Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

good_advice

Well done JackieO. Make do and mend is def. the way to go.

A bran new day.
No real plans. Got some ironing to do. Tend to conservatory plants. Bits and bobs. Surveys on desk top.

Prinzessilein

Morning!


JackieO...you are a star!....excellent mending skills there! (I don't often wear bras...but when I do I either handwash them or use a little bra-caddy (a zippable net bag that holds the bra safe in the machine....I got it from a certain store based in the Lake District that is well known for kitchen gadgets!)


There is a thick sea mist here today - can hardly see out of the window!....I just need to go and pick up some milk and possibly some apples if the guy has the ones I like. ....then I will retreat back indoors for the day!


I have a thick sausage and barley soup (with tomatoes and chillies) out of the freezer for tonight.....plenty of eggs so I think I might have an omelette for lunch (which could also se up the last slice of ham in the fridge)


Half-day closing for the local shops.....and I want to go to buy some wool, might wait until tomorrow for that....having been knitting the OCC hats I am now thinking of knitting myself a new one for next winter, and possibly a pair of mittens to (now that I have mastered the dpns!)...I was thinking of cream and blue if I can fins a nice shade...nothing too dark.


Time to go and make a start to the day's work.....have a good one all!

cheerfulness4

I can just imagine how thrilled Simon must have been. Lovely when someone helps take the pressure off when you're strapped for cash.

Loads to do today as DH's back to work tonight so must catch up on all those jobs we ignored while he's been off and we've been doing the garden.

Off to make that Celery Soup in a moment and prepare the dinner so we can have it early. Doing our Herb Crusted Chicken with HM wedges and salad for dinner.

Tomato plants have to be done today, in fact all the little bits that I've planned to do and pushed to the side this last few days.
I'd sit and do my knitting this afternoon if it wasn't for the fact I've mislaid the pattern and notebook with my rows in it. I'll sew some more dusters if I can't find it while I watch a little tv.

Catch you all later.

vhalla1478

A really quick 'Good Morning' Everyone, as I've made my friend so comfortable she decided to stay an extra night and I have another visitor for lunch today so the freezer has been raided quite considerably. I'm not unhappy about it because apart from her company, she has bought some of my summer dresses and has chosen a couple more that she says she can sell to another friend - so altogether that is £100+ into the kitty and the friend who is coming for lunch is bringing his stepson's books so there's another little earner there.

Totally agree about charity shops - I used to work in a hospice one and people were like vultures and very aggressive when you refused to give them a discount. But neither did I like the way that the (paid) manageress used to grab all the best bits and put a nominal amount in the kitty... I remonstrated with her and she did stop whilst I was around, but of course I wasn't round all the time.

Lynn, have a great time in Belgium - I love the place. Looking forward to my trip to Venice as soon as DB's problems in the Czech Republic are sorted.

I'm full of admiration for you, JackieO; my DS is the fixer of washers/everything electrical in this household and his as well; out of necessity because of their growing family too. And far more satisfying than buying a new one.

Friend up, must go.

Viv xx

nursemaggie

You know they haggle at jumble sales and steal there too. When you think how ridiculously cheap everything is at a jumble sale it is unbelievable.

I used to manage a charity shop. I caught a volunteer with her hands in the till.

When ever I bought anything I always got someone else to price things I wanted to buy. It's well over 30 years ago now. We all knew one anothers children so we would put stuff by for the other volunteers. We all paid the full price another customer would have paid.

Brilliant job on the washing machine Jackie. I would not put an underwired bra in the wm or anything else with wires in the wm.

cheerfulness4

I was fortunate that when my underwire stuck under the drum in the washer my repair man just charged £35 for coming out. Others were much dearer but what an expensive mistake. I should have known better because I'd done it before but DH had been able to sort it that time.

Shiuldn't be here. Should be chopping celery. Only came back on to get the recipe on mybtablet to work from. Lethal this site!

cheerfulness4

Today not going as planned at all. Ended up sat in the doctors (or actually just outside on my tablet) while DH took DS in to get an infected cut sorted out. Yuck!
Why do they not tell you about these things until they are really bad? He thought it would sort itself out, apparently. :wall:

At least the sun is really shining now so DH hascset me up with a parasol in the garden and I can get pricking my tomatoes out in the warmth. He even made me a coffee vefore he just went to bed so I'm all set up in comfort now.
Might pop myself a bit of Simply Red on my tablet to listen to while I work. Bliss.

cheerfulness4

Look at me all proud as punch. Tomatoes all done and now moving on to sowing my summer flower display.

So far in my bag are my different types of cosmos, french marigolds (the really bronzy ones and the pincushion type ones, different types of poppy (more later about those) lavetera, black eyed susan, oh and heaps more. Coleus is also being grown as I love it as a filler in the borders and a really colourful one in a pot on the table where we eat.

Just making a cup of tea to take out and then back to it. :j I just love this season.

silvasava

Took my friend out shopping this morning & managed to find her two dresses in TKM - both came to less than the price of one she'd ordered from Kalidascope that had a badly puckered back seam! I bought a T-shirt in DP & the assistant gave me a free sample of Nivea - when she saw I was with a friend she gave us a handful each as she said she'd got a huge box of them. I'll pass them on to friends. I also went into Boots to get a foundation that I'd been given a sample of some weeks ago. My friend wanted to know about it so the assistant made her face up and gave her a sample - nice!
Got home and changed and moved lots of 'stuff' & did some more power washing of pav ing slabs and the brick walls round my raised beds - looks almost new again
I've decided that a power washer is something every woman out to have in her arsenal. What's not to like. Its a machine, makes lots of noise ( like boys toys) gets things nice & clean & doesn't use chemicals My mum would,d have loved one lol

meritaten

Pleased with myself today! OH mentioned yesterday that some of the big plastic planters needed replacing. I went out this morning and had a good look. hmmmmm, no splits, no chunks missing - but they did look a bit worse for wear. so got a bowl of warm water, squirted in some soap and used a kitchen sponge to give them a good clean! came up looking like new! Funny thing is.............OH didn't notice this afternoon! lol