NST December 2023 The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year?

beanielou

Happy birthday to you @Toni'sfriend. Xx

@grandmanerd. Looking after your health is not extravagant at all. Xx

@ladybird1106. Hope you can eat the frog & move forward. Xx

f0xh0les

Happy birthday to you @Toni'sfriend.  I hope you get spoilt rotten and love it.   Bow primping sounds delightful.   Maybe next door cat was round to wish you birthday greetings 😺
 

weenancyinAmerica

Not quite the most wonderful time of the year yet. Totally broke until roommates can pay their rents for this month. So may have to juggle finances for awhile. Thank goodness, I have almost everything I need for Christmas, because wouldn't be able to buy anything at all.

The man sent photos of Bella with her new friends. Seems very happy there. Now I just have to clean up the backyard. She used to love banging around the yard with - and squashing - plastic bottles. They are all over the yard. Might be able to grow something out there this year. We used to have a garden and have space for a lot of vegetables and even small fruit trees. Had a lime tree but my father accidently killed it when he moved it to paint the house. Will try that again. 

Took a bag of books to the library today, so 20 more out of the house. All craft and quilting books.

Went and doggy sat for nephew pup. He is in really bad shape. Hope my sister can let go soon. It is hard for her and hard on us to see what shape he is in. 

Signed roommate up for Uber trips to her therapy - if it works, I won't have to try to drive with only one eye. Since I have been seeing double, have to wear a patch over one eye to drive. She was taking herself but her neurologist said she couldn't drive for another two months at least. I still have a doctor's appointment for me tomorrow and one trip to the library on Thursday and then I won't have to drive anywhere for the rest of the year. Yeah!!!

Yesterday was NSD10. Went to an open house at my sister who loves Christmas trees. She has an open house every year for family and friends, including all of the neighbors. Lots of good food including fudge and her pumpkin bread - friends brought a ton of food too including a large tray of tamales still warm from the oven. Other sister drove
so Di and I wouldn't have to. Spent a couple of hours there and then home to relax.

Since checks haven't arrived for me or roommates, this was NSD11 - not out of choice exactly.

Still I am thankful for family, for finding a home for the husky that she loves, for having travel options when cars are out of the question, and for occasional rain, and having a cup of tea looking at the grey clouds.

apple_muncher

Happy birthday Toni'sfriend! Hope you enjoyed the bows and ribbons. Here's some cake : 🍰🍰🍰

Lots of hugs to all you turtles.

Today I am grateful for getting to the gym, for bumping into a friend, for dc being markedly better than of late, for fresh water, for my microwaveable polar bear.

Thrifty_Taylor

Happy birthday @Toni'sfriend, did next door's cat end up with a bow too? 😂

Good luck with sorting the frog, @ladybird1106.

Sending restful hugs @grandmanerd & @weenancyinAmerica.

Did yoga before breakfast. DH had a blood test appointment at the hospital, so gave him money for the bus & some bits in the middle of Lidl that only arrived yesterday. He has to go in again tomorrow, to see his specialist up from Aberdeen.

Work went well. My pupil agreed to do some Cosmic Yoga with the class, so I was able to join in too, though I was slightly restricted with my denim skirt! A colleague's last day tomorrow, will be sad to see her go.

Stopped at the PO on my way home & posted an eboy sale of mum's. Delivered a couple of cards too. After tea, I did some sewing. Was able to drop it off on the way to collect DS3 from the bus, so another thing out of the house. Wrapped some presents when I got home.

Grateful that my friend liked her Xmas gift (a bauble with the name of her best friend, who passed away last year), receiving some presents myself, 2 lots of yoga, pupil liking playing Hot Potato, plans for a meal & cocktails next week

Toni'sfriend

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. 

The presents are all ribbonned and bowed and under the tree. Thrifty Taylor - I may have to put a bow on next door's cat. He's lost his tracking collar again.

Anyway, enough of this sloth. Time to get back into a routine and get on with the decluttering.

Paper and pen at the ready to prepare the list (a long one, I suspect),

Have a good day. xxxx

grandmanerd

Well I have a half made bed. I decided dealing with the heavy merino  wool  covers would be hardest so I sprayed the mattress again (the stuff can work on it until I have enough energy to do more.), put the merino wool under layer on half the bed, sprayed any stains (it cannot be washed so damping and rubbing), folded it over (so I was sleeping on a double layer) and sprayed any other marks I could see, then added a linen sheet. I was supposed to have another sheet over me but I pulled the bedcover over me and couldn't be bothered to get up again to fetch the sheet. Was  very snug and clean and happy.

Struggling to make myself get off the bed characterised yesterday but bags of rubbish/ recycling went downstairs, 3 more bags should be ready to go in the next hour including cardboard boxes saved for crafting (only boxes that would be useful for them moving will  be saved plus one I want for gift wrapping. The clothes in the machine had an extra spin and I filled the DW  and set it off (just hope  they haven't  interrupted  the cycle to get out a couple of plates for their evening meal).

So today - move on the washing (need to bring some of the line stuff indoors and hang it up), continue rubbish/ recycling collecting. if I can get out I need to get the cards out of the house, even if I have to pay for more stamps and there's something to take to the food bank (not sure I have the time, it needs to be before noon). still drinking lots of water and being careful what I eat (whilst using up all the bits). Need to do more wrapping as all the little bits (ribbon, butterflies, glittery santa hats) get everywhere. I have more floor space so I can access the next layer of stuff and get all the pillows back on the bed with protectors and pillowcases.

Grateful for super salads, people who will open bottles for me, films (watched 2 Christmas movies - 2 - I must be ill), symptoms mostly improving. Thoughts and prayers for my ex s-i-l who received the news that her new husband had died whilst she was at the airport preparing to fly over to America to see him. (it's a bit like listening to Godzilla's approaching footsteps wondering where the next blow will  land - not me, not  me, oh?)

f0xh0les

Here's hoping Godzilla gets a packet of Chewits in his/her stocking and is appeased, and sinks gracefully back into the sea and leaves you alone. 
The Plasterer Trio rocked up at 7.30, left at 1.15, will be back tomorrow morning to finish off the job.  No sign of the builders. It was raining though, until 10.30 anyway. 
DH is on holiday, which seems to involve playing computer games and reheating leftovers for my lunch.  And having the heating on non stop. 🛑
I really really want to clean stuff up, but there is no point until the builders stop - probably tomorrow, and the plasterers clear off - also tomorrow.  So just a token  spot of recreational hoovering for me.  
And then watching plaster dry ⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️ 

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for being able to help dc with some revision, for dh cutting back the triffid jasmine, for dc decorating our spindly Cmas tree, for a good book, for getting out this evening.

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs @grandmanerd & sorry to hear about your ex-sil husband. Pleased you had a good sleep in your cosy bed.

Didn't want to get out of mine this morning! The strong wind is back, along with heavy showers/hail. No yoga today.

DS3 went to school, DH caught the bus for his checkup, so I took the meat off a chicken carcass & left instructions for DS1 to put it on for stock making this afternoon, then loaded the WM to ce on at cheap rate.

Quite stressed at work, it's nativity time! And children kept slipping in the mud at breaktime & standing up covered from head to toe 🤯

Had a massage after work - well needed as I missed last month's one. Lots of sore bits, but it helped a little.

Dashed home & made stew with the stock. Put washing on airer. A friend dropped my birthday & Christmas presents off & I gave her her presents & blanket which she'd commissioned. Did a sewing job after tea.

Grateful for the bell at 3.30! My massage, seeing my friend briefly, a hug from DS1 & DS3 getting a good school report