Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

cheerfulness4 · 26 February 2015 at 11:46AM

Prinzessilein wrote: »

cheerfulness:.. a really big smile and slightly 'rounded' figure so you can give good hugs!

DH said the thing he was most attracted to when he first met me was that I was always smiling. (not my looks then obviously! :rotfl:)
And spot on, I come into the 'plumpcious' category, and the Grandkiddies love it.

Well done on that amazing weightloss by the way. That's incredible!

vhalla1478 wrote: »

And should I disabuse you and tell you I have very dark red hair?
Viv xx

Now that is a surprise. I remember when a lady on a forum found out I was fair she was most disturbed. She said she'd formed such a picture in her mind of me being dark haired that it had somehow ruined her image.
Feeling a huge responsibility for shattering her illusions I confessed that if she'd known me a few years ago she'd have been right.

Pineapple cake baking in the oven. Its from the OS recipe collection. Desperate for cake and no cheaper cooking marg in and didn't want to use my precious Clover. Too expensive for a midweek cake.
This one uses oil instead and I've been able to sneakily make use of one of the tins of pineapple in the cupboard and get a little fruit in the lads. :T

Quiche for lunch with salad and HM coleslaw (when I get off my bottom and make it).
After years of making quiches but never quite achieving the lovely creaminess of the deli ones I, quite by chance, realised where I was going wrong.
Nothing to do with poorer ingredients, lack of cream or not enough eggs, all of which I'd tried. I simply was overbaking it. I saw a comment either in a mag or online with someone else having my problems and they explained the science behind the structure of egg and how it reacts to cooking. Bingo. Get it out with even more wobble than I think safe and you get the most fantastic, creamy texture!
DH ate a slice and asked if I'd put double cream in. Nopey, cheap as chips basic ingredients. Yippeee. :j:j

oldtractor · 26 February 2015 at 12:05PM

I now darn socks and knit pullovers for the family.

vhalla1478 · 26 February 2015 at 12:43PM

Hi again,

I am most definitely not a blonde. My friend bleached my hair once for me (she was a hairdresser) and I was aghast with the results - I grabbed a headscarf and rushed to the chemist's to get a colour to go back to 'normal'. I do go golden-haired in the sun, though..No grey hairs to speak of yet, at least not on my head!!

Prinzessilein, carry on with your splendid dieting. When I was married to my second husband, I was very unhappy and put on a lot of weight - size 24. After my divorce I dropped down to 12-14 and every time I get up to what I call my 'slob weight' (in case you haven't noticed I love food), that is, edging towards a size 16, I cut down on the carbs and exercise more.

Question whilst I remember - has anyone ever sewn with leather? I have a pair of slip on shoes with leather inners that I've been using/wearing out as slippers in the house this winter; they have really had it but I'm making rag dolls for two of my granddaughters and was wondering if I could use the inners as the shoes.? Any advice gratefully received.

Right, an early lunch and back to the sewing.

See you later.

Viv xx

silvasava · 26 February 2015 at 2:25PM

Loving everyone's imagination of each other! Sorry all I'm 6ft in my heels and slim - been going grey since 18 so its now a pale blonde as I have a reverse 'Mallen Streak' and my hair is nearly shoulder length. Mind you Prinzess the black & white was accurate as I'm definitely a 'monochrome' gal but neat & precise - I dont think so!! Sorry to dash your perceptions haha.
Loved your descriptions - esp for Howmuch

mind you I think we all tend to do that
Vhalla Yes, you can sew the leather - if you do it on a machine use a long stitch otherwise you'll end up with a perforated line that will come apart! I'd suggest hand stitching if the leather is soft & fine like chamois - maybe use button thread & blanket stitch?

vhalla1478 · 26 February 2015 at 3:18PM

I suppose it depends how high your heels are, silvasva (I'm now adjusting your hair length in my imagination!). I'm 6 foot when I wear my 4 inch heels.

Many thanks for the leather tip - it is chamois so will use buttonhole thread and stitch by hand.

Here's the first of today's recipes - useful when you're in a hurry and/or scraping the barrel and it is one up on cheese on toast.

Buck Rarebit - serves 2

4-8 ounces cheese, tsp mustard powder, salt and pepper, dash of Worcestershire sauce, a beaten egg, plus two more, a knob of butter, 2 slices of bread.

Grate the cheese and mix it with the mustard, salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Bind with the beaten egg and a knob of butter. Toast the bread on one side only. Spread the other side thickly with the mixture and stick it under the grill until the top is puffy and slightly brown. Top with poached eggs.

Another hour's sewing, I think. A pity Father Brown has disappeared from our screens, I always used to watch it whilst I was doing my rug. Sewing Bee tonight, though.

Viv xx

silvasava · 26 February 2015 at 4:03PM

Vhalla - why did you have to post the Buck Rarebit on my 5:2 day? You're pushing this woman over the edge........:)
Yoga tonight & so I don't have to hurry I've recorded Sewing Bee - love it & last one of Death in Paradise tonight

4inch heels would make me 6'2" - haha although I have been known to wear them many moons ago - if I did it now I'd look like !!!!!! Emery.

celtic_moon · 26 February 2015 at 4:24PM

Oh my life! I hope I didn't cause offense - just with us all referring to our OH or DH - I assumed we were all female...... Guess it was a sweeping generalisation!

I like everyone's mental pictures though did make me giggle

My DH has gone and bought 6!!!!!! papers for the @ldi vouchers - quite where we're gonna get £240 from I am not sure..... Bless his heart - he tried! I will find homes for the ones I won't use and a couple of the £5 ones too.

Thanks for the info on the dongle - we are considering this down the line. For the time being, I will just tether my laptop to my phone and see how that goes. I get 1 gig on each per month so I might not need to get one as I do my work stuff in my DH office and use the work internet.

Thanks for the recipes - still hoarding them as we have been running down some stocks and doing lots of batch cooking so still no room for new things and some ingredients depleted!

Gotta dash - need to pack van, teach, shop at @ldi, iron and have tea - before collapsing into bed ready for travelling to the trade event tomorrow and working all weekend - this time next year, we will be millionaires......

cheerfulness4 · 26 February 2015 at 4:59PM

I'd only be 5'8 in 4 inch hills.

Thanks for the reminders about Sewing Bee and Death in Paradise tonight. I'm bobbing out and wouldn't have set the recorder.
I'm missing Father Brown, too.

Totally messing my routine up now. I used to look forward to a knitting hour while that was on with a cuppa.

We had a lovely lunch and my YS veg are still hanging in there...JUST!

Once I take the time to make my own coleslaw, which is ridiculously quick and easy with a mini blender, I can't think why I would ever want to buy it.
I added a tsp of apple sauce to the mix this time and it was lovely. I didn't want to use one of my YS apples that I've ear-marked as part of a crumble to come in the next few days.
A tsp of horseradish sauce is good as an alternative. Sometime I like that little, gentle heat.

Jumping topics, but I was add my agreement to the not wanting sex, violence and drugs on my screen, but a bit of Miss Marple and Poirot goes down a treat.

I like the gentle stuff. Love Born and Bred and still enjoy watching repeats of The Darling Buds of May.
Oh and also a massive fan of Jane Austen. Her humour in her characters conversations is hilarious. Pride and Prejudice will always be my favourite and can't understand why I never listened to my mum's recommendation and read it much earlier.

Fixed DS's slippers and saved on a new pair. Feeling like I'm riding atop a dancing elephant with a smug look on my face (as in Money Supermarket.com ads):T:T

cheerfulness4 · 26 February 2015 at 5:09PM

Celtic, of course you didn't cause offence to anyone.

To my knowledge I think you were right to assume most are female. I know a couple of men came on earlier, not so sure if they are still around.

Maybe I'm wrong.

Certainly everyones post are enjoyed.

jinny · 26 February 2015 at 5:19PM

YEAY
I've just learned to knit on dpns
I ran around getting my jobs done this morning so I could practice
It's took until now with lots of frustration.
I have the wrong yarn for the wrong needles(2.0 needles and double knitting)but hey I got there. It's just for practice.
Flung across the room a few times but I am determined to knit some socks when I get the right size needles

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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