'supporting each other through really tough times'

meme30

Morning all, yesterday was lovely and exhausting! I managed the takeaway later but fell asleep in the chair before I got the vodka and tonic.:rotfl:

Kezlou:-It's very hard when children are so trusting to teach them that others can be deliberately nasty. We spend time when they are younger teaching them to share and yet we all know that the school yard can be 'dog eat dog' It's such a fine line between teaching them fairness and warning them that not everyone is nice and their 'best friend'
Wondercollie:- You win the 'nasty' job trophy!

Am sitting laughing at the the news. There is a vicar on talking about tweeting her sermon , she is @metalvicar :rotfl::rotfl: Surely a sermon is a talk which is designed to make the listener think more deeply about the connection between the Bible sayings and the world around us. Having a parishioner tweet the bullet points as she is preaching will just turn it into one of those 'sound bite' boards you see outside churches these days. The vicar herself has loads of personality and is lovely, I just can't see that coming over in a tweet.

Having said that, I don't tweet, so maybe it's that I just don't get it!:)

mardatha

It's very glib innit? Although at same time you don't need to be sitting inside a church to think spiritual thoughts.. I think xmas now must break genuine churchpeople's hearts in some ways. It annoys the hell out of me and I'm not even a christian - all that grabbing and greed, would turn anybody's stomach.
Been a funny Dec here so far. Usually I'm a last-minute xmas eve shopper, but this year I seem to have got it all done and now I'm bored I keep thinking of better things I could've got but have run out of money. One family member is annoying me, spending like there's no tomorrow on tatty stupid things - snag being that there is a tomorrow and it ain't looking all that great is it!
But on the other hand, the sky is clear pink & blue and the sun will pop over the hill soon and the wee robin is sitting on the coalhouse waiting for his biscuit

7_week_wonder

Good morning everyone,
I've not posted for the last few days as I've not really had anything exciting to report: just chugging along, slowly getting organized for Christmas. I'm quite pleased as it looks as if I will be able to get all the food for the fortnight my mum is here for under the budget I'd set myself.

Welcome to Zoec: you have had a really tough year so, as everyone says, be really kind to yourself. My favourite mantra is "What would I suggest my best friend did in this situation?", it usually works as I have a tendancy to be alot nicer to other folk than I am to myself. Take care.

I have the house to myself for most of the day so I have great plans for cleaning, wrapping Christmas cards, baking etc We shall see!

Have a good Sunday everyone.

ginnyknit

Pops if you are tackling this mammoth clean up because the HA is sending an advisor out to see you I wouldnt worry, mine came on Thursday and didnt look round the house just sat and chatted. He was a lovely chap and gave me lots of advice. He said it would be unfair to expect us to move to a smaller property ( and they didnt have any one beds anyway) due to OH's limited life expectancy and mental health issues. We will be able to claim from the discretionary rent fund to make up the shortfall. I cleaned the entire house up as well

It sounds like you achieved a lot though so it was still worth doing. Ds is staying here till February but they still came to see me as I requested a visit while he was in the area.

Am going to wrap myself up and finish some gifts today as DGS has been and I got little done except laugh and play.

Ds opened my oven to put a pizza in yesterday and said there must be cobwebs in it as I havent used it since I got the halogen oven. Our local market excelled itself yesterday, lovely cooked meats 79p per 100gms and grated cheese 50p for 200gms. Such good quality and the meats were not filled with water. Also 175 gms double gloucester for 50p :j:j I think they are giving Mr T a run for their money. I now get all my bread,the odd fruit cake and lots of fruit and veg off there so am cutting down my use of the supermarket which pleases me and my purse immensley. Apparently footfall in the market has increased by a third this year Im happy to say, I have to chat to the stallholders don't I :rotfl:

mardatha

That's great ginny. I've never been to a market for years. Our HA just phoned to do the interview because we're so far out from the office - they are always great with us, never had a problem .

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Afternoon all.
Got an early birthday/christmas present yesterday. I asked family for vouchers for both so that I could put it towards a new bread maker as the one I was given a couple of years ago died at the beginning of this year. I checked out Arg*s yesterday and the one I want was half price reduced from £150. There was 1 left in store so OH went and collected it for me. I love HM bread but my dodgy wrists are no good for all of the kneading. Noe do I try it out today or wait a few days for my birthday .

Will be making more mince pies today and will wrap the bacon around the chipolatas and freeze ready for the big day. Will also make and freeze the bread sauce.

I have one more makeup bag to make and the jam/chutney jars to cover in material then all of the home made gifts are finished.

Mrs VP

kidcat

Mrs VP - you are a star, had never thought to prewrap the sausages and freeze and its one the jobs I hate. Job for this week I think.

Have been out this morning to pick up some bits of shopping and all the shops are heaving.

No Tuna in our Mr A though.

shegar

kidcat wrote: »

pops - try to tackle one area at a time, its easy to get disheartened if you have several rooms on the go and all look messy. But if you get one place done it can spur you on to the next bit

Im one of these people that cant bear clutter, ornaments, It does my head in, cos my mother lived in a immaculate house, BUT it was full to the rafters.....:eek:....Stuff everywhere, I mean everywhere, none of us girls could handle it or her, was glad to leave home, it made our heads feel cluttered too.......

I vowed id never ever get like that , and its made me the complete opposite of her...........

Im definately not blaming pops at all, he will get to the end of it, and be very contented when its done.....:)....

Making him feel clearer too, I think you have to be quite brutal with yourself when chucking stuff out, the saying is if you havent used it or wore it in 6 months then you dont need it".........................

My 2 boys are the same as me in their homes, which is good for their wives..........

When I read stories of people on the House thread saying what can they do to help make their homes salable, I always think that "why clean it just to sell", why not live in a clean house all the time then you wouldnt have to have a mammoth task of de cluttering, cleaning , painting etc..........

Never mind eh, its a super sunny day , but got some wind building up, suppose to get lot colder next week, but then its winter and it comes every year...........

Ive decided to have a nice long soapy hot bath this arvo,:D, im fed up with having a quick shower cos ive got to get on with things etc, its Sunday and I refuse to do any more today.......So its "me" time in the bath, hooray..:D

I hope your all having a peaceful, stress free Sunday, Sheila.......

Popperwell

ginnyknit wrote: »

Pops if you are tackling this mammoth clean up because the HA is sending an advisor out to see you I wouldnt worry, mine came on Thursday and didnt look round the house just sat and chatted. He was a lovely chap and gave me lots of advice. He said it would be unfair to expect us to move to a smaller property ( and they didnt have any one beds anyway) due to OH's limited life expectancy and mental health issues. We will be able to claim from the discretionary rent fund to make up the shortfall. I cleaned the entire house up as well

It sounds like you achieved a lot though so it was still worth doing. Ds is staying here till February but they still came to see me as I requested a visit while he was in the area.

Thank you Ginny, lots of clutter has gone(mainly documents)and bits that are hard to describe TBH.

Time is possibly so tight now I am rebagging the mess and moving it into the passage that runs along the house and will work from there now and it is nearer the bins but means the house is clear of clutter. Even if I could do with new curtains, carpets and beds. That can come later. Must walk not run...

shegar wrote: »

Im one of these people that cant bear clutter, ornaments, It does my head in, cos my mother lived in a immaculate house, BUT it was full to the rafters.....:eek:....Stuff everywhere, I mean everywhere, none of us girls could handle it or her, was glad to leave home, it made our heads feel cluttered too.......

I vowed id never ever get like that , and its made me the complete opposite of her...........

Im definately not blaming pops at all, he will get to the end of it, and be very contented when its done.....:)....

Making him feel clearer too, I think you have to be quite brutal with yourself when chucking stuff out, the saying is if you havent used it or wore it in 6 months then you dont need it".........................

Thanks Sheila,
I have been taking handbags and costume jewellery to the charity shop(soon I will start to go through Mum's clothes)but at least they all fit in one wardrobe and some bin bags so are for now...out of sight.

Not many ornaments either and as you say they can bring back memories but it is more to dust and sad but true no one to leave anything to so more to clear out if I move or for others to do should I pass away or need to go into care. My home is a lived in home not ever likely to be seen in a magazine. Very basic on the whole.

Was going to continue bagging up but I am going to a memorial carol service so I am going to get ready for that and return to the task when I come back home.

VJsmum

Afternoon all - supposed to be marking.

How do I cook jam tarts or anything "mufiny" in a halogen? my tins don't fit. I am experimenting with this and that in it. I am getting on OK, but don't think it's especially quicker than my normal oven, except for the warming up time - my oven takes half an hour! No disasters so far, though.

MIL is here for the weekend and gave us all a fright yesterday by falling up a kerb - sprawling flat on her face. Cut to the head, broken glasses. She was lucky to not break anything except her specs but she did get a shock - as you would. She seems to have recovered well from it, but she is nearly 81 so it could have been much nastier. We'd been to the cathedral where OH was singing (yawn!) and me being me had taken a fleece to put over my knees as it can get bloomin chilly so could use it for her when she was sat shivering with the shock.

On Friday my house was beautifully clean and tidy - today it looks like the proverbial bomb has hit it.

I am finally going christmas shopping tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Oh and could it be someone here I was talking to in the christmas shop in Lichfield about using brown paper or foreign newspaper for wrapping pressies? Was too shy to ask in case they thought I was bonkers, but I have definitely read that here.....