving the shop a deep clean.

Tomorrow we will be starting the Sale.

 

I was gonna post some pictures on the boys, but I seem to be having a bit of a block as how to load pictures tonight. I clicked on the little image of a picture, I tried copy and paste. I did manage to view a rather scary image on the webcam of myself, but I couldn't get my photos to stick, so I'll try again tomorrow.

 

At last, I have found my camera.

 

My new years day walk.
 

Here are my guilty projects, the name and shame six that I have decided I need to finish. Yes I know there are others hidden in the attic but we all need to start somewhere.

 

1. Anne's Quilt.

 

 

 

This is a pieced quilt, pensillvania block, which I am gonna applique flowers and bows on to. At the moment I am sewing the flowers onto paper and will sew them down later.

 

2. Lily's jumper.

 

 

 

This is a bit of a hotch-potch. I have finished the front and am half way up the sleeves. I'm a bit worried as this is all the wool I have left and I still have the back to do. My other problem is the bairn keeps growing !!

 

3. Free-Motion Machine Quilting.

 

I started this on a course with the Shetland Needle Workers.

I am finding it really difficult so I have included it in the list of shame to make me do it, other wise I might be tempted to bale it out with the ess.

 

4. Grace's scalf.

 

This has been on the wires for two years now. I got stuck when all the stitches jumped off the needle. Luckily for me my friend Laura came to the rescue.

 

5. Welcome Wallhanging.

 

 

This is for the kirk.

It says "Everyone Welcome" at the top and along the bottom there are different flowers from the Bible. My next job is to embroider in the windows.

 

 

 6. Christmas Pudding Tree Decoration.

 

 

This isn't a difficult project and technically shouldn't be on the list as it is a sample from a class I was doing, but I took pitty on it and it's only small.

 

Here are my boys, helping !!

 

It's nay day out there, too windy for a walk, so I'll just have to stay in and play !!

I went for a lovely walk down to the Quarff beach. Even though it was a bit bracing the bairns seemed to enjoy it. We found the tinyest starfish ontop of the cliffs. Not sure how they got there. They were no more than an inch across. I always think there's something magical about star fish. The storms from last week have really changed the shape of the beach and rerouted the two streams that run down there. I am in awe at the power of the sea.

I'm not gonna weigh my self today.
I wonder if once a week is enough ?
Oh I have gotten myself a "Get fit buddy".So once a week , hopefully, we are gonna go swimming.
I know me go swimming, have you ever heard anything quite so funny.

Reasons to go swimming -

1. It gets you fit.

Reasons not to go swimming -

1. It smells.

2. You have to take clothes off.

3. You get wet.

4. Getting you hair wet.
5. I get pain in me lugs if water goes in them.
6. Getting splashed.
7. People seeing me in me costume.
8. That horrid feeling when you first get in to the water and the cold creeps up ye body.
9. Being cold when getting outta the water.
10. Not getting dry properly.
11. The way my clothes cling to my damp body.
12. I don't like being so hungry I could eat a scabby horse when I have finished.

So it should be fun !!!

To day is me Dad's Birthday so I'm off to see if I can locate camera / birthday cake / that pressie I put an a safe place before Christmas when I thought I was sooo organised. Nana always said pride comes before a fall.

I can hardly believe the new year has come so quickly.
Let me introduce you to these guys......

These are my new babies. Mittens and Ginger.
Two little boys who have come to catch the mice.
Up to now they are a dab hand at climbing curtains and dismantling playmobil, but no mice caught yet.
Appart from training the kittens, I would like to loose weight and finish some of my projects.

My weight is 12 stone 2lb. That's 2 stone 2lb heavier than when I decided I needed to loose 1 stone. !!! I can't do diets so I'm gonna try exercise and see if that'll help.

As for finishing projects hmmmm...
I have six projects I'd like to finish. Now here I know you'll be split. Half of you will shreek "Six project !!! wow that's a lot" and the other half will scoff  "Pfff is that all ??"
Unfortunatly it's not all. Most of my craft stuff has been bunged in the attic. I now have a box in the sitting room with the remaining ufo's tucked in and outta this box I have pulled six projects .

1. A pieced and appliqued quilt for my Mother in law.
2. A Christmas pudding Christmas tree decoration.
3. A scalf for my daughter Grace.
4. A dreadful jumper for our Lily.
5. A "Welcome" wall hanging for the kirk.
6. A free motion machine quilted place mat I started on a corse I went to by Sheena Urquhart.

So there I have named and shamed it. I shall try to post pictures some time soon once I have concored my technophobia.

It's a bonny day here in Shetland so I'm gonna go and have me a walk in the freshair.

Spring has officially arrived here in Shetland.

 I was having a rootle around in the garden and came upon these little gems of loveliness. 

I have been a bit of a project grasshopper today.

I started to paint the pantry window but had to stop as the damp proofing paint wouldn't stick to the damp !

Then I started to clear the drive which is totally over grown with grass and brambles. After clearing about a meter I went in as I was cold and my back was sore, but even the longest journey has to start with a single step.

This afternoon I started to wash red fabric for a project I have in mind. I rinsed and rinsed and added salt and rinsed and rinsed a whole heap more, but the blessed stuff was still running with liquid that had the appearance of cranberry juice. Finally I gave up and whapped it in the washing machine with a cup of salt.

Does any one have any suggestions on how to stop fabric from running ?

I'm keeping up with most of my new years resolutions .... well most of them any way.

Happy New Year.

So finally 2012 has arrived.
I hope this will prove to be a good year for every one.
Due to one thing or another I am glad to be out of 2011.

I was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency and told by the doctors it would take about a year for me to recover, so 2012 can only get better and better.

I have made some New Years Resolutions and I hope I can keep to them.
They are :-
1 Read more.
I have started to read Moon-Fleet.
2 Do some craft work daily.
I am working on a crotched cushion cover. And today I also finished making 3 toy bags for the bairns. Each had writing on the front - Toys, Lego and Dolls. I had already made a Zoo bag for the play mobile.
3 Loose weight.
Hmmm 11st 8lb long way to go.
4 Read a chapter of the Bible each week and try to take in what it means.
5 Write more letters.
6 Work more in the garden.
7 Have a family night set aside for the bairns.
This is going to be a Friday so we can play games and chat with no telly.
8 If you can't say owt nice, say nowt.
9 Go to bed earlier.
10 Learn some thing new.

This is a piccy of two of my bairns decorating the tree. There was a lot more went on the tree after this but unfortunately the camera broke and we have no further pictures of Christmas. Never mind. I have some lovely memories.