Tiffin!

Hi everyone!

Our Christmas holidays have begun! We've been busy decorating the trees in the children's bedrooms this morning and watched the film 'Happy Feet' 

We had a little treat at lunchtime...homemade tiffin. It's so naughty but nice! 

I've got cottage pie to make for tea and a tidy up in the children's rooms ready for their new toys to find homes. The excitement is building!

Mandy x 

Feeling festive

Hi everyone 

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I received a surprise gift in the post from an Instagram friend...

This collection of 1930s recipes, handwritten with newspaper clippings too.

I can't wait to try out the cakes!

Another surprise as I flicked through.

In the afternoon we went to the children's school nativity and Christingle service at the church. Such a special time.

So much excitement for children as we get closer to Christmas and being at school is a lot of fun! Next week is jammed pack full of fun. When they break up we have loads of crafty activities to do and much baking to get ready. Creating memories...

Mandy x 

Homemade but simple!

Hi everyone!

At this busy time of year it would be so easy to bung some freezer food in the oven for tea, but instead I make little shortcuts when I'm short on time. Yesterday was one of those days so I made quiche for tea...

It doesn't look perfect but it was delicious! I used bought shortcrust (although not ready rolled) and baked it for 15 minutes. I then whisked up six eggs with a good slosh of cream that needed using up. I put thinly sliced onion on the pastry base and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese. The egg mixture was poured over next and a sprinkle of parsley. I then baked it until set and golden brown. 

A little cheat not making my own pastry, but that gave me a little longer to wrap presents. The children break up for Christmas holidays next week so I need to be all organised! 

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well,

Mandy x 

Christmas is creeping in...

Hi everyone,

This year I decided to do Christmas gradually instead of the usual rush. I've been squirrelling away since September and feel so much better for it. I've even wrapped some presents! 

The vintage decorations are up and the real tree will follow soon. This year I have garlands and tinsel and baubles from the 60s/70s. The grandchildren have simple card advent calendars which I found sealed (old 80s shop stock) with pictures and no chocolate. Auntie Charlotte bought them chocolate (dairy free) ones too. 

I love these Christmas tins I found in tesco...

I will reuse them each year and fill them with home baked Christmas treats. Speaking of baking, I had a big fail yesterday! I had a spare loaf going a bit dry so we made bread pudding for tea. Henry loves baking as much as Daisy now and had great fun squishing all the soggy bread! It was a simple recipe which meant he was really involved in every step, although he was more interested in picking out the dried peel and eating it! The end result looked good...

Sadly it was not enjoyed though. I think the texture was unfamiliar to them so we won't be making that again!

This however was a result...

Spotted by Charlotte on Facebook. I now have a sideboard and somewhere to store the board games and photographs. A bargain at £15. I also picked up two dressing tables and a chest of drawers. Furniture was built to last back then! 

A busy weekend is ahead with Christmas baking and letters to Father Christmas to be written. 

Such a special time of year.

Mandy x 

Planning a vintage Christmas!

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been absent again, just so busy as usual. Things are calmer now though as I continue to create a simpler life. 

My thoughts are obviously on Christmas now and planning a wonderful time for the children. I've been squirrelling bits and bobs away since September so I'm pretty organised. So much better to plan ahead and be able to actually enjoy the run up to Christmas. The children are getting excited already! 

We had a vintage style Christmas last year and the children really enjoyed it. Here's a few memories...

Christmas cakes and Yule logs.

Trifle!

I loved soda stream back in the eighties!

Always a real tree...

With vintage baubles.

We bought the children vintage toys...

Boxing Day board games! Frustration, Buckaroo and Mouse Trap are favourites.

I'm hoping to blog throughout December with lots of festive treats!

Mandy x 

Thank you!

Thank you for your kind comments.

I've decided for now that I'll continue to write here but make a few changes. I hope you like it!

Busy day today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

Mandy x

Is it time to say goodbye?

As the title says, I'm thinking about ending my blog. I've tried to get back into  regular posting but my heart really isn't in it now. 

Life has changed so much since I first started and I have to be so careful what I write. I'm still thrifty and still enjoy a challenge, but I've changed too. My interest now is in vintage and I've been slowly transforming our home, replacing the modern tat. I'm constantly making changes for the better but I can't see my blog managing to evolve with my interests. I want to move in a new direction now and may have to start again. 

My blog has become boring and uninspiring. I miss the interaction I used to get with likeminded people and find that on Instagram now. 

Thinking things over...

Mandy x

Baking Day!

I love baking and collecting vintage cookbooks and recipe leaflets. I rarely use modern recipes now so really should pass on those I don't use. 

My latest find is this one for Trex...

This cooking fat is ideal for Daisy as its dairy free. I've been using it to improve my pastry as the sunflower marg I use for cakes makes the pastry too soft. 

Today I baked two recipes out of this little book...

Coconut muffins

A moist ginger cake

Sadly I had to open the oven as the muffins were catching so it did sink in the middle but the outside is lovely, really sticky! Since cooling I've sprinkled it with icing sugar...yummy!

We had this oven baked chicken at lunchtime. It was delicious. 

I'm going to try to remember to photograph my cooking and baking more.

It's been so busy here with my new venture and everyday life but soon I'll be ready to share this with you all.

Mandy x

Enjoying the sun!

Well this morning as I write this it's dull and raining, but we've all loved the glorious weather recently. The children have spent all day in the garden, enjoyed picnics and eating outside and lots of ice lollies! By the end of the day a good soak in the bath is needed!! 

The tuff spot is great fun and also welcomed by our hen Sandy chick chick...

I've been spring cleaning my kitchen and found some out of date pulses and cereal. I hate throwing anything out and these were perfect for the tuff spot. Hopefully nothing will have chance to go out of date in my cupboards now as I'm not food hoarding anymore!

I've been much better at using up the fresh food and not wasting any. The veg from our veg box was delicious! I roasted lots of them. I've also started composting again too. All the veg peelings or endy bits we don't eat either went in the compost bin or out for the chicken. I normally use the recycling box provided by the council and put them out weekly, but now I only put food scraps from our plates in there that I can't use or compost at home. We're trying to minimise this too. 

I saved loads of money on my grocery shop last week by only buying what we need plus a few treats. This week will be reduced further as I make those treats myself! As I turn eco warrior, I've made a few swaps in my cleaning and laundry products plus kitchen roll etc. These are more expensive but that's the choice I've made. I'm not ready to make my own yet (one step at a time!)

Sorry but when I'm dishing up I forget to photograph what I've made. These were remembered though :)

Apple crumble made using some softer eating apples that needed using up. Served with cream!

A second pudding because I don't like cooked fruit but I do like chocolate fudge pudding! This was magic. You put the cake mixture in first then pour over a cocoa, sugar and water mix. The cake rises through and leaves a rich chocolate sauce at the bottom. We had it with cream fresh out of the oven on Sunday then yesterday with chocolate custard. I did a roast on Sunday so I used up the leftover veg yesterday and made bubble and squeak served with the leftover cold meat.

Finally...

This is me!

Listening to music while the children were  out with Grampy. The photos on my blog are very outdated but I just haven't had time to change things yet.

Mandy x

Update...

Back again after a break over the Easter holidays. I've been so busy! 

Lots of changes have been made in our home so I've been really busy with that. 

I have remembered to take a few photos to share with you though...

Easter goodies for the children...

Fun times with the children...

Baking...

Lots of home cooking and baking...

Vintage 

Finally, we had our first organic fruit and veg delivery!

Lots of positive changes going on that I can't wait to share with you :)

Mandy x

Meal plan Monday

My meal plan as promised...

Roast chicken, rice noodles and stir fried vegetables.

Steak pie, mash, kale, carrots, swede and gravy.

Jacket potatoes, cauliflower cheese or beans and cheese.

Sausage, mash, veg and onion gravy.

Homemade vegetable soup and crusty bread. Treacle sponge and custard.

Roast pork, roasties, stuffing, veg and gravy.

Egg, chips and beans.

These are in no particular order and we've already eaten two of the meals. I'd like more meat free days, but this is something I'm working on.

Each day we have a pudding, normally something simple like jelly, custard and sprinkles or ice cream. We eat fruit and yoghurts throughout the day so pudding isn't a healthy option! I used to make proper puddings but rarely have the time now. That's going to change...lots of fruity puddings in the week then treats at the weekend.

I've sorted out my recipes and am ready to meal plan using them next week. Food shouldn't be boring! 

Mandy x

Less waste

Today's project is a linen bag gifted by a vintage seller friend on Instagram. It was in a sorry state but I know I can put life back into it! I hate things going to landfill and rarely buy anything brand new these days. 

It's been soaking in vanish all day. Look at the colour of that water!!! When it's clean I wil do a few little repairs then it can be used for storage. 

Each week I will tackle a new item (I have a pile of them) to restore and put to good use. Does anyone else take on projects like this or make do and mend?

Mandy x

Trying out new things...

Thank you to Emma and Margaret for your ideas from yesterday :)

This morning I've been thinking about how I can organise myself to try out new things. I find it difficult to find time to do the things I love or try out new things. I want that to change. My aim is to add more routine to my evenings. Sometimes I'll do my online food shop or the ironing or other stuff that needs doing, but I'd love to make this time for me too. I have been collecting bits and bobs together to try new hobbies. I really believe it's important to have interests like that. 

Something else I love doing is testing out new recipes. I need to enjoy my huge collection of recipe books. Many of my books are vintage and the recipes are very simple, cheap and look delicious. 

So this is the plan...

I will try really hard to incorporate my normal evening chores into my day.

I will go to bed earlier and read my book. I'm currently reading 'The Darling Buds of May' I don't even manage a chapter at the moment because I'm so tired!

Each week I will try something new. This could be a baking recipe, a new knitting pattern, sewing, embroidery or cross stitch. I have many new interests. I will plan for this on a Tuesday evening and tell you all about it on the Wednesday. 

I need structure to keep me on track and hopefully this will free up time to be more creative. Do more of what you love! 

More plans tomorrow

Mandy x

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Meal planning

I've been thinking about making small changes to help the day-to-day stuff run more smoothly. We already have routine, we have to now that Daisy is at school, but some things work for us and others don't. I love baking but easily get bored of cooking. I hate trying to decide what to cook, which is ridiculous because I have so many recipes to choose from! I end up cooking similar food each week and that's just boring for everyone. As I intend to get rid of my modern cook books, I'm turning my attention to my lovely vintage recipes. These tend to be meals that we prefer. Traditional food. 

At the moment I shop online and make my choices hoping to find things on offer. I then decide the night before (I'm hopeless at remembering to get meat out of the freezer) what we will have the next day. I'm trying to reduce food waste so often it's a concoction based on what needs using up. So lately I haven't bothered to meal plan. I find I work much more effectively with forward planning and have decided to start meal planning again. 

I'm looking at having some meat free days so would really appreciate your help on this. Any meat free meal ideas? We'd love to try them. I'm open to new ideas and have bought a bag of lentils to try. I have no idea how I'm going to use them yet but I'm sure I can find a recipe :)

I plan to bring back 'meal plan Mondays' as these commitments keep me motivated and organised. This will start next Monday.

I've got lots to do today so I'll leave you with yesterday's vintage find...

A beautiful (photo doesn't do it  justice) 70s green dress for Daisy. 

Mandy x

A lovely day

Yesterday was a lovely day (even though we had snow)! While the rest of the family ventured out to play, I got on with some chores...

I love my vintage Hoover! Jake is 16 now and had no intention of moving :)

I roasted a chicken for lunch and made pear and chocolate pudding. I made extra to do a tray of chocolate fairy cakes. The children enjoyed decorating them with sprinkles.

 We had visitors in the afternoon so Daisy made rock cakes...

The only help she needs now is weighing out the ingredients and using the oven obviously. She's such a good baker!

Thank you for your comments on my last post...

I hope you're feeling better Phyllis. 

I'm tackling the paperwork one bag at a time and only keeping what I really need.

I'm always trying to be better but time management has never been my strong point! Looking back over my blog it's obvious that writing does motivate me and routine keeps me on track. I also love a Monday, fresh new week and fresh start.

I'll leave you with a photo of my latest find for Henry. He loves the Mr Men books and these 1970s dungarees are perfect for playing in.

Mandy x

Ready for spring!

I always find winter a struggle. I hate being cold and not being able to hang the washing out! The higher gas bills and need for warming comfort food. Worst of all the battle with colds. Oh yes and I hate snow!! I've been quiet over the last month from lack of motivation to do lots of thrifty cooking and baking. Everything seems so much better when the sun is shining! 

Right now my washing is out. It's chilly but windy so definitely worth it. Another load is spinning so that'll go out too. I feel  like I'm winning if the laundry is done. 

I'm always busy with the day-to-day stuff but in spare moments I'm tackling the stuff we don't need. I don't feel the need to hoard now but things do need moving on. There are many areas to sort out so I've taken one room at a time. The biggest task is paperwork. I've always kept paperwork for years but I'm sure I can let go of much of it now. The rest will be neatly filed and put away. This is a mammoth task so I've put it off! 

My reward for healing myself from my hoarding ways is to spend my spare time learning new crafts. I've bought some cross stitch kits and vintage embroidery tray cloths and tablecloth. They are my incentive to get things done. 

I've also treated myself to some vintage cooking booklets. I get stuck in a rut making the same food and baking the same cakes. There's no excuse with all the lovely recipes I have to hand. I'm excited to make changes. 

My love of all things seventies is ever growing and so is my collection of vintage items. I will share photos of Daisys vintage toys soon. 

Exciting plans are being made too. I've been busy making a dream come true. Still lots of work to be done but things are coming together for a new business venture. 

See you soon!

Mandy x

Reducing waste

Well we've had a terrible couple of weeks :( 

Everyone seems to be on the mend now thankfully.

Thank you for your comments, I have read them all xxx

I'm trying to get back into the swing of cooking and baking properly again now and today I've had a use up of bits and bobs in the fridge.

I've roasted a chicken for lunch with stuffing, baby roasties and roasted veg...

Henry has been busy making cornflake cakes with me for teatime...

For pudding we've got pears and chocolate sauce. 

I'm on a mission to reduce our household waste dramatically, any ideas or tips are most welcome...thank you xx