NST February frugality and frolics

f0xh0les

Apple, does she like flowers? A really nice arrangement of something long lasting, would not only be nice for her to look at, but would start a conversation for anyone coming into her room, even if she could not remember who gave it to her, she would know someone had remembered her, whoever she decides (at that moment) had given it to her. Smell is a powerful trigger of memories. So a favourite hand cream maybe? Either that or a life size cardboard cut-out of Phillip Schofield.



NSD 4 today, in honour of mothernerd soldiering on manfully, I have baked a chocolate cake in celebration of her bravery. It is lovely. I dedicate it to all Turtles.

Today I cleaned and tidied all bedrooms, all bathrooms, hoovered all 3 floors, cleaned out the 3 storey hamster house and washed it all and replaced with clean bathing sand and sawdust and tissues (he is a very spoilt russian hamster) and gave him a monkey nut and a grape. He chuntered at me for stealing his poo. Ungrateful wretch.

Made pastry for kids supper tonight, I nearly went and bought something else, but just got on with it. Only the idea of losing a NSD gave me the motivation to not spend.

Nice chat on the playground with some other mums.
My car is making a horrible noise still. Will drive DHs car on the school run and take mine to the garage in the morning, then not spending any money until BoilermanBob comes around 5. So annoying- the same month the boiler costs an unexpected £250, my bearings squeak. Honestly! Requested a refund of my £200 credit from those pesky energy firms. Rather in my bank than in theirs, but will they reduce my dd - no!

Grateful for - getting a refund , not having to wear a coat at all today - was on the playground, with the birds tweeting, and nothing felt like it was about to fall off. The house being clean and tidy, seeing Mr Hamster Esq wrestling with a grape. not having any redbush teabags left in the house!

worklifebalance

Been following but rubbish at posting. Busy day as had a meeting for the animal rescue i volunteer at after work. So not much else achieved but finally got the underfloor heating serviced which has been a frog for months. I just do not understand trademen who aren't reliable ��. Only spends today was the train and service, both planned and food still being used up from stores!

sashanut

Hi all :j


Sorry to hear you are still under the weather mothernerd, does sound like you are doing very well.

Just a quick check in as only just got back, feeling pretty tired tbh. Took manual car down to garage this morning for MOT (it failed), then off at lunchtime long journey to Lancashire to view new to us car. Strangest car sales place I've ever been in, maybe they have changed a lot since we last bought a car....anyhow, he had 2 he wanted us to look at, same model etc. After a long wait we view the cars, both very nice. The one we went to look at was not as high spec as the other. Then to business, price quoted as on website. DH asked if there was any room for manoeuvre ….salesman went away & came back with a complete breakdown of what they had to pay for it, how much the cleaning/valeting was & the warranty etc....said they were only making £119 on the deal.....fgs… OK no sale then ….The high spec one was £5K more...


heyho off to shopping, then on to get food. In shop DD lost her debit card (again) and got upset... Finally ate, then came home....


grateful for: getting home....:rotfl:




Go Turtles!!!

SpekySquarehead

I'm hanging my head in shame. I had to ruin my NSD yesterday to visit the SM and buy fresh avocados and medicine. Very frustrating.

Stuck on 3 NSD's, but i should add to that today.

mothernerd

Speky what were the fresh avocados for? The medicine wouldn't have cost you a SFD.

mothernerd

I'm on the hunt for who I've not yet become.

You will never influence the world by trying to be like it.

Be bold enough to use your voice
Brave enough to listen to your heart
and strong enough to live the life you've always imagined.

Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.

As above so below
as within, so without
as the universe, so the soul.

Bit of a mixed bag, not sure how I feel about some of them, but they all have a little bit of something in there.

Let me tell you a story. Going back to the unfinished post from the other day but a more cheerful aspect (can't deal with the many faceted one atm - illness is making me feel vulnerable). The squirrel in traffic quote.

Nearly 20 years ago I was offered and accepted a job as a church cleaner at the church I belonged to. Although it wasn't what I would have chosen, I worked on being the best cleaner I could be.

A few years later I had to have an operation and a group of churchgoers covered the cleaning whilst I was recuperating and they still paid my wages. In an effort to 'give something back', I put myself forward to be a Church Warden.

Not everyone was happy about this. Some previously supportive people gave me the impression that I had stepped out of my appointed place.

So on my first week (later found out that I should not have taken over until properly 'invested' by the bishop, but the 3 retiring wardens had obviously had enough) I spent Wednesday down in the cellar examining rat droppings with the pest control officer, Friday running up the old sloping tower steps with the key for the men putting the flag on the flagpole and at the end of the week, doing the 'backstage' work for the mayor's inauguration.

The Saturday evening was the opening fundraiser for the new mayor's chosen charity of the year and it started to rain heavily. Rain seeped and then poured under one of the side doors, flooding the small passage between the church and the vestry making the ancient terracotta tiles dangerous.

Whilst other 'ladies' were being pulled back and urged not to spoil their clothes, I waded in with a long mop and when that failed, flattening cardboard boxes to soak up the excess (despite wearing a full length skirt - needing two 'good' outfits on successive days having taxed my meagre wardrobe to the limit).

Sunday was the day of the actual ceremony and the church was packed (All the borough's councillors, retired councillors, representative clergy of all denominations, voluntary and youth organisations amongst those invited).

The fun bit was that, as the mayoral procession arrived at the church, we four wardens, armed with out ceremonial staffs, stood in a line barring entrance to the church until I had issued the formal challenge, the prospective mayor gave the required answer and we fell in on either side to escort him to the front of the church.

Most of the rest was organised chaos. The civic side had assured us that they would get everyone in their places and gave out very little information. Smoothing over the cracks became the order of the day for myself, fellow wardens and all the sidespeople.

As the service carried on, the rain started up again, getting so heavy that it drowned out the vicar's address. I glided round the church, into the tower room, collecting buckets and taking them to the required points.

The scouts, already packed like sardines, were leaning to each side to escape the drops falling from the roof. They were very glad of the bucket but then each drop that fell ricocheted as it hit the bucket. I did more gliding, through to the passageway, tore down the curtain covering the door and took it back to stuff in the bucket to muffle the sound.

I did my best graceful swan, paddling furiously beneath the water impression, but was later told it wasn't entirely successful.

On the upside, some years later, we were offered help with fundraising for roof repairs. The la executive had been present that day and was impressed that not only did I anticipate rain coming through the roof when it reached a certain density, but that I knew precisely where to place the buckets (ie where the holes in the roof were)

mothernerd

Feeling better today as anticipated, although coughing fits leave my feeling like a wrung out dishcloth and my ankle is reminding me how much I asked of it yesterday and it wants looking after properly today.

Sticking with 'easy' food (hummus with past their best celery for breakfast) and not any great plans. Had a message last night, the woman who is taking the sewing machines (and hopefully a lot of other stuff) is calling this morning, so have tried to put it all in one place (had to hunt for one machine and need to move the couch to get it out.

Finding I do love empty shelves (empty unit will move downstairs to replace bulky item of furniture). Switched to looking round to see what else can go, a real sea change. Thank you for the chocolate cake f0xh0les.

Siebrie

Mothernerd, I am impressed by your energy and stamina.

For the coughing: it helps to drink plenty of water (to keep any phlegm as fluid as possible), and to use a water spray bottle to spray water above your face when you are in bed, and breathe the humid air in. Usually, just one or two squirts do the trick for me.

mothernerd

Thanks Siebrie. Energy - it's just pure cussedness.

mothernerd

I shall take you to bed and have my way with you. I will make you ache, shake and sweat until you moan and groan. I will make you beg me to stop! When I am finished you will be weak for days
Sincerely The Flu