Quiet for a while.........

Apologies for the lack of blogging, but its been a bit mental here.

The kids have both been poorly,
Ive been run down,
My sisters PND got much worse and she has been put forward for mental health assessments because she was having suicidal thoughts,
So there's been a councillor sticking their nose in our business, trying to get us to undertake a joint counselling session together which has brought up some horrid memories that I don't care to relive.
Owen hates his job and that situation has gotten worse,
His dad lost his job,
We had our NTL cut off in the cold weather so we had no TV, phone or Internet for about 5 days.
Wow its been cold

and amongst all that I have been just carrying on, as I always do.

I really should look into whoever it was who suggested freezing cheese - I have found this an amazing money saver - in work we reduced down cheese but it hardly ever sells so I brought home last week two blocks of mature welsh cheddar, which I divided each block into 3 and so had 6 mini blocks of that, and I brought home 4 large blocks of red Leicester cheese which again I divided into 3 each so I now have 12 small blocks of that as well frozen in the freezer. I tend to take it out, defrost it then chuck it in the food processor and grate it up as and when its needed because I find it went clumpy when I froze it pre grated.

Still a very good tip and I promise to give credit where its due when I find out who it was!

Aside from that we are struggling this month with Owen being paid December 16th and then nothing until the 31st January. It is a long month for us so I have had to lend him money £160 to be precise because it was Josh's birthday (his eldest son) and the £60 for fuel but he has assured me I will get this back on the 31st which is his pay day.
Also March cant come quick enough - we are in a council property which means March for us is a rent free month and also a council tax free month - so altogether we will have £537 which would normally cover these two bills. Owen pays the £430 rent and with his he is going to pay off a small debt he has and one of his credit cards (£200) so he will have about £40 left I think but he will be almost debt free. My £107 I'm not entirely sure what to do with yet but I think I will pay it into my credit union account and let it fester in there for a rainy day or towards the summer holidays so I can get out and do things with the kids.

I'm also considering in September when Holly starts school - putting her into an after school club - she may be mornings 9-12 or afternoons 12 - 3 but if she is in the mornings I may ask for her to go to an afternoon club and then I can pick up a few extra morning shifts from 9.15 until say 2.15 then I can pick her up on the way to collect Ben which may help our financial situation a fair bit again.

Anyway I will now be about a fair bit more again now that everything seems to be sorting itself out.

Hope your all well

Sammy x x x

Let the nightmare commence.....

Morning all

Well I woke up Tuesday with a dental abscess hence the lack of posting - thankfully it has given me no pain as apparently its draining (I bet you really wanted to know that)  and still hasn't but they have told me I will need the tooth removing and a dose of antibiotics. 

Now for any normal person this is fine, but when you are straight edge, medication phobic and have severe anxiety this can be an absolute nightmare of immense proportions! I have been psyching myself up for the last few days to take them and was all ready to yesterday when my partner got delayed at work so I couldn't and as a result I ended up making myself sick with worry and dread.

So this morning after reading horror stories of dental abscess' I had to do it. I broke out in a hot flushes, dry mouth, shakes and this was before I even had the pill out of the packet - and yes it is one 250mg pill I have to take - hardly a horse tranquilliser. As soon as I took it I promptly burst into tears and had to remove myself to the garden for fear of the kids seeing me in such a state. 

I bizarrely too have this weird thing about 5 minutes....... so I'll tell you the story. My mum (should reiterate the reason I never mention her is we haven't spoken in 9 months) anyway.........she is exactly the same as me - hates taking pills or medication in any form and I clearly remember my dad when they were together having to force her to take medication, to the point of having to pin her down - it was obviously something she absolutely needed to take because my dad isn't a bully or a forceful person etc. - but I think mentally that has scarred me and worsened my own phobia.

Anyway I remember her telling me that if anything was going to happen, like a severe allergic reaction - you'd know within 5 minutes.....or there would be tell tale signs something wasn't right. So I take myself away for 5 minutes.....strange but it works for me.....I sit and focus on my breathing to bring myself out of a panic attack etc too.

Although in fairness I have been put on Amoxycillin, and it really doesn't help that my younger sister is allergic to penicillin and amoxycillin so my worry isn't completely unacceptable!

Anyway so since I seem to be ok - I took it at 9.33 and here I still am at 11.27 - my time before work today will mostly be taken up with reading this fab new blog that I have found 

http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk

It has already given me loads of ideas and is exactly the type of blog I like to read so I hope some of you will stop in and have a read too. 

                                                                                 x

Hello all!!

Well it feels like an eternity since I was last on my blog!!

Well so much has happened since May when I last posted.

Firstly, we've moved house!!!! We were finally awarded a council house and we now reside in a lovely 3 bedroomed house in our beautiful little welsh valley. We are also lucky that we have a lovely big garden so I have decided to set my growing skills to the test as well. Well sort of........

my last growing attempt whilst I lived in my flat was unsuccessful somewhat - all my spring onions were stolen and my neighbours dog ate my tomatos!

I have all this and this to play with!

This is the view down my garden, where you can see Owens workshop foundations are being laid,

the second is the small suntrap near my kitchen window and by my back door

which gets sun all morning and shade from about 12.30-1pm.

I have brought a nice six tiered greenhouse to go against the wall on the left.

I have brought a few seeds packets ready but have decided to research things to grow first and spend the rest of this year working on preparation for my growing instead of jumping straight in.

Should add on the picture down my garden behind the big bush! are a pot of rhubarb that I presumed dead but is now thriving which was 20p in the focus sale and have since discovered there is two crowns in one pot so will get him repotted asap into a giant tub i think.

Also next to him (again behind bush) are two strawberry plants that were 25p each from wilkinsons that were sunlight starved and dying - now have one strawberry that's going red on one of them.

In the suntrap picture the pot is a reviving blueberry bush - again from focus for 20p - it was originally a stick in a bucket so glad to see it with a bit of life again!

I am awaiting the arrival of a compost bin too that the council offered relatively cheap as a recycling scheme so that should arrive anyday too.

Fingers crossed I will be able to go ahead with my planting this coming year but can anyone else advise me on things I could be doing in preparation? I haven't really picked out a veg plot yet as im not too sure where to put it as I have two children (7 and 1) and I have a small terrier dog.

I cannot wait to start getting myself more self sufficient. Im hoping to also get a water butt asap too!

Oh and did I mention my new house has a lovely big kitchen diner for my to play in.

Inside the house pictures to follow soon!

x