Monday, 4 April 2016

Life's Simple Little Pleasures

Woke up Saturday morning to a dull, overcast and very damp morning so we didn't bother to go to the car boot sale.  It dried up very quickly so we went out for a stroll to the church rummage sale instead.  There was a lot of clothes which were picked over very quickly.  There were also a lot of bargains to be had with bedding and linens but nothing appealed it was all too modern for my taste.  I did however come across a very nice craft bargain of alphabet stamps with ink, card stock and some beautiful papers for the bargain price of £1.25.





 
 
Perfect for cardmaking and scrapbooking.  I loved the Vintage style papers I already have a couple of pages worked out in my mind.
 
I also managed to pick up an old war postcard for £1, for some reason it spoke to me.
 
 
I also picked up a postcard of cotton reels which I thought might make a nice picture for the craft room for 10p.
 
 
A stop at the local co-op was well worth it as I managed to get some plums that had been reduced to 20p per punnet.
 

 
I very quickly made it into plum jam, its in the fridge all ready to go.  One jar already delivered to my parents for them to have on their breakfast toast.
 


 
 
I have also been busy making soups.  I made a carrot and sweet potato one with added onion, celery and red pepper to give it some flavour.
 
 
I have also made a Mediterranean vegetable soup consisting of tomatoes, peppers, onions, courgettes and basil, roasted in the oven, stock added and then blitzed.   The colour of it is a little off putting but it really does taste good.
 
 
 
There is a date and walnut loaf in the bread machine, yummy!  It doesn't take a lot to make us happy, life's simple little pleasures. 
 
See you soon.
 
 
 
 

 
 


32 comments:

  1. Great bargains, you are like me easily pleased with life's simple pleasures xx

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  2. Wow, you got some great bargains!

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  3. My, you are one busy lady! Love the old postcard. Thanks for visiting -- hope to see you again soon. xo

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  4. Ohhh, plum jam! My favourite!!!! I am sure that your parents will love their jar. Great finds at the sale, the stamps are very pretty aren't they. Happy stamping! xx

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  5. Fabulous bargains, I don't know how you manage it, but you find some amazing things. I love plum jam, what a lovely treat.

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  6. You are great at finding bargains! I love those post cards. Judging by the woman's dress I'm guessing the war card must have been from WW1.

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  7. I never see jumble sales advertised around here...only car boot sales. I do remember going to jumble sales when I was little though. Great fun.
    Simple food just cannot be beaten. I would rather have a bowl of homemade soup and some crusty bread than go out for a meal-x-

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  8. Some great bargains there. I've never thought of making plum jam before. I'll have to be on the look out for some reductions. X

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  9. You are a busy lady. I truly love all of your bargains. The vintage paper is lovely and those stamps were a great deal. The spool postcard is a very creative addition to your craft room, but I actually shed a tear or two when I read your postcard from the war. So beautiful. Lovely jam. I'm sure it was appreciated by your parents.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  10. You have been busy! I do love a good jumble sale but they don;t happen very often now. The old war postcard is just perfect, I love to see those and read the sentiments.
    Caz xx

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  11. Lovely bargains, I agree its the little things that keeps us happy xx

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  12. You put me to shame you have been so busy! I love the stamps & paper. That was a great find!
    Enjoy your week.

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  13. I love your rummage sale find. I would have purchased it too! You can't have enough rubber stamps and papers. You could even use them to wrap small gifts.
    Soup sounds good. We have had cold, yucky weather lately. Even had a blustery snow storm on Saturday! I'm ready for spring!

    Cindy Bee

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  14. Hello Lorraine, wow! I'm amazed by all your lovely finds! Sometimes the little things can bring so much fun and pleasure!!!

    Ingrid xx
    Myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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  15. Good bargains, especially the plums. Your jam makes me want to make some too. I'm sure there are plums somewhere in the depths of my freezer.Thanks for the inspiration.

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  16. You got some great bargains, and isn't that postcard lovely. Plum jam, yum yum, such a treat to have on toast.

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  17. Busy with lovely and delicious things !!!!
    Hug !
    Anna

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  18. I think simple pleasures are no less pleasurable than the complex ones, and homemade soup is always a winner in our house. You certainly packed a lot into the day! x

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  19. You found some great bargains! Can you imagine how the girl felt when she received that postcard ... so sweet :) The soups look delicious! I enjoy making soup, a very simple pleasure indeed.
    Wendy

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  20. love that old postcard, so sweet! Look at you turning fruit into something wonderful so quickly!! I'm never that fast..

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  21. I too love the old postcard. The jam looks amazing and with the cold weather about to shock us... some soup sounds good! Thank you so much for stopping over at my blog!

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  22. I too like a simple life and simple things easily satisfy me. You did picked up some good bargains and I am thinking of your plum jams. They look so good!

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  23. I too like a simple life and simple things easily satisfy me. You did picked up some good bargains and I am thinking of your plum jams. They look so good!

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  24. I get great pleasure from small bargains, double pleasure actually. First when I find it and then again every time I use it, or see it (depending on what it is). x

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  25. Wow, you got some wonderful things.. I hope you show us how the alphabet stamps look.. they look fab. What a good girl you are to make the plum jam and take some to your parents. I agree, the simple pleasures are the best. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  26. I adore that War time card and have to say it bought a tear to my eye what beautiful words. The stamp set is a great buy to. Lovely jam and that Mediterranean soup sounds lovely and a great way to use up vegetables. dee x

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  27. Golly, Lorraine- you have been a busy bee to be sure!

    I like all your card making things, you are ready to create, ma'am! And your plum jam, soups and bread - wow! You are so talented! You know (being British you may cringe my saying this) but for those soups you may want to try adding a bunch of sweet curry, too - I use it for tomato, veggie and sometimes potato and carrot and squash soups and always gives so much flavor!

    HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, sweet lady! Many more to come!

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  28. Golly, Lorraine- you have been a busy bee to be sure!

    I like all your card making things, you are ready to create, ma'am! And your plum jam, soups and bread - wow! You are so talented! You know (being British you may cringe my saying this) but for those soups you may want to try adding a bunch of sweet curry, too - I use it for tomato, veggie and sometimes potato and carrot and squash soups and always gives so much flavor!

    HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, sweet lady! Many more to come!

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  29. Your recipes always look so delicious! Seeing your stamps and pretty papers has reminded me that all of my ink pads have dried up and I need to get more. I have been wanting to start making cards again :) Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  30. You are making my head spin you have been so busy. I think plum jam sounds delicious. Love all of your wonderful finds.
    Meredith

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  31. We find our local co-op excellent for reduced items - we recently had organic chicken breasts reduced from almost £5 to just over £1!!

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  32. You got some wonderful bargains! I love using stamps to make cards too. I have a box of ink pads, stamps and washi tape and I can entertain myself for days making all the cards I will need to send over a few months' time. Thanks for joining in with my link party. I hope you're having a good week, Mrs. Mama. :)

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