NST March 2024: The Magic Roundabout

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for us all getting out and about first thing, for coming home for lunch, for audio books, for my morning coffee.

Thrifty_Taylor

Yesterday started with playing my playlist through the car speakers quite loudly & singing at the top of my voice on the way to work. Saw a feint rainbow too.

Work wasn't too bad. Went for a quick walk with my work bestie afterwards. Remembered I'd not sorted a birthday present for Monday yet, so nipped in another friend's shop & found some pretty candle holders.

After tea, I bingewatched a series & did some knitting, followed by my jigsaw.

Today I was up earlier, & headed to town by 9am. Listened to a podcast on the way, about healthy snacking  Collected more sewing, then went food shopping with mum. Popped in a CS after, bought a sewing magazine, some present bags & lots of seeds.

Spent the afternoon sewing, after tea I watched a film with DS1 & DH & knitted some more.

Grateful for family time, time to craft & do my jigsaw, music, 2 lots of gift cards for doing jobs online, which I've redeemed towards DH's birthday presents

grandmanerd

On Friday I had a food delivery. I spent more than anticipated but 1/5 was a set of 3 knives and another chunk was a S@nctewary gift set. I had a 20% off voucher. The knives and gift set were both half price in the sale. I had bought myself a couple of these knives last year from Will Co (possibly the year before - I did a minimal buy of essential kitchen stuff, glass measuring jug, knives, chopping board and some pretty bowls) but when I returned they were sold out. The pamper set (nothing exotic) is to help formalise pampering and remind me of bits that need extra care and attention (heel cream to remind me to take greater care of my feet). I have very dry skin + eczema and dermatitis and though I have stages in my morning routine sometimes problems crop up because I'm not doing 'extras' often enough.

The rest was food but again quite a lot was half price and goes in the stock cupboard (various shapes of pasta - I showed DS3 where my supply was and he's gone through it and some very low salt veg stock cubes). Plus some easy stuff to keep me going until I get myself and the kitchen sorted out. Sorting my eating habits is one of my top priorities this month. It includes stock control, using what I have, getting back to preparing most of my own food and having a kitchen with usable spaces (washing and washing up mountains cleared, a floor I can walk across and some worktop and table space).

Thursday and Saturday were solid plodding days (getting more done than previously but still only small results). Yesterday washing went out on the line and a second lot went in on a long cool wash. I did some tidying and found my missing bag (missing for over a week). This involved taking both my seat cushion and back cushion from the couch, retrieving anything useful (a few treasures - the bag with my purse, bus pass and bank card and a bill that needs paying, a small notebook and pen and a bag of DS3's which I have confiscated, I'm eating the chocolate and will save the hr-ri-bo to bribe him when I  have something extra for him to do). 

He wanted the  couch so I told him he must put all the stuff still on the couch into a bin bag and put the cushions back properly. Later on I took several of the woolen blankets  to the Sally Anne clothing bank. All food came from the fridge and my delivery.

My priority for the month is FOOD. My priorities for this week are
1   Bag stuff - check  my finances, pay 2 bills, transfer funds to savings accounts, and bring mum's accounts up to date.
2    Mother's Day - I'm going to DS2's and he's inviting DS1. I've told them both (for this and my birthday) not to buy anything - there will be things I need later but atm I can't  face  any more stuff coming in. I need to book my haircut this week and start a bag of all the things I want to take (lost gifts, paperwork that has come here) and especially try to  finish some of my grand-daughter's things (started before she was born and she'll be 2 in July)
3   Contact Waste Wizards - need to label anything at grandma's that's staying (shelves, wardrobes, good bed,) tackle stuff that can go in the normal bins (last Monday I found 2 bags in the kitchen bin that are basically jars cleared from  cupboards - want to set them upside down on the draining board and let the contents flow into a bin bag, there's also lots of paper which can go in the recycling). Stuff I want to keep - not much but there's a  good loaf  tin and a set of wooden boxes.
4 Contact the gardener if she doesn't  contact me. Also do what I can to continue the end of year  garden clear up - there's a patch by the garden gate which is hazardous when it rains and SET some SEEDS off (need to clean window sills)


There are also a couple of things I need to  keep pushing DS3 on.

Will also go through the rest of this month's challenge but that's enough for now (3/4  of an A4  page)

Grateful for crows cavorting outside, finding my bag (much much gratitude), finding treasure under the  seat cushions and on the floor at the end of my bed (part of the great bag hunt), sunshine this morning, deciding I want to lie  in bed a while longer and read and resisting feeling guilty about it (need to find other rewards than food)

Flying_By

When I was considerably younger than I am now, I would always have music playing in my bedroom but as I spend little time there, I tend to only listen when I'm in my car.  I need to make a playlist of my favourite (mainly 70's and 80's choons and musicals from any era) and start singing along when I'm on the road, which is quite often!

Emergency fund has always been a tricky one for us.  For a long time DH worked in the media as a freelancer so it was always either feast or famine.  He's now involved in education which is stable but doesn't pay as well as TV work.  He's applied for voluntary redundancy from school and should hear next week.  Not holding our breath though.

Things that make me happy:  Our family group chat on Wotsipp, so lovely that the six of us can communicate and keep each other updated, tell jokes and share silly photographs.  No arguments allowed though! Leaf buds on the Hazel whip I planted last year, the Mountain Ash won't start budding until April, apparently.
Tensions between myself and dear bro' have been sorted.  We haven't argued since we were kids but I think we are both under quite a lot of pressure recently what with step-mum still in hospital and various family illnesses.
Things that drain me:  Arguments, I will avoid them!

Gratitudes for today:
I am sitting in a sun drenched room as I type this, although there was a heavy frost this morning which was pretty too.

Our beautiful cat that we adopted from a rescue in Cairo.  He's a great big white fluffball who loves to snuggle. Sadly he is deaf and lost an eye to an infection while in Egypt and also has a deformed leg but he is the happiest and most amenable chap who has won everyone's hearts here!

My poorly DS2 having a lie-in this morning.

Inquisitive:  I've bought and received some lovely books over the winter but they are still staring at me from the bookshelf, I need to grab my reading glasses and get going.  Last year I was thinking of doing an MA but have so much going on with family at the moment.  Although I did my BA whilst going through the menopause .....

Donations:  I have DD's going out monthly.

Offloading:  I'm good at offloading my stuff, the others are not. However DS3 called last week and sorted out one of the several mountains of stuff she'd left here after moving in with her partner over three years ago.
Fortunately I have no people to offload!  Emotions, lots of not great ones.  I need to take control of these and put bad times behind me.

Simplifying Life/Using things up ..... My mission 

Decisiveness:  DH and I talking about an extension rather than moving house, or possibly buying Step-mum's house when that time comes.  There's no talk from the doctors about planning for her to come home at the moment as they don't think she's fit enough.  However I think she would benefit from being in her own familiar surroundings.

Sorry for all this warbling on ....... Ooh, 3 NSD's in the can too!

Sending good vibes to all the NST gang xx

beanielou

@FlyingBy. Cat picture pretty please. 

I have had my rescue boy a year today. 

He enriches my life so much 😻😻

Flying_By

@beanielou What a handsome fellow  .  You are right, these darling creatures give us such joy and comfort.  I have a 14 year old ginger girl, she's tiny (rescued from a farm, my eldest DD took her two brothers as we couldn't bear to leave any of them behind!  I will have a go at uploading a picture of the fluffball as soon as I can ask DS to help me,  I'm not particularly tech-savvy I'm afraid!

Crazycatlady2

This is Alfie who is 12/13 ISH and he's our only cat now but we had Upto 3 at times 

apple_muncher

Grandmanerd, your plan sounds good. Are Mr and Mrs Builder not around anymore?

My decision this month has been to ask a friend to hold me accountable to her, sending a screenshot of a certain % that the all-singing all-dancing machine at the gym shows me. It is a % that needs to decrease!

Loving the pics of furballs x

lcc86

I didn't get called into work yesterday so got paid to sit at home  managed to clean my aquarium and sort some other housework too. I did a job application for a job I don't think I have a shot at but thought what the hell. It would be a big promotion and I told myself when I started my current job that I'd only apply to jobs that had a significant benefit to my development (and finances lol).

Today has also been a NSD. Went for my usual horse ride, it was chilly but lovely and sunny. Loads of dogs, had a close encounter with one and also with some deer who sprang out of nowhere! I did all my essential jobs yesterday so plan for the rest of today is to chill and play some games.

DawnW

Afternoon all

Loving the cat pics - we only have a little dog now, but we have had cats, and many other animals in the past.

@grandmanerd plans sound good

NSD 2 for me today. I haven't been out - the snow we had yesterday has gone, but there was a really hard frost this morning and it has stayed very cold all day, even though the sun came out for a while.

I have spent most of the day cooking again. I have made a huge spicy bean stew with sausages, about 6 portions  (I used veggie ones today but any kind will do), and 5 portions of something called Chicken Creole from my slow cooker recipe book. Some for dinners over the next couple of days or so, some for my brother and some for the freezer. I also baked a nice seeded loaf in the breadmaker, and a batch of scones and one of little cakes in the oven, and cooked a few small potatoes to go in the frittata that I am making for tonight's dinner.

Between us, OH and I did also most of the housework, so I am feeling as though I have accomplished a lot today! Freezer tetris is next I think - I seem to get something small out of it, then make it into something big that has somehow to fit back in         

Freezer use up is going quite well (though see above!) and I have managed to empty and clean out the small freezer which was only meant for times like Christmas and when there are lots of home grown fruit and veg etc, but ended up being full all the time just like the big one. Hopefully I won't need to switch it back on to accommodate all that I have made today      

I have started the next shopping list, easier to do during cooking sessions when I am using up fridge or storecupboard ingredients. I won't be putting any frozen items on it, apart from possibly some peas.

I have one more load of washing up to do, and dinner to cook, then that is me done for today I think.

Grateful today for getting lots done, for OH doing most of the hoovering and for having enough.