Frugal Fridays

Today I’m sharing a recipe I found on the site Frugal Recipes From Wartime Britain.

There was little fruit, scarcely any sugar, few eggs, and meat, butter and nearly all foods were rationed. Families were encouraged to Dig For Victory, grow as much food as possible themselves. Consequently many a flower garden found itself turned over to potatoes, carrots and onions in a desperate attempt to fill up the ever hungry children's stomachs.

Women were told that food was their munition of war. The Ministry Of Food and women's magazines of the day, gave basic nutritional advice and suggested substitutes such as mashed potato for flour, sour milk for cheese, grated vegetables for fruit and whipped margarine with vanilla instead of cream, but the housewife of the 1940's had to be very creative with what little food they had queued for with ration books in hand.

Honey Cakes

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sugar
21/2 ounces margarine
2 teaspoons honey
6oz self raising flour
1 level teaspoon cinnamon#

Method:
Beat sugar and margarine until a soft cream consistency.
Sieve flour and cinnamon then add to mixture.
Mix with a wooden spoon until it binds together, then knead with your fingers until you have a soft dough.
Break off a piece of the dough and roll it between your floured palms into a ball.
Place on to a lightly greased baking tray.
Flatten slightly.
Repeat until you have used up all the dough, when you should have about sixteen delicious honey cakes.

I’ve never thought of wartime recipes as particularly tasty, but those sound delicious.  Maybe it’s time for a flip back to our mothers and grandmothers and some of their favourite recipes.

If you want to take part in Frugal Friday or just get more frugal ideas. head on over to Life as Mom by clicking on the Frugal Fridays banner at the top of this post.

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Friday Funnies

By the end of the week a lot of us are needing a good laugh, I know I do sometimes.

Check this out:

It’s long, (10 minutes) and it makes some good points but it’s funny!

If you still need more laughs, head on over to homesteaders heart by clicking on the Friday Funnies banner at the top of this post.

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Thursday 13

13 craft projects I would like to try: (click on the pictures to go to the instructions)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

(I know it’s not strictly speaking a craft project, but I have just got to have a go at these bread cones:

Head on over to Happy to be Home and read some more Thursday 13 entries by clicking on the Thursday 13 banner at the top of this post.

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Thousand Word Thursday

A visit to the safari park in our car brought certain animals a little closer than my hubby would have liked!

Hoping to make another visit there this summer!  Only this time not on the hottest day of the year.  We saw at least one car overheat and have to be rescued by the park staff.

head on over to Cheaper than Therapy for more fascinating photos by clicking on the Thousand Words Thursday banner at the top of this post.

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Tell Me Thursday

Yesterday’s Post on Wordless Wednesday showed this photo:

I took this at a recent baptism service at our church, but these flags are up all the time.

We don’t just have any old flags up there, we have only the flags of nations that a member of the church has visited or has contacts with.

So now we’re going to test my knowledge of flags and geography by seeing if I can remember where they are from and why they are there.

Starting at the far end

We have the Ulster flag, because one of the families in our church is from Northern Ireland and various members make regular visits to a church we are connected with over there, and vice versa.

Then we have the Romanian flag. As a church we have connections with a family who are ministering in the gypsy communities out in Romania. Various church members have made visits over there and one couple who have now moved on even bought a house out there to use for ministry.

Following that we have what I think is the South African flag. A group of our young people had the privilege of going over to South Africa to work with a church in one of the townships, on practical projects a few years ago.

Then there is my favourite, the Belarusian flag, that one is mine! Last December I was honoured to travel to Belarus with Samaritan’s Purse as part of an operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution team. We took shoebox gifts to children in children's homes, schools, boarding schools, churches and individual homes as well as visiting a drug rehab centre and the home of a Babushka, an elderly lady in one of the villages.

I think the next flag is from Ghana, but I can’t see the middle of the flag on the photo so can’t be sure. I am not certain where that connection comes from.

After that is the Canadian flag because over the years quite a few of our members have visited Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and we are now part of Partners in Harvest which comes out of there.

Then of course we have the Union Flag of Great Britain. That one is for all of us!

The little one second from this end is the Norwegian flag. Two of the families in the church were able to go to Norway to minister at an RTF (Restoring the Foundations) conference and training weekend.

I believe the closest one at this end is the Indian flag and that would be because some members of the church ministered in India a few years ago.

If you participated in Wordless Wednesday and would like to share the story of your photo, head on over to Tell Me Thursday and share your link.

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Works For Me Wednesday

Pre Ordering when you want a game, dvd, or book that is being released soon, works for me.

In the past we have pre ordered a book and been given a mug with the characters on, and things like that.

This last week, we took delivery of the new Ea Sports Active game for Wii.  I pre ordered it on my sons GAME account and instead of getting the usual points per order, he got double because we pre ordered.

So if you want to buy something that’s coming out soon, as well as thinking about where is cheapest (because this was a good price as well), take a look and see what you are offered in addition, for pre ordering.

If you want to read more hints and tips, head over to We Are That Family by clicking on the Works For Me Wednesday banner at the top of this post.

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Wordless Wednesday

If you want to see other Wordless Wednesday photos, go check them out here.

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Tackle It Tuesday

17 year old boys apparently do not know how to keep their rooms clean and tidy.  Up until now, recently we had been VERY hands off and let him be responsible for his room with little intervention, but you can only put up with so much!  And we told him he had to do it.
Don’t have proper before photos and in fact the job is not yet finished, BUT here are some photos that kind of show the effects of the before:
 
 

YES, it was THAT bad.  And there were more bags than that!
And here is an “almost after” photo!
 
It’s a miracle, you can actually see carpet!
If you want to see more tackles, go check out 5minutes for mom by clicking on their banner at the top of this post.

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What I Learned this Week

This week I learnt what a radio studio looks like, first hand!

I had contacted the local radio station last week to let them know about a fundraiser we are doing next weekend for Turn On The Tap, to coincide with Pentecost weekend and a celebration for any churches walking together in the fundraiser.

The presenter of the Sunday morning “faith” show phoned me and asked a few questions about the project then asked if I would be willing to come into the studio and talk about it.

Sure i said, thinking she would want me to record it ahead of time!

“8:30 on Sunday  morning, live” she said.

GULP!  I’m not sure I DO 8:30 on Sunday mornings.  Oh well!

So that’s why I got up at 7am on a Sunday morning and headed off in the car for the drive to the studio and my interview.

It went well, I THINK!  I never like listening to myself after these things, I really don’t!

And then we drove all the way back and went to church!

You can listen here:

WATER radio Interv...

If you want to read about what other people have been learning this week, head on over to Musings of a Housewife by clicking on the What I learned this Week banner at the top of this post.

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Talk About Tuesday

Talk About Tuesday is a blog carnival where we all write a post of something we want to share or talk about and link them all together on the lazy organizer’s blog. It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and make connections in the blogosphere.

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My Children Are growing up!
And I don’t know if I am ready.
My oldest will be 18 in just 6 weeks time!
How can I be a mom to an adult?  How did that happen?
How did this little boy

Become this young man?

His smile hasn’t changed at all though has it?
He could have been going to university this autumn, but instead he is going to take another year to improve his A level grades so he can get into the university of his choice.  THEN he’s going to take a year out and do an internship at a church down in Bath that we have connections with.
So this time next year I will be preparing him to leave us for a year.  WOW how the time has flown!
If you want to read more talk about it posts, or even participate yourself, head on over to the lazy organizer by clicking on the talk about it Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

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I am Blissfully Domestic

Teenage Boys Bedrooms.

How do you find the balance?  The balance between giving them some freedom and space and letting go a bit and wanting to have a home that isn’t a health hazard because of the mess?

Seriously!
We'd been trying the "breathe deeply and let him have his space" method, but a health hazard is a health hazard and has to be dealt with.

The room had got so bad that it was a foot deep in mess!  Clothes, empty pop bottles, books, magazines, empty food wrappers, cd’s, towels, and goodness knows what else.

It’s been bad before, we’ve spent time working on it with him before, my sister even came over and spent a day with him getting it sorted.  And each and every time it ahs gone back to the mess again.  Only this time it’s the worst it’s ever been.  Who knows what is in that mess!

So the time has come.  We’ve threatened it, we’ve told him we would. It hasn’t made any difference.  Well now he’s going to find out that we are keeping our word and if he can’t keep it tidy he can’t keep it.

On Saturday he was out for the day and my husband braved the mess!  He spent the day clearing out.  He made a pile of clothes for eldest to launder over the next few days, confiscated anything that belonged to other family members, made a pile of all the cd’s etc which we are hiding in the loft, and threw out everything else!

I will be adding a “Check son’s room” to my list of chores and I will be confiscating anything that is not where it should be.  He will learn one way or the other!

If you want to take part in Blissfully Domestic just head on over there by clicking on the banner at the top of this post.

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Simple Woman's DayBook

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FOR TODAY, Monday 25th May 2009...

Outside my window... the sun is shining, although the forecast is for rain later.

I am thinking... about the radio interview I did yesterday and wondering if anyone will hear it and turn up on Saturday for our walk for water. I think I did OK, but I NEVER like listening back to myself when I’ve done things like this. I always pick up every tiny little mistake I made, nope, I don’t like listening back at all.

I am thankful for... my husband being off work this week. He’s booked a weeks holiday and will be here every day, doing stuff that needs to be done as well as maybe taking a few trips out with me or the boys.

From the learning rooms... I need to find a piece to do at the joint churches Pentecost celebration in the town centre at the end of our walk for water. Last year I used the Bob Hartman Pentecost story. I need something different this year. And then I need to learn it before Saturday.

From the kitchen... Well it’s a bank holiday today, so we’re having something easy. I’ll roast a chicken in the crockpot and do baked potatoes with it. Maybe I’ll get some salad, but if not I’ll steam some veggies.

I am wearing... summery striped t-shirt and brown cargo pants.

I am creating... a home that is suitable for visitors, yet again. We have invited friends over for later in the week and there is work to be done on the house if that is to go ahead.

I am going... to start losing weight! Oh yes I am!

I am remembering.... all the other times I have tried to lose weight and failed. I cannot let those memories prevent me from moving forward, I MUST do this this time. It’s a health issue big time now.

I am reading... Over the weekend I finished the Shack through reading it at bedtime. I am moving on to The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney. The copy I has also has the personal study guide and guided journal all in one book!

I am hoping... That we get some nice weather this week, with the boys and hubby all at home all week. I know there are jobs hubby wants to get done in the garden, and those will be difficult if the weather is bad.

I am also hoping that it stops raining in Florida and that my friends whose houses were in danger of flooding get to return to dry homes with the water receded!

I am praying.... For those friends in Florida. LORD, enough already!

I am hearing... son and husband talking in the other room.

Around the house... List for the next few days looks like this:

• Tidy dining room
• sweep and mop dining room and kitchen floors
• change tablecloth on dining table and re lay table
• clean counter tops in kitchen
• clean stove top in kitchen
• clean sink in kitchen
• clean microwave in kitchen
• go through fridge throw stuff out
• Tidy living room
• Vacuum living room
• clean coffee table in living room
• Move small sofa in living room closer to wall (might need to move stuff out of way, I don’t know what’s down that end)
• Tidy hall
• Tidy phone stool in hall
• Tidy coats and shoes in hall (no closets)
• Vacuum living room, hall and stairs
• Tidy downstairs bathroom
• Clean toilet
• clean mirror
• tidy back garden so friend in wheelchair can get from gate to back door.

One of my favourite things... is having friends round for dinner. We don’t do it often enough but I love it when we do.

A few plans for the rest of the week... As I said hubby has plans for getting all sorts of chores done this week. But it would be nice if we could spend some time together. I can’t remember the last time we went on a date! OK, so yes, we did have our weekend in London back in February, but as far as spending time together outside of that, we just haven’t been doing it.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

SO, if you want to read more daybook entries or you would like to take part yourself. Click on the image at the top of this post and check it all out.

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Friday Funnies - Church Announcements

This guy is jsut so funny. It's his facial expressions when he's pausing and waiting for the audience that jsut have me in pieces! If you want to take part in Friday Funnies, or even just have a laugh, by seeing what others have shared, go check it out by clicking on the banner at the top of this post.

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Works for me Wednesay

Gosh, it's been a long while since I participated in Works for me Wednesday.

This might seem odd, but what works for me is learning to leave things not done!
You see, I have a condition called sleep apnoea. That is now under treatment which on the whole is going really well and I have so much more energy than I used to have pre-treatment. BUT my energy levels are still not what I would want them to be, and even with that, I still have bad days, or runs of bad days, where treatment is not quite going to plan and I have less energy.

I went through a time of totally beating myself up over it. Guilt trips left, right and centre!
Those guilt trips do NOT do me any good and they don't do anyone else any good either, they just make a grumpy mom.
So now, I do what I can when I can, and if I can't well I don't!
Guilt trips serve no-one!

Now if I could get 14 and 17 year olds boys to pick up some of the slack that would be even better, but I don't see that happening any time soon. The 17 year old in particular seems to think any request for him to do anything around the house is completely totally and utterly unreasonable. He'll do it, but he doesn't half make a fuss about it. Oh well!

If you want to read the hints and tips that others are sharing this week, why not head over to Works For me Wednesday by clicking on the banner at the top of this post.

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Veggie Growing

Last week I talked about how I am starting to grow veggies.

My TACKLE for last week was to tidy that area of the garden (yard) and get going with the raised bed.
For tackle it Tuesday I showed the before photos, but never showed the afters, well, here is further progress after that.

Over the weekend we got the protective cover (neighbourhood cats) put together and began planting!
First I laid out the thick cord to mark out square foot beds, since we are using the square foot method of gardening.

Then we had a first attempt at the protective cover, which you can see was sagging dramatically in the middle.

So my husband added another curve of plastic pipe in the middle, and put pipe clips inside the box at the 4 corners, to support it and it looked much better. Round the edge are just ordinary drawing pins (thumb tacks), which the net hooks over. At other points it is tied on with ordinary twist ties.

So then it came time to sew some seeds and even get some plants in. The following chart shows what is now in, in green, and what is still to get planted at some point this month in black.
Got a good deal on the marigolds. In the garden centre they were £3.99 for 12, and we didn't want to spend that much so we left them. On the same car park there is a farm shop, and sometimes they ahve plants at the farm shop. They had 12 marigolds for just £1.50. OK so they were slightly less mature plants, but not by much!

We also planted some french bean plants that were a bargain at the DIY store into a planter that we already had.



And transplanted 2 strawberry plants that were in 2 separate smaller versions of this pot, into the larger version.



Finally we picked up some tomato seedlings at another garden centre, and planted those into hanging baskets, but I don't have pictures of those. They are a variety bred specifically for growing in containers or hanging baskets, you don't have to do any pinching out of the tips, you just let the plant get on with it.

This post is being entered to Talk about it Tuesday and tackle it Tuesday. Go check out both of those sites by clicking on their images at the top of this post.

Hopefully at some point this week my hubby is going to build me a frame for the left hand end of the bed, for growing the vertical crops, such as peas, beans and cucumbers.

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Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY, Monday 18th May 2009...

Outside my window...
It is raining! It has rained a lot the last few days, and today we have more. I have to go out in abut half an hour and I really want it to stop raining.

I am thinking...
That these pain killers appear to be beginning to kick in. That is a good thing, I have a school assembly to do this morning. I am talking to over 150 children. Don't need to be distracted by a painful shoulder.

I am thankful for...
The opportunity to do this assembly. It's a school that a good friend of mine used to teach at, over 30 years ago. He and another Christian colleague used to regularly pray over the place. So it's interesting for me to now be visiting and talking to the kids and so on.

From the learning rooms...
Today I'm in one school as I said, tomorrow I'm in another, and I will have 2 assemblies to do there, one with Key Stage 1 and one with Key Stage 2, I need to adjust my assembly slightly for the Key Stage 1 group, so I need to work that out and LEARN it this afternoon!

From the kitchen...
I haven't even looked at the menu so I can't say what's for dinner . . . . let me go look . . . . . . Oven chips (fries) and some fish melt thingies I have in the freezer.

I am wearing...
My smart black trousers and muted green jersey top with wooden beads around the neck.

I am creating...
A clean house, after a few days of not doing a lot because of low energy levels due to a rough week on CPAP.

I am going...
To have a fairly busy week, with these assemblies today and tomorrow and an OCC committee meeting on Friday that I had forgotten about until today.

I am remembering....
That I need a volunteer for today's assembly, I hope one of the kids is willing to help me out!

I am reading...
Not a lot at all.

I am hoping...
That I get some better nights on CPAP this week. Since i went from the humidifier one, back to my normal machine, I have been having terrible trouble with mask leaks at the higher pressures. I adjust and adjust and just can't seem to get it to the right position.

I am praying....
For further contacts with schools to be made. I should now regularly be in 3 schools, but need more. I would say a minimum would be 4 schools, better would be 8 and ideal would be 12 or more!

I am hearing...
The rain dripping down the window behind me and a clock ticking on the wall.

Around the house...
Today will be bathroom day, since I'm out for half of the day doing this assembly.

One of my favourite things...
Is standing and talking to a whole group of kids like I will get to do today! I love it, I am good at it, and I hope the kids get something out of it!

A few plans for the rest of the week:
I've mentioned some of it already, school assemblies today and tomorrow, small group tomorrow evening, prayer group with friends Wednesday morning, soaking group with friends Friday morning, OCC meeting Friday afternoon.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


SO, if you want to read more daybook entries or you would like to take part yourself. Click on the image at the top of this post and check it all out.

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Frugal Friday

Oooh it’s Frugal Friday!

I am going to tell you about something that saves me an awful lot of money at the moment, that most of you will not be able to use! But I can, so I will tell you about it anyway!

I have a car. I also have sleep apnoea! That means that at the end of last year, the driver licensing organisation revoked my driving license temporarily on medical grounds. So my car now sits in our garage, officially off roaded. My husband runs the engine for 5 minutes or so each week to keep it from seizing up.

But in the meantime how do I get around?

THANKFULLY when you have your driving license revoked for medical reasons (i.e. rather than for criminal ones), your local council has a legal responsibility to provide you with a replacement local bus pass. They don’t tell you about this, no one at the hospital or DVLA tells you, it’s up to you to find this out!

So I filled in my forms and sent them off.
And in return I was given a bus pass that allows me free travel on buses in the WHOLE OF ENGLAND! That is what the local pensioners get, and it would cost the council too much money to organise a separate system for medical revocations, so we get the same as the pensioners.

I can use it between 9:30am and 11pm, and in certain areas outside that. For instance in our location we can use them from 9am.

A trip into the local town centre is £1.10 each way, I do that at least 3 times a week. A trip to the hospital for one of my appointments (3 times in the last 2 weeks) means buying a day rider ticket at £3.50 for the day.
This is money we don’t have! So having this bus pass is making a real difference to our lives!

Last weekend I sent off the forms to reapply for my driving license. BUT my bus pass does not run out until 2012, so I may well continue to use it for short journeys even after I get my license back. Longer journeys just don’t make sense once I am driving again, since by bus I have to leave over an hour before my appointment time, a journey I can do in just 20 minutes in the car!

If you wish to see other Frugal Friday posts, click on the banner at the top of this post.

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A thousand Words Thursday

The idea behind "A Thousand Words Thursday" is the phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words.

This is mine.
heeheeeeheeee, I hope he doesn't mind me posting this, but heck, I'll do it anyway, heeheeheee.
This is a good friend of ours from church. He is the church caretaker.
This was taken a few weeks ago at a baptism. The black thing at the bottom of the picture is our baptism pool and at the moment I took this photo it was before the service and he was threatening to jump in and swim around the tank. One of these days I'll push him in when he leans over it like that.
Love ya PAUL!

If you want to participate in A Thousand Words Thursday, or just see more posts, head on over to Cheaper than Therapy by clicking on her banner at the top of this post.

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