A very productive day here at Daisie Towers today.

Nathaniel and I gave Tumble Tots a miss this morning as he has been very sick in the night. Ugh! Very noisy, very smelly, horrid snot ridden stuff that made him heave until there was nothing left. Poor boy. He was his usual self again by breakfast time but so tired! We usually give Julie a lift from school (she is Julie that runs Tumble Tots at the sports centre or Mrs. Spencer at school or Lucy's Mum) as we are there anyway. I gave her a lift down today as it had already been arranged and I'd have felt bad making her go on the bus. She climbed into the car with two huge bags of stuff. One was balls and things for TT and the other bag was for me! How I squeaked! Lots of lovely craftie goodies for me and the children. Best of all was a little box of off cuts of ribbons and bits stolen from greetings cards (my favourite), will show you a pic soon. Thanks Julie!

Then I went to the post office to collect the float for tomorrow. £50 in change doesn't look very much. I expected it to be very heavy indeed. It's not. I even recounted it before I left as I thought the woman had made a mistake!

Nathaniel went to bed soon after we got home so I made four custom hotties. They are not due for delivery for a while but I thought they could come with me tomorrow and look pretty on my table;



Then there was a big bang on the door! A strange man! Who brought me a big box of posters and loads of flyers. The Anthony Nolan advertising had arrived, nearly kissed the man but managed to contain my excitement. I packaged up some for Julie's husband to share amongst her friends and some for my Mum who said she's stick them up and around and some other friends and the hospital and a doctors surgery or two and school. Monday morning will see the start of my pavement pounding and harrassing local business owners!

Home again with an extra child after school to roast some beef and make some yorkshire pudding;



Sorry that the picture is such a funny shape but I had to hide the grime in my oven! Didn't want it to stop you marvelling at my huge yorkshire. Had it risen any more it would have had it's own gravitational pull! I thought we ought to have a proper meal as it'll be something and beans tomorrow when I am all faired out!

I don't feel overly organised and have spent the day panicking and faffing and packing and unpacking and now a starnge calm has fallen on me and, you know what? It's gonna be fine!

Just to take the car seats out of the car and then off to bed and I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about it!

Daisie xxx

Busy Bee

Well, the things on the list are slowly being ticked off.

Hotties;


I really like the simplicity of this love heart one;

I decided not to put names on these ones but just to make a pile and let the children choose which they wanted to give to their friends. I have three more cut out ready to sew together tomorrow.

I made a few cards with felt pictures on them;

The picture is a bit naff but the cards are good, will be making some more like this.

And the custom order is no more :-( bit naffed off but at least I hadn't started to make it yet. So no time wasted and I am busy at the moment making stuff for the craft fair so not too disappointed.

Forgot to buy kirby grips and glitter spray so will be off shopping again tomorrow. I did, however, manage to buy a huge chicken (free range, corn fed etc) we don't often buy chicken these days as my conscience and purse can't afford it! Anyway, I practically barged people out of the way when I saw this £15 bird reduced to only £3.26! I have roasted it this afternoon as it was near it's sell by (that's was why it was cheap) and carved it all up. Made a big plate full of nicely sliced pieces to have tomorrow with roasted veg and Yorkshire puddings (who says they're only for beef?!), a huge jug of lovely gravy from the pan juices and I made a litre of good stock with the bones. I used some of the stock to make soup for tonight with the meat picked from the bones and whatever veg I could find in the fridge;

Nathaniel scoffed his! Maybe if we're lucky there will be enough for sandwiches on Saturday!

Only a boy card to make now and hair stuff to get for Francecsa, not bad considering I forgot to take the shopping list out with me! Don't know why I make them really, they are never with me when I get to the shops, always on the table or stuck on the fridge.

Daisie xxx

I'm A Fire Starter.....

Twisted fire starter.......

It was so sunny we decided to have a barbecue!!


The sepia toned picture isn't meant to be arty, we just accidentally pressed a button on the camera!!

Simon even did some cooking;

The girls had a lovely time, shame it's so late in the summer (?) and we probably won't be doing it again this year.

Nathaniel loves a sausage;

The worried expression is because he thinks someone will take it off him!!

There is some charcoal left so the children and I may wrap up on evening after school later in the year when it's cold and toast marshmallows. I have never done that before, they are so good! I ate them until I felt sick and had to stop!

Daisie xxx

More Meals From Daisie's Kitchen

At Jenny's request here is another family meal for less than a fiver. She is having a giveaway too so go have a look!

I decided to show you this as Elizabeth came home from school last week with a letter inviting parents into the school kitchen for a course in feeding children. My eyebrows raised instantly! They were offering to teach us how to make; "soup, from scratch" (is there any other?!), "Family Shepherd's Pie" and "A Healthy Pizza" Needless to say, I haven't signed up for this one!!

So here is;

Daisie's Shepherd's Pie

You will need;

Onion, chopped (20p)

400g minced beef (£1.75)

3 sticks of celery (20p)

4 large potatoes (50p)

stock (7p)

butter/milk to mash

To Serve;

1/2 bag of carrots, chopped anyway you like (25p)

a dozen runner beans (free from my Dad's garden)

1/4 bag of frozen peas (27p)

broccoli (63p)

Bit of bisto (other instant type gravies are available), see how precise I am (4p)

I know I used beef so technically this is cottage pie but here anything with mash on top (unless it's red dragons) is Shepherd's it saves a lot of confusion!

Brown mince in a hot pan. Remove mince and drain fat, sit to one side. In the same pan sweat the onion and then add the celery, chopped however you like it, and mince back to the pan. Add a little stock and allow to cook through over a medium heat.

Peel and chop potatoes, boil until tender, remove from heat, drain and mash.

Put mince into an oven proof dish and layer mashed potatoes on the top. I like to fluff my top up and then you get crispy bits;

Peel, and chop other veg as usual and steam while the pie is browning either in a hot oven or under the grill. I tend to make mine during the day so I have more time for reading books and homework and spellings after school so mine goes in an oven to warm through, if it's still hot from cooking just brown.

Bung on a plate, eat and enjoy!

Francesca dressed up especially;

The funny face is because she is trying to smile without showing everyone the food in her mouth, should have waited really but I just couldn't get over the headdress!

All for the grand total of £3.92!

Daisie xxx

Notecards And Cheap Eats

Well, I spent this morning making six sets of note cards for an (fingers crossed) up and coming craft fair!! V.excited, will let you know all the details when I have them. I made some more Christmas cards too.

And then this afternoon I set out to make a warm and comforting meal as all the children have runny noses and coughs, it was only a matter of time once they went back to school!

I made what we affectionately call 'pasta soup', it's my take on the traditional Italian soup; minestrone.

Daisie's Minestrone.

You will need;

1 large onion, chopped (20p ish)

2 courgettes, sliced (73p)

a few mushrooms, sliced (69p)

3 carrots, chopped (20p ish)

2 red peppers, chopped (45p)

1 tin cannelini beans (27p)

Carton Passata (43p)

Handful of pasta per person (40p)

plus a little olive oil, a pinch of dried herbs and a twist of black pepper

To Serve;

Crusty bread (25p) and grated cheese.

Sweat the onion in a little olive oil until tender, add chopped vegetables and stir. Add passata and about a pint of water, add herbs and pepper, leave to come to the boil. Once boiling add pasta, stir. Once pasta is cooked place in bowls and serve with grated cheese on top.

Serve at the table with crusty bread (this is a lovely little loaf I bought reduced for only 25p, I usually make my own but not even Jamie Oliver could make a loaf of seed bread for 25p!!) and real butter!

We all have lovely warm, full bellies now, all for the grand total of £3.52, and the babies are all snoring in their beds.

Need to iron the school uniforms and then I am off to bed too.

Night, night, Daisie xxx

Dragon Update

Here are the girls' plates this evening;


The eagle eyed among you will notice that the peas were replaced with sweet corn because my freezer was pea less! This increased the cost by 20p so the meal now cost £3.52!

I also made a chocolate cake for the girls after school;

This cost me £1.27 to make taking the grand total of our two course meal for five to..................£4.79. eat your heart out Jamie Oliver!!

While the cake was baking a knock on the door brought me this;

Full of lots of lovely Christmas crafting goodies;

I think I will mostly be making Christmas cards for the foreseeable future!!

Daisie xxx

* A quick comment about my last post. I seem to have ruffled some feathers. I apologise for any upset but that is what I think and I am sticking to it! I have a strong suspicion I know who 'anonymous' is and I'd like them to know that I am a 'good milker' and am proud! (sticks tongue out in a very childish way!)*

Big Rant

Apologies now but have you seen the television advert for this? Could scream at the television (and I think I probably did as Simon muttered something along the lines of; "It can't hear you know?!") Nothing makes me crosser than how we feed our children (well, not me) synthesised crap in plastic bottles! It's the 'done thing' in the western world and it drives me insane! Why do people do it when your body can make it clean, germ free and specifically tailored to your baby for the grand total of nothing!? It only costs patience and perseverance in the first few weeks and then it's always there (in any quantity) when needed.

And while I'm ranting has the whole country gone mad!? Have you seen this? What do they think most of us have been doing for the last million (slight exaggeration on my part there) years!?! Are some people born without brains? Or are some people so rich they forget to use them?

I regularly feed all five of us (often with left overs frozen for Nathaniel's lunches) for less than a fiver. Tonight we are having Red Dragon Pie and I will share with you the secret.......................first, slay one dragon. Only joking!

Red Dragon Pie.

You will need;

1 onion chopped (20p ish, depending on size etc)

2 cans Aduki beans (42p)

tin of chopped tomatoes (19p)

4 potatoes for mashing (50p)

To serve;

Half bag of carrots chopped any way you desire (49p)

Bag of green beans (98p)

1/4 bag of frozen peas (27 1/2p)

Twist of black pepper for bean sauce, splash of oil to sweat onion and a bit of butter or milk for mash (probably about 7p if we're being precise but I'm not!)

Chop onion and sweat in oil until soft, add tomatoes and beans, leave to simmer for a while so sauce will thicken slightly, add black pepper to taste (garlic is nice too). Place beans in an oven proof dish and set aside. Peel and chop potatoes, boil until soft enough to mash. Mash. Layer on top of beans. At this point if you are feeling flush then add grated cheese to the top! Place in oven to brown, I like a crispy top. Steam veg. Put on plate. Eat and enjoy!!

As aduki beans are quite expensive I only used one and used a tin of berlotti beans instead as they were on offer at only 27p a tin. So tonight's meal comes to the grand total of.........drum roll please.............£3.32

I'll update and post some pics of it tonight.

Daisie xxx