NST October 2021: Fit for Purpose

apple_muncher

OCTOBER

Opportunities

Consistency - let's be consistent in the good little habits we have that build us up.

DrCarrie

Morning all...setting out my stall.

Now, to the challenge:

Fun. Planning walks and adventures this month...and going on holiday.

Intellectual pursuit. I am doing some training this month, a new area of continuing professional development. 

Thankfulness – post 3+ gratitudes each day.  

Food – Now that a big stressor has gone, refocussing on this

Overhaul My whole flat needs an overhaul, a big sort out. I will start with the food cupboard. 

Read I have a book on order, that I have wanted to re-read for a long time. 

Plan this month – activities, spends - my DGF and I sat and planned frugal activities for the month yesterday. 😊

Understand - improves your life. Bring more of the good stuff into your day to day life. - 20 minute whizzz around the flat

Rejoice in all the good things you have, I really do have a lot. Reduce the stuff that is not good for you. One ‘paper clip’ at a time…need to focus on this a little - getting rid of stuff. 

Plan for December and the winter months. would like to start thinking about gifts, and paring it down

Outside  walks planned! in Sussex and London. 

Stop and simply be. Back to Yoga and meditation this month. Simplify. I have also started spending 1 minute per day on an area for 1 week. It does make a surprising difference! - I might do this in all my 'shove it in drawers' in my bedroom.

DrCarrie

NSD on Saturday - so that is one racked up. 

Had a lovely weekend with DGF. 

Gratitudes
- there is something in myself that is different, post the professional thing being resolved, I am grateful for it. 
- Delicious artisan dairy-free 'cheese'
- planning cheap and enjoyable activities. 

mothernerd

Yesterday was NSD 1. One load of washing done and line dried. Swept some of the soil on the pavement up (had to let the sun dry it out and then wait for the layer I'd exposed to dry) and brought a few things into the yard (seed trays of stones, shrub roots). Sat in an armchair watching a serial and embroidering (have another couple of armchair jobs to do). Kept checking on my sand and cement (parcelforce collected it just before 7 am yesterday morning but it hasn't started moving yet).

Gratitudes mum saying nice things about me (and to other people as well), a resting but productive day, laptop working a bit, feeling good because I've achieved something and done a really good job.

Calling14

Hiya turtles back after my manic manchester weekend.

Was a spendy time, but didn't drink much as eaten a lot before heading to the gig. Just as well drinks were expensive in 02 apollo £6.55 a pint. With them being cashless you wouldn't realise what you were spending as you never get receipts. Water for me at that price.

Had a brilliant time, jumping around like an idiot, meeting friends worth aching body still got today.

Did a food shop on my way home so spendy days  but FUN part of the challenge done.

NSD 1 today, staying in office for lunch not sure my legs will make all flights of stairs back up to my office again.

Getting ready for December, bought a birthday pressie for granddaughter today as it had £5 off but used my survey rewards to pay for it.

Lots of fruit and veg bought yesterday so healthy tea tonight and stock take of my freezer planned plus kitchen cupboard clear out. So annoying when all butty boxes fall out when you're late for work. Need to start buying xmas cake ingredients soon - how quickly has this year gone?

Grateful for

Senior railcard

Live Music being back

Seeing my bestie and finding new friends.

f0xh0les

Calling said the X word!!  dust off the naughty step.   #bang!      #elf 

Today was NSD2, still have to go to work tonight (unpaid) but do not need to buy anything for lunchboxes, so will deal with my small shopping list after the school run tomorrow.

The Saga of the Leaking Roof continues - 1 roofer said he is not doing re-roofs (??), 1 said they will come and look 'this week', so going to contact 2 more while I have my brave pants on.

Still only have one quote for solar panels, gentleman #2 said he would send a written quote last week, nothing arrived. Liar!!

Fun - The fun will be getting things done, in the diary, and organised.  House stuff going on - progress will be made.

Bakes will be made for GBBO night with the kids.

Intellectual   - Hmmm, still thinking on this, not doing anything vaguely brain taxing at the moment. 

Thankful - that my in-laws live across a sea, and that I will only have to see them once this year.  That DS1 is enjoying himself.

Food – Soups, Stews, Casseroles, and Bakes - Hearty foods with minimal processed ingredients, and lots of peeling and chopping instead.  Homemade Soda Bread and Scones.  Apple Crumbles and Baked Apples.

Overhaul - the roof to make storage space, the solar panels for clean energy, the bathroom into 2 rooms, I would love to have completely overhauled the top 2 floors of my house by the end of the year (nearly wrote the C word!)

Read - will not spend on new books, I have a few community book huts nearby that you can swap books in, and the c/shop, and survey vouchers for online second hand books. 

Plan- Half Term will be planned around uninvited visitors and the weather. DH is planning on working away from them.  I am planning builders appts, roofer appts, and a job fair to try and find a job for after half term.

Understand - improving my home will have a massive effect on DH, it will change the energy in the whole house

-I am accepting my in-laws will be here to see their grandchildren.  Their relationship with them and DH is nothing to do with me.  It is not a reflection on me.  They will get out of it what they put in. They reap as they sow.  Not my monkeys, not my circus.

Rejoice in all the good things you have - will work on a few craft projects, and enjoy my family for who they are. 

Plan - candles, soft throws, cushions, hot water bottles - still need to stock up on hot choc powders.

Outside - need to plan this into my time, but cleaning stuff and the laundry keeps getting in the way!!  Fellow elderly gent volunteer asked if I was going out on a nice walk today, I told him I had the bedding to launder, the house to hoover, and kids to pick up from school - he just laughed.   I am not yet in the position to go a-wandering in the middle of the day, do the school run, and  magic a meal in seconds.

Stop and simply be - can I just read instead??
Simplify -   I am going to take a lot of stuff to the tip for recycling.  I am using it up, or getting rid.  If nothing else, the in-laws coming will be useful in helping me make decisions on why I am keeping some things, and if I am actually going to use them in reality, or just the fantasy-land inside my head where I can literally do everything.  I cannot do everything. 

apple_muncher

f0xh0les, where did calling use that word?? I can't see it!!

Of course you can read! I think I recall you saying once that you have tinnitus, so being quiet isn't good for you?

ldee2111

NSD 2.

Grateful today for tea in bed, a relatively quiet day at work, and leftover homemade curry for lunch. 

mothernerd

NSD no 2. Easing myself into the month slowly. Have half a plan which is basically to do something productive each day and to have a bit less muddle and mess by the end of each day. Still ill so definitely better off standing or sitting up rather than lying. Did little litter/ recycling pick ups but stopped as soon as I felt sick or dizzy (head hurt when I was bending down, even when sitting on the edge of the bed).

Worked on another piece of embroidery today (mum seems to have lost the 2 skeins of grey I was using yesterday). This one is a lot more complicated. Lots of purple lettering and not simple block letters but flowing ones with lots of flourishes and because some of the words are repeated, any mistakes stand out like sore thumbs so lots of counting and referring to the pattern. Switched back to the grey filling in late afternoon.

Have put mum's washing out on the line this morning (sat down both times I got to the far end of the yard) and then was called to bring it in shortly afterwards. I've brought a few lumps of concrete in from outside to add to my trolley stash and put out some more pretty rocks. 

Grateful for bung it in the oven meal and including blueberries, banana and celery in my diet, progress on the sewing, receiving the parcel that should have been delivered on Friday.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dc getting through their day and even feeling okay to do a piece of hwk, for being looked after at work, for books to read, for baked potato, for stewed fruit.