Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Prinzessilein

Thanks vhalla!....I do try and stay upbeat...but I certainly have my moaning moments too!....I put a lot of my attitude down to my Mum - she was determined to see me through mainstream education despite the odds (I started school in the 60s....provision for inclusion was limited - but Mum can be quite determined!)


Mum also insisted that we all learned skills that have served us well as we grew older....cooking, sewing, basic repairs...in our last year of school she gave us a food allowance and encouraged us to cook for ourselves as preparation for University.


And it has been Mum who has supported me so much in later years...always encouraging me to do as much as possible on my own...disability is a part of me, but it will never be the boss of me!


Celeriac soup?...Yum!...I love celeriac...I love it as a half/half mash with potato too....and Mum pickles celeriac.


Cheerfulness...I see from the photo you are using circular needles not dpns...how are you finding that? Clearly you are managing very well! I have just mastered dpns and was going to use them for knitting some mittens in a few weeks time....but I have circular needles I have never used....


Hseter....that sounds like a quilted bed runner - and if it is for a double bed you will have a lovely big piece of material for your bags!


Bedding-wise, I was changing the bedding and thinking I might get a couple of new pillows...but that means I will have the 4 thin old ones and am loathe to throw them away!...I am thinking that if I put 2 of them in one case and cove it, it could make a sort of floor cushion?...or maybe a soft sitting-cushion for my rocker?


Also...I have a little baby doll. Quite unusually it is a boy (most dolls are girls)...Now that I am getting more confident in knitting I want to knit him an outfit! I got him when I was about 5 so he must be almost 50! He deserves a new outfit...Does anyone know of a website that does free patterns for dolls clothes to knit?....(He is almost life sized, so I suppose I could look for some prem or size one patterns for 'real' babies?)


I had roast chicken with assorted veg this afternoon...delicious!....enough veggies left over for a pasty tomorrow I think...tonight it will be cheese and apple on toast.

cheerfulness4

vhalla1478 wrote: »

What a lovely post, Prinzessilein, and what good memories you must have. The point is, you are doing the things you can do, and I applaud you. There are plenty of able-bodied people out there who do nothing but complain about their 'fate'. Well done you.

Viv x

I was thinking exactly the same. We can all have dreams and when things get in the way we could choose to just forget the whole idea and thing Woe Is Me but you've just got on a adjusted your plans somewhat.

Each time I read GQ's posts about allotments I feel wistful and miss my own but I still have a garden, raised beds and enough enthusiasm to keep my little dreams alive.
Anyway, I'm going vertical this year. Plans are afoot!

fuddle wrote: »

Terribly I buy my herbs (and freeze them) but you have pricked my conscience this morning. I think a herb garden pot is needed in my garden. I just need a container large enough to house one. Will wrack my brains.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5142268
This was ginnyknits link to her vertical garden a little back in the thread. I'm thinking of doing this myself.

janb5 wrote: »

Hi Cheerfulness 4- what are you knitting on your circular needles- growing fast( as are the seeds!)

Its this waistcoat, janb. Once I'd stopped panicking about the circulars its turning out to be a really easy pattern. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.
Don't quote me on that when I come to a harder bit. I keep telling myself its just a matter of confidence. I nearly gave up twice and I started again about 5 times. :eek: Such a fuss over nothing.

Prinezz- yep it is just circulars, I've not gone for the big boys yet but DPNS must be done in time. Face my fears in 2015 I reckon. Mum says I'll be fine but then she can't remember how to use them herself now. Thank goodness for youtube!

cheerfulness4

Forgot to say I would have loved to have seen that bag, Hester. I've a mind to sew a bag myself this year. There are some lovely ideas out there on the net.

Both you and Sparrer are certainly getting some good uses out of this bedding.
I think that is one of the reasons I enjoy The Sewing Bee programme because I love to see how they turn one garment into something completely different. I find it all incredibly clever and am trying to learn from it.

I'm off to do a spot of knitting now. I want to get my seeds out and make a mess on the floor but DH is watching tv and I think I'd get 'the look' if I did. I'll bide my time, make him a drink and then see if he's up to digging the box out once the credits have come on.:D

vhalla1478

A busy day today, Folks, I went across to my son's for coffee this morning and stayed on to help my daughter-in-law cut out her first paper pattern to make a dress for herself; I wasn't aware before that sewing is not necessarily part of the school curriculum - anyway, I'm surrogate teacher now and it went quite well, although she was amazed how long it took to measure, pin, cut. The Sewing Bee is certainly inspiring a lot of young women, and young men too, I hope.

I rushed home early this afternoon and made a large mushroom risotto with garlic, thyme and parsley (using up the cauliflower water from yesterday)before my mushrooms expired entirely; does anyone know whether you can freeze risotto - otherwise I shall be eating it for the next couple of days and I've still got some of my son's beautiful quiche left - he won't give me the recipe, I suspect he ad libs as he goes along. I went outside to pick some thyme for my risotto and my clematis which is on a trellis near my tiny patio has buds on it!I must get a gardening book - any suggestions, anyone? I'm determined to get a proper grip on it this year. Apparently I have to have flowers etc that rabbits hate as we have quite a few, although I think the stoat population has culled them somewhat, so would be grateful for any of you gardeners' thoughts and suggestions.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon doing my rug quota and crying over a film (based on a true story) about some Amish girls who were gunned down at school. Dreadfully sad but also uplifting.

Here's another soup recipe - you're supposed to eat it cold but it's beautiful warm, especially this time of the year.

Cucumber Vichysoisse

One pound of potatoes, a cucumber, an onion, 1tbsp. butter, pint of stock, salt, pepper, cream if liked.

Peel and dice the potatoes, peel cucumber and cut into chunks, chop onion. Heat butter in pan, add vegetables, turning them frequently until well impregnated with butter. Add the stock and cook gently until tender - about 45 minutes. Whizz or pass through a sieve, add salt and pepper and cream if liked.

Have a nice evening, Everyone.

Viv x

anakat

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Also...I have a little baby doll. Quite unusually it is a boy (most dolls are girls)...Now that I am getting more confident in knitting I want to knit him an outfit! I got him when I was about 5 so he must be almost 50! He deserves a new outfit...Does anyone know of a website that does free patterns for dolls clothes to knit?....(He is almost life sized, so I suppose I could look for some prem or size one patterns for 'real' babies?)

Ravelry has loads of free patterns, you have to register but it is quick and free. I put dolls clothes in their search with the filters, free and with photo
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#photo=yes&craft=knitting&query=dolls%20clothes&availability=free&sort=best&view=captioned_thumbs
they also have lots of baby patterns too

silvasava

Evening All.
The knitting is looking good Cheerful. Sewed up the next cushion, just needs the zip done and that's the two worst shapes done.
I'm going to see a lady tomorrow morning who has started to sew & needs a bit of support.
Fuddle - I replant supermarket herbs into bigger deeper pots &they last ages. My basil ended up like a tree and now I always replant the growing lettuce. There's a website on reusing pallets and they make a good strong support for vertical planting.

mothernerd

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Bedding-wise, I was changing the bedding and thinking I might get a couple of new pillows...but that means I will have the 4 thin old ones and am loathe to throw them away!...I am thinking that if I put 2 of them in one case and cove it, it could make a sort of floor cushion?...or maybe a soft sitting-cushion for my rocker?

I have boys (well the baby is 23 now) and they do dreadful things to pillows - they all end up flat or in odd shaped little lumps. So every year or two I cut them open (pillows not boys but won't say I haven't been tempted from time to time), sandwich one of the lumpy bits in between the layers of a flat one and sew it back up. Plump pillows for a little while longer. When they were small and I had very little, I plumped the pillows with an unpicked nylon quilt thing my father gave me and the quilting from a couple of there old coats that were ripped (too small for them and not good enough for the charity shops).

When we have more guests than pillows I have used old single quilts and sleeping bags inside pillowcases for extras. Also always keep a spare for stuffing soft toys etc as the shop bought stuff is expensive.

cheerfulness4

Pleased to hear your cushions are coming on well, Silva. Its very satisfying when you get on with a job you've been planning for a while.

I'm actually on with a bit of undoing. Spotted the mistake before I got very far, gave some thought whether to ignore it and then decided it was quite relaxing unpicking if I put myself in the right mind set.
It did occur to me to have a whinge but then I noticed Call the Midwife was on and remembered last week I put DH through me moaning all the way through.
To be honest I've come on so far with circulars since then it seemed silly to be fretting now. A minor set back is all it is and I know what I did wrong which is half the battle.

I had a good spend at Morrisons today and was very pleased with my haul of YS's.



DAY 8

Money Spent Today - £6.08 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £22.21 Vouchers Spent in Total - £0
Money left in purse - £1.79 - Float left- £3.73/£15
Jan non-foods left- £4.79/£15

Grocery spends were £6.08, and for that we got a huge assortment of YS fresh fruit and veg inc 4x grapefruits @ 39p, large bag clemantines @ 65p , box Rocha Pears @ 39p, Box of Peaches @ 29p, 2x pks Red Gem lettuce duos @ 5p each, box of beetroot @ 19p, Bag of Royal Gala Apples @ 39p, Bag of 4 peppers @ 49p, Bag of Red Chillies @ 25p, and
1kg of Can't believe' spread @ £1.37 (morrisons offer) 2x pks savers biscuits @ 78p the pair and 2lt Milk @ 88p.

From our Extras budget I decided to splash out on some YS meat, steak @ £1.15 (treat tea one night) and YS Oxtail @ £1.25. (Had a small YS piece of oxtail and needed more for a meal). I felt DH needed spoiling and some tasty dinners were what he needed this week to help his appetite.

The peaches were the biggest surprise as I didn't hold out much hope of them being sweet this time of year but they are beautiful and I seemed to have caught them at their best moment. Yummy!

Tomorrow morning DH is taking me to Aldis for milk and then its time to get out my massive seed box. I just can't wait. :j:j I love them so much I sometimes just get them out and just look at them, like a little treasure trove of hope.

misstara

Not much to report from the last few days as I've been away for the weekend. I looked out the sheets to start the HM pillow protectors but that's as far as I got Maybe tomorrow.

I went shopping with OH to look for something for his birthday and got clothes in the sale, should have been £90 and I paid £32.50 so we were both very pleased

Wow looks like you got some great bargains there cheerfulness.

cheerfulness4

Seems like I wasn't the only one getting a bargain this weekend, misstara. Lovely saving you got there. How do people ever afford to pay full price. :eek: