No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

Morning SM - we've had so much rain down here I'm starting to contemplate growing rice in the Paddy Field that was once the allotment. The polytunnel of course will become a very large fish tank, so that should feed us through the winter!!!!!!! Hope you are enjoying life, glad all is well at home too, Take care Cheers Lyn x.

Kaz2904

Hi all . Weather my way has been dreadful. Thankfully am up the hill so it just pours straight past us but when we get down to the bottom it's just pooling everywhere.
We went out for a walk a couple of weeks ago and there was not a blackberry in sight. The hedgerows are so bare, didn't see any hips or haws probably a handful of sloes. Going to be some hungry times ahead I think.
Had the builder in last night to quote us for finishing off our hall stairs and landing and fitting a wet room into our bathroom. Hope we can afford to get it done this year. We've been in our house for nearly 8 years and it would be so lovely to have walls everywhere and carpet where it should be. Simple things like being able to hang out washing upstairs, bliss!
Must, must hoover DD's carpet. Her uniform has changed to burgundy and the jumper has moulted all over her carpet :eek:.
Must dash, much love peeps

scottishminnie

Kaz2904 wrote: »

Hi all .
Had the builder in last night to quote us for finishing off our hall stairs and landing and fitting a wet room into our bathroom. Hope we can afford to get it done this year.

Have a large bottle of wine ready for the quote - I recently got a quote for a replacement en suite - nothing too fancy (apart from the wall mounted loo) and am still getting over the quote - £12500:eek::eek::eek::eek: - I will be shopping around!

[Deleted User]

Morning KAZ - nice to hear from you again. The weather has been abysmal hasn't it? I've noticed the lack of wildlife food in the hedgerows, particularly there are very few acorns this year in my area. The one thing that is really prolific is Hawthorn Haws, and they are mega big, the only problem is the birds only take them if there is nothing else available, like the pyracantha berries they leave those until last too. Think I'll make a really big effort to keep my local bird population fed this winter.

Hope your DDs arm is now completely back to normal and that you are all well and happy Cheers Lyn xxx.

flowertotmum

Hello all...hope your all well...
I have been very busy..teaching and organizing myself..have totally cleared the girls wardrobes and drawers..got a fantastic bargain..a lady was selling clothes ages 4-7..all from next and most brand new..she said there was a lot but i really didn't expect 3 huge recycling bags..jumpers,tops,skirts,dresses,pj's and 2 coats wow..she wanted £40..i snapped her hand off..i couldn't buy all that for £40 anywhere else..she threw in tights and 6 cardigans and 4 pairs of jeans and 8 pairs of leggings..they will fit fern and iris..had to divide it all up and they are now set for winter,spring and next summer..
We have had an expensive month..so i am joining frugal queens "stoptober" spending and aiming for a spend free month..do some serious saving for the C word...
Hubby has put down new grass seed which has sprouted and we have wispy bits all over but everyday its getting thicker and thicker...just got to save for a skip and the ole greenhouse is going in it...got a lot to do next month..i am looking forward to it...
Its very windy here today but dry so have got laundry out..girls have been riding bikes and chasing leaves around garden like nutters..
Tomorrow is Lincolnshire Day..so to celebrate we are having a theme of it tomorrow...with our world famous sausages for tea..going to print out some flags for us to do..and a small map of the county for theme...i have a lady from the EA coming on the 15th to tell me if what i am doing is suitable or not...fingers crossed it is...we have been doing verbs,consonants and synonyms and antonyms all week..plus some math and whole lot of reading and spellings...
We had a craft day friday and made a painted pasta box..funny faces and some bead shakers..plus we painted some pine cones in blue and red for our tree at christmas...having day off today..i have some batch baking to do and girls have just come in...
got to go
love you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

Wow FTM it sounds fantastic hope you are all having fun while learning useful things, the Lincolnshire day sounds super. The LEA person will be very impressed, well done all of you. What a bargain all those lovely girls clothes for £40 way to go!!! Glad the new lawn is coming along well, it is nice to have some play space for the littlies and somewhere for you to sit out in the nice weather too.

The polytunnel continues to produce quantities of veg, still picking french beans and ripe tomatoes, have lots of different lettuces and salad leaves, basil still like a forest and hot and cold running beetroot, which is very nice. The runner beans in there are in full bloom but nothing set so far, but have baby french beans on the new plants so am hopeful they will give us a late crop. Have harvested two enormous pumpkins and have one still going on the plant. Allotment still giving courgettes and runner beans, turnips too and the leeks and parsnips are looking healthy all in all a good year for veg.

DD1 has got the gardening bug in her new house and has got a thornless blackberry and planted out PSB, leeks and pansies in the garden and has some nice looking lettuce in the green house, all good.

Hope little Emma is thriving and that you are all keeping well and happy, it certainly sounds like you're having fun! I love the Frugal in Cornwall site and am also going to be 'Stoptobering' and try to find the bottom of the freezer so I can defrost it, stay well and stay safe, Cheers Lyn xxx.

scottishminnie

Evening all. I'm back to soggy wet Scotland with a severe case of post holiday blues and goodness knows why, but quite despondent that I haven't seen a single home with pumpkins and fall wreaths adorning the front doors yet!

When I told hubby I wanted to find 6 pumpkins for the front steps he clearly thought I was mad. He does have a minor point though - we are on a private road with very few people who would see my efforts?! I would see them though and they would cheer me up - well until they got washed or rotted away by the rain.

We had a great time, and as normal, I picked up some small pieces in the US which I haven't seen here - like little dish scrubbing pads which can be sanitised in the dishwasher and were less than a $, some pumpkin cheesecake mix (how lazy is that!) and some beautiful ornamental pears from Pier 1 Imports. The Pier used to be one of my favourite shops before it closed here so I cannot have a holiday without venturing in if I see one. Hubby comes too so I don't get carried away or I would buy breakable, impractical to carry home things like the gorgeous glass owl I saw:)
There very much seems to be an owl theme in home furnishings this year which I liked.

I'm back to work tomorrow so today was spent making things for the freezer. I had a quick Costco trip and bought lots of baking supplies and meat. I now have 12 portions of bolognese sauce, 6 chilli, 8 meatballs in tomato sauce and 8 good old mince in the freezer. Tomorrow night I will make a big pot of soup, some of which I will also freeze and my intention for the weekend is to make corn chowder. I must find a recipe for pulled pork or brisket in barbeque sauce which doesn't require a slow cooker. Every year I promise hubby I will make it and here we are again:o He even suggested I buy a slow cooker however I'm not sure I would use it enough to justify it although they are much cheaper than they used to be.

Amongst the pile of mail when I returned were 2 Lakeland catalogues which I have saved for the weekend. That will be my treat - along with a cup of herbal tea. There will be no more wine until I get rid of the extra pounds I gained through very little exercise!

The garden is looking very much the worse for wear, lots of things blown over and the grass is a mess. I had some tomato plants outside which were all blown over. Obviously they aren't going to ripen now so I will also be making chutney very soon.

Anyway, enough rambling - hope you are all well - looks like you have been very productive while I was idling!

[Deleted User]

Morning SM glad you had a nice holiday, sad you have post holiday blues. You've been a busy bunny since you got back it sounds great, I like batch cooking but the freezer is so full at the moment whenever I open the lid a little voice says'Go away. I'm full!' so I have to make do with making 4 portions of things and having them two days running.

Pumpkins are going to be expensive this year so 6 would probably be a second mortgage jobbie. Make some pumpkin shaped containers, if you have gift bags big enough (the ones that have a rigidish shape and open to a flat bottom) cut the top into a pumpkin shape and cut out the faces then an inch or so of sand in the bottom to keep the sides open and a tealight in a small glass jar inside will give you the same effect, and you can re-use them next year. The other way would be tealights in a big jam jar, and cardboard pumpkin fronts with faces stuck to the front of them.. It doesn't matter if you are the only ones to see them, if it gives you pleasure, where's the harm? Have a good week, Cheers Lyn xxx.

flowertotmum

Morning all..am skipping school this morning lol...girls have gone winter boot shopping with grandparents and i have whizzed round and done all my jobs so i am now currently having a cuppa...
Its very quiet here...MLW i love the idea of putting pumpkin faces on jam jars..amazingly simple yet effective thank you for that.
SM post holiday blues are awful...good to keep busy and not think about it..
I have been batch baking and freezing it all..its nice to be able to just defrost our meal all day and cook at night..saves time and i get to play/teach girls longer...
I have a birthday party on sunday..Iris is 4..my o my where has the time gone..its going to be princess themed..so my poor printer has been doing overtime..i have crowns,little place cards,games.. and i made a Birthday sash..with her name and age on it..got to do one for Fern too...when its her birthday..we have been making little decorations all week..i have party plates and napkins..balloons..etc..
hoping its going to be a great time for her...
My no spend october is going great..only bought milk so far this week...and no spending is high on my agenda...make do and mend and keep it closed are my motto's(purse)...
right whilst its quiet i might see if i can sneak a chapter or 2 of my new book...library book that is...
love to you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

Hi FTM , glad you like the jam jar/pumpkin idea it looks great after dark, have used them in the past to light the driveway so the littlies don't trip over anything, suitably spooky they looked too. Hope the Princess Party is a roaring success and that everyone has a super time. I have to report a success in the polytunnel, the new planting of french beans has developing beanlets on and they're growing well, I wasn't sure if that would happen as it's cooler and less hours of daylight but it's going to give us a crop. The runners are no go, lots of flowers set but not a single bean so we'll take them out and plant some cabbages in the space left. It's all a learning curve this year, we'll have to compare results next year when you get yours up and running. Hope you got your me time for reading your library book yesterday and glad the Stoptober idea is working well for you. I'm trying to use up everything inventively and am surprised at what I've been able to make. Cheers Lyn xxx.