Boiling Condensed Milk and CHEATING...

Seriously - have you ever discovered the best cheat and like thought...WHY DID I NOT FIND THIS EARLIER?!!

My DH craves Banoffee Pie.

It is his all-time favourite desert - and whilst the rest of us can stomach only half a serving, he can clear his own plate and then start working on the leftovers around the table.

So not being one to ever slave over a hot stove for more than an hour (and that is pushing it) I have never ONCE (in all our 11 years of marriage) had the guts and determination to boil condensed milk to create his perfect after-dinner gorge fest desert.

So imagine my delight at finding the ultimate Banoffee CHEAT! With a little help of this average looking tin of Carnation Caramel I was able to serve up a little helping of heaven over Christmas.

I was duly awarded bonus WIFE POINTS (...you all seriously need to have a gander at the hilarious 'Don't for Wives' book - and please read the 'Don't for Husbands' alongside so you don't get too overwhelmed...)

CHEATING definitely has a FEEL GOOD factor!!

So onto Scrapbooking... and why on earth there is this fascination on creating a Picasso-esk original everytime that we sit down to scrap. CHEATING works ladies (and any gents that may also be dabblers!) It FEELS GOOD. Not only do you save hours of valuable TV watching time (I would say ironing, but that would be pushing the realms of reality a little too far); BUT you also complete something *victory, hurrah* and have not had to bust a brain cell doing it.

{Fair dos if all you ever scrapbook is going to be published and you need to be the Elsie, Donna, Heidi, Jane and co of our generation... but for the remaining 99.99999% of us - scrapbooks are just personal LIFE albums. They get pulled out by our kids, or mates - passed around and photos get laughed at, prompting 'Do you remember?' conversations. They are not the Mona Lisa...}

For me, when I sit down with my pen and paper (photos come after the story telling in my book) then I also grab a layout that I have spotted that I like, and replicate it with my own wicked twist. I do not reinvent the wheel...and I certainly do not boil condensed milk.

Try it, it's liberating!
Becks x