Climbing the Mountain

MistyMountainTop

I'm glad you found my diary, you are very welcome here!

I wasn't planning on making gingerbread but all this talk of it is making me change my mind. I've never made a Yule log, my failed attempts at jam roly poly put me off. I can decorate a swiss roll though! It's nice to think some of the things you do with your children will be passed down to them and their children. My grandma lived close by, I spent a lot of time with her, and it seems like a huge amount of it was spent cooking or eating something lovely she'd made. I miss her so much xx

Chandelier.

That was exactly it Misty. Sometimes we'd buy a Swiss roll and just decorate with buttercream and add christmassy decorations. It's the small things that count.

I'd like to do something similar for the boy. He likes baking. We just never seem to do much.

EssexHebridean

I was talking about this with someone yesterday - making your own traditions is such a big part of family life, and the best traditions are those that involve quality time spent together rather than lots of money being spent. You can see it yourself - it is those things that you look back on with the fondest memories, and children now aren't any different!

My Christmas baking is always mince pies and sausage rolls - and we try to come up with something a bit different for both, each year. This year the mince pies were crumble-topped, and the sausage rolls had chopped dried apricot added under the sausagemeat and the tops sprinkled with sesame and poppy seeds. It's really just a case of doing something different to what you would get in the shops.

MistyMountainTop

Those sound lovely, EssexH! I managed a huge amount of baking yesterday, as I was determined to fill up the oven while it was hot. None of the offspring were interested in joining me but I realised that their grandma (my mum) has not been in the best of health for years, so they didn't grow up baking with her the way I did with my grandma. It may be different when/if they have children of their own, and I fully intend to instill it into my future grandchildren!

I slept badly and had terrible dreams last night that I was back in a huge financial mess and couldn't find a way out. There were other stressful things going on but the situation was of my making and I was sinking fast. I woke up anxious about my current financial state - no debt but very little disposable income, only a tiny emergency fund and I've made no progress at all saving for a house deposit. Even though I have been productive around the house and kept spending down, most of the extra income from surveys etc. has been spent on necessities and time keeps passing by. I wanted to wait until the new year to apply for another job, so maybe it's being in limbo that has me a bit frightened, I don't know. I've dropped the ball a bit by not sorting out Goodbudget (or whatever I can understand enough to use), I'm sure that's an underlying reason. I'm telling myself to just relax and enjoy the holidays with my family but my positivity is waning. I hope this feeling passes soon!

Bobarella

Sorry you had such a bad night MMT sometimes when you have a big goal like you have, it can feel like the small things haven't led you to where you want to be. But if you keep doing them gradually progress will be made. Try not to undermine what you have achieved, which you deserve to celebrate whether the biggest of goals has been ticked off or not.

jvr

Hi Misty,


Sorry you had such a bad night! Those kind of dreams are awful and can really throw you. I try and look at debt repayments, savings etc. and when it doesn't look like much I also remember getting into debt, its not just the money you are paying off/saving it is also the money saved that previously you would have spent and go into debt. For instance if I pay off 500 I also remember before I would have spent too much and got into debt by £300... so in effect I have made £800 of 'changes'..... if that makes any sense!! and that's when I see really progress! I am babbling as a bit hungover from work night out last night!
I hope you can relax and start to enjoy Christmas... I have found an amazing spreadsheet from someone on here which I can send you if that helps!! It does all the calculations for you which is the best bit and you can fill it out to plan for an entire year and see what you will have in savings at the end... if you want more you go back and look where you can cut!

[Deleted User]

Hey MMT, hope you're ok? Things will get better, look at everything you've achieved big hugs to you lovely lady.

Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and I hope you manage to get some rest

MistyMountainTop

Thank you both for your comments. Jvr, I would love to try the spreadsheet, thank you for the offer! Purplemo2, it must be exciting to know that next Christmas you will be celebrating in a new house!

The anxiety from the dream has gone but the having dropped the ball feeling is still here, though I've been able to look back and see that I've achieved quite a bit in just a few months. It's brought home that I'm a very capable, determined person and there is no reason I can't bring in more money if I keep working at it. 2017 is going to be a year of long lasting changes and plans. I won't have delayed things by any detrimental amount of time, thank goodness. In the past it's taken me wallowing in deep !!!! before I could see I was on the wrong path. In a way the dream was a bit of a blessing, as unenjoyable as it was at the time.

My family are all here now and we've really been having fun being back together. The kids are fighting and ganging up on each other like they did when they were little, though it's being done lightheartedly. We've been playing games and eating too much already. Everyone is looking forward to going to the candlelight service tomorrow evening, then home to eat and play more games and maybe watch a Christmas film.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas! :xmassmile xxx

Scott_Weiland_2

All the best for Xmas and the New Year Misty x

MistyMountainTop

Christmas has come and gone and so have my grown-up children. It was lovely to have them back home, causing mayhem and reminding me of the fun we had when they were all here under one roof. I was sad to say goodbye but know they were ready to get back to their lives and plan their New Year's activities and parties.

I plan on spending the next few days cleaning up the mess, taking a good hard look at 2016, and setting goals and plans in place for 2017. I have said similar things year after year but it's not been until I started this diary and became accountable that the real changes started. I have no doubt that 2017 will be a far more organised, productive, healthier and prosperous year than I've ever had before. I'm quite excited and looking forward to pushing myself to see just how far I can go.

I hope everyone is doing well and having a lovely time xxx