Winter 2020

For us here in Au it’s winter and right now we are about in the middle of it, so for me it’s soup time.

I like to  make  a pot most weekends minus any meat, usually the vegetables that need to be finished or used up from the fridge. This large pot gets divided into 2, one to freeze to use later in the week and one to eat as my snack when I come home from work.

More often than not my soup consists of chicken or vegetable stock (usually a bullion cube or two) carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, onion.  Also brussell sprouts, celery, zucchini or even a bag of frozen veg if I’ve totally run out of fresh. If you blitz it in a food processor first it cooks quickest.

If I have leftover meat from the night  I then chop it up to use when reheating my plain veg soup.
As a winter warm up I’m also partial to raisin toast and butter or a nice grilled cheese on toast, with ham even better with a cup of strong hot white tea.

What’s your go to warm snack in winter.

Todays frugal

After making my burp clothes for the grand kidlets (it was cheaper to buy a towel than by the metre) I had strips of perfectly good towel left. Depending on the measurements of those strips as my towels were different sizes I made different things.

With the wider and larger pieces I managed to make 6 face clothes they are rectangle and not the usual squares but are large and will do the same job.

I also made 11 new make up remover pads that were 3 different group measurements. Basically I cut them in half then half again, then ran them through the overlocker (serger) for the binding edge, a close together zig zag stitch from your sewing machine would do the same job.

My messy sewing room is now so much cleaner.

There was also a pair of pants for hubby to hem, a pair of pants for me to shorten and a piece of flannelette to quickly overlock and edge for a bassinet top sheet.  All done.

Bed Mattress

Do you rotate or flip your bed mattress? Do you use a mattress protector?

Not all mattresses are created equal so there are things you can and can’t do with them these days depending on the mattress you buy.

Most mattresses you can flip and rotate but there are those that you can only rotate as only the top has the cushion layer and the bottom a hard layer.

Now mine is a mattress that needs rotating not flipping, it will get done about twice a year.

I use a mattress protector mostly because that is what my mum did if she didn’t buy a fitted one there was at least a blanket underneath the bed sheet to protect it. This probably goes back to when we were kids and wet the bed or being in a very humid state we sweated a lot. It was easier to change sheets and blankets than dry out a mattress.

These days of course there are all sorts of things that can go between a sheet and your mattress like an electric blanket, dimpled bed toppers, extra cushioning toppers, sheep fleece, rubber backed covers and the list goes on.

Our new purchase was a mattress in a box.  It was a novelty to watch it inflate over 48 hours and you need floor space to be able to let it inflate before you pop it on your bed to sleep on it. I must say we did try it in store first and now having it for a month it’s not a bad mattress.

Don’t forget to check how long you’ve had your pillows for and now …. sweet dreams.

Time for a change

Every now and then I decide I’m ready for a few new things, not necessarily brand new but at least new to me or a reorganisation of what I have that can be changed up and moved from one room to another.

I’ve repainted my entry hall, it’s pretty short but fiddley, it took ages. It has our entry door, 2 bedroom doors, double cupboard doors and an archway to tape off and paint around. This one hallway took almost as long to paint as the family/dining room area, BUT as unhappy as I am with my painting capabilities it does look cleaner and fresher and ties in with the other rooms.

So now that I have blank walls I’m not sure I wish to put up the pictures, photos and mirror that used to hang on my walls it’s like looking at them with new eyes a blank canvas.

I quite often change things around in my house going  from room to room my lot were never surprised when they came home from work or school and things were not where they were when they left that morning being curtains, couches, chairs and tables.

My problem is, a) I’d like new colours but I have to decide on new colours or adding or subtracting to what I have, b) will I get new couch cushions and if so do I get them before I get new or different wall pictures, c) can I reuse the frames I have and if so what to fill them with general scenery or …. photos of nature that I’ve taken or abstract or d), do I need new or more indoor plants, e) maybe a floor rug, f) do I have to put anything up as I’m liking my bare walls?

Thank heavens I’ve never had to build a new house I would never know where to start!

I think I’ll ponder things for a little bit and see what takes my fancy.

Do you get bored with your house interior and how do you change things up or do you have the collections and colours from decades ago?

 

 

Easy bread roll toasting

The easiest way to give the centre of your roll or bun a bit of a toasting is to cut it in half and pop over the slots on your toaster and pushing the lever down. Be careful not burn as the temperature  needs to go on a lower heat than your usual toast toasting.

Also works for fruit buns.

Butter as usual.

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