Making my Mind up Monday

In the interest of economy I am paring my spending back to the bare minimum for September, along with many other bloggers I aim to use what I have and make it last.
I am also intending to repeat last years Stoptober, there are many reasons for this, some are:-

1. I have spent a great deal of money this year.

2. I have given some respectable sums of money to some of the younger members of my "family".

3. My cupboards are brimming full after a few weeks of hoovering up bargains.

4. I an running have run out of space in the kitchen and consequently have filled a tall shelf unit in the sewing/dining room with groceries.

5. My 2 shelf units in the under stairs cupboard and utility annex are also full.

You get my drift I hope, just as with my 100 items from stash I need to cook from stash. If I do not I am in danger of having a path through the house with teetering piles of boxes all around me.

I do intend to buy an embroidery machine but that has been budgeted for.
My oven is cavernous and gobbles up electricity like a contestant in an eating competition. To deal with this I am buying a mini oven and grill, I have some Argos vouchers and found one with a sizeable reduction in price. After a load of research this was the best option for me, I did find one on Amazon but if it goes wrong I am faced with the palaver of returning it, whereas with Argos it is  a 7 minute drive to get a replacement, and it is the cheapest option by over £35. simples.

Now here lies the rub, to make room for this I need to jettison something else, maybe 2 somethings.

On my utility shelving I have the following,

My trusty processor, this is at least 20 years old and is starting to slow down. I only use it on the odd occasion so it is high on my list to go.

My bread maker, only around 18-24 months old, I do not remember exactly, and used regularly as opposed to often. There are 3 recipes that I make over and over again as they have never failed me. I could make these by hand, and would not do so frequently and therefore would save money and waistline,so once again a possibility to go.

The slow cooker, this will stay, I use this regularly and it saves time and money.

 My charity shop[ steamer, once again this will stay, I use it every week.

My griddle, I have used this a few times, mainly for toasted sandwiches, but with the new mini oven will not need it. Out it goes.

The yogurt maker and the spice grinder, these do not take up much space but.... I can not remember the last time that I made yogurt. The spice grinder is ideal for small bits of parmesan rind and a hand full of breadcrumbs, as it is so small it can stay but the yogurt maker is out.

Easy peasy, out goes the griddle and yogurt maker and the processor can go into a box for 3 months, if it does not need to be used in that time it will go as well.

I am ruthless elswhere in the house, one in , one out is the rule. I shop for the basic toiletries and cleaning stuff monthly and every now and then get a "free" month. I am using the library more now and am only buying books second hand, my new to me Elly Griffiths books were 1p each from Amazon. Yes I had to pay postage but they still came in at £2.81 each and I will keep them.

I am not about to make a meal plan yet, I know that it works for lots of people and I have done it myself. At this stage I am going to work my way through the oldest food first and then settle down to work out a plan after a week, give or take a day or two.

The rain has stopped and there is sunshine and a light breeze so I am off to gather blackberries shortly. These will be washed, drained and frozen for when I need to add fruit to the menu. I have a supply of apples for the next few weeks and some of those will be bottled, frozen and I am going to try drying rings in the residual heat when the big oven is used.

My word, I think that is enough for one post, my reasons to be grateful are very simple most of the time and today is no exception.

1.  I have the ability to work through the next 2 months with minimum spending.

2.  I do this because I want to, not because I have to.

3.  I have a head start with the stash of foodstuff in the house.

4.  The sun is shining and Ben is snoring.

5.  I have friends around me, and my blog list to go to for encouragement.

There are so many more, all pertinent to me and possibly/probably senseless to others.

That,s it for now, toodles, I hope that you all had a good weekend.

                     TTFN                                                 Pam

Cushion Heaven

Numbers 9 and 10 have been filled, James and Cerys move tomorrow so I thought that some bright new cushions were needed. 

A bright red log cabin, so easy and quick to make and uses up some small scraps in the middle.

A scrappy Strip top, I sew these 5" strips together as leaders and enders while making blocks, before long you have enough for a quilt or a stack of cushions. I am only doing 1 cushion with these as I want to make one in Rail Fence blocks and 1 with HST. Watch this space.

After my enormous dinner on Wednesday I thought that I better eat healthier yesterday.

A mixed leaf salad with peppers, cucumber , celery, radishes and fresh herbs. I cute up a small piece of Cheddar and a smaller piece of cheese with Chilies.  It was lovely I used some Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar and the little pops of heat from the chili cheese were tasty.

I had a small slice of my Banana Cake for pudding, it is small the plate is only 6".

This the log cabin cushion from the book I used for the knitting bag, I prefer the traditional method of dark on one corner and light on the opposite. I have made the Courthouse Steps version a long time ago, maybe I will make another once I have finished the other 2 for James and Cerys.

On another note altogether, my nails have been weak for years, they split and splinter at the slightest touch,I put it down to the fact that I always had wet hands at work or I wore rubber gloves and at home I was in the garden for much of the time.

I have tried various products at odd times but none of them stood a chance to work because as I handled food I could not wear any of it at work.

Well a while ago I read about a new product from Sally Hansen, Miracle Cure, it comes in a little blue bottle with a gold top. You have to apply a thin coat on to bare nails every 2 days. I have now put my 8th coat on and my nails are no better at all. I am doing less gardening (and less housework with all this sewing and crochet) and had hoped to see a distinct improvement by now. I will carry on for 2 more weeks and if there is no improvement I will be contacting the company. This pretty little bottle was £10 and I expect  to get something for my money.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  The thunder during the night brought a little rain and hot sun all day today.

2.  My sewing is going well and you can not see a dent in the stash.

3.  Ben is still scratching but not as madly.

4.  I have a big salad for dinner tonight.

5.  Fran requested a Bakewell Pudding, so I have made 1 for the weekend, 1 for her to take back on Monday and 1 for a friend.

I did step out of tradition and used strawberry jam, I have used all the raspberry from last year. I will be out looking for some fruit next week. I say jam but it is all seedless, Fran can not cope with the seeds and I prefer to have jelly as well.  I am watching the blackberries, they are growing strong and I will be going off the beaten track to gather them. I do not want to upset the people who pick them every year from the easy to reach places. The Cobnuts are growing apace, I keep an eagle eye out for Grey squirrels but have seen no sign so far.

I am not sure what we will have for dinner tomorrow but Sunday it will be meatloaf, Fran will take a sandwich filled with some on Monday to get her through the train journey and I am going to make one for Maggie. I was having a cup of tea with her yesterday and the subject of weekend food came up, she almost drooled when I mentioned the meatloaf. It is not a recipe for one person so I will make extra and she can have it Monday.

 I filled my slow cooker with beef olives today, they are to be dinner for friends on Saturday, they do not have a slow cooker so I offered to make and cook for them if they bought the ingredients.

I have some seeds to set and I have to look for some more pots and troughs over the weekend, I have plenty of compost. 

I will not do any sewing now until Fran leaves on Monday, we will be far to busy talking. it is a good job that the cushions I have planned go together really fast. 

On that note I am off to the kitchen toot sweet, I feel the need for tea.

Have a good weekend.

                 TTFN                                                 Pam

A Thoughtful Gift and an Overdue Finish.

I think that I may have been wittering on about crochet a tad too much. This was bought for me today.

It was a very thoughtful gift, one that will hopefully kick start a new craft for me.

There is a double page showing the main stitches, and even I can understand them.

6 different Granny Squares, which I will attempt as my starting point.

There are several patterns all using the "free" wool, some of them are knitting. it is an excellent way for me to start but I would not have thought to buy it myself, in fact I have never seen it before.

 I subscribe to 2 sewing magazines and that is enough.

While looking for something I unearthed this from the very back corner of a cupboard. It just needed lining, so I ran that up yesterday evening and finished it off.

Another bag to keep in the car, I will not use carrier bags I do not like them plus they saw your fingers off if they are heavy.

I am still cutting my way through anything smaller than a fat quarter, mostly into 1 1/2" strips, some 2 1/2" strips and crumbs. I am taking selvedges off at 1 1/2" for a future project. I am nearly halfway through and can see the benefits, my storage looks better, I can see my fabrics without having to shuffle through them.

The day started off with wind and rain but cleared to bright sunshine for about 3 hours, we are so lucky compared to much of the country.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Good friends.

2. A gift to keep me busy for a few hours.

3. A big pile of ready cut strips for my next quilt.

4. The garden is nearly dry enough to work in.

5. The village shop is nearly ready to reopen.

There has been lots of activity in the village shop, new floors and storage, a window bricked up and the internal walls have been moved. There has been some rather large refrigerated units moved in  and some work done at the rear.

I do miss the shop, not that I used it much but it was a good central meeting place and source of information.

I am off to brew up and open my wool pack and see if I make a Granny Square or a Spiders Web.

     TTFN                                                       Pam