Reasons to be Cheerful

Florenceem

Had a lovely but busy and tiring time volunteering at our SA corps. Lost count of how many cups of tea and coffee that I made - know that I clocked up nearly 6000 steps running around. We cater for vegetarian and now have a vegan coming for a meal.
Had a socially distanced visit form Dgd + Dgs + Dd  just now.

London_1

Brambling said:

I've not thought of doing the coating before freezing I may try next time i buy some so thank JackieO.  I'm wondering about flattening them out as well so to cook quicker like a schnitzel?

Yes mine are flattened out and are quite big.I used to do these years ago when the children were small as it makes a nice mid week meal.
I also, when making Scotch Eggs would use dried stuffing mix instead of breadcrumbs, when coating them I always dip in flour,beaten egg then the mix, and it sticks perfectly.

I have even tried sage and onion mix on fish as well. I do like to zing things upa bit and I love fish but sometimes it can be a bit bland.I nearly always get the stuffingmix in January when they are selling off in the supermarkets all the fancy stuffings that people haven't bought .
Its a great way to not only save some cash, but brighten up different meals.
Most stuffing mixes come in boxes with sealed bags inside so they last virtually indefinitely,(notin my house though ) 

I am making some cheese scones this morning and I will probably add a few chopped chives to the mix ,I usually gated a little parmesan on top for a bit of a kick as well  

JackieO xx

Gers

No rain - yet!

Daffodils on the windowsill are in full bloom.

Haven't had COVID - yet!

Life is good.

annieb64

I sprinkle a little dried sage and onion stuffing mix over belly pork slices. I bake them for about 30 minutes, add the stuffing mix then put them back for another 15 minutes. 

London_1

DD just rang to say after spending two hours in the dentists chair she is thrilled to bits at the result. He has put a veneer on her teeth as a couple were actually dead and looked awful ,this is the lass that was terrified of the dentist, and as a child I had dreadful problems getting her to go.
She is now 52 and was almost in tears on her way back to work as she says its the nicest her teeth have looked in years

I'm soo proud of her as for years I would literally have to hold her hand when she went, and she always got very stressed about going, and panic attacks were the norm.

One good thing to come from lockdown is she had to do it herself ,plus the newly qualified chap was really good with her, and explained everything as he was going along, and never let her have any pain at all.

She is literally walking on air and I am too as I know how stressed she used to get. She says she can't stop smiling now, she was always very concious of how bad they looked as a couple were discoloured  and also very uneven but he's sorted her out beautifully bless him. :)  

Daft how something as simple as getting her teeth fixed can cheer us both up so much 

JackieO

mehefin

Jackie O
I was so petrified at the dentist ( thanks to an idiot who did nothing ) that I ended up actually biting a perfectly nice guy because i was so scared. Haven't been for many years , not that you can get an NHS one here for love or money.
No doubt at some time I will have to bite the bullet(pun intended lol)

London_1

mehefin, please try to find one who is good for you if you can. I was talking to DD last night and she said her chap is excellent and realises her fears and talks her through what she is having done She has been going to him for the past 6 months for treatment he is a new ly quilified chap and so gentle and understanding and treats her with such kindness she has totally lost her fear of going. I remember when she was about 8 and she had to have a tooth removed as it was broken after an accident and she was so stressed it took four of the surgery to hold her don as she was hysterical.Its was dreadful. She has had five children and its always been me that carted them off to the dentists for their check ups etc and all of the m have grown up without fear of going as I would explain that it was necessary and essential and luckily all of them are brilliant about going .But its down to how  the dentist behaves Back in the 1970s when my children were growing up it was so different to today.and in the 1950s the 'school dentist' was the most terrifying figure in any childs life. My DD is still walking on air and just can't stop smiling.She was at the dentists for two and a half hours as he never rushes her and gives her so much confidence now.When he said would you like to see how I have built up and coated your dead tooth now Tess she said yes and he gave her a mirror and she was so shocked she burst into tears.Bless him he said are you OK its not hurting is it .She said 'No I just can't believe I'm seeing a nice bright smile instead of that awful one I used to have' I swear she's fallen for him She saoys shes not had a smile like that since she was ten before the tooth died on her and turned a horrible grey colour. She even put her photo on Facebook with her grinning widely. So one still very cheerful lady in north Kent  

Well today I'm up with the birds again and already I have 

1. Got a machine load whirring away in the kitchen (forecast is 16-17c today)

2. Book club this morning 

3. Picking up DGS Jack and Mikey and taking them out to lunch, as they are off from school. Mikey taking a break from his A level revision, (mocks the week after Easter) and Jack a break from his teacher training course.

4. The sun is due out today all day, fingers crossed, and everywhere I go there seems to be so much colour on the trees with blossom all over the place.

5. I finished my DGGD's little Easter gifts I knitted some baskets and filled with chocolate mini eggs and found two chocolate bunnies to go in as well and also managed to get two small cereal bowls with baby chicks round the edges so all wrapped up and ready for them. I used left over pink tissue paper to wrap them and the wool was from my stash,  the cost of the cocolate was around £4,00 and none of the cardboard and plastic waste normally for Easter eggs which I find awful, as there is more wrapping than chocolate and just more landfill. Grrr

So although its Monday morning, my washing will be on the line asap and a busy day ahead for me.

keep smiling chums the spring is here at last (well it is in Kent anyway ) 

JackieO xx

 

Florenceem

Smiling here at the sea side - it is sunny and Mr F is 70 years old today. Not bad for someone about whom a Doctor said - he will be lucky to make 50 - well he was 28 stone then.

YorksLass

Happy birthday to Mr F and many more to come.

YorksLass

Today the weather has been kind - breezy but dry, some sunshine and feeling much milder so the heating hasn't been on during the day.

I've been to the PO this morning and have banked all the loose change we've amassed over the last 12 months, a total of just over £93 for the squirrel fund.  I was considerably lighter coming back home!

I enjoyed my walk to the PO and back - lots of Spring flowers to admire and I also passed a house that had a hedge of forsythia rather than privet, a stunning display of bright yellow that couldn't fail to bring cheer.

Looking forward to tonight's dinner of Thai green chicken curry & rice followed by mini cheesecakes.  A relatively cheap meal made from stocks - some chicken thigh meat, spring onions, green pepper, green beans, peas and mushrooms.  I'll have half a can of coconut milk left over but that will make some custard, so no waste.

This month's grocery budget is still looking healthy as I've only spent a quarter of it to date.  I'll be doing another biggish shop next week but should still have a decent surplus left at the end of the month.