Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

Lemon_Tree

i wish i could get my backside into gear and get this place sorted as well as you are doing your place, i need to borrow some of your energy, just temporarily!

Memory_Girl

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

i wish i could get my backside into gear and get this place sorted as well as you are doing your place, i need to borrow some of your energy, just temporarily!

I'm just doing this 15 minutes at a time - any more and I think I would sink into complete um-motivational-ness:rotfl:

So less energy - more hysteria.

Doscoverd that DS aged 9 quite likes tidying up to Elton John Should I be worried??????

Memorygirl

PS Off to climb the ironing mountain

Memory_Girl

:eek::eek::eek:AAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

Drove the baby and DS to Grandmas this afternoon - to visit their new home, let DS play on their broadband (my dongle is too slow to let him play Pokemon) and scrounge biscuits (Grandad has the sweet tooth of the family)

Got there, parked up .............. discoverred that the car is leaking oil all over the place. Did my "Danger UXB" thingie on the phone to my mate Stew in B'ham (is that showing my age:D) who diagnosed .............

"Cylinder Head Gasket hasn't been tightened right - take it back to the garage and ask them to do the job properly!!!!!!!!!!."

A whole week without a car and £350 lighter and the car is in a worse state than before.

Followed Mum in my car to the garage and she gave us a lift home. I've left the car in their car park and popped the key through their office door with a note explaining whats up.

Oh I hope this is not going to cost me more money - because having eaten up all my reserve funds their is simply no more to be had.

So fingers crossed that the repair is a freebie tomorrow folks - or I am well and truly stuffed.

On a brighter note -we got home to a pot of stovies in the slow cooker. A dish I bet you know well Clootiesmum/?? So dinner was on the table and in the bellies in a flash - so another NSD successfully negotiated on the £100 challenge.

Now bath, jammies n bed time for the littlies.

Wish I had some booze in

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

Up with the larks - or the starlings who seem to be nesting in the attic of the empty pub next door.:D

Phone on charge ready to talk to the garage at 8.30 about whats wrong with the car now:mad:

No alternative arrangement made for the school run - well I asked the other parents last night and no-one could help. So at 9pm I texted all of them and said drop the kids off at 7.30am because it looks like we will be walking the 4 miles to school.

Funny enough then one of the parents stepped up to the plate - "couldn't have their precious walking four miles" !!!!!! he's fourteen :eek: So off go the kids without me at the usual helm.

Washing done last night on the cheap leccie - so hung out in the sun before 8am (what will the neighbours think - LOL)

Then called the garage - heart in mouth. They can't see any oil dribbling!!
They have taken it out for a test drive and will call me back - but it could be this, or it could be that ................... well regardless it can't be fixed because there is no more money to be had until a week tuesday - not without us not eating in the meantime.

So need to put my thinking cap on -although it wouldn't hurt the kids to do a few walks to school (its only 4 miles) but part of the way is on country roads, no pavements and I would have the buggy - there and back twice per day Goodness, think how fit I would be :j

Whilst I wait for the dreaded call, I have wriggled the baby into his clothes and loaded up the bottom of his buggy ready for the first of many "pram runs" to the Charity Shops. Had a good clear around at the weekend - so all the toys n stuff he has outgrown can go back tothe charity shop from whence they came in the first place - LOL!

Keeping my fingers crossed

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

Still no news from the garage:( Bit scared to give them a call to be honest.

The one thing I can't "Make Do and Mend" is my car - don't know enough about the blessed things. So fingers are all still crossed.

Done 2 charity "Pram runs" Baby DS decided that he would walk so I loaded up his seat too and it only took 2 trips - now I need to keep up the de-cluttering momentum and fill up the bags/buggy again. Baby DS was such a sweetie - walking through town with his "Singing Kettle" rucksack saying "Hello" and "See you later" to everyone we passed - he spread a lot of smiles.

Did the post weekend top-up at LIDL. Total spends £3.55. For that I got

2 litres whole milk 1.09
2 tins tomatoes 0.62
10 eggs 0.97
1 bottle squash for DS 0.48
1 bottle diet coke (Lidl version) 0.39.

Everything vital to meal plan except bottle of Diet Coke. But Mum and I worked so hard on Saturday moving furniture there was only half a glass left in last bottle. Gotta make it last till friday though so I'm going to swap my usual glass for a smaller one and drink it topped up with FREE ice-cubes to make it last longer.

Off to update the challenge signature

Memorygirl

ClootiesMum

Morning memory girl,

No news from the garage must be good news.....

And can I ask a really stoopid question - how do you make the stovies in the slow cooker - it sounds a wonderful idea &'d make some for tonight as DH doesn't finish until 10 & stovies would be a great wee suppery thing for him.

And I keep meaning to ask - whee about in Fife are you?

CM

Lemon_Tree

great ideas about the ice cubes why didn't think about that? My OH drinks way too much diet coke so this would certainly make it last longer. Hope you get your car sorted without it costing you too much. If it's something they've caused then stick to your guns and get them to sort it for free.

Memory_Girl

ClootiesMum wrote: »

Morning memory girl,

No news from the garage must be good news.....

And can I ask a really stoopid question - how do you make the stovies in the slow cooker - it sounds a wonderful idea &'d make some for tonight as DH doesn't finish until 10 & stovies would be a great wee suppery thing for him.

And I keep meaning to ask - whee about in Fife are you?

CM

Ok Clooties Mum ................. stand by your bag of tatties :rotfl:

First off I have one of those slow cookers that has Low / High and Warm settings - bargain at £3 from local Debra Charity Shop.

Recipe - Mmmm!!! One of those things your Granny shows you but I'll have a go.

Peel and slice 2 large onions into 5mm slices, then break into rings.

Peel and slice enough potatoes to fill your slow cooker pan.

Find your salt and pepper - you need lots of seasoning.

Find some kind of meat to flavour your stovies with. To 1 pot of stovies I used about 1/2 cup chopped up brisket. I freeze leftover bits just to make stovies with. You can use corned beef too - about 1/2 a can will do chopped up and added at the end (freeze the other half for another day)

Here's the important bit - you really need proper beef dripping to flavour this with. TBH its such a cheap dish and such a favourite with the kids that I always keep a pot of dripping from the local butchers in my fridge. It cost me about 75p and lasts for ages. For 1 pot I used about 1/2 cup of dripping. Sorry that I have got no weights but this is one of those dishes I do by eye.

Put 1/4 of onions in the bottom of the pot - season well and add 1/4 dripping then throw 1/4 potatoes and beef on top. Repeat until the slow-cooker is full. Pour a cup of water over the top - and a little more dripping over the top layer to melt through. Like the Hairy Bikers say "Fat means Flavour"

I cook on high for 1 hour - or until it is good n hot inside the slow-cooker then turn down to low ( left it for about 5 hours I think last night, yup we ate at 6pm). You are aiming for the potatoes to be cooked through and soft at the end of the cooking.

Just before serving I sprinkle over an OXO cube and stir fairly well to mix through and break up the potatoes a bit.

You serve this dolloped on a plate, we like it with a glass of milk and oatcakes - both DS like a squirt of red sauce too.

Be carefull though. Stovies smell and taste so much better than they look - but have a tendency to set like concrete in your stomach after you've eaten (so no puddings or supper snacks are ever needed on "Stovies night")

Cheap, filling and yummy - and Very Scottish.

.............. and easy peasy in a slow cooker cos you can leave it to do its own thing.

Memorygirl

PS Where about am I? I'm just like the song. "Once there was a wee Cooper in Fife - nickety nackety noo noo noo":rotfl:

Memory_Girl

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

great ideas about the ice cubes why didn't think about that? My OH drinks way too much diet coke so this would certainly make it last longer. Hope you get your car sorted without it costing you too much. If it's something they've caused then stick to your guns and get them to sort it for free.

Trick from mate in the restaurant trade - 50% ice = more profit:D

Also if I use a straw it makes me drink slower too - beedles off to find some straws in the party box...............................but gets distracted by plate of leftover stovies coming out of the microwave - YUM!!!

Memorygirl

ClootiesMum

Thanks for that Memory Girl - stovies tonight it is.

I'm useless in the kitchen - I can follow recipes fine but I'm no good at throwing things together to make meals - DH used to be a chef so that's his job.

Ooohh - & you're just up the road from me I'm in a wee hovel near the Palace

Any word on the car yet?

CM