The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

jem132

Lyn you always cheer me up with your posts .
I need to stop spending .......
Dh is back at work so hear goes the rigmarole of spending when he's working on crap take away food we'll not this year .
We are having lasagne for tea in separate pots he can have his before he goes and take salad with him .

Does anyone have any ideas that I can make in advance but he can take cold when he gets called out ?

I also want to plan my garden to be as productive as possible this year .
Any ideas of what to grow ? I have a very big front garden but just a small ish yard at the back I do grow strawberry sand herbs in the back
Put love to grow much more . Any ideas ?...

alfsmum

wonder collie love the thought if your dog at the drive thru

monna and Nuttyp enjoy your day of relaxation

KIDCAT hope anniversary was good

FPK keep on keeping on! You will get there

Hope everyone starting a new term has a stress free day. Dd16's college is inaccessible via the usual route due to floods so last I heard the driver was taking a very long detour. The novelty of that will soon wear off as the journey is already 90 minutes each way on the bus route as opposed to 30 by car. Oh well, she'll be 17 on Wednesday (can't believe it) so is pretty cheery for a grumpy teenager, looking forward to her first driving lesson and then a meal with her friends.

Having a good clean up and declutter today, lots gone in the last couple of weeks and more CS bags being filled. Such a relief to lose some of the clutter isn't it?

fuddle

Morning

fpk it's nearly all complete for you. Hang on in there, it's the tail end of a very long process and I think you're feeling the stress because it's what you really really want. It's a special thing to work for something that you really want - you've ever given up on it, no matter how hard it was for you, so it won't give up on you keep on striving

I'm so tired and feel all worked up with angst and sadness. I've not been like this for such a long time and I hate that I can feel like it with everything I have. I'm going to do some flylady'ing and I mean proper flying with the house work and try to get organised. I wasn't fully prepared for the school run (PE kits were't gathered) which made us late and I think I'm on a come down from that.

I also think that this weather is a lot to do with it. I want to explore my new surroundings but can't because everything is swollen or sodden or its blowing awful winds and/or drenching rain.

But that's all self pity and I am a very lucky wee lassie so come on - get a grip woman.

Righto, tea tonight is SC BBQ chicken with melted cheese, mashed potato, carrots and broccoli. I found a different, even better way of getting washing/drying costs down - 28 min 30 degree cycle, spin 1300. Re-spin 1300 for 12 minutes then tumble on express 35 min which the sensor dry knocks off early anyway. Very pleased with that still, I cannot wait for the sun/washing line - aaaaah the sun, they greatest whitener of fabric there is!

Mrs_Chip

Morning All

Good luck for the next few months FPK, I'm sure it will all be fine.

Jem - you can freeze sandwiches/rolls, so you can make them and pack them in cling film and foil for hoiking out as and when they are required. Obviously the fillings need to be freezable, so no lettuce, tomato or cucumber which would go mushy. Meat/Ham and cheese fillings are fine.

Mrs L - I never clear the ash from our woodburner, the tray is full and there is a deep layer of ash on the burning plate - this is on advice from woodburner sites (they say wood should always be burnt on an ashbed of at least an inch). I use the poker to clear a gap undeneat to make sure there is a draught and that's it (apart from sweeping up the stuff that falls out the front). I clear most, but not all, out about twice a year, and the ash goes on the garden as it is all wood. It saves a lot of time!

[Deleted User]

We've not much of a gap between the bed of the stove and the ash tray, it's an inset, not a freestander so if I don't clear it every day we don't get enough airflow through to get it to light. The ashes do go into the compost bin though, too useful and valuable resource to throw away Mrs C!!!

JEM things that travel well as snackage are pasta salads, rice salads, quiches, pies, hard boiled eggs, scotch eggs, meatloaf, gingerbread, fruit cake, fruit pies (individual ones are a bit stronger as they have pastry all round), bread pudding, hope that helps, Lyn xxx.

jem132

Thankyou mrsc and mrsl

We rant eating bread so no sandwiches lol ..

FUDDLE I look forward to been able to put my clothes outside to dry .....
I have sneaked a few things out and had to rush to get them in .....

Dh and ds9 no school for him today I did not know upps have taken Bella up to the vets for her post op 3 day look over .

He's brought me pots bless him so there in the steamer ..

He's going off to work when he gets back so I'll make my lasagna then and some fruit for a snack for boys after gymnastics tonight ..

I am defiantly getting in my garden today come rain or shine ..

FUDDLE do you still have your dog ?..
You could explore by looking round the town center that way you will feel better and you will no what shops are around ?.

FP keep on fighting don't give up you will get there in the end

Mrsl and mrs c - we don't have a log burner but have a mound of massive logs in our frount garden collected for my mum who has but she's now selling her house so won't need them ... I will have to think up a ingeanas plan to use them up . Any ides ?...

[Deleted User]

JEM you could use some of them in the garden to make a 'BUG HOTEL' and a 'HEDGEHOG DEN' if you have a corner that you could spare, you can pop in some flowerpots with straw and small twigs in them for different types of insect, the boys would be able to see nature up close and interesting, Lyn xxx.

Lots of information online about how to set things up and what type of critter would be likely to use the Hotel!

jem132

That's a brill idea Lyn the boys would love that . We have a few trees and bushes at the bottom so we could do it around that area .

savingqueen

((((FairyP)))) - you will get through the next few months cos we will be right by your side.


Hope monna and nutty are having lovely chilled days.


Fuddle - don't bet yourself up re PE kits, a minor thing and if life was 100% ordered and perfect for our children, how will they cope with things going wrong when they are adults eh? Having said that......


...... I orchestrated as near as perfect morning to get boys off to school. DS9 is grumpy until he wakes up properly and has eaten but he sorted himself out fine this morning. DS7 is generally happy from word go until it gets to putting on shoes and coats. We had tears and stomps and I had to threaten to take DS9 and come back for him after as nothing else worked.


I managed to drop both his scarf and his new special FXmas hat in a puddle getting out the car (but then he refused to wear even his coat on the journey so...) and DS9's Fxmas umbrella broke on 1st use this morning. Got DS7 to schoolgate at a snail's pace and then had to get his class teacher to persuade him in (we have found it works better for him for me to say goodbye cheerily and just go.) I have learnt to block out the looks well meaning or otherwise from other parents and didn't feel upset, probably because I knew what would happen.


Then I get a call from school just now to say he has fallen in the mud, he is ok but needs clean trousers. Fortunately his PE bag I took in today has a pair of trackie botts in so no need to drive back up there. I hope he is ok.


Anyway lots of chores to do and hoping to finish my form to access counselling through GP and hand it in. I have found it a bit hard filling in as asks for lots of detail about emotional stuff, personal and family situations and history of mental illhealth. A dear friend is coming for coffee after lunch so I can relax then for an hour or so.


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FairyPrincessk

Afternoon all,

Thanks for the lovely messages.

Jem and Mrs. LW, I've sent my mum a link about hedgehog lodgings, I think she is hoping to coax one into her garden.

Jem, I like this recipe which is nice warm or later cold:

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/recipe/11481