A Profitable Way To Spend The Afternoon

 

When Hubby told me it was going to be a scorcher today, I thought he would appreciate a salad and quiche for lunch, instead of the usual roll.

Morrisons had a new "Mexican" coleslaw this week, so I have added that for an extra kick, which I am sure he will like.

 

 

I had intended doing some touching up in the conservatory, paint wise, but decided it was way too warm for that, so opted to clean the windows.....well needless to say it was just as hot a task so it was abandoned half way through!

 

 

An indoor job was the order of the day I thought, so sorted out some bags from the dining room, and found a tin of shoe polish I had bought reduced to 20p some time ago.

I couldn't think why I had bought this particular colour as no one had shoes that colour, then I remembered....it was to "feed" our oak shelves with!

We had bumped into the son of the man who put all the oak in our house, when he bought it from new back in the 30's.

We had mentioned some of the shelving was rather faded and what was the best way to treat it....

...shoe polish he said!

It has certainly brought this shelf up beautifully ( if only I had done a "before" picture!) and was pretty quick to do as well.

 

 

I needed a few bits from Asda, so Teen One and I took a trip out, going via the charity shop, who were very grateful for the box of goodies we dropped off.

We all love malt loaf and were sad when the Toastie malt loaf was withdrawn from sale, but these look rather yummy, rather like an "English" muffin to look at, but malt loaf of course.

Can't wait to try one!

 

 

I picked up this radiator cleaner in the bargain corner....having seen how much dust is down some of my radiators it's not before time!

 

 

One of the reasons I chose Asda today was they had dishwasher tablets on special offer.

£7 instead of £9, not the biggest reduction, but the best on offer at the moment and as I am running out I couldn't wait for a better one.

I checked my receipt in the car as the bill seemed higher than I expected, and I saw I had been charged £9 for the tablets!

I went back to the aisle and re-checked the price, yep definitely £7 not £9.

An assistant was passing by so I asked her to check I had the right packet....

...seems I didn't!

The pack I had picked up was 44 for £9,

the special offer was 67 for £7!

Go figure that!

Whoever would knowingly pick up a smaller pack for more money?

I was doubly glad I had gone back as I was £2 better off and a third more tablets.

 

 

Something that caught our eye was Watermelon juice,

it was "ok" but much better served with ice and mint!

 

 

Teen One rather liked the look of the tapas section, so we treated ourselves to

"3 for £5" which will last us a couple of days at least.

 

 

Whilst I could have sat in the garden all afternoon, enjoying the lovely weather and listening to the peace and quiet, I went back in to finish some chores.

Moving the filing cabinet being one of them...inch by inch I finally got it to where I wanted it, making sure I didn't twist and put my back out!

I also gave the washing machine a "service wash" with some soda crystals.

The local hard water plays havoc with our machines, and the damp problems from the old conservatory causes issues as well, so a monthly service wash keeps on top of these problems, although it always seems such a waste to have the machine on and no washing in it!

 

 

 

Whilst I busied myself indoors, Teen One occupied herself by trying to make a seagull out of a 4pint milk bottle....it looked much better than this, she reckoned, when it was made at school by a visitor....its all in the cut I am sure!

 

 

She then went into the garden to enjoy the weather and do some Bible study,

she chose a word study on "faith," what a profitable way to spend the afternoon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever Happened To "Time Is Money?"

 

 

My goal today was to reclaim as much of the dining room as I could.

Find a place in my new storage unit for things I was keeping, and homes for everything else.

 

 

It's taken the best part of the day, but the table is now clear as is most of the floor.

There are still one or two homes to be found for larger items, but the room is at least habitable again....

 

 

...there are two boxes to go to charity....

 

 

 

...and just the small matter of things piled up on the stairs!

 

 

My new storage cupboard has swallowed up way more than I thought and still has plenty of room with a bit of rearranging.

 

 

Amongst the pile of stuff to be found a home were these couple of selection boxes!

Teen One thinks she ate hers, so Teen Two is in for a pleasant surprise later!

We also found a tub of Celebrations, goodness knows who they belong to, but we will all enjoy them that's for sure.

 

 

 

I also found an old box of cutlery, which Grandma had found in her house and asked Hubby to take to the tip.

Well we couldn't do anything so wasteful, especially as this retro style is used in upcycling these days.

So I uploaded them onto Freecycle and within minutes had someone interested.

I must confess, some of the cutlery looks like it has silver stamps on the handle so I have kept them back to get valued.

 

 

In between sorting the dining room, there was of course the usual laundry to be done, and whilst putting some away I noticed the damp traps needed replacing.....

...what I couldn't get over was the difference in colour!

The one on the left is from Teen Two's room and the other Teen One!

She assures me she has not been using it in the middle of the night!

She wonders if its anything to do with hers being next to a plant....who knows, but very odd!

 

 

A few weeks back I called in to my local The Range enquiring if they sold replacement canopies for my gazebo.

I was very disappointed that after only three summer it was green with mould and the fabric was perishing.

I was told they didn't, but if I emailed the Head Office they may have a spare one, or offer a replacement.

I duly did this and yesterday received a reply that the canopy was only sold as a package with the frame and given a little lecture on how to look after it...all of which I had adhered to.

So, I emailed back expressing my disappointment and asking if they might have a word with the sales department regarding getting extra canopies made.

I told them I felt it made good financial sense to offer customers a replacement as it would keep us returning to them etc.

Well....this morning I had an email saying they would now do this and gave me a link to buy a replacement!

So I am delighted with that as I really love my gazebo but could not stomach having to fork out for a new frame and canopy every few years!

A couple of months ago we switched power suppliers and so far everything has gone smoothly.

We had an email a few weeks back from our old supplier asking for a meter reading so they could do a final bill and assured us they would send the meter reading to the new supplier.

I was a little surprised therefore to receive an email yesterday from  the new supplier reminding me they needed a meter reading.

Oh well, it doesn't take a couple of minutes to do it online so I did it straight away.

Imagine my surprise when the door went this morning and it was a man wanting to read the meter!

I asked who he was working on behalf  of and he said Npower...the new supplier.

I said I had only just given them one but let him in anyway.

He took the electric reading, tapped it into his machine, then went to leave...

..."aren't you going to take the gas reading as well?" I asked

"The company who supply me with the work only ask for electric today......but I will probably be back tomorrow for the gas reading as that is requested by a different company!"

I was astounded and he said it made for very awkward return visits, and many customers vented their frustration on him, and he too found it frustrating as often customers weren't in on his second visit!

Whatever happened to time is money?

 

 

Teen One has been a terrific help today.

She did various loads of sorting out for me, all of which would have added to the already long process of sorting out the dining room.

She also made a chicken and mushroom pie for tonight's dinner.

 

 

I love the way so little goes to waste with these fellas around,

I always hated throwing peelings away for some reason!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bubble Trouble!

 

Last night was not a good night for poor Teen One.

On the journey home from her weekend away she said she had a pain in her stomach, we hoped it was just the different eating times/habits and that it would pass.

Sadly she didn't get any sleep last night, being in constant pain with one of her abdominal migraine attacks.

I was blissfully unaware until 3.40am when I heard her being ill.

Poor thing, although she did take her migraine medication when she got home, they need to be taken at the first sign of a pain and last night goes to show the meds are unable to help once the attack has taken hold.

She stayed in bed until noon, had a long soak in the bath and a chilled afternoon.

She is just starting to feel herself again.

We were both thankful the attack happened when it did and not when she was away, that would be very unpleasant for everyone, especially in the confines of a tent!

I couldn't get back to sleep so came down stairs for a cuppa around 4.45am, watched some TV then tried to get some sleep, but sleep only came when I was in the bath around 8am! I woke after dozing off and wondered where I was!!

 

 

The rest of the morning was spent visiting my Monday Recycled Teenager, who braved it to the shops this week, which was great.

My friend came in for lunch and we were able to enjoy a cuppa and catch up under the gazebo.

Next up was a trip to the hospital for Teen Two's three monthly micro suction in his ears.

"Not before time!" said the nurse!

I am very thankful we are now on the regular list, we had to go private initially, which was great for getting an instant fix to a troublesome condition, but was not really financially sustainable, and after all, what do we pay our  NI contributions for!

Whilst in the waiting room I managed to whip up a few rounds of the sock, and wasn't alone in my craftiness, the lady opposite me was doing some tapestry.

 

 

On the way out we passed a table of hand made items, on sale for the neo natal unit.

I always like to see other people's handiwork and there was some beautiful knitting there, oh to have such a neat tension!

However, I can't bring myself to buy something I can make ( even if not so well!) but I was drawn to a pile of small quilts.

 

 

 

I chose a couple, and enquired how much they were....

....£1  said the lady!

"A pound?!" I queried

"Yes a pound."

Well I couldn't believe it and felt sure they were underselling them and wondered if the kind folk who had made them realised how cheaply they were being sold for.

I don't know if they were made with a view that they adorn the cots in the neo natal unit, or be sold as they were today, but I took advantage of them being there and bought two...but couldn't bring myself to pay that small price, so put in extra.

 

I didn't buy them with anyone or any purpose in mind, just because they were so lovely,

they actually look quite good on my small sofa as chair backs, I currently have these on...

 

 

 

 

 

...which were purchases from Amish Country and New England, so bring back happy memories and also cheer up a plain sofa.

I think they are actually tea towels, but way too good for drying dishes!

So I may ring the changes and put the little quilts up, or find somewhere to hang them...or ...

...well any ideas?

I am considering going back up again to see if anymore are put out!

It really was hard to choose I must say.

 

 

On our way home we stopped off to play postie.

We were very low on numbers at Friday Club, a lot of regulars not there and since we have just booked a local indoor play area as an end of term treat, we want to be sure as many know about it as possible.

Teen Two did all the hopping out of the car which saved me a lot of bother

 

 

The title of today's blog was Teen Two's idea,

as I was enjoying a cuppa after returning home, I thought the washing machine sounded a little different...on investigating I discovered the sleeping bag I had put in the wash had created a little too much lather and the machine had leaked it out all over the kitchen floor!

Teen Two came rushing out to see what my gasps were all about, and then when I rushed back in for my camera he said..."Blog?"

"Bubble Trouble for today's title I reckon!"
I reckon he's right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bounties, Bunnies and Board Games

 

 

This morning was of course church first thing, followed by a roast dinner...although it was rather warm in the kitchen again and I would loved to have had something simpler to cook!

 

 

 

 

Grandma brought round a home made jam tart, which was way more exciting than the rice pudding I had planned....which was made using left over brown rice from Friday's curry!

Add some sugar and milk and hey presto  slightly salted rice becomes dessert...well salted caramel is all the rage so why not!

Grandma obviously had some left over pastry judging by the unusual strips on top!

Tasted good though and went well with the rice... as Hubby said....

"...beats just putting jam on the rice pudding!"

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner Grandma pulled out an old envelope, which was full of Grandad's naval records.

I was amazed to discover they were all written on linen!

It made for interesting reading, especially when "Bounty £33" was written in the 40's.

That would have been  a lot of money then, we all wondered what the bounty was for!

 

 

We spent the afternoon in the garden under the gazebo playing board games as usual...

Teen Two won Scrabble, all on his own merit!

Hubby and Grandma play to win so this was something of a triumph!

 

 

Part way through the games we stopped for a little light refreshment...much needed on such a warm afternoon!

The only issue with being outside was it brought on a bad bout of hayfever for Teen Two.

 

 

As usual the cheeky bunnies came to investigate....can you spot the difference between these two pictures...aside from Buster's face being in a different position?

 

 

 

 

Seen it yet?

 

 

 

 

Want a clue?

 

 

Look at my knitting bag....

 

 

.....the cheeky bunny stole my knitting needle!

 

 

Thankfully it wasn't too difficult to retrieve and I was able to take it with me when I went to collect Teen One shortly after tea.

The drive up to Newbury was rather slow, but the drive back was lovely with the sun behind us all the way, with glorious  amber rays lighting up our road.

She had a good weekend and is now shattered after two late nights!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flat Pack Fun!

 

After a lovely lie in ( till 7.30am!) and a cuppa in bed, we headed out to Ikea to look at a storage unit I had seen online.

We all enjoyed a hearty English breakfast, although I can only manage the small one!

We then braved the showrooms to look for the unit.

Generally we stay on the outside path, never venturing in too far as way too many times we have been completely lost and taken ages to get out again!

 

 

 

 

We found the unit and despite it being way more expensive than I really wanted to pay, it ticked all the boxes and more, clean lines, good storage and right size, so we decided to bite the bullet and buy it.

 

 

 

 

I also wanted a worktop to mount above the washing machine, I had one before and it was  so useful, but on the way to the work tops saw this table top for just a fiver!

It is the perfect size and as the work top would have needed cutting and cost us £40, plus been way heavier than necessary, it was the perfect find.

 

 

Of course you can't go to Ikea without coming out with way more than you went in for, and one of those items was this retro milk bottle style vase...for just £1!

 

 

Back home it was time to paint the top of the tiles.

I was determined to remain cool and calm and make the area as splash proof as possible.

However, the first task proved to be a nightmare, the frog tape did not stick to the tiles, neither did masking tape, so we resorted to duck tape which only just stayed on and in the end I had to give up the idea of attaching the tape to the plastic sheeting as well,  it only proved to pull the tape from the tile...

 

 

...pulling the paint down with it!

Grrr!

 

 

However I persevered with just the tape  and going very carefully and slowly managed to get fairly clean lines...and wet wipes made an excellent job of finishing off any hiccups.

I apologise for the blue tint to the pictures coming up, the new glass roof  has a blue tint to keep out the sun, its not visible to the naked eye, but when the sun has moved across the roof all pictures come out bluey!

 

 

 

 

Whilst I was busy painting, the boys were putting the unit together.

We took guesses on how long it would take and reckoned an hour and a half, well there was a short ice cream break in the middle, whilst we waited for the paint to dry, but sadly it took more like four hours!!

 

 

The shelves can be put wherever you want and I am not sure how useful the current arrangement will be, until I start filling it later tonight.

As the doors were going up I noticed a baby blue trim to the edge of the door and thought

"Oh it must be a protective edge ..."

 

 

...the blue tint from the roof doesn't show the blue door...but when Hubby shut it I went into panic mode, thinking we had picked up the wrong colour doors!!

It was so convincing!

Thankfully Hubby confirmed it WAS just the protective film!

The shade of blue took me back to being a child, a lot of kitchen units were this colour back then.

 

 

 

Finally the unit was together, complete with its lovely  gentle touch openers and soft closers.

I now intend spending the evening having fun filling it!