Simple Bolognese Style Sauce- Perfect for Camping

This is a ready easy simple sauce, which can make the base of chilli or used as a bolognese style pasta dish. 

Ingredient;

2x tinned tomatoes 

2x red onions

1x courgette

2-3 sticks of celery

2-3 carrots

1x apple

About 3 brown mushrooms (all I had in the fridge.)

3x peppers (this was very heavy on the peppers but I had some to use up.)

2-3 glasses of red wine

Black pepper, rosemary and thyme, (Can add garlic, I added 2 cloves.) chia seeds.

Fry up the onions, peppers, when starting to soften, add the apple.

Add, Rosemary, thyme, black pepper, I added a little chilli powder. 

Add carrots courgette and chia seeds. When pan is hot, add wine and cook on high.

Add the tomatoes, then refill the cans with water. (I always add water when slow cooking) Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low heat for 45mins-2hrs. Sir and check flavours. 

Pop into a plastic tub, leave uncovered till its cooled. 

Then pop in the freezer, perfect for camping. Allow it to defrost in your cooler box and then just add soya mince or chilli powder and beans for a chilli! 

Perfect for camping!

It was yummy, we had it with slow cooked jacket potatoes. (Large jacket potatoes, sliced in half with a little butter, salt and pepper. We then popped then down in the coals about lunch time ready for dinner.)

It lasted well, frozen in our cool box. Popped it in the pot, on the bbq for a few hours. Yummy! Didn't even add anything too it, no soya mince etc. Where it slow cooked for so long, it was so tasty! 

Drawing Fun!

We have a very busy toddler, who likes to draw but it doesn't keep him busy for long.....found in my handbag-Post-it notes!!

He can only draw on the post-it's, they are on the table....walls....chairs....floor....

But it's kept him busy for about half an hour!! *ive run out of post-its.....

Sensory Water Play

Our middle son, Bear. Is crazy about water and sand. He's very behind with his speech and language. He finds it very hard to understand rules, the world around him and that his actions affect others. 

We are having a chilled out weekend, sorting and clearing, also packing for adventures next weekend. 

It's a nice day so an easy sensory play idea, is to part fill a laundry tub (we got ours for a few pounds at tescos.) Then throw in a few different plastic things. He loves pouring water from one thing to another. There is a plastic glass, jug and bottle, also a few other things. 

It's easy, to create.

These tubs have so manly uses, from washing, to play! 

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan- Plyboarding

This job sounded mega easy.....make sure you keep what ever you pull out so you can use it as a template!! 

My problem, was that Daisy had been patched loads. A few bits of missing ply and what was left was horrible and rotten. I did keep it for ages but in the end I binned it......

Before adding back the ply board I needed to insolate. 

Where Daisy's lights are, she wasn't plyboarded. They had screwed in a strong board. Which could be easily removed to check the lights. So I made another one to match it over the extension (where the bathroom was.) 

The window was quite tricky but it came out really well. (Unlike other areas.) my Grandpa had the great plan of using thick beading, which hid where I had made one section to small for the gap. Once it was cut out, I double checked it fitted and then painted it. 

So much quicker and easier to do this out of the van. I knew I could touch up and bits which chipped.

Once they where dry, I nailed them into place and where they joined I used a bead to cover. 

You can see I have just rested the boards which cover up the lights.

The pillows cover this up ;) just need to cover these pillows and add a few more. It's such a lovely place to sit. Soon as the plyboard goes on, she suddenly looks so different! It's amazing what paint can do! 

Click here to see what else we have done to our Daisy!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Nap Time

Before we brought Daisy, someone had removed all her mattresses and curtains. A real shame, as her mattresses may have been able to been saved. They are very expensive to replace! I've heard of something like Daisy costing £800-£3000 just for new mattresses! The cheapest way is to look for old/preloved ones. This may have worked for us but we had a tight deadline. So after looking into it, the best idea I was given was to cut to shape IKEA mattresses! 

I love going to IKEA, it's like a free play trip for the mini people. I haven't done it on my own with more than one of our mini people......I was a bit scared. Baby wearing and snacks, really helped!

They had a fab time and I even got to eat some lunch (warm too) while they played in front of me! 

While I was there, look what I found for Daisy!! 50p each! Amazing. Love them! 

I worked out all the sizes I needed before I went. (I lost my bit of paper while there, but it still worked out ok!) I had got all the mattresses and then headed for the clearance section. I found the perfect sizes (I hoped I was correct, as without my bit of paper I was winging it!) 40% off!!

Did you know you can ask for help to get out to your car, from check out? Really helped me!

It was a bit of a squeeze but I got them all in and both mini people where fasto as  soon as we left (thank you to the lady who helped me get the baby on my back after lunch!)

Lay them all out for 72 hrs (this had been done as brought from clearance section!)

Unzip!

Mark out where to cut! 

I had some help!

Cut, I used very sharp fabric scissors, old ones. 

Save all the off cuts! (I used the cut offs to make the smaller double beds mattress, I still have to make up some more bits, but coming back to that later.)

 Then zip them back up! 

From this....

To this! 

(Still need to cover the mattresses and the white pillows need to be covered too.) 

I made up, using the off cuts, one extra seat mattress. (I did this a temporary measure.) I folded the fabric like I would gift wrapping, and hand stitched it. 

Wanna see what Daisy looks like now off on her adventures? Click here!

Doing up Daisy, click here for all the other **many jobs we have done in Daisy!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Almost Ready

8wks, wasn't much time at all! 

I had begun to really panic about getting Daisy perfect in time for our very first outing. Then I thought about how my mothers boat has a big list of jobs for the months she's on winter layup. I thought to my self, I should treat her like an on going project. Any boat, old car or even house needs maintenance. So I began looking at Daisy differently. What are the main things we need to do, so she's safe and dry. 

Then what do we need so it's nice to sleep in her, what can wait? In 8wks, we have managed to get her useable, not perfect but useable and safe! With all our pennies going on things like hooking back up the cooker, replacing wood, plyboard (was much more expensive than I thought.) It hasn't left us much left over for fabrics and pretty bits. So I've managed to use some left over fabric to pin up at the Windows. (Until I can rebuild the window curtain rails and curtains.)

It won't look perfect but will mean I can come back to that job!

I love bunting, I've run out of the fabric!!! It's been discontinued, fingers crossed I can find more!! (Nope, none, nothing. Click here to see what the new plan is for Daisy, colours, curtains and fabrics...)

Henry and I had a big clean up today. There is more to build inside Daisy but will most likely be after her first trip!

I got to put up my feet for a moment today, you can see I've been painting in these jeans!! It was so wonderful to at last sit on the bunk I've built! 

I couldn't have done this build without help from a baby carrier and my amazing Grandpa!!

He's been a superstar! Helping to get the window trim on, fixing a brake away cable, rebuilding the handbrake (at some point in her life time it was welded to the off position!) and helping me wire in all the back lights. In his 80's he maybe, but he was laying under Daisy wiring in her earthing wire like a pro! I've learnt so much and really enjoyed him popping over to help. Am a very lucky girl to have him to call on! 

Everyone needs a good Grandpa in their life's, Daisy and I are very lucky!!

I have done a lot of work my self, but Daisy has really brought us together as a family, working on her. It's been so much fun, hard work and wonderful seeing how much the children love her.

Our boys are very behind with their learning and understanding. So it's really good to hear them saying things like 'hello Daisy' when our oldest comes home from school. Or 'let's play in Daisy.'

Bear with his favourite toy, my old Fisher Price train. Over 30yrs old, goes everywhere with him, even bed!  

She has not only given us a way of having fun cheap holidays but an extra playroom! She has become an extension to the house. Having a meal in Daisy is such a big treat for the children. 

She has come such a long way since we brought her home. She still looks knackered from the outside but we are coming back to working on her looks. We just needed her to be usable and what she looks like outside is not a top priority. 

Everly time I look at her I smile, she makes me so happy. Knowing all the fun family times we are going to have together. Family out doors fun is so important. It's easy to put a film on and clean the house, but being off in Daisy no washing to do, minimal cleaning. I can't wait! 

She looks very different to my first video, no more holes in the floor or rotten wood!!

Click here to see what else we have got done on Daisy.

Wanna see what she looks like now, off on her adventures, click here!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Window Trim

I haven't been looking forward to this job, not because I thought it would be hard. Because I knew it would be the sort of job that once I started it, I couldn't leave it half done. (Working around baby's naps, I never know how long am going to have.) 

So I knew I had to wait till a day my husband could be with the mini people. Well it turns out that this is not an easy job for one person. I cannot remember the last time I swore, let alone the amount of times I did, possibly screamed at one point... (Kept reminding my self, I got through three births, I can get a window trim on!) Well, it didn't end well, ended up almost in tears. With a fair amount of blood from cutting my hand, running down the plastic trim. Heed my warning....

In the end, my Grandpa and husband came to the rescue before I had some sort of melt down! 

Heat, heat was the answer! Using a hair dryer, they managed to get the trim on, without the level of rude words I used. 

Though, coming into a job half started.....they missed a few of the many catches, which I had cleaned and sprayed. (They where drying.) So they will be working on it together tomorrow. I count my self lucky that they took this on, it's my least favourite job so far. And the only one which I heard my self saying 'I hate my life right now, whose idea was this!' 

Don't underestimate the power of a Grandpa! 

Old plastic, slowly becomes brittle. The window trim is really important, as condensation drips off glass window and hits the plastic. Running off out of the van. When it starts getting old and cracks or is damaged, water starts running into the wood/caravan. This can just put water marks around the window or it can slowly rot away the wood inside the wall. 

This should have been my first job, to save off any more damage being done. It took along time for me to get to this job. (Was busy getting the rotten wood out.) 

Looks like someone had been here before, trying to remove these window catches. On each window, it attaches by six points. This meant that a quick job, slowly turned into hours.....due to having to cut out/hack saw and swear a lot, just removing the old screws! 

If you can get help doing this job, it's really hard pitching all the different bits into the plastic and use heat! Cold plastic is not going to do any of the work for you! 

I cleaned up and sprayed the old window catches. Some need to be replaced but I can come back to replace them later. 

Tips:

Before removing anything, mark where the screws are.

Buy a little bigger than you think you need.

You need, a hair dryer, screwdrivers (a flat one too to go under the plastic to help pull it over.) Possibley a hack saw and hammer.

Two people, you don't need to fix it at any other points but where the fittings are. Get these in quick and it will hold it in place while you get the rest on.

Take your time, it's easy to slip with a screw driver doing this. 

After a year of using Daisy, we have worked out that we have used the wrong size window trim. So will have to re-do this job.......am not going to lie, am dreading it! Click here to see what else we got up to so far, in doing up Daisy!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - The Back Bunk

When we took the bathroom out of Daisy, it left us with a gap. The best thing was to extend the bunk over this gap! Making one long back seat/sleeping bunk! 

The bathroom was taking up so much space! And there is so much more light in Daisy now it's been removed! 

Before I could get to the job of extending over the bunk, we had to fix all the rotten wood, replace part of the floor, rewire all the back lights and reboard the back! It's felt like it's taken ages to get to this point but in fact it's only been a few weeks!

Wires and tested, insolation in place and boarding begun! 

The old bunk is back in place!

Feels great to see this back in place, it's been proped up out of the way but now I get a real feeling of her almost being useable! 

I was thinking about making the frame outside the van and then puting it in. A little like the main bunk. But I just went for it! Am hoping I won't ever need to take it out, but I will make it easy to get to the wirers for the lights.

At some point someone replaced the wood on top of the bunk, at the front of the van. So sitting lose was this old lifting lid from it! It's great to reuse something, means I have less work too. The baby woke from her nap so will have to get back to this later.....

So excited with how well this bunk is coming on! When the bathroom was here it was set a little back. If the main bunk was extended along this line, would overhang the doorway! I could have set the main bunk back into line but then I would have had to cut down the back. 

Once the mattresses are in, this gap really won't show and I like showing where things have been changed! 

Am quite proud of it so far, but I've run out of wood at the moment.....not much to do, just the back and some hinges to get! 

Needs another layer of paint but the back bunk is done! 

Our two boys topped and tailed in the back bunk on our first trip. It worked perfectly. It's such a lovely space now, the bathroom has been removed and am so proud of my hard work (with the help of my awesome Grandpa!!)

Click here to see what else we have worked on in Daisy.

Wanna see what she looks like now? Click here to see her on her adventures!