NST April 2021: Diamonds and Daisies

Porridgecat

A bit late, but I wanted to have time to think about things:

Diamonds 

Debts first: (No debts but my mortgage is now £23 376 so I'm treating this like a debt and aim to have it gone by next year March.

Income enhancement: Trying hard at the saving already, I do PA and try to make enough each month to pay for two small subscriptions and Netflix and then anything extra goes on overpayments and into savings.

Achievements and Aims: I've struggled a lot with weight and eating over lockdown so trying to get this under control and start losing. My aim is just to have days when I make better choices. 

Morning motivation: This is a difficult one as I'm on the way to work by 6.45 to get the breakfast club provision going. I need to aim to just get out of bed faster and ready to 'sieve the day'

Organised: I need to get meal planning sorted and work on using what in the freezer

NSDs: I'm normally quite good with this as we food shop one day a week only. 

Determined: determined to make better food choices.

Daisies 

Delight: I'm going to continue to post gratitudes 

April:  I need to spend more time in the garden and enjoy it properly 

Inner-peace: This is a big work one for me, need to let things use pass around and over me.

Stay safe, and stay sassy! Always safe, need to work on being sassy more often. 

Inspiration: This month I'm determined to be more of a 'difficult woman' by that I mean the one who asks the difficult questions (mainly at work this one but some on social media) I have already asked why there is such an imbalance between female and male authors on the school's chosen reading list. It didn't go down too well but that's what I mean by the difficult questions. 

Exercise: Need to start walking again 

Share: I do a lot of voluntry stuff around school but need to look at our donations. We already give small donations to several charities and largish lumps to a Cat lady in Corfu to neuter and look after strays in our favourite holiday place but I need to speak to MrPorridge about upping or starting new donations.

Toni'sfriend

Tesco delivery today so no NSD and no walk sadly. However, the Great Easter Egg Hunt was a great success. The mothers made a huge effort and Dads joined in taking photos and the children loved it. I was introduced to a couple of neighbours I didn't really know and our Polish neighbours and Syrian family really entered into the spirit of things with great gusto. It only lasted about 20 minutes but it was so funny to see the children running around. It has done wonders for the community spirit which was already very good but we all need a bit of cheering up. Tomorrow I will have to retrieve my empty flower pots which were used as hiding places and pick up all the various bits and pieces which are not where they should be but it was so worth it.

The Boy is coming for dinner and I have a goulash in the slow cooker. Need to meal plan for next week.

I discovered a series of six books in the book case. I think I read the first one but I'm reading it again and I hope I might finish the whole series by the end of the month. It might be a bit ambitious.

I am happy to say that so far I have resisted the lure of the chocolate Easter egg.

mothernerd

Didn't really get started yesterday - vaguely 'unwell' and very tired. Feeling discouraged because I've hit a few snags with my digging - including lumps of reinforced concrete. Think I've worked out an alternate plan but may be more snags ahead (still some bits to work out). Need to buy a few bits (new 'sticks' to skewer my old recycled plastic beds together in a wall to go behind the raised beds making a smaller space between the bed and the fence). Will see if I feel like going to the shop tomorrow (and what time I wake up). It should be quiet as the pubs aren't open. Lots of other stuff to do (I need to just start). New plan will also involve putting back most of the stuff I've dug out (it would have had to go back somewhere at some point, just struggling with tiredness). It will slope in a different direction. Actually it will be level, in line with the fence, but the flags slope downwards slightly from S to N, and quite steeply from E to W. Lots of seedlings need their new homes and nowhere safe to put them yet (stuff that went outside last week is still alive but not super healthy).

Mum won first prize in the church raffle so we currently have 3 Easter eggs, 2 chocolate oranges, large bags of choc buttons, mini eggs, Lindt and kit kat bunnies and more besides (and I'm not allowed any of it). Mum relented and said I could choose one thing so I have a choc orange (not eaten, have put it on top of the wardrobe). After I spent time hiding various sorts of liquorice in the teabag jar, pills box and anywhere I could think of, last night. Made a lovely lamb dinner with mashed and new potatoes and 5 veg (and real lamb gravy which I've had stashed in the freezer for months). 

Grateful for the weather not being as nasty as expected (sunny but cool), for doing a few little things (may be lots of baby steps this week), for being adaptable.

lcc86

Afternoon everyone! Beautiful day here in the end. Went out horse riding, OH came along too on his bike, pony was very naughty today which is frustrating but that's the way it is sometimes. 

OH then made me go for a bike ride (can you tell he's got a new bike lol) so feeling knackered now! Not sure how good all of this is for my back as it's hurting a bit but c'est la vie. 

NSD number 4 (not a bad start!) and a few jobs done around the house this afternoon. Having a healthy dinner that we've not tried before - spicy potatoes, kale and goats cheese in a tomato sauce and eggs on top, I promise it's a real recipe and I haven't just made it up! - and then in the bath to ease my aching back I think. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday turtles!

f0xh0les

NSD 3 today.  Plantain with cook-up rice for tea. 

Going to melt down all the chocolate given to the kids (it is all very dark) and turn it into a torte or mousse cake. 

Nothing else was done - rang all the old people on the phone - things dried on the line (yay!)

No motivation at all today.

greent

Huge leg of lamb roasted for dinner - yum - followed by a lemon and raspberry Victoria sponge type cake with fresh cream which DD baked this morning 🍰😋😋

Gorgeous weather today - large load of washing all dried and DS1's down filled  oat for an airing   

My mum visited this morning - spent 90min in garden with tea and biscuits and swapped eggs She also brought down some plants from her garden

Went for a walk along the canal path this  afternoon and saw some sort of extended family on their boat so stopped and had a chat sat on the grass for around 40 mins - good to catch up:)

Thankful for good weather, good food, catching up with people, chocolate, Line of Duty  

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a chat with my big sis re possible visits to mum, for dd playing out for several hours, for the rugby on iplayer, for more weeding and ivy removal meaning the fence is accessible for treatment, for drying the washing on the line, for seeing the neighbours' kids playing on the climbing frame we gave them.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Evening,
NSD #3 today.  Had a video call with one sister this morning which was lovely.   Then went over to DD1's new house (not so new now!), had lunch in the garden and they showed me round the area - was so lovely to see them and their house (through the window) & explore.  
Just having tea from the freezer and then settling down to LoD.  No studying done but have decided i can have one day off
Gratitudes - lovely afternoon in the garden with DD1 and her bf; video chat with sis; 12000 steps and saw ponies, piglets, goats etc 
Deni x

facethemusic

Sunday- NSD 3/16. 
Managed a horse ride and a dog walk before the weather turned awful. The trampoline tried to blow away so some more pegs added to stabilise it further. So far its stayed where it's supposed to, so fingers crossed it's still there in the morning.
Grateful today for getting the animals dealt with/exercise done in the dry, a fun Easter egg hunt with DD, some time to read this afternoon. 

Thrifty_Taylor

The wind has really picked up here too, & it's been snowing on & off since 7.30pm.
Been very industrious today! Washed kitchen floor, put washing on, chicken in the slow cooker using a new recipe on UToob, (very tasty) sewed 2 teddies from woollen jumpers, so just need stuffing & hand stitching, cooked the rest of tea & made a Rhubarb crumble, got everyone in the bath, then collapsed in front of LoD. Nsd#3
Happy Easter 😊