Cream Crackered Chicken ... An a Couple of Grannie Chic Cushions..

Hello there ...

 well .. Friday again ... where do the days go ... at least we had some sunshine today ... it was in fact a lovely day ... 

splendid .. super. 

Lets hope its a turning point and we have more of them ..

 it does a girl good ... 

to  have a bit of sunshine.

So last night I had that 'sewing itch' ... you know

 .. that 'making creating' thingy...

I had found a lovely bit of hand embroidery ...it was part of what once was a set of chair back covers or Antimacassars as they were called. 

The piece I had was for a settee .. a double width with two sprays of lovely wild/meadow flowers on it. 

What to do with it ... how best to display the lovely needlework?

Well ... what about a couple of cushions..

Just simple style cushion covers .. envelope backs ... the pads easily removed for laundering ... 

Pretty ... functional and the lovely work of the unknown needlewoman can live on .... and bring sweetness to someone elses home for a little longer. 

And I do so enjoy having a sew!

On to more practicle things ...and frugal ... I do so know how you love a Thrifty Snippet!

Whats for tea ... Ah ha ...

Same as yesterday ... veggie/potato -y/ cabbage-y curry ...with chick peas ..! Oh my goodness!

An explosive combination for Hubby P ... good job we were working outside today ... and there was a bit of a stiff breeze ...the less said the better.

But the curry ... lots left  to eat up .. in a Thrifty fashion... 

 So I found a chicken breast in the freezer ... I cut it into strips .. to share it between us ... and thought to coated it in some kind of crumb.

I was a bit thin on the old crumb front till I discovered the cracker tin ... do you like my little old Jacobs cracker tin ...nice garden birds on it ....

Anyway I bashed up some crackers and added a bit of flour ...and odd/old crust of bread .... 

 ...and the first spices that came to hand... paprika cumin ...and a touch of ginger I think.

Fried up in a knob of butter...

They went a treat with the curry and a blob of homemade apple jelly.

And as Hubby P said ....'that was rather good'!  

So .. what have you been up to ...enjoying the sunshine?

x 

Sacking Apron .. and The Smell of Freshly Baked Bread

Hello there ....

well ... the wind has howled and the rain has lashed ...

what a day.

Whats a girl to do ... housework is a bit of a bore.

I had a mind to make myself an apron ... but not just any apron..

I wanted one like you read about in novels ...when the children ran indoors to find.. 'mother enveloped in her large apron smelling of freshly baked bread'....

Or 'half pint' ran in from the Prairie and Mama scooped her up in her large apron .. who remembers 'Little House On The Prairie' ..?

Anyway ....

I had these nice.. good strong linen vintage tea towels that I wanted to use for something... just loved the vibrant vintage-y colours .. and the quality of the fabric is amazing.

So in the spirit of 'Make Do and Mend' ... 

'Waste Not Want Not' ..

and all that ....

and the fact that out on the Prairie aprons would have been made from any old sacks and what not....not that we live exactly on a prairie ....well ... not at all really ... but anyway ...lets not let a little thing get in the way of me wanting a big 'enveloping' apron!

So I made an apron from the tea towels.

Its very large and 'enveloping' ... and certainly very jolly...

and it will keep me clean when baking .... less flour down the front of me jumper ... not a good look..

Whether I would get arrested if I walked down the street is another matter ... I don't think they would understand about 'half pint' and 'enveloping' garments. 

Probably lock me up and throw away the key.  

This little lady came to stay the other day ... I found her dumped in a box .. unwanted .. unloved.

She is in need of some tender repair and a good wash .. then she can while away her days with the rest of our gang..

Don't know her name as yet ... she is very shy

...any ideas?

Well I've had enough of this wind and rain .. I'm off to bed.

Take care x 

A Penny For 'Um.....

Hello there ... just thought I would drop by and say Hi..

 

Hows your garden doing ... any signs of Spring yet?

I had a bit of a wander about this afternoon .. although it was wet and rather dark and dismal today.

 

 Cheery sights non the less ... 

the old boots ... a lifetime of work over ... 

but bursting with new life and vitality...

never give in .. never give up..

 And of course Snowdrops .... who doesn't just love Snowdrops..

Whilst I was faffing about outside Hubby P was sorting though stock he had picked up yesterday ... its always a surprise ... the things that turn up when clearing attics and the like.

There was a whole bagful of this.. 

 

 Who remembers this?

 ... its like ... real money ...

real heavy solid ...jingly jangly in yr pocket money!

 Oh ... how I so loved a thrupenny bit.... what a girl could do with it ...a solid little thing .... and the shape .. so tactile.

Sixpences of course went in the Christmas Pudding... and Grandads made them magically appear from behind your ear!

And what of these ... that darling little Wren .... its all so ...

British..? 

 I must admit I really don't remember the Farthing being used .. I think it had been phased out .. or whatever ... but they were still around .. I just loved that little Wren.

I was reading the other day that the Wren is now the most common of our garden birds ... and yet so shy ...

As a child I don't remember seeing many.. except the perfect one on the coin. 

 

This was a 'biggie' in my childhood days ... my Spending Money/ Pocket Money seemed to be fixed at a shilling for years. Given out on a Friday night ... providing all my jobs had been done during the week ...

Saturday saw us (my friends and I) haunting the market for the best buys .. the best value for our hard earned shilling.

We always treated ourselves to a fizzy pop ... something just not seen in the home ... except ... if you were very lucky .. and Mum was feeling rich ... at your Birthday party.

But once we were 'young ladies about town' with our shilling clutched in our sticky hand ... we could buy our own pop.

We would climb up on the high stools of the market cafe... and order creamsoda or shandy (very racy).. with a dollop of icecream in it ... it came in big tall glasses and we would eat with a long handled spoon and slurp with a straw! 

Think I would be sick nowadays....

So here we are..

 

... here's a big handful of pennies for you ..how did you spend yours ...

who remembers the sweetshop having a penny tray...

what was your favourite?

I liked the pink shrimps....  

And here's a few Snowdrops for you.. from the hedgerow .... they grow on top of and through the wall ...

.. everyone loves a snowdrop.

Take care x

The Magic has begun.....

Hello there ....

Well.. it's begun ...

the magic that is Mother Nature

 ....how exciting is this ...

 Life is springing from the seeds I sowed the other day.

Itsy bitsy tiny shoots ... 

but they are there ... 

a promise of Spring.

 In celebration I brought home this pretty little jug and tray..

 

Its just begging for some spring time flowers ...

perhaps Lidl will have some cheap and cheerful Daffs.

Bitterly cold here today .... although dry ... that's something.

I had my moment of magic with the seeds ... so I had to make the magic happen for Hubby P too.. 

 

So what better than a nice warm chocolate sponge pudding and custard.

Real 'fill ya boots' stuff...

So whats makin the magic happen for you this week?

x   

Playing Out Today .. a Few Pic's

Hello there ... 

How was your day?

I've had a nice day...Managed to spend some time playing out in the sunshine.

Yes .. the sun was shining .. it was a tad windy ... well .. maybe a bit more than a 'tad' ... but hey!... 'the Sunshine'! 

And in celebration I put up the flag ...

 well ... not exactly a flag ... but one smashingly colourful sunshade I found propped up against the shed.

I'm practising for summer ...see!

Its  a bit of a sad looking sunshade ... so I shall look for something a bit smarter ... something suitably Retro will show up.

 I haven't been simply 'faffing about' with brolly's ...I did do some proper organising ready for the planting of veggie stuff.

I dragged all these battered old tin baths from hidden corners of the garden and arranged them in what will be my 'tub planting area'.

They look a bit scruffy and battered but they will do the job .. and to be honest I like my stuff to be a bit rough and ready. 

.... and No ... I did not mention Hubby P .. that was all in your mind! .. 

 Its all looking a bit dingy at the moment ..

... but i found some pretties hiding in a little sheltered spot.

Just see how dainty and pretty ...

Life is bursting forth once again ...

Big fat juicy shoots ... a sign that Spring is on its way ... hurrah !

What do you find grows well in pots .... Lidl will be getting their super cheap seeds in soon ..and I have put aside a few pennies to have a bit of a seed stocking up session .... whats good to buy?

x

Make a Few Little Thrifty Pennies

Hello there ...

What an awfully wet day we have here ... and its forecasting force 7 gales this evening...

O woe is me ...

 

 Such wet and windy weather ... I'm quite tired of it.

It seemed quite dark today too.

All the garden was looking sorry for itself too ... damp and dreary.

I needed to focus on something positive ... do something useful..

and what could be more useful at the moment than a few extra pennies. 

Having bought Hubby P some much needed new boots and an Approved Food order my 'pin money' stash is much depleted. 

So I had a root about the house and 'tidied' some bedroom drawers ...its amazing the amount of 'stuff' a body acquires ..I'm sure some of it breeds in the dark of the cupboards.

How many scarves does a girl need ... some are colours I would never wear ... just pretty .. I suppose that's what I was thinking.

Anyway surplus to requirements ... so off to Ebay with you. I know they won't make a lot ... but you know what they say ..

...Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' 

 I'm holding on to this thought...

Spring and Summer has got to be on its way ...

and we can smell the flowers...

What makes it Spring for you?

x

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