From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

greenbee

I felt the temperature drop very suddenly here around 3.30pm while I was painting the shed. I probably should have stopped then and brought the washing in, but decided to finish the can of paint. Washing was cold and possibly slightly less dry than it had been previously when the sun was out. But smells lovely and fresh. 

rtandon27

In our neck of the woods it miraculously did not rain!  It was however slightly overcast and not warm enough to dry outdoors! 

I managed to get two loads completely dry with the help of the dehumidifier, one was from last night and the other had been out in the summer-house since last weekend and was STILL slightly damp!

So all the dry things are now away where they belong and another load ready to go into the machine once dinner has finished cooking!  Somehow I can't bring myself to cook and wash at the same time in our little kitchen!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Oh RT I was very lucky, I got the stuff in just after 3pm, and whilst it was not bone dry - and where the eg sleeves had hung and not been picked up by a breeze (because the breeze stopped before lunch), they were still damp.  I put the clothes on the airer, and set up the de-humidifier for 45 minutes or so, and the clothes are touch dry now.  Thankfully I didn't have a whole line full, and there is nothing that is 'needed' for tomorrow. I must admit, because the breeze dropped, the stuff did far better than I had anticipated.  

Well, we had a different tea than I'd pencilled in, but the free apples went all 'floofy' and made a delicious crumble.  LG put the topping on the crumble, and so felt that they had 'made' pud 😉  As they sourced the key component, I guess they did 😁

The footy was OK.  Not convincing, but certainly better than Friday night's woeful effort.  

There is an issue with the washing machine 🙁 I wondered why there was water all over the garage floor.  DH had been using the outdoor tap, and thought I mean just 'seepage', but this was pooled water 🙁 He tracked it back to the tap by the washing machine, so we're not sure if there is a blockage or a leak.  Anyway, he's done 'something' to it, and will monitor for the next couple of days.  There's always something isn't there?  The plumber hasn't replied to my enquiry about boiler servicing, so I will try someone else tomorrow.

Today I am grateful for finishing DH's hat, for 'floofy' free apples and 'just about good enough' footy match performances.  

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

redofromstart

I do like a floofed apple. Baked apples with a dried fruit core are my favourite way to use them usually. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Funny auld start with us here today.  I woke up, no idea what time it was, but knew it was 'too early' as it was still dark.  Thought I could hear it raining (it was), which made sense, as the bedroom was 'warmer' than when I went to bed, so the weather change would have contributed to that.  Anyway, turned over to try to get back to sleep, and then realised the room had suddenly got much lighter.  I assumed a car was going past, but no, the lights didn't move/fade.  So checked what time it was 5.14am, and looked out of the window, and the blessed streetlights had come on....  Our council is constantly moaning that they have no money, and switch every street lamp off, overnight, that they can (but illuminate barely used footpaths 🤔), and yet they have changed the time of the lights in our street......  bizarre.

I'm going to make the 'fake chicken paprika' dish that I'd intended to make for tea yesterday, tonight instead.  If I get my act together it is something that can be put in the slow cooker and be ready from when we get home from activity.  We didn't end up using the 1 portion of breadcrumbed fish last night.  Instead we all had fish fingers - they are the MrS cod ones, which seem to be good VFM.  

I texted a second plumber this morning ref boiler servicing.  We'll see if anything comes of that.

I'm not going to do any washing today - DH left me with strict instructions to watch the machine like a hawk if I do a wash 🙄 But it's too dreich, with very little breeze forecast today, so I'll skip it anyway.  

Yesterday's washing was dry enough to fold away, so having got up to date with 'uniforms', everyone got stuff out of the drawer this morning and here.we.go.again. 🤣

Right, I am aware that I'm procrastinating instead of getting on, so best vamoose.  Ta for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Well despite the weather forecast being cloudy but breezy with us, we're currently under a mizzle cloud that has little signs of booogering orf!  I'll give you three guesses who optimistically put a wash on this morning.... which may or may not contain items of clothing that will be needed for tomorrow 🙄

Second plumber returned my text but can't do the boiler service as they have been on LT sick (which is why they couldn't install the boiler in the first place), and their safety registration has lapsed so they've got to go through re-assessment.  It's a shame, but 10/10 for communication and at least letting me know they couldn't do it.  Still no contact from first plumber, so have to assume they are too busy....to text "too busy"..........I don't even require punctuation............

Arrghhhh, was so proud of myself for remembering the name of a local plumber - just looked them up to message them and found their FB page, which explains they are currently off work sick and struggling to meet their emergency appts, could (existing) customers please bear with...... 

I will not use the installation plumbers, I will not.......

DH had his tooth extracted yesterday, so that was a positive.  It's not hurting too much, and he's sort of (carefully) back to eating and drinking.  Plus it wasn't as much as I thought it would be so that is helpful.  

Tea last night was OK.  I would make the recipe again, although I changed things to suit what I had, so perhaps 'ingredients idea' is a better description.  I think the original recipe/idea was a riff on.......... well, what dishes use redcurrant jelly?  Is it just gravy, or do you "always" serve redcurrant jelly with..... beef? pork?  Chicken?  Anyhoo, this American recipe used cranberry sauce (I did think about using redcurrant jelly, until I saw it was double the price of cranberry sauce.....), with jarred tomato sauce (I used my own HM bell pepper and tomato sauce), and onion soup mix, plus meatballs - into the slow cooker for 3-4hrs.  So I decided to make my own sauce, and then fry up some diced onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic.  Put that in the SC, along with tomato sauce, a tin of chopped tomatoes, some cranberry sauce and a packet of qu0rn pieces and cook on low for 3.5hrs.  I added dried parsley, basil, paprika and pepper and served with boiled basmati and steamed broccoli.  It got the thumbs up from LG (although because it was a rush after activity, everything was boiling hot to eat 🙁 and it was getting late 🙁), and I liked it enough to make it again.  DH has yet to try it, but I can't see anything in it that he wouldn't like.  I certainly would make it again with veggie/vegan balls in it as another option.  

Right, if anyone needs me, I shall be wrestling with wet washing (it's raining even harder now 🙄) and the yello pages........................(let your fingers, do the walking.........🤣)

Greying X

EssexHebridean

We've got grey and murky here today too Greying, so I feel your pain! 

Ingredient idea sounded tasty though - I like redcurrant jelly in a casserole or as you say, gravy - it's delicious in onion gravy! It's not something we regularly have in now though as MIL used to make it, but now has less garden and so fewer redcurrants, and our own redcurrant bush is a few years off that quantity of fruiting, I'd guess!  It's a classic accompaniment to lamb though. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh EH - it's true autumnal weather I guess, but sooo irritating.  At the moment, we have a good stiff breeze, which, even without sun, would be enough to get the clothes 'pretty dryish' in a few hours - and I'd be bringing them in before the school run to pop in front of the de-humidifier, but as it is, there is wave after wave of mizzle, ranging from barely there to full blown I can't see the pylon lines in yonder field 🙁I've got some of the lighter stuff in front of the de-humidifier on the basic setting, which is supposed to be around 8p an hour, but I think I'm going to have to give in and go to the launderette.  There is too much to dry on the airers and the beebeecee have changed their mind about the rest of the days weather and tomorrows too 🙄

I thought the cranberry (and I'm sure redcurrant would be similar), lent a nice fruityness to the slowcooker dish.  I didn't go overboard - I think the american recipe used a whole can/jar of cranberry sauce, but I was mindful I was catering for LG and didn't want to 'spoil' the dish.  But I think it could have handled more of the fruity element.  Definitely worth doing for not alot of £.

All the talk on Watty's thread about Ros3 Ell10t has made me think about soup for tea.  I wonder whether I should do Rose's version of Fasolada (blitzed smooth maybe), or Lnds3y Bareham's Butter bean & thyme maybe 🤔  Will have a rustle thru the cupboards to check on what beans I do actually have.  

I forgot to say i did get around to booking  a room in Sir Lenny's gaff for HT.  It's only an overnight stop and I've picked the cheapest night of the week, but it'll be an adventure.  I know DH wants to do some DIY as well 🙁so I've got to find a balance.  We may well seek out that museum though.  I had come up with another option, but that would definitely require an overnight stop in a tourist hotspot.  I'd been able to find a reasonably priced room in a budget motel chain, but I'm beginning to think we'd be better off keeping to the original plan and going on a day trip to the other museum.  Am I daft to be a little bit concerned as to what is coming up in the fiscal planning at the end of the month?  I do sometimes wish I was a bit more 'live for the day' and to heck with the morrow....

Right, best crack on and do a bit more.

Greying X

themadvix

Ah, but live for today and to heck with tomorrow always comes back to bite you GP - you are doing the right thing. There's so much speculation about the Budget that as usual I'm ignoring it until the actual facts are to hand.

We've enjoyed this recipe over the summer and could definitely taste the mango chutney in it (hm with Olio'd mango as it happens) - clearly there's something to adding a bit of jam/jelly/chutney to sauces.

Greying_Pilgrim

tmv - I know you're right really, it's just sometimes......... 

That recipe looks interesting - thank you for posting 😁

Well, I have thrown my hands up in despair, thrown my toys out the cot and admitted defeat.  I have brought the washing in.  It was at least as wet as when it got pegged out 🙄I am officially Niggly Nelli, Grumpy Gertrude and don't even ask after Florence Ophelia..........   However, I have pulled me voluminous knickers up and put the dehu onto laundry mode - I did the 'light stuff' for 1hr, and I've now moved that to the other airer, and put the dehu on again, for another 1hr on laundry mode and I'll see where we're at.  I can have it on like that as the house is empty, and I'm not disturbing anyone, nor is the machine in danger of getting knocked over.  I wouldn't normally have washing this wet in the house, so I'm hopeful that it will dry somewhat PLUS the dehu won't let the overall humidity of the room get stoopid.  I weighed up going to the launderette.  I figured I would need to spend a minimum of £2 to get the load somewhat drier - I think that yields 12 minutes.  There would be a cost of fuel to get to the launderette - although that wouldn't be a massive cost.  So I decided to go with the dehu, and whanged £5 over into the leccy account, and fingers crossed that will get me dry washing and no unexpected humungous bills.  Depending on where we are at when the second hour of laundry mode finishes, I may switch it to 'normal' mode which as I have possibly mentioned already, is supposed to cost roughly 8p an hour.

As it happens the forecast is worsening for tomorrow, so even I concede that it's 'first world problems' to be dealing with mizzle instead of the forecast 'overcast-ness'.

I'm going with veggie fasolada for tea, which will use the 2 cans of cannellini beans I have.  I think I will partially blitz it, with the option to fully blitz if DH is struggling.  

Greying X