* Walking in a Winter Wonderland * - It's the 2015 Christmas Chatter Thread

IrishRose12

mandco wrote: »

Irishrose Florida holidays are such a minefield so much choice but you'll have an amazing time whatvever you decide. we have stayed onsite before as with free dining there wasn't much difference in price compared to offsite once you consider food costs parking ect but packages can be alot more expensive depending on your group size. I know virgin also fly from dublin now but they are often more expensive than anyone else worth keeping an eye open for offers though.

Oh tell e about it. Nothing's booked yet, but it looks like well be booking with with Thomas Cook or Thomson. It'll be Thomas Cook if Thomson don't fly from Belfast or Dublin :rotfl:
Onsite is out of the question for us unfortunately as we just can't afford them, and we won't be eating out as much as normal, we like to go self catering when we go to spain, and enjoy some down time on holiday, so we'll just be going to the supermarkets most days to stock up. We will ofcourse be having the odd treat in each park we visit and maybe the odd night.
Parking or fuel costs isn't a worry for us as we won't be driving - well we can't and neighbours don't want to :rotfl: So we're staying on International drive.
If we can get the same package deal that Thomson are offering for this July then for 2 weeks flights accommodation and park tickets included we can get for £1600 per adult, which is doable for us :T
We'll have to wait and see how it goes. Savings are going well and just have to wait to July/August until we can actually book it now.

So Christmas needs to be done for us soon, and we won't be spending as much on it. We're now trying to decide whether to let Santa tell the kids they are going, or hold off and not let on till they actually get there lol.

msgigglewick wrote: »

I've nearly finished setting up my etsy shop.. got to sort out a diff email address as the etsy login i used is an email address i hardly use. Once dh has sorted the ones that go with my website out i can open the store and that will be another job jobbed.

MS G when you get all set up could you send me the links to your pages if you don't mind? Wouldn't mind a nosey:o

freespirit66

Evening everyone, i cant decide if this week has flown or dragged i am still doing well on my goals for this year except for 2, i will type them out and you will guess straight away (its the one to do with cleaning ) i made Chocolate Mousse tonight one of the recipe goals DD1 said it was the best one she had ever tasted but i thought it was so so, pretty average!

My goals for this year are:

Pinterest - make/bake one pin a month

Online shopping delivery plan - got a years free with ocado

Declutter at least 10 things every 2 weeks

Good Food recipe a month

Cookbook recipe a month

Have as much fun with Max, see as often as i can

Clean oven once a month

Wipe oven weekly

Always have a reading book on the go, try and read all of Carole Matthews books by the end of the year

Supermarket savings stamps for christmas 2015-£10 a month

Buy bargains when you see them

Donate to FoodBank regularly at least once a month


MSGIGGLEWICK oh i bet your dog loved all the mud good luck with the etsy shop, i hope it goes well! You must be relieved that your mum has had a diagnosis so quickly and that it isnt life threatening, i hope your mum will still be able to carry on her work if she wants to, it will be very hard learning to live with it, how has she taken it?

IRISHROSE you reminded me of when we took our kids to Lapland, we booked it for christmas day without telling them, then we woke them up very early and said Father Christmas had had a problem bringing their stocking so had invited them to his house to see him, they were sooooooo excited i can still see their faces then while they were getting in the car i put their stockings on their beds and when we got home they thought it was magic that Father Christmas had brought their stockings anyway, so i think it will be more magical surprising them on christmas day with the news

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
I love your goals freespirit, I'm a terror for pinning and not doing anything with them. My boards are huge!
I want to work through my books, wool and craft stashes so want to have books and crafting on the go at all times.

Took days birthday present over yesterday, and nipped via cemetery to 'see' a dear friend and plant her some bulbs.

System

Morning ,
Well its bloody freezing here ,we have no hot water or central heating .A pipe sprung a leak late yesterday and the council couldn't come out straight away they are due today.

After months of nightly vomiting the GP has decided it might be an idea to try an anti sickness drug and last night it worked a treat , im just a bit peeved it wasn't suggested earlier.

I have started my Christmas shopping at last just a few bits for dd but its a start.

I usually look forward to Mondays BUT im having a tooth root pulled out :eek: .It has worked it way through my gum since the tooth was pulled on 08 my old dentist never wanted to do anything about it but ive finally got around to moving practices and the new one says she can do it .

Mojoworking

Hi all. I'm still reading and loving the updates.

Chrissyg I'm sorry about the sickness and the pipes its only when it is really cold eh!

Free spirit I never clean my oven. As long as the door is shut who knows I'm really impressed with you sticking to your resolutions. So how did the lapland trip work you flew up for the day on Christmas day? Amazing.

I got some of thr £3 pjs from primark for next year and a reindeer shower cap.

I'm struggling and I shouldn't as there are so many people with much bigger problems I just need to get a grip of myself and get back in track. I love this thread though its my constant anchor to a shared goal of a happy Christmas and to lovely people.

By heck that weather coming in tomorrow to the north west looks a beggar!!!

junior_j

Thanks for all your well wishes , leg still pretty bad but coach booked for Tuesday to arrive home on my birthday. I've already been spoilt my friend (more like cousin we were raised together) has got me 4 nights in a 5 star hotel in Amsterdam! Including a visit to the ice bar there! My lovely friend I'm staying with has got me a new iPod as mine broke on the way up. I am one lucky overwhelmed lady!

Hugs to everybody xx

freespirit66

Evening everyone, omg i got a shock this morning i went to post a parcel, a pretty light one and it cost £8.90 i nearly passed out (you can tell i dont post much) thats it it will be gift cards in future for presents, i cant afford that on top of the present!!!

CHRISSY oh i feel for you it was Feb last year that we had no heating and hot water for a month!!! Oh poor DD i didnt realise she was still bad at night, why oh why did they not try this months ago???? Oh good luck for the dentist and the root being taken out - ouch

MOJOWORKING i have been wondering if you were still around, i am so sorry you are struggling at the moment, i hope you can get back on track very soon, i have awful anxiety at the moment over everything and its making me feel so ill but im hoping if i just plod on through it will ease off a bit, how are you getting on with your weight loss as you were doing so well? Aarggh i hate cleaning my oven too its so low on the floor i have to lay on the dog bed to do it as i cant kneel :rotfl::rotfl:Yes we flew about 7am then spent the day there doing lots of activities and then flew back late at night and had christmas dinner on the plane, it was one of those experiences that you never forget (good job really as we have no photos the cameras froze up)

MRSMONEYPENNY i have decided to have a good sort out and declutter most of my crafting stuff, i havent really touched it for 3 years and just cant get my enthusiasm back for making cards and scrapbooking, i will keep bits for crafting with little man when he is older and then get rid of the rest

JJ what lovely thoughtful friends you have, they are fab presents, glad you feel able to travel home on tuesday, hope it all goes well for you x

princesskitty29

IrishRose how exciting saving for Florida, it always makes things so special when you've had to save hard for them. I did have a look in my Tesco for the pink DS you talked about when you mentioned it but they weren't reduced.

Freespirit Your DS! That's what you expect them to do when they come home from school - announcing they need cakes for the morning! Just goes to show nothing changes. You sound like supermum. Wow your Lapland trip sounds amazing, it's giving me an idea for a few years time! Post is so expensive now, have you ever tried using Collect+? They are cheaper, I use them a lot and have never had a problem. Well done with your goals! Keep up the good work. p.s. i'm sure everyone plans to regularly clean their oven but few ever do!

Feisty I hope you enjoyed your meal with DH? It's so easy to say don't get too stressed, just try to take time to yourself whenever you can and do things that will relax you. I wish you all the luck in the world with the IVF treatment. x

mrsinvisible still thinking of you. I'm so sorry to hear you've got shingles, that's the last thing you need or deserve right now. I do hope it clears up quickly. I hope the drive to the hospital and the scan goes well, you're a great mum for doing all of this even when you're not feeling well. Your post was not a laughing matter at all but it did make me smile at the end when you said you'd bought a 'farting football'! I do like these things you pop in your posts. Well done on still being organised enough to pick up Christmas presents.

Mrs-moneypenny well done!! Great to hear you've finished it, you must feel proud. Can't wait to see a pic!

Hello MrsSave :wave: Being so organised means you'll definitely save money at Christmas.

msgigglewick so sorry to hear about your mum, that must have been frightening. It must be so difficult for her but I imagine it's a relief to have a diagnosis. I hope the medication can help her. Also so sorry to hear about her dog. Such a shame these things happen at the same time. Time with your DH sounds lovely, it's so important having family time. Good luck with your Etsy page!

CHRISSYG how rubbish you're without heating and hot water, what a pain. I hope the council get themselves in to gear and sort it quickly. I'm glad the doctor has finally given your DD some anti-sickness medication, I hope it continues to work for her. Good luck at the dentist, i'm sure it won't be as bad as you think, it's always the build up that's so much worse!

Mojoworking sorry to hear you're struggling, there's always an ear here if you need to vent a little.

Junior wow! What amazing gifts and lovely friends you have. It's no more than you deserve though, it sounds like you're always doing lovely things for other people.

Phew, I think I've caught up now!

princesskitty29

Well my New Year's resolutions are still on track, I did one of each yesterday. For my Pinterest one I put an outfit together from my 'Fashion' board, luckily I had all of the items of clothing so didn't need to buy anything - I just wouldn't have put the items together! I'm not very adventurous with clothing. It was a coral cardigan over a black and grey animal print blouse, I would never have thought to wear a coral cardigan over it but it worked really well. I would have just stuck to boring old black! I'm glad i'm making myself do one pin a month as it's so rewarding to get something back rather than just constantly pinning!

In terms of recipes from a cookbook, last night I made 'Wonky Summer Pasta' from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals. It was nice but a bit too lemony. The original recipe served 4 and required 2 lemons, I halved the recipe but only used 1/2 a lemon, can't imagine what it would have been like if i'd used a whole one!

Anyway enough of me bleating on, now have to see what next week's recipe is and pin for next month.

mrsinvisible

good morning, Princess Kitty, smile, laugh, chortle, guffaw out loud at my posts as much as you like. l have always said that my life has more elements of farce than of tragedy.
Well done on the New Year Resolution Roundabout, l make the same resolution every year, to try to be a better person, busted by 2nd of jan most years, when l lose my rag with some idiot driver who shouldn't be let loose on roller skates!!!
I also used to resolve to learn a new skill each year, (failed on the lacemaking) to declutter at least one thing a day, (but it might come in handy/someone out there may have need of a box mangle)
But, this year, it is to 'just throw the dam stuff out'.
JJ how super to have such fab friends, and how lucky they are to have you.