Friday, 14 March 2014
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Cupcakes for Charity
Hello there to Lindjemp. Welcome to my little corner of blogland.
Well, what a change in the weather. From going out without a coat on Sunday to wearing my winter coat and gloves and wishing I'd taken my scarf with me today. It was really chilly when I went into town to my Slimming World meeting. Gaining 1 1/2 lbs didn't help me feel any warmer.
Something that did warm my heart, if not my body, was that my cupcakes sold at £1 each at the college fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer raising £20 towards the predicted total of around £1000. (BOAST ALERT!) DH said they were really popular and a lady from the catering department joked that I could go in and teach a cake making lesson any time I liked. At least, I think she was joking. I wouldn't take her up on it if she wasn't; standing in front of a class full of people would be my worst nightmare. I'm really pleased, though, that I've managed to help the charity, and it's spurred me on to finally register for this year's Race for Life in Folkestone on 15th June (which happens to be DD1's 30th birthday and Father's Day). I doubt I'll be running it, but I can walk pretty fast when I want to. I'll be doing it in memory of my mum who died in 2005 after suffering for 2 years with mouth cancer. Since she never smoked in her life it's a mystery why she got that strain of cancer.
Another thing that's made me happy is that DS2's scrapbook is very, very nearly finished at last. I started work on it at 6.30 this morning, only taking a break to do 2 loads of laundry, until I had to leave for my slimming class at 9. Then I started up again at about 1 pm and did another couple of hours. All the photos are now stuck in and most of the lettering is done. I just have to add a few embellishments to a couple of pages and then it's complete. I'm extremely relieved because I had doubts I'd get it done in time, but now I can relax and have a change of craft and do some knitting or sewing instead.
Mind you, I do have a 21st birthday card, a Mother's Day card and an Anniversary card to make by the end of the month. But first I think I'll get my neglected sewing machine out and make myself a couple of new tote bags since the nylon ones I've had for years and years (so long I've forgotten where I got them from) are finally starting to wear out. It's ages since I made anything for myself so I'll have fun going through my fabic stash and deciding what to use. I've also got about 6 cushion pads upstairs so I might have a cushion making marathon.I also received my copy of Mollie Makes today and my Woman Alive magazine yesterday so tomorrow I'm intending to take time to read them both.
With so much time spent on the scrapbook, and my back aching from bending over the dining table cutting and glueing for so long, dinner tonight was a hasty affair of chickpea burgers from the freezer and savoury rice with extra veg and a little diced chorizo added. it was actually quite delicious.
Right, I think that's about all from me for now. I'm going to indulge in my vice of watching rubbish TV in a moment when the latest episode of Honey Boo Boo is on. I hope all is well with you and yours tonight. Hugs, Helen x
Well, what a change in the weather. From going out without a coat on Sunday to wearing my winter coat and gloves and wishing I'd taken my scarf with me today. It was really chilly when I went into town to my Slimming World meeting. Gaining 1 1/2 lbs didn't help me feel any warmer.
Something that did warm my heart, if not my body, was that my cupcakes sold at £1 each at the college fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer raising £20 towards the predicted total of around £1000. (BOAST ALERT!) DH said they were really popular and a lady from the catering department joked that I could go in and teach a cake making lesson any time I liked. At least, I think she was joking. I wouldn't take her up on it if she wasn't; standing in front of a class full of people would be my worst nightmare. I'm really pleased, though, that I've managed to help the charity, and it's spurred me on to finally register for this year's Race for Life in Folkestone on 15th June (which happens to be DD1's 30th birthday and Father's Day). I doubt I'll be running it, but I can walk pretty fast when I want to. I'll be doing it in memory of my mum who died in 2005 after suffering for 2 years with mouth cancer. Since she never smoked in her life it's a mystery why she got that strain of cancer.
Another thing that's made me happy is that DS2's scrapbook is very, very nearly finished at last. I started work on it at 6.30 this morning, only taking a break to do 2 loads of laundry, until I had to leave for my slimming class at 9. Then I started up again at about 1 pm and did another couple of hours. All the photos are now stuck in and most of the lettering is done. I just have to add a few embellishments to a couple of pages and then it's complete. I'm extremely relieved because I had doubts I'd get it done in time, but now I can relax and have a change of craft and do some knitting or sewing instead.
Mind you, I do have a 21st birthday card, a Mother's Day card and an Anniversary card to make by the end of the month. But first I think I'll get my neglected sewing machine out and make myself a couple of new tote bags since the nylon ones I've had for years and years (so long I've forgotten where I got them from) are finally starting to wear out. It's ages since I made anything for myself so I'll have fun going through my fabic stash and deciding what to use. I've also got about 6 cushion pads upstairs so I might have a cushion making marathon.I also received my copy of Mollie Makes today and my Woman Alive magazine yesterday so tomorrow I'm intending to take time to read them both.
With so much time spent on the scrapbook, and my back aching from bending over the dining table cutting and glueing for so long, dinner tonight was a hasty affair of chickpea burgers from the freezer and savoury rice with extra veg and a little diced chorizo added. it was actually quite delicious.
Right, I think that's about all from me for now. I'm going to indulge in my vice of watching rubbish TV in a moment when the latest episode of Honey Boo Boo is on. I hope all is well with you and yours tonight. Hugs, Helen x
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Family Reunion
Lovely weather today. I went out this morning wearing my thin nylon jacket and even had to take that off and walk around in t-shirt and cardigan it was so warm.
I've had an extremely busy but thoroughly enjoyable day.
All the kids (except DD1) plus two boyfriends were here for dinner, and I had a visit to a wedding fayre at a hotel on the seafront with DD2 this morning.
I was up at 6.30am baking cakes and preparing a meatloaf and a mushroom roast. Apart from having vegetarian DD2 to cater for, DD3 has decided to give up dairy for lent so that added to the cake making challenge. It wasn't really a problem, I simply substituted Vitalite dairy free marg for the butter and chose recipes that didn't need any milk since I'd forgotten to buy soya milk. I made an Apple Crumble Cake from a recipe I found on the internet, and Mary Berry's Victoria Sandwich Cake.
Both were delicious even with using marg instead of butter. I made custard to go with the apple cake, and there was also squirty cream and ice cream if anyone wanted it. DD3 had thought she wouldn't be able to have cake so was really pleased I'd made them with the dairy-free marg.
Apple Crumble Cake
Cake Base
100g butter or marg
100g soft brown sugar
150g plain flour
50g cornflour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond essence (or vanilla)
6 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used canned apple as I had a catering-sized tin in stock)
Crumble Topping
150g plain flour
125 g butter or marg
125g demerara sugar
tsp ground cinnamon
Method
For the cake - beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.Mix in the flours and baking powder, and then the eggs and essence. Spread the mixture in 23-25cm springform cake tin and spread the apple over it.
Crumble - rub the butter into the flour, cinnamon and sugar until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the apple and cake in the tin.
Bake at 180C/Gas4/ Fan 160C for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin and then carefully remove the tin from around the cake so that the crumble does not get disturbed. Serve with custard, cream or icecream.
The meatloaf was yummy too. I got a lovely heavy, extra big loaf tin from TK Max yesterday for £3.99 reduced from £11.99. Just what I needed to make a meatloaf big enough to feed 7 of us meat eaters including 5 men.
I used a very simple recipe mixing together 800g lean minced beef, 400g minced pork, a large packet of red onion and sage stuffing mix, beef stock, and 2 beaten eggs. I lined the tin with raw bacon rashers, piled the meat mix in and baked it for about an hour before turning it out onto a plate then returning it to the tin with the bacon side up and cooking for another 15-30 minutes.
The mushroom roast was just a medium onion and 6oz mushrooms blitzed in the food processor, a packet of stuffing mix made up and added to the mushroom/onion mix with 2 beaten eggs. Press the mixture into a well-greased loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes. You can top with grated cheese and bake for another 15 minutes until golden but I left that off so DD3 could also have some. We had mixed roasted vegetables, mixed boiled veg, yorkshire puddings and gravy with it. Sorry for lack of pictures, I was so busy preparing it all and just managed to snap this picture before it was eaten. The meatloaf is to the right and a small portion of mushroom roast to the left of the plate.
There was tons of food and very little leftovers, so it must have been a success.
It was lovely to have everyone here but also nice to get back to a bit of peace and quiet once most of them left. DS2 is staying overnight and will go back to Canterbury tomorrow with his dad when DH goes into work.
The wedding fayre was very small with only about a dozen stalls, but it was great for getting some ideas. Really, DD and I are of the same mind, she wants to spend as little as possible, make as much as she can herself (or ask me or her fiance's mum to help), but have an enjoyable day. We came back home and spent an hour or so on the internet trying to find materials and ideas similar to some that we'd seen that we could make without too much difficulty. We're almost agreed on the invites and we plan to spend time together crafting which will be lovely. Her fiance's mum has recently retired and taken up cake decorating as a hobby so she will probably make and decorate the cake, and I'll make cupcakes that she'll decorate since fancy stuff really isn't my forte.
It's early days yet so nothing is set in stone; they don't even have a venue and are still debating whether to have the ceremony in Las Vegas and just have a party over here afterwards. It is exciting but I have a feeling I'll soon be all weddinged out. DH and I had a very simple registry office do with just his parents (he's an only child) and my parents, grandmother and sisters and our 6 week old baby girl (DD1). We went back to my mum and dad's council house for a buffet meal afterwards. I never wanted a big do that cost the earth and if I had it to do over again I'd probably try for something even cheaper. Since we've been married 30 years in July I don't think we suffered for not having a big wedding celebration.
Apart from today's activities, I've spent my week shopping but spending very little (Folkestone on Weds, Westwood Cross Shopping Centre at Margate yesterday), volunteering on Thursday and working for hours and hours on DS2's scrapbook. Honestly, I was either sticking stuff into the scrapbook or copying and printing photos for 5 hours on Friday. I think (I'm hoping) that it will be completed in time for his birthday in exactly 2 weeks today. I don't recall the other scrapbooks taking so long but then I think I was more enthusiastic about doing them. Thank goodness I didn't have any more kids.
Tomorrow will find me baking my cupcakes yet again for DH to take to college on Tuesday for a Macmillan Cancer fundraiser. And more work done on that scrapbook...I hope.
Here's hoping you all had a lovely day and the sun shone on you. Hugs, Helen x
I've had an extremely busy but thoroughly enjoyable day.
All the kids (except DD1) plus two boyfriends were here for dinner, and I had a visit to a wedding fayre at a hotel on the seafront with DD2 this morning.
I was up at 6.30am baking cakes and preparing a meatloaf and a mushroom roast. Apart from having vegetarian DD2 to cater for, DD3 has decided to give up dairy for lent so that added to the cake making challenge. It wasn't really a problem, I simply substituted Vitalite dairy free marg for the butter and chose recipes that didn't need any milk since I'd forgotten to buy soya milk. I made an Apple Crumble Cake from a recipe I found on the internet, and Mary Berry's Victoria Sandwich Cake.
Both were delicious even with using marg instead of butter. I made custard to go with the apple cake, and there was also squirty cream and ice cream if anyone wanted it. DD3 had thought she wouldn't be able to have cake so was really pleased I'd made them with the dairy-free marg.
Apple Crumble Cake
Cake Base
100g butter or marg
100g soft brown sugar
150g plain flour
50g cornflour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond essence (or vanilla)
6 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used canned apple as I had a catering-sized tin in stock)
Crumble Topping
150g plain flour
125 g butter or marg
125g demerara sugar
tsp ground cinnamon
Method
For the cake - beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.Mix in the flours and baking powder, and then the eggs and essence. Spread the mixture in 23-25cm springform cake tin and spread the apple over it.
Crumble - rub the butter into the flour, cinnamon and sugar until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the apple and cake in the tin.
Bake at 180C/Gas4/ Fan 160C for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin and then carefully remove the tin from around the cake so that the crumble does not get disturbed. Serve with custard, cream or icecream.
The meatloaf was yummy too. I got a lovely heavy, extra big loaf tin from TK Max yesterday for £3.99 reduced from £11.99. Just what I needed to make a meatloaf big enough to feed 7 of us meat eaters including 5 men.
I used a very simple recipe mixing together 800g lean minced beef, 400g minced pork, a large packet of red onion and sage stuffing mix, beef stock, and 2 beaten eggs. I lined the tin with raw bacon rashers, piled the meat mix in and baked it for about an hour before turning it out onto a plate then returning it to the tin with the bacon side up and cooking for another 15-30 minutes.
The mushroom roast was just a medium onion and 6oz mushrooms blitzed in the food processor, a packet of stuffing mix made up and added to the mushroom/onion mix with 2 beaten eggs. Press the mixture into a well-greased loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes. You can top with grated cheese and bake for another 15 minutes until golden but I left that off so DD3 could also have some. We had mixed roasted vegetables, mixed boiled veg, yorkshire puddings and gravy with it. Sorry for lack of pictures, I was so busy preparing it all and just managed to snap this picture before it was eaten. The meatloaf is to the right and a small portion of mushroom roast to the left of the plate.
There was tons of food and very little leftovers, so it must have been a success.
It was lovely to have everyone here but also nice to get back to a bit of peace and quiet once most of them left. DS2 is staying overnight and will go back to Canterbury tomorrow with his dad when DH goes into work.
The wedding fayre was very small with only about a dozen stalls, but it was great for getting some ideas. Really, DD and I are of the same mind, she wants to spend as little as possible, make as much as she can herself (or ask me or her fiance's mum to help), but have an enjoyable day. We came back home and spent an hour or so on the internet trying to find materials and ideas similar to some that we'd seen that we could make without too much difficulty. We're almost agreed on the invites and we plan to spend time together crafting which will be lovely. Her fiance's mum has recently retired and taken up cake decorating as a hobby so she will probably make and decorate the cake, and I'll make cupcakes that she'll decorate since fancy stuff really isn't my forte.
It's early days yet so nothing is set in stone; they don't even have a venue and are still debating whether to have the ceremony in Las Vegas and just have a party over here afterwards. It is exciting but I have a feeling I'll soon be all weddinged out. DH and I had a very simple registry office do with just his parents (he's an only child) and my parents, grandmother and sisters and our 6 week old baby girl (DD1). We went back to my mum and dad's council house for a buffet meal afterwards. I never wanted a big do that cost the earth and if I had it to do over again I'd probably try for something even cheaper. Since we've been married 30 years in July I don't think we suffered for not having a big wedding celebration.
Apart from today's activities, I've spent my week shopping but spending very little (Folkestone on Weds, Westwood Cross Shopping Centre at Margate yesterday), volunteering on Thursday and working for hours and hours on DS2's scrapbook. Honestly, I was either sticking stuff into the scrapbook or copying and printing photos for 5 hours on Friday. I think (I'm hoping) that it will be completed in time for his birthday in exactly 2 weeks today. I don't recall the other scrapbooks taking so long but then I think I was more enthusiastic about doing them. Thank goodness I didn't have any more kids.
Tomorrow will find me baking my cupcakes yet again for DH to take to college on Tuesday for a Macmillan Cancer fundraiser. And more work done on that scrapbook...I hope.
Here's hoping you all had a lovely day and the sun shone on you. Hugs, Helen x
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Chickpea and Coriander Burgers
I had a lovely couple of hours in Folkestone but that was enough for me. I found it tiring going around the shops and was back home by 12.30.
I didn't spend much, but got quite a few bits. As well as Poundland, which we also have in Dover, there was a 99p shop and a Wilkinsons. I've been wanting a second deep muffin tin for a while since one of my Lakeland ones went missing (I expect one of my girls borrowed it but all deny having it). I got a lovely one in Wilkinsons for just £1.50.
I spent £6.93 in the 99p shop on envelopes,a jar of sliced red Jalepeno chilli peppers, poaching pods for eggs, a double pack of scissors (something else that mysteriously disappear), some plastic storage tubs, double-sided sticky pads for card making and scrapbooking and a box of All Bran.I've yet to try the poaching pods, but I do love a poached egg and haven't had one for ages. Has anyone else used them?
Then I went into Primark and ended up buying two long-line ribbed cardigans, one beige, one dark blue, that were originally £10, reduced to half price and finally went through the till at £3 each.
And that's it, all I bought. But I did have a good time and I'm pleased with my purchases. It makes a nice change to go somewhere different for a while since Dover isn't exactly endowed with a great choice in shops. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my purse) both the wool/craft shops were closed for some reason.
Dinner tonight was Chickpea and Coriander Burgers from a recipe in this month's Easy Cook magazine. I took out a trial subscription of 5 issues for £5. Although I do like the magazine I shall probably cancel it once the trial is over as I don't want to pay full price for it. Here's the recipe. I doubled it, made 12 burgers of which we had 6 (2 each) tonight and the others will be frozen for another time.
400g tin of chickpeas, drained (I used a bag of the ones I cooked up last week)
rind of 1 lemon, plus juice of 1/2 the lemon (I didn't have fresh lemon so I omitted the rind and just added juice from a bottle)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
small bunch of coriander, chopped (I was lucky enough to pick up a reduced bunch for 32p)
1 egg
100g fresh breadcrumbs (here's where I got to use up the crusts that nobody but me eats)
1/2 medium red onion, diced (I used a regular brown onion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bread rolls of choice
Sliced onion, tomato, cucumber etc. to serve
In a food processor whizz together the chickpeas, lemon rind and juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning. Scrape down the bowl and then mix in 80g of the breadcrumbs and the diced onion. Shape the mixture into 4-6 burgers (depends on the size you want) then coat them in the remaining breadcrumbs. Chill for at least 10 minutes before frying for 4-5 minutes on each side in the olive oil. (I chilled them all day and they were nice and firm and held together well when I fried them). Serve in the rolls topped with the remaining coriander, sliced onion, cucumber, tomato and any dressing you require.
They were really nice and not dry as I'd anticipated they might be. We had them with Caribbean potato wedges (on offer for £1 in Morrisons) and baked beans.
I can't really price out the recipe exactly because I'd already had most of the burger ingredients in stock for a while, but it can't have cost more than 20p per burger (so 40p for 2), then another 25p for 2 cheese-topped rolls (pack of 4 for 72p or 2 packs for £1 in Morrisons), 33p for 1/3 pack of wedges and 12p for 1/2 can of Aldi baked beans. Total cost per person = £1.10p. Would have been less if I'd made my own rolls and potato wedges.
Tomorrow is volunteering day and wonder or wonders the forecast is for sun. I got absolutely soaked to the skin last week and had to dry all my stuff off over a radiator in the office. Is spring finally on its way? Let's hope so.
I didn't spend much, but got quite a few bits. As well as Poundland, which we also have in Dover, there was a 99p shop and a Wilkinsons. I've been wanting a second deep muffin tin for a while since one of my Lakeland ones went missing (I expect one of my girls borrowed it but all deny having it). I got a lovely one in Wilkinsons for just £1.50.
I spent £6.93 in the 99p shop on envelopes,a jar of sliced red Jalepeno chilli peppers, poaching pods for eggs, a double pack of scissors (something else that mysteriously disappear), some plastic storage tubs, double-sided sticky pads for card making and scrapbooking and a box of All Bran.I've yet to try the poaching pods, but I do love a poached egg and haven't had one for ages. Has anyone else used them?
Then I went into Primark and ended up buying two long-line ribbed cardigans, one beige, one dark blue, that were originally £10, reduced to half price and finally went through the till at £3 each.
And that's it, all I bought. But I did have a good time and I'm pleased with my purchases. It makes a nice change to go somewhere different for a while since Dover isn't exactly endowed with a great choice in shops. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my purse) both the wool/craft shops were closed for some reason.
Dinner tonight was Chickpea and Coriander Burgers from a recipe in this month's Easy Cook magazine. I took out a trial subscription of 5 issues for £5. Although I do like the magazine I shall probably cancel it once the trial is over as I don't want to pay full price for it. Here's the recipe. I doubled it, made 12 burgers of which we had 6 (2 each) tonight and the others will be frozen for another time.
400g tin of chickpeas, drained (I used a bag of the ones I cooked up last week)
rind of 1 lemon, plus juice of 1/2 the lemon (I didn't have fresh lemon so I omitted the rind and just added juice from a bottle)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
small bunch of coriander, chopped (I was lucky enough to pick up a reduced bunch for 32p)
1 egg
100g fresh breadcrumbs (here's where I got to use up the crusts that nobody but me eats)
1/2 medium red onion, diced (I used a regular brown onion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bread rolls of choice
Sliced onion, tomato, cucumber etc. to serve
In a food processor whizz together the chickpeas, lemon rind and juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning. Scrape down the bowl and then mix in 80g of the breadcrumbs and the diced onion. Shape the mixture into 4-6 burgers (depends on the size you want) then coat them in the remaining breadcrumbs. Chill for at least 10 minutes before frying for 4-5 minutes on each side in the olive oil. (I chilled them all day and they were nice and firm and held together well when I fried them). Serve in the rolls topped with the remaining coriander, sliced onion, cucumber, tomato and any dressing you require.
They were really nice and not dry as I'd anticipated they might be. We had them with Caribbean potato wedges (on offer for £1 in Morrisons) and baked beans.
I can't really price out the recipe exactly because I'd already had most of the burger ingredients in stock for a while, but it can't have cost more than 20p per burger (so 40p for 2), then another 25p for 2 cheese-topped rolls (pack of 4 for 72p or 2 packs for £1 in Morrisons), 33p for 1/3 pack of wedges and 12p for 1/2 can of Aldi baked beans. Total cost per person = £1.10p. Would have been less if I'd made my own rolls and potato wedges.
Tomorrow is volunteering day and wonder or wonders the forecast is for sun. I got absolutely soaked to the skin last week and had to dry all my stuff off over a radiator in the office. Is spring finally on its way? Let's hope so.
Day Out
I've not been blogging lately because there's really not much to report. But today I have a day out all to myself and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it.
I used to do this about once a month when the kids were younger. DH would look after them on a Saturday and I'd hop on the bus to somewhere like Canterbury or Folkestone and have a good old browse around the shops and treat myself to a coffee or sometimes lunch if funds stretched to it. But I can't recall the last time I did that.
Mostly now DH and I go out together for the day, but today he's taken the car to work so he can meet up with DS2 afterwards, and I'm making use of his weekly bus pass to have a wander around Folkestone. I'm going to go into every charity shop and spend as long as I like rummaging through everything. Usually I'm either with DH or DD3 when in Folkestone and neither of them like charity shopping, so today I won't feel I have to hurry because I have a bored person wating impatiently in the wings.
I'll also be clothes shopping in other places (dare I mention the dreaded Primark) because, apart from underwear, a couple of pairs of jeans, a couple of long-sleeved t-shirts and a couple of cardis, I'm still slopping about in size 20 clothes on a size 12-14 body. I've been holding off buying new stuff until I lost the final stone, but it's getting ridiculous now.
By the way, my weight stayed the same at weigh-in yesterday after another week of half and half being good and cheating. I count myself pretty lucky I haven't been gaining but I feel like I'm back in the zone again now and hopefully I'll stick with the plan all this week and lose something next Tuesday.
Right, I'm off to catch my bus now. I'll pop back on again later to report on my day if I'm not too knackered after all that shopping.
I used to do this about once a month when the kids were younger. DH would look after them on a Saturday and I'd hop on the bus to somewhere like Canterbury or Folkestone and have a good old browse around the shops and treat myself to a coffee or sometimes lunch if funds stretched to it. But I can't recall the last time I did that.
Mostly now DH and I go out together for the day, but today he's taken the car to work so he can meet up with DS2 afterwards, and I'm making use of his weekly bus pass to have a wander around Folkestone. I'm going to go into every charity shop and spend as long as I like rummaging through everything. Usually I'm either with DH or DD3 when in Folkestone and neither of them like charity shopping, so today I won't feel I have to hurry because I have a bored person wating impatiently in the wings.
I'll also be clothes shopping in other places (dare I mention the dreaded Primark) because, apart from underwear, a couple of pairs of jeans, a couple of long-sleeved t-shirts and a couple of cardis, I'm still slopping about in size 20 clothes on a size 12-14 body. I've been holding off buying new stuff until I lost the final stone, but it's getting ridiculous now.
By the way, my weight stayed the same at weigh-in yesterday after another week of half and half being good and cheating. I count myself pretty lucky I haven't been gaining but I feel like I'm back in the zone again now and hopefully I'll stick with the plan all this week and lose something next Tuesday.
Right, I'm off to catch my bus now. I'll pop back on again later to report on my day if I'm not too knackered after all that shopping.
Friday, 28 February 2014
That Was February, That Was!
Hello and welcome to Ali and did I say hi to Janice Piper yet? Damn my appalling memory.
Right, so it's already the last day of February and time for a review. Did I live up to my Super-Duper-No-Spend-Fabulous-Frugal-February promises.
Well...not exactly. Although I haven't been too terrible.
I have managed to seriously reduce my stockpile...but, unfortunately, not simply by eating everything down.
As I wrote a couple of days ago, I've had a massive clear out of my food stockpile and with tears streaming (okay, that's a bit dramatic, but I did feel really bad about it) I binned a load of stuff that was up to 5 years out of date. Seriously, I found a jar of roasted peppers dated 2009. But, I have also eaten mostly from my stores too. I only added to it a little by stocking up on chicken, bacon and pork for the freezer to add variety to meals. My freezer is also now groaning under the weight of all the out-of-date dried beans I cooked and bagged up. I feel a spate of vegetarian meals coming on, easier for me to serve without feeling guilty now that DD3 and her carnivore boyfriend have moved out. And there's always cassoulet or chicken chilli I can make. That's next week's meals sorted then.
I have broken my no charity shopping resolution, and my no new wool one too. However, I'm hoping that by selling this -
I'll be able to fund this:-
And also make a profit.
This:-
is Rowan Wool Cotton yarn.
Internet research tells me the RRP is around £6.50 per 50g ball. In the Hospice charity shop I bought 6 full balls plus several part balls for a total price of just £8. Now, I've always fancied knitting something with Rowan yarn but it's so, so expensive, and there's not enough here to make a full garment so I'm going to sell it on Ebay. Even if I only charge half the RRP for each ball and maybe another £10 for all the part balls I'll still make a profit which will repay what it cost, and also pay for this:-
which I bought to make socks for my daughters and DS2's girlfriend for Xmas. The purple, grey and black yarns were from Poundland at £1 per ball or 3 for the price of 2 (so £6 for 9 balls) and the blue was from Aldi at £2.99 for a pack of 3 balls, so total for all of it was £8.99.
So, I think I'm vindicated because I spent money to make/save money, and hopefully will come out with cash in hand.
The Rowan yarn is the second time I've had a really good bargain from this charity shop. Last year I bought a length of Laura Ashley fabric for £7. When I got it home and measured it there was over 10 yards and research showed it was a vintage 1980s fabric. I sold most of it in 1 and 2 metre lengths on Ebay and made over £100 profit. If only I could have such luck every week.
Anyway, February has been a mixed lot with some necessary spends such as DH's fares to Wales and helping DD3 and BF with their move, and some not so necessary spends such as a couple of lunches out. On the whole though I'm quite pleased with how its gone, especially with how many dinners I've made with foods I already had in stock.
Speaking of which, this was tonight's dinner:-
I made it in my slow cooker and just bunged everything in without any pre-frying.
I did buy the chorizo ring for £1.49 for a 170g from Aldi, and the kale was from a £1 bag I got from a lovely greengrocers in Deal yesterday, but I only used two-thirds of each of those so the remainders will go into another meal. Instead of butter beans I substituted a bag of the haricot beans I cooked and froze from dried earlier this week, and the butternut squash was half of one I bought for 69p on offer in Aldi a couple of weeks ago. Everything else was from my stocks and, so it didn't go to waste, I tipped in some baked bean sauce leftover from yesterday.
To go with it I also made cheese and onion rolls using white and wholemeal flours from my stocks and grated cheese from the freezer.Yeast I buy from Aldi for 59p for a box of foil sachets.
The meal was pronounced delicious by my dear husband and one for me to make again.
Right, I think that's all for now. I'm going to watch the Duggars on 19 Kids and Counting tonight at 9 while I knit some more of the baby cardigan. I've done the back and fronts and I'm just about to start on the sleeves. More pictures when it's finished.
Why not drop me a line and let me know how your February's gone.
Right, so it's already the last day of February and time for a review. Did I live up to my Super-Duper-No-Spend-Fabulous-Frugal-February promises.
Well...not exactly. Although I haven't been too terrible.
I have managed to seriously reduce my stockpile...but, unfortunately, not simply by eating everything down.
As I wrote a couple of days ago, I've had a massive clear out of my food stockpile and with tears streaming (okay, that's a bit dramatic, but I did feel really bad about it) I binned a load of stuff that was up to 5 years out of date. Seriously, I found a jar of roasted peppers dated 2009. But, I have also eaten mostly from my stores too. I only added to it a little by stocking up on chicken, bacon and pork for the freezer to add variety to meals. My freezer is also now groaning under the weight of all the out-of-date dried beans I cooked and bagged up. I feel a spate of vegetarian meals coming on, easier for me to serve without feeling guilty now that DD3 and her carnivore boyfriend have moved out. And there's always cassoulet or chicken chilli I can make. That's next week's meals sorted then.
I have broken my no charity shopping resolution, and my no new wool one too. However, I'm hoping that by selling this -
I'll be able to fund this:-
And also make a profit.
This:-
Internet research tells me the RRP is around £6.50 per 50g ball. In the Hospice charity shop I bought 6 full balls plus several part balls for a total price of just £8. Now, I've always fancied knitting something with Rowan yarn but it's so, so expensive, and there's not enough here to make a full garment so I'm going to sell it on Ebay. Even if I only charge half the RRP for each ball and maybe another £10 for all the part balls I'll still make a profit which will repay what it cost, and also pay for this:-
So, I think I'm vindicated because I spent money to make/save money, and hopefully will come out with cash in hand.
The Rowan yarn is the second time I've had a really good bargain from this charity shop. Last year I bought a length of Laura Ashley fabric for £7. When I got it home and measured it there was over 10 yards and research showed it was a vintage 1980s fabric. I sold most of it in 1 and 2 metre lengths on Ebay and made over £100 profit. If only I could have such luck every week.
Anyway, February has been a mixed lot with some necessary spends such as DH's fares to Wales and helping DD3 and BF with their move, and some not so necessary spends such as a couple of lunches out. On the whole though I'm quite pleased with how its gone, especially with how many dinners I've made with foods I already had in stock.
Speaking of which, this was tonight's dinner:-
I made it in my slow cooker and just bunged everything in without any pre-frying.
I did buy the chorizo ring for £1.49 for a 170g from Aldi, and the kale was from a £1 bag I got from a lovely greengrocers in Deal yesterday, but I only used two-thirds of each of those so the remainders will go into another meal. Instead of butter beans I substituted a bag of the haricot beans I cooked and froze from dried earlier this week, and the butternut squash was half of one I bought for 69p on offer in Aldi a couple of weeks ago. Everything else was from my stocks and, so it didn't go to waste, I tipped in some baked bean sauce leftover from yesterday.
The meal was pronounced delicious by my dear husband and one for me to make again.
Right, I think that's all for now. I'm going to watch the Duggars on 19 Kids and Counting tonight at 9 while I knit some more of the baby cardigan. I've done the back and fronts and I'm just about to start on the sleeves. More pictures when it's finished.
Why not drop me a line and let me know how your February's gone.
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