Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

camelot1001

Vhalla - Stop it, Your recipes are making me fat! I have just made your ginger/chocolate cake which we will have tomorrow as desert when friends come for dinner.

Having Steak and Ale pie tomorrow too, I made the inside of the pie last night in the slow cooker and I have made my own puff pastry, maybe! Never made it before so we'll see how it turns out, I usually buy a packet of ready made. All in the fridge to assemble when I get home.

All the washing dried outside today but it's pouring down now, so no more pottering in the garden today.

Hope you're all having a good weekend.

cheerfulness4

We love steak and ale pie. Yummy. :drool:

DH helped me colour my hair. Its gone so dark. Supposed to be dark blonde.:huh:
We are seeing friends tomorrow so I have the option of washing it a few times to try and lighten it or just go with the flow. Too tired to decide tonight.
Night night all.

meritaten

Gave DIL three little cardigans and a coat I knitted for youngest granddaughter today - she was ever so pleased. I just added up how much each cost and as Ava is still only in the 6-9 month size, One 100gram ball will make a cardie and I used 150 gram to make the coat (with a little hat). as the wool cost £1.19 per 100gram and the buttons came from a huge bag of assorted buttons from 'the works' costing less than a penny each ..................it worked out at around a fiver for all four (five if you count the hat) garments.
DIL did say though, that the little coat and hat I made her from this fluffy 'cupcake' yarn - had drawn compliments when she wore it to clinic last week. now that was expensive! £1.50 per 50 gram and it took 200 gram so £6! but, it knitted beautifully, and other mums were asking DIL where she bought it from!
I had seen the yarn and fell in love with it - the colours were so 'AVA'! and it was soooooo soft. so was it moneysaving? I think in a baby boutique there is no way it would be £6, more like £60!

janb5

Well done Meritaten-we would love to see pictures if possible of little Ava and her grandma`s knitting!

misstara

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

Here, misstara, I mean this with no disrespect at all but this link will explain what I fluffed at.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knitting-cables.html

Thanks for the link cheerfulness. I shall give it a go although I had to read it through a few times and still not entirely sure so clearly even knitting for dummies might be beyond me:rotfl: however I'm hoping it will become clear when I try it for myself.

Lynplatinum

Hiya All

Well am back from my day out Beer Tasting (not a festival but too complex to explain) - fell asleep on sofa when I got home :rotfl: so just checking inat 1.20 am cos now Im wide awake!!! Had a good time - 15 of us in the mini bus - a good crowd and fun folks but felt a little out of it today. Really silly that I am letting one incident affect me for another day (no word on e-mail btw) GRRRR annoyed with myself! Stayed within my budget for the day out but still more than I should be spending £35 :eek: instead of £ 10 per week entertainment! I mean the £35 was good value transport to several pubs + a meal out + taxi to the pick up point + beer all day long +bus home. But still money I really mustnt spend!! GRRR I have so much to do in the house - not just chores but things that i want to get on with!!! LOL

So tomorrow I am aiming to: Change that energy supplier (that alone will pay for my recent trips out by the end of a year); !!!!! out tomatoes & peppers into individual pots (thank you folks for your inspiration to grown them in the first place!!); sort out pay pal and e-bay on line; empty camera of photos read to take e-bay shots. Need to go shopping as Mon they will be closed. Turn out spices cupboard. If I get time I will also plant other seeds (courgette and butternut squash) and do some scrapbooking. Maybe then I ll feel better with myself and might be becoming as industrious as you folk are - I will report back tomorrow on how I get on!!

Welcome teeni and well done on your weight loss - how did you manage it???
Cheerfulness - how wonderful to be able to knit like that - its years since I tried!!
Marzipan and apple tart .....mmmmmmmm yum ...... (what did I just say about weight loss????)
Hope today goes well for folk.

vulpix

Lynne,a good day out in good company is money well spent occasionally.You are taking the reins by all your intentions so well done.The other friend thing smarts.I was similarly rebuffed by someone who I have been friends with for 45years recently,hense my wistful friendship posts I suppose.
I am enjoying reading along and loving the photos.I am not a knitter,I can knit but it is too slow for me,how I can say that when its taken me 40 years to sew a quilt?
I am feeling a bit better today.I think I was expecting too much as everyone who has had the same op told me it was nothing and they were climbing Everest etc the day after.
Have a nice if wet day everyone Vx

silvasava

Lyn you know what they say about all work and no play. You had a lovely day that you enjoyed so its worth every penny - don't beat yourself up! There - consider yourself told!!
Vulpix - your comments about the loss of a long standing friendship resonate with me too. I've also been on the receiving end of some cutting and uncalled for comments from a friend of over 40 years. We've holidayed together - seen each other through some really tough times & I'm at a loss to know what's triggered it. Its been me who's phoned her for the last couple of years. She may be at a charity function that we both support in July & I intend to have a quiet word with her to resolve any issues she may have but TBH I'm not that hopeful - such a shame.

Skintoap

Good morning. Glad you had a good day out, Lynplatinum. Don't let the other incident worry you. If there was a good reason, they'll be in touch, if not, you're better than they are for having turned up. Went out early with the dogs and got back before it started heaving it down. Spent yesterday sorting through my T shirts. Despite all the care I take, some always "go" under the arms, so have two piles, one to remove sleeves, widen armholes and wear as modesty tops under lower cut tops and dresses, a second of those I can us up in other ways e.g. Sewing together and making bias cut tunics like the Joe Brown dresses. The rest that are not fit to wear have gone in scrap merchant's bag that a local charity collects.

I'm trying to decide which of the many wonderful cake recipes on here to make for when DD comes tomorrow.

Hope that tha rain doesn't spoil the Bank Holiday plans for anyone. Enjoy the day.

[Deleted User]

Good Morning matelots,rather damp and dreary looking this morning.
silvasaver Granny spice cake sounds nice, any chance of a recipe?:)
I too would be the size of a small town if I ate some of the recipes on here vhalla,although they do sound delicious.
This morning its soup vat on the go, and ironing to do(not a lot thank goodness of the patter :):)).I counted up last night and its only 15 weeks until our family holidayso lots of making do to achieve before then.NSD today so thats three this month already :):)minmising on the shopping trips and making do with what I have in store.At the moment no mend that I can think of ,but I do keep my sewing tin by my ironing board that way if anything needs a quick stitch I do it as I go along.
I watched the 24hour in the Victorian age last night on catch-up ,now thats recycling taken too extremes ,but definitely nothing at all was wasted and the young chap finding buttons in a pile of yuk salvadged them :):) I expect most folk have a button tin I know I do and if stuff hasn't been passed on or gone to the charity shop but cut up for cleaning rags I always salvage the buttons first.Sometimes its just for the memories.I have a set of blue duffle buttons in there from my youngest Dds coat when she was 3 and she is 46 this Chrismas ,but when ever I see them I can see her as a toddler with her white blonde hair running in the snow in the winter of 1972 wearing her coat and matching trousers which she loved.Daft I know but I wouldn't part with them for all the tea in china.I also have both of my DDs kilt pins from when they were tiny and had a stuart tartan kilt each one year.I'm sure a lot of fellow sailors have small things that bring back memories of times gone by:):):)
Well time to get the kettle on for a cuppa I think
Have a good day everyone what ever you are doing
JackieO xxx