NST August 2021: Lights, Camera, Action!

f0xh0les

mothernerd! mothernerd!

ldee2111 said the C-word!

mothernerd

f0xh0les said:

mothernerd! mothernerd!

ldee2111 said the C-word!

Dear Idee, we talk about the festive season, that day, the 'end of December', but never say the dreaded 'C' word. This is because every time someone mentions the 'C' word before November, Father 'C' has to shoot an elf - that is the law. So in order to keep those little elves alive, we are very very careful about the words we use.

f0xh0les

    Bang!

DrCarrie

Morning...I have been so absent this month, it has been a challenging time. But still on the road. 

I am not going to make my NSD target, haven't been able to meal plan or think about anything other than showing up at work and think about what I will do if a professional problem, causes a serious problem for all of life, by the unlikely, but possibly have to let go of my career. I have a bit of a plan now, and think I will be able to pay off the debt before the potential worst could happen. So that is a positive. 

Grateful for: 
- seeing my daughter at the weekend and having a lovely lunch
- sunshine
- annual leave starts tomorrow evening 5.30pm 

Thrifty_Taylor

Hugs to those who need them. @Calling14 it was pure luck in the charity shop! I don't often see much, the boots were tucked behind a rail of clothes, so I had a look. They are a half size bigger than I usually take, but if I put a pair of socks on, sure they'll be grand 😃

NSD#14
Didn't sleep well, so very tired all day. Work was a little tricky too. Chatted with a colleague at the end of the day, then got home to find a customer waiting for me with a sewing job. Didn't feel as tired at night, so able to do a small hand sewing job, wash the dishes & 4 long rows of knitting before my bath.

Grateful for true friends, a good catch up, not feeling as tired

apple_muncher

DrCarrie, have some hugs ((( ))). Sounds like a very tough time. Well done you on having formulated a plan. And for keeping on keeping on. As Beanie would say: keep plodding.

mothernerd

More hugs from me, Dr Carrie.

Didn't do much yesterday. Dealt with all the bins and put out the ones to be collected. My rubbish went in the part filled bag in the garden as mum had done her usual trick of pushing stuff down into the kitchen bin so the poor person who lifts it out pulls very gently hoping it won't tear or erupt before I get it outside - I put it down to tie it up. I cut back two buckets of Montbretia so the new shoots will have space to come through and collected small piles/ trays of roots and weeds from different spots in the garden.

Gratitudes - listening to my body and taking it easy, good books to read, the bed (always supportive, kind and welcoming).

I have been playing with my budgets. Used the remaining 4.36 in the food budget, decided the puzzle book, foodbank donations and hospital cafe (picnic) spend can go in Miscellaneous and the rest of the food spending can go in s0dding DIY because I made all the stuff at weekend from scraps and use ups (some of the spend was replacements - new block of cheese for the 3 lumps I finished off) and will do the same this weekend for anyone who calls because they haven't jetted off to Spain (climate deniers) or Yorkshire Dales (DS2 and his gf) and I will not be trawling to bnq for sand and cement and starting the front stone edging stones this month. This leaves my budgets at
Food 300/ 300
Miscellaneous 100.28/ 100
DIY 100.75/ 100 This and miscellaneous were actually a few pence less but cba to do/ redo more calculations
Travel 29.50/ 35 Not planning to go anywhere (would like to be somewhere under/ near trees (maybe the park further up the road. It also gives me the option of going to Tessimo's to use my 10 pound voucher if I get any sudden cravings for sorbet or steak.
Takeaway 64.07/ 35.93  In case mum decides to have some (food budget was originally 400 but I set aside 100 for takeaways as I want to encourage mum to eat so if she expresses a preference for something. Also as someone who's oven once died on New Year's Eve you can't beat a good takeaway for hot food (can be heated up in the microwave and use up any any spare veg) to go with the cold salads and other party bits. I always did a running buffet in the long holidays - good training to get the boys grazing on anything that's out of the table but to leave other stuff alone.

Last wrote down NSDs on the 13th. Seven then, must have added 7 more since (over 2 weeks) so 14. Food ordered yesterday will be arriving on Sunday and will be from next month's budgets (I wanted to get one of the cheap delivery slots). Mum let me put her new card details in without an argument (she's taken the card off me, she's convinced I'm spending her money on luxuries for me even though her bank balance is still going up). Must prepare some reasoning (I'm not arguing) because getting food in dribs and drabs is costing a lot more (not to mention the wear and tear on me - for newer turtles, the arthritis in my shoulders and back pain ramps up when I have to put things in and out of a trolley).

I am still coughing which makes my breathing ragged (but thankfully doesn't feel like my lungs re being torn out) so will be doing things slowly and sitting down where possible. Currently having a very lazy breakfast of chilli chicken (another ys bargain and low in fat and sugar), a lump of cheese (Wensleydale but very nice Wensleydale) and raspberries (very occasional treat - I grow some at home but think my bushes need replacing and mum doesn't want any here). If it were left to me the front garden bit would be an outer ring of edible hedging and holly, with raspberries inside and blackcurrants at the centre.

I need to do some cooking, was going to do it yesterday evening but couldn't force myself back to the kitchen. need a very large (3 tins of kidney beans) chilli to use the ys mince, put th ys sausages in the oven to cook (will split them into 2s and 3s and freeze them after) and will do ready to cook chicken and chicken with stuffing or baked potatoes to fill the oven up. mum can have chicken and chips for one of her meals and I will have chicken and stuffing barm cakes (could make extras and freeze those individually too). Will put on a pan of eggs to boil whilst I'm in the kitchen as I forgot to buy yoghurts for me and I ate the last of my rice salad yesterday (I have some in the Sunday delivery).

Grateful for turtles, bed and books

f0xh0les  you really shouldn't take so much delight in elves getting shot (hahaha)

GeorgianaCavendish

Sorry for absence over last week or so, life has got on top of me. 

Grateful for catching up with another group of friends, it had been 2 years since I'd last seen them! 

Also grateful for passing my professional exam - got the results last week. Not the end of the road for this qualification but a big step forwards. And getting to the savings goal in my driving lessons pot. Also had an update that I'm now at the top of the waiting list for lessons, so expecting a call any day now to book my first lesson 

Now cramming for my theory test which is next week     Feeling quite nervous, I logged in to see if I could push it back a bit but no other tests available in any of the test centres within 50 mile radius so I'll just have to see how I go. 

f0xh0les

The theory test is common sense and knowing what the signs mean -  do not stress about it, you know a lot of this stuff from having been on the planet, and walking around and seeing the signs all your life, just keep on practising and you will be fine.    Congratulations on passing your professional exam.  

When you are starting lessons, I know RED still have a free 2 hour driving lesson  - when I learnt I had the free driving lesson off around 4 different companies Well, it was 8hrs of experience I did not pay for, and I found a nice driving instructor after having been mucked around for 3 months  by my first instructor (and had never been in reverse once).  You live and learn! 

DS4 started at big school this morning.  That is it, all kids at big school and DS1 starting uni next month.  They are not small anymore.   Time for changes.

Thrifty_Taylor

Congratulations @GeorgianaCavendish

NSD#15
Slept through again, woke up feeling very hungry. Breakfast didn't fill me up (can't chew the granola topping yet, so just yogurt & fruit. Did sprinkle seeds on top, which I managed to eat ok), so very hungry until my lunch break at 1.45. Work went ok, very tired when I got home, so slept for an hour. Felt human again on waking, washed the dishes, then unpicked the lining on a coat & did a bit of knitting.

Grateful for hubby getting a date to have his dialysis tubes inserted in his arm (next week!), a refreshing nap, cuddles with the 🐈