Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

fuddle

What a lovely day today

Ours started with a trip out to look at seeds and a cheap shop special buy of toilet rolls.

Spent the rest of the day at home. DH did a BBQ, I made the girls a teepee with bamboo stakes wrapped and pegged with fleece blankets. I cleaned out my kitchen food cupboard and wrote a 'stocks needed' list. Had a telephone conversation with our friend Lyn and made another batch of lemon curd cupcakes.

I did look at a croissant recipe for breakfast tomorrow but the guidance suggested the pastry work was difficult so I was put off. Are they easy enough for a so, so cook?

Well a glass of milk awaits and so do grass stained trousers. Wish me luck!

Prinzessilein

Afternoon all...or is it evening?


I have been so frazzled! I mentioned defrosting the freezer...and the strange banging noises when I set it going again?....I had put some stuff in it and checked later, it was freezing....next morning I woke up - something made me check the freezer...ice tray was full of unfrozen water...quick check of the other items...all defrosted again!!!!....long story short - the freezer is dead!...of COURSE this happens at a bank holiday!


So, I have had to look at the stuff I had in the freezer...obviously can't refreeze stuff that was previously frozen, so damage limitation is needed....fishcakes were put in the fridge - ate a couple today for dinner, a couple left for Monday....chicken breasts, thankfully they were raw, so I have now cooked them and they are safe in Mum's freezer. .....2 portions pasta sauce, will eat tomorrow....and one portion of curried chicken in fridge to be eaten within a day or two......at least the freezer died when I was a t the start of restocking! I think I have saved everything! (Sadly no tub of icecream - now THAT would have been fun to eat in one sitting before it melted away!)


Bad news of course is that I will need to dip into savings for another freezer. It's not really something I want to do without.


I have started knitting heads onto the handpuppets....slow job as it involves picking up stitches from the neck part of the already knitted dresses/bodies and then knitting on a set of 5 needles.


My aunt was recently on a visit to Germany, and brought me back a present.....2 crossword puzzle books! That should keep me entertained for a few months! I do enjoy a good puzzle!


Just trying to decide whether to watch Eurovision tonight. Not normally my sort of viewing, but there seems to be limited choice on TV tonight.


Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

GreyQueen

Mum let me loose on her darning pile, where there were 5 pairs of handmade mens socks which had got religion. She knows I love nothing better than a bit of darning, so they are all back in service now and she's relieved not to have them nagging at her.

Bubblesmum

Evening All

Sitting here with the smell of garlic.... Grown on Oh allotment... Nigellas reciepe 40 cloves of chicken... Going to be served with OH HM french bread..,

Spent to the day tied to my sewing machine, I am making a patchwork wrap for a friend, using her old evening gowns, I have quilted it, 7hrs later that bits done, now there's the final stage of making my own bias binding.... This project has been ongoing for about 3 years ! She's coming Tuesday and I am determined to finish it,

We have two weeks to go till our holiday and really tripping to make do in various ways... Eating up the freezer, not buying new clothes etc. Bought a pair of trousers on E bay and cough they don't quite stretch over my tummy, I am being fairlipy strict and using my fitness pal, week 3 weigh in tomorrow lost 4lbs so far

:eek: to the broken freezer
lemon curd cupcakes - receipe please ( ignores waistline goals)

fuddle

Easy peasy my way. I just have victoria sponge mix dolloped in the bottom, a little spoonful of lemon curd then a dollop of mix on the top.

There are fancier ways, especially if you icing but plain and simple does us.

janb5

wrote: »

Afternoon all...or is it evening?


I have been so frazzled! I mentioned defrosting the freezer...and the strange banging noises when I set it going again?....I had put some stuff in it and checked later, it was freezing....next morning I woke up - something made me check the freezer...ice tray was full of unfrozen water...quick check of the other items...all defrosted again!!!!....long story short - the freezer is dead!...of COURSE this happens at a bank holiday!



Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Hi Prinzessilein.


Have a look on Ebay for a second hand fridge freezer. I bought my oven on there recently for considerably less than a new replacement and it is better than the old one! HTH

chickadee

Good morning! I just wanted to pop in and say what a lovely thread this is. I was awake early this morning, typical on a Sunday, and have been reading through the MSE forums. This thread caught my eye and it has been a good read. I'm also one of the brigade that hates waste. I was brought up in a home where money didn't grow on trees and everything had to earn its keep. I remember my sister making bedding from fabric from the market. There seemed so be a sea of it! A double duvet cover if I remember correctly. Mum could afford to buy a duvet but not the cover, so my sister bought some sheeting fabric and made the cover. The last time I asked it was still going, not bobbly or worn. That must be 30-odd years ago! Anyone ever do the 'sides-to-middle' thing with worn sheets? That is cutting the sheet lengthwise and restitching the sides down the middle so that the worn middle part ended up at the side and the non-worn sides were now in the middle. I can't imagine that anyone would do that now.


Food waste - now there's another thing I'm passionate about avoiding. I need to go through my cupboards and have a good sort-out to make sure anything approaching out-of-date is used up. We are obsessed with using things up. If either me or DH use the last of something we take the bag or packet to show the other one and give ourselves a little pat on the back. Yes, sad I know!


I have a sewing machine that I seldom use and some knitting half-made still on the needles. Perhaps the Bank Holiday is the time to sort that out?


Anyway, thanks for the inspiration!

[Deleted User]

Morning everyone, having a lovely weekend with DD1 and the concert last night was beautiful, the Cathedral is such a wonderful space in which to sing and there were a couple of organ pieces from a beautiful old instrument, amazing.

Today we are going on the bus to a nearby town for a bimble around and hopefully a new pair of lace up shoes for me for this winter, I've been looking for quite a while unsuccessfully as I want practical and waterproof foorwear and NOT fashion footwear! Home again early tomorrow morning as DD has a whole day commitment and will need to be at the venue from 8.30am so I'll be on a very early train and hopefully home before lunch.

Have yourselves a lovey Bank Holiday Monday and enjoy whatever you do, Lyn xxx.

silvasava

Welcome to the thread Chickadee
Need some sailcloth to make a small repair to one of my sails - put requests out on Free cycle & our local Street life but no luck yet. I'll give it a week before I bite the bullet and (whipers) buy some. Managed an hour or so in the garden yesterday morning - I've a small raised bed with a blackberry,a jostaberry, some loganberries under planted with strawberries. They're all in flower and I couldn't believe the sound of all the bees - so wonderful I had to call DH to come and listen - such a happy sound.
Instruction went well yesterday & did so enjoy the company of my friend.
Have a good Sunday everyone x

GreyQueen

Afternoon all.

I've been bimbling around a bootsale and found a wicker clothes hamper of exactly the right dimensions to fit in the bottom of my airing cupboard, as noted on a scrap of paper in my wallet and checked with the tape measure in my handbag, for £3. Have removed and washed the cloth liner and was scrubbing the wicker and discovered that the brown staining on it is very water soluable, so have scrubbed it off.

Basket is now drying outside. This will replace one of those collapsable mesh baskets in the bottom of the cupboard, which I where I keep out of season outerwear, gloves and similar. Only took me about 2 months to track down what I wanted secondhand.

Have also brought some new and unused gift-type items suitable for discharging some gift-giving occasions later this year - all consumables - and some books to read. Feeling pretty pleased.

I do that sides-to-middling thing, too, about half my bedsheets are done like this. I also have a terrycloth sides-to-middled teatowel, but then I'm hardcore OS............:rotfl:Just because it was going a bit baldy in the middle, there was no excuse to throw it out. Think of the precedent that would set with all the DHs and OHs getting a bit thin on the crown.

Still knitting away quite happily at my blanket making project. Keeps me out of trouble.