NST December A - Z

f0xh0les

Well it sounds like something that should become a tradition!!!

lcc86

Hmmmm no real Xmas disasters here (yet!) Other than once coming down with an ear infection on Xmas day and being in agony until the doctors opened again!

No NSD here as had to order a couple of Xmas gifts. Need to buy one more thing for my dad but he needs to measure his waist and won't ask my mum where the tape measure is, such is the current state of their relationship... Xmas with them should be fun...

Saw my sister and niece to exchange gifts, was nice to spend a bit of time with the normal people in the family lol.

DawnW

Our Christmas disaster (more of an inconvenience really, as we are pretty adaptable) occurred some years ago when we were living on a farm. We had family guests staying, and friends were invited for Christmas lunch. When we got up there was no electricity - and the power outrage persisted all day, so the turkey and all the trimmings didn't get cooked that day. We did however have a joint of ham already cooked, salads, nice bread, cheeses, chutneys etc, plus home made Christmas cake and mince pies, so we had that instead. We had a log fire, a camping stove to make tea, and plenty of candles, so were quite cosy, and could see what we were doing once darkness fell. It was a bit embarrassing explaining the situation to our guests when they first arrived, but they took it in good part. The children thought it was an adventure, and the wine helped the adults. The power eventually returned at about 8pm.

f0xh0les

Sounds lovely!

mothernerd

Really not well today. Couldn't take things to the food bank (none tomorrow so it will be Thursday but I have another shelf to look at, for inspiration + pretty toilet rolls and will ask what they are most in need of and buy some to fill in the gaps. 

I messaged the waste wizard and asked about a collection. One of the neighbours had told DS3 she would ask her husband to move the car if we are having stuff taken away - will ask hime to move on cleaners day so they can park behind the house. At about 1 pm I managed some soup (still got cold in my stomach) and phoned for a taxi - nothing until after 3 pm. Accepted it and booked the return journey for 5.30 pm (food coming). Meanwhile I moved some books into the spaces made by the ones I took to the cs yesterday and moved across the Christmas stuff (wrapped and unwrapped presents, and stuff I need to hand back to DS1 and DS2).

 Found the thing I thought would do as a token present for darling d-o-l. It's a very pretty wooden seed box I bought for myself, but it didn't hold all my seeds, so I reverted to my original metal, more expensive choice. Not known d-o-l long enough to know what she likes but she does like gardening and has expanded the range of veg she grows so I will pick a selection of seeds and wrap seeds and box. Everyone gets a token gift and something from Oxfam unwrapped.

Taxi came and I went home for a couple of hours - very productive hours. Blue paper bin and green garden bin put out - squeezed a bit more into both of them. Used the rake and hoe to get more ivy off the walls. Much quicker than cutting it - can reach midway up the wall and get the hoe hooked on the ivy to pull it away from the wall until I can get hold of it and then pull and it comes away from above and below. Couldn't stand up long but did quite a bit. can also sit on a chair and scrape the hoe across the paving slabs (it has a very long reach).

Started to take down the rotten slats on my garden fence (home made from scrap materials and been in service for 23 years) and the top bar started to move. This is what the washing line is attached to so moved to taking washing off the line. Removed dry washing from the dryer, airer, radiator and two doors and replaced it with the rest of the clean pile in front of the washer. Still have one load in the machine but I'm catching up. I'll put the things that have been outside on a short spin. 

Ate (DS3 offered to pay) and then started sorting and folding the dry washing. Some to the cs and some to go upstairs when a bit more sorted. Went upstairs and emptied my clothes, 2 handbags, my funeral hat and the remaining toilet rolls from the wardrobe I was using. Also my grandfather's sledgehammer and my big and little crowbars (bought another for mum as I couldn't find them). DS3 moved the bed base to the kitchen door and I took it down the yard (he wasn't wearing shoes or many clothes).

Thinking I may get even more radical and add more things to the skip pile. I love the bed base and I hate to get rid of good wood but maybe it's time to get more space instead of looking for how to reuse items and extend their life - had the bed for over 15 years (originally had an overbed and this went underneath). The first of the boys' cats to die spent her last weeks sitting beside me on it - when she could no longer get onto it and went off her food we knew it was time to let her go (had the aggressive cancerous lump on her head operated on but, as expected, it came back).

When I got back the waste wizard (I love knowing a waste wizard) had messaged me and will call tomorrow to look at the pile and give us a price (DS3 had assumed he would be paying so will let him, there are other things we will need). passed messages and the approximate time onto
DS3 and told him what still needs to go out.

Tomorrow I have CBT until lunch time and mum has a podiatry appointment in the afternoon  - I may see if she can go alone and hope she doesn't agree to having her foot amputated because she can't tell what they are saying and just nods to be agreeable. They are fairly good with her and she has regular appointments. If I go too it will be after 4pm when I get to my house.

Grateful for seeing 2 squirrels and 2 swans yesterday, getting things done, DS3 paying for things.

Thrifty_Taylor

My very first Christmas in our house with hubby & my mum, I ended up in tears curled up on the kitchen floor wearing my apron! I wanted it to be so perfect!
Another time, I was 6 months pregnant with DS1, on Boxing Day I decided to make pea & ham soup with the leftover gammon. I decided (without checking) that we didn't have enough peas in the freezer, so set off in the car through the snow to Tosco. Bought a couple of carrier bags of food, then set off for home, only to get stuck halfway up a steep hill. I had to abandon my car & walk to the nearby police station, to tell them I was blocking the road! A lovely policeman moved my car to the side of the road, & I got a lift home in a police car! Turns out I already had enough peas in the freezer, so could've avoided all the drama 🤣
A bit tricky at work this morning, but nothing I couldn't handle. Had appointment with the consultant about my jaw, he was happy with everything & said they wouldn't need to see me again. Nipped to L1dl, they had my favourite cereal in stock (DS2&3 have been eating it too), so stocked up & used my £10 off to buy a big box of soap powder. Spent the evening sewing, then in the bath with my great sprout day book.

Grateful for good books, good results re: jaw, a young pupil had chosen me for his random act of kindness & brought me a chocolate from a box of c3l3br4tions & a hug from a colleague who's birthday was at the weekend

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

evening

NSD 3 for me Work was ok; had 2nd eve meeting of the week tonight, one more to go....  Managed a quick walk beforehand.  

Gratitudes - seeing all the festive lights on the way to work this eve; clean sheets on my bed; DDs having a nice evening

Deni x

ditty1234

Sorry not caught up on reading. A super busy week. Grateful for ds2 safely home from uni. And would you believe it, never thought I would be making a recovery disc for a 2015 chrome book! But while I change job I don't have a computer, so I am using my son's old chrome book while I save up for a new one, but it blacked out on me yesterday. Luckily you can't store anything on it so it's all in the sky! Sorry cloud. Lets see if it works. Otherwise I might have a bit of a problem on my hands!

ditty1234

DawnW said:

Our Christmas disaster (more of an inconvenience really, as we are pretty adaptable) occurred some years ago when we were living on a farm. We had family guests staying, and friends were invited for Christmas lunch. When we got up there was no electricity - and the power outrage persisted all day, so the turkey and all the trimmings didn't get cooked that day. We did however have a joint of ham already cooked, salads, nice bread, cheeses, chutneys etc, plus home made Christmas cake and mince pies, so we had that instead. We had a log fire, a camping stove to make tea, and plenty of candles, so were quite cosy, and could see what we were doing once darkness fell. It was a bit embarrassing explaining the situation to our guests when they first arrived, but they took it in good part. The children thought it was an adventure, and the wine helped the adults. The power eventually returned at about 8pm.

Second this, one year back on the farm where I grew up, there was a snow storm and the power lines came down on christmas eve, we do christmas even and the power went just when the duck was done, so all of the rest of christmas eve was candles galore. Very lovely christmas if a bit of a fire hazard.

cuddlymarm

Ours wasn’t exactly a disaster, just more of an inconvenience. One year when the kids were junior school age there was a power cut about 10 o’clock Xmas day morning. Luckily we’d had breakfast but we hadn’t bought batteries because all the new toys plugged in as well. I’d already cooked the turkey the night before and we had a gas fire and a gas hob so we were warm and could have hot drinks. It turned into a quite lovely day. We played games, the kids read their annuals and ate their sweets and luckily the power game back on just after it got dark so we managed Xmas dinner late. The kids still remember it as a nice day.

Today was a spendy day. DS2 still needs to buy the turkey, but all I need is fresh cream and pate now and Xmas dinner will be sorted. I’ve got 3 cards to send tomorrow but apart from that everything is wrapped and ready.
Today I’m grateful for my boss finally sorting out the Xmas and new year rota, for both sons getting their boosters today and DS1s partner getting hers tomorrow ( it’s a bit worrying how fast this new strain is growing) and the refund from a holiday cancelled in the summer finally arriving, now safely knocked off the debt.