Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

I've been at work overnight and am back this afternoon but for some reason this feels like a day off. I've just done all the laundry, even the odds bits of separate hand-washing, so there will hopefully only be ordinary quick-wash stuff left to do before we go away.

I'm doing a practice pack, which is somewhat delayed by half my hot weather clothes being in the loft, and a lot of things that I only ever wear either abroad or in a heatwave need to be tried on. So I'm sitting here in wedding shoes and a rather nice pair of casual cropped trousers that were too tight last year, feeling semi-smug. Smug because I can get into stuff that I thought was just taking space that I can ill afford, and less than fully smug because I think I need to wade through the clothes and trial packing before I can afford time to go and do those bits of shopping which I still need.

My sweet neighbour has offered to water my plants while I'm away so in an ideal world I would suddenly have four days off and endless energy to clean and tidy but as it is I'm going to have to be creative.

The other thing that's coming home to me is a need to revamp my food to eat up list. Things need to be gone from the fridge, so here goes:

Food to use up
4 pints milk - Remember to cancel the milk!
desiccated coconut
caramel
custard powder
yeast sachets
mung beans
flaked almonds
mincemeat
green lentils
red lentils Used half these in the soup
dates
quinoa
white rice (not nice!)
Arborio rice
a million onions - Down to one bag and a few strays
9.5 peppers Now a bagful
oil from chargrilled peppers
3 eggs
half a cabbage
apples, peaches, bananas, grapes
Mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, celery, swede, peas, peppers etc. Soup, anyone?
potatoes - some old ones and two part-bags of new.
assortment of cheeses
14 jars of spreadables for toast now 12 jars
4 assorted gravies
vegetable suet
Stuff in the freezer...

I have just opened some in-date milk and found it's gone off, and there's also at least one that's past its date, so there is some chucking-out to do. I'd better not make scones this time, or at least not a double batch, as they won't get eaten and I don't need the calories. DS has just knocked over a caddy of loose-leaf tea so at least the kitchen floor has been hovered. It's all a waste though.

The garden is producing abundant raspberries and currants and I want to harvest what I can before we go, then there are the put-off-no-longer jobs like cleaning the fish tank (poor fishies, I hate that I've not done it recently) and get them some more pond weed to snack on till we get back. Oh, and holiday sawdust and hay for the guinea pigs.

I'll undoubtedly have to amend this post later as I think of more...

2nd:
Spends:
Gift £7
MS stuff:
Extra overnight shift done.
3rd
Spends:
NSD
MS stuff:
Found I now fit into 2 more pairs of summer trousers
Made soup
Made rice pudding
Confession time:
Threw out some milk and yogurt

Cherryfudge

A quick catch-up from today:

Seem to have spent a lot of it trying on clothes, which was fun despite actually having put it off as long as possible.
I really didn't get much done in the morning (except mooch around on here) then I got my act together and had a run which was great. Maybe I've cracked the 5K? I kept running the whole distance but actually got to the end with a bit of energy to spare and recovered fairly quickly. I also had a nice comment from a friend about it and a few more compliments from some of the holiday clothes I fetched out of storage! The advantage of compliments from clothes is that I can ditch the ones that disagree with me, so some stuff has gone.

The good news is the weight loss is progressing and I'm on the cusp of a smaller size so some smarter trousers that I've saved against this day, a couple of tops that I'd outgrown and a new bra, have all entered the fray. I have a handful of things to get rid of from the loft but not enough to make a big dent on the mountain of things I have up there.

I've had my piano lesson, got a few bits from the shops, had soup for tea and this evening I've spent a couple of hours with friends from church. Coming home I've been trying to find a press stud for DS2's shirt and of course I had plenty but not what I needed so another trip to the shops tomorrow as he needs that shirt to look good for the wedding and he flies on Thursday. However I did find a couple of tiny craft kits which will be perfect for me to take on hols. It will solve the problem of never being in the mood for the books I take.

I never realised how often I buy toiletries before I started to keep an account here: this time it was mostly sunscreen as I believe it loses efficacy as it gets older.

Spends:
Piano £10.00
Medical £4.80
Housekeeping £0.50
Toiletries £9.50
Clothing £9.00
Housekeeping £2.33
MS stuff:
Various clothes from the loft for hols and all the fun of rediscovering old favourites and some new treats still with the tags on.
Bra was in the sale so only £5.
Finished the last of the banana muffins!
Soup made the other day was delicious (spicy lentil) and I persuaded DH that it was better to buy a whole small loaf for 70p than a single roll that a fly was buzzing round, for 75p. Besides, I then get posh bread from now till we go away. :rotfl:

Cherryfudge

Suddenly remembered I hadn't paid my CC! :eek:

Especially :eek: as it's been an expensive time. I wonder how often they get payments authorised in the small hours?

Off to bed now - night!

parsniphead

Well done on the weight loss cherryfudge. It must feel nice shrinking back into your clothes. The running seems to suit you. You've definitely inspired me to try again.

It a good job you remembered to pay your card. Its times like these when you appreciate the internet and instant access.

VelvetFreak

Congrats on the weight loss Cherry. This is all very exciting.

I loathe packing. I hope you are better at it than I am.

Hiddenidenity

Well done on the weight loss

Cherryfudge

Thanks peeps I am happy to say I lunged headlong into the loft again this evening and emerged with a sweatshirt that is too small no longer. A present from my past to my future.

I also raided the shops and got the press studs which now make DS2's shirt nearly stop gaping. He isn't overweight, just not an easy person to fit. I've told him in future to buy a size bigger and I'll take in the waist.

He's packed and ready to leave tomorrow: I have one more shift. DH has finished work for now but will spend tomorrow doing all sorts of errands.

5th
Spends
Clothing £1.20
Pets £10.00
Hobbies £5.44

parsniphead

Cherryfudge, I've figured it out, what your job is. Your a vampire aren't you. You only come out at night.

I bet you will be excited to get the shift done then holidays. I hope that packing is nearly finished. Mind you it's an absolutely vile job to do. Oh and emptying in when you return. :eek:

You are really inspiring me to run. I can cope with the difficulty of it, but I feel very self conscious and embarrassed. Perhaps when I get my new phone I will download C25k again.

Have a lovely holiday should I miss you.

Cherryfudge

parsniphead wrote: »

Cherryfudge, I've figured it out, what your job is. Your a vampire aren't you. You only come out at night.

Got it in one.

The packing is kind of half done... by which I mean I have borrowed DD's posh backpack which really has been proper travelling. You know, like a grown up. It's sitting there surrounded by a heap of things just waiting to leap neatly in. I am hoping it will make me look the part.

DS2 looked at the box my dress is packed in and asked me why I'm taking pizza...

Right, I'm off to work now. When I get back this afternoon my job is to do my nails and wash my hair and actually put things in the case, so we'll see how I do with that.

Cherryfudge

P.S. Don't let the self-consciousness hold you back parsnip. It's worth the overcoming to get the results!