Batch Cooking & Pancakes...

Well I had to try my recipe to check it worked ;-)

Step 1 - Mixture poured into the frying pan...


Step 2 - Flipping it!! Takes much concentration by the looks of it!


Step 3 - Smother with lemon juice and sugar..


Step 4 - Gone!!....Next...


Now, I have had a somewhat turbulent couple of weeks and during this I had my first Organic vegetable box delivery (*Yey*).

I am really pleased with the contents of the box I absolutely wholeheartedly believe in paying more for Organic & wherever possible UK produce, we also had Organic Milk and Bread delivered. The service from Abel & Cole has been absolutely fantastic as well. They phoned the day before delivery to say it was coming and to see if i had any questions and then phoned the day after delivery to check I was happy with everything!

The only problem I face is that due to recent circumstances I am spending large amounts of time either with family (here or at theirs) and therefore do not have the time (or inclination) to cook.
I am still getting over the flu I had over the prior weekend as well and I know that in order for my body to feel well and to have a better sense of well being I need to feed my body with something decent.

So instead of eating the veg fresh as and when needed I am going to batch cook as much of it as possible (otherwise it will end up in the compost as it was not used as i didn't have time).

So perishable contents of fridge:
cauliflower, white cabbage, swede, lettuce

Perishable contents of cupboard:
potatoes

Perishable contents of veg box:
Leeks, onions, potatoes, celeric, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, green cabbage, lettuce

What will I be cooking?

Leek & Potato Soup (using the leeks & half of the potatoes)(Chopped 5 leeks and 5 potatoes and fryed in butter, added 2 pints of chicken stock, blended and sieved it smells delicious!)

Italian tarts (using mushrooms and tomatoes and puff pastry from freezer)(Puff pastry rolled out and cut into squares, scored 1cm from edge, tomato puree spread on middle, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms and cheddar cheese placed onto and drizzled with olive oil) (Also made sausage meat and stuffing plait to use up the rest of the pastry).

Cornish pasties (using potato, onion, swede, carrots and minced beef from freezer will make shortcrust pastry from scratch)
Cabbages, lettuces and grated carrot use as salad with tarts or pasties.

Cereriac ?? Never had this before I have no idea what to do with it! Anyone??

Also in a recent post I said I would use the old style ashtray/soapdish by the sink...here it is...


Also the old style pot I had from grans is being used to hold my utensils, and you can see the lamp in my kitchen to save me using a bazillion lights in the kitchen fittings! You can also see my notepad where I had just been listing the freezer contents!


And to sign off I thought I would list 5 things I am thankful for as I haven't done it for a while and it is very easy to become wrapped up in yourself when you are grieving.

1. That my gran & gramp are together. It may be difficult for me and the family to move on without gran but ultimately she is back where she belongs, by his side.
2. My Ipod. I used to sing in a band with my sisters from the age of 10 to 15. We made a few CD's and did bookings at pubs and clubs a couple of times a month. Although I do not regret giving it up I absolutely love singing. I got my Ipod a few christmases ago and singing along to it helps me deal with so many thoughts and feelings. I feel really good when I have just sung my heart out!
3. That I am fortunate enough to have a job which enables me to save for an emergency fund/house/baby fund. And that alongside this I still have some spare to help charities and people who need it. I am going to do a car bootsale soon to raise more money for the house fund and (mainly) to declutter. How fortunate I am to have excess to sell off.
4. I am thankful for my parents in law and husband being 'OK' with gran coming here to die. I am filled with such peace and calm knowing her wish of being 'at home' was fulfilled and her being here enabled all the family to be her when she passed. I will NEVER ever stop being thankful for that.
5. I am also thankful for my family. They are not perfect be any means and they may cause me shedloads of stress but they love me. I am so lucky to have a family that love me and are there for me.

I hope everyone is ok - please share your 5 if you leave a comment!!

Pancake Day

It's Pancake day!! So here is a recipe for pancakes and their various toppings
Ingredients:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
Steps:
1. Sift flour & salt into a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
3. Whisk the eggs & flour together.
4. Slowly add the milk and water mixture, still whisking.
5. Whisk until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.
6. Melt the butter in a pan, spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in.
7. Pour the rest of the butter into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
8. Get the pan to a medium heat and ladle the batter into the pan (don't use too much).
9. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
10. After half a minute or so to cook flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only.
11. Slide it out of the pan onto a plate.

To Serve (Just a few ideas for toppings):
1. Sprinkle the pancakes with caster sugar and lemon juice.
2. Or, Chocolate spread.
3. Or, Golden syrup & bananas.
4. Or, Strawberries and drizzled dark chocolate.
5. Or, Peanut butter and Jam

Roll or fold up the pancakes to serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Pictures

The service was very emotional today but went very well.
The hard part starts now, moving forward whilst dealing with the grief.

However I'm feeling really positive and looking forward to getting the house straight and getting things back on track after the recent upheaval here.

Here are a few pictures of things that have been making me smile this week:

Me and my Gorgeous Niece Jessica (here she was about 8 hours old) now 11 days old!
My daffodil collection - they have always been dear to my heart since I heard a story that Gramp ate one for a bet! When Gran came home I collected some daffodils in bud from the garden to flower inside. As she was passing away one (just one out of all below) was opening until when she had left us it was completely open. Magical just Amazing.
The real daffodils from the garden are in the vase, the ones in the plant pot are fake and were given to me by the family as a everlasting reminder of 'that' moment. The small daffodil head is a daffodil pin that we all have (donation of £1 to Marie Curie Cancer for each one) and wore to the funeral today. You will also see a locket which have daffodils on, I have one and I gave one to gran (in her coffin).


When I was down Grans the other day I found this book in a drawer, it seems that she was 'green' at heart to!! I can't wait to read this!

It is funny what things are sentimental, here is one of gran and gramps butter knifes. I just 'had' to have one of these for a keepsake! Fond memories come flooding back just looking at it. Almost every time you went in they would have bread and butter spread really thickly.


This was on the windowsill at grans as well. I think she used it as an ashtray, however it was just so adorable I have brought it home. I'll probably use it next to the kitchen sink to keep the dishcloth etc on.


We have also been very lucky in being able to have a solid wood sideboard which is just beautiful, I will post a picture of this when we have it.

I hope everyone is well and I look forward to posting a bit more regularly now!

I'm off to do some cooking and cleaning to try and realign myself back to normality.

Grief & Finding the Peace

Just a quick update to let you all know that Gran deteriorated over the last 10 days. We were told we would have her with us for a few weeks/days on Friday. As she couldn't go 'home' she came to mine on Saturday at 5pm and passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at 3.35am on Sunday morning.

It has been a hard weekend and I'm sure it will be difficult for a while yet. Her funeral is on Monday so I am going to take some time out until then to try and find some peace.

Grief is a funny thing one minute you are immensely sad and overcome by the tears the next you are laughing at funny memories. She will be very sadly missed.

I know gran is at peace now and reunited with gramp who passed away just over a year ago. I need to reconnect with my soul and find my peace with the situation so that I can regain strength to move forward day by day.

Life and death are part of the same cycle and my Niece was born on Thursday and she has certainly helped me see the other side of the cycle and cheer me up.

To make matters even better (she says sarcastically) I have the coldy fluey thing going round and have been quite ill over the weekend.

However the sunshine and birds singing today quietly reminded me that however bad things get...they always get better.

Organic Vegetable & Fruit Boxes

Well after my post about recycling and how annoying it is having fruit and veg wrapped in ten layers of plastic, it was suggested I consider a vegetable box delivery.

We hubby and I have mulled this over and think it is the right way to go.
We decided on using Abel & Cole as they are wholly organic and try wherever possible to use UK Produce and as it is delivered in a box there is no packaging and any packaging there is can be recycled.

We are going to have a large fruit and veg box, some milk and bread delivered every other week.

So lets see how this goes!! Its feels really good that amongst all of the chaos and madness in the family at the moment we are still moving forward with our aims and goals.

I am currently preparing for a 'homemade' valentines evening but I cannot write about that until Sunday as I do not want Allan to know what we are eating!!

What a weekend!

Hi everyone,

Just an update from me. Gran is still in hospital they won't start the chemo until she is feeling better and is stronger.

My auntie went to collect a few of Grans things to take to the hospital on Saturday and then saw it.
The tank in the airing cupboard had split, leaking water into both of the bedrooms, through the floor/ceiling into the lounge and the dividing wall downstairs!.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon trying to lodge the claim and get things moving.
** Red Tape Alert ** Can you believe that even when I explained to the insurance company that Gran was in hospital with terminal cancer and we didn't want to tell her of the true extent of the damage as we were worried this could make her worse. The insurance company would not speak to me. I gave them her name, address, DOB, policy number etc etc but no. We had to get my auntie who had gone to visit to phone the insurance company on her mobile in hospital (which you are not allowed to do!) and get gran from her hospital bed to say I am allowed to deal with it.
You would have thought in these circumstances they would have showed some leniency!.
Ok Rant over.

Anyway we managed to get the company dealing with the contents out yesterday and he has said with his experience that it will probably take approx 4 months to sort. As they will probably have to pull up the floor upstairs, pull down the ceiling downstairs, strip the internal wall, dry out, re plaster, and then redecorate and re carpet the whole house!

So I have managed to get a day off today to try and sort it with the insurance company to find alternative accommodation. Even though Gran is ill she is still fiercely independent so would not live with anyone! Poor Gran!

So that is the long story as to why I haven't posted on here!

Hope everyone else is OK and hopefully when this week settles down I'll be able to get back to Greening/Simplifying/Frugality!

Finding the happiness in simplicity

I think that to be truly happy we need to find 'simple' things every day that make us happy. It is an affirmation that today was a good day and that you have made a difference.

Today has been an average day. The snow was so bad in the village I was unable to go to work.
I feel tired and am nearly ready for bed. As it has been snowing for 5 days on and off this is nothing new.

Yet out of this average day I suddenly see all of the simple, frugal (no cost) things that have made me happy today. Some of which are-
1. A snowball fight with my sister and mum
2. Making a snow woman
3. Digging my mums car out of the snow (It is the first time in my life I have had to do this).
4. Walking in the snow so much that little Millie has slept for 5 hours straight.
5. Having a log fire to warm the house using 'used' newspapers, homemade firelighters (tumble dryer fluff stuffed inside toilet roll inners) and logs from a fallen tree at Al's parents farm.
6. Standing in a snow drift so deep it went over my wellies!!
7. Whilst giggling at a friend who slipped over in the snow, having Millie even the game by pulling me over!
8. Drinking a lovely cuppa.
9. Drying my socks on the radiators and trousers in front of the fire.
10. Cutting my favorite parts out of magazines to go in recipe books - green tips, recipes, organising, home ideas, sewing patterns you name it - its in there!

I could go on and on. Although I don't feel bouncing off of the walls happy every day. When I think about it I have a lot to be happy about and a lot to be thankful for.

Things are never straight forward but hey things would be boring if they are.

Thank you all very much for your comments the other day. I'll be taking note of them!

The Crossroads

I am there...the crossroads. I am stood in the middle and I don't know which way I should turn.

Things are a little difficult at the moment. Gran is ill. Although the family in general get on very very well, my immediate family (mum, dad, steph and soph) are not.

As hard as I try to keep out of it I always end up being the mediator and thereby my feelings get hurt and my stress levels rise even though I am not in the argument.

My dad has Multiple Sclerosis, he has had it for nearly 10 years. He can still just about walk with a zimmer frame but is getting worse every day. His grip is going in his hand. He is only 50.

I sometimes close my eyes and imagine how life would be, living in a smallholding in rural wales or yorkshire. Having farm animals and chooks, letting the dog roam free and maybe a polytunnel. Letting the kids run amok and play dens and just be free.
I imagine how lovely it would be having no 'ties' with family. No family members ill whose bedside i'm rushing to, no rowing family to quiet, no referees outfit to wear.
And then that thought makes me sad and happy and the same time. Happy because it would be lovely and sad for the same reason.

I love my family very much and would do ANYTHING to help them.

But today I have come to the conclusion that they cannot be helped.

I am at a crossroads do I go down with them or stay strong and look after No1?
Do I concentrate on putting my family first or should I be putting my all into my career?
Am I being sucked into their negativeness and risking my marriage with my moodiness?

How do you include family in you life when 90% of time it brings sadness?

I am at a crossroads and I don't know which way to turn.

Sorry for this rather negative post, I'm sure my path will pick me soon and tell me which way to walk. I just feel a little lost at the moment.

Recycling

We really try and recycle everything we can.

As a rule this is what we recycle:
Cans
Glass Bottles
Newspaper/Junk Mail/Magazines (Either sent for recycling or used for fire)
Yellow Pages/ Telephone directories
Plastic bottles
Cardboard
Tetrapaks
Clothes/Shoes/Bags (either sent for recycling or charity)
Wood
Electrical Items (taken to recycling centre)
Ink Cartridges for Printer (sent to help child line)
Food waste - all non cooked items composted.
General Household goods/furniture (Offered to friends/family/freecyle/charity)
Plastic bags

We do aim to recycle everything we can. One problem we face is the over packaged fruit and vegetables. We try to eat organically and find that more often than not these items are in a non recyclable plastic carton wrapped in plastic.

We also try to find multi uses for things by adapting them to fit our ever changing needs.

For example we have a cotton duvet set that has become misshapen and therefore we do not use it anymore. I will be 'reusing' these as I am going to turn them into cot blankets and also rags.
Also I am going to go through my wardrobe and 'declutter' so I will be bearing my fabric pile in mind before recyling anything I no longer need.

Can anyone think of anything else we should be doing?

Water Usage

Well as if it wasn't bad enough the water bill arrived today.

Over 210 days we used 67 units which means a bill of £235.88.
We used on average 0.32 of a unit a day and therefore £1.12 a day.

My target with the water usage is to get the bill to approx £1 a day max.

One little good thing though is that our monthly DD payments of £38.50 had exceeded the value of the bill by £104.94. We will therefore be phoning the water company and getting a cheque for this and putting it into our house savings.

Things we do currently:
- We have a water butt
- We normally have showers (bath once a week)
- Turn the taps off when brushing teeth
- Don't have a swimming/paddling pool
Actually that is all I can think of that we do to save water. (Oh Dear)

Things we will do:
- Retain bath water to 'flush' toilet (must find a container to keep in the toilet).
- Ensure Stacey's showers do not overrun (might have to get a waterproof timer!!)
- Reuse cooking water to water houseplants.
- Only hand wash a 'full load' rather than a few bits here and there.
- Reuse water from condenser tumble dryer to 'flush toilet'

Any other tips would be really appreciated.

I would really like to become more self sufficient in energy & water!

Decluttering & Organising - Step 1

I am a hoarder. I believe it is genetic as my mum was the same. I need 'spares'. It will come in useful some when. Why chuck it away when I might need to buy it again some when. It is of sentimental value. It is a good solid piece it would be a shame to throw it away. How can I be green if I get rid of things.

These are all things I have said to myself over the last week.

Step 1 to decluttering and organising.

Admitting that things have to change and wanting it to.

The admission that even after saying all of the above excuses I have too much 'stuff'. That I am struggling to live a simple life surrounded by all of these 'things'. And that no matter how hard it is to part with 'things' I really want to do it.

I have a real issue with getting rid of things.
Stationery, clothes, shoes, ornaments,photos, paperwork and on and on and on.

Things have to change.

I am going to start small as I really need to take 'one step at a time' with this.
I'll start with the area around my desk.

My findings:
Staples - 2 boxes - decanted into a small jar
Post it notes - one huge block and 10 small ones!! - retained 2 small ones
labels - 2 small packs different types - OK.
paperclips - one box - decanted into small jar.
26/6 staples - one huge box and one small (for a stapler we used once to make wedding invites!) retain big box get rid of small
Filofax - address pages, post it notes, ruler & ruled notepad. - don't need any more.
140 ink cartridges in assorted colours (I haven't used a cheap fountain pen in years)
4 glue sticks - 2 completely dried out so threw these away, others will be used for scrap books)
4 sharpeners - only need one!
15 mini highlighters - don't need
4 medium highlighters - keep
1 pen highlighter - keep
1 jumbo highlighter - don't need
3 compasses - only need one
11 felt tip pens - don't use.
Colouring pencils - use occasionally.
6 sketching pencils - use occasionally.
Bottle of tip ex - cheap bottle and is rubbish!
1 bottle of good tip ex - keep.
Assorted rulers - retain one of each.
2 Parker fountain pens and 14 ink cartridges. - keep one pen & Cartridges.
4 fountain pen correctors- don't use
8 permanent markers - keep for labelling boxed when we move out.
5 assorted permanent markers - don't use
2 'security markers' - keep and label TV etc.
51 pencils - keep 10 best
10 red Biro's - keep 4
4 green Biro's - keep 4
49 black/blue Biro's - keep 25
1 silver paint market - keep
3 calligraphy pens - don't use
1 pack invisible mounts - use for scrap books
1 pack - bulldog clips - use
2 staplers - keep one
2 mini rolls of sellotape on dispensers - keep
2 hole punches - keep one
3 erasers - keep one
3 calculators - 2 scientific and one mini - get rid of old scientific.
2 rewritable discs - keep
1 pair scissors - keep
Various envelopes - all OK
cream 'special paper' and burgundy card - use for crafting.
one ream of printer paper/wallets & dividers - all OK
large A4 sheet of 10 labels - OK.
sellotape - 2 rolls.
one magazine file full of 'lined paper' - sell Filofax paper keep 3 a4 pads.
one magazine file full of 'other paper' - keep a4 square pad, a4 journal pad, graph paper, give white card to mum and get rid of white paper.
three pencil cases! - keep one

Oh my god!! This stationery was in my desk and dotted about here and there but when I listed it even I was shocked at how much there was!

I have put the unwanted items onto freecycle. Hopefully someone will make good use of them.

Now which drawer/shelf shall I tackle next?