From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Blackcats

The Advent/solstice/festivities chat is really making November brighter and more cheery.

i was thinking about the traditional Christmas lunch and I think it's safe to say that none of the kids will return after the school hols raving about how big their turkey was or how gastrocheffy the parsnips were.  I think my 2 actually dreaded Christmas dinner and the requirement to eat "just" 2 sprouts.  One year I found they had stuffed their sprouts into the remnants of the Christmas cracker inners. 🥳. I reckon LG would enjoy a running or stationary booffay 

however, I do wonder whether a cinema trip to see whatever this year's kids Christmas blockbuster film is might be useful to factor into the holiday season.  Kids at school probably will ask if their chums have seen it.  

MrBC and I watch a Christmas film a day in the week before Christmas.  He is always delighted to dust off the Die Hard dvd to sprinkle peace and love into the day.  

ladybird1106

Thank goodness another person who feels the first 2 die hards are Christmas films. OH argues that they are just set at Christmas. I on the other hand obviously disagree  and insist he watches them with me. 

Love 🐞

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha - I'm not a "Die Hard" fan, but do know of the Chrimbobs connection 😁  

Blackcats - oh, I very much doubt kiddos are bothered about xmas lunch, and don't even suppose it gets mentioned on social meeja on the day, never mind in January.  As we're not entertaining, I think we have a bit of a free hand with food.  But the xmas movies idea is a good one - I'm not up with what might be released (that is child-friendly), or what might be shown as a '25th anniversary' or whatever.  Something to look into - thank you.  

Greying X 

Baileys_Babe

We try and do something together as a family every day in advent, this might be Christmas baking, doing a Christmas themed jigsaw while listening to seasonal music - this features frequently as a 1000 piece puzzle takes awhile, going on a walk to admire the decorated houses, putting up the decorations, watching a Christmas film, making wreaths, learn a Christmas song - every year we relearn the 12 days of Christmas 😃 

The music is either from CDs in our collection, an online play list, a program on BBC sounds with a Christmas playlist or we take it in turns choosing tracks from online - my youngest regularly chooses Twisted Sisters, Oh come all ye faithful 🤣

Could LG still make decorations without the competition? You could look online beforehand for inspiration and select those that are suitable, either you already have the required items, suitable alternatives and any purchases are easy to acquire and with in budget.

Cheery_Daff

Do you have an advent candle @Greying_Pilgrim? You know, the ones you burn for a set time a day and there are dates counting down the side? I once read about someone having candlelit breakfasts and it seemed like such a warming, wholesome thing to do, I wonder whether a little candle ritual like that might be nice? 

Ooh, and I remembered something cheerful I did for the first time last year - drew on the kitchen window with a chalk pen 😃😃 It was SO cheerful, and it just wipes off with a cloth. I drew a little street of cheerful houses, then through the month we added snowflakes and all kinds of other festive things 😁

Cheery_Daff

This is part of ours - as you can see sometimes the sun shone through the window and the pictures made most cheerful patterns on the wall 😃😃😃 I'm definitely going to be doing that again 😊

(You can see it doesn't really require much artistry - I looked online for inspiration and made quite shabby versions of what I found, but as a whole it looked great)

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery - thank you.  I think I'm getting a bit twitchy eyed about drawing on what will be (hopefully) brand new window panes 🫤, but the theory is brilliant, and I know that we've seen some wonderful shop/cafe windows decorated with those chalk pens.  Isn't there a shop...... I'm going to say gift & general hardware - where LucyAttuc24 lives that does the most wonderful decorations 🤔  I think it was on one of her blog posts.  We don't have an advent candle - but I know what you mean, I think Jana from FinishKnittingStories made her own last year.  We certainly try to have a candle going for our solstice meal, but you're right it's a simple - and yet cosying thing to do.  There is also ....... St Lucia's day (?) in advent - I'm going to get the date wrong.... 11th? 13th?, but we add a candle to the advent calendar on that day, so there are several opportunities that can feature any type of candle.

As ever, you've got me thinking, and the ideas are all simple, effective and can be low cost 😁  Thanks hun!

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

You could always pick up a couple of cheap picture frames from a charity shop, take the back out, and decorate those, just propping them in the window.  But the pens really do just wipe off with a cloth!

Ooh, and I tell you what we did a few years ago - stained glasses biscuits. Just a normal firm biscuit recipe,  rolled out and a hole cut in the middle,  and boiled sweets crushed and sprinkled in. We put in a small hole for a string when they were still hot. Works best just one colour of boiled sweet is used. 

Cheery_Daff

Like this (although I can assure you mine didn't look anything like this 😂😂)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/stained_glass_window_09846

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening MFW'rs

A fantastic day  today.

A gazinty-billion ideas gathered for Advent, thanks to lovely folks on here 🥰

The workwear washing came in very dry (not bone dry, but nearly there), and the load of LG's school and other clothes came in pretty dry too - all the more pleasing as several items are heavier weight fabrics.  Everything is on the airer now.

Lunch was a made up tomato, vegetable and rice soup.  The tomato was actually just the last bit of tomato ketchup washed out of the bottle.  3 bowls filled, and clean plates all round.

Tea was lentil dhal, rice and an omlette.  There is a pot of rice left and one and half pots of dhal.  The omlettes used up all the eggs from the shop prior to going on hols.  There are still eggs available from this week's shop - for baking or meals.  Pud will be yoghurt and banana.  I think i forgot to add that pud last night was an ice cream cone.  It used up the 3 last cones - which I'm pleased about as, I didn't want them to go soft before using them up.  I probably won't buy anymore now until next summer, but it's been fun having them and having HM ice-cream cones.

I haven't spent any money today, and we've eaten from what we've had, so all good.  

Thanks everso for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X