NST December 2024 – the TARDIS awaits

beanielou

Great result @grandmanerd. 

ldee2111

I'm not sure if I've had an NSD today – do I lose it for donating to DS's school? Mum and I went to DS's school nativity this morning, and several sweet little faces were asking for donations in exchange for 'guessing the elf's date of birth'. If it still counts, I’m on NSD 5; otherwise, I’m on NSD 6.

Grateful today for manager approving time off to go see DS's nativity (I made up the hour after 5pm), for Mum making me lunch, for getting work stuff ticked off the list and having a bit of time to start clearing/organising work emails/files (I like to do a 'clean-up' at the end of each year), and for clearing the washing pile before OH returns with more from working away for two days! Washing is never-ending, isn't it?! Who decided we had to be clean anyway?!

DawnW

Sounds as though you had a good result with the Waste Wizards @grandmanerd - hopefully it will make your life easier.

Work for me today and it wasn't a NSD as I had to buy mincemeat for the mince pies I need to make for a family get together on Saturday. As I am working tomorrow as well, and am unlikely to want to be messing about with pastry afterwards, I suspect I will be getting up early on Saturday to make them. At least they will be fresh I suppose!  As there was no chance of  a NSD, I also bought a lovely antique jewellery box from a fellow dealer at work, for DD1's birthday which will be coming up soon after Christmas. Not cheap, but not massively expensive either, and it is lovely, with an art nouveau design and the silver top is dated 1906   I love buying vintage and antique items for presents (they are such good value),. We have had lots of people in the shop today looking for presents, and they were very pleased with what they found

OH had an old work colleague / friend round to visit today and he told him that he has an aggressive cancer that started in his kidney and is now in his bone marrow and blood    Hope he gets good news after his current round of treatment.  

OH and I decided to donate some money to the local food bank again instead of buying each other presents. We really don't need anything. I normally buy a few tins on shopping days, and put them in their collection trolley at the supermarket, but I have asked that the cash donation goes to buying a few treats instead of the usual staples.    .

While I was at the supermarket I bought a couple of bars of nice dark chocolate to put with a scented candle I already had to make up the secret santa gift I needed to get for work. I think I was probably given the candle as a birthday present last year and (obviously) hadn't used it. It looks a very nice one, but I have lots of candles. I hope the recipient likes it. If she doesn't use it, she can always regift it I suppose   I bet she will eat the chocolate though! Anyway, it will be something out of the house, and a cheap present as I only had to pay for the chocolate. I already have gift wrap etc.

Grateful today for finding a lovely present for DD1's birthday, discovering that I already had most of the secret santa present needed for work, but mainly for the good fortune of having enough, and being mostly in good health..

Thrifty_Taylor

Congratulations on your new space @grandmanerd! Once your aches & pains have lessened a little, you'll be inspired to sort & clear more things.

I woke up at stupid o'clock. Did yoga & Norwegian, then chopped loads of veg to make a stir-fry whilst eating my breakfast. Was thinking I had to be at work earlier in order to give work bestie her birthday present. 3/4 if the way through cooking, I remembered that it was Xmas dinner day & I didn't need to take a packed lunch today!! 😂 Oh well, it'll do for tomorrow & Saturday instead.

Had a good day at work, totally stuffed after eating the meal. Wrote a few cards to be posted, unpicked a coat zip, then after tea out the new zip in & stitched another coat. I feel that the pile is lessening & more manageable now 😀

Grateful for my friend liking her homemade present, getting peace to eat my dinner with the other staff, that my sewing mountain is going down

Betharooni

Hey all,

Had a couple of spendy days but then Wednesday and Thursday have been spend free so now at NSD #7. Energy levels are pretty low so haven’t done a huge amount, but have sorted out a load of unused photo albums which will be going to DB2 and his partner, and they will also be having a barely used iPad of Mum’s to give as a Christmas gift to one of my nieces, so a few items will be leaving the house when we next go to visit. While sorting through the photo albums I found an album with wedding photos of my aunt and uncle, that belonged to my Nan. I asked my aunt if she would be interested in the album for anyone in her family and she said that she only had proofs of her wedding photos rather than proper copies so she would be very grateful to have that album. I’ve said I’m going to scan the pictures, so we still have a copy of them, and I’ll bring it over together with her Xmas card, so another little thing to go.

I’m thankful for watching stuff on telly that’s made me laugh, a simple leftovers meal so I could save what little energy I have, and sorting out a handful of items to get rid of.

ldee2111

I have to retract yesterday's NSD  – I bought Christmas cards online last night. But today I am definitely on NSD 6.

Grateful today for OH taking DS to school this morning (helping to slow down my day), for having a proactive but calm day at work (WfH), for clearing the mountain of washing, and for an excellent early xmas gift from OH (a solid set of slippers! After throwing out my flattened, lopsided, torn ones because I'm sure they were making my leg sore). 

grandmanerd

Very tired with a killer headache and a raging sore throat. DS3 was going to B00ts to collect a prescription so I asked him to get me some throat lozenges. There were other things I wanted but he gets confused easily. He brought none medicated ones but they are soothing. I was very bad at lunch time - I wanted something hot and soft and easy to eat (I could still barely stand up) so I signed up to a new to me delivery service and ordered pudding chips peas and gravy - the chips and gravy were aa child's portion so I managed to eat it all. It was about 2 pm when I finally got to eat.

After a while I dragged myself out to get stamps for the cards. Had to have lots of rests (it's only to the top of my street and then it's one of the shops on the other side of the road). I bought washing up liquid as I was told the one I was using was theirs and it's gone back upstairs, plus drinks and more sucky sweets. It helps my throat but my blood sugar may be out of control. Spent the afternoon resting and watching old Christmas specials (Teachers, Drop the Dead Donkey and Shameless). I've since watched a zombie apocalypse/ teenage musical (seen it before but it was good).

I cut open the large pieces of the sofa bed (back and base), took a bin bag and lots of paper to the bins, washing is out on the line but there's no way I could take the stamped letters to the postbox so it may be Monday when they go. Tried to do the identity questions for the house sale but it needed a smart phone and photographing a QR code so I'll try taking stuff with me tomorrow and seeing if my sons can sort it on their phones. I still have presents to wrap. I still have presents to find - I do have things I can substitute with. I've also started bagging pillows - with protectors and pillowcases. Packaging from the two new ones went in the big blue sack with the bed packaging and a bag from the WM. The rubbish bin will be emptied next Wednesday but these can be held back until there's space (it can even go in the yard as it won't get damaged and won't attract vermin).

As I failed to make it to the hairdressers (had to wait in for deliveries on multiple days)  I've taken the pinking shears to my hair, then had a shower and washed my hair. It won't win any style prizes but I feel much lighter. I've had another text about picking up blood test forms so need those and x-rays doing in the next 2 weeks in preparation for check up appointments (also have a questionnaire  to fill in and return) but I just want to see my family tomorrow (meal is not till 4 pm so I can take my time) and then rest and slowly shuffle things into place and clean what I can. Did another food order and will cook brisket with casserole veg on Sunday and have ice cream ice lollies for my throat (I finished a box of ice cream off yesterday and had an ice cream on a stick today. I'm aiming to make as much as possible from stores but added a few easy to eat foods and I don't know where the cut off point for orders is - I never compete for the Christmas slots, veg is usually fine ordered the week before. I'm also allowing for the sore throat mutating into various bugs and if I can't get to the shops I want to have stuff in.

Grateful that I have stamps for the cards, that I found the addresses and worked out who I'd missed, that I still have one and a third library books to read (the library was also too far) and that I added a couple of 99p kindle books to my collection (one is a preorder which comes out on December 20th) so Christmas reading is sorted if I run out of time. 

grandmanerd

Asked DS1 for a link to his nominated charity (he never wants presents) so will do that and I still want to send flowers to a couple of people (one lost her husband this time last year)

Thrifty_Taylor

Has a solid 8 hours sleep, but woke up tired! Yoga & Norwegian done. Was pleased I'd already cooked my dinner for today.

A manic day at work, then stopped off at the post office on my way home. Used my free stamps for posting cards for people south, so only had to pay to send DS2's  full birth certificate off for his passport application.

Had a 25 min snooze after tea, then write out some cards. Was watching Kirstie on Ch4 from yesterday & had a brainwave! I've had some clear plastic baubles to fill with items if your choice, for s few years. In my Xmas card bag, I found a bag with 'crystals' on a string, & one of snowflakes, so I snipped the strings to separate each one & put a mix in 3 baubles, then wrote names on the outside, using my paint markers. Have 2 for mum's late sisters & 1 for work bestie who buried her grandad yesterday, to show they're gone but not forgotten.

Opened a box of my birthday chocolates, but rationed myself to one of each flavour (7 sorts) & knitted more of a Xmas gonk for work bestie's present, whilst watching Dear Evan Hansen. Hadn't seen it before, so enjoyed it & added a couple of the songs to my playlist.

Grateful for inspiration for crafts, & having all the materials in my stash for it, a nice film, it's now the weekend 🎉

f0xh0les

@grandmanerd have you got any of that anaesthetic throat spray in? It is an absolute life saver when DH has to teach and has a sore throat. Obviously it just masks the problem, but at least you can talk and swallow for a couple of hours. Ultra Chl0raseptic spray. available from B00tses and all good supermarkets... just a thought - I always forget the stupid thing exists for the first 2 days or so,  and then remember it and am annoyed at myself for not remember it