Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

SmlSave

Its 26 weeks till Christmas

*faint* I can't believe you know this!

have fun filling your freezer.

Memory_Girl

SmlSave wrote: »

*faint* I can't believe you know this!

have fun filling your freezer.

I'm not really that clever - but I do have a wall calendar that shows you how many weeks to go:beer:


Made 4 meals worth of gnocchi for the freezer - and one for our tums tonight. DS1 had his with fresh tomato sauce (a blended ripe tomato, salt, pepper, garlic clove and slug of olive oil) I use this as my "stir in sauce".

Me - I had

Gnocchi al forno

Get me:D I've gone all cheffy:D. Gnochhi cooked in a a pan of water, then drained and popped into a gratin dish. Slug of double cream over the top,the last desperate gratings of a rind of parmesan, a crushed clove of garlic and some finely chopped chives from the garden. Thrown into the wee halogen oven until golden and bubbling. Serves with some rocket and Mustard greens from the garden.

I swear it tasted as if it came from a proper Italian restaurant:j. I costed out my recipe and the tomato one came to 27p and the cream one 29.5p. The tomato one would be even cheaper when my garden is producing. :T

Washing up is done and I have an aubergine in the oven to make baba ganoush for lunch tomorrow with a couple of flatbreads and some green stuff from the garden.

Been thinking about my "Credit Crunch Crafts" - do you think people would be interested in craft kits - you know gifts they can make themselves or give to other to make. I'm thinking things like

Union Flag bags in pastel colours
Baby's first dolls
Proper old fashioned rag-dolls
Pathcwork teddies
Kids aprons
Crayon rolls

What do you think????????

Memorygirl

Lara44

Hey Memorygirl

I read your wonderful thread. What good news about your school(s)! I am so impressed with your thrifty ways. Me and my OH love our food too. I've just gone back to uni and we have moved into our first house so I'm trying to be more OS. We have got some lovely bits for the house from ebay. We can afford much nicer stuff second hand. Picking up my 1970s Kenwood from Gumtree on Saturday, yay! Am going to try to make my own sausages, as I think it looks like a lot of fun.

I was thinking about your kit idea and remembered these quirky kits from Donna Wilson. The monster ones look really sweet.

Bye!

Memory_Girl

LaraHoust wrote: »

Hey Memorygirl

I read your wonderful thread. What good news about your school(s)! I am so impressed with your thrifty ways. Me and my OH love our food too. I've just gone back to uni and we have moved into our first house so I'm trying to be more OS. We have got some lovely bits for the house from ebay. We can afford much nicer stuff second hand. Picking up my 1970s Kenwood from Gumtree on Saturday, yay! Am going to try to make my own sausages, as I think it looks like a lot of fun.

I was thinking about your kit idea and remembered these quirky kits from Donna Wilson. The monster ones look really sweet.

Bye!

Hi Lara - welcome

What are you going to be studying at Uni? - I'm only being nosey becasue I seem to be spendnig a lot of time with the Profs at St Andrews atthe Moment (BTW I don't have a degree but I'll give my education story later)

Your right about better quality second hand - sooooooooo jealous about your kenwood though (although I don't know where I would store it). Let us know how you get on with the sausages - I bet you could practice quite a bit over the BBQ season and get yourself a reputation for the best in the street.

Love the monster kits - the reason I though kits was even my "affluent" friends (those in work who haven't had a lightbulb about the amount of debt they have) are trying to be a bit more OS. Even if in their case its all about buying patchwork cushion covers and fairy cakes.

My committment to you all is to step away from this thread and post on MFW this weekend - to see if they are all as friendly as you guys.


Bfast for me is "SW FRied Potatoes" and a lovely poached egg from Clootiesmums chooks Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Lunch is Baba ganoush (aubergine dip) veggie dippers and flatbreads - all from stores

Dinner is white bean and tuna salad, green bits from garden and home-made ciabatta bread (I will let you know the recipe later if it actually comes out tasting like a proper ciabatta):D

Project for the freezer - I'm going to turn the last 2 of Clootiesmums eggs in to 4 mini quiches. One of these nipped in two does me and DS1 for tea with wedges and veggies.

One of DS's little pals has got his first communion this weekend. I know its traditional to buy a present, but I think I am going to make him a box of melting moment biscuits instead. I've got all the ingredients, so I figure it will be thoughtful and FREE!!!:T
Then at 3pm we are in a meeting re signing for our new schools:eek:

Read a lovely quote in a biography last night:

"Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory" Ghandi

................ aint that the truth!!!!!!!!!!

Memorygirl

PS £16 more and I have my SECOND £125:j:beer::j So combined with what I already have saved I will then have officially saved up 1% of my mortgage. Got a wedding down south next week - and being the first week all my DD come out so its a pretty expensive time. But I WILL get £16 more in the next four days from my PAD.

ClootiesMum

Well done you - and just a quickie before I go off to get de furred (waxing session booked :eek:)

The craft kits sound wonderful but instead of the Union Jack kits I'd probably recommend St Andrews Cross kits instead (being north of the border & all that).

Also - make a stuffed toy haggis kit might work - and the wee craft shops around the area might take these on sale or return basis. Plenty of wee shops in St Andrews & Falkland & hunners of tourists waiting to buy them.

Will come back to you later but have a great day & enjoy the signing

Memory_Girl

Just running in to say ..................

Was as the post office and popped into one of the charity shops onthe way past.

Found 12 little stainless steel spice pots - you know the one's with magnets on the bottom and glass in the lids that you put in a big tin to store all your Indian spices.

I looked at a set of 7 on ebay - £24 - eek!!!!!!:eek:

I got 12 pots for £1.90:j:j:j

All my spices have now been rounded up and safefly coralled in containers in a "Roses" tin.

Made my day - all for £1.90

Memorygirl

SAHMto2boys

Hi MG

Not had chance to say congrats on the school yet - so congrats!!

Think the idea of the biscuits is lovely, we just had our littlest one Baptised and think something HM makes a really nice gift and means more than just going into a shop.

Woohoo on nearly reaching the second £125! Keep going !

ClootiesMum

What charity shop do you use? I must visit....

Memory_Girl

ClootiesMum wrote: »

What charity shop do you use? I must visit....

Got them in the BHF - usually they are quite pricey (well realtively I suppose) but these looked an absolute bargain. IN fact I did ask them to check whether the price was for the two stuck together or for the whole pile - and it was the whole pile :j

I just need to find a spray can of paint to decorate my box and I will have the poshed spice collection in - well my house really:D.

Meetings yesterday about the schools - one is done and dusted and the other -well it has several very large wrinkles to iron out. So we have a lot more positive thinking to come up with the perfect creative solution.

The good news is that loads of my summer seeds have germinated - the garden (well the half I have managed to square foot) is looking like a very productive addition to our food budget. I'm thinking I shouldn't fill the freezer too full so that I have got space to stockpile all our harvest later.

Off to tidy a corner cupboard (I d one every Saturday morning)

Memorygirl

PS Off to the Highland Games later - follwed by volleyball for the kids on the beach in St A - hoe the haar burns off

ClootiesMum

The haar has to burn off - there's a street fayre in Falkland today & they'll be hoping for loads of visitors

But have a good day @ the beach & the Games