Month: December 2012

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Wish me luck as you wave me good-bye

My favourite version by Gracie Fields sung live to the troops!

Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go, on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again, you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again, you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye…
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go, on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again, you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go, on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye…
Goodbye everybody, I’ll do my best for ye

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The Wartime Farm

I’ve been spending some time finding links on YouTube to enjoy watching my favourite wartime/homefront TV series over Christmas.

Here is the Wartime Farm series for you to enjoy on YouTube!

Click here to watch all episodes

Please support the TV Series Wartime Farm and my blog and buy The Wartime Farm on DVD!

Click below!

wartimefarm

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The 1940s House- Rationing

I’ve been watching some videos from the Imperial War Museum about the 1940s House. It takes you on a tour of the house but also provides some fascinating information on life on the homefront. I’ve selected two of the movies which share information on food rationing that I think you’ll find really interesting..

 

 

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CBC article – Christmas shopping challenges

The blog didn’t get a mention but a picture of my tree star did!

CBC published a nice article this morning on some Christmas shopping challenges and they interviewed me about my frugal Christmases, as this subject is a passion of mine was only too happy to oblige.

In addition to my $250 Christmas, CBC also list 4 other challenges such as a Christmas with a purpose, a made in Canada Christmas, a buy nothing Christmas, and finally a green Christmas

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/12/05/holiday-challenges-christmas.html

Here’s to a home-made and happy Christmas!

C xxxxxx

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Homemade Christmas decorations- tree stars

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A  few readers asked how I made some really simple but pretty “tree stars”..

Our Christmas this year, is as always frugal, but also has more of an emphasis on homemade, so we are enjoying trying some money saving ideas out and decorating our place festively, making do with what we’ve got.

For full step by step instructions click here 

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Last week, I noticed a link on a friends Facebook page, to an article on how-to make homemade paper stars. Initially looking at the design it seemed like it would be terribly fiddly and complicated but I gave it a go. The  first one was a little fiddly but the second and third were quick and easy and looked delightful once I had hung them up on our Christmas tree .

I made mine from standard white printer paper as I thought they would look nice against the green of the tree but you could make them from old Christmas cards or colourful paper.

For full step by step instructions click here 

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Weigh in- December 5, 2012

28742_10151160547327361_2059864502_nThis week, I’m happy to have lost 4 lbs. This takes my weight back down to 225 lbs and I’m going to try hard and drop another 6 lbs by Christmas Day. The girls recently took some photos of me non-posed (posing for photos you can knock 20 lbs off easy!) and didn’t like what I saw at all. It brought home the reality that I still have quite away to go in this journey but I’m in for the long haul…

My son Josh has come to stay until the New Year, it’s great to have him home. He’ll return to his Dad’s (David) and Deborah’s home in January. Meanwhile I’m REALLY looking forward to having all my kids with me over Christmas. We have a strong bond and I love them all very much and as long as we are together we can face anything.

Must fly! Lots of chores to do and I’m still working on important paperwork!

C xxxx

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Busy getting ready for Christmas

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Our budget for the whole of Christmas is once again between $200 – $250.. (that includes all presents, food, drinks, postage, cards etc) We’ve been having “frugal Christmases for 4 years now and I enjoy every moment of them. I love the challenge of providing a fun, loving, enjoyable family Christmas within our means.. This year, we are stepping back in time and having a wartime Christmas Day circa 1940.

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My eggless wartime Christmas cake has now been iced and I will decorate it in a week or so. I’m currently researching on how people tended to decorate their Christmas cakes from this time period. In 1940, icing sugar was still available so over my mock marzipan, I slathered on thick icing (icing sugar mixed with a little water and almond essence).

We made some tree stars out of plain white paper and have been making paper chains from old magazines and newspapers. In addition I’ve been making wartime shortbread and preserves for presents.phc3

Thanks to my recent “care package” I now have extra currants and raisins so will be making a nice big Christmas pudding and mince pies! But here is the fun thing, on Christmas Day we are having MURKEY (mock turkey)… its stuffing based and my kids love stuffing so hopefully they won’t be too disappointed. Actually, I think it will all be rather fun!

This year, I dug a little tree up from the woodland on my property and potted it in some earth, we’ll dig it back into the ground once Christmas is over and I’m watering it every day. It’s small and spindly but it’s our own tree so that is kind of nice.

Please share what you are making! I’d love to hear!!

C xxxxx

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Mock Marzipan No 100

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I’ve just made mock marzipan for my eggless wartime Christmas cake..

The recipe called for soya flour but I couldn’t justify the expense of buying that when I had bags of organic flour in my cupboard so even though the Ministry of Food recipe  specifies soya flour, I used plain flour ( actually used white) and you know what, it came out great and readily admit to scoffing down what was left of the mock marzipan dough, lump by lump.

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It was a little crumbly when I came to lift it from the table to the top of the cake, but the liberal layer of yellow plum jam (which I bought at the school bake sale the other day) made sure it stuck firm and it was easy to patch the splits up and use the rolling pin over the top again to smooth it.

Soon it will be time to ice my cake too!!

Mock Marzipan

  • 4 oz/ 1 cup/ 115 grams of soya flour (plain flour is fine)
  • 4 oz / 1/2 cup/ 115 grams sugar
  • 2 0z margarine/ 1/4 cup/ 58 grams margarine
  • 2-3 teaspoons of almond essence
  • 2 tablespoons of water

Method

  1. Melt margarine in the water
  2. Add essence and sugar and stir
  3. Add flour and mix in bit by bit and then turn out onto a floured board and knead well
  4. Roll out and cut to shape of top of cake using the tin to use knife to cut around
  5. Smear top of cake with jam of your choice
  6. Cover with marzipan
  7. Cake can then be iced

FUN NEWS!! The eggless Christmas cake recipe on my blog is being used in a TV show in the UK on December 10 called “Come Dine with Me”…

ITV Studios contacted me asking permission to use it. The recipe itself, that I used, was an authentic  Ministry of Food wartime recipe which I had tweaked. They are also going to use a mock icing…

I’ll make sure my completed fully iced “Eggless Wartime Christmas Cake” is up on the blog to coincide with the showing. Will be curious to see the program as I am wondering whether there is going to be a wartime themed dinner party… LOL!!!!

C xxxxxxx