Coffee and chocolate

Erme

Och sorry to hear about your family - hugs. Yeah minus 20 - the priority would have been keeping her warm ....

Found e-cig battery (forgot to say that on diary) but otherwise nothing here much...

Didn't make FP prayer meeting. Too delusional and tired.....

E

miggy

Well, I was hoping for a toastie-warm house this morning all courtesy of the new window but in fact it's bloomin' cold out that I will still be in a couple of layers of long sleeves - but there are worse things. I was reading about the cold in Eastern Europe and feeling so sorry for the people trapped in their villages. I am sure the death toll will rise before it's all over and it must be a couple of hundred by now.

I spent some time last night typing out the sheaf of questions my assessor has set in order for me to finish my NVQ (although it's evidence-based, the nature of my work means it's hard to show the full spectrum of knowledge by observation, so she said there would be a few written questions. 'Good,' thought I, vainly thinking written work plays to my strengths. Ha. Ha. Seven pages of questions, mostly double-sided, handwritten because the work computer has temporarily chucked both of us off. Sample question: What theories are relevant to the individuals with whom you work about power and how it can be used and abused when communicating on difficult, sensitive and complex issues? I think I'm going to be here a while...)

Later this morning we're going to the Building Society - I mean Bank - to discuss what happens to our mortgage when our fixed interest period ends. I suspect, nothing, as we'll drift gently onto variable base-rate and be able to overpay :T:T should we have enough money. :think: I am sooo determined to pay off more - but will it be worth the comparatively high rate of interest? Not that it's really high (says she remembering when it was in the teens and a serious problem) but a percent or so higher than the longer-term fixed rate.

I also have some Internet shopping to get for Mum and really I ought to try to make progress with some of the business side of looking after her affairs but there's no pressure to get it done and I'm afraid I really struggle to face it. Baby steps, as they say. I can tread water by keeping just about on top of day-to-day things for her, and it will be good to get some of those out of the way.

MuffinTops

Hello Miggy,

I just read back that you spent some time indulging yourself reading my diary! I loved that, thank you.

I'm really sorry to hear about the accident, but very pleased to hear all is ok now, other than a few cuts and bruises.

Baby steps is a great motto for keeping on top of things. I have this block in me that I struggle to push past - mainly to do with filling in forms for some reason - but the baby steps approach really is a good one.

Good luck with the questions you've been given! Eek is all I can say to that. Although I have a feeling that once I started on a subject like that I wouldn't be able to stop! Particularly in my workplace!

miggy

Woooo! Just popped in here to celebrate - mortgage is sorted out and as well as a drop in the necessary outgoings from April, we've rounded up our payments (and NOT fixed the rate... hoping that was the right move, LOL!).

The two changes combined have now been fed through the mortgage overpayment calculator, though I'm too impatient to get out the files and the exact figures - however I am confident that if we stay with our new DD amount we will have saved IRO £600! I know that's over the life of the mortgage but I count it as saved now now because now is when all the business stuff has been done and after this it just rolls along... unless we reduce the amount by which we overpay.

I've got it here on a letter in front of me - whoop whoop!

I know £600 isn't a lot to some people but it is to me!

I had better come back to it later and find out the real amount - then I can add it to my signature.

In the meantime I trawled round three supermarkets and the street market and got some bargains so I'll tally up my shopping savings:
cappuccinos - 1.99
porridge - 1.00
peach chunks - 3.88
liver - 16p
clementines - 36p
tomatoes - 1.40

Clubcard points wombled - 12p (memo to self - Dh hardly ever claims points - get hold of his wallet! )

Total shopping savings - £8.91!

I'll add that to my sig straight away but save the big one for when I know what it really is.

miggy

I've had a couple of NSDs, mostly because I've spent all the food money! We have plenty of food in, so that's not a problem in itself, just not particularly good.

I'm almost out of cappuccinos... can I last the course till they are on offer again?! I suppose I could make proper ones, ooh, how exciting! It would be cheaper to say the least, but will I feel awake enough to do that first thing in the morning?

I have also invaded one of Freeby's threads and had some great using-up-food suggestions from Knitty to help me get through some of the Things that lurk in the recesses of the kitchen. It would be really nice to have the space back and start to stock up afresh. I've made a resolution not to type massive lists into Freeby's space again and either post food lists on here or on my Evernote, though over there I miss the feedback from others so maybe I will save that for lists I need to be able to find again.

Other than that, I had a couple of extra hours at work yesterday so that will be about £15ish but I'm off this week as I had to use up my leave at some point.

It's so nice not to be so cold, and the forecast is for 'warmer' still over the next few days! There's still snow in the garden but not a lot. I've even let the Small Furry out for an hour or so but I put a box of hay out too in case it's colder than she likes.

MuffinTops

Congratulations on the mortgage savings! £600 is a great amount to save. Also on the shopping savings. It's the every day savings that help boost me along.

It's funny how some diaries just seem to have people magnets attached to them, isn't it? Where feedback is always there. I can't talk for Freeby but I like the idea that my diary could become a community. But I'm still unsure of diary courtesy on here so I guess it's better to err on the side of caution.

Have you got anything nice planned for your week off? Is it you with the Polish recipes? Are you attempting to complete any of those?

I wasn't sure of the weather forecast so I'm pleased to hear it's meant to get a bit warmer again. Thank you.

miggy

MuffinTops wrote: »

It's the every day savings that help boost me along.

Yes, it's the pennies taking care of the pounds isn't it? I don't think that was the original proverb but I think I'm saying what I mean.

It's funny how some diaries just seem to have people magnets attached to them, isn't it? Where feedback is always there. I can't talk for Freeby but I like the idea that my diary could become a community. But I'm still unsure of diary courtesy on here so I guess it's better to err on the side of caution.

Freeby has certainly attracted a lovely community round her! I do feel guilty for such a massive post on hers though so I'm determined not to do that again. If I post long lists on here people are free to ignore them.

Have you got anything nice planned for your week off? Is it you with the Polish recipes? Are you attempting to complete any of those?

Yes, that's me, and no, I haven't done anything yet! Perhaps that's a job for this week? I haven't anything particular planned, I chose half term so DS2 won't be sitting round on his own though he is fairly able to look after himself. He's sixteen so he should be. He can cook for himself and isn't one for wild parties (yet?!)

My adventures this afternoon: I've found the remains of a chicken I jointed a couple of days ago so that's now in the slow cooker with some glaze that came from a gammon... I expect it will get chopped up when cold and go into a pie...

I found a container of ancient buttercream in the fridge which had gone rock-solid so that's now washed up. There was absolutely no point keeping it or trying to use it for anything except possibly making a temporary rockery. I do need to have a proper sort out of all the oddments in jars that find their way to the back of the fridge.

I also retrieved some cranberries that I bought ages ago and made them into cranberry sauce which is now cooling. I had throw a few out (not MS) because they had been sitting there doing nothing but at least they are sorted now.

Lastly for now I've put the scraps from today's chicken in the freezer so the carcass isn't cluttering up the fridge... progress!

miggy

Oh wow... I just wandered into this thread which lead to this website...

... a whole new lovely way of wasting time!

Got to make the heart-shaped cupcakes... and the cookie dough dip... and all the brilliant organiser ideas!

See you in a week or two...

miggy

A new personal best-ever score on the MS game - 3810. :j

Hovel_lady

miggy wrote: »

Oh wow... I just wandered into this thread which lead to this website...

... a whole new lovely way of wasting time!

Got to make the heart-shaped cupcakes... and the cookie dough dip... and all the brilliant organiser ideas!

See you in a week or two...

Enjoy your trip :rotfl: