OS Daily Wed 3rd Dec 08

mummysaver

Sybil - no idea what you can do with the jumper really, I have my old ones for when I'm walking the dog, but since I can't imagine you putting EC on a lead . . . . Anyway I was going to say about Christmas, as your's weren't great and DH doesn't sound like he has great memories associated with it either, how about establishing your own new traditions for your family, especially little bear. I always take mine to the Christingle service, which is lovely, though as your LB sounds like my ds you prob want to keep him from having his own orange to hold - ds once nearly set the lady in the pew in front of us alight!!!! The kids all love the panto and have been going since they were babies, originally it was to keep them occupied on Christmas Eve as by then they were usually driving me nuts, but it's something we've continued and all love, though this year we are travelling further afield to watch one as our local has Timmy Mallet as the "star"! Oh something else we always do as well is make Christmas biscuits for the tree, basically a plain biscuit or shortbread mix cut into stars or angels or whatever playdough cutter shapes we have to hand (cars one year!) with a hole in the middle and a boiled sweet put in hole, this melts as the biscuit bakes and makes a sort of stained glass effect, oh and don't forget to stick in quite a big hole for some ribbon to tie it onto the tree! You can get kits to make these in tesco for a few pounds at the mo. We also always go out to choose a new special tree decoration each year, and every year we laugh at the red plastic moon that ds chose as a tiny, and every year the children fight over who will hang it on the tree!

As you can tell, I lurve Christmas! Hope some of these ideas are of use though, my childhood ones at home were always rather fraught to say the least, so I've invented the one I always wanted to have myself for my children.

wannabe_sybil

Thank you mummysaver, those a wonderful ideas! I shall be sitting down with dear heart later trying to get us both enthusiastic for Christmas. We had my darling father staying for little bear's first Christmas, but I think it was marvellous for all concerned. I love the sound of the biscuits - but we may just eat them!!!

The vision of trying to take evil cat out on a lead quite took my breath away!

Very limited OS today, so far, but I am sure something will occur.

Because it's Advent, I have already started singing Christmas Carols to little bear, but we haven't started opening the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' calendar. :eek:

Money_saving_Diva_2

Hi darlings!

Am getting a bit frustrated here, have all these bulbs to plant and can't get into the garden *sighs*. Plus I have lots of indoor bulbs that are sprouting in their little bags they are so desperate to be in the soil. I will have to ask the OH to find some time this afternoon to bring up some compost. I do have some spare indoor hyacinth bulbs if anyone would like them. Just p.m. me.

Sybil - I do have a plant mister but it's usually in the wrong room when Treacle starts tearing up the place..
PippaS - oh I so hope the bank has sorted out your account!
rage in Eden - how funny! I am known for my Paddington stares too.. *chuckles*
Troo - I agree - he really shouldn't have three cats if he can't clear up after them it isn't fair on you at all!
Sunny - you can buy real trees in tubs that are still growing and that way they don't drop needles everywhere. Personally I don't have a real tree any more, I can't cope with the mess. Even if they behave during christmas, by the time you come to drag them out of the house they shed like crazy! You can get some really nice fake trees - ours is lovely and I wouldn't go back now. Plus the cat goes mad with a real tree and spends all christmas trying to either climb it or chew it!
mioliere - thinking of your DHs little cousin
Thank you for thinking of Tristan, taplady, tired mum and mummysaver

I wonder how Soapy and the soaplet are doing..

My OH went shopping last night and managed to get some Asda whoopsies so we will be having pastys and sausage rolls for dinner (5p each!!) and toast for lunch (large loaf reduced to 10p)

I have to say I am dreading christmas - I miss my nephews so much and knowing I can't see them just hurts so much. I am sorry to just blurt that out, I normally try and stay upbeat when I post.
Anyway, to all who need them and congrats to anyone celebrating today.

Diva.x

mummysaver

Sybil - glad you liked them! Doubt you'll want to eat the biscuits, by the time my lot have all played around with them they lose their temptation, and I bake them quite hard so they last until the tree come down! We are off to chose our special decoration next weekend, even ds can be persauded to come out with me for that, and we are off to chose our tree and dig it up next weekend too. That's a new tradition we started last year when a work friend recommended a place near us where you could chose your tree, resulted in a huge sulk from dd2 who didn't like the one we finally chose, but the sulk has now entered family folklore!

Waiting for the leek and potato soup to cook, I'm hungry and tired so hopefully it'll perk me up! Has anyone else noticed that leeks seem to be expensive this year? Got a few left in the garden and managed to get some for 60 something pence in lidl, but I'm sure they are getting more expensive in the shops! Lidl's also have cucumbers at half price if anyone is planning on making Aussie's recipe- sounds yummy, will save it and see if one of the kids wants to give it a go for me whilst I'm at work!

Will be trying for some sleep later as I'm ready to drop, working tonight, then busy choosing an outfit from friends dressing up box in the morning, for mamma mia night next week (yippee!), village ladies Christmas flower arranging night tomorrow,should be fun even though I don't have any artistic ability lol! And Friday I'm off to Liverpool for fun and shopping. Everything always seems to happen in one go, weeks with no social life and then it all happens at once!

NoahsPennilessMummy

Hi All

Not been on for a bit so just been catching up:D

I have been so poorly recently...have had chest inf and gastric flu:rolleyes: .....now I have a bad cold I can`t shake off......have loads to do but no energy and struggling to get things done.
Luckily have done all xmas shopping over last few weeks online so just 1 present left to buy:D ....some even wrapped already!
DS had speech and lang therapy review at school a couple of weeks ago ( he is autistic) and I got the results on Monday, his expressive language is average but he has severe receptive language problems...so much so that when expressed as a percentage his score was 1%:eek: .
He has a one to one at school but am not impressed by her tbh. I have been on a bit of a downer since getting this letter and sometimes feel out of my depth as I am not a Special Needs worker and don`t always know how to help him.
OS wise am trying to keep up:rolleyes: , WM on and BM.
HM spag carbonara for tea once OH gets home....working late every night( he is a plumber, lots of boilers conking out)

Moliere sorry to hear of the little girl in your DH family who is so poorly, life seems so unfair when things like this happen. Sending out thoughts to her and the family!

Hugs and good wishes to all who are unwell or struggling at the moment

Bargain_Rzl

Afternoon :hello:

Hugs to sybil, hope you're feeling better soon. And hugs to you too, Diva (((hugs)))
mioliere, that's really sad - they must be so worried constantly every time she gets ill

Last night I had lots of good intentions about getting things done, but about 10pm I decided I really needed to go to bed. I fell asleep at 11 after reading for a while, and didn't wake up until 7:45 this morning (slept through my alarm!) so that's nearly nine hours' sleep - on a weekday! I do feel better for it, though.

I will be sloping off early from work today to meet a friend who is very difficult to pin down She is an opera singer and was working in London last month, but I managed to see her for all of two minutes after the performance I went to, as she had family members there. She's in London again today and we were going to meet up in the middle of town for some food, but her schedule changed. Anyway it all worked out rather well as she's passing through the station nearest my office this afternoon, so has suggested we go and have a coffee locally (which is great cos it's easier for me to get home afterwards ). It'll be nice to catch up - I really don't see her very often.

And that'll mean I'm home by 6:30 and able to write the two reviews I wanted to do last night...

I'm not planning to do any cooking this evening, so will just grab a portion of something out of the freezer, which is chock full. Must do something at the weekend with the whole chicken that's taking up half the bottom drawer. Everything currently "cooked and ready to eat" in there is made of mince - which, much as I like chilli, lasagne and cottage pie, is getting a little boring.

So, this evening - writing reviews, and doing some more tidying.

Love Rzl xx :wave:

mum2g1b

Afternoon all! Hope everyone is ok and (((((hugs)))) to those who need them.

Had to drop dh at the train station this morning and then went and had coffee at my sister's.

Got back home and put little guy down for hi nap and dashed around cleaning the kitchen and lounge- have hoovered and dusted downstairs now.
Have to dash out now to go and sign the forms for my new (used) car- its annoying cos the garage is just round the corner from my sister's so could have done it this morning!!! But they didn't call me til 12.30!

Dh is a real haggler and beat them down on price( he is sales and marketing so knows all the tricks!!) so I am excited to collect the car on Saturday!!

No idea whats for tea so not very OS but I think I will nip into Asda and get ready meal:eek: (just this once!)

ED's bedding is in the drier and the airer is groaning under the weight of laundry!!!!

Have a good afternoon everyone!!

mioliere

Hi everyone and thanks to you all for your good wishes to DH's cousins's precious little girl. We've had no news yet so hopefully that is a good sign. Mummysaver - yes, she is the little girl we've been collecting little things for. I sent her Nan off yesterday with another little box full of bits, including a tiny and very old carved wooden hedgehog in a llittle gold box, that is one of my Mum's prized possessions; she wanted the little girl to have it because it comforted her when she was ill as a child. DH's poor auntie was so upset last night. She says she know she has to be strong for the sake of the parents, but I told her she is allowed to cry, too. Sometimes, though, there are no words, are there? I'm thinking about her constantly and praying for the best possible outcome in her sad little life, and I am SO grateful for all your thoughts and prayers - it makes such a difference and sort of creates an extra strength, if you know what I mean.

Well, DH has been home today so we popped out this morning to visit the local market that started a few weeks ago and is proving very successful. It's DS2's 27th birthday on Saturday and the only thing he seems to want is the Call of Duty game for his XBox live. We seem to have found the last one available locally - in Woolworth's - so I can get that wrapped up now. For Christmas I think I shall buy him and his lovely new wife one of those digital picture frames, along with some other bits. I'm doing quite well for Christmas and have almost finished, although I'm going to knit a teddy for the little girl who is ill - I made her a doll last year and she loved it.

My only OS today has been to reheat the left over shepherd's pie from Monday to have for our lunch. These things always seem even tastier the second time around. Dinner tonight is going to be beef and veg pie with roasties and gravy, great on such a cold day. I need to make some cakes but will do that tomorrow, after I've been to get the results of my cholesterol test. Our surgery sends you to the Healthy Living nurse to get them so I don't know what that visit will entail. I have been given a little bottle to take with me! I think they're testing everything I've got!

It's lovely and sunny here despite being freezing cold and my washing is sort of drying slightly on the line. It will have to be aired later but it's great to get the sun on it.

Well, I'll call in later but just wanted to thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers. They really do help. I'm sorry, I've barely read the thread but will try to later.

KathyXX

taplady

just having a quick cuppa - made 3 lots of mince pies and a batch of Jam Crumblies with blueberry jam:drool:
Ironing is next to do.

(((hugs))) to Diva and Noahspennilessmummy - my youngest had a receptive language disorder - autistic tendencies etc and it was a very stressful time when he was younger.If I can offer any advice please feel free to PM me. He is now at college aged 16 and can talk the hind leg off a donkey:D

Rage_in_Eden

Hello everybody and hugs to all - not read the thread as I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open. I might be getting Mr Rage's cold back as I fel really achy etc. Have fed birds inside and out. Have transferred money from savings for Christmas shopping. Have sold something on e-bay - hurrah! Will be doing a sausage casserole and jackets for dinner (never managed it yesterday and we had a mousakka from the freezer instead - still that's made a bit of space for the half price beef joint we got from Asda:j - Mr Rage is getting very good - he saw the yellow sticker first I have trained him well.) Right I think I'm going to get a hot water bottle as it's cold here - so cold I have put trousers on :eek: