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

Katiehound

Very briefly

Anglea- have you seen this article on yahoo all about the Knight's Templars- some fascinating places in UK

https://uk.yahoo.com/style/trail-knights-templar-once-quiet-120250314.html

Looks like they had some lands in Lincolnshire- Eagle for one

Katiehound

This weekend is devoted to packing shoe boxes!! the plan is to deliver them in Diss in 10 days' time- much easier place: open 9-5 weekdays and on a major road so very easy to find. I just need to contact them beforehand.

Five elderly boxes packed but not yet wrapped, a 6th stuffed with everything (I think) but not properly packed . One is held together with half a roll of sellotape!! as it's a smaller box-- luckily I bought 2 more rolls yesterday!.   

 I now have one hot water bottle  left over & a few wind-up torches. Enough toothbrushes to last for ... a decade ....& loads of razors ,   but need to buy more soap from Tesco- which only seems to be stocked in their very large branches. I also seem to have enough candles for next year because I bought nice scented ones being sold off in Aldi after Christmas. No warm scarves left now & mittens need to be knitted!!

The hope /plan of having a lot less to pack away in the cupboard is diminishing fast.

Made 6 lavender bags

Katiehound

8 boxes all packed and 5 wrapped.
 A bag full of packaging from all the items- luckily most will go in the recycling bin.
The second knee blanket finished last night. I don't think there's a chance I can get one made in a week as I only do it when watching a film or catch up on the computer- watched one film in 3 weeks!- no shortage of yarn!!

 had enough fighting with sellotape & paper for one day........

Happy_Kitties

Katiehound I have absolutely no idea how you manage to do all of your shoeboxes in one go and so quick, I’m still stuck on box 4. 

I found one year that even when I had used up a lot of my stock there was still a lot left of other items that had to be stashed away. I was in the big Tesc@s last night and picked up some soap to go in the organisers bag, we are the same here, the soap is only stocked in the larger branches.
Plans have been on hold to meet the organiser and DD said it would difficult for her to drop off as they both DD and organiser  live in a tourist area and DD said for me to hold off for now as I would struggle with the amount of traffic. But I’m still packing things up so that works well for me. 

Picked up a couple more bottles for the Bags of Education last night while being in the big Tesc@s.

Katiehound

two large shopping bags full of stuff + one small shoe box pushed back into the wardrobe. No more pencils , toys or notebooks needed for a couple of years!!
Whilst I am away I am hoping that my friend will knit me at least a couple of pairs of mittens but I promised her 'no black!' 

How do I do it all at once? Probably because I have been buying stuff for months in multiples of 6 or 8! They were lucky this year: all got hand cream (less than 50 pence each) , all got deodorant (60 pence-ish) & all got shower gel- also less than 50 pence. After they were all packed I found the dominoes!! Never mind, I could not have crammed them in, not a spare inch- they all had at least 8 extra items which were not on the list.

Just a couple of hours ago saw something wrong with Shay hound's eye so we are hoofing it down to vet for 3.30pm

I have someone wanting a doggy duvet before Friday and none of that size made so now up into the loft to find a couple of 'small'. One cover part made......

Happy_Kitties

Katiehound I hope Shay hound’s eye was okay. I’ve also had a trip to the vets this week to drop eldest cat off for tests, so far he has cost me £500 but worth every penny.

I have 5 shoeboxes completed now. Just fancied doing my first family box last night. All packed and wrapped. I might do another tonight as after reading Katiehound doing the 8 boxes, it had me in the mood to start packing and I can get the first lot hopefully dropped off in a couple of weeks when I drop the charity items off. As I was hunting through items as this is the first family box I’ve done I found more stationary/geometry sets that I have put  in the organisers bag for the Bag’s of Education.

Christmas present wise I have been shocking after being poorly and need to get two birthday presents sorted out by the end of this coming week. 

Still trying to declutter but it’s very slow

Katiehound

Shay has a couple of small cysts under the eye lid. He is booked in for a 'small procedure' in ten days' time. Note the procedure may be small but the bill won't!! Consultation & tube of eye ointment was £60+.

The car has still been squeaking even after the new anti roll bar: needs new shock absorber parts but that will also have to be in 10 days time. The garage man said 'the car won't be heavily laden, will it?? Er... 8 shoeboxes which weigh a ton for starters, never mind shopping bag full of books etc and that's not including my clothes & bedding or dog food....... It will be a squeaky (hot) ride on Monday. can't put the shoeboxes in the car until Sunday evening 'cos of the chocolate- would have preferred boiled sweets but the dates were no good........

Today finished making the bramble liqueur- tastes good but I was meant to strain it twice and didn't: teeny bits in it. I will know for next time

Putting off writing a condolence card. It's for my cousin's partner but I have only met her twice so struggling what to say.Very sadly my cousin (the last one) died very suddenly 3 weeks ago- still can't really believe it. I managed to write some words for the funeral.. whatever it's called... but that took me an age.

Have plenty of packing to do...not in the mood I am a last minute packer!! hopefully this time I WILL have the right clothes. Looks like it is going to be a hot weeek.

chanie

hi everyone,

sorry i’ve been MIA.  I had a really busy and stressful project at work for the past 6 months and it took up all of my time and energy, but luckily, it’s coming to an end.  

m i hope everyone is well.  i’ll try to keep up with the thread and if i get time, i’ll read back a few pages.
l
 Needless to say, i’m well behind on shoeboxes, christmas prep and birthday prep.  Last year, i struggled with inspiration, but this year, with wars, cost of living crisis and the state of the planet etc, im feeling a bit meh about buying lots of stuff for the sake of it.  i don’t really get to go to the shops as much as i used to, anyway, as new job isn’t near any shops.  plus, all bar one child in my family is now in secondary school, so they are all about the cash.

im hitting the shops next week for a birthday shopping spree, so hopefully, i’ll be able to get some inspiration and make up some lost time.

Happy_Kitties

Chanie it is so good to hear from you, I was beginning to worry if you were okay. Stressful project at work sounds….stressful, I hate things like that. 

I know what u mean about buying stuff for the sake of it. DD gets money already but I have decided to cut back on the actual stocking fillers this year for her. I tend to only buy things she uses anyway but there has been the odd item that has slipped thru where I have thought after, would she really use it.
Her partner very difficult to buy for, but I think I’ve cracked what he likes and have bought while on a special on Amaz@n
Birthdays still shocking, two today. Have I sent a card or anything…..nope way behind again, hoping to get cards and presents in the post tomorrow. 

Shoebox wise a neighbour had put an empty shoebox out for the recycling, I swiped that and a friend has shoeboxes for me, any I don’t use iwill take to the hub. Asd@ has certain stationary items reduced so picked up a couple of bits to go in the organisers bag. I’m def not doing the Bags of Education again, it’s something the hub are much better at doing than me so happy to support the hub.

Katiehound. Hope you managed to do the condolence card okay, it is really hard when you have only met the person a couple of times.
I hope the car survived on Monday and u had no car troubles.
Vet bills, it definitely won’t be cheap. I’ve got one of my cats back in next week, the appointment alone will cost

chanie

i sorted out my Link boxes, so i could work out what i had and what i needed.  i was pleasantly surprised with the amount of stuff i have, considering i haven’t done anything for a few months.  

im also going to start buying yummy goodies to put away for Christmas as i noticed that the shops have started to get their Xmas stock in.  i was quite late last year, so i want to start early.