NST December A - Z

mothernerd

Friday 17th December 2021
Breathe
Relax with Christmas music and candles
Sit quietly and drink and a hot drink
Walk or ride round looking at people's lights (I take great pleasure in disapproving tuts - my favourite internet decorations are the people who just had white lights spelling out 'ditto' with an arrow pointing to the multi coloured tacky fest next door)
Take time to sit with your lists, cross off everything 'done' and anything not 'essential' particularly when you are ill or overloaded (I just read a 31 day cleaning challenge and at least 17 are done, may not bother with the outside ones unless my health improves significantly - I will only get people walking past asking if I can go round and do their's later).
Do something for yourself I don't need to bother doing my hair but it is bothering me (bits sticking out wildly)
Watch a film all the way through, without interruptions
Press anyone who complains into service (if someone criticises the state of your path - hand them the brush, no bowl for their cereal - point them in the direction of the sink or dishwasher, anyone who remarks that you forgot the x y z did they but it or put it on the list.

We have this turtles, let's smash the last 2 weeks of the challenge. Cheat if you have toC. I once caught my finger tip in a (very old, extremely heavy) wrought iron gate whilst delivering the local paper. Very painful and awkward. Deal with problems thus:-
Eliminate: Couldn't fasten my bra. DS1 could do it but his wasn't around at the times i needed it done. DS2 (young teenager) was utterly mortified and embarrassed and DS3 was too young (< 10) and found it too fiddly.
Necessary: cleaning my teeth was difficult, painful and slow, did what I could, abandoned perfection.
Delegate: Washing my hair was beyond me so took my shampoo to mum's and asked her to do it
Cheat (pay for a solution) Bought ready roast potatoes for the first time - couldn't think how to manage peeling and cutting potatoes but pouring the bag contents into a roasting tin was doable. i know we're money conscious but there are times when spending money is preferable - if your physical or mental health is suffering, if you are time poor or juggling too many 'to do's. Think it through, compromise on the best option, having made a decision don't feel guilty or waste time rethinking, just go with it.

 

mothernerd

Still on the bed, my legs aren't working properly, my feet are sore, my back's complaining and I'm not sure what's on the agenda. I also think it's Saturday so I'm in limbo time and could treat this as a free day (until reality catches up with my brain).

Think I will go through my notebooks, work out what needs doing (prioritising, there are house jobs that will need to be done throughout 2022 and some jobs that need doing, at some point). Think my priorities are doing more sorting (preferably sitting down) and working out what food we have/ is required at both houses, dealing with washing (wet stuff first) and urgent tasks (getting my distance glasses fixed and sending back the hip questionnaire) and go from there. Charity shop run and food bank run for Monday are both getting things out of the house (plus points)

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

wise words as ever mothernerd (aka the Northern Mothership  )

I woke at 5am, logged into work before 7am so am going to log off shortly, make a hot choc and sit looking at my twinkly sprouts day lights for a bit  

f0xh0les

Evening Turtle-friends!

Took the kids to school for the last time this year, and went on a trawl of the c/shops, after visiting Mr T's for 3 x cheap 25p glasses and 6 x 50p glasses - all the glasses have disappeared in my house, last night we could only find 3!! While I was there I noticed the ladies really fluffy £22 dressing gowns had 25% off (17.50), and I knew I had a voucher for £6 off a £25 spend on clothes, so they ended up being £14.50 each, bargain for nice dressing gowns. Much nicer than the boys/mens offerings. 

I found a garland in a c/s for £5 and it now makes the top landing very festive with that along the bannister.  Will keep an eye out for more,  2 more landings need one. Will buy some mistletoe type lights when the price drops enough. 

Found a chandelier for the living room £3, it is held up with elastic bands in place of whatever magic fitting it is supposed to have, and looks fab. It is very lightweight, fear not.

Also found a light shade/fitting thing for the top landing, so that is another bare bulb vanquished.

Cake forks and a cake slice found in c/s (£3) and some glass bowls for puddings, also found some cocktail umbrellas that made me laugh in the £emporium, and dried fruit to decorate the top of my cake. C0mmand0 hook put up, and wreath hung, living room early cleared. Need to find a bulb of the right size for the last set of fairy lights.

All wrapping paper and supplies have been moved to my bedroom (Santa HQ)

Bought a tv mag, because it is Sproutmas.

Still have boozy fruit being sozzled in a jar.  It will become Sproutmas pudding. It will.  Cakes still not decorated.

Supper tonight is mushrooms  and asparagus on toast.

Finally the End of Term!

Thrifty_Taylor

Love your words today @mothernerd. I've had a candle lit for the past couple of hours, dug out a film to watch & donate (was actually better than I thought it'd be, have me goosebumps at the happy ending), rationed out the last 8 birthday chocs in the pack that's open - 1 per row of knitting - & poured some homemade blackcurrant vodka with lemonade. One serving left in the bottle, then there'll be space on a shelf ☺️

It's been a loooong day at work, especially with my arm being sore from booster, but made it to the end. You're lucky @foxholes, we don't break up until Tuesday... Customer very pleased with her bear, gave me wine & chocs on top of payment. Had a nap, then phoned mum to see how her Dr appointment went. She's got a blood clot in her groin. Wishing all the illness for the year was by with, it's been one thing after another for us since Easter 😓

On the plus side, I've not spent anything today, so now on NSD6.

Grateful for mum getting a diagnosis & treatment, a very happy customer, it being the weekend - yippee!!

Esmeralda2662

Hi all, I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts over the last few days and hearing how much you are getting done, especially with the added pressure of Sprout Day. 

Mothernerd - what a great idea to get a cleaner in to help, even if a lot of stuff had to be retrieved from bin bags afterwards!

I've finally managed to buy two small presents for my mum (a story about children on the Titanic and a puzzle book). It's been difficult as we usually shop together and I wanted it to be a surprise. Mission accomplished!

We've decided we'd rather go out somewhere special as neither of us  need more stuff. Also asked OH if we could go somewhere rather than do presents and he agreed. Rest of family will get money, vouchers or something homemade, with a few sweets/smellies to unwrap. This should help me stay out of the shops as much as poss.

Tracked the parcel sent to my friend in Germany on 9th Dec. It's been held in Customs at Frankfurt airport since the 11th so i hope it gets there safely before 24th!

Have lost one of the two tv remotes since my niece brought her toddler over last week. Mum keeps taking the remaining one to change her bedroom tv which means I can't change anything downstairs. Bought a universal replacement which won't sync with our tv. Grrr!  We'd only just got the hands free phone back that the toddler had taken home last time! 

Got a knitting pattern booklet for mum for clothes to fit T*ny Tears sized dolls, she'll be pleased.

Broke piece off my rebuilt tooth eating Portuguese Almond cake that colleague brought to work as a treat. Can't do anything about it till January. The cake was delicious!

No NSD this week but managed to walk over 2k steps in last 2 days so very pleased.

Got to write my cards early in the morning to catch the post so better crawl to bed.

Happy weekend to you all! 

mothernerd

Saturday 18th December 2021

Random Acts of Kindness for Christmas
(Not for you to do, but ideas if you want to spread a little cheer/ do alternative gifting)
Make dinner for someone
Old towels to the animal shelter
Pay off a school lunch debt
Take books to the children's hospital
Write letters to far away relatives
Leave pennies in Aldi carts
Socks to homeless shelters
Pick up litter
Canned goods to the food bank
Clean out toys to donate
Toiletries for women's refuge
Share a tradition with others

Christmas Pet Shaming
Common offences include stealing raw meat from the stove (Christmas dinner centrepiece), eating butter (whole pack - 3rd offence in one case), ripping open all the presents (alternatively peeing on all the presents or the tree), dogs eating through the cord for the lights, cats destroying the tree (one of our's got tinsel wrapped around her neck and raced round the house in a panic trying to get away from it) and eating the 'elf on the shelf' (the other dog helped because 'he is creepy'.

lcc86

Afternoon turtles!

Didn't post yesterday but it was a NSD. Relatively busy day at work which I like! Went out for dinner with OH's family, I wasn't too keen because of Covid but they don't seem too fussed, everyone I know is cancelling Xmas events apart from them! Anyway the restaurant was absolutely rammed, I didn't feel particularly comfortable. But it was nice to be out and I haven't actually seen any of them for a really long time, so mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Today I'm at my part-time job, it's very quiet. It has been a spend day, paid £36 off my cc for my toilet roll order as I'd forgotten it automatically gets deducted. Also donated £15 to Crisis which is my usual December donation. Paid a final amount off my personal credit card debt as well so it's been a good few days! The only debt I have now is my car insurance excess from my claim in June, which should be sorted soon (or I hope so anyway!) and the new phone I bought which is 0% until next August. I've recycled my old phone for £100 so will chuck that at the phone debt once it hits my account.

I also booked a one day training course in January for something I started learning about pre-Covid but never had the chance to continue, I've decided now is a good time to re-invest in it. Had to book a hotel as it's a 3 hour drive minimum, decided to avoid the hassle of a stupidly early start and just drive up the day before instead. 

mothernerd

Wrote 3 cards (pesky people, known them for 30 years, made a no cards pact, they broke it) binned/ gathered various categories of rubbish/ recycling (some will go to the town centre recycle point). 

Have moved a set of cube shelves across my room, DS3 and I moved a wardrobe in from the other room, thoroughly wiped/ dusted the empty space before moving another wardrobe into it (DS3 took down the curtain rail which was suspended between the 2 wardrobes for extra hanging space). 

We've started to defrost the tall freezer - has been left open at various points and it was lumps of food welded together and to the drawer with slabs of frost/ ice. Made a decision to bin the contents - mostly low value or high risk. Will have a small order in the middle of the week and a festive order towards the end of next week (slots available from the 27th). Beloved is going to her parents on the 24th but has promised DS3 a dinner when she gets back. 

DS3 and I are planning to order in takeaway on Christmas Eve (not sure what mum wants to do, she may be on soup and rice pudding). Will do the same here - small midweek stock up (have cooked lamb and brisket already and have some party bits stashed away) and another order late next week. Going to make it as easy as possible, some prepared veg to encourage mum back to healthy eating. Her bid for independence has included some cooking and it's all bland and white with very few veg. 

Received a bottle of hot sauce for DS1 today (forgotten I'd ordered it) so I have all the presents needed. Will wrap them in case DS2 decides to call - he messaged me to ask if I needed any shopping doing. 

Sorted three bags of bedding (2 keepers, one for the textile bank) and labelled things for the food bank on Monday. Sat in the kitchen working out what we have (equipment not food). Short essentials shopping list - wooden spoons, chopping board, pyrex jug and a box grater.

DS3 and I went to the Hospice shop to buy a bed - 3 in stock but only one with a mattress, should have been £200 but he let us have it for £150 with a £15 delivery charge. Whilst DS3 was paying I picked up a basic white toaster for £4 and a chopping board (thick and solid but far lighter than my old one). DS3 took those home and I went to Will Co for wooden spoons, large and small pyrex jugs and a couple of other things (box grater was tiny and useless). Wiped out again but happy with progress.

Grateful for finding the bed, a few basics and a couple of fun bits, still finding ways to get rid of stuff, eating leftovers from Thursday and fitting in some personal grooming first thing. 

f0xh0les

2 cakes decorated

2 puddings steamed

All 4 boys home for Xmas.

Stupid plug wire thing found!