Not dropping Santa down the chimney!: 2025 Santa, Shoebox & Life Chit,Chat,Chunter! ALL welcome....

Auti

Angela - love doing corner to corner blankets and I find them so much easier because they are little blocks you do at a time and are really easy. As they are blocks at a time it is easy to see if you have missed anything or gone wrong

Happy_Kitties

I hope everyone is doing okay.

I actually found the the missing birthday present, I was amazed. I hate having to get on the floor as once I’m on the floor it is a real struggle to get back up but I found it. All relevant birthday presents were dropped off to Duncle, I think he said he had two left to hand out.

Have been very bad with my other cousin’s kids birthday presents, they just get a token something. So what I’m doing is wrapping their Christmas bits aswell and will send everything in one go just to make life easier, plus it saves on postage. The only problem is finding a box, was hoping that when I had my Amaz@n delivery I might have a spare box, but the delivery was left out in the rain. Me trying to get everything in with the cardboard collapsing everywhere was a nightmare. 

Just working on my 8th shoebox, need a couple of more bits to finish it off. I’ve also dropped the first of the Duneln Christmas charity bags off, have another to drop off this week on the way to a meeting but when I was dropping off the first one they had put more labels on the gift giving tree which were more female focused. Picked up two more labels, one I’ve nearly done as I had the items in my present stash. I’ve also joined the local group on fb to see how it works better, they focus on three charities at a time and have different ones every year.

Picked up another small stocking present for DD, she is basically done now and Duncle has given me some ideas for him. I think the shoebox hub is opening soon for four weeks so I’m hoping to get over to volunteer for at least one session. November is gearing up to be an extremely busy month for me and I’m conscious that December will be here in no time.

My pumpkin displays are out for Autumn and Halloween and I really surprised the cats haven’t damaged more. They have chewed the spider off a Halloween gonk but so far they have behaved! Famous last words now!

Katiehound

yes, I am around but sewing madly- doggy duvets and pyramid pouches  

here are the pouches, so far I have made 55- for holding treats or poo bags- money to assistance charity Dogs for Good



Just to say that the first lorry from Link to Hope has reached Romania en route to Ukraine. Seems that customs are interested in the lorry! Hope it gets through asap.

Happy Kitties- did you manage to get to the super hub at Rhyll?

back to the duvet factory. I acquired 8 duvets last week (yes, 8!) so am trying to get as many as possible hemmed and covered ready for selling. It would be good to even see my front room...

Take care everyone

Happy_Kitties

Hope everyone is doing okay.

Katiehound- I  have another quilt for u packaged and ready to send! ……just to keep u extra busy! 
it was very interesting what you have said about customs and the lorry this year as the lorry that departed from Rhyl had the same problem last year.
I had planned to get over to the super hub last Wednesday but had had my flu jab the day before and wasn’t feeling great at all. They are still boxing up so I hope to get over this week to help and take my remaining shoeboxes. I don’t know when they have their lorry pick up. 

The pyramid pouches look very impressive.

I’ve been so busy with real life I seem to be behind on Christmas. Managed to get other cousin’s kid’s birthday and Christmas presents all sent in one hit. Late with another birthday present(no surprise there!), it needs a letter so will do that this week and send with Christmas present aswell. I have done 4 Dunelm bags of joy drop offs so far. Planning on do 3 more

i also need to do the Duncle Christmas present drop off. We have discussed it, it is just planning a date to get drop off done. 

I actually have a free weekend this weekend so I’m planning on putting my tree up. People have gone very early where I live.

i hope everyone is doing okay and doing well with their Christmas prep

Happy_Kitties

Dropped items off to the shoebox organiser for community projects and another shoebox (I managed to complete 7 in total) yesterday. It did feel really Christmassy. The lorry is coming to the hub on Tuesday for pick up but unfortunately I can’t get over. It would be an amazing atmosphere aswell as it has been the best ever year for shoeboxes with the hub-2208 boxes in all. 

Christmas shopping all finished, a few bits left to wrap. Just getting ready to do the big present drop off with Duncle plus Christmas cards, to save on postage. There seems an awful lot  to go over to Duncle this year, 

i’ll have 3 sets of presents to post but I don’t do these until the beginning of December and one requires a letter 

Dropped another Duneln present off yesterday and picked a tag off the tree that I needed for the 7th present. 

I’ve just looked out of my kitchen window to see two houses to the right have put alot of outside lights up, I think I will get the best view of the lights. It’s very rare my street does anything but if you drop right to the bottom into another street all of the neighbours must communicate with each other as they all have lights and decorations up and out. They have Father Christmas in the float to officially switch on the lights, there are a lot of families with kids that go down to walk around the lights in December. You always have the one house that is always sitting in the dark, no lights up, hasn’t joined in but I’m sure they must do a newsletter or something to be so organised. When I’m driving home, 5 minutes from my house I see the mountains and on the right this big cul de sac lit up like Blackpool Illumination’s . Great for the kids near Christmas.

Havent put my tree up today, the plan is now Wednesday. I’ve got one Christmas gonk display out so far, just need to add lights.
 I’m now ahead with the presents so very happy. I’ve also got two Christmas meals out so no rushing about and a birthday-presents are already wrapped for this……I’m amazed with myself as i’m so shocking with birthdays. 

Nothing much else happening, I haven’t the pressures like Katiehound with her duvet factory and making items for charity.

i hope everyone is doing okay and their Christmas prep is going well

Katiehound

The duvet factory continues here- 10 ordered a few days ago (and I guess they want them asap!)

I have also made 70 pyramid pouches in total

Last night I thought the sewing machine had seized up  as it just made a whirring sound but no movement. Utter panic! Seems I had somehow knocked the bobbin winder which disengages the sewing mechanism- whew. sanity restored.

I have just realised that I need to collect up all the contributions well before the end of the month as More Than insurance have said they wil lmatch the donations to Dogs for Good paid in by December 31st up to £45K. The big winter campaign is for more assistance dogs or family dog training for autistic children. These dogs can certainly help a child locked into a different view of the world.

Katiehound

And now for the SHOEBOXES.
If you didn't joinn this year please think about it for the future.

The news is that the fourth & last lorry has left Worthing .
The lorry that was stuck at customs has been released and is enroute to Ukraine AND...

see below. Hope Link to Hope don't mind that I stole their image. Something to shout about
  

Happy_Kitties

It is great news about the amount of shoeboxes. Even though with the Rhyl super-hub, the lorry left last Tuesday, they were still continuing with local projects. While doing some shopping this morning, and getting some festive items including chocs  for my district nurses, I was checking out the toiletry sets that are likely to be reduced before the big day. This was when I bought most of the gift sets last year to donate to the super-hub either going in late or early when it was quiet. 

My tree is up, all the decs are out and I have even got batteries to go into the lanterns. The one thing I am slow with this year is getting presents and cards sent off, but I’m not rushing, they will get sent probably Saturday if I can get my act together. Anything not sent Saturday, I’m waiting on  a letterbox hamper to arrive, when it does it will be wrapped and popped in with other presents to be sent to a relative. I don’t feel like I have the energy to rush around this year, just want to enjoy the festive season. First festive meal out on Friday and hoping to do a diversion to drop off final two Duleln festive joy charity bags

Sounds like you are on target for bumper amounts in the duvet factory Katiehound……production going at full speed now the bobbin issue sorted. I hope everyone else is doing okay and in full control of the madness that is the festive season. 

Katiehound

Hello Happy Kitties.... seems like this thread is now down to a chat between the two of us ! Everyone else seems to have disappeared but hope that is only a temporary state.

It is still welcome to everyone

Managed to switch to Octopus from Shell before they signed the deal so got £50.
Very impressed with them as I got my first bill- horror, surely  I haven't used that much gas . No it seems I read the meter wrongly , it was on the turn to the next 100 and I read the figure as a 5 when it was actually 3... only 200 units wrong. Just e-mailed them and I have a nice reply and the usage adjusted. Now that's what I call 'service'.

So far since Nov 1st I have made 30 duvets. Another 2 or 3 pending for the dog groomers.I am off to the sewing machine shortly to see if I can get 4 completed which I could deliver tomorrow. I haven't forgotten the duvet hidden in your cupboard but I was given 4 on Wednesday which replenished the stocks very briefly.

Found out that my fund raising money for Dogs for Good can not be matched by More Than- that's for personal donations only. I still plan to collect the money in shortly.

Link to Hope news- 4 days ago
"First Shoeboxes have arrived already in the village of Podporozhnyanka, near Zaporozhye, Ukraine. We are so grateful the shoeboxes have got through so easily this year to Ukraine.

Zaparozhye is in the East of Ukraine and very close to the frontline. These children will have witnessed shelling and been unable to escape the noise and fall out from the war. Your shoeboxes are a moment of happiness in an otherwise pretty stressful environment."

Lets give ourselves a big hug that we have contributed in some small way for bringing some joy to folk who have virtually nothing.

Off to sew........

Auti

Hello, am still here lurking have been sorting out christmas presents and food as we are not as others. Me and child have sensory issues etc so for food we like what we like and are fairly rigid so roast dinners are out and other stuff. I will be happy with Brussels sprouts, pimento stuffed olives (certain brand) and ready cooked chestnuts (certain brand) and child something totally different prob including peanut butter

people out and about are very unpredictable at the moment and shops changed everything so major event going out and about etc and some things we have now unavailable - we will sort it (that is what squirrelling away is for) but adding extra time and effort to our word.

hope everyone is coping ok and everything i coming together