Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 2 - Groundhog Day

kirtsypoos · 26 August 2016 at 12:28PM

Congrats on the wonderful results CCL, how amazing for you and all the kids! You've worked so hard for this, even through the bad times so I'm so pleased it has shown in those results

crazy_cat_lady · 28 August 2016 at 8:39AM

Morning all :coffee:
I had an unexpected day out yesterday, which was lovely, and doubly so because it was dh's suggestion. :j We went to York - and there was an ulterior motive - a football match that dh and ds wanted to go and see. But we got a walk about first and while they were at the football, dd and I went to the Dungeon - which kind of made up for the disappointment of not being able to go while we were in London. It was really good fun - we both enjoyed it and got plenty of laughs and frights. Even better than that - dh bought us all a takeway when we got home so I didn't even have to worry about cooking. It was a fantastic day all in all. A bit spendy (petrol and tickets for the Dungeon) but enjoyable and well worth it. We also got loads of walking in and ds was thrilled to get more pokemon, I also went into BHS and got myself a Christmas present for bestie for £6, and work trousers for me for £1 a pair. Such a shame they've gone the way they have - showing my age now - I remember the final days of C&A and of course Woolies. I suppose it's a case of evolve or die though.
So I got a good night's sleep and am up now on my own watching a bit of telly. It's chucking it down with rain so a good day for a bit of relaxing. I have my tutoring this morning, then we're off to see my mam for a couple of hours. Plus just morning feed for the cats at besties today as they're home this afternoon.
Right, I'm off to catch up on here. Hope everyone is ok.

crazy_cat_lady · 29 August 2016 at 11:07AM

Morning all :coffee:
It's bank holiday, the sun is out, the boys are at a football tournament and I've got my first load of washing drying on the line. Not sure what the plans are today - dh mentioned a couple of times wanting to go out again but I'll have to wait and see when they get home.
My mam is in the process of moving house - think I had my last visit at the old place yesterday. Everything is boxed up ready to go on the 5th. She and my stepdad are pooling their cash to go and live mortgage free in a new build. Lucky them. I told her about my happiness with remortgaging (potentially) and she asked if I was borrowing any extra money. I said of course not and she said that I should because the house needs some work doing. I've known since the day that we moved in that we need new windows and doors but we've never had the cash to do it, and I hate decorating almost as much as I hate gardening so it hasn't been done for a long time. I feel really self conscious about the state of my house now. It's clean, warm and dry and we all have somewhere to sit, somewhere to sleep and food on the table. Does it really matter if I haven't painted the living room for 5 years? It just feels like more hassle than it's worth to be honest and now I'm wondering if my own mother thinks I'm living like a tramp. I just honestly am too tired to think about doing a lot of stuff in the house, I can't be bothered and nobody else in the house seems bothered. Plus I'm doing my best to balance the books after a tough few years and I feel a bit like she was having a go at me. Is it that important? I happily admit we 'need modernisation' but it feels like too much hassle. I told my mam that if I could go on holiday for a week and come back to find the house had been completely redecorated with new doors and windows then I'd be happy. But it just feels like too much disruption and hassle for me. And now I feel all self conscious and lazy...

:o:o
I think I just want to sit here with rubbish telly on, surrounded by cats and crochet :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Eager_Elephant · 29 August 2016 at 11:22AM

Excellent news on DH suggesting a day out - even if football was the motive!! Hopefully his mental health is getting better.

Not sure what to suggest about the house - as long as the windows are wind and water tight does it matter what they look like? Are your windows wooden or UPVC?

Do you think your mum buying a new build has given her the impression that everyone should live in pristine houses with complete modernisation?

As long as the house is not dirty then it's fine and as long as the roof, walls and windows do their jobs and you fix any small problems before they get bigger then surely that is fine?

Plus of course I don't see how you would have the time to do any redecoration?

I agree to you sitting there watching rubbish TV and crocheting today to get over this!!!!

Buffythedebtslayer · 29 August 2016 at 11:23AM

*is watching Murder She Wrote*

I have lived with a half decorated bedroom for two year. Bear Grylis could do an episode of surviving the Wilderness in my garden and nothing in the house has been decorated for over ten years.

Like yours, it is clean, warm and all the doors lock! I hate decorating too! Mothers want what is best for us and sometimes they say it wrong.

relax and enjoy the bank holiday XX

There_Is_a_Light · 29 August 2016 at 2:44PM

Decorating zaps your money and energy, approach with extreme caution I say. Ok so there are lovely shiny kitchens out there and integrated this and that but I am a firm believer if the house functions as a house then leave be. It can only end in spending £££££'s

There_Is_a_Light · 29 August 2016 at 2:51PM

Had to add this...
My DS has recently rented a bungalow on an estate with an average age of around 70, he and his girlfriend are in their early 20's. The house they are renting has clearly been a well loved home of an elderly couple with flowery curtains, blown vinyl and patterned carpets. The kitchen looks hand fitted and to my son and his girlfriend they feel like they are living in the lap of luxury, or they did until one of their "friends" pointed out that the bungalow was in their words "like an old people's care home".

DS1 didn't care one jot but GF started to talk about maybe getting some new curtains etc. Thankfully she came to her senses but it just shows how powerful opinions of others can affect our own perceptions as she was perfectly happy until the friend made said comment.

We have all had a lovely morning at a local car boot where they picked up a set of kitchen knives and a utensil holder for £1......made up the pair of them

Florence_J · 29 August 2016 at 8:04PM

I love decorating, but I hate the idea that people have to keep up with so called 'trends' in decorating and have a revamp every couple of years. I grew up in quite an old house-not modern at all and I actually hate modern houses as I feel they lack soul.

As long as YOU are happy, and the house is safe, secure and loved then that's all that is important

crazy_cat_lady · 1 September 2016 at 10:13AM

Morning all :wave: :coffee:
Thanks for all of the advice and support re the decorating. It really did help to reassure me a bit. I just have better things to do with my time. No need for decorating right now.
We didn't go out in the end on Monday - dh went to bed and slept for the entire day. He insists he's not getting ill again but something doesn't seem right with him at the moment and I can't put my finger on it... I have asked a couple of times and he insists he's ok so I suppose I can only wait and see.
Me and the kids went to the Lakes for a couple of days. My friend is staying in a caravan near Keswick and invited us down for a visit. It's less than 2 hours drive, but we packed loads in while we were there. Blackberry picking, walking, Rheged centre, swimming, swimming again, wandering round town. I was shattered when we got home yesterday evening but it was lovely to see her and her kids again as it always is, and I had a fantastic time. I've not been to the Lakes for a few years, but it was quite shocking for me to see the state of the place after the Christmas floods last year. What a shame, and I find it difficult to imagine that much water could have been anywhere. It must have been terrible to have been there at the time.
On my way out of the door on Tuesday, the post arrived, and I just stuck the letters in my bag to open later. One of them was from a company looking into PPI for me. I know it's stuff I could have done myself but I contacted Natwest myself last year and they insisted they couldn't find any information about my loan. So when the PPI people finally got hold of me I told them to go for their lives. Anyway - they got Natwest to cough up:eek: Almost £4000 :eek: And OK they will get £1500 of it but I still get the rest to myself. :T I will have an emergency fund now! I was so shocked I thought I was having a panic attack - I felt sick and everything. So I've signed the paperwork and gotten it back in the post. A bit of me is peeved that I couldn't get anywhere with it by myself but I had resigned myself to getting nothing, and at most I thought it would be a few hundred pounds. Happy days :j
So I got home last night just in time for the delivery of the monthly shop and a load of housework. I hoovered, washed dishes, tidied and got a load of washing straight in. There were also a few parcels needing to be opened (cat food and a new jacket for me for work). Then I was just so exhausted I watched tv and went to bed. It was my wedding anniversary, and we did absolutely nothing to celebrate it

Ah well...

I'm going to make dinner tonight, so better late than never. Good job it's not really a big deal for us.
I'm off out in a little while to take dd to meet her friends for a shopping trip. It's the first time I've ever let her do this so I am a little nervous, but she's growing up so fast now. While she's doing that I'm going to meet up with bestie and our ds's for lunch. I'm also going to pay in my loose change pots into the bank while I'm out. There's a coin pay in my main branch so I like going there once a year and seeing what I have.
Other than that I need to do more washing and start thinking about prepping to go back to work next week. Boo hiss to the summer holidays being over so soon.
EE - you asked about our doors and windows. They are uPVC but single glazed. Put in by the council in the 90's and probably the least energy efficient bit of the house. Maybe I'll put my PPI pot towards saving for new windows and doors.

Eager_Elephant · 1 September 2016 at 11:31AM

Great news about the PPI payout!! Glad you had a fab day out yesterday, sounds just what you needed.

The only reason I asked about the windows is because wooden windows can look quite bad quite quickly in terms of varnish coming off etc. I was thinking if they were wooden a rub down with sand paper and a quick varnish would sort them out but as they are UPVC you can't!!

I expect they look fine from the outside but as you say not energy efficient although thick curtains in the winter will help with keeping the house warm.

Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 2 - Groundhog Day

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