make do and mend for tougher times

stiltwalker

Thank you so much Molly41 - what an interesting account. Such a very different experience than my own, although I have to say I am deeply appreciative of the availability of medical intervention as things turned out!

Took the kids to a stay and play for SEN kids at a special needs school that a couple of mums from DD's old group told me about yesterday. I wish I had known about it at the beginning of the hols - they had a wonderful time. DD had to be practically prised off the bouncy castle. Can't go on Wednesday as the car is in for the MOT but we'll be back next week.

My bag patterns have finally arrived so as soon as I've finished this I will take a very sleepy DS, who is rapidly making my arm numb, up the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire and start cutting out. Only hard bit is deciding which to try first!

grandma247

Hello Gailey good to see you posting again. Moths are attracted to light. Do you have a window open at night?

Evie74_2

Good evening all

It's taken me two evenings to catch up with all I missed over the weekend - you are a chatty lot!

We had a wonderful time at the wedding :j and were very spoilt by having a hotel room at the reception venue booked and paid for by the bride's dad (he booked rooms for all the family, so generous of him - he can afford it, but it was a lovely thing to do and a real treat for DH, the girls and me as it was like a mini-holiday for us!)

Back down to earth with a bump now though as I tried to complete DH's JSA application online last night - the website suggested it might take 40 mins but it ended up taking almost 2.5 hours! Soooo many questions - more about me than about him which I found strange. Maybe that's normal? I don't know: neither of us has ever claimed JSA before. The upshot is that the DWP will contact DH in the next day or two to arrange a face-to-face interview, to which he has to take documentary evidence of just about everything, including my payslips as well as his last ones from his former employers.

I am a bit worried that the JSA people think I am trying to claim benefits as well - because I am working part time (22 hours/week) they asked whether I was actively seeking work (which I'm not, of course, because I have a job already) - hopefully DH will be able to sort it out when he goes in to see them :eek:

Anyway, I digress - I have been quite a bad OS-er for the past few weeks but now I have a kitchen again I am planning a jam-fest - I have my eye on some local damsons which are almost ripe enough. Hopefully by the weekend they'll be ready - I love damson jam! I'm going to check out the blackberries too.

I managed quite a good storecupboard audit whilst repacking my kitchen, and DH has cleared the understairs cupboard almost completely so I will be able to use it as a proper pantry/armageddon storage area. The new kitchen has loads of cupboard space (makes me wonder why there was never enough space in the old kitchen, which fitted in the same space after all...!) - I have been able to hide away all my gadgets and still have space to spare, so I am very pleased

Right, I'm off to check out the preppers thread (but first to investigate wailing child upstairs - no rest for the wicked, eh?!)

Evie xx

prepareathome

Thanks Molly for sharing, I have to admit I am amazed the older woman didn't agree with breastfeeding I wonder why? Stopped the mother from getting back to her housework etc where bottle fed anyone can feed baby.

Gailey great to see you posting again. Are things better with your family now, I know they were upsetting you? Don't worry don't have to answer I am just being nosy.

I am wondering could you dehydrate in a halogen oven. Ok I have a dehydrator but just wondering aloud so to speak.

Am also thinking of getting rid of that awful gas fire in living room and seeing if chimney ok for a real fire. Have found a firm that is willing to do work in stages if we need to do anything to get chimney back to usable state. Not sure the last time it was used for a fire.


I have had zilch to eat as around 6am I was sick, sick and sick.......and tummy still not right. I think it was the marg I had on toast around 4am (only got up at 2 pm so was hungry as only had,had dinner at 8pm). I forgot about it and not used it for a couple of weeks and it had just been sitting on the side - I would clean sides and just put it back instead of into fridge. I only use it if I run out of butter.

Hubby is fine and I have nothing else wrong except tummy.

Certainly I can afford to not eat for a day or two, but am drinking water mainly but have had two cups of tea and they didn't make tummy worse or better.

Elona I was jealous of you it seemed.

So hubby has happily eaten my beef I threw in sc in middle of night with tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and seasoning. He has had the lot his portion and mine, but just his portion of pasta with it. Ah well at least its not wasted.


Some one told me today they had heard of woman having their ESA removed because their husbands worked. This was not means tested ESA but contribution based. She didn't know any more just now, just that they both within a week of each other received letters saying it was going to stop as their husbands worked, but is going to ask. They live in different parts of the country and are linked to a Fibro group I used to be a member of.

This is for me very worrying if they start to do that as without my ESA we cannot carry on as hubby p/t wages pay most of the bills but not the gas electric, food, clothes, household stuff or petrol its my money that does that. So just have to wait and see if this is what is going to happen or for some reason their ESA contributions claim was based on their husbands NI not theirs. Mine has been based on my own NI contributions from when I worked as I asked whose it was based on but that was when I first got Incap Ben., but not sure if that will carry me forever.

Always something ........

Hugs and Lovexxx

fuddle

ah goodness pah don't think aloud with things like that, some fuddled numpty will go try it.

black_cat

fuddle wrote: »

You know how I have a monthly meal plan? I'm going to try to get it down to a weekly meal plan in a bid to save even more money and make my store even more useful. Let me explain...

My grandma did this. Each day of the week had a meal assigned to it. She didn't alter it one bit. I'm not sating this is set in stone as we may (probably) get very bored. It will be interesting to see if my gang actually pick up on a 7 day rotation.

An 8 day rotation would be harder to spot!

rosieben

Molly41, that was interesting reading, thanks so much for sharing.

gailey, good to see you posting again, you've been missed

elona

PAH

Jealous? ??

I hope you don't mean the lamb casserole because I spent a lot of time yesterday throwing up!

Not sure if it was a virus or if I suddenly cannot tolerate lamb - when I was pregnant I went right off it and could not even stand the smell of it cooking. That was 18 years ago.

Molly

I enjoyed reading about the Amish but was surprised about the breastfeeding not being popular. Seems as biblical as you could get, not to mention natural, bonding between mother and child and free from outside influences.

prepareathome

Elona yes jealous of the lamb casserole so I made one the jealous of you throwing up so I did to:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

elona

We could have a competition on how many times we threw up?

I 'll see you three .......;)

DH is fine and he ate loads of the stuff so I am assuming it was a virus.

DD treated me to a birthday meal today and they baked me a cake so I seem to be better now.