santas Challenge 2016... Gifts, chat, challenges

crazy-cat-lady_2

chanie wrote: »

Could you not suggest to your colleagues to either stop buying for each other or do a secret Santa. I bet there must be a couple of others who feel the same way. If you suggest it at a reasonable time e.g. September it may be considered.

It has been suggested and nobody ever listens. Everyone complains it gets very expensive and the chances of getting things you actually want are so small..most presents get recycled out of work. But it carries on anyway.
This is birthdays though, not christmas. So, no, it isn't like we can do a secret Santa for them. You pretty much HAVE to buy for every person, especially if they buy for you.
So i always have a cupboard full of sanctuary, Baylis and Harding, Champneys, soap and glory..etc stuff. They end up cheap in the sales, so it's not like i'm spending more then a few quid on each one and they all get a fairly decent set.

Christmas, there is a secret santa. So that's not too bad. But, again, there are people separately from that who insist on buying extra, and the whole thing starts again.

mum2one

a big welcome to the 1st Santas Challengeof the year, as always use it as a pick and mix.

Christmas / Birthday Prep
Hopefully the sales shopping as made a dent into the Bday / Xmas presents that we need, how best if for you (I use a spreadsheet and notebook), set up xmas / bday - who needs presents, how much do u want to spend, how much do you spend. keep a running total of how your doing.

Birthday Cards
following on from the presents, the cards are as inportant, if not more as not everyone is followed with a present.

Whether you prefer to work monthly / quarterly / yearly.. try to hold a couple of spares just in case.

Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms should be tested at least monthly... so use this a chance to test the battery, give it a quick hoover to prevent dust build up if yours is battery powered, you can't remember when the battery was last changed, use this a fresh start.

When did I buy it[/COLOR]
Grab a spare diary / notebook - use this for receipts that you need to keep, so if within 12 months warrenty - its broke - you wont need to play hut the receipt,

Review Christmas
its all the planning that goes in for 1 day.... review Christmas, not just the spending, time, food, gifts - is there anything I would do differently, did I forget something,

Miss Hoodies corner
[SIZE="2" for this months cleaning element - the freezer.... see how many brusell sprouts have escaped...[/SIZE]

me cornertake time out for you... whether its a long soak in the bath, a glass of wine, a brisk walk, make time for you...

Good luck xx

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Thank you for the list mum2one.
I've got one of those card books with a folder in for each month and a list you can write that months birthdays anni's etc on with the cards stored in the months folder. At the beginning of the year I try and fill it with cards from my stash and make a note of the ones I need.
Don't forget it's also valentines in Feb it falls on a Monday this year, I'll probs plan a meal in with a DVD or something like that, if the weathers nice at the weekend we might go for a walk just us two and find a pub to stop at.
Anyone else got leap year birthdays or anni's to remember, my sisters wedding anni is Feb 29th so I'm making her a nice cushion.

Our smoke alarm is quite sensitive so gets tested regularly when I cook anything.

My only real observation on Christmas is again we ended up with too much drink and choccies, I buy what I think we'll need and we get loads as gifts so still have bottles, bags and boxes to get through. DD1 has offered to swap me a bottle of whiskey for a bottle of gin as she doesn't drink gin but my mum does so we can give DD1 a whiskey we won't drink but she will and get mum a bottle of gin for Mother's Day as that's her occasional tipple.

My plan is to run the freezer down as I have a farm foods coupon to do a big shop by end of Feb still quite full so I will plan to have it run down enough to defrost by mid Feb before I do the refill shop.

Me corner. I'm really enjoying getting my sewing machine out and doing patchwork so I making a regular date with that on a morning I don't work.

crazy-cat-lady_2

Ohh, i like the challenges.

Those card organisers you mentioned Mrs Moneypenny, are amazing. I have to confess, i sometimes do forget i've already written one or bought one when i put it in there though. I got a few quids worth of the nice 10 for £1 birthday cards from card factory last week, as well as a few general ones (get well soon, thank you, good luck, new house..) from card factory last week, so the stash is well stocked.

Our smoke alarm is also tested regularly, usually when i'm cooking bacon.

Sadly our freezer was totally emptied, cleaned and defrosted already. We were one of the areas who suffered from the big power cuts after the flooding on Boxing day. We were without power for 3 days, so it got a good clean out then. No runaway brussels, but lots of frozen pea escapees. EscaPEAS!

As far me time. I've just started a lovely new pattern for another crochet blanket. Because you can never have too many and i can't seem to stop making them. So after i get the ironng done, that's my evening spoken for.

Katiehound

I cleaned my freezer out about 10 days ago on a bitterly cold day- nothing had a chance to thaw out it was so cold! Quite a few items got destined to go in the dog bowls and only one thing got binned- a pack of bacon that looked like it had sailed in on the long ship with the invading Danes!!

Painful trip to osteopath today.
I said it feels like bone on bone (the knee) and she said that's what I think too! Not good. My 'bad' knee showed arthritis on x- ray 7+ years ago ( and here's me thinking it was only 5 years!!) and the other knee hasn't been x-rayed. So now trip pending to GP, top of the list are some strong painkillers because this is making me want to crawl away and hibernate! Otherwise I need to keep swimming and try to do a bit of Pilates- but it won't be floor work.

As you surmise this is one not happy bunny- tired too - only got 4 hours sleep tossing and turning!!! trying hard to plug into the mind over matter idea...........easier said than done!

Of course I forgot to say that I really really need to lose the weight that accrued back on over the festive season because knees don't like weight. I am going to give the Sirtfood diet a whirl- looks really interesting with all these 'super foods'- kale, celery and strawberries here we come- well, after the juicer has been delivered!

chanie

Katie sorry your read your knees aren't doing very well.

Pay Day has arrived, so I can now get started on preparations for Xmas 2016.

Its OH's niece's birthday and I managed to buy half price toy and a bracelet I bought for her on holiday last year. I budgeted £20, but spent £10, so a good saving there.

mrs-moneypenny

Ouch Katie, I hope something can be done to ease your pain and improving mobility for you.

Katiehound

Thanks for your kind thoughts!

Definitely the ouch factor! Spoke to GP today (on phone- not face to face!!! don't know how you achieve that!) - upshot - letter for X-rays on both knees-spent hour at hospital-done. Anti inflammatory drugs- scrip seems to be somewhere but not in pharmacy so plan to collect tomorrow (What's another day???) Letter from osteopath also received so original must have arrived at surgery. She wants me to see orthopedic surgeon......... I'm not keen (that's putting it mildly) Don't watch this space.

Have been swimming which helps generally and y'day went to Pilates- a lot of it is chair based so I can do that. Plan to go again tomorrow but will miss the other 2 classes as a huge amount is based on floor exercises which are a no no. For one thing struggle to get up!!

Had phone call from PO. Duvets down to just one so 8 sold in a week!! Promised I would get some done for next week. 2 King sized to collect on Friday.

The last week has passed in a series of mega ouches so I have done little but have had 2 reasonable nights so not a walking zombie.
Hope to try the new SIRT diet next week. Nutribullet juicer bought (Lakeland) and book (Amazon) Makes fascinating reading- the list of top 20 foods very surprising.... kale, rocket & chocolate here I come. I shall be giving the Birds eye chillies a wide berth as I really don't do hot / spicy.

Have been invited to a birthday lunch (buy your own carvery- that's fine) on Friday. Looks like the first pair of socks @ 50 pence will be going too- they were cute cat design from Matalan- dogs would have been better!!- but none of those available.

have rambled on too long... the sewing machine is calling........

Hope everyone is fit and well and not being blown away!

chanie

Another bargain purchase tonight.....

I popped into sainsburys and picked up a couple of pairs of slipper boots, reduced from £14 to £4.20. One pair will be a stocking filler and the other is an Xmas gift.

Katiehound

Glad to report that the prescription did turn up and the anti inflammatory drugs are kicking in so I got a good night's sleep-best for weeks.

Planned to have my washing on the line, well, trying to escape in the very strong winds whilst I went out to lunch. Machine had other ideas! I now have a full load, all washed but floating in a drum full of water until Monday am!! Hopefully the washer is repairable, after all it is only 23+ years old (They don't make'em like that any more!!!)

other than that M&S Bank a/c open and bank switch instigated. Thinking of my £220 vouchers!!

Collected king size duvets x 2 today. Hope they don't need washing (since that's impossible) so that I can be sewing over weekend. I still have a load of double s