Apple muncher's number crunching

apple_muncher

Oh yes, combining where possible is the way to go! The two items I got dh yesterday just went into drawstring gift bags that we reuse every year!

Flying_By

So jealous of you organised souls! My daughter diagnosed with adrenal crisis this week and step mum broke her hip this morning, ho hum, crack open the prosecco!

apple_muncher

I don't know how people do big Christmases! Quiet and low key are perfect for me. Just as well, especially this year. I'm very grateful for my v1nted addiction a few months ago, that resulted in an awful lot of presents being purchased. I've bought absolutely nowt from a normal shop 🤣!!!

Flying_By, sending you best wishes for coping with what is happening and not being overwhelmed by it all x

apple_muncher

Pip has gone out for a little walk with a friend, dh is cooking the gammon (it has to be done in a certain way) and I'm free!

We thought pip's friend's mum might pop over so did a little 'make the house presentable for visitors ' which has made a massive difference.

Do I feel Christmassy? Not really. I've been out of circulation for the last month and the weather is just too blimmin' warm to really be late December. This evening we each get to open one present and have our magazines to read. Tomorrow we'll have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast, DH is talking about cooking some chicken breasts for lunch, and we've lots of cheese and apples for smaller meals. Pip will have his usual, no point rocking the boat, but might have a gf sticky toffee pudding... DH nipped to the c00p by church this morning and got himself several goodies and me a huge container of blueberries, all reduced.

Gosh, I'm more the Grinch this year than dh, and it's a role that usually fits him to a tee!

f0xh0les

It's a funny one isn't it. Time has been strange all year. Summer was not summery, Winter is not yet wintry - we had one cold week, but now you can happily run around outside without  a coat on.  Christmas seems sudden, somehow.  Probably because you have so much going on with other things, more important worries, it just does not seem as important this year.  Plus Pip is a young adult now.  All change and strange around these parts.

apple_muncher

Merry Christmas to you all ⛄🎉⛄🎉⛄!

I'm the only one up in our house! Tis a house with 2 sloths and 1 early bird. Coffee is being drunk and treacle flapjack is in the slow cooker.

f0xh0les

Oh that smell would get anybody out of bed! 

Happy Christmas to the Apple Household.

CathT

Oh that treacle flapjack sounds good. We're having a very quiet day here as DH is in work for the first time. I'm seeing it as a day to relax and eat what I want! 

apple_muncher

I agree with the woman in the Radox advert - I feel like a new woman!

Up at 7.30; Pip got himself up; pip and dh went to town to look around the watery bookstore; pip also went round the charity shops and found some books and dvds he wanted. In the meantime I went to the gym and thoroughly enjoyed a good bodyweight workout plus I walked one mile of the journey home. The turkey crown was a-cooking while all this went on, and the washing machine was a-washing.

After lunch, Pip went to paint some pottery with a friend so I dropped off a bag at the Sally Army and had a meander around the ch shops there, finding trousers and a cardi (both half price), plus 5 Famous Five books at 50p each. We want to send the first FF book to the Canadian GS, which dh bought using a gift voucher this morning .And were thinking of going out to Canada for next Cmas, so could take the others along. I'm planning ahead 🤣🤣🤣.

apple_muncher

apple_muncher said:

Sooo, I've done myself a chart that makes some sort of sense out of my scribblings re 2023. It has 4 sections: Health, Wealth, a Life well-lived and Other ( ) across the top and the 12 months down the side.Some things are repeated monthly, so fit in easily and are in the right 'box' as a reminder. Then there's another list of ideas underneath the chart.

I have my '12 daily habits' at the front of my notebook as a daily reminder and will print my chart and keep it in the notebook too.

But apple, I hear you cry, what sort of things do you have there???

Some examples: Over the year - read the Tightwad Gazette and Atomic Habits; learn Romanian; try and make 23 new-to-me designs to sell; research craft fairs/markets; 23 bags to the Sally Army; 23 foodbank donations; get to 23 man push ups (ie no knees); complete 23 DIY jobs...

Monthly - gym; run; IF; headspace; spend £23 on me; 23 mins tidying; 23 mins cleaning (these are weekly, so at least I'll get started!!)

4 months of job, and my focus is on eating well and losing some lbs permanently. I don't want to wait until I stop regular work to look after my body as I should; 2 months of intense work for exam board, invigilating, summer fairs(?) as well as usual job; 2 more months finishing exam work and summer hols; 4 months of a new adventure with no fixed income.

And that is 2023 in a nutshell.

Hmmm. I could simply change the date and use this again...!!

I got 2/3 through the Tightwad Gazette, didn't touch atomic habits; flirted with Romanian; maybe made 4 new designs; tried 2 indoor markets for several weeks and decided they're not worth doing as I'm not selling what people want; prob 10-12 bags to SA; prob the same for food bank; nowhere on pushups and deffo not 23 DIY jobs 🤣

However, I did leave my job, I was with mum at the end, I did mark for the exam board and get an invigilating job. And the last four months have been totally pip-focussed, as they have needed to be.

I think I need to have a proper ponder for 2024..) no point regurgitating the same old stuff...