*The Holly and the Ivy* and the You Know What 2013 Chatter Thread.

Lina_T

Thanks ALJA :beer:

I got some M&S bargains last week too when they had free delivery on (expired I think). I got a couple of soaps for £1 each from £3.50, and a couple of hardback childrens books for £1 each. Great little extras.

I've done my MSE christmas work for today, sneaking into next doors garden while they're on holiday and plundering their pine cones :rotfl: I have a big carrier bag full ready to be sprayed. I'm thinking of using some for adding to pot-pourri and some to tie to presents with gift tags, but if anyone has any more inventive ideas I'd be grateful

krustylouise

Hi all,

Please can I join? I'm thinking of making hampers for people for Christmas, at the moment I am very motivated and enthusiastic about it but when I talk about Christmas I get people telling me to shut up as its not even the end of the summer holidays yet I love Christmas and feel all festive from August onwards! I can't help it!

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far as you have given me a lot of inspiration and I can't wait to start making thing for my hampers

FeistyFidget

Free spirit thank you so much for that link! Will be dedicating a freezer drawer to Christmas bits - wont start until September though

DH isn't doing great, being messed about by the hospital and he hasn't been paid again. To say things are strained between us is sadly an understatement.

Think I will clear out some wardrobe space and start wrapping pressies soon too just need to get a move on and make some gift tags.

As this is going to be our last (hopefully) christmas in our first mortgaged home I have decided to have a real stress free and selfish Christmas lots of baking though.

nic2075

Evening.
Spent the day foraging for wild raspberries with the kids. We got enough to make 6 jars of gorgeous jam! The kids are over the moon to see the jam being made after getting stung and scratched trying to pick them all lol
I'm hoping to give some to my sister who bought me a lovely preserving book last Christmas. Will go out and get more tomorrow to freeze for a Christmas batch.
Can't wait til the brambles ripen in September.

FeistyFidget

Oooo nic can you share your tips for wild raspberry foraging? X

freespirit66

Evening everyone, another weekend gone just like that, kids didnt do too bad at car boot this morning, we made £80 and got rid of quite a lot of stuff, so they are wanting to do another one, dont know when though bless em they are both in bed after such an early start they had to be there by 7am luckily its only 10 mins away they are shattered :rotfl:
CHRISSYG yayy they have started early putting some stuff out
at least with the sky there is no traipsing round shops to find the last one gone :rotfl:
LINA T hello and welcome, you sound very organised, love the ideas with the pine cones
ALJA what great M&S bargains
KRUSTYLOUISE hello and welcome, you wont get told to shut up here we talk about xmas all year round
FEISTY you are welcome im sorry things are so rough for you at the moment, i did have my suspicions as your posts werent you IYKWIM, if you want to come on and rant, we are all here for you, i am glad you are going to have a selfish and stress free christmas, after the year you have had you deserve it x
NIC ooh i have never heard of wild raspberries can i echo FEISTY and can you let us know what to look for and best time, many thanks

alja

krustylouise wrote: »

Hi all,

Please can I join? I'm thinking of making hampers for people for Christmas, at the moment I am very motivated and enthusiastic about it but when I talk about Christmas I get people telling me to shut up as its not even the end of the summer holidays yet I love Christmas and feel all festive from August onwards! I can't help it!

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far as you have given me a lot of inspiration and I can't wait to start making thing for my hampers

Of course it's the same here, my friends think I'm a bit crazy, but hey, they'll be the ones running around like headless chickens at Christmas, whilst we will be able to sit back with a hot chocolate in costa and watch all the people rushing about :rotfl:

Own_My_Own

Hello everyone new and old.

Had a busy weekend. Cleaned out camper yesterday. It was quite therapeutic, ripping out cupboards and things. It took all day and I was filthy by the end of it, but it is done.In fact I was so dirty from getting under the van to cut the cables that dd reckons she has never seen so mucky. We also resealed the top so it won't leak anymore.

My dad said it was really funny. Ds got in the camper with him just as he was pulling some of the paper off the ceiling. Loads of carp came down with it and ds vaulted over the side. Apparently the look on his face was priceless. Mind you he did have one of his best track suits on. :rotfl:

So now instead of my house being full of camping gear it is full of camper gear. I am hoping to get it on eBay later this week. Hopefully it will sell and I can recoup some of the money that was stolen last week.

Lina_T

FREESPIRIT66 - Thanks for the welcome!

OMO - Thanks for the welcome also!

It seems everyone is doing a bit of clearing out and organising these last few days. I set myself a challenge to get rid of 10 things a day in August, a total of 310 items! I made a good start though and sent 80 items to the bin or the charity shop yesterday. I know I could make money on ebay but I've found it just hasnt been worth all the extra effort at the moment with rising postage costs and sellers not paying. It's nice to just get it all out of the house straight away and see progress.

It's amazing how the more junk I get rid of, the more I seem to have to wear :think:

mrsinvisible

Good morning, another new week to play with, starting with a girly day with friend. It is raining but no wind so who cares!
Feisty, hang in there. A stress free Christmas is what I'm aiming for this year, too, so we can compare notes, and laugh at the mad world out there.
OMO it must be the season, as my DD and SIL had their outhouses burgled on Saturday night. Stole tools, garden equipment and painting gear. At least they didn't get in the house, and the mess was all outside.
As DD said, everything they took needs effort to use, so it will never benefit them. (I didn't point out that these lowlifes would just flog it,) Still, no one was hurt so move on.
DGS is still at his dads so I had a weekend to myself. Did I enjoy it? nope, house was too quiet and too tidy. can't suit some folk eh?
Fave niece got engaged yesterday, trying to be happy for her but struggling as I think he is a waste of space and she could do better, but he is her choice so lip is tightly buttoned and smile is firmly pinned on.
Now coffee and face wash then glad rags and handbags here I come.