No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

KATE we woke up really early this morning as the rain was absolutely hammering down on the extension roof, it sounded like a drum!!! We had a cup of tea in bed at 5.45 and I was up by 6.30 as the lurcha threw up on the landing and was feeling poorly, he's OK now though and it looks like he and Dadi might have a dry slot for walkies, we also have the most amazing rainbow outside so worth being awake for! I love Reading, DD1 taught there for some years and I trundled up on the train so many times I can do it with my eyes closed, or rather I could have before they made all the changes to the station, I'd probably end up in a cupboard or lost property if I tried it now.

FTM hope you are all over your tummy bug now, have a better day today and look after yourselves, Cheers Lyn xxx.

flowertotmum

Good morning everyone..must be something or rain in the air..me and hubby were up at 5 ish..had a nice hour together before he went to work..

Kate and Charlies aunt..thank you so much..i have been so worried for simon over the last year..now its like a cloud has lifted..

Kate..that steak sounds good..and enjoy your bike ride to the market...o lakeland are tempting aren't they..but then i really enjoy going around the cheaper shops to have a look...and practise makes perfect on the bikes..use cycle way its much safer.
Charlies aunt..yes we are going total OS..and i for one am soo looking forward to it..its nice having the extra money but with no-one to share it with is hard...as we said last night.."Bring it on"...
I am so pleased your life is more relaxed and happier..life in the slow lane is good..and i have threatened to divorce hubby if he even mentions that darn place again..had it with them..

MLW..o no is docky ok?..yes we woke to the sound of rain hitting the windows..sounds weird but i love that sound..so soothing and relaxing..a rainbow o lovely..we love them..

Well as today is going to be slow i am going to be sat in the dining room with my budget books and cookbooks to meal plan for a new budget..got great news again(its my week)..we have an allotment yes...going on sunday to choose one..i would like one with a shed if possible but am grateful to have a nice new allotment and they are just up the road..the girls literally drool when we go past..so now we can go in..they have toilets and a tea room plus a place to buy and sell surplus fruits and veggies..wow am so excited..o and they do bulk ordering for seeds and bulbs and trees so that will help keep costs down too...just got to get myself some decent wellies now..everyone else has got some so prepared that way..just me..
Had a chat with little ones last night after tea and explained that with "daddy's new job we won't have as much money"..Iris made my heart melt and her dad had tears..she offered us her piggy bank to help..saying " i don't need it, i have my dollies and we don't need anything"..o so sweet..Fern offered too but i know she has her eye on a Tatty Teddy set..we declined both offers, bless my girls aren't they sweeties...
I also chatted to my 3 older girls and came to an agreement about Christmas presents..we are all going to make something for each other and costs no more than a few pounds...i have ideas and lots of them.
Right go to go and plan plan plan..
love you all
ftm

flowertotmum

Good morning everyone..must be something or rain in the air..me and hubby were up at 5 ish..had a nice hour together before he went to work..

Kate and Charlies aunt..thank you so much..i have been so worried for simon over the last year..now its like a cloud has lifted..

Kate..that steak sounds good..and enjoy your bike ride to the market...o lakeland are tempting aren't they..but then i really enjoy going around the cheaper shops to have a look...and practise makes perfect on the bikes..use cycle way its much safer.
Charlies aunt..yes we are going total OS..and i for one am soo looking forward to it..its nice having the extra money but with no-one to share it with is hard...as we said last night.."Bring it on"...
I am so pleased your life is more relaxed and happier..life in the slow lane is good..and i have threatened to divorce hubby if he even mentions that darn place again..had it with them..

MLW..o no is docky ok?..yes we woke to the sound of rain hitting the windows..sounds weird but i love that sound..so soothing and relaxing..a rainbow o lovely..we love them..

Well as today is going to be slow i am going to be sat in the dining room with my budget books and cookbooks to meal plan for a new budget..got great news again(its my week)..we have an allotment yes...going on sunday to choose one..i would like one with a shed if possible but am grateful to have a nice new allotment and they are just up the road..the girls literally drool when we go past..so now we can go in..they have toilets and a tea room plus a place to buy and sell surplus fruits and veggies..wow am so excited..o and they do bulk ordering for seeds and bulbs and trees so that will help keep costs down too...just got to get myself some decent wellies now..everyone else has got some so prepared that way..just me..
Had a chat with little ones last night after tea and explained that with "daddy's new job we won't have as much money"..Iris made my heart melt and her dad had tears..she offered us her piggy bank to help..saying " i don't need it, i have my dollies and we don't need anything"..o so sweet..Fern offered too but i know she has her eye on a Tatty Teddy set..we declined both offers, bless my girls aren't they sweeties...
I also chatted to my 3 older girls and came to an agreement about Christmas presents..we are all going to make something for each other and costs no more than a few pounds...i have ideas and lots of them.
Right go to go and plan plan plan..
love you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

Hi FTM Docky is absolutely fine now, it was his own fault he was being a little pigaletto yesterday evening and kept pestering for food, he has the occasional day like that these days as he gets older and I think he just overdid the eating late in the day. He's walked and fed fine this morning and is now curled up like a puppy in his armchair fast asleep, bless him. Such good news about the new allotment, it sounds a super set up we only have the plots and a small shed on site for the lawn mower to cut the paths. Mind everyone has a small shed on thier plot but no tearoom, envy felt, or shop for sales, how sensible is that as an idea and must help not only you plot holders but the local community too, really good idea!!!Glad you're all feeling better and your girlies are the sweetest little pets aren't they? bless them both for thier kindness. Hope the planning goes well, enjoy your day, Love Lyn xxx.

elona

Flowertotmum

It took me a couple of years to "nag" er persuade DH to take early retirement. His employers were great and he really liked the job but everything was changing and I was worried about the pressure of new routines, more supervision and extra driving etc to see firms .

Eventually he did what I had been suggesting and finished about three years ago and we managed to sell out house and get one with a good big garden that he could potter about in.

We found that with lower tax to pay and not having to pay for pension as he had retired , no company car and the tax to pay for that - we were not much worse off in practice. He has never looked so happy and relaxed.

My favourite frugal meals were Homity pie, pea and ham soup made with ham shank which gives lots of meat for quiches, omelettes etc and home made bread with soup, home made pizzas and veg and pasta dishes.

With dds older things are not so tight so I can try new recipes . I got shoulder of lamb for tomorrow's lunch and :eek: at the cost but when it will make about eight meals (two lots of four) then the cost of meat works out quite reasonable in the end.

I can't believe how much cheaper veg, fruit, cold meats,butter and cheese is in A**i or Liddly compared to the other supermarkets and can get a full trolley there for at least a third less sometimes better.

DH's last radiotherapy session is on Monday :j and then he can just concentrate on recovering from the effects.

Hugs to all.

candlelight_2013

Good morning everyone. The weather was really awful first thing, but seems to be brighter now. Popped to Mr. T for a few bits and up to see No.1. daughter(had surgery on both knees) and now doing a few jobs at home.

Kate I love Lakeland, it stocks everything I didn't know I needed!!. Our nearest is in Stratford Upon Avon, not far but not on the doorstep either, but really must go over there.

FTM such good news about the allotment, I can see you spending so much time there when the weather is good, and hopefully will go towards making up the shortfall when DH changes jobs. I think all this was meant to be, don't you.

Mrs LW glad Docky is feeling better now, eyes bigger than tummy comes to mind lol bless him, a well deserved sleep in his chair now.

Charlies-Aunt, you are right I think all of us on here appreciate so much more the simpler things in life.

Have a good weekend

Candlelight

charlies-aunt

FTM - do you have an Aldi locally? Ifso, it might be worth a visit next time you are in town. We have been in ours today and all their veg and flower seeds are reduced to 19p They are quite basic varieties and this years seeds but they will still be 'good' for next year as they are very good quality.

Wilko's are still selling gardening bits and bobs off - for example a pack of 6 x 8ft canes = £0.25p, 6 x 3ft canes = 10p

I love our allotment and I'm sure you will find that fellow allotmenteers will offer you spare seeds/seedlings/cuttings and lots of encouragement

I'm in for an interesting evening! I bought 2lb of pickling onions for £1 off the market this morning so I will most of the time in the kitchen with the windows open whilst I get them prepped and ready for Christmas - just hope I don't run out of jam jars as I want to make some hampers

scottishminnie

Evening all. I'm ashamed it always seems to be the end of the weekend before I get round to posting these days:o

It's been busy, busy at my end. Spent most of yesterday in the garden and a good chunk of today. I pulled some carrots to give the rest a little more space and used some of them to make carrot soup (16 portions:eek:) and I still have loads left. Soup, carrot cake, mashed turnip and carrots- am beginning to think I will need to blanch and freeze a big pile. Looks like my celery are also getting close to harvesting so I may have some more of them too. I'm seriously wondering about picking up another cheap upright freezer and then I think, there are only 2 of us - what am I doing???? I guess part of it is a desire not to waste anything!


I took 2 huge bags of summer tops and shorts to the charity shop yesterday. Sadly I didn't have time to look around however I did notice they had a nice book area so next time I will take some of the hundreds of books which are in the attic. I hoard them up there and never read them again so it is time to be ruthless - hopefully someone may pick up some as a nice gift for Christmas.

My mission for this week is securing buttons on items which seem to have become a little loose. Rather than wait until they fall off I plan some evenings of action and I can watch TV at the same time and wade my way through some of the programmes I have been stashing on my Sky+ box.

FTM - great news about OH job. No job is worth being ill, regardless of how well paid it is. I worked for a very well known UK corporate and was run into the ground, 7 days a week and living in constant fear that yesterday's performance wasn't good enough. Eventually I was signed off with work related stress and when I handed in my doctors note by manager rang me to say my career was over as I had made myself a liability.
I won't go into the long saga however I moved on eventually and vowed that no job would ever come before my health and family. I work to live now not the other way around and while I give my best, it's very much on my terms.
It doesn't matter what's ahead, your are a wonderfully supportive family and you will get there in the end.

MrsLW - hope Docky is much better. His eating habits sound like mine:rotfl:

Off to tackle ironing my sheets now - they were on the line and I thought I wouldn't have to iron them as it was very windy then hubby yelled that it was raining and they had to do in the dryer so now they are like concertinas:mad: Never mind, I'm sure ironing is therapeutic!

bluebag

flowertotmum wrote: »

Hi.lyn..thank you..girls are recovering slowly..they haven't thrown up since yesterday afternoon..plenty of water and dry biscuits today...i have a very strange tummy..won't go into details but its not nice..

I have news..my lovely yet stressed out to the max husband has got a new job...yes,yes,yes....
No more phone calls at all hours and late nights and very early mornings..
Some may think its wrong to give up a full-time job to go part-time but they haven't seen him..he just looks ill all the time..not eating,sleeping and more migraines than is humanly possible to bear...
So life is going to be frugaler(is that a word)...i am looking forward to as a challenge..money wise,food wise(going to be creative)...
He has handed in his week notice this morning...he is just looking forward to being in the slow lane for once..
Right have to go(tummy at it again)..
love ftm

As someone who almost lost her DH too with severe illness due to stress, I think you are right, right, right, did I say right, yes right to encourage him to take the slow lane.

Money in the bank is no compensation. When my mum lost my dad she said she would have given up everything she owned to have him back for just one day.

You have seen the writing on the wall and are taking action while you can, believe me no matter how frugal you have to be you will never regret it.

flowertotmum

Evening all..hope your all ok...
Unfortunately poor Fern has got the (runs)..we were up most of the night ..Fern and i are now on intimate terms with our bathroom..poor child ahs got a sore sore bottom...thankfully it has slowed down a lot today and i am hoping she sleeps well tonight...sorry tmi..

MLW..glad docky is better...Jack somehow got into the chicken pen..and the girls(chickens) had the little blighter pinned in the corner pecking him..i had to rescue him...he was crying and whimpering..he is ok now but has stuck to me like glue all afternoon..
Hubby went to the allotment this morning..it has 2 sheds yay..one is a potting shed and the other has a couple of chairs and table in it..so our own tea spot..still some veggies on it too..cabbages,rhubarb and 2 rows of leeks...the little shop is open a few times a week..selling fertilizer and seeds..they got a lottery grant to do it...can't wait to go and see it.

Elona..thank you..yes nagging(persuasion) is good...yes Lidls is amazing i love going there..so glad your DH is having last treatment and will recover with your care and Wow those meals sound good...my 2 littlies are quite good and will try new meals without persuasion..bless them..we are hoping to save quite a bit of money on growing our own again and swapping surplus with other gardeners..o and my hubby is already looking better..he actually slept last night..i told(asked nicely) him to switch off that darn phone...not too think about it or talk about it...i gave him gardening seed catalogues and we spent evening planning next years crops ..sounds strange but its the most fun we have had for a while and he actually enjoyed it..bless him.

Charlies aunt..thanks for the tips about Wilkos..will pop in this week..i have a box of seeds already but every bit helps...o i love pickled onions..enjoy.

SM..thanks hun..yes i understand that totally.."work to live" not "live to work"..he has had some pressure already not to go..i have threatened divorce if he succumbs to pressure...almost emotional blackmail from his manager..long story but emails and texts from him are doing me in...i can't wait for friday.
How much soup?..but then again i don't blame you..i am in process of re-stocking my freezer with Hm stuff..i would be lost without my second freezer.
And i see i have a comrade in the book hoarding..lol...i can't give them away..and if i do manage it..i have to stay away from the shop i gave them to or i will buy them back lol...

I have spent the last 2 days meal planning and doing a detailed shopping list..i have planned meals,breakfast,lunches,dinners and snacks for a month..i have got a lot in my pantry and chest freezer to do this..i just will stick religiously to my list and meal planner...
My son is a sweet lad..to cheer up the tots he went out and treated them to a new film..Epic..we all watched it earlier its epic lol..

I think with careful planning and being thrifty we can do this..i will make it work..i want my happy husband back..not the zombie i have now..
Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement.
love to you all
ftm