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

Katiehound

Good to hear from you Happy_Kitties as I was beginning to think I had sent somethingawful and everyone had left!!!!

Keep safe, it's wild here but not red weather warning time

Sewing duvets like mad.
Had none in the summer: now about 6 in the house and 9 to collect.  8 made in the past week and delivered to groomers. I'm thinking when I have collected all those duvets stored in sheds etc  (and made them up) I will shut up the factory.
After about 16 years the novelty is thinning fast! and I've raised about £6k for 3 different assistance charities

Katiehound

The team have arrived in Romania.

Because FB has changed I can't see most of the photos- chuntering!

Seems they are in an area which was devastated with floods- up to the roof- houses that used to be nice ones.

Happy_Kitties

Katiehound said:

Good to hear from you Happy_Kitties as I was beginning to think I had sent somethingawful and everyone had left!!!!

Keep safe, it's wild here but not red weather warning time

Sewing duvets like mad.
Had none in the summer: now about 6 in the house and 9 to collect.  8 made in the past week and delivered to groomers. I'm thinking when I have collected all those duvets stored in sheds etc  (and made them up) I will shut up the factory.
After about 16 years the novelty is thinning fast! and I've raised about £6k for 3 different assistance charities

I think you have done brilliantly to raise the funds you have but after 16 years no one would blame you for closing the factory.

Haven't been following the updates with the boxes but did receive and read the newsletter about the Bags of Education, some of the stories were very sad, unimaginable the horrors they are living through.

i am fed up of permanently being at the post office sending family parcels. One left to do but hoping to get the tree up tonight.

Dropped off my final Dun elm Bags of Joy today- 70 completed. They still had a tree with a few labels on, as I was looking through them I found one for a homeless person that I thought I can do that one. Will get that one done by Friday and dropped off. My aim is to have a stress free run up to Christmas, I always think I am ready but there are always last minute bits to do and it doesn’t help that I’m out on various jollies this year, more than previous years.

i have managed to get DDs birthday present early with a 10% discount off so took advantage of that. It means that with her birthday in Feb I’m not searching for ideas or pennies, everything forward planned for 2025…..well that’s the aim!

Katiehound

Congratulations on the Bags of Joy- there will be a lot of happy folk.

I have just delivered 6 more duvets to the groomers and 2 of them sold within minutes! Only 3 left there from earlier deliveries! She is there for 2 more days this week & everyday next week from dawn to dark! So I need to get sewing as I'd like as many as poss......gone!!

It's a very grey day here, cold but no rain,

I gave up with the missing parcel of shampoo bars and just asked for a refund!  Went into the shop & bought 10 off the shelves, they had plenty more.

My hound is getting older.... this morning he tripped and slid down my steep staircase backwards to land on the solid floor at the bottom with a thump: there was nothing I could do as I was upstairs. He seems fine but I shut him downstairs whilst I was out. Worrying

Happy_Kitties

@Katiehound I hope hound is okay. It is worrying when they get older, they either deal with it really well or little things come into play which are worrying.

It sounds like the factory production is going to be very busy up till Christmas, but extra funds for the charities you support.

Dropped final bag off to Dun elm on Friday. The store had a massive amount this year, they couldn’t keep up.

Still have the left overs of the lurgy, it just won’t shift. Parcelled up some relatives presents to send, all my parcels have been sent but daren't risk passing this on to them before Christmas so said I would send their presents, 

Also picked up some bargains for charity and for presents next year. When I was growing up sales were Boxing Day onwards, now everything seems to go to sale early. Has meant i have finished off 2 birthday presents for next year much cheaper. I set a budget for birthdays and Christmas, it’s the sale items that really keep me under budget but I hate the sales are now before Christmas.

Katiehound

Luckily the hound is fine: he went out for a run that afternoon and acted normally.
 I do yell at him 'Steady' when he's on the staircase but does he listen?? Don't be silly...

Another 4 duvets delivered: 18 made in total in 2 weeks & 2 more covers made.
I thought I had a double in a bag, turned out to be 1 x D & 1 x thin K, ( plus a few S that need covers.) Planning to deliver on Weds.

Better get stuck in now!

Sorry to hear that you still have a lurgy: take care.

Happy_Kitties

So glad hound is okay. 

So factory production is still in full swing? 

I gave in and went to see the doc, now on antibiotics before things got worse.

Last box of presents sent. Only two presents left to wrap and I’ve picked up some bits for the charity auctions next year. I’m at that point now where I always think if I was snowed in tomorrow could I still do a good Christmas, yes I could. Haven’t much more room in the freezer for items, and have popped a couple of treats in another cupboard but am I ready, yes I am. I’m at a friend’s for Christmas Day, they don’t want me to bring anything so have got some additional present bits for them. 

I’m liking the lights I have up in the house this year, it does feel Christmassy despite it being such a bad year. The spare bedroom is beginning to look more normal now presents are wrapped and under the tree 

Anglea

Hi everyone, I've caught up with all the messages.

I am very far behind all the Christmas prep as I've been having non stop hospital or doctor appointments. 3 unpleasant hospital tests in the past week and tomorrow I'm taking mum for an appointment and one for myself too.

All this throughout the year especially this Autumn/Winter means I don't have time for anything.

I've got the family coming and staying for Christmas and I haven't done anything to prepare.

For Autumn Equinox we went to a few places near a hillfort but I felt unwell so went home. Saturday is Winter solstice but apart from most likely more food shopping we haven't discussed where to go yet. Last year it was the Treefest at this time but this year it was was earlier this month when we took DS2 out for the day and he lives in the opposite direction so we didn't go. Because of my hospital visits I haven't been well enough to have visits to the house so he has been a bit confused the last two times, but we took him to some nice places. He's staying overnight at my house on 25th, the first time since lockdown started as normally he's been coming down with support workers for the afternoon.

DS1 and wife have been driving across America and before they went, right during that extremely bad weather with storms and flooding he had gone to Scotland with a friend to walk to some remote part and sleep in those shepherd's huts I've forgotten the name of where you just sleep on the floor often with strangers coming in too, have to dig a hole for the toilet, he also slept in the tent he brought with him - in such bad weather! He told me some hair raising stories of things rhat happened. He also said that he flew to France for the first time, had the instructor with him as he's only flown around the UK on his own before. He's got shares in a plane he can use.

I've really enjoyed reading about your preparations Happy Kitties and you Katiehound, all the charity bags and boxes and things made for the dogs,  and the latest trip that have been stressful for you Katiehound. Obviously it would have been good if the journey had been smooth for once.

Katiehound

Hi @Anglea, good to hear from you but sorry to hear that you have had a series of hospital trips- and that they haven't finished either. Sometimes medical stuff just takes over, but hope things are being sorted and you can get on with a more normal life.

As far as Christmas is concerned hope you can go with the flow and that whoever is visiting you can lend a hand with preparation & cooking. It's about the memories you make not how everything should be perfect. (As if!!)

I think the shepherd's huts may be called a bothy.
 I really really wouldn't want to be staying there- that's not to stay that I haven't stayed in similar but we are talking some (many!) years ago. Not everyone stays in the headman's house with a hill tribe in remote Thailand! Even better when you (me actually) put a foot through the bamboo floor.......

I'm looking forward to the shortest day simply because then the days start to turn a corner, wishful thinking on my part that Sunday will be longer! I mean I am thankful that we haven't had so many grey days even now there is a bit of blue sky.

Happy_Kitties

Sorry to hear things have been challenging with all of your medical appointments @Anglea. Sometimes you get stuck in that world and it’s hard to get out, especially when you are not feeling well and need to have the tests and appointments, hopefully things will start to improve in 2025.

I agree with Katiehound and just go with the flow with Christmas. You can only do what you can do and the last thing you want is to be ending up in hospital, the memories are far more important.

I'm still coughing away with the lurgy. Nearly missed a Christmas meal meet up with bestie as I had fallen asleep. I’m sleeping a lot but feel better for it but it is costing me money as I’ve really spent in the sales. Picked up some great things really cheap for the Bags of Joy next year so very happy about that. A few more birthday bits picked up aswell. One Christmas present left to wrap.

I have to ask @Katiehound for the rest of the story……what happened after you put your foot through the bamboo floor?