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

Happy_Kitties

I hope everyone is keeping okay.

I now need to pick up choc bunnies to take to Duncles, Tesc@s have nice ones for a £1. At least it is not a last minute being told thing  like 2 years ago when I had to pickup anything I could get very last minute and had to buy Lindt which cost me a small fortune😬

Still going to get some Easter cakes to take over aswell.

In the end I did drop off things to the shoebox organiser as that would clear more space for me. 30 items, some of the items were a nightmare to transport but all going to a good cause.

I’m hoping to drop off another 25 items (a nice declutter of things I forgot I  had in my stash that were too much for another organiser to take and so have just been stored were added into the donation bag)  to the small sanctuary DD supports who are having an Easter fundraising event and then meet up for food with DD after. DD prefers to donate with food donations (animal sanctuary) or other things directly while I prefer to donate items when the call goes out for fundraising events as I always have a stash of items. These items are much easier for me to do as I do like a bargain! I don’t know the area well, where I need to do the drop off, DD has suggested a place  she knows for food, an Independent food place she likes to support. It does look very nice. One of my aims this year is to try and get out more when I can to do things for me when health permits as potentially I will be out of action at least a couple of times this year. Meeting up with DD can be challenging as she works shifts and with my work, it makes life difficult. Very proud of what my not so little munchkin (now 24) is doing. She has specifically said no choc eggs for her or her boyfriend (he doesn’t like sweet stuff at all) so did buy DD an egg but have donated it into the sanctuary bag and will treat her to food when we meet up this week instead. 

I bought quite a few of the big zippy bags from the W@rks cheap in the end. Even though they have a Christmas design on them, they have been fab I don’t think anyone is minding the design, they are just coming in very handy for people and i left a couple for the organiser last week with donated  items in, and for friends as I know they will be put to good use. Only 50p, one of my best buys of the year and I’ve got several at home with items like the cat blankets stored in which makes the rotation of blankets much easier, esp with the good weather so everything is getting washed or a freshen up while we have no rain. I  also have  one bag full of items for the Dunelm bags of joy as those items were making a bid for freedom and I needed to reign in the chaos somehow!!!!

Christmas I have nearly finished as it has been a bumper year for bargains……birthdays still not so good and I must get those presents sent before Easter. One birthday next month and then things go quiet for a while on the birthday front.

Slowing down on paperwork so I can enjoy some of the Easter break. Busy Easter weekend next weekend including meeting up with family and doing an @Anglea with a trip out.

i will complete at least two shoeboxes……they are sitting there almost finished and are driving me crazy that I haven’t finished them and I cannot do a Katiehound and do them all in one go. 

@Katiehound, have been meaning to say with the W@rks sale, the first thing to fly out was wool, that went so quick. I hate that I can’t knit anymore, used to do a lot and really enjoyed doing it.

Katiehound

I'm back in circulation- just! 
Got home from Ireland on Tuesday late afternoon.

Worst trip I have had- rain & cold for all but around one day per week (for 5 weeks) & 2 nightmare journeys: certainly an E for experience (and expense) I wouldn't like to repeat either or having to drive a hire car ( white Renault Trafic van) for a week. Good job I must be a fairly tough cookie!!!

My dog runner has just gone on holiday so I am on dog duty too- talk about coming to earth with a crash.  Will expand on the shaggy dog journey stories another time.

Just to say that the ulcer is completely healed but I have to wear a compression sock every day now. Still, I was able to go swimming whilst away: up to 5 times a week & I've got back to 16 to 20 lengths. Feel a lot less stiff.

Take care everyone

Happy_Kitties

I hope everyone is doing okay……I actually have warm weather and sunshine, been catching up on the washing

one day @Katiehound you will have an amazing trip or even a journey would be a bonus, they always go wrong for you.

I've been busy working which has been interesting with the travel.
Some bargains still to be found in general that I have been picking up, including items that came back in stock by chance (I was looking for things for the garden)  that were cancelled on me last time, but managed to get them this time around for charity. For pennies they really should make a few pounds.
 I also got some mega items from B@@ts on a ‘Super Sunday’ special. The item I had my eye on in the clearance had another £10 off it so was very happy and managed to get that and some other items ridiculously cheap. I have almost completed my Christmas shopping, it’s just picking up items here and there for DD  when I see them on offer to spread the pennies further. 

I might be ahead with Christmas but I have been shocking at birthdays……as usual…..no change there!

New bank account opened on the recommendation of MSE so should get the £200 bonus for that, 

I was hoping to come on and  proudly say that I had completed my first shoebox. My registration leaflets have come through for the boxes. Because  I do them bit by bit I always made sure I wrote a list of what was included  while waiting for the leaflets. First box I finished packing and sealed up. Not wrapped as I am certain there are no toothbrushes in it. I am really not sure and it will just bug me so box being opened to add the toothbrushes. I was so close to getting a shoebox done. I might do that tonight. 

Still need to put my Easter bits away, will do that the last day of April, want to make the most of them….they were picked up in a sale, but as one person recently commented to me that I have to agree with is Easter is becoming more like Christmas, he was not happy about the cost of Easter Eggs and was going to wait until after Easter to get one cheap for his son. When I next see him I will ask if he managed to do it, I never managed to get Easter cakes for Duncle.

plan to attack the garden this year, it’s a plan…..hopefully I will make a start on it on Sunday when I get chance and the weather stays fine

Happy_Kitties

It is a flying pig moment, I have actually finished my first shoebox, with added toothbrushes and if toothbrushes were already in the pack, then the extra will be a bonus.

i have also picked up some hats very cheap now we are seeing the warmer weather. Back in the day I would have knitted them all, I knitted a lot for charity but my joints are too bad now and I just cannot do it. I wish I could do a Katiehound and do all my boxes in one go but I think I would have a meltdown by the end. 

Work is extremely busy, popped to the next town on Friday evening to do a few bits and have a mooch around, just some time for myself. Didn’t see anything, only general shopping bought and a click and collect picked up. 

I was feeling ill a couple of weeks back and so wrapped all the Christmas presents that need to be sent to people at the beginning of December to cheer myself up.  I now  have one storage box full of wrapped presents and tucked back under the bed. Was really pleased as I hate the wrapping bit with a passion. If only I could be this efficient with birthdays. Three presents wrapped, popped in a box and all ready to send, only 2 months late😬.

i hope everyone is doing okay 

Happy_Kitties

Despite real life being very hard work at the minute I have almost finished 4 shoeboxes. I’m amazed but I found I had more things  ready for them than I realised, people have been giving me shoeboxes, it has been nice just to do them as abit of a relax at the end of the day.  

Birthdays I am only one present behind now-miracles do happen!!

Have picked up a couple of little bits for DD for Christmas but that is only when I have been having a mooch round to look for items for my Bags for Joy.
i had a look in The R@nge, don’t often get chance to go into the store. Staff were moving items about so no prices and a member of staff did a price check on some items for me, one was a big  paint by numbers, down from £13 to a £1. Even the member of staff was amazed so I snaffled that item. Struggling to get crayons at the minute for shoeboxes, I think that is why I went in for a look, came out with other bits aswell.

One of my aims this year is to sort the garden, have lights I want to put in but the grass is a mess and the border really needs doing. We are either having really nice weather where I can’t get to it or rain and after a fine start to the day today …….we are back to rain.

chanie

Hi everyone,

i’ve been MIA for ages, but have just caught up with the thread.

I’ve just looked at my Christmas list and i’m further ahead than i thought i was, but still have a way to go.   The majority of the children in the family are tweens-adults and they are much harder to buy for/prefer cash, but overall, i need to buy for less people now.  i’m going to be more purposeful going forward now, as i found last Christmas quite stressful as it was a last minute rush to get finished.

Happy_Kitties

Chanie  it is so good to hear from you.

i know what you mean about tweens-adults, they are so much harder to buy for, esp when you are buying on a budget, I have worked out that my list starts decreasing next year as cousin’s kids are starting to hit the age where we stop buying, Over the next few years my list will really start to decrease. 

Duncle has suggested for two, to start giving them money, that they are at an age where they are impossible to buy for and said to stop at 18 which was always the plan. 

I find even DD hard to buy for, I get her the same items every year that I know she uses, have  managed to get a few extra bits this year. Usually DD decided what she suddenly wants after Christmas which isn’t much help🤦‍♀️, but is useful for her birthday

Anglea

Hi everyone. It's good to read all the progress with you all.

Katie, I'm glad your leg is much better and look forward to reading the details of that Ireland trip.

Happy Kitties, where did you go for your Spring Equinox trip with DD?

I've been doing all the usual things (appointments) and on top of this have started a big legal project and also been helping out some online friends.  They broke down (USA) and have ended up homeless, no food, problems with internet etc so I have been contacting people in America on their behalf (long story) and we've been having long calls so my usual routines have changed.

For Spring Equinox I can't remember what happened.

For May Day (Beltane) we went to see the Jack in the Green procession through Bristol which was really good where there's a very strong person inside a wooden contraption covered in greenery and flowers and surrounded by green faced morris dancers and instruments, they walk all day including steep hills until they reach a field and symbolically destroy the Green Man.

For Summer Solstice we had a picnic near a church which is set on top of a cliff, and we had a bit of a fiasco afterwards as started walking up a steep path and couldn't get out. After eventually finding our way to the clifftop walk by the sea,  we got back to the car, went food shopping, visited mum then went to a very old fashioned basic pub (like someone's front room) surrounded by fields.

Happy_Kitties

Great to hear from you Anglea……legal project I am going through one myself at the minute aswell,  can get quite heavy and stressful and once ur in, the only way is to keep pushing forward but you do come out the other side (prior experience). Hope your friends in the USA get the help they need.

Spring Equinox, DD and I had planned to go to the beach in the evening and eat fish and chips, finished by an ice cream. Never got chance DD had to work. I used to do the same with DM years ago as we have a great local beach.

The May Day parade sounded amazing, we don’t have anything like that but about 45 minutes away one of the towns has a big Victorian extravaganza. Only went once as you couldn’t park, couldn’t get into any cafes and couldn’t find toilets which proved challenging. This was when DD was younger, hopefully things are much better planned now.

I started shoebox number 5 last night. Not really been focused on them, aswell as RL getting in the way, (by the time I think I will get one done I never get chance) I have been working more  on other charity projects plus Duneln doing their Summer Bags of Joy. I put together a couple of bags and dropped them off last week. Was very easy with what I wanted to do as I already had most of the items, it was just a case of making bags up and dropping off. Spoke to the organiser about their Christmas projects so I can keep collecting stuff as I know where I can source particular items cheap. This year has been a bumper year for sale items. The problem I have is while I am slowly collecting items, they are building up……a lot……by Christmas the house will look bare.   My target is to donate 500 items this year, so far I think 352 items donated to charity projects/causes. 

General decluttering is going slow and steady, but could be doing better with this, but I am up to date with birthday presents……wonders will never cease!!!

I’ve got a couple of weekends away booked with friends this year, one to London which i am really looking forward to. Was arranging dates with the dog sitter last night and I have tickets to see a show later this week. I was determined that this would be the year to treat me as I never do.Bestie and DD are always  nagging me so this year I have.

i hope everyone is doing okay

Happy_Kitties

@Anglea I hope legal project going okay, after nearly 4 years I am finally coming to the end of mine, it is tough going and gets you mentally at times. Did the initial prep work myself as no one would take it on at the beginning, I now have someone. 

It’s a miracle, for some reason I always do this when the weather is nice, cannot cope with heat well. I finished off shoebox number 5 last night and I also wrapped DDs Christmas presents. I had been buying things but not writing them down so was losing track, pulled everything out last night to have a look.

Also handing over some birthday presents for a friend’s little boy that she will wrap and have another birthday tomorrow, need to wrap the present tonight for that. Makes a change that I have things going out rather than things coming in.
Picked up a couple more things for the Duneln Summer collection very cheap , noticed that summer items are being reduced already and I don’t feel like summer has even happened yet…..did put my fan back on last night so that’s a start!!!!

After seeing show with bestie last week, we have decided to book a weekend away in December to see a Christmas tree festival and go to a Christmas market. I definitely won’t need to buy anything, perhaps the odd bits but it will just be nice for the atmosphere. I did want to go to York…..that’s on the list but going back to the place where I grew up which I haven’t been back to for years. Might be able to meet up with DD while there which would be good as she is a massive Christmas fan.

Still decluttering slowly and at some point I need to set to work on the garden but have some work bits to get out of the way first.

i hope everyone is doing okay and RL being kind