A Titled Lady!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Marian the Arboreal of Deepest Throcking Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Secondhand Furniture, becoming a director and more!

We went to the Emmaus Community shop, near Cambridge, this morning to look for various pieces of furniture now that we're edging towards finished rooms. We found this gorgeous box which will take up residence in our bay window.



We've been having lots of discussion recently about storage. We are slowly decluttering and deciding what we want to keep but we want to ensure we use our space wisely for sufficient storage whilst still making sure we have a home that isn't packed to the rafters with tat! This box is a big sturdy beast and is intended for storing records and CDs. M has a big collection of vinyl and wants to keep alot of it but at the moment it's inaccessible and so never gets used. It needs to be downstairs and easily accessed if we're to play some of it! I'm going to make a cushion or two for the box so that it doubles as a little window seat too. ;o) The Emmaus shop were having a sale - 25% off everything - so that was even better! I love what Emmaus do, their ethos is great and it pleases me no end to not only be able to buy used goods instead of new stuff but also to support their community. :o) While M was loading the box into the car I went for a ferret about in the bric-a-brac section and found a vintage enamel (oh, I adore enamel!) flour bin for my pantry. I've been chasing these on eBay but they're nearly always out of my price range so this was a superb find! Just a few chips on the lid but otherwise is perfect.

Yesterday I went shopping with my mum and dragged her around all the charity shops! :oD I found a birthday present for M (it's his birthday today) as well as a present for a friend's birthday next week. We had a repeat conversation about only shopping for presents from charity shops/car boots/junk shops etc. I'm not sure mum's sold on the idea but I'm definitely going to buy much more from this avenue this year. I've already found two birthday presents for Miss E as well as two cracker presents for next Christmas. :o) Reuse, recycle, repurpose!!

The exciting news of the week is that my two friends, Jo and Claire, and myself put forward an idea for the operatic society's October show and it was chosen by the committee as this year's show! So, we're plunging in to the world of directing a show! The show will launch our 50th anniversary year and the idea of it is to include songs from all the Easter productions we've performed in those 50 years. There's 39 shows in total and we really hope our show will be a successful, celebratory production. Time will tell!

We went out for a meal last night at a great local restaurant. The food is always wonderful! I had sauteed mushrooms in a garlic, white wine and cream sauce topped with Mozzarella on toast followed by chicken breast on sweet potato with rioja jus and a fabulous selection of veg and I finished with creme brulee with glazed banana, waffle and maple syrup. It was totally delicious and worth every penny!

Hmmmmm

Is it just me? Is it? Is it?? I think maybe it bloody well is! However, I'll put that aside for a moment and talk boring everyday stuff as a soothing balm - to me, if not to you. :o)

So, I'm on a baking bent courtesy of my current food challenge. Yesterday I baked little buns that I "iced" with chocolate (so I can't eat them!) and the current fave for Miss E and her dad, cheese and marmite whirls. At the same time I was cooking a Sunday roast so ran out of oven space for making biscuits so that's planned for this evening. I predict chocolate biscuits and something coconutty as I have a bag of coconut to use up! I also made a big vat of lentil and veg soup yesterday, in the slow cooker, and some cake for the birds. :oD

It's bus day today as Miss E has Latin and himself needs the car to pick her up. So, I get to work and hour early and have to stay an hour after I finish whilst waiting to be picked up. It's not all bad though as I get to post drivel to Blogger, read and draw while I'm waiting! :oD

Herewith ends this bout of boredom.

Eeeeeeeeeek!

My piano teacher asked me today if I definitely wanted to be put in for my Grade 1 exam, which has to be done by the end of this week apparently, and I said "yes"! There's no going back now! Eeek! My exam will be towards the end of March so my resolution to practice for at least 20 minutes a day is even more important now!! I have to say, grade exams are jolly expensive and I do not want to waste that money or let myself (or my teacher) down by failing so it's nose to the grindstone now!

I watched You Are What You Eat last night and was pretty annoyed by some of it, so much so that I fired off an email to the Radio Times this evening, something I've never felt compelled to do before! I come across as a grumpy mare but what the heck, this year is about being proud of who I am and I had my say! Yay me! Which reminds me, I must write to the Devil's supermarket about their most recent misdemeanours!!

Food Challenge Update

Just popped in for a little update on my food challenge. ;o) So, since 23rd Dec I have spent the grand total of £12.46 on food. This was all on milk barring one bag of potatoes. Oh, and a packet of Value Rich Tea for the kids to decorate on New Year's Eve! I guess that might seem a little high but I do buy organic milk which is more expensive, of course. Miss E was slightly alarmed yesterday to hear that crisps aren't on the list of essentials I'm buying! Shock, horror! But the up side is that she's agreed to try some different things in her lunch box in lieu. :o) I want to do some baking tonight so I'm thinking I might bake some cheese straws which she loves but I don't make too often. Might whack some muffins in the oven too. On Saturday I made what has affectionately become known as Barbie bread! LOL The Barbie element comes from grated raw beetroot. :o) I've tried it once before in my old breadmaker but this loaf was much nicer. It's just flecked with beetroot inside but the crusts are a seriously alarming pink! LOL We all like it, even Miss E who shuns vegetables of any type and description given the option!! I'm looking forward to hearing about the canteen chat at lunchtime from them both producing pink sarnies! LOL

The Food Challenge

This January I'm on a mission to use what food I have in my cupboards, fridge & freezer and see just how creative I can be and how far into January I can get without going grocery shopping! The only permissable purchases are "essentials" and this really just means milk, fresh fruit and veg (oh, and Belle made me add dog food to the list!). I've done this before but I'm uber enthusiastic this year! Generally speaking I spend £60 a week on a big grocery shop but then tend to top up two or three times during the week so I've probably been spending closer to £80 and I'm just not happy about that at all. I'm also trying to reduce our portion sizes as they've crept up a bit and I often seem to overcook and although I'm quite good at using leftovers I sometimes end up with too many leftovers and combined with stuff in the fridge that needs using (and can't be frozen) that often leads to waste. ;o( So, I want to knock that on the head and, of course, smaller portions are good for my ongoing healthier eating. Another habit I need to beat is not taking lunch to work. I often don't make time to do myself a lunch and then end up going out and buying lunch which is unhealthy for me food wise, not to mention financially! I've joined a US based Yahoo group called Pantry Challenge for a bit of inspiration although I suspect I won't last long as it's very big and very busy! Is there a similar UK based Yahoo group?? So, tomorrow, it's back to work and it's my long Tuesday so I will need a lunch. I have a tub of FIL's peas in the freezer so I'm planning pea & mint soup, one of my faves! ;o) After our little New Year's Eve soiree yesterday we had quite a lot of leftover party food but we've made inroads into it today and the fridge isn't groaning quite as much as it was although we are! LOL Anyway, expect lost of boring frugal talk as of now!!