From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2 · 26 January 2019 at 11:28PM

Have got some uniform washing done but it is very much a case of do a bit, then rest a bit. I haven't fully caught up on budgets but have made a payment of £165 to the secondary school. This means I will have paid £100 of one trip and £65 of another. Unfortunately I misread the cost of the first and found it's £450 rather than the £400 I thought. I'm under more pressure to get that cleared asap as the trip is at the end of this term.

I had a good chat with DD1 this afternoon. She is hoping to bring her bf home to visit at Easter. This is a totally new aspect of parenting...will certainly mean I need to get some decorating scheduled in!

Honeysucklelou2 · 28 January 2019 at 12:23AM

A NSD today, that's either 5 or 6 for this month.

I remembered that about a third of the Christmas turkey crown was put in the freezer, so I got that out today and sliced some and cooked it with roast potatoes and veg. I had a bit more energy today in that I prepped the meal but had to leave the DDs to dish up as I was wiped out again by then. The rest of the crown can be used in either a turkey pie or curry tomorrow.

It's been very windy today so the poor old camellia bush was being blown about and looks like pink confetti on the floor around it,

Honeysucklelou2 · 28 January 2019 at 11:59PM

The turkey was used up in a curry. I tried something new today in that I cooked the onions with the spices, then put in chopped celery, potato and butternut squash. I cooked those until softened then blitzed with a hand-blender before adding chunks of turkey and sultanas. Result, the children ate far more vegetables than they usually would:rotfl::). There is still enough turkey to make a pie for tomorrow. I had forgotten quite how big a crown we had!

DD3 helped to make chocolate brownies for pudding. It's the first baking I've done for over a week:eek:. Unfortunately the toddler seems to have come down with a high temperature and is very clingy:(. I'm still very low on energy and not right yet...

I did check the online school account thing, and discovered that onr school trip is more than I thought. I also found out that the next instalment is due by mid Feb. I hadn't realised that and was working on the basis of paying DD3's trip totally, then DD5's, then DD4's so basically in order of them happening. Will have to plan the next few weeks carefully.

Cherryfudge · 29 January 2019 at 1:37AM

Glad you're on the mend, but take it as slowly as you need to.
School trips are shockingly expensive: I've just been reading Wannabe's thread on the same subject. I hope you can sort them out without too much struggle.

Honeysucklelou2 · 1 February 2019 at 1:47AM

Well, today has been a truly unforgettable day. I set off at 10.00 ish for the hospital which is about an hour's drive away. My lovely grandmother was taken ill on Tuesday and passed away today. DS1 and I were able to join my mum and be with her as she passed. I've never been in that position before and although it was incredibly sad, in another way I am so thankful I was able to be there because she has always been there for me, through good times and sad times. We will all miss her.

We left the hospital at 2 and got home at almost midnight. It was raining as we left the hospital, two miles down the road we were caught in a blizzard that came on really suddenly and we have taken all that time to get home. I had to abandon my car ( in a wide driveway off the road, I hasten to add) because it was sliding and skidding all over the place. I felt at that point it was dangerous to stay in the road. Thankfully DD2 was driving behind me ( she was on her way home from college) so we got into her car and continued on. The emergency services have been amazing and worked really hard to clear roads, that to some might look like country lanes but are in fact main road routes. We did try to stop at a travelodge but lots of others had the same idea. I am very very thankful to be home. I did spend £17 on a McDonalds meal for 3 of us but we were getting quite cold by that stage.

mumtoomany · 1 February 2019 at 11:18AM

Hi, Lou. Just popped on to say I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Take care in this cold weather, M2m.

Cherryfudge · 1 February 2019 at 1:52PM

I'm so sorry that you have lost this lovely lady, though glad you were able to be with her.

Have you got your car back yet? I wonder if the tyres need help, as your daughter's car got through? Or maybe it's just the individual make of car that affected how it holds the road. You kept a clear head, though, and made good choices - it must have been horrendous driving and at such a hard time emotionally.

Look after yourself x