Tomato Chutney

I have always wanted to make tomato chutney, but I have never had enough tomatoes. I only make preserves if there is an excess of something, otherwise we always try and eat everything fresh.    But this summer there was an overload of tomatoes, they seemed to be coming from everywhere, and with them I have made lots of tomato chutney. This is the recipe I used.  

Pencil pots

A week ago I was having what I call a 'bad mama day' This is another way of saying I was grumpy and fed up.  Normally when I am feeling like this, the girls become very demanding and they  wind each other up. With my man away there is no one else to defuse the situation. When this happens I need a focus and I told the girls that they had to stay in their room and play with every puzzle they own and just make a mess, I tried not to think about the consequence of that until later. 
My focus was to channel my frustration into something creative.    So, I got my sewing machine out and got busy.  I decided to make some pencil pots to put all the loose pencils and pens in.  This is how I made them.  

First I cut out a circle from the felt and then a strip as long as the circumference of the circle. I then pined the two bits together and sewed them up.  














I did the same with some cotton fabric and placed the felt pot into the cotton one. I then folded down the top, sewed around the edge and the pot was finished. 

They can be all different shapes and sizes in order to fit different pens and pencils.  

After the first one I got very excited and wanted to make more.   


These little pots make it much easier for the girls to see all their different coloured pencils and crayons.