Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

Memory_Girl

troglodyte wrote: »

Hello Memory Girl and everyone else!

After following MG's first 'make do and mend' thread and being so inspired, I lost track, didn't catch the 71p story and then found this one and have now spent about 10 days reading all 59 pages a few at a time in a marathon effort to catch up. What a story! MG you have really been through the mill with the whole school experience, hope it all works out in the end. And you are a role model and an inspiration :A

Of course there are lots of things from weeks back I would have liked to reply to but it's a bit late now

Just a couple of things though; I so agree with the minimalist parenting approach, we never did anything to baby-proof our house either, I thought that would just make it so frustrating for the child to have anything at all interesting always out of reach, and after all my mother just told me not to stick my fingers in the plug sockets or I would get fried, so I didn't, it worked for me! So far so good (DD is 4 and a half now and only one thing broken so far).

On the subject of a study skills course, MG I want to do one! Although teenagers are the obvious target, there must also be plenty of adults out there like me. I was certainly never taught anything like that (or in fact anything at all useful :mad::mad:) at school so my successes (and there have been a few) have been more down to luck than good study skills. If I'd been offered a course at the time though I probably wouldn't have seen the point in it as I seemed to be doing OK on my own. I have spent 20 years in research and struggled all the way through trying to keep on top of new developments because it takes me ages to read the literature and then I just forget it instantly and am half way through reading the same stuff again before I realise it might be slightly familiar. Also I know I'm not the only person who has this problem! At uni I had absolutely no idea of how to study, didn't really know what I was meant to do; in fact I was so clueless that it was only years later that I realised that I hadn't done what I should really have done because I simply had no idea. I love reading but it takes me such a long time, I read in my head in exactly the same way as I do when I read out loud, and often re-read the same bits over again. I do the same when writing too as I constantly re-cap what I have written so far. (My OH is the opposite, he speed-reads even out-loud which makes his bed-time stories rather hyper and stressful to listen to ! :rotfl:) So I think adult education would be a great potential market - and if you PM me your book title I'll look for a copy!

Anyway now I've found you all and got up to date I'll be back soon!

Hiya troglodyte - welcome on board - and well done for all that reading.

thanks for your comments about adult learning too - i'm beginning to wish we could hire a big hall in the centre of the uk and have all the posters on here meet up for memory and mse stuff.

One day when i am solvent we ill do something amazing.

pm me and i will forward you details of the books - but i'm pretty sure it would be classified as advertising if i put the title up iyswim and i don't want to get anyone into trouble.

MG

Memory_Girl

savingholmes wrote: »

Well it has taken me a few days but I have finally read the whole of this diary! Thanks MemoryGirl and other posters - very uplifting and inspiring.

On the MSE front - yesterday I found out I owed £1K less than I thought I did which I found out as you were putting down about writing big cheques to yourselves future dated....


Wooohooooo:j:j:j

On the make do and mend front - we suffer from CHAOS a lot of the time but today I have 2 kids over, and later some adults are coming - so have tidied the kitchen, packed the dishwasher, putting the shopping away from last night and cleaned 2 freezer drawers out! That is pretty good for me....

Loads more to do.... Need to get the lounge looking respectable by 5pm!

As a parent I would be willing to pay for a study skills course with the recommendation from the 5 kids with great results... so definitely a market there!

thanks for that savinghomes - think i feel some market research into relevant pricing coming on.

nice to know that there is a market for my passion IYSWIM?? Wouldn't it be great to build a business that does great things with other people that also excites you so much you can't wait to throw yourself out of bed in the morning??

its gonna be a great year

memorygirl

Memory_Girl

Ellidee wrote: »

MG saw this and wanted to share ! http://www.beautybible.com/health_notes/2010/SHN_220810.html

ETA - The Mindful Manifesto bit.

Thanks Ellidee - this has really resonated with me. i am the queen of "get it done and get it done now!!" - but I remember reading about the Shakers, who stated that even housework can be a meditation if you are fully present whilst doing it.

So you can wash the dishes after dinner, mindfull of the beautuful crockery you are handling, grateful for the food you have just shared, loving the family around you and honourig them by creating a clean space to nourish them inside and out during the next meal.

time to slow down and feel the bubbles a bit memorygirl

MG

Memory_Girl

katie2407 wrote: »

thank you for the muffin recipe

Can I please have the recipe for the banana loaf and weetabix cake. I have also some manky bananas lying around my kitchen and hate throwing them out.

On holiday all week so going to try and get some decluttering done

recipes to follow - btw I know one is in metric and one imperial, it just depends who has given me the recipe as to which standard gets scribbled in my recipe book:o

Banana Bread

Heat the oven to 170 c

in a large bowl mix together

15g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
1/2 tsp salt


melt gently in a pan

125g of butter
150g sugar

mash in a bowl

4 very ripe bananas (the browner the sweeter)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g chopped walnuts or sultanas

mis all the wet ingredients together and pourover the flour. beat with a wooden spoon until there are no flour lumps and pour into a greased and floured loaf tin

Bake at 170 for 60 - 70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

*** if i'm cutting a loaf cake for packed lunches, what works best for us is to cut very thick slices then cut the slices in half so that you end up with a chunk of cake rather than a fragile slice. More robust for freezing too.

MG

Memory_Girl

Weetabix cake - well actually i use LIDL own brand but you get the picture.

Make a large mug of very strong black tea and pour over

3 weetabix
2 oz sugar
4 oz sultanas

leave to steep in a large bowl until coolish then stir in

2 beaten eggs
4 oz sr flour
4 oz porridge oats

Beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed then pour into a greased a floured loaf tin.

bake at 180 c for about 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

lovely with a cup of tea and a smear of butter.

memorygirl

Memory_Girl

Emsky* wrote: »

Hi MG, glad you got your tax credits sorted! I think your doing amazingly, I log on every morning to see how your getting on & I'm going to use the muffins receipe as it sounds yummy!" Just thought I'd de-lurk for 5 minutes"

Hiya Emsky - hope you got round to making the muffins - a real favourite in our house.

MG

Memory_Girl

Firewalker wrote: »

Hi Memorygirl,

I am so sorry to hear about the latest develoments and relieved that it is sorted. I also hope that all this, horrid as it is, is not going to knock you off the productive, positive side of your life, wellbeing and prosperity.

I am sending you my thoughts and good wishes - and I am sure you will find a way. Independence is the future!

Firewalker

you are right firewalker - independence has to be the future. i canot allow the very food on my childrens table to be reliant on others doing their job - it has to be down to me. being reliant on benefits is too damn risky for me - I can absolutely see how people are driven into the arms of doorstep lenders and payday loans.

i am currently brainstorming how to go back to work sooner than january (when childcare for DS2 is available) I'm sure i will come up with a wrokable solution.

Memorygirl

Firewalker

Memory_Girl wrote: »

ps would love to talk more with you now that things are less manic:D

Hi MG, I am writing using a computer that probably will fetch loads of money if offered to a museum - finding this hard. Will be back in the UK tomorrow evening and on Thursday, apart from using you 15 min technique to deal with the aftermath of three weeks away, I'll write you a long pm. The asnwer to your question is 'only partially'.

Keep going and will talk.

Firewalker

Memory_Girl

knitwit67 wrote: »

MG I love your practical approach to your challenges. I had to smile at the image of you rolling out a rug and making camp, you should have pulled out a disposable BBQ and pack of sausages for the laugh :rotfl: Once again you sorted it, hope your money starts flowing again soon.

next time we will go with our tent and sleeping bags (with a photographer in tow of course):rotfl:

honestly, dealing with all these hiccups is a full time job in itself:mad:

Hopefully its all sorted now though

Mg

Memory_Girl

polesalot wrote: »

LMAO at this. It's so unfair that you are the one who will suffer because of their incompetence.

I hope the month isn't too frugal for you.

going to be more frugal than a frugal thing i'm afraid. just enough to cover the bills and a teeny food budget.

but the freezer is fullish and i have a great storecupboard so all is not lost.

todays lunch is slow cooker chicken stock with handful of dried barley and chopped root veggies. lots of parsely and pepper will make a filling and heathy soup for lunch.

memorygirl