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

Katiehound

ps  please note in order of importance

I dash to toilet & rush into duty free saying what cheap red have you got?  Take the case of 6 Spanish red (bargain £19) 

Buy cheap wine or get on ferry!!

looks like you can buy self same in Calais for £1.99 per bottle but I reckon it is about a fiver a bottle here.

Katiehound

Just to say that I have tweaked the name of this thread as it seems that the word 'challenge' is a teeny problem. Yes, I know it's been there for many years.....

Hope everyone is fit and well and has their presents bought, wrapped but not quite sent!
Take care everyone, hope you will post sooooooon!

Happy_Kitties

@Katiehound,  have you met your 2nd cousin once removed yet? Sounds very exciting. I’m not from a big family, I have good contact with my cousin’s, we all keep each other updated on both sides.
i thought the title had changed when I initially saw it, good call. 

Dun elm bags of joy and final shoe box have come to a complete halt, funnily enough also because of shoulder issues and I’m also full of cold. I think I have been overdoing it on the Christmas activities with friends, and where I live they have some great things coming up aswell. Plus another trip away the beginning of December with bestie. 

Really busy week next week and then  I can relax next weekend. I sent the box of presents to my cousin, the box was perfect. I worked out I have another 4 parcels to send. I hate packing at the best of times so plodding through slowly as the packaging becomes available…..it gets reused and back out of the house. Most presents are done, just a couple to get and while I hate the commercialism of Black Friday, there have been some good early offers that I have made the most of. 

It’s basically put the decorations up (abit too early for me), finish wrapping what I have and sending the final 4 parcels out. Friend and I have planned to go shopping a little bit earlier in December when hopefully it will be quiet so we can have a good look around with stress free, so I have been busy running the freezer down. 

Katiehound

Theoretically I am already wearing my Bah Hum Pug jumper- I hate the commercialism & the last straw is Zoe Ball with her inane chatter twittering away at 7 am this morning & launching Christmas. (and C.songs) One house nearby has a 'Santa stop here sign' which has been out for more than 2 weeks.
It's only November!!
A religious festival? hardly.

No, I haven't met my cousin.
 Before I went away I suggested a particular garden centre which used to be amazing by all accounts (never been) but now the reviews on Tripadvisor suggest it is best avoided. it's pretty much an exact halfway point.
Everywhere will be in very full seasonal swing now so I shall contact him & say .. sorry, it will have to be next year. I have seen a couple of pubs that are in a similar area and one has lots of parking.

I haven't been sewing since I got home but today there are duvets & material to collect from the groomer  donated by a customer . She needs duvets to sell now as they fly off the shelves this time of year. Will need to sit at that machine.

yes- thread name change. I found a message in my inbox telling me that all the challenges will eventually have a board of their own etc.  much easier to alter a word!

Just about to send a parcel to a friend. I am going for the 10 kg one! so far have 7.5 kg and am running out of books- I have read all those in the box.... maybe 20? given up counting. She pays the postage  but books are free. She will have time on her hands as she broke her femur in Oct.  packing a couple of little gifts in there too like fancy socks & a row of little house shaped candles (danish design)

Off to swim

Take care. Nurse the cold, the shoulder, ... and then have a great time out gallivanting!

Katiehound

Groomer awol! Could see duvets but they were locked inside. 
Nevermind just had a phone call, someone I spoke to months ago in a local charity shop is delivering 2 x duvets this afternoon

Katiehound

Finally started sewing a duvet yesterday only for a ballpoint needle to break- it owes me nowt as has been sewing for months, managed to get another in, sewed a couple of inches only & the wretched thing bent at a right angle! (and that is a jeans needle= extra strong: maybe not.)
Replacing the needle is either: it goes straight in first time- or takes an age.... managed to get one in this morning. Need to buy some more ballpoint as they seem to protect the thread.

Just found a local store (but with mailorder) which has got shampoo bars on a rope for £1.  That brand are generally at least £3. Ordered some for collection, so no shampoo bottles needed for the shoeboxes '25. That will save a bit of selotape as I always tape up the bottles in case they leak.

How are your treats progressing Happy_Kitties?

Oh and managed to sell a pooch pyramid to the "on the doorstep JW's" with no 'biblical' chat! (It was someone I know

Katiehound

Bought small hot water bottles today- now half price. 
The delivery of shampoo bars seems to be in limbo! Was said to be delivered to shop yesterday but they could not find the box this morning... 

Katiehound

Looks like the last? lorry leaves Link to Hope this weekend. Lisa (the manager) says she is going .. with it?  Hope they don't get stuck for hours and hours at some customs / border crossing as has happened before.

 Looking forward to seeing some delivery photos- that's what makes it so worthwhile, seeing smiling faces when they receive a box and realise that someone has sent them presents.

Anyone on FB can see the updates, however if you 'don't do' FB (that's me) you can no longer see anything but the first few posts- you used to be able to read it all- if it was a public site.

No news on the parcel of shampoo bars!

Katiehound

Total of boxes being sent out with Link to Hope is  (fanfare playing!!)

25,633   

Happy_Kitties

The cold has definitely put me through my paces, managed to get away with bestie but I’m still coughing. Took me a couple of days to recover from being away, but thoroughly enjoyed and did lots without rushing which was good for me. 

I’ve also been parcelling up and sending presents, you made me laugh @Katiehound when you said about going for the 10kg parcel for your friend and making the most of the weight. I do that for my charity items and even with the smaller parcels I have been sending to family and friends I don’t use Rmail, it’s too expensive, I make the most of other options, I can track the parcels and I’ve never had any problems. It works out so much cheaper and pop the Christmas card in the parcel. I only actually physically send 2 Christmas cards to elderly relatives now as it is too flipping expensive.

I've  been tracking Link To Hope as I’ve been following the adventures of the local regional hub. They have been doing filming segments of their work this year and had a target of shoeboxes they wanted to beat going out from the hub this year which they did. The lorry picked them up and off all the boxes went on Tuesday, i was excited to know my 7 boxes are in that big lorry. They also had a merry band of volunteers making up boxes at the same time, I was gutted that I never got my 8th box finished. It is part packed, Will tuck away for next year. I’ve also got some mini hotties, it’s torches that I need to be on the look out for. 

I'm hoping to do the final drop off of my last 7 Dun elm bags of joy tomorrow which will make a grand total of 70. We’ve had a red weather warning so caught up on bits yesterday, some damage here but everyone safe. 

2 family parcels left to send, Christmas tree to put up and then I’m done…..nearly forgot a letter to write to a uni friend but I’m determined not to rush, partly bec physically I can’t rush about, just nice resting up and doing things slowly or just sleeping, esp as I have a Christmas trip out next week.