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A month without money?.. Let’s mend and make do!

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Immediately after Christmas, most of us, especially those with limited income, single parents, those on benefits or simply those who have really overspent are pretty much BROKE in the month of January and the only way to balance the books is to cut the spending, and be extra frugal for a month or two.

I’m not against a little moderate consumerism, we need it for our economy and businesses BUT I am against mindless consumerism and the pressure many individuals and young families can feel to overspend way beyond their means. I can understand that we want to give our kids things that make them happy, even more so if they have little or nothing and I enjoy the giving and receiving of affordable gifts, but the sheer weight of debt many encounter post Christmas is a ‘horrible’ situation to have to struggle against.

Looking back to the home front during WW2, that pressure of consumerism was alleviated, families had to mend and make-do and use their ingenuity and creativity to often make gifts. Expectations were certainly not the same as they are today.

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So what can we do to really cut back in the New Year to balance the financial scales?

I guess it has to start at Christmas. Reduce the spending, give smaller gifts, don’t use credit cards if you can’t afford to repay it back in a month or two, never spend more than you have and don’t be afraid to say no.

When my marriage broke down several years ago and then consequently losing my work visa in Canada and with no means to support myself, our life took a dramatic turn and ever since the first of those events we have have lived within our means at Christmas and do not own credit cards. That’s not to say we still don’t feel the pinch in January and February though, especially with a multitude of family birthdays taking place BUT a couple of careful months and we are back on track.

So here’s the challenge for anyone who want’s to join in and share their experiences…

“Let’s spend as little as humanely possible for a month, lets do without stuff, be mindful of the food we buy and eat and let’s just mend and make do!”

I’m up for it if you are!!!

I’m not saying we should list our private outgoings and bills etc but rather celebrate the daily cutbacks we make to save money in what we purchase and what we buy at the grocery store!

How little can we spend?

What can we save?

If anyone is up for this as a group lets do this here and/or on my Facebook page.
Well my challenge starts today – I’m off to the shops in an hour or two. I’m going to keep all my receipts and ONLY buy something if I REALLY have to.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

C xxxxxx

27/December/2016

So here’s my first spend since Christmas. £2.80 for toilet rolls and sanitary towels. I wonder how long I can make 6 toilet rolls last!

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MEND AND MAKE DO: DRESSMAKING CLASSES IN LONDON, 1943 (D 12887) Mrs Bolton at work on a sewing machine during a Make Do and Mend class in the office of the Kennington branch of the Labour Party. She is making a coat for her 16 year old daughter on the sewing machine that she has bought to the class as part of the 'Equipment Pool', to which all members of the class contribute. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205125908

MEND AND MAKE DO: DRESSMAKING CLASSES IN LONDON, 1943 (D 12887) Mrs Bolton at work on a sewing machine during a Make Do and Mend class in the office of the Kennington branch of the Labour Party. She is making a coat for her 16 year old daughter on the sewing machine that she has bought to the class as part of the ‘Equipment Pool’, to which all members of the class contribute. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205125908

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Four in a Bed – Channel 4 – 1940s Cooking!

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So one very hot day last summer I drove all the way over to Cambridge to take part in a Channel 4 TV show called “Four in a Bed”.

They wanted someone to facilitate a 1940s bake off and we decided on a very simple ‘Carrot Cookies’ recipe.

Armed with many props from my kitchen such as tea cups, rations books, bunting, old lace, cake stands, vegetables and ‘here’s-some-I-prepared-earlier-cookies’, and getting lost a couple of times on the way, we eventually made it and despite not having a hairbrush at all (I forgot it) was able, with the help of my daughter, to position two rather pathetic looking victory rolls precariously on my head and squeeze into my slightly tight dress (which WILL be loose one day).

We had great fun filming with Channel 4 at DUXFORD LODGE which is a beautiful country house quite close to the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

Initially I made my excuses not to do this and tried to find someone else who would BUT so many times in my life I turn things down because of being self conscious so pushed myself to do this and was really pleased I did.

It was fun, gave me a little more confidence and of course will always be a day to remember.

The 1940s Cooking Scene starts at 8 minutes 50 seconds in and you can watch it on the link here.

Keep pushing outside your comfort zone if ever you get a fun opportunity like this and just GO FOR IT!!!

C xxxxx

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A very well know supermarket visited….

profilephoto1940An exciting weekend…

Yesterday I spent all day cleaning up my rather messy kitchen and baking some 1940’s dishes as a VERY well known supermarket were sending a photographer over on Sunday (today!).

I’ll tell you more when I know more because quite frankly, although the photographer was lovely and talented (see his Instagram here) I think he had his work cut out with this chubby silver haired vintage foodie. My dress barely fit, my wrap around pinny wouldn’t wrap around (my boobs have seemed to have grown immensely overnight and has scared the life out of me!) and my Victory Rolls looked more like something worn by ‘A Flock of Seagulls’. I am about 80% convinced right now that they will decide not to run the article when they see my photos…

Whatever happens, it was good spending all weekend cooking and giving the kitchen a pre Christmas scrub and Jess and I enjoyed a chit-chat with the photographer who was very kind.

Right now I am absolutely shattered. I’ve gobbled down 1/2 a Lord Woolton Pie and two blackberry mince pies and am going to have an afternoon snooze on the sofa.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

C xxxx

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Dame Vera Lynn 100th Birthday Celebration

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I heard some exciting news today.

Dame Vera Lynn will be 100 years old on March 20th 2017 and there is to be a star-studded variety extravaganza at the London Palladium theatre.

QUOTE: “The spectacular celebrating the Forces’ Sweetheart’s centenary will feature a line up of stage, TV and musical stars.

Full details of the concert set to take place on March 18 next year and how to buy tickets will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The money raised will go to the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity.”

READ ARTICLE HERE

And then I watched this really good documentary on Dame Vera, filmed in 2010 when she was 93 and I though she looks and sounds wonderful. It’s a fascinating piece of social history and I’d recommend you watch it.

There was one comment in the documentary she made that I picked up on and immediately I felt a kinship.

“I quite like when things go wrong…it’s a challenge!”….Dame Vera Lynn

And I started listening to some of her wonderful songs..

“There’ll always be an England…”

 

And of course “We’ll Meet Again..”

 

I’ve enjoyed my hour with Vera….

C xxxxx

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I’ve fire in my belly…

Because of my insecurities largely to do with how horrid I felt inside at my largest weight, I’ve always felt safer working quietly away in the background when I do things. I rarely push myself forward to do things outside my comfort zone (except my new found love of hiking!) and always feel I’m probably just not good enough…

I recently was asked to do a small guest piece on a TV show (and I can’t mention what it is but will let you know when I can and when it will be aired). It sounded like fun and right up my 1940s’s street! Initially my thoughts were NO, I just can’t do it and tried to find someone else that would be suitable but when they couldn’t do it either I thought WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! If I never try I’m never going to have fun things to remember and even if things go horribly wrong it’s not the end of the world, at least I tried and it’s another step forward.

So I said I would and on Thursday, with Jess my daughter for company,  drove a several hour round journey to a destination I had never been too before and despite being very nervous had a lovely day doing something I am passionate about.

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Here’s a photo taken on Thursday and I feel my eyes are bright and alive, I’m excited and happy. Although I have lost 95lbs from my heaviest and am only 1/2 way through my weight loss journey, the loss so far has had a profound and positive psychological effect on my life. I wish I could share how wonderful I now feel on some days, a far cry from the torment inside from my heaviest weight.

And now I’ve fire in my belly… fire to see this fight against obesity through to the end, fire to keep pushing forward and achieve the things that make me happy, fire to keep on fighting, fire to keep on cooking, fire to keep calm and carry on…

C xxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

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Perseverance, Endurance & Determination.

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It’s taken me about over 20 years to truly understand what it takes to accomplish a lofty goal. These things are perseverance, endurance and determination and you have to have all three of them…

For the past six months I’ve been studying people who achieve great feats in the hope of determining what makes these people stick with something and achieve their goal to succeed! The reason I’ve been doing this is partly in my own personal battle against obesity. I want to get into the minds of these people, understand where there mental stamina comes from, what sort of mindset do they have? I figure that losing a large amount of weight is possibly on a par with the achievements of endurance athletes, explorers, entrepreneurs, those that rehabilitate themselves from serious illness, those who overcome disability.

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Recently, through a friend at work I came to talk to a gentleman called ‘Ray Matthews’. Shauna explained about this incredible, humble gentleman who was going to try and raise £75,000 for the children at Newman School in Rotherham who desperately need a soft playground so they can play safely with their varying physical disabilities. I thought this admirable but when she then told me….. “He’s going to run 75 Marathons in 75 Days and he’s 75 years old…a new world record” I thought she was having a laugh. Could this even be possible? EVER?

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And then I spoke to Ray on the phone and he started to tell me his story. Immediately I went and bought his two books, the KINDLE editions so I could read about how someone gets to achieve great feats on endurance (and believe me he has..). I volunteered to help out a little by doing some updates on social media and just passing the word around because I figured that PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS and of course I wanted to see him raise that money for the school.

BTW the fundraising page is at www.donateplayground.uk if you wanted to throw a few pounds his way for the school.

And I’m asking a big favour from all of you. We need to let people know about this, let the press know and the newspapers, let everyone know that there are great world record breaking athletes out there doing these amazing things in a selfless way…

Think about it for a moment, 75 Marathons in 75 Days and he’s 75 Years Old.

And then I met Ray

And he’s lovely, he’s humble, he’s inspiring and he tells a great story.

REMEMBER THIS NAME #raymatthews

HIS WEBSITE IS www.rwrr.co.uk

PLEASE SHARE! LET EVERYONE KNOW!

Thank you so much

C xxxxxx

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Be the tortoise not the hare…

After 20+ years of being obese, there is one lesson I’ve recently learned and accepted the fact that “it is OK to be the tortoise and not the hare…”

The key to long term success is perseverance and endurance and one is more likely to get to the end and finish if challenges are taken at a steady pace. It REALLY is OK to plod along and enjoy the scenery.

The last three weeks I’m kinda stuck in the low 250’s. Normally this would have previously been enough for me to throw my hands up in exasperation and head down to the shop on the corner to buy 2 giant bars of Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate and a large bag of chips. That’s not something I’ve done for 5 or 6 months now.

I’m accepting that the tortoise eventually gets to where it wants as it just keeps going…

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Image from Team Theos Mohican Runner – Check his website out here

And that is how I’m facing my latest challenge, my second Marathon. The Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon takes place on October 9th in the City of York. Two work colleagues and I will be running for my employer http://www.pmsdiecasting.co.uk to raise money for our chosen charity for 2016 which is the ‘Children’s Hospital Charity’. We’ll be running as part of ‘Team Theo’.

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Click here for ‘The Children’s Hospital Charity‘

Last year I walked a marathon for Cancer Research UK. I walked as fast as I could, lost two toenails, got runners trots so had to poop in a bush and came last (in 8 hrs 45 minutes) but was totally happy with that. I did something I never thought was possible for me as several months before the event I could barely walk 100 m without having to sit down because of back pain. Solution was to lose weight and keep walking…

This year, I have 7 hours to complete the Yorkshire Marathon so I have to lose more weight, train harder and even jog at times to make the time. I’m determined to do it (and hopefully not lose anymore toenails this time)

My training started today…

Will I come last again? Probably… but I’ll finish. I won’t give up.

I AM THE TORTOISE!

PS: Did my first in public 5k run last week for Cancer Research as part of the #pinkarmy. I walked and jogged it in just under 42 minutes.

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Here’s my MARATHON training plan if you are interested. Click on it to print.

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The long rambling get-it-off-my-chest post…

SORRY…

Sorry for the absence, the lack of recipes, lack of communication.

I’ve had a few difficult months one would say which culminated in my partner and I parting ways about a month or so ago. We had some great times together over the last couple of years but latterly, both of us had issues that eventually hindered the relationship progressing any further. Inevitably there is transition time after a break up where you spend much time thinking about everything and that’s what I’ve been doing.

With some of the health issues I’ve been working my way through in the past 6 months I’ve decided to dedicate myself, above everything else, to getting happy and healthy again. If this doesn’t leave time for socializing, or writing my blog posts, so be it. I’ve decided that it is OK to sometimes be selfish. I’ve also decided that it is also OK to be celibate. While it’s fun to have a giggle at beardy wonders like ‘The WHIMSICAL WOODSMAN’, I can honestly say that having any sort of ‘friendship’ or ‘relationship’ with the opposite sex in 2016 won’t be happening. I need this time to work on ME, to achieve my goals, to not feel anxious and to banish those self doubts about ‘not being good enough’. I’m me, I like me, even the strange bits….

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Check out the ‘Whimsical Woodman’ HERE https://www.facebook.com/thewhimsicalwoodsman/

Now I’ve stopped talking about boys, lets get down to business. Eating good, unprocessed food and losing weight…

256lbsThe sheer process of being ‘selfish’ and also avoiding stress and anxiety, has had a VERY positive effect on my psyche and my weight-loss these past months. Today I weighed in at 256.6 lbs (about 18 stone 2 lbs). I’ve lost NEARLY 40 lbs since January at a steady rate now of about 2 lbs per week and I’m now down nearly 90 lbs from my heaviest weight ever. My bingeing is under control, I’m no longer turning to food emotionally, to feel comfort or feel full. I’ve been focusing on putting healthy fuel in my body and taking regular exercise since my hospital tests. Like during rationing in the 1940’s, my diet continues to be LOTS of vegetables and wholefoods and very few processed foods and very limited amounts of cheese and egg (4 oz per week and 1 egg). To be honest I’m using very little of my sugar allowance either. Infact I’ve hardly used any but will put it towards some fundraising cupcakes I am making tonight…

Despite the recent upsets, I’m beginning to feel much happier and healthier. I’m liking the fact my body is shrinking (even the odd wobbly bits that aren’t shrinking back like the little fat sacks at the top of my thighs). My tummy has an awful lot of loose skin on it and I can see this being a big problem when I reach my goal weight but I’d rather have that problem than the obesity one….

My next goal, to move out of the ‘morbid obesity’ category to the simply ‘obese’ classification.I’m thinking about another 10 lbs or so should do it!

THANK YOU for all the messages and comments sent and posted on the website, on my Facebook page and on Instagram and Twitter. I’ve been updating these with lots of photos and screenshots from FitBit and weigh-ins

Keep walking, never give up, C xxxx

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Pink Layer Party Cake – Recipe No. 149 (Mother’s Day Tribute)

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A perfect Mother’s Day morning. Eating pink cake for breakfast and drinking tea from a vintage pink china cup. AND I got to spend an hour or two faffing around taking photos of this authentic wartime recipe and updating my blog to share it… I hope you’ll share it around too and bring a smile to a mother’s face, after-all what is there NOT to like about pink cake and pretty china.

So this recipe was followed 100% to the book. First I’m going to moan. The sponge was kinda firm and chalky (as it contained strawberry blancmange powder) and the icing (which was also made out of blancmange powder) slithered off the cake and all over the plate leaving my sponge with a soggy bottom. This wasn’t the best wartime cake recipe I’ve tried, not even near it.

But there was one redeeming factor….it was PINK. (after I’d added some extra drops of red food colouring)

The recipe actually ONLY made one sandwich tin’s worth of cake. In the end I cut in it half, and sandwiched both halves together with LOTS of strawberry jam to make HALF A CAKE (which is probably a good thing…)

And I did thoroughly enjoy two slices for my breakfast and as I drank my tea and ate my cake and pondered on the moving sentiment written inside my eldest daughter’s card to me this morning (she’s 27 BTW), a solitary tear slipped into my tea-cup. Being a parent takes you on a journey one can never truly describe, it’s a selfless road that never ends, until it does. And then I contemplated how lucky I am as a woman, how strong and amazing ALL women can be…and then I ate more pink cake and smiled.

Here’s the recipe.

Pink Layer Party Cake

1 cupful of self-raising flour
1/2 cup full pink blancmange
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 dried or fresh eggs
2 oz margarine

Method

Beat sugar and margarine together.
Mix flour and blancmange powder together.
Add beaten eggs and flour mix, bit by bit to margarine and sugar mixture. Beat well.
Add to two small sandwich tins (or one larger one to make 1/2 a sandwich cake) and bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 C.
When cold sandwich together with a generous quantity of strawberry or raspberry jam.
To ice the cake boil together 2 tablespoons of caster sugar with 2 tablespoons water and a teaspoon of margarine until dissolved well. Allow to cool until lukewarm then add blancmange powder (you’ll need most of the packet) to create the icing to top the cake with. Leave to cool and thicken more before adding to cake top.
I added some drops of red food colouring to sponge mix and icing.

 

HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY!

 

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Thank you for your supportive comments..

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Thank you for all your very supportive and reassuring comments left on my last blog post and on my Facebook page too. I really have appreciated each and every one and have taken comfort in them and am feeling much more optimistic!

Will be working hard towards good health in 2016, with a smile!

Much love, C xxxx