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Squiggly_Diddly wrote: »

Definitely baking for me - I find it a very therapeutic/relaxing way of an "escape" from a busy/stressful life at the moment, and it's a cheap & easy way of filling up the swarm of locusts masquerading as my children.... And they love it. They also enjoy baking themselves (but not clearing up....).

I can't wait for my summer holidays as I'll have much more time to potter & be domestic goddess-y.

I don't have high ceilings, but I want one of those pulley things - just need to find someone to put it up for me!

I recall that it took quite a while to get the airer straight when OH put it up. He's a perfectionist and DD's where having to give the 'up a bit, down a bit' instructions from ground level.

moo2moo

I love the huge hugs I get when I collect the demonic daughters from school and the cuddles and kisses that I get when I drop them off. I also love watching as the pair of them balance precariously on the plastic garden chairs so that they can reach to hang out the washing almost as much as the argument about who gets to put the pegs on things. That and the "Ooops Shhhh (giggles)" as something invariably lands on the ground.

I love the squeal of delight as they find warm eggs in the hen house, the novelty of this still hasn't worn off after 5 years. Then I get demoted to assistant chef as they cook their own Humpty Dumpty Eggs and dippy soldiers for lunch, if I've been a good mummy they cook me one too. I wash up whilst they dry and we talk about our plans for the day. They both love to help out so cooking dinner usually ends up as a family activity. Also guarantees they get pudding. Littlest likes to make jelly, eldest loves to go blackberry picking to make crumble and jam, but mostly just to eat blackberries.

I love sitting round the table as a family discussing our days. After dinner is torture time as the Demonic Daughters clear the table and choose a game and we get to play in teams. Very challenging especially playing "Guess Who" as the youngest without fail describes the card she has whilst trying to work out who you have. You know within 3 of her questions who she has.

Best of all though is bedtime. They each get cuddle time and a chapter of a book read to them. Youngest is currently reading "My Brothers Famous Bottom" and the eldest is enjoying "Charlottes Web" all from the library which they love to visit on wet days.

As an extra special treat they like to stay up really really late (all of 6:30 on a school night) and go to the park after dinner on their bikes.

Cornishpixie_2

I used to get great satisfaction coming in from the cold, to a real coal fire till one day when about 11, mother said Ithink you can learn now how to kennel the fire.:eek: . I guess in general being entertained by the kids. They can be hilarious:rotfl: and having enough food in the house to make meals from scratch(when time), and always on constant mission to keep house tidy. Kids off on school hols till 8th April:eek:. Even hubby has noticed how untidy the little darlings are. Love de cluttering keep telling kids less toys means more room to play. (worth a try):rotfl:

kippers

Yes, things that make me happy are...

my washing blowing on the washing line...
cooking from scratch...
using everything in my freezer...
making home made bread
making homemade cakes and biscuits..
the kids telling their friends that their mum is a great cook...
the cuddles my DD's give me...
reading an old Enid Blyton story to my DD's..
cleaning without chemicals..
having a family dinner around a table most nights...
seeing my homemade quilt covers on my DD's beds...
having a husband who says i'm wonderful...
playing o/s games with my DD's eg making 'peg dolls'...
seeing things growing in my allotment...
seeing my DD's get dirty playing in the mud at my allotment...
the seeds growing on my window sill and in my coldframe outside...
a sunny day...
the excitement of xmas...
having my finances under control...
my DD1 playing the piano...
my DD's laughing....
people telling me my DD's are good girls...
watching the birds feeding from my bird feeders....
a bath then into bed with clean sheets...
a clean house


(My DH says i should have been a housewife in the 1950's)

thriftlady_2

Baking bread every week -makes me feel really proud.

Making jams and jellies -just love a row of gleaming pots on my shelf.

I love line dried washing too, just hung some out in fact. I've never had a drier or a dishwasher either.

When shopping I also get enormous satisfaction in filling my basket with simple ingredients rather than overpackaged, overpriced, overprocessed rubbish.

taplady

This is a lovely dea for a thread! small things really do make us happy!

washing on the line
a clean tidy house
teenage son asking for more of your homecooked food!
my mum proudly telling people that her daughter cooks all her own food!
watching our veggies grow in the garden then eating them!
living within a budget
people telling me how lovely my 2 boys are!

moo2moo - your evenings sound lovely!your children will always remember these times.:T

Dobie

Cooking good wholesome food from scratch for me too. In particular baking all our bread.

I also get enormous satisfaction from sewing. I made a patchwork wallhanging & matching cushions for our bedroom when we decorated last year. This year, so far, I've made blinds for the bathroom & landing windows, recovered the dining chair seats & made linen napkins to match. (How posh am I?)

I was chatting at work recently about what I'd been up to at the weekend & one of the girls said 'you're a proper mummy. If I didn't love my mum so much I'd want you as my mum'. It was one of the best compliments I've ever had.

I work full time so don't have as much time as I'd like to do other things like grow veg, keep chooks, shop around for the best grocery prices or keep the house as clean & tidy as I aspire to but those are things on the list for when I retire. In 6 years & 3 months - not that I'm counting.:D

Shelley84

OS things that make me smile are -

Washing on the line (can't beat the smell!)

Having a freezer full of meat and meals!

Making the most of Food - I got 3 portions of roast dinner and 4 huge portions of soup from 1 small chicken!

When we have got rid of all the bushes and the pond in the garden I'm having my own Veg patch! I'm sooo excited! Will save lots of money.

Spending less than budgeted (not often though!!)

My DS when he's behaving!! (not OS but makes me smile still!!)

Topher

• finishing knitting a dishcloth in front of the real 1920s fire, cat sprawled by the fire, dog resting on my feet.
• Radio 4 6:30 p.m. programmes.
• Smelling the line dried washing when I bring it in.
• Looking round the kitchen at the end of baking & seeing the bread rolls, flapjack, cookies, cake, all cooling on racks.
• Fresh ground coffee
• Hosting my visiting family & friends with leaf tea in the Brown Betty pot, with hand knitted cosy, and serving H.M. scones.
• scooping up a bargain trolleyful after choosing the right time to supermarket shop.
• Home made soups, and seeing O.H.'s expression as he savours them with H.M. rolls.
• Bringing in any home grown fruit or veg.
• Freezer batches completed, dated & ready to go.
• bunches of flowers in ye olde vases, (usually a gift, or radiating a satisfying glow of a bargain well found)
• Chats with friends, and my sister.

Isn't it funny that despite a hard earned career in teaching, and sorrow at losing my Mother role when the kids left home, its still the domestic stuff that "does it" for me.

Mrs._Irwin

Last night I was detailing what I'd been up to my Mum, and realised how good it made me feel. Yesterday, I made two lots of soup - Leek and Potato and Parsnip and Parmesan, large batch of coleslaw, loaf in the breadmaker and was just cooking up some tuna pasta bake. The night before I'd made pizza for the first time :j
Then I washed the pots using one of my hand-knitted dischcloths, sooooo satisfying! And then worked on the knitted pram blanket I am making for Bean (due next month). My books arrived from Amazon, on breastfeeding - very OS! And today I've had my veg box delivered, so I'm going to do meal-planning.
This weekend I turned down a tumble-drier and accepted books on money-making.

It's such a great buzz!

Mrs. Irwin
xx