I have lost my OS ways, help!

Icey77

Morning!

I have been on the missing list for a while

My Oma's 90th birthday bash was wonderful and she had a great day, my Mum's 70th birthday was also lovely and we had a late celebration lunch yesterday at a steak house near her, yummy!!

Our house has descended into a tip, there is brick dust in every surface despite the builders cleaning up each day and there is carp on every surface as it is all being moved from room to from and from space to space. I'm trying to box stuff up but not getting anywhere fast

Our house should also have a Red Cross of disease on the front door, DH has a chest infection and is coughing night & day (very irritating now!), Tom has a cold which has last for ages and is a snot monster. He is struggling at night time despite propping his cot mattress up and a plug in stinky thing. I'm also suffering with a bad bout of heartburn and indigestion for the last week but I hope it's now fading. frog seems to be ok for the moment, she should be as she was the one the bought the bugs home from nursery in the first place. Meh!

Frog has been potty training this last week and has taken to it very well, obviously bribes of stickers and chocolate buttons are working, the only issue now is that she enjoying the freedom of scampering around the house half starkers

I hope to get some washing out on the line in a bit, the forecast for the rest of there week is rain so best get it done whilst I can!!

Hope to be a NSD here xx

Caterina

Good morning,

EDITED as I just saw your post, Icey77, I feel for you about the builders dust, and poor you lot with the illnesses, I hope you all get better soon and that your little Frog stays well xx look out for a PM in a minute

It looks like a splendid sunny day out there, which makes me very happy.

I did not sleep much last night, finally fell asleep in the early hours, that's why I am still not up. But the sun shining through the curtains is calling me up, for a nice OS day. This is the plan:

I promised DH breakfast in bed, as he is usually the one who gets up and does it at weekends. Today I am treating him to a long lie in, as he is working on the house all weekend. It will be scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, lots of toast and a nice mug of fresh coffee.

Then while DH works on the house with DS I am going to an Apple Day in a local farm. Then back to give the men their lunch, probably will stretch last night soup with veg stock and cooked pasta.

Sunny day = laundry day, so I shall add to the ironing mountain!

I need to plant some herbs in the front garden and tidy it up.

Then I am going to W8rose with my last £10 off voucher, if I time it right I should be able to catch the Gail's bread reductions and stock the freezer with excellent bread. Also hoping to catch a lot of other reductions.

But mainly I need to buy some gifts, some white chocolate for a child's birthday, some chocolate and wine for the neighbours who let us take down the fence for the scaffolders, to say thank you for putting up with the inconvenience.

And some also to give to the woman who lent us, for 6 month, a two ring electric cooker while we did not have a kitchen, as a thank you.

So, although I am planning to spend around £40, it is not all coming under the "grocery" heading, as the gifts are more of a generic spend.

Which makes me think, I really need to discuss budgeting with DH. So far we have the grocery and entertainment defined, as these are the most obvious. It will be difficult to actually separate budget items until the builders expenses are finished, because all our money is going there at the moment.

We still have to pay the main builders and electricians final bills (which we are partly contesting), then hire a new electrician to finish the job that the !!!!!! did not (because we sacked him), then a few odds and ends from our friendly builder. I think we need to talk about a serious start of budgeting by January.

Our Christmas is never a big affair, this year it is going to be even more modest, so it does not need great budgeting. I sincerely hope that most of the building works are over by December!

Have a good OS day.

IrisViolet

Hi not been on for a few days so popping in to say hello!

Lovely as always to read what is going on with everyone. Sorry for those feeling ill.
Had a nice rest yesterday as was my nieces birthday party and after that dd spent the day with her and then slept at grandma's with her brother. So it was just me and baby last night with dh at work, she went to bed well and I managed to clean everywhere, tackle the ironing pile, wash my nappies and dry them overnight and watch a season of outnumbered on netflix. I kind of begrudge paying for netflix but we do use it a lot.

Need to do a shop tomorrow, decided to just stick with aldi now because my online orders are costing too much and I need to stay in budget. We have a budget for everything now and it all on spreadsheets which I am finding very helpful and its helping pay the overdraft back. I have started a Christmas budget so got a few gifts already and a few more to get this month. Luckily don't have lots to buy for at all but will get our kids a few new bits. Sticking to my budget will make it so much more manageable than its ever been before.

trying hard to conserve electricity but it's difficult. Not gonna use heating until November and dont feel we need it yet anyway. Trying very hard not to drive as far because I usually use loads of petrol taking kids places all week so im cutting back. Dh walks to work its very close luckily.

another night alone tonight so im gonna do tea in a sec then bath the kids and get them off to bed. Hoping to make some good progress on my crotchet blanket tonight!

Hope everyone is well

Treacle_Toes

Today has mainly been OS, with a little extravagance!

I started by shortening some work trousers I bought last week from the charity shop. I've recently lost a stone in weight and all my work trousers were far too loose. My DH said buy some more, but I didn't want to spend too much as I'd like to lose another stone. I got them from my favourite RSPCA shop that sells all ladies trousers for £1 and all tops for 50p! They are from Next and are in good condition and perfect for work - a little tight, what good motivation!

Then beef stroganoff in the slow cooker, enough for tomorrow as well.

My extravagance was booking us tickets to see Horrible Histories live in the local theatre on the last day of this half term. It's my DDs absolute favourite tv show and I know she'll be thrilled - what a way to start the school holidays! We're going to try and keep it secret until we get there.

Now just waiting for Strictly and watching my ebay listings finish - I'm trying to list 5 items a week. So far my bids are at £10 - better than stuff lying around.

Enjoy the end of the weekend.

TT x

IrisViolet

Well done on the bargain treacle toes and your weight loss
Horrible histories sound great, its nice to have a treat lined up and if it makes your dd happy then thats great.

Caterina it sounds like you have had a lot of help from lovely generous people which is so nice. I do hope it is all over for you by christmas, sounds like it hasnt been easy.

~We have decided to budget everything, so as well as ll my outgoings there are budgets for groceries, petrol, electricity (meter), presents, clothing, treats, household (i.e i needed a new blender this month).

I was worried about Christmas but not so much now ive planned it out, im budgeting a certain amount of money each month so I can start buying stuff now. This month ive managed to get my neices cmas present, and my youngest xmas present and her bday present as she is one just a week before xmas. She will just get one or two things as she doesn't know what it is, and its nothing expensive. Im planning on getting to Costco next week while my 4 year old is at kindergarten to get a few of her presents, i feel so lucky to have membership there because the toys are so cheap at christmas. ~She wants a cabbage patch doll and the are £17 in costco and £35 on amazon.

Its been a very OS day, been in cleaning, lots of washing and cooking whats left, Ive got a chicken out the freezer for tomorrow but will go to aldi in the morning with my list for the rest of the week, I had a big delivery last week so im hoping i wont spend more than £30 tomorrow, our weekness is fruit and veg, we go through a lot, we have a lot of smoothies and we eat a lot of avocados and berries, not very OS but i try so hard to keep us as healthy as possible. Hopefully Aldi will help. As a plus we havent wasted anything and ive been filling up my freezer!

Baby desperately needed some new clothes, ive just had a bit of an ebay binge, for £56 ive got her 5 sleepsuits, 4 dresses,8 trousers, 4 t shirts, 1 vest, 1 skirt, 1 cardigan and one outfit. All next. I still cant decide if ive spent too much though £30 of that £56 was on Postage!! I know its cheaper than the shops but still quite expensive really, i might have to start using charity shops instead of ebay now (i loke charity shops i just never get time to go).

Anyway off to watch downton!

Caterina

Good evening,

Treacle Toes, congratulation on weight loss and good luck with the next stone! I struggle with my weight all the time, any suggestions?

IrisViolet it sounds interesting how you are now budgeting for everything. We only budget for groceries and treats. The rest comes out of the general pot of DH's salary in the bank, as it is stuff that we need to spend. As I said earlier, no point in setting a lot of budgets until the house works spends are over. Basically what we do is spend as little as possible, and what we spend is stuff that's needed. Like you said, because of the kindness of people we feel that the gifts are needed. Ah, and I have started noting fuel spend, just to keep an eye until we decide to set up a budget.

Today was a good day in every sense. Very OS. I got the day wrong for the apple day but it was still lovely to visit the farm, I donated a bag of books so they can sell them in their cafe, and bought a jar of their lovely raw honey, a bit steep at £6 but well worth it.

Then back home I fed DH and DS who had been hard at work and done a lot, then I tidied the front garden and planted all the herbs and salad plants. It needs a bit more work but looks a lot better without the scrawny bean skeletons and weeds all over.

Then shopping for the gifts and a bit more food in w8rose, got excellent bargains including a nice piece of Grimsby smoked haddock. Fish cakes for dinner tomorrow!

Dinner was nice, large piece of YS quiche from deli counter, homemade coleslaw in vinaigrette, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, then DH and I went to the theatre with the free tickets. The show was very funny, incredibly well acted and thoroughly enjoyable.

In bed now, with a large mug of herbal tea, ready to sleep. Good night.

Caterina

Good morning,

I am planning a NSD today (builders expenses and bills excluded) so no trip to the market after all, will make do with the leftover half onion or with garlic for flavour. And tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. We'll live!

Today is a bit topsy turvy, plans I made have been scuppered, I was going to do some babysitting in the morning but she has chopped and changed. Am ok with it, would much rather NOT do this job for a lot of reasons, but will do as she needs help. And it is only for a few days.

Then was going to tai chi but then I thought I'd better help DS bring wood in from the garden to dry. So I cancelled tai chi. Now DS tells me that it is not worth bringing the wood in as it is too manky to be usable in building.

I have a humongous pile of ironing to do and might just tackle it, if I could only bring myself to face it. Perhaps I should do like I have done before and commit to 3 items a day for as long as it takes to clear it. Not the most economical way to do it, energy-wise, but better than load up the stuff in the car and dump it at the dry cleaners, like I had to do when the kitchen work was in full swing, no electricity and dust everywhere. Only now I no longer have that excuse.

Speaking of electricity, I need to find a trusted electrician urgently, to finish the job that the sacked so-and-so did not complete. I get a bit mad every time I think of this so for my sanity's sake I need to make this a priority - not just a diversion from the ironing, honestly!

Around lunchtime I might pop in to meet the baby I need to babysit in the next few days. They only live across the road from me, so it should not be hard. But I could not ask full price because I have looked after the next door neighbours's baby free of charge in the past, just as a goodwill gesture. So I offered it free. She insisted she wanted to pay, so I made her a super cheap deal. I hope she will stop chopping and changing though, it is irritating.

Then after lunch (probably tomato and lentil soup) more ironing *groan! MAKE ME DO IT!* it has got to be done. Then at 3:30 drive to pick up the boys, make them dinner then drive back home, quick dinner (probably smoked haddock, instant mash and steamed frozen veg - needs to be quick) then 7 pm babysit. That reminds me, I need to spring clean the 2 ring cooker that the boys' mum lent me while I had no kitchen, maybe if I take my time I won't have time for more ironing. Dream on LOL!

Hope you all have a good OS day.

moments_of_sanity

Good Morning All, I had a lovely weekend with eldest DD visiting from Uni but she has gone back now until the end of November, I am going to miss her lots!

A weekend of NSDs which was great, we all ate really well and I even managed to make a chocolate sponge cake, I had made one the weekend before but forgot to put the cocoa powder in!

I finally have my 'urgent' waited for 3 months, Rheumatology appointment today so we will hopefully get some answers, if not I guess it is back the drawing board along with my now not suspected diagnosis of ME/CFS. This has been ongoing for nearly 2 years now and my life has almost come to a standstill from where it was 3 years ago. Then, I used to run 20 miles a week and walk my dogs 3 miles every day, I really hope to one day be able to get back to such simple pleasures.

DH has wanted to come with me for my appointment today which has meant he has to take a day unpaid so will have to try and have as many NSDs as possible to make up for no pay today. I have a freezer full of food, cats and dogs have enough food for the next couple of weeks so shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Pooky

MOS - Hope you get some answers x

moments_of_sanity

Pooky wrote: »

MOS - Hope you get some answers x

Thank you Pooky. Not RA, we are back to the original diagnosis of CFS and he thinks I have Fibromyalgia but at least from here on we have something to work with.

I have put my onesie on for the first time since April as it has got really chilly here all of a sudden and hasn't stopped raining all day. Central heating system checked today and all working well, only put it on for 10 mins. DD is sat under her coat complaining it's cold, it is 20.5 degrees in the living room so no way the heating is going on!

An easy dinner of gammon, left over from Saturday, eggs, chips and beans but really looking forward to it. I have been told by the consultant that I need to lose weight (and he is certainly very correct) so I am going to be looking for some nice soup recipes as I think they will fill me up at lunch time and keep me going til dinner. Will be starting the day with porridge, trouble is DH doesn't get in from work until about 6.30pm so we don't normally eat until about 7/7.30pm but will do the best we can

Hope you are all having a lovely day and you are all keeping warm.