Thrify Gifty Santas Challenge 2013,

Anglea

Hi all

Sugarspun, that's a great photo, what a lovely baby.

Susan, I really like all your creative ideas, are the tags for the family or for craft sales? I'll have to look up a maze ball, sounds interesting.

Rufus, how are you getting on with the halloween outfit? You're brilliant with all those alterations.

As it happens I'm going on Friday with DS2 to the pub Halloween night, and for once dressing up!

Well actually not anything literally fancy dress - yesterday I bought an outfit I can wear normally another time. It's a black 3/4 pencil skirt with an unusual hem and a black fitted short sleeve blouse with a fancy front. Then an unusual silver looking necklace - long chain with a square pendant that has some unusual gems.

I am going as a funeral goer. I bought a fascinator today which I am unsure of - it's got a large beige flower with black lace, small black flower, big round sort of crystal stone in silver backing - all stuck in the middle of the beige flower. I also bought a few other things eg a black flower and a thin long netted scarf with usual beaded ends that I thought I could cut up etc to cover the beige band but decided against doing that. I also got a 3 mix stranded charm bracelet but it's too fiddly to put on unless I wait until Friday and get someone to put it on me. I tried adding elastic etc but it broke. Luckily it was only £1.

No idea what DS will be wearing but I asked the care home to send something. I know he often gets dressed up for parties. The worst part will be my shoes as I don't have any suitable for pencil skirts so will wear my boots which are uncomfortable so will have to bring my black trainers to wear on the way home as it's a very long walk. I'm getting a lift up hopefully from dad.

Mum was shocked today when I told her we were dressing up. She had no idea people my age did. She thought Halloween was just kids going door to door.

So after all that browsing in shops for the outfit, I totally overlooked I need a card for Friday as the manager is leaving and that's another reason why the party is going ahead on that day.

Mum2one - last time DS1 was here, the wireless signal disappeared. I couldn't get it back. He fixed it by taking out the leads on the wireless box and putting back in. Thanks for the challenge.

I had no idea it was half term.

mum2one

lizalexander wrote: »

Try function key (Fn) and the key with a wireless antenna symbol on it - often F2
hope this works x

You are the most wonderful lady thank-you......

Got it sorted, I was forgetting to press the FN button, - then couldn't figure why wasnt getting internet, as I was going by my computer my internet F8, hers is F2.

Thank you so much, - your really a life saver xxx

mum2one

angela - the outfit sounds fab - this is going to sound really mad, but if the beige flower is that obstructive (big word for me!!), and it sounds like its the centre piece to everything else - reading your post - the thought waterproof mascara came to mind???

If you had a thin pain brush - get into the tube easier than the mascara brush,

Half term weird - as some schools have had their half this week.

By where we're staying they have a big market at a weekend, right by a funfair, and they were due to do Halloween event and fireworks on Saturday.. Miss Hoodie wants her Halloween dress for the day, then we come back Halloween - stopping at our fav ice-cream farm (dress again) then trick or treating.

Some brilliant news 2ngt - had parents evening, her teacher so posh, deputy head, felt like being called to the heads office..

Everything was ok, he couldn't believe she had only started 6 weeks before summer terms, shes doing brilliantly in everything, maths to her is 2nd nature - more of a wow as at her old school they didnt do the tradational maths - carry one down, they did loop approach
100-28
28 to 30, in units of 10 to 100.
So everything she had been taught she had to forget and start again.
English - Spot on,
Computers - way ahead.

she's so polite, helpful, pleasure to have. The only not negative for want of a better word for her nerves and coping, which as he said whats shes gone through is understandable. I was 99% sure that I was doing the right thing not going back to court as she'd have got dragged through hell and back again, and tonight just gave me the extra 1% sureness.

Everyone take care, catch up soon xxxx

rufusdog52

Angela, I havent got any more of the wedding dress done yet, waiting for YD to come round to do it but she has such a "busy" schedule lol, can see it ending up a last minute job.

The new buttons for the furry coat came yesterday so going to have a go at sewing them on today and making a new button hole for one, it is only a case of cutting a slit as the other one hasn't got anything else done to it.

I sat and frayed all the denim bands yesterday ready for the bracelets, need to sew the beads on today. Meeting my friend this afternoon for a chat, havent seen her for months so will be nice to catch up.

Managed to redeem on one of my survey sites yesterday for another Sains voucher. Have £21 on my nectar card and will have £20 in vouchers when this new one arrives. That should get the rest of the bits I am missing for presents food wise (chocs for boys, and hamper bits for ED)

The converse trainers came yesterday for ED, very nice they are too, and good price too. Thats her nearly done now, got a mini hamper to fill up with some make up bits and need a few tins for the food hamper but thats it.

Had my flu jab done so thats one thing off the list from the challenge.

SugarSpun

Thank you for the challenge mum2one!

Halloween

I'm not sure what our plans are. It's not really celebrated in Germany so we might skip it altogether.

Bonfire Night

Also not celebrated in Germany

Christmas Cards

I wrote most of ours this week! Still have local ones to do, but only for the neighbours so 7 of them to go.

Food

We're going to do a cash and carry run before the 6th November when the offers change, thinking duck for Christmas.

= Pin them down

Facebook event for the 26th will go out 1st November. No one's coming to us otherwise unless friends come for a weekend for the Christmas markets.

=Flu Jabs=

I've never had one. The littlie is booked for his and I'm going to ask DH and possibly book the bigger littlie for one.

=Telephone Numbers=

Should do this, thank you. I have a new planner with space for them all in.

Cake and Mince Pies

I need to see if we have mincemeat

Anti-Virus

Mine's automated :A

Miss Hoodies Corner
It wouldn't be a Santas Challenge without a Miss Hoodies cleaning challenge - this time its the airing cupboard / wardrobe where everything gets dumped and never sees the daylight!!
Give this a good sort out, sure there be half pair of PJs, curtains you haven't used in years, bedding etc - can you make use of them, have fun!

Bah, Miss Hoodie's a slavedriver

Home based Kit
Nows the time to check our home emergencies
Plasters, Pain Killers, Cough Sweets, Tissues, Indegestion relief - everyone needs different things for the house but if we can stock up now - one less thing to worry about.

Good point, my mum used ALL of our cold meds while she was here.

Thermals
Will we be needing thermals....... think that could be the question of the year! xx

We're a good German household and already have them

susan42

Mum2one - Sorry , just seen your post. If you have a prob again pm me or ring/text me, I been busy crafting

Said I`d do a school craft fair for the local school. The tables expensive but its for their funds

rufus - your busy planning halloween, I`m waiting for it to go so the £shops will put their xmas stuff in lol

thxs for the challenge mum2one, have a great holiday and well done miss hoodie, its her mums and nan and grandads influence obviously x

rufusdog52

Good luck with the stall Susan. I have a few booked, one is a school, dont really see them advertised round here. I was asked to do a stall local, they want £35 for it!! not a school but its a lot, not sure if I can afford it.

Still going at these denim bracelets, really happy with how they are coming out. it took a while to sew the clasps on each end, probs because I am doing quite a few at once.

Saw some choclates in the sale yesterday, reduced for halloween but not sure which is my ED's fav. need to get some for her birthday. I am meeting her today so will see if I can steer the conversation that way without dropping big hints.

SugarSpun

Challenge Update:

I have two Christmas cards left to write, not counting the ones my DD will end up sending. I don't know the surnames of two sets of our neighbours and local convention dictates we address their envelopes with surnames - fortunately all our mailboxes have our names on so I am going to sneak out and read the two under cover of darkness :whistle:

I've made a meal plan and grocery shopping list and even put it in Google Drive so it's accessible from my phone. I am going to pootle through the pantry over the weekend and put anything I want to keep for Christmas in a box, then update the list and keep updating. Most things are fresh though.

The plan is to make some open, un-topped mince pies and freeze them raw in the tray, then pop them out of the tray into a box so I can top them with marzipan stars when it comes time to bake them.

Telephone list in my planner is done. I should probably make a hairdresser appointment for December.

The medicine cupboard is stocked.

The airing cupboard is untouched but I did go through my ebay cupboard.

Being trapped under a baby makes computer and desk based tasks easy to achieve. I went through the cupboard with him in a sling on my chest :rotfl:

Bambisbelle

Santas Challenge October

Halloween
Being a bit bahhh humbug for halloween this year, I do like kids just not when they're banging on the door upsetting my furry babies, and besides round here nice children are something to be desired.

Bonfire Night
Helping out at my moms work with the display for the elderly. I did consider going up to Leeds Castle firework display but still umming and arhhing about it.

Christmas Cards
Well I haven't got that many people to write cards for so I don't really have an excuse, although I have a bag of cookies awaiting me when I finish them.


Food
Luckily I don't really have to worry about this too much. Have helped out with sweets and some alcohol. So thankfully this is sorted.

=Pin them down Already done. All being well everyone shows if not c'est la vie in our family.


=Flu Jabs=
Booked for tomorrow 11.15 and I'm sure that it will be as wonderful as I always hear it is.

=Telephone Numbers=
Got all of these pinned to my fridge and my phonebook and my aunties house incase I go into early labour :eek:


Cake and Mince Pies
Bleurgh mince pies. Nope I think I'll give that a miss and let my mom do that one. Cakes I'll be afraid I'll eat them all.

Anti-Virus
I leave this to the professionals only because I break technology :rotfl:.

Miss Hoodies Corner[/COLOR]
Well I'm starting on changing the spare room into the nursery this weekend. Everything gets dumped in there, so I'm now waging war on it. And all the other areas such as the airing cupboard will be fought until it loses, or I die of exhaustion either way there can only be one winner :rotfl:

Think thats as far as my update goes
Bambi..xx

susan42

I made these today, purely for myself for a table centre piece through December. I like to decorate the table for the whole of december 1 way and change it for xmas day

Candles

Hope mum2one has her caravan strapped down the storms we`re having on monday