Todays Gift ... Ust It Up Fruit...Any Ideas.?..

Hello there....

We've just got back from selling at the carboot sale....Brr it was cold...but nice and sunshiny.

I sat in the fresh air ... warm fleecy hat and sunglasses ...with a view of the Snowdonia Mountains ... 

We had lots of nice chatty customers ... a nice way to make a living. 

And todays lovely gift ... a box of fruit from Colin the veg that needed using up.

So lots of lemons and limes ... any ideas on what to do with them? 

I shall have to do something with them tomorrow .. be a sin to let them go to waste.

Whilst I was there I bought another sack of spuds ... I do believe the weather men are forecasting nasty weather.. the 'worst winter in decades' .. or so someone told me.

Anyone else know anything about this?

 

So as my Grandmother would say ... 'when there is a crisis buy a bag of spuds'... 

then you can always make a cheap and nutritious meal... even if you are snowed in...and all lines of communication are down... the family has flu .. etc etc..

 

..There is always egg and chips

... Jacket potatoes

... potato and leek soup

... bangers and mash

....you get the picture!   

Thank you for all your kind comments about the little chair ...

and yes.. it was sold on Saturday.

Its gone to live in a little cottage by the sea.

Please ...please give me some nice and easy ideas for the fruit...

I really must do something with it soon.

xx   

Just Trying To Earn A Bit Of A Living....

 Hello there ....

Hope you've all had a good day ....here we go with another weekend ... the weeks seem to fly .

We just seem to be trying to earn a crust... and keep the wolf from the door ... just like many people these days.

Our days are filled with sorting... cleaning...

re-vamping...upcycling ... the old ... used... and unwanted .. 

Hubby P has been having a painting session ... old furniture given a new lease of life .. ready to sell on.

 He does quite a bit of this sort of thing ...painted furniture seems to sell quite well. 

He chooses the small pieces that fit nicely in average sized homes ... pieces that are pretty and quirky. 

 Today I have had to have pieces drying in the house ... this time of year the air is so damp paint takes ages to dry in the workshop.

Not ideal ... but I have to look at it as my Grandmother would...

'those muddy boots/overalls/...'painted furniture' ... are/is bringing money into the house'.

Its what we do to make an honest living.

Look how pretty this chair is.

Once the painting was completed Hubby P needed a bit of help with the recovering of the seat ... not one of his strong points ... fabric and such like.

Luckily ... Gosh ...just by chance ... I have 'one or two' bits of fabric stashed away.

I thought this bit of vintage fabric would look nice ...tis rather a nice bit of stuff.

So I looked out my trusty staple gun ... every girl should have a staple gun ... just love mine ... I keep it hidden from Hubby P (he's a bit heavy handed).

 And... 

 with a joint effort ...

 one pretty vintage chair ... that was destined for fire wood until Hubby P painstakingly put it back together.

 

So its a selling day tomorrow .... 

Little chair will come with us and hopefully we can sell it on.

This making a living lark gets harder and harder ... how are you coping? 

  

xx

 

This Evenings Treat ....

Hello there .... had a good day?

I pulled the curtains closed early today ... it seems to go dark so early.... and sat by a warm fire ... the wind was whistling down the chimney.

I thought we would have a treat tonight. 

 I had to oven on to cook our meat for tea so I whipped up a sponge .... the old fashioned way I'm afraid .... I find it quicker than dragging out the electric mixer.

Last week Hubby P came home the proud purchaser of two Fray Bentos pies .... something we haven't had in years ... yes we enjoyed them as a change ... but it must be said ... very little meat in them.

Anyway I kept the handy little tins .... I'm sure the tins are smaller too.

Just the right size for a sponge pudding or two.

I used up what was left of a jar of Blackberry and Apple Jelly ... homemade of course (wonderful colour ) ... and spooned some in the bottom of the tins ... and then the sponge on top... and into the oven.

..... and there we have it ...

with a dollop of creamy custard ...

whats not to like.

And here is a random pic of a little corner ....

just whilst I had the camera in my hand ..

My special little boys ...

Take care  xx 

Damp and Dreary ... With Thrifty Wood ..

Hello there...

Bit nippy here ... thankfully I have a good fire going... and Thrifty at that.

Hubby P had a good week in the 'rubbish-y furniture' collecting department ... and gathered together this heap. 

 

We have got into the habit of refusing nothing ... people give us all sorts of things ... usually they are unable or cannot be bothered to dispose of it themselves. A lot of it is good useful stuff .. Hubby P stashes it away until he has a use for it ... mending/revamping etc. 

As I said this week was a good harvest of old furniture ... good burning wood.

  

This morning he had a sawing up session.

It all burns well and bulks out the logs we burn on the woodburner... logs are expensive ... so a night or two of thrifted wood is not to be sniffed at.

Percy the woodpidgeon kept us company in the garden..

Here he is helping himself to the dog food in Uncas's dish.

Uncas was too busy 'helping' me ... getting under my feet as I tried to sweep up the soggy leaves from the paths.

 

Leaves ... leaves and more leaves ... 

 

To be honest it was only a quick rough sweep ... after all it will be as bad as ever next week .

Although they were a bit soggy ... there were pretty colours to be seen....

 

....and little gems hiding in the hedgerows... silvery pennies blowing in the breeze.

A splash of ruby red by the gate to catch the milkman's eye !

 

 The green is still very green .... if you know what I mean ..

 can't say we have had any real frost..

... and just look how pretty this moss looks ... 

... I do so love moss... 

 ...gradually cloaking the old shabby boots ..

.... boots with a tale to tell ...

..of a life well lived.

So what have you been up to ... many leaves?

xx

Vintage Velvet and Ikea ... Thrifty Snippet-y Ways ..Of Course!

Hello there .... 

Has it rained with you?

... I thought it would never stop today ...

mind you it was quite nice sat by the fire sewing ... listening to the wind in the chimney and the rain lash against the windows.

As you can see my Summer curtains are lacy and lightweight.

 I've been a bit remiss in my Winter preparations ... last Spring I decided the winter curtains had about had it ... time for new ones.

Plenty of time ... thought I .. to organise some nice new ones.... well ... where has the time gone?

In my defence I had picked up a pair of lined... wonderfully dark bottle green cotton velvet of Vintage persuasion .... but I had forgotten just where I had put them/or had I sold them? umm..

I Know ... bitten nails!

So late last night I decided to find them ... as you do ... and three cupboards and numerous boxes later ....ta da!

And what a good do ... I just had to shorten them and cut each one in half to make two pairs of curtains for the sitting room windows ... only very small cottage-y windows. 

 I sat in front of the fire and just hemmed the required bits ... I just left the header tape where it was ... and well did very little really.

The curtains were nice and clean .. they still had a dry cleaning label attached ...dated 1976.

All nice and cosy!

So nice to work with good quailty old fabric .... I can't remember where I found them.

But they will have a good home ... and I have some fabric left to make up into cushions ... if I ever get around to it. 

 On the flip side of the coin ... as it were..... Hubby P ambled in the other day with these under his arm.

Bright and cheerful!

 Now it must be said that Hubby P has been well trained in the field of ...'Fabric and Notions Acquisition'...

In that he .. 1) must never.. ever just 'bin' anything that is old/tatty/damaged etc if it is remotely fabric like.

                        
                               2) must always put aside any tins/boxes/bags etc with 
                                      'sewin-y stuff' in them.

                       and 3) just show me everything ....just in case!

So it was the other day with the cushions ... 'this anything... any good ... bit damaged'...says he.

Well what a jolly pair ... nice and bright and cheerful. 

At first I thought they had been made by someone .... you know ... new to sewing ... just learning ... not expertly made by any means.

But on closer inspection ...and discovering a label I found they were no other than Ikea ...at its best?

 Shameful really .... and I bet they would have cost a pretty penny.

Anyway the fabric was pretty although some of it was damaged ... looked like a cat or dog had had a good time with one cushion.

I unpicked the end of one thinking I would save the cushion inner and launder and save the pretty fabric. 

However Ikea don't even run to cushion inners ... it was simply stuffed with loose wadding.

 

Well ... no matter ... I will bag up the wadding and keep it for stuffing things or make some cushion inners. 

And I got a good piece of fabric and a dog chewed bit that can be used for my patchwork.

So a nice new bit of cotton for my stash .... 

That's been me today ... I'm quite pleased I got the new curtains up... whats been keeping you busy?  

xx

Catching up at home .... Mundane but Necessary Stuff ..

Hello there ...

Hope you are all okay ...

Bit of a mundane sort of day today ... just catching up with household jobs ... do they ever end....!

 

 Hubby P busy as ever out and about earning a crust ... or at least trying very hard to.

I knew it would be late before he got in tonight ... still not home as I write this .. so I but a Lamb Hotpot in the oven this morning ...

 on very low .... 

be nice and warming and tasty when he does get in.

Hubby P ...... just loves a Hotpot! 

I had a go at this this week.

I checked on line to see how much I had in my clubcard account ... it was quite healthy ... I do shop weekly at Tesco ...its a convienience thing, I have it delivered ....I know its maybe not the cheapest way of shopping ... but due to my circumstances it works for me.

And the points add up.

They are doing this Voucher exchange thing .... I had a go .. I exchanged £5 worth of vouchers ... so that gave be £10 to spend .. and I chose to spend it on Frozen Food.

  

 I decided to buy lots of frozen veg ... I don't usually use a lot of frozen veg but just recently, with the cost of fresh veg going up and up ... I bought a trayful.

I find a handful of various beans peas and peppers brightens up a meal no end.

Look into this Exchange thing-y if you have vouchers to spend ... I am quite impressed ... its doubling your money.

I have a confession to make ....

This is my one weakness .... I have to have Earl Grey Tea ... well of course I don't 'have' to have it ... but its my treat. 

My 'drug' 'drink' of choice. 

And how nice is this little tin!

I just ordered my teabags as usual ... and luckily they were on offer .... and they came in this sweet little tin.

Wouldn't this make a nice little useful present at just £3?

Well done Twinings. 

Having the house to myself I have managed to do a bit of this sort of thing...   

After all time is marching on and although all our boys are grown up men now ... they still have their expectations of Father Christmas!

 ....and I have to get all the stockings sent off to FC so that he has them safely stashed ready for the big day.

Off to check on the hotpot .... surely Hubby P will be home soon.

Anyone else do the Exchange thing? how did you find it?

XX

Stained Glass and Chicken Soup ... !

Hello there ...

.. just a few photos of today's goings on...

Kath asked to see some photos of the stained glass windows

Hubby P picked up last night.

So here we are ... although Uncas (the dog) was feeling rather photogenic and wouldn't get out of the way.

 These are rather pretty and we sell a lot of these to people .. they are not too big to incorporate into smaller houses ... not everyone has a large Victorian Rectory or whatever.

This is rather nice old sink ... and yes .. I have been out with a tape measure and wandered about the house ... just haven't found anywhere I can put it ....yet!

 

A really lovely brown colour and in great condition.

But these are the true beauties...

 

 Just look at these wonderful stained glass doors ...

 Bit of an awkward photo I'm afraid ... Hubby P has them 'strategically' wedged in the van ... to protect them from damage until he can wrap them and pack them properly in blankets.

Just lovely ... don't you agree?

 

I've been seeing to the serious business of the chicken soup ... I prepared my veg for tonight's tea and threw all the veg peelings and offcuts into the stock pan with the chicken carcass.

First stage of the soup ... 

And this came in the post today ....

 

..I love these little envelopes of vouchers and points ... it must be the thrifty gene in me. I can have a good old think about the best way to spend them.....a good old nose around the website ... trying to make them go as far as possible.

I suppose some people would say 'get a life' but this is my life ... and its the things that matter to me ... maybe small things...homely things ... but my things all the same.

Do you too get a thrill out of thrifting ?

 .... what is it gives you that satisfied feeling ? 

do share...

xx