NST December 2023 The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year?

Esmeralda2662

@ldee2111 that is a lot on your calendar! I hope you enjoy the festivities and that the funeral and your OH's dad's heart op go well.

Got my card weighed and posted to OH's DD in NZ. Fingers crossed it makes it in time for the big day. Will WhatsApp her for a chat on the day as well.

Had everything ready last night for work today but overslept a bit as i had a bad night and woke at 3am with a terrible stiff neck. How do these things suddenly appear, lol?! Luckily better when i got up and i squeaked into work with 1 minute to spare!

Helped mum assemble the tree tonight. It's one where each branch slots in. Finally worked it out (this is the 3rd year so we should know by now) but still had 2 odd branches left. Mum's busy adding all her extra special decorations to it, mostly silver and white and plenty of cherubs.

No NSD tonight as we needed fresh bread and I got some chicken nuggets just in case. Plus the postage stamp to NZ.

Planned to buy a plastic storage box to put things away in the loft but found a good strong FREE cardboard box at work and my boss said I could have it. How excited can anyone be about a box! Might look for another one tomorrow, hee hee.

Heating in my dept of the workshop failed last week and power cuts due to system overload meant we couldn't have fan heaters on. Luckily my boss has found me a low energy micro heater until heating is repaired.

Engineer has texted to say our new log burner is ready and they can deliver and fit it on Weds. Luckily I have holiday left so have booked the day off to be here.

Grateful for a free box, the log burner being ready and the engineer being available, posting my card to NZ and my boss finding me a micro heater at work. X

abundant1972

Good evening ⭐

Had a really flat day today for no apparent reason... I saw Mum & Dad yesterday... it does often seem to follow. Can't blame Monday blues as I wasn't working. Anyway - had a bath, made the bed, cleared pots and had a bit of a duvet day. On the plus - this meant not going out and no spending! 

Hope the sleep improves grandmanerd. Stay safe on the ice everyone! 

Today I am grateful for:

1) For time at home recharging
2) Chats with a friend in Chicago. I'd love to visit sometime. 
3) BBC i-player! 

Today = NSD number 2

Warmest hugs. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more productive. x

weenancyinAmerica

Today has been different than planned - and a NSD after all so NSD2. My roommate Di had to get up early to take roommate G to eye doctor while I had a phone appointment with my doctor. Had a really good appointment and the doctor will be sending in several referrals to other doctors and updating my prescriptions, including one that had run out and that the pharmacy couldn't get a renewal for from the office.

I was intending to go out and pay my electric and water bill for the month (which does include trash pickup and paramedic services). But when Di came home, she just wanted to go back to bed until time for her therapy appointment and I need her there when we pay the bill. For some reason our health insurance company (we both have health insurance through the same one) is giving her a discount of $100 off on the city bill, but not me, even though I am the one who actually pays the bill. But she has to be there when we pay it so it will have to wait until tomorrow. We are thankful for the paramedic services - we have used them a lot over the years. With our monthly payment of less than $8, it is "free" as needed.

Right now the person who is thinking of taking on my husky has her out for a walk. She was a happy dog when he showed up. I hope it works out. And Di just came back from her appointment with a lunch for me. 

Our trash pickup is weekly - all year round. So it will go out tonight with our recycling and trash bins both filled up. Our organic waste (that is what the city calls it) won't go out until more of the tree branches and excess trees (our tree in front of the house sprouts hundreds of little trees every year) are placed in it. Keep thinking we should ask our city if they want some of the little trees to plant elsewhere, but I think they have discovered what a mess it makes. Our trash company only takes 6 days off a year.  Does give me a chance to get the day to day stuff out at least.

Grateful for this site helping keep my sanity, for doctors doing appointments by phone so I didn't have to take the bus to get there, for some help with the city bill, for our weekly trash pick-up, and for the man who is walking the dog.

Stay warm and dry everyone. Watch out for slippery leather soles on boots. I know several people who have fallen because of them. 

f0xh0les

More rain over in Le'shire - we have a tarpaulin over the back of the house,  but the empty space below it is like an echo chamber, it sounds like we are in a tent, in every room of the house.....  and it has rained solidly since the snow disappeared early Sunday morning.  But! I should have windows on the 20th and be plastered on 21st (in both senses of the word I hope). So I am looking forward to the Solstice!

Not feeling my fa-la-la-la-la yet - still have not had a mice pie, nor a pudding, nor a Spekuloos/ Spekulatius biscuit either,  I am going to make some pies later on - totally seriously, a volunteer at the food bank announced one of the supermarkets had made a new savoury mice pie, and had anyone bought one.......... it was pointed out that a  savoury mince  pie exists all year round, but you could tell that the volunteer had fallen for it.  Advertising eh?  Stick a bauble on it and call it Christmas huh?

Don't  fall for it Turtles!  They spend a lot of money trying to convince you to buy this tat.

grandmanerd

Thank you  for all the good wishes. Sleep was good but I also had several 'awake' times during the night. My good mask broke - the hard and soft pieces of the mouthpiece separated and I've been using one cobbled together from spare bits in the drawer ever since (contacting the sleep department was on the   list but kept slipping off the bottom. My annual review was due in October and I kept hoping I'd see them before the cobbled together one went.

Yesterday was another very slow plodding day but the cumulative effect of 2 weeks of 'doing a bit'   while resting and recuperating is finally showing results (although I don't know how many bags are lurking downstairs as well as washing up  and part done laundry). The floor is clearing,, bags of rubbish and recycling were thrown down and I have numerous bags of sorted stuff (shoes for the clothing bank, shoes for the recycling point, washing up  with recycling that needs rinsing before going out).

I spent a small amount of money yesterday so made several donations too - it helped reduce my emails as I'd saved several that had links to donations I wanted to make.  I halved the number of emails to around 70 a week ago but a continuous barrage of pre/ Black Friday? post and early Christmas offers  keeps pushing it up. Well I'm not biting. I also got through to the chemist to order my repeat prescription.

Spoke to my cousin last night, she'd spent another day wrangling with British gas about the bills on her mother's house - she'll  swap to her preferred supplier as soon as she can get them to submit reasonable bills/ refunds but only got multiple interpretations of the letters she received yesterday.. She had had a good day in Manchester last week celebrating his 23rd birthday with her son.

Today may be another spend day. I found 6 paracetamol in my handbag but will need more. If I have to do an online order it will  be a spend day. If I think I can drag myself to the infirmary for blood tests etc, I could pick them up at the pharmacy or another shop if I can take some of these donations to cs or clothes hopper.

Forgot to be grateful for 87p chocolate oranges (co-op half price offer if you have one you can get to), clearing bigger patches of floor without going dizzy or falling over, simple entertainment (my brain won't work on anything complex).

ladybird1106

House currently smells like a distillery.Finally started my Christmas cake, about a month late. Fruit is soaking in sherry. Discovered I didn't have currants or glacé cherries, will pop to sm when I pick youngest up. Currently draining off the rum soaked fruit from the rumtoff. DH grandparents used to eat the fruit as part of their breakfast and then go to work😣 (IT'S 60% proof rum😂). Prep for stew for tomorrow night's tea is done, no alcohol in that.

abundant1972

Good evening ⭐

Felt much better today - feels like my cloud has lifted. Did some shopping for Dad (got his Christmas cards and some mince pies!) and some oat milk for me that had money off in one of my apps and via a voucher. Also started the ball rolling to shift one of my credit cards on to a new 0% card, so that should go through any day. 

I forgot to send you a hug ladybird🐞 for the trauma of having that old chap trying to get in your car and thinking you were is wife!!! It sounds like something off a comedy sketch though imagine it was pretty stressful. It'' be one of those things you can laugh about in years to come. I think my Mum (has Alzheimers) thinks I'm her fancy man sometimes rather than her son! All very awkward! I just roll with it these days!  

Today I am grateful for:

1) Lovely music on YT 
2) Cups of tea! I'm an avid coffee fiend but rediscovered how nice a cuppa can be ☕ 
3) My warm Winter coat 

Today = NSD number 2 still, as had a spend day. 

Have a nice evening everyone x

lcc86

Evening turtles, no joy on the job interview (well I haven't heard formally but my friend and someone else got the job so I know it's a no go). Am glad for my friend as she already worked there and really wanted it.

NSD today, work kept me busy but keeping on top of things. I also managed a workout and yoga first thing. Came home and had a text therapy session that my local NHS offers. Was the first session but felt good to start getting a plan in place. Have been feeling a bit down for a while and my anxiety/ocd is getting worse so am hoping it'll help.

beanielou

Sorry about the job Icc86. 

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for getting a Dr appointment (I have shingles, sigh), for the chemist having the pills in stock, for finding Cmas tops and jumpers in the ch shop, for dc being happy with the final result of their artwork, for a friend doing me a favour.