Tuesday 28 February 2012

Using My Sewing Machine

One of my February challenge was to learn to use my sewing machine and this is what i knocked up, a felt bag. I made this for my friend's daughter, it's her bithday soon.
                                                     I stiched her initials KH free hand.

I decided to put a flower to make it more pretty. The camera didn't capture the red and black very well, the colours look much better in real life. I enjoyed this little project as it was not so time consuming and i sort of got the hang of using a sewing machine.

I had never used a sewing machine before and was quite interesting, the only problem i found was that when sewing i couldn't maintain a straight line. Any hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone had a lovely day, i am enjoying the long days and can't wait for the summer. xx

Monday 27 February 2012

This Weeks Meal Plan

Sunday- Salmon with potatoes
Monday- Rice cooked with kidney beans and beef stew
Tuesday- Sausage and mash with vegetables
Wednesday- Cous cous with smoked mackerel
Thursday- Steak and ale pie with potatoes
Friday- Vegetable pizza with salad
Saturday- Burger with homemade wedges and salad

My Treasures...

This is the first item of clothing i have bought for myself so far this year...

Bought this dress from the YMCA charity shop on Thursday. It's from All Saints and it cost me 4 pounds and 99 pence. I wore it on Saturday to my friends birthday dinner. There was an all white dress code and i wasn't going to follow it because i couldn't justify spending a small fortune on one night then i saw this dress. It would have been rude not to buy it. I actually love it and will wear it other wise my previous post would have been a waste. Please ignore the headless/ faceless model


  
I love books and at the moment i am reading self help books. I am on a small mission to improve my life and everything around it. They now know me at my local library. The first 3 books were from ageUK a pound for the three and the last one was 99 pence from YMCA. It's entitled Naughty But Nice The No Excuse Guide To Getting What You Want, it's a self help book. I love the Chicken Soup books and even though i am far from being a grandmother i know there are some useful things in there. Linking up with missielizzie @ me and my shadow

Enjoy your day.xx

Sunday 26 February 2012

Decluttering...

Since the New Year started and like everyone else i have had to cut my spending and that has meant not spending money unnecessarily. I used to buy things simply because they were on sale and hope that one day i would use them and most of the time i never. With my spending habits in mind i also started to think of the many items of clothing in my bedroom that i never wear, i realised that some things hadn't been worn for years because they had been replaced by something new.

This past week i had a few days free so i decided to declutter my wardrobe, i discovered that i own 7 coats, 6 winter scarves, 4 pairs of gloves, i couldn't count how many pairs of socks many of them new, 3 morning gowns, countless handbags and belts and many items of clothes that hadn't seen the light of day in years. I felt so bad because, one i had wasted money and two it shows that i am a greedy person, wanting more than i need. I have bagged the items that i do not need and am sending them to the charity shop. I am going to go through my wardrobe one more time because i know i will find other things that i have missed.

After i had finished my bedroom i decided to tackle my kitchen, i have a lot of gadgets and gizmos and general kitchen equipment that i bought in two's just incase. Just incase what i wonder. While i was working in the kitchen i decided to clear my food cupboard, i discovered foods that date as far back as 2009 i cringe just writing about it, spices that had been bought to try a new recipe, half used packets of stuff and the like. I still have the baking cupboard to sort out and i think it's worse than the food one.

I am glad i sorted this stuff during lent, it has given me time to reflect on how easily i get consumed with earthly possessions, how i buy without thinking whether i need it when i could be putting my money to good use helping the poor and needy or even saving for my own and Master T's future. As a christian and as a mother i am embarrased and ashamed to have discovered the extent of my greed. Gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins.

Don't get me wrong i am not saying i will never spend a penny again because i bought myself a dress on Thursday, but i am going to think about whether i really need an item before i buy it.

I hope you all had a good weekend.xx

Monday 13 February 2012

Meal Plan 12-02-12 to 18-02-12

Sunday- Fish and Chips
Monday- Pasta bolognaise
Tuesday- Going to a friends for tea
Wednesday- Eating out
Thursday- Turkey curry with rice
Friday- Salmon and steamed vegetables
Saturday- Burger and Wedges

Just a quick update on my February challenges. Most of them are going very well except the photo a day challenge, it's proving to be more challenging than i thought. When i first decided to take up the challenge, i hadn't put into consideration that i leave home @ 7am most mornings and don't get back until after 6pm and somedays as late as after 9pm so i do not have time to take photographs. I am not known to give up so easily so i will try my very best to keep at it. One good thing has come out of this photo a day challenge, i have discovered that my camera takes better photos outdoors probably has something to do with the lighting. Anyway onwards and upwards with my other challenges.

Sunday 5 February 2012

Meal Plan

This weeks meal plan is as follows

Sunday- Burger, roast potatoes and salad.
Monday- Cous cous and Mackerel.
Tuesday- Beans on toast or something.
Wednesday- Egg fried rice.
Thursday- Roast chicken pieces, salad and garlic bread.
Friday- Homemade Tuna and red onion pizza for me and cheese and tomato pizza for Master T.
Saturday- Pork belly with something.

I am finishing late on Tuesday so i will be too tired to cook and Master T will have been fed so beans on toast will do me just fine. Friday's meal is an idea i pinched off Scarlet.

Feb Photo A Day Challenge. 1st-5th Feb

 Your view today
This is my everyday view when i am walking Master T to school. As you can see it's dark, it shows how early we have to leave for me to get to my placement on time

Words
 I am sure you can guess who wrote this one. Master T of course. It's probably about two years old and i keep it on the fridge.

Hands
 Master T's cute little hands.

A stranger
 Stranger's more like, took this at the park.

10am
 Not the best photo

Hope you have all had a good weekend.xx

Thursday 2 February 2012

February Photo A Day Challenge



The reason i chose this challenge is because i need to learn to use my camera. Said camera was a gift from a wonderful friend. It was given to me as a Christmas gift in 2010 because my previous camera which i loved so much and used to take great picture without much effort from me had given up on me. The previous camera was also a gift from my sister and was the first digital camera i ever owned.

My present camera is a small casio and if you have had a look at the photos on my blog you will see that i take terrible photos and this challenge will hopefully help me do a much better job. It would greatly help i am sure if i could take the time to read the manual and learn all the tricks. Unfortunately i am one of those people who buy flat pack furniture and try to assemble it without reading the instruction. Anyway on with the challenge.xx