make do and mend for tougher times

lisakay_2

FUDDLE, good luck with the tax office.

I spoke to the girls headteacher yesterday re: flasks of soup, explained i had already experimented with the temperatures and that it was an unbreakable flask and the girls could open it themselves (before he could bring those up as potential problems) and he just said fine, go ahead.
so both girls will be taking warm soup/stew when they go back after half term.
just wondering, if i do a flask of stew and put in a small uncooked dumpling, do you reckon it would cook by lunchtime???
i feel another experiment coming on

It was a beautiful day in mancland today, very cold and crisp but gorgeous sunshine. DD1 went to MIL's this afternoon and I'm not picking her up until lunchtime tomorrow, so spent a lovely couple of hours at the halloween event on the park with DD2. It was lovely to spend some time with her on her own and when we got home we curled up on the sofa with blankets and watched a film. we both fell asleep and i carried her up to bed at 10.30.

Got an emergency allotment meeting over the state of one of the plots in the morning (I have to go in case it's mine they're discussing :eek:)(no, it's not, but I always get worried as mine is not the tidiest )
Off to have a quick tidy round now, then bed and to decide whether to make the most of an extra hour in the day or to enjoy a lie in.

sleep tight all xx

ETA; I love new slippers and must get some more as sadly mine are now more hole than slipper and quite probably beyond repair!

savingqueen

SpikeyHedgehog - glad to hear you at least have a diagnosis. I know you have tough times ahead but you will have more support and information to help you all which is so important. A dear friend of mine has a little boy (whom I'm also very fond of too) and they still only have a partial diagnosis for him (he's nearly 9) and its so frustrating for them. He has so many needs -mental/emotional/physical but the more they know (family, school and professionals) the more they can move forward and its wonderful to see him develop at his own pace.

ps sorry you're hand is hurting

GQ - flipflops! not in the cold weather, your poor tootsies!

I have a pair of cheapy plastic "crocs" (not the real mccoy from aldi or similar) that I keep for popping out the front or back when on cat poo patrol or lobbing stuff in food waste bin outside etc. you can even get furry lined ones (or improvise the ordinary ones which I might do for winter) Would a pair do the job?

sorry just re-read you meant for indoors. I hate cold feet but seem to wear slippers out too quickly (and they get whiffy quickly!) so I wear a pair of those fleecy/furry bedsocks over ordinary socks indoors - means can have a couple of pairs in the go for washing and quick drying. Also can get the proper slipper socks. I don't think these look fuddy duddy - can get funky designs (maybe to match your shopping trolley?!)

nuttyp - congrats on interview and good luck for Mon if I forget.
sorry about car - horrible. Someone or ones has been keying our car, just little scratches here and there over last few months or so. Why??

will have to finish up tomorrow as in bed with lappy and DH wants the light off and don't trust my touch typing in the dark (and I guess the tapping noise would be a tad annoying :rotfl:)
night night all, sleep tight
sq:)

Popperwell

Good news about the flasks Lisa...I am a big fan of stews/casseroles/soups so good, warming/healthy and tasty. Also hopefully reasonably inexpensive(I think it would probably cost me £1 a day. Possibly cheaper than putting up sandwiches...

I don't know about the dumpling perhaps if its all done in a slow cooker overnight and you are doing two meals for school it will all be ready in the morning just to be transfered to the flasks...

Glad the school has been so reasonable over your idea.

CRANKY40

I'm possibly the exception, but I have nothing to complain about with my dealings with HMRC. The lady that explained my tax bill the year after MrCranky died was patience itself. Fuddle, if you give them your NI number they may already have a record of your employer. It depends how long ago your payroll was done.

kidcat

Fuddle - I have had mixed dealings with the tax office, but they always seem to have more info than you might expect. OH has no idea of these things and they usually even manage to cope with him - he doesnt even remember his NI number, I have to say it to him while he calls.

GQ - I have a pair of slipper boots, they are incredibly soft and really warm, DD6 has a matching pair, mine are a pale pink whereas her latest pair is bright pink. I wouldnt buy any other sort now they are so warm and comfortable. I took ages finding a pair for DS8 in boy colours as they are more difficult to find. Mr A and Mr T sell them fairly cheap too.
I also throw them in washing machine and they wash great.

DD18 has two pairs similar and when its cold she wears them, cannot persuade DS14 to have a pair though

ETA - this sort of thing http://www.clothingattesco.com/all-shoes/f+f-faux-fur-boot-slippers/invt/az221086/

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Thanks for the slipper tips and linkies, but Fuddle, it'd take more than a pair of ugg-alikes to me make me look normal.:p

SQ, I should qualify that the flipflops are those kind without the toe-post so I can slip my be-socked feet into them.

My flat is tiny and very warm and I normally go barefoot indoors and only put socks on if it's chilly. I detest footwear, think I was probably a New Zealander in a previous life.

I like the idea of slipper-sox. I had them many years ago. They could be just the right amount of extra warmth, and would take up very little room when not in use. The latter has to be factored into everything at this flat as I struggle to find room for all 3 pairs of everyday footwear.

I have a pair of rubber-soled moccasin slippers which live permanantly at Mum and Dad's home which is much cooler than my flat.

Today is dry and I'm going to a pal's for Second Breakfast then we're going to titivate her allotment a bit. She's been Written To by the allotment officer..............! She also has a waffle iron she wants to use and I'm amenable to eating waffles, purely to help out a mate, y'unnerstand, not for any kinda selfish reasons like greed.:rotfl:

OK, time for First Breakfast so I can take my meds. Have a good day, everyone.

fuddle

Oh moccasins I used to wear them when I was little. I forgot all about them. I dare say they are expensive though.

I'm moving back into my bedroom today The amount of water that has come out of the room is frightening. We're stripping those bits of wall moulded wallpaper, scrubbing down the wall and wardrobe and going to B&Q to look for sealant for the wall and more wallpaper. It will mean more paint but that's way in the future. We'll see how we get on.

I'm not using the wardrobe though. I don't trust it. Going to keep all our things in that cupboard. We need a wardrobe anyway, for when we move, but not yet.

Also, some very good news. My MIL has inherited a little bit of money. It's not by any means a lot but it's an amount that can bring a sense of calm and comfiness in these times. I'm over the moon for her.

DH making me a little bird platform and affixing it on the tree outside the living room window. I will be able to feed the birdies my bread scraps and sit watching them on it while on the sofa. Happy days

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

Today is dry and I'm going to a pal's for Second Breakfast then we're going to titivate her allotment a bit. She's been Written To by the allotment officer..............! She also has a waffle iron she wants to use and I'm amenable to eating waffles, purely to help out a mate, y'unnerstand, not for any kinda selfish reasons like greed.:rotfl:

OK, time for First Breakfast so I can take my meds. Have a good day, everyone.

Don't forget that you still need to fit elevenses in before luncheon

Thank you for asking after Herself, she's still in a lot of pain and waiting for tests/diagnosis - turns out her consultant was "too busy with clinical duties to do his paperwork." I'm wondering how many of his other patients are stuck in limbo. Thanks to Toughies, I was aware of PALS, who've managed to get the paperwork off to the next hospital. Meanwhile the waiting continues.

Hope you enjoy the waffles

GreyQueen

Glad the dehumidifier is earning it's keep, Fuddle.

The moccains I have were about £10 and are cloth-uppers but the going rate for leather ones is £20 or so in M &S.

Don't know if this may be of interest, but a conversation I had once with a surveyor who specifically works with damp issues revealed that those emulsion paints specifically marketed for use in damp areas like kitchens and bathrooms aren't a gimmick and really are worth the bit extra they cost.

I have Dewlux kitchen and Dewlux bathroom paint in my home. I did send away for my free Dewlux dawgie as well but it sadly never arrived.:(

May I suggest your take some advice at the store before looking to seal wall surfaces?

ETA, glad for the update on your OH, Nuatha, not good how she and others have been left waiting around.

When Dad was on the farm, they had "Nine-ses" as well. It's like Elevenses but earlier. The great thing about an early start is that you can fit extra eating opportunities into the day. Pal is a bit scatty so I reminded her last night that the clocks were changing and have just left her a voicemail that if she doesn't stand me down I shall be on her doorstep at 9 am! She lives a couple of streets away so it's a gentle toddle.

Possession

Mmmm I love waffles. Our waffle iron is broken which is probably just as well.
DH is now down with the dreaded sickness bug so not sure if my parents ought to come today. The children won't be impressed. And lots of the jobs we didn't do yesterday that should be done today now won't get done.
Heigh ho.
Re. slippers, I am hard on them as I don't wear shoes in the house and I work from home. I got some Emu sheepskin slippers from a Grabbit deal on Am*zon and am really impressed - they seem very hard-wearing and the sheepskin means they don't smell.