lazylol

Saturday morning and I have the whole weekend off!  I am planning on getting my housework done this morning and then finishing the book I'm reading at the moment....

The Mistresses Daughter by A. M. Homes.

Tomorrow I am going to tackle my huge ironing pile and then do some baking for the week.  I have been thinking a lot lately about the rising cost of my grocery bill.  With four adults to feed I spend quite a bit. Although I do cook most of our meals from scratch which is cheaper and more healthy than buying ready made food, I am interested to see how much more I can do.  Last week I made pizzas for the first time and my family have been begging me to make more.  It was so much cheaper than buying them.  I am going to experiment with freezing some to see how they are when cooked from frozen.  I am also thinking about making my own yogurt and flavouring it with fruit.  This should cost a lot less than buying  yogurts and they will be better for us, shop bought yogurts are full of sugar & additives. I have a recipe to try for banana cookies which uses up over ripe bananas.  I already make a banana cake every week so this will be a nice change. Good for the four lunch boxes I pack up every day.  I have lots of other ideas. I have recently dicovered these blogs which have given my lots of ideas on how to save money at the supermarket checkout, along with the inspiration to try out some new ideas.  There also seems to be loads of programmes and magazine articles around at the moment on this subject so it seems many people are feeling the pinch.

Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine

Isn't life so much better when the sun is shining.....I long for these lovely sunny summer days that we are having here in the UK.  I hate going to work when it's sunny but luckily I finish at 3 so we've been having BBQ for our tea in the garden...lovely.  I am making the most of it because I know it won't last but can we just have another weekend like the last one before it rains?? I spent this weekend at the caravan, we did lots of walking on the beach, BBQing, and I spent a whole day painting the two shed boxes we have at the back of the caravan.  They were looking very tatty so I sanded, primed, undercoated and then painted them in 'Buckingham Green' and now they look splendid! Although I am now aching in parts I had forgotten I had and I stupidly stayed on in the sun a bit too long so I am a bit sore too.  Ouch.  You'd think I would know better at my age would'nt you?

So back at work today and then I've been in the loft getting out my bag of summer clothes, it was suddenly sunny and I had nothing to wear and no flip flops..gasp! Another lovely thing about the summer is wearing less clothing after the winter and flip flops. So out came all the summer clothes and back up went all the dull winter garments, hopefully they will not come back down until September...late September.

I have the place to myself tonight, all the men folk have taken themselves off to the pub to watch the football so I am spending time this evening sitting in the garden, steadily working my way through a bit more of my book pile.

I love this book, New From Old: How To Transform And Customize Your Clothes by Jayne Emerson

There are a lot of great projects in this book, including a chapter on dying clothing which I found interesting.  I have some summer things that I am tempted to try it out on if I have the courage.

My current book stack....

I've read a couple of them so I'm doing well!  I've started to read in my lunch break at work and I am really seeing a difference in how much I am getting through so I think I am going to keep it up.  One good thing about my job is that I don't have my lunch break at the same time as the rest of the school because I cover reception duties while the receptionist is on her lunch break. Which means I get the staff room all to myself so it is nice and quiet and I can read.

I am also busy packing for a long weekend at the caravan so I am really looking forward to that and am taking my craft box so hopefully I will get some cards made, along with lots of walking and a Sunday afternoon in the pub! Lovely.

Lovely weekend

After spending a lovely weekend at the caravan, I am now back home and frantically throwing washing in the machine and making packed lunches for tomorrow.  I really didn't want to come back - especially as the weather was lovely today.  We went for a long walk on the cliff tops...ahhh now I am back to reality.

My son and his girlfriend came to stay with us on Friday night so we went out to the club on the camp site and had a great night - but too much beer I'm afraid.  I had a hangover on Saturday (ouch - bad head!) so had a lazy day just reading and then watching the X Factor. (oh and munching out - oops, chips and star bar but not together!)

I finished reading this....

and then started on this.....

 

Well I better get back to playing catch up xx

September Saturday

It feels like Autumn this morning.  Although it is bright and sunny, the temperature has definitely dropped and it is a lovely crisp morning.  I am making the most of it by pegging out lots of laundry.  I am sad I know but I love drying my washing on the line and i miss it in the winter!  I am feeling proud of myself because I am already half way through my ironing pile and it's only 10 am (and OMG it was a HUGE pile). Oh my favourite radio show is starting so that will keep me going though the rest of the pile. Jonathan Ross, this man makes me laugh so much. Check him out on Radio 2

This afternoon I will be shopping and baking.  Lovely.

And tonight watching X Factor and hopefully finishing this lovely book....

 

Eve Green by Susan Fletcher

Have a lovely weekend all xx

Saturday Sunshine & Sadness

What lovely weather we had today, I sat in the garden and started on my summer reading list.  Oh I do hope we have lots of days like this during the summer.  It is so nice to be able to sit outside after months of cold dark nights (and days) I am not even bothered that I have to go back to work after a two week holiday.  I did get plenty done this holiday and now I am starting some sewing.  My friend Kim & I are doing a sew along of this tutorial.  It will be Kim's first ever sewing project so i hope she enjoys it!

This is the book I read today - very sad and not the usual thing I read but I couldn't put it down and feel better for being brave and reading it. Why do such terrible things like this have to happen?

Fluffy White Rice

I love cooking and will attempt any recipe without hesitation.  That's not to say I haven't had my share of failures, but on the whole I can usually come out ok.  Cooking rice, however, is another matter completely.  It never comes out right.  I've tried numerous different methods but can't get it quite right.  Last night I made some and it was the worse I have ever eaten. Mushy mess. A flop. 

So it is my aim to cook perfect fluffy white rice.  I refuse to let it get the better of me.  Any tips?

Well back to lying on the settee (don't you just love Sundays?) and reading this -

Resistance

I've been sick all week with toncilitis.  Much better today though.

I am just finishing reading 'A Whisper To The Living' by Ruth Hamilton. It's been a great book.  The write up on the back said it is her first novel but seeing as I thrifted it, it was a fairly old copy.  I was hopeful of more so I googled her and am delighted to find that she has written a whole lot more since then.  So my reading list is now rather full at the moment but i am excited to start on the next one! But which to choose!

A Whisper to the Living (1989)
With Love from Ma Maguire (1990)
Nest of Sorrows (1991)
Billy London's Girls (1992)
Spinning Jenny (1993)
The September Starlings (1994)
A Crooked Mile (1995)
Paradise Lane (1996)
The Dream Sellers (1997)
The Bells of Scotland Road (1997)
The Corner House (1998)
Miss Honoria West (1999)
Mulligan's Yard (2000)
Saturday's Child (2002)
Matthew and Son (2002)
Chandlers Green (2003)
The Bell House (2005)
Dorothy's War (2005)

I know some of the covers look a bit corny but don't let that put you off! lol

Today i am also resisting a drive to the fabric shop.  It's about 30 minutes into the city centre and i really don't need to go but I want to.  I am telling myself that I really must use some of the stash first or even work on some on the projects I've started lately and abandoned half way through!  I will keep telling myself this of course until I give in and go anyway.........resist resist!