From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Cheery_Daff

Sorry to hear about the school trouble greying, but I'm glad both you and LG felt listened to, and that other people know they are more likely to behave well. A testament to your excellent parenting. Fingers crossed things are resolved soon. 

And how lovely that LG came up with their own advent adventure to see the lights 🥰🥰 and saved their advent chocolate, that is very impressive indeed! 😊😊 Hope today has cheerful things in store for you 😊

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Thanks Cheery love.  I didn't feel a good parent this morning when I was battling with LG to get homework done 🙄  The lights trail went ok, and it sounds quite festive and jolly.  Need to go myself now!

Right, no washing out, as the beebeecee has given a yukky forecast for us ☹️ Whilst nothing would dry if they're right, I also hope that they're wrong - but shall be miffed, as I can't put a wash on anyway.  I'm walking around to a chum's in a mo for a coffee and a catch up.  I'm taking cakes and nibbles, and I'm looking forward to conversation with an adult! 🤣

I'm thinking it may well be wraps for tea.  I've got everything to hand, including the YS'd lettuce from last week, to use.  Although I ought to be coming up with a dish that pairs well with Gin after the parenting week I've had..... 🤣  Pity we ain't got none in the house 😉

A quiet day on the money front.  But I need to factor in when I'm going to make bread over the weekend - just in case it doesn't go to plan, as it'll be needed for next week.  

I don't think I mentioned that the book I'd ordered (secondhand) thru the biggie rainforest river company arrived yesterday.  Although it wasn't packaged robustly, it was at least in a (bigger than the book), brown paper 'wrap' which seemed more protective than the silly plastic slips that some booksellers use.  It was advertised as in 'very good condition', and I have to say it was - there was only one bend on the outside cover, which actually wasn't visible on the front, and you could only see it when the book opened.  After all, it is a book that LG will devour - and then read again, and again, and again - if the other books in the series are anything to go by.  So all in all, I am glad with my 'less than half the price of a new book, delivered right to my door' purchase.  It was immediately wrapped up and stored away 😉  I am now just waiting on the button batteries to see if I can coax LG's Christmas Jumper back into life.  

Better set off, Shank's pony may need a bit of encouragement this morning!

Greying X

beanielou

Passes raspberry gin. 

themadvix

Or would you prefer rhubarb? 😉 The fact you are feeling the effects of the week reinforces that you are a good parent! And I love that LG saved the choccies for their trip out in the evening - that is some serious self-control!

Excellent news about the book - secondhand online is always a bit of a risk as standards vary! 

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

Passes raspberry gin. 

You're a pal! 😁

themadvix said:

Or would you prefer rhubarb? 😉 The fact you are feeling the effects of the week reinforces that you are a good parent! And I love that LG saved the choccies for their trip out in the evening - that is some serious self-control!

Excellent news about the book - secondhand online is always a bit of a risk as standards vary! 

Well - for preference, it would be raspberry, but heck, it's Christmas, so one for each hand maybe???? Too much??? 🤣🤣🤣

I don't feel a good parent.  I feel an out of my depth parent. 

Definitely a lot of self-control going on - it helped that the choccies were put in dad's car and were, therefore, untouchable until later on in the evening, but I'm not sure I would have exercised such self-control at the same age..... 🤔🤣

The button batteries were on the mat when I stepped in from my morning coffee & catch up.  The good news is...... IT WORKED!  The batteries in the little bubble pack were flat!  Unfortunately I had to cut the bubble pack open, to get the little circuit out, but when I changed the batteries over, it now works - playing the most annoying-est, tin-iest, version of 'Rudolph the red nosed reindeer' you ever did hear!  With accompanying lights!  🤣 

So, for £5 for a jumper, £1.50 for batteries (although that bought 10, I have used 3), and £1.75 postage, the jumper will be 'as new' again.  Well -  I say as new, it still had the labels in, and hadn't been worn, but it clearly was 'several seasons' old, and the batteries must have gone flat.  I'm going to try and wash the jumper and stitch it all back together again without LG noticing, so that it's a (nice) surprise on the day.  

Right, despite the enticement of a gin in each hand, I'd better get organised to do the school run.  

Ta for popping by and plying me with choices 😘

Greying X

Watty1

A large fruit gin has to be the best way to start the day Greying -  may your day just get better and better x

Greying_Pilgrim

Watty1 said:

A large fruit gin has to be the best way to start the day Greying -  may your day just get better and better x

oooof, starting the day with a large gin is a bit tooooooo much for me Watty 🤣  I never could hold my liquor that well, but as a woman of - past a - certain age, I really can't do it anymore 🤣.   I did make a hot chocolate after school pick up yesterday (gosh it was dreich), and I did put a spot of c0intreau in - not much, but I can see why it's lethal.  I had a lovely chocolate orange flavoured drink, but you couldn't tell that there was alcohol in it, which makes it 😬  Mind, it's a good thing that the flavour was there without needing half a pint needed to be added!  And I did only have one cup of chocolate.

Still dreich with us, and the slight storm we had overnight has slightly wrecked a fence panel.  They were on their last legs anyway, and cutting down a huge leylandii exposed how fragile they were.  But we also found that they were odd blessed sizes - we can't just slot new panels in, without shaving bits off, or adding shims on 🙄 It was this weekend last year that Storm Darragh hit, so it shouldn't be a surprise they've finally started to buckle.  DH is venturing out to see what he can do.

Meanwhile, I'm pondering how to do the (vital) washing/drying.  We've rain forecast until Wednesday 😭

I can't think that i will need to spend any money today.  Most of the Christmas presents have been bought.  I still need a few more bits for stockings.  I need to give that some thought.  

Lunch will most likely be soup.  Tea will probably be pizza and wedges.  I am giving some thought to how to make the dough for bread rolls.  fear of failure is making me dither.  How stoopid am I.  It's a long time since I've made bread/rolls, but unless I really mess up, the result will be edible, and if it's not, there's always shop-bought!

Right, I best shift-a-tail-feather.

Greying X

teapot2

Sending a 'good rise' and yeasty vibes for your bread rolls GP, you can do it x

northwalesd

I feel your pain over fencing GP, for the past 'umpty' years it gets to autumn and I think, "We'll get just one more winter out of this fence", and then come spring inertia means I do nothing. Thankfully it is all currently still standing (some of it held together by ivy from the trees in the woods behind the garden). I think I really will have to sort it next spring though. Hopefully, we should (mostly) get away with regular sized panels.

Greying_Pilgrim

I know - we've been in full knowledge the fencing needs replacing for 2 years - have we done anything about it???  Well, that's not strictly true, we did measure up in May, which is how we know that the blessed panels are odd sizes.  I don't know who put the posts in, but they either didn't invest in post-crete, or there was a storm the night they'd put the fence up and the posts wiggled.  Anyhoo, DH has worked his socks off in exceptionally muddy conditions, and has affected a repair.  In fact, other than  when it was held up by a tree branch, this is probably the most robust the panel has been in 2 years!  

Soup was for lunch.  I'm grandly going to title it 'Spiced Winter Vegetable soup', but you know that it was all the veg I had that needed using, plus some spices 🤣  The base was onion, garlic and celery, then there were varying amounts of; parsnip, carrot, potato, and swede.  I boiled all that lot up in the PrC, with a stock cube, water, mixed spice, ground allspice, turmeric and cinnamon and a bay leaf.  And when it had cooked for 10 minutes, I removed the bay leaves, and blitzed it with the blender.  I then added salt, pepper, parsley and a grating of nutmeg, and because it was a bit of a funny colour (very brown windsor), I popped a bit of butter in it, in lieu of yoghurt, as I only have fat free yoghurt this week (oos full fat), and i didn't want it to split in the hot soup.  It was just enough for 3 bowls, and all were eaten clean.  DH and LG liked it, but I warned them it couldn't be repeated as it was 'a bit of this, and a bit of that'.  But I'm glad I veered away from just curry spices, and rootled in the 'baking' spice section instead.  

I forgot to say that the MrM deep filled mincepies (from their the best range), I took to my chum's yesterday were really nice.  I don't like mincemeat that is too acidic - this was really nice.  I got them, because they had a lovely snowflake pattern on the top, and were on offer - priced at £1.50, the same as the 'in store' bakery ones we like.  Interestingly, MrM are still showing them on offer, but at £2 a box now.  Naturally, I wish I had bought 2 boxes now - one for my friend and one for us, but had I done that, they would have been yukky, wouldn't they..... Never mind, I got to taste one, they do look nice, plus we have mince pies for us in the freezer, so we're not going to miss out!  

Greying X