Building The Burrow!

Pearla*Merle

Slowly getting there, newgirly. Feeling a bit more conked out again today, I can sense a nap coming on! Definitely get those herbs planted, they make such a difference.

Really haven't done much over the past 24 hours, did a good sort through and organised the present box this morning, and rehomed a lot of items that have been kicking about the house for an age. Found a few extra things to add to the present box, so that's rather handy.

Mr M came back yesterday with a huge carrier bag filled with rolls, tea cakes and even a cheese scone - a bakery near his work were selling things off at the end of the day and he got it all for the princely sum of £1. Have got quite a few of them tucked up in the freezer for treats over the next while.

Talking of the freezer, my inventory is paying dividends. Fish cakes for tea, and then I saw that I had a portion of roast veg in there, and also some winter soup (I say soup, it's more like thick mashed veg) but anyway, that makes for a super easy tea tonight. :T

Word on the street is that we're going to pop to Azda tonight, have already done a meal plan (pretty much all from the freezer) for next week so will only be picking up a few odd bits.

Off to potter about and tidy some more before the urge to nap overwhelms me.

Pearla*Merle

Got a lot done on my pottering adventure, and no nap required, excellent.

Azda trip was a little more productive than expected. Picked up A4 lined paper so can completely redo my Life Folder (this was borne out of needing structure with self-employment etc. I use it for little schedules, reading lists, lists with free places to visit and so on. I hadn't used it for a few years but started it again this year and it's paying dividends being able to track lots of life stuff and helps me focus on priorities :T It's looking a little ragged though as I used random bits of paper to cobble it together so want to go through it and refine it all); found some slippers for £3 (hurrah! Might save them for next year, or alternate them with my current ones, much of a muchness); £1 on a book for my mum for Mother's Day (chuffed with that find), then £6 on a photoframe... oops. It's so flipping beautiful though (sort of antique-y seaside blue wood), and I had wanted to put a nice inspiring picture of the coast on my wall (to remind me of some good times, when I was living in much more harmony with my surroundings), and considering everyone else would probably want a pretty penny for something like it I can live with it. Maybe it was meant to be, it all ties in nicely with what I was reading in The Gift From The Sea, so it'll be nice to have something beautiful on my wall as a kind of trigger to refocus. But all this is by the by, Mr M's mum who was with us made me put it all with the rest of the shopping and paid for it. I tried to stop her but she wasn't having it. So my plan of action is to give her a nice vase I have here that I think she'll like and a lovely bunch of flowers (she loves her flowers) when I next get the chance.

Loads of good bargains otherwise, tons of dried fruit at half price so have stocked up on several bags of that for various baking sessions and/or healthier snacking. Also grabbed some veg bits for our roast this weekend (which I'll probably also use for soup) then Mr M bought all sorts of weird & wonderful stuff, as is his wont, that I'll let him get on with(!). Found some reduced brandy sauce that will last until next December if required. :rotfl:

Pearla*Merle

Have had a brainwave! Possible other presents for MIL (& others): Pot up cute tubs (or jam jars?) with dainty flowers. Use nice rocks at bottom... I could even pick up some sea glass at the beach next time I'm there. (Could also use sea glass/washed up pottery pieces & make them into magnets, ooh).

I feel a bit naughty re: the purchases now, I've just remembered I said I was going to batten down the hatches. I suppose that's the net result of having a delirious week. Oh well, onwards & upwards.

in_need_of_direction

Sometimes it's the small treats that make it easier for you to hang in there.

Pearla*Merle

Thanks, in need of direction, you're so right. As long as I don't snowball into treats every day (I have a history!) :rotfl:

Not much to report, couldn't get much done this weekend as various ailments got in the way. Managed a lovely walk out and popped into a large charity shop; didn't buy anything, but got a good giggle from the various knick knacks and I must remember to go back when I'm ready to do some planting as they have loads of super cheap pots in there. Yesterday I was migrainey/dizzy for most of the day so was pretty much out of action and needing to take rests all the time. It meant lots of time to ruminate about using up fridge/freezer contents, so I think I'll have a bit of a pastry making session sometime soon and pop together lots of odds and ends and make some snacks for the freezer (both sweet & savoury tarts & turnovers, there is SO much stuff lurking in there!). This week we'll be mostly eating out of the freezer and running down the supplies, the cupboards are looking rather full again.

Did some odd bursts of tidying over the weekend, am refining our various collections of stuff over and over and every time picking out more things to get rid of that I just have no interest in any more. Sometimes you don't really realise it until you revisit it several times. Have got another little pile of things to sell and even more to give away. Mr M has a few things to pop eB@y as well, this week I'll try and gather everything and get it ready for listing.

The main thing now that would make all the difference with decluttering is going through the various folders/bags/piles of paper kicking around and eliminate some of those. I'd been hanging on to them but maybe it's time to let go and reclaim some psychic space as well, that might be a job to get started on today.

misscousinitt

Paper decluttering and organisation is a must for a clear mind I feel. Pity it always seems never ending.

MCI

Pearla*Merle

Tell me about it MCI, I don't help myself by keeping receipts from 2006 though. :rotfl: I got rid of two bags-worth of rubbish yesterday... still lots to go though. :eek:

Nothing much to report, just plodding on in amongst migrainey nonsense. Thought I was in for another day of it today but seem to have nipped it in the bud so hopefully I'll get a lot more done than anticipated earlier this morning. :j

Had a marathon batch baking session the other day, managed to use up the last packet of my cheap plain flour stash from last Pancake Day Overkill at the corner shop (got about ten for 10p each!). Used it all to make pastry, half of it was made into savoury tarts/pies using up the last of a big jar of caramelised onions, redcurrant jelly and cranberry sauce, all with goats cheese; then in the other batch I made sweet pastry mixed with blitzed winter spiced nuts leftover from Christmas (this tastes so delicious and smelled like digestive biscuits when it was baking, yum!). I used up a jar of apple & ginger preserve and some swish marmalade Mr M had picked up for pennies a while ago (have several jars to use!). They're all nicely tucked up in the freezer, I could probably have made double the amount I did but I got fatigued waiting for things to bake and started to pop lids on everything. :rotfl: I definitely need to invest in some more tart tins.

Other than that we're doing well at eating out of the freezer and cupboards. Sausage & cannellini bean casserole yesterday, can't wait to have another batch of it tomorrow, it was so delish. Pasta bake tonight. Need to have a little look at my cupboard inventories and concoct a meal plan for next week.

Hopefully I'll get some time this afternoon to catch up on everyone's diaries, I feel like I've been away for ages!

mouche

Hi Pearla...glad you're feeling better. Fingers crossed it continues. Just wanted to let you know I've just applied for my first OnePoll payout - and it is genuinely all down to your tips. So thank you once again!

apple_muncher

:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy::cheesy: Ooh, receipts from 8 years ago.... You DEFINITELY win the prize for oldest receipt!:T:T:T:T

Habibiboo

Pearla*Merle wrote: »

Azda trip was a little more productive than expected. Picked up A4 lined paper so can completely redo my Life Folder (this was borne out of needing structure with self-employment etc. I use it for little schedules, reading lists, lists with free places to visit and so on. I hadn't used it for a few years but started it again this year and it's paying dividends being able to track lots of life stuff and helps me focus on priorities :T

:wave:
Oh my goodness, this is like the garden plan all over again - I use a very similar stationery-based process to help keep me on the straight and narrow too, professionally and personally! Tell me, do you also happen to be a Post-It girl?

Hope the re-vamp of the Life Folder is a good sign that you are feeling much better ~ horrible to be full of lurgy when it's the time of year to be positive and pro-active, and especially with this rollercoaster ride of the OH's job going on too ... do look after yourself P*M!