Happy Mother's Day

To my wonderful Mum

Mum you’re very special – have a great day

 

Mum, Dad, baby brother & me – June 1968

MummyHen X

Wedding Anniversary

A perfect day with my DaddyHen.

MummyHen X

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all dads everywhere.  Sadly, my father is no longer with us but the memories are so special.

Hello – it’s me

I am here.  After a short sabbatical from blogging I am back – perhaps not as refreshed as I’d like but back none the less am back.

Work is still ‘the tiger in the room’ and I am trying to tame it – but it’s difficult. Part of my strategy to reduce the number of hours I work [my contract says 35 but reality is near 60] is to set goals each week for none work activities and stick to them.  We went to see Captain Philips a couple of weeks ago on a Friday afternoon – I had said I would finish work at noon and NOT check email or log back on to work until 8am on Monday – it was VERY difficult but I did manage to stick to it.  I am still waking in the early hours with work on my mind and finding it increasingly difficult not to go into my home office and login.

Money saving is going well – a few wobbles in the last few months but nothing that a months or so of being extra thrifty won’t solve. We have finished paying the community charge so that’s an extra £175 for the next 5 months that can towards credit cards; the final payment on the car loan will be made in a few week then we will be loan free – wooohooo – another £430 for snowballing.

My tin for the Sealed Pot Challenge is still sealed and weighing over 8.5kgs I am really hoping that there will be more than £1,000 in it when its opened on 1^st December – getting excited about it. 

 

Fruit for the Christmas cake has been soaking for a few weeks and I am hoping to that I will be able to make the cake this week.

My mum had her 82nd birthday at the beginning of last month and we spent a lovely day with her and Betty - I made a lovely PoppySeed and Lemon cake; it was really yummy.

 

SonnyHen has started to play rugby again after not playing for a season.  This means that Saturdays revolve around where he’s playing; we all travel together so arrive a good few hours before kick-off which gives DaddyHen and I time to go for a long walk.  Last week we gathered sweet chestnuts (note to self don't gather them without gloves - I still have tiny tiny splinters from the spines in my fingers).  This week there were hips and these purple berries

 

I think they are sloes but not sure - if you know then let me know. 

MummyHen X

Bettys Party

We had such a lovely time at my Aunts family birthday party on Saturday; family party because on Sunday she had another party for church friends and then today is her actual day.

We only tend to get together, as an extended family, at major events the last one was my mother’s 80^th a couple of years ago prior to that it was my father’s funeral. 

We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant in called Moorings; very reasonably priced good food in large portions.  Mum seemed to enjoy her ice cream sundae. 

Back to Mums house for tea, cookies and cake.

 

MummyHen X

It’s been a year – 1st anniversary

Since I started this blog – wow how time wizzes by.

This was my first post.

Thank you for all the comments - I do enjoy reading them; welcome to all my followers, for those of you just popping in for a quick look - why not leave a comment and become a follow.

Challenge #1 was to reduce food spending – we are now in the swing of things after a year of looking for yellow stickers, buying meat when it’s on special and putting it in the freezer, bulk buying – stock pile non-perishables when they are on special.  We spend £500- per month; I think it can be reduced but that will depend on everyone on the Hen house being on side.  [Yes you, you there I know you read this?!?]

Challenge #2 build-up emergency funds. This is added to each month and is now £2,000 – it has been used a couple of times and then replaced. I am aiming for £3,000 by year end.

Challenge #3 debt snowballing.  This was perhaps the most revealing; shocking to start with when we realised how much debt we were in - putting it on paper in black & white is very cathartic.  We started with six credit cards and owned over £54k between us; we are now down to four and owe just over £34k (still way too much), a third card will be paid off in the next 3 months, the final payment on the car loan is in September after which snowballing on card #6 can start in earnest.  This card has the lowest interest but I will look at if a balance transfer to a completed card is viable to save.

Sealed pot challenge is continuing;

as I don’t spend much in cash what goes into the tin is limited but I am always on the lookout for £2 coins and £5 notes – both Daddy & SonnyHen feed the tin when they get either.  I weighted the tin back in April and it was 7.1kgs today its 7.5kgs – I have added all this;

 in the spirit of challenge I didn’t count it but it must be around £120.

MummyHen X

 

Wedding Anniversary

Today we have been married 23years.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.

Corinthians 13:7-8

 MummyHen X

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy mother’s day to all mothers everywhere.

I won’t see my mum until next week – so happy mother’s day mum (yes, she does read my blog).  A photo of me and my mum taken a few years ago !??!

 

 
Thanks to you all for your comments on pet insurance – we are going to put money in an account each month specifically for Big Hum and Little Cat.  We couldn’t find an insurance company that would insure 10yrs + cats for life.

 

MummyHen X

What happened to Bournvita?

When I was little – actually I think that should be younger as I’ve never been little!!

I would be given a mug of warm Bournvita if I was feeling under the weather.  This afternoon I felt like a mug of Bournvita – but we didn’t have any so DaddyHen kindly went to the shops looking for Bournvita only to come home empty handed with the news that it’s not been sold for years!?!? He did bring back another brand of malted drink but it wasn’t the same

 

What – ok so we don’t have it very often but really - Cadbury no longer sell it in the UK.

What things to you remember from years ago or childhood that are no longer available?

 MummyHen X

 

Happy Birthday SonnyHen…

 

Our little boy was born today, Thursday 3rd January 1991, 22 years ago at 21:50 weighing 10lb ½ oz.

 

You were a lovely child and have developed into a wonderful caring man in whom we are VERY proud

 

Happy Birthday

 

 

MummyHen X

 

Many Happy Returns

I didn't have a party but had some lovely presents from my wonderful family - thankyou.

Me at my 1st birthday party, forty something years ago (DaddyHen did confirm that I am still mid-forties!?!?)

 

MummyHen X