Struggling along as best I can

WinterWarrior

Welcome back nannyg 🙃

Toonie

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better with your back and hopefully it will be all better soon.

nannygladys

Many thanks to Four_Seasons, Sun_Addict, WinterWarrior and Toonie for the welcome back, I feel as if I had ages away but it wasn't long in the big scheme of things.

There seems to be a quite a few neighbours away and going away to get some sun where I live, so much for helping climate change, mind you I must admit I'm hoping to go abroad to visit dd2 sometime next year if I manage to save up enough, I haven't seen her in person for 3 or 4 years if you don't count messenger!! We do start family dinner together on Xmas day (well some of the family) via the net, as we usually have dinner at dinnertime and they eat later in the day, but what with alcohol and everyone talking at once not much sense is made of the conversations

Today I made myself a Sunday dinner, without the meat, it was lovely and tasty even though I say so myself! I rarely bother these days, I didn't make a pudding though, couldn't have eaten it anyway - far too full.

Frugal wise I haven't done much just the usual, laundry outside, went to the lottie for some veg etc. Walked the pup, it doesn't change much here. I usually make myself an advent calendar, just a beanie coffee one but with all the talk of chocolate, I'm going to have a sachet of coffee and a small chocolate bar in each little envelope, now I have a problem because I have bought all the choc bars and just hoping I have enough left for the 24/25 days of December, I may have to house them at dd1/dds2 house just to make sure  I have no will power at all with chocolate and as I live on my own there's nobody to give me disapproving looks either! I'm going to count them out though before I part with them and keep spare ones here - yeh in my dreams they will get eaten the night I hand the correct number over lol.

Well, pup has gone in his crate so I reckon I will have an early night as its my one day of child care tomorrow and I have to travel through the early rush hour, I'm so glad I don't have to do that anymore and as I hate driving in the dark I pick little ones sister up from school and come back down to home and they are collected from here after dd finishes work, it's a bit of a trek for her but she can't really complain! 
So I'm off, nite nite
Nannyg

nannygladys

Well dd worked from home yesterday, she has a bad cold and although she had a bad head, sore throat and her eyes were badly swollen (for some reason they always swell) she said she would take some cold and flu etc and carry on, mind you she did it from her bed all day!!!! Anyway she's doing the same today, it's good that a lot of her job can be done from home and her boss doesn't mind as long as it's all done.

So today as usual I've kept myself busy going through the kitchen cupboards and pantry, I didn't realise I had that much food! I'm turning into a food hoarder so then I moved onto the fridge and freezer, they were OK. So then I made some soup, a courgette, rice and cheese bake, courtesy of Jack Munro, and now I have a sponge cake in the oven! I took pup a walk over the fields to wear him out a bit and now I'm sat down, waiting for the cake to be cooked. After my tea I will be reading on here to catch up for an hour or so.

Tomorrow is community pantry day but after seeing how much food I have in I think I would feel guilty if I went, so it'll be seeing to budgets and some light meal planning. Oh I did buy some new pants the other day and next on the list are socks and bras - all underwear, I'd like some Xmas pjs but last year's are fine so I will do without. Anyway timer on oven is making a noise so I'd better see if it's cooked.
Nannyg

WinterWarrior

I hope the cake is good.
I would still go to the pantry nanny, just be a bit more selective and maybe pick up some treats and bits you don’t have stock of? 

Your calendar sounds perfect and of course you can have any extra chocolate now, it’s only fair! 

nannygladys

WinterWarrior - the cake rose really well but I left in a little too long and its a bit dry, but I'll just cover it with custard if needs be

Had a mare with pup tonight, two accidents and one of them a number two!!! He was upset by two huge dogs over the fields so I'm hoping it's that and that he will be back to normal tomorrow. He hadn't done 'anything' since the second day here!!!!

Good night otherwise, the hamster that lives at my house is out of his bed, he's two years old and getting on now and if I don't hear him I start worrying something's wrong. Oh dear I sound like a soft touch what with pup and hamster, but I don't mind really. Mind you I'm sat here with the windows wide open with a thick fleece on ....

Right, going to make a drink
Nannyg

nannygladys

Didn't go to community pantry as it was closed! Hope everyone's ok as 'unforeseen circumstances' was the reason.

Pup seems to be fine again and I took him a long walk over the same fields as yesterday so hopefully everything's back to normal. (Didn't see those dogs again) 

Leftovers for tea tonight, followed by cake with a bit of custard I reckon. Also made a mushroom strogonoff (courtesy of JM again) for tomorrow, as I wrote under the recipe it tasted better the day after!!

Also going into the city tomorrow with dd3 for a bit of shopping, by her not me I'm pushchair pushing I think, but being me the last of the big spenders I could do with some mire socks!!!

Right off to ping my leftovers
Nannyg

nannygladys

Went into the city and did buy some socks from primani, cheap and cheerful, some insulation tape and cellotape. They were putting all the Xmas stuff out but didn't see anything that caught my eye. We treated ourselves to a Costa coffee and a treat and dgs thought he was the bees knees sitting on a proper chair having a bit of a treat!! 

Haven't walked the dog as I'm so tired after the bad nights sleep, coughing! And going up city wore me out so I'm sat at the kitchen table with the back door wide open whilst he's going in and out, the floor is filthy from all the mud he is traipsing in but I will clean it tomorrow and wash all his blankets and my cushion covers and fleeces! It's all go having a pup I'd forgotten how hard it can be! But he's a good boy and affectionate with such a sweet face so I'll forgive him

Had my mushroom strogonoff with rice for tea which was nice. Thinking veggie burger as its Saturday tomorrow but I'll see what I fancy, and then I must do a menu plan for 
The couple of days.

Feeling Fed up with this horrible weather we're having, rainy, windy and dark not a fan but I suppose it could be much much worse, at least it's not too cold yet.

I don't feel I've been that frugal this month but looking at my figures I'm on track and ok, but I still don't have much left over on a monthly basis, and my grocery spends are really low, I'm expecting those to start rising as I've more or less come to an end on the lottie veg, I do have some winter stuff in but it's mainly psb, winter cabbage and a few other bits which won't be ready for a couple of months, mind you I have quite a bit in the freezer and cupboards (thank you community pantry) to keep me going. I'll have to play it by ear.

I've sorted wrapping paper out for the Xmas presents, when I looked I have plenty already, I tend to use brown paper for adults and tissue paper and reusable gift bags for the dgc. Each year their mum's give me the gift bags back to reuse and with eldest dd we do the same with handmade Xmas cards, so I haven't bought any for years, I don't think the dgc notice!!!!

Well I'll sign off as pup has gone into his crate and is snoring so hopefully I can go and have a shower and read in bed!
Nannyg

nannygladys

Today has been a bit quiet for me, but at its been fine but not enough to dry my washing!! That is now on an aired in the back bedroom. 
I've acquired a new to me phone from my dd1, I had her last one as well, it's nice of her she could have traded it in or sold it, so I will give her my mine and she can trade that one in!! 
Walked pup who is getting bigger every day, and who is in his crate on his back asleep with his legs hanging out the door as I haven't shut it yet, looks so cute
Had a fridge bottom risotto for tea that was a lot tastier than I thought it would be.
Oh and I'm doing a small decluttering challenge of one item day one, two items day two and so on, it's supposed to last a month but I haven't got enough items to carry it through a month, so I'll do the first week, even that works out as a total of 28 items! It's 465 items if you carry it on for 30 days if my math is correct.
So a final cold/flu drink before I go to bed to help me breathe and sleep!!!
Nannyg

WinterWarrior

The challenge sounds good. I have a lot of clutter.
I hope you feel better soon.