I'm Tired Of Waiting .... Thrifty Seeds ..

Hello there ....

Gosh the rain is lashing the windows ..and the wind is howling around the cottage tonight ...hope you are all tucked up safe and warm.

 Well ...its come to this ...

I am fed up waiting for a 'spring like' sign...

I feel I have to jump start it ... just like you would a rusty old motor.

I had a rootle about and found a few old pots ... gave them a good wash ... and dispatched Hubby P ...posthaste!

 .. to purchase a small bag of potting compost ...needless to say he returned with two huge bags ... no doubt we will use it all eventually.... 

I know really its a bit early ... and there are few seeds that can be sown (in the midst of winter!) without all the sophisticated tackle such as greenhouses and heated mats and whatnot.

But I will give it a try ... makes me feel as though I am starting on the garden.

As you can see ... my equipment is far from sophisticated. 

When I went looking for pots and whatnot I remembered that in a fit of 'tidying and organising' ....always a dangerous thing.. I had given most of my pots etc away.

Not to worry I made do with what I cold find ... good old margarine tubs and milk bottles.

 So what did I plant ... Some Broad beans from a packet someone had kindly given me ... a few Leek seeds I bought online... and some Garlic ...from good old Lidl!

I was looking at Garlic to plant and its so expensive for so little ... so I thought I would try bog standard Spanish Garlic from the supermarket.

 Maybe it won't be as big and plumptious as the seed merchants proclaim theirs to be ... but it will do me.

And on the sewing front... 

I made myself a new little purse from the Grannie Ivy squares.

Its a rather warm and soft ...and  squishy little number..

With a good strong zip and pretty pink floral cotton to line it.

Just a bit of everyday Grannie to carry with me ... help me eek out my pennies.

So what have you been up to today .. anyone else been thinking about Spring and planting?

Take care ..bye for now x

Yummy yummy Thrifty Soup... and Mittens

Hello there ....

just a quick catch up ...

 and to share this wonderful thrifty soup.

 I saw Weaver  (at  Theweaverofgrass.blogspot.co.uk)   had made this wonderfully yummy Cream of Onion Soup.

I have a few onions (remember I bought a huge bargain bag of them the other week) ... so I gave it a go ....and its lovely.

Lightly soften a heap of onions in some butter

In a large pan put onions and a large chopped potato

add a pint of stock (veg stock cube)

simmer for 20 minutes ....add about a pint of milk ...simmer a bit longer on a very low heat (till everything is soft basically).

I added a tablespoon of flour to thicken ...some salt and pepper

and blitzed it with the blender.

Fabulous ... I had it for tea with slabs of homemade bread and lashings of butter..     

 

 I made Hubby P his promised Bacon and Egg Pie ... a Girl has to keep her promises. 

 I made two and put one in the freezer.

Should be plenty left for lunches at work tomorrow ... mind you I haven't been and checked in the kitchen yet ...if he's had the munchies it will have to be jam butties!

Labour of love these past few nights... 

Will our youngest son works and lives far away 'down south' with his beloved... we miss them...

 and of course they keep up with our doings via the blog.

He had seen the pic's of fingerless mittens I had crocheted for myself and asked for a snazzy pair for himself....

So of course ... the only stipulation was that they weren't a girly colour... just hope these aren't too boring a colour...and don't mention to him the obvious 

....I ran out of the red wool.....oops  

Must go to bed ... take care x

Simple No Nonsense Thrifty Food ...... And Grannies Cushion.

Hello there ... hope all is well with you ... just fine ere..

Tell you what ... this snow has been a bit of a blessing for me ... this not being able to get out means I have had time to sit by the fire and sew...hurrah!

I managed to finish my little Grannie Ivy cushion.

I backed the knitted squares (sewn together) with some plain cotton and kinda quilted them together to give it strength. 

 And then did a bit of simple embroidery over the seams to ..well.. just because I thought it looked pretty really.

 The backing is perhaps a bit loud and 'full on' for the rustic nature of the front ... but to be honest ...it was the first ... most easily accessible piece of fabric I could find ... 

The thought of dragging out all the cases which I have carefully stashed my fabric was just too much

Anyway its clean and cheerful piece of fabric .. French I believe...and it does the job.

As you may have noticed I have just done a very basic job and will simply slip stitch the opening together now the cushion pad is in place. 

Lazy maybe but its just for me ... and I did hand stitch it all ... how else could I stay glued to the fire.

So there we are Grannie Ivy .... hope you like how your handiwork has turned out.

Monday we went shopping to replenish stocks ... not a lot ... just basics really.  

 

Last week I found the Mince and we still have some of that in the freezer ... so this week I fancied something a bit different ...but as thrifty-ly priced, we were in Lidl again.

I thought I would have a bit of this... Bacon Bits ...only this pack consists of two solid pieces ...like ends of rolls. About £2.26-ish  a pack (1 kg) ... a lot of bacon for your money.

So how far can we stretch it ... that's the question..

Hubby P was a bit dubious until I suggested a bacon and egg pie ... that brought a smile to his face ... 

   

As you know its all basic food here ... so being Tuesday ...a work day ... and me tired ... it was a simple tea.

I peeled a few potatoes before we went out this morning ... so this evening I just had to slice a bit of the bacon bits ... few mushrooms for Richard (veggie) and throw in a pan with a bit of onion.

So nice buttered potatoes.. bacon and a egg ... made a nice change.

Just be warned ..if anything it was a bit salty ... so no need to add salt to any dishes .. but good value and a change from mince.

 

I used under a quarter of the bacon so lots left for.....

 bacon and egg pie

bacon hotpot

quiche

bacon and beans .. type thing

....and what else ....any ideas?

Take care ....bye for now x

Its That Siege Mentality ....

Hello there ...

 this enough snow for you then!

Its certainly a white world out there.

We have had lots ... pretty.. but cold ... and the stuff melts all over the floor!

 

This was yesterday as it was coming down.

 

 The sky was dark and thick with swirling snow .... magical.

 

And it just to be the day we had ordered a delivery of logs.....

 

Do you like Hubby P's 'bright and cheerful' new work gear! 

It was the only pair of overalls Father Christmas could find in his size..... of course Hubby P swears its a ploy on my part to keep track of him in the garden ....

as if I could lose him!

Today it was white all over.... a world muffled to the everyday...

a day for sitting by the fire and playing with my Grannie squares.

Hubby P helped the neighbours clear paths and whatnot ... of course he was a prime target for the snowballs ... not that he didn't give as much as he got.

Whilst Richard and Uncas sorted us out and made the route to the woodshed less hazardous.

I dolled about with the camera for a while.... still in my pj's I'm afraid ... and of course my boots ...

Its been that kinda day.

 I felt the stirrings yesterday ...and by this afternoon I was in full 'siege mode'

.....it had snowed ... we were snowed in .... a Girl just has to make bread!

Its something I remember well from being a girl...we were often snowed in when living in the wilds of Lancashire.

 Mum always had a store cupboard well stocked and we would make bread and soups and warming stews .... 

...food to warm the body and feed the soul.

So we had bread for tea ... 

great steaming ....still warm from the oven ..

..chunks of it

 ...spread thickly with wonderful Welsh butter.

And jam sponge pudding .... its the law on a cold and snowy day!

 

With lashings of custard!

So ....what kicks in your 'siege mentality' and how do you cope?

Take care ..... bye for now xx 

Grannies Knitting Lives On ....And Thrifty Pizza

Hello there ... 

hope you are having a good week.

We've been sorting household clearance stuff again ... it can be quite sad with the old photographs and such like.

 And rootling about in old sewing/knitting bags can bring a tear to my eye .... the things I find ... there is nothing so personal as someones hand stitched needle case .... and unfinished project.

 I found these tiny crocheted bits the other day ... just in a little paper bag  ...stuffed in the bottom of an old quilted knitting bag ... somebody... somewhere.... had begun something ... a crafty notion unfulfilled.

As it was a rather quiet day ..... I was sat in a rather large draughty hall serving customers and generally people watching.

  

I thought I would make them into something ... just to remember the needlewoman who went before ... was she someones Grannie .... Grannie who? Grannie Ivy perhaps ... my Gran was an Ivy.

I had only what I had with me ...basic sewing stuff but I managed to start to form them into a little purse. I found some old white ... seen better days .. napkins, to make an inner lining .. and an old zip.

Its not finished yet I have left it in my bag to work on when I have a quiet few minutes at the car boot sale.

 

 Yesterday these came tumbling out of an old plastic bag....

another Grannie reaching out...

 These are so darling ...itsy bitsy squares in lovely pastel-y... muted colours. 

What did she have in mind for them?

I thought I could put them together kinda ... like this.... and make a cuddly cushion .... what do you think ?... think Grannie would like it?

I have actually started sewing them together ... you know when your fingers just itch to get sewing .... I'll keep you posted.

I had to break off to feed these men ... food can be a bit wearisome at times ... and I had left it a bit late to start making a dinner ....truth be known I had stood out in the freezing cold ... at the carboot sale from 7.30 this morning until 3 this afternoon .... 

so I wasn't incined to be a Domestic Goddess this evening.

I grabbed some of these from the freezer .... an Approved Foods bargain ... something like a dozen packets for a £1... I have loads in the freezer ... great stand by.

Whacked on some ....again cheapo Approved Foods tomato puree (mixed with a dash of brown sauce) 

 Fried up what came to hand as I opened the fridge/freezer ....onion, manky looking mushrooms, handful of frozen peppers and sprinkling of sweetcorn.

Popped it on top with a bit ....perhaps more than a bit .... we like cheese....and put them in the oven for 20 mins.

Lovely with a bit of salad and beetroot chutney ... its kinda chutney weather don't you think ?

So whats keeping you sane these dark and dismal days ... bit of sewing and a dollop of chutney.. next to a roaring fire.. does it for me ..x

Take care .... bye for now xx

Back On The Bandwagon ... Thrifty Snippets ... Saving The Pennies

Hello ..Hello...

are we all back into the swing of things ?

 All the decorations have been taken down .. all the glitz and glitter now a memory past ... reality hits ... its a cold wet January.

Thinking what a waste to just put the pretty cards in the recycling bin .... I cut them into gift tags.

I found some oddments of ribbon to string them ... all ready to be used next year.... and no doubt next Christmas will come all too soon. 

Moving on from the festive season .. it must seem a long time for some until payday ... money is always in short supply.

Hubby P and I had a sit down and a good old chat about our finances and areas we are going to try and improve on ... saving where we can .. shaving off a penny here and there.

Shopping was one ... I don't know about you but the cost seems to being going up and up.

We decided to make more effort checking prices across the shops available to us .... time consuming .. but we must just fit it into our life.  

 

Lidl was our choice this week ... to see what bargains they had to offer. Our haul included onions... great big bag full 5kgs for £1.99.

 A lot of onions! but they keep well and if they show signs of getting a bit tired I will chop and freeze them ... but we eat a lot of onions ... onions are good for you!

British beef mince 800 gms .... that's enough for three good meals for £2.49. I divided it into three packs and put two in the freezer ... we had Shepherds Pie for tea ... made with the last portion .. it was very nice ... very lean mince. 

Hubby P was on the case... and in the interests of 'Quality Control' ... you understand .. he had to eat two portions (....until there was none left!).... He did declare it 'Smashing' 

So there you are .... Lidl Mince ....

Peppers .... nice and fresh were on offer .. three for 89p. I chopped them and popped them in the freezer .... I mostly use them in stir fry type meals.

  

As part of a Christmas treat I bought some nice grains to make my muesli ... just love this yummy stuff for breakfast.

I have these large glass sweet jars to store my muesli and porridge oats. Who remembers these lovely big jars full of allsorts of everything on the sweetshop shelves ....

Ohhh ... the agony of choosing ... sherbet lemons or pear drops...

pineapple chunks or mint imperials ...

the shopkeeper must have had the patience of a saint.

Anyway enough .... I'm off to do more bargain huntin ... I think we all will be on the same trail if we are to survive these constant price hikes.

So whats your bargain of the week ... do tell .. we need to share and pull together. 

xx   take care .... snow forecast next week   xx

Just a Quickie .... Back to The Same Old!

  Well  hello there' ... yes indeedy .. a load of old parsnips..

with all the glitz and glitter .. looking a bit sad .. the excitement over ... that's what we are left with...

a load of old parsnips ... big sack full.

It was nice while it lasted, seeing friends and family ....hope you all had a nice time.

It is nice to have time to do a bit of sewing ... I got a few of my cushions made .. here's one odd photo for now, I'll try and remember to take some more. 

   

I'm struggling a bit ... my laptop is poorly sick and in with Mr Fixit ... so I am using Hubby P's steam operated machine ... so it may be a bit of an odd/bitty post. I'm hoping I get my laptop back soon ...

Just to introduce ...

A few new members of the Allsorts household ... these little cuties were in a box as part of a house clearance .... destined for ... well ...who knows where ...the 'dog toy' box ....Oh heavens.. No!

They were a little grubby ... well loved... so they have had a nice wash and we are just getting to know one another.

No names as yet .. any ideas?   

 And a bit of pretty ... flowers for Christmas ... I do so love yellow roses .. what a treat.

 

And just look what I found .... being on Hubby P's computer .. and nosing around ...

So ... come on ... tell me ....can you guess which one is Hubby P?

he he..

And how long ago was that! ... gosh he must be old .....ha ha!

But you know what ... thank heaven for Hubby P ... silly shoes an all..

I'll leave you with some more of my pretty sparkly roses ...

take care for now ..

xx