NST January 2025: Freedom!

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#4

@ldee2111 the alarm wasn't too much of a shock thankfully! Knew I needed the time to do yoga, Norwegian & have a go at styling my new hairstyle instead of letting it dry naturally!

Work went ok thankfully, & both my 1:1 pupils were really pleased to see me 😀

Came home, did an online survey then had a 10 minute nap. Took DS3 to drop a present at his friend's when he came home from work. Tea was late as the element in the oven stopped working, so did some of my jigsaw & ate lots of chocolate.

Watched a film with DH & 2 x DSs & opened some of the sproutmas treats that weren't eaten in the holidays. Sewed up the blue fink I've knitted, just need to cut out & see on a furry beard tomorrow night.

Grateful for a good day, family time, clear roads to drive to work

grandmanerd

Mr Builder went home just after 1 pm (or went to fix someone's cooker). The base units and half the top cupboards are out and broken into pieces in the yard. I still have the cooker (for today) and he's going to leave the sink for as long as possible (different run of units). No-one is coming today but tomorrow the drains man will come with Mr Builder (to dig a drain from the new toilet to the existing soil pipe (across the doorstep, underneath obviously). On Thursday the man who's helping build the walls of the new bathroom and the ceiling (he suggested putting in a lower ceiling just inside the bathroom area bringing it down from the existing 9' 3".

So today (in addition to hopefully getting more stuff away) my priorities are getting the rubbish and recycling out (rubbish bins need to go out for collection), clearing space in the yard particularly where the drain connection will be and getting the washing in off the line as they will be doing a lot of traipsing up and down the yard. Tomorrow is skip day (may need to tackle the neighbours about both of their cars blocking access to the backs and taking up the usable space at the side of the end). I have cleared a path to the right hand side of the yard over the past few weeks but it's just snowed a little bit more. So not ideal conditions for emptying 5 x 50 l pots into smaller moveable pots and taking them across to the right and potting up all the new raspberry plants (still in the protective packaging they came in).

I've had my pills and a shower, put 2 layers of warm clothing on (I had 3 on inside the house yesterday). Need to add creams and then plan more layers but I'm going to stay warm and maybe have another nap first. We can do this turtles. I will try to do more cooking but it's just a bonus, I'm not going to cry if it doesn't happen.

Yesterday was a NSD (hooray), my wellies are split up the back (still joined at the top) BOOOOO

Shrewbie

Afternoon turtles. I'm out of the habit of posting regularly, but I need to, because it keeps me on the straight and narrow. Got back to Madrid last night and sorted out my suitcase. Brought way too much stuff back this time (begrudgingly paid for a hold bag - next year will definitely instigate no present pact/secret santa - say this every year  ) 

Went for a run this morning - aiming to exercise every day as I pretty much kept this up over the sproutmas period, so no reason to stop now!!

Have also rejigged the budgets....hoping for an NSD today but housemates want to go to C0stc0 so I will tag along and scope out the situation and try not to buy anything unless totally necessary as I'm off to Alicante on Thursday... weather is looking lovely!! hope back to school/work hasn't been too painful for everyone xx

DawnW

Looking forward to hearing about the progress with your renovations @grandmanerd

Supermarket shopping today. Found some 20p bargains in L*dl; mince pies, chocolate lollipops, stollen, mini pannetone things, a gingerbread man kit etc, all with long dates except for one pack of mince pies, which has gone in the freezer. The rest can sit in the larder for treats, visitors, entertaining GCs etc. I rarely buy ready made things, but I can't make them for those prices. Also found a couple of 25p large jars of mincemeat in W*itrose which I will put away for next Christmas. Their BBE date is slightly before then, but I will have absolutely no problem mixing in a bit of booze to freshen it up. When I make it it doesn't have a BBE date   

Also found Seville oranges for marmalade, so I am currently boiling them up (first stage of marmalade making). I will probably finish it tomorrow, as I will need to cook the dinner shortly, and that will involve rolling out pastry. Can't manage too many things at once in my tiddly kitchen!

DS popped in before lunch. He and DiL have just returned from their honeymoon. I think the temperature difference and jetlag have been a bit of a shock. Apparently it was 35 degrees in Thailand and Singapore, and they came back to snow.

Grateful for supermarket bargains and for DS and DiL getting home safely

apple_muncher

“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” – Audre Lorde

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.” – C.S. Lewis

"New Year, new you. Just kidding. Here’s to another year of being fabulously the same you as last year."

grandmanerd

I'm back in the house for a while. I did a little bit of tidying this morning, hung some dresses on hangers. I've brought some things in off the line and now have washing hanging from cupboard door handles, window handles, the tops of the uprights from the shelving system. 

Did a small food order to come straight away, a larger order which will arrive tomorrow morning and a couple of bits which I need (DS3 pounced on my can opener and said it was his) so I'm having a new one. A few more things on the list but not going to fret over it. I wanted chip shop lunch (to warm me up before I went outside) but the sandwich that came in my groceries was enough, so will have pudding chips peas and gravy for tea (shop has just opened). Most things on the food order are very easy stuff (a loaf for toast, wholemeal seeded bread for tuna butties, rolls to have with soup, scones and cross buns, frozen berries to go with my ice cream, fruit yoghurt to have with oats). I have at least 6 meals worth of food in the fridge and hopefully I will be able to get to the community shop at some stage (I  think I need to have an x-ray before the 13th and the community shop is the stop before home on the way back from the infirmary. No salad items ordered because I still have bits I can throw together.

After lunch I went out and dragged the 2 bins to be collected, to the end of the back. Had to rest after the first bin (caught my heel and my shoe turned inward) and twice taking the second one then had to come in for a proper rest. I'm wearing warm joggers, a ls tee shirt, a lightweight woolen dress, grippy socks, a jumper that comes nearly down to my knees and I hauled my mountain climbing parka out of the box and found black woolen insulated gloves in one of the pockets. I've half filled 7 (I think) 30 and 40 litre buckets, carted 2 across the yard (was going to use my outside walker but Mr Builder has left the pile of broken up kitchen cupboards in the way). Two have been planted up (soil from 5 used up, probably more than 7 buckets filled). Some weed proof membrane went down first and 3 large items and a handful of short poles were moved out of the way. There are handfuls of weeds everywhere. I took a sack out with me but couldn't open the end with my gloves on. It rained, then hail stoned on me so that's why I'm back inside. I'd like to do more before it gets dark but we shall see. 

I had another little clean up to do in the kitchen but I cut more rags whilst eating and watching a series and just threw them at the mess on my way out. I will try to do more indoor tidying once it's dark and hope to do more in the morning - did Mr Builder say one of the men starts at 7 am? (mr Builder doesn't start before 10 am and preferably 11 am.

Grateful for what I've got done (hoping DS3 can squeeze more rubbish into the neighbours' bins when they put them out but moved the bins in case the weather got worse), glad the weather isn't colder - it's affecting my chest but not making me wheeze), lots of little rest breaks. 

f0xh0les

I have taken up two carpets and cut them into sections and rolled them up. Stored in the front garden behind the hedge to stay dry until the free bulky waste collection on the 17th. 
Emptied one bedroom (apart from the bed).
Need to empty my bedroom tonight (apart from the bed) and everything is being stored in the bathroom until the 2 bedroom carpets are down.
  I need to empty the living room tonight into the back room. It won't be pretty, but I can bring the stuff back in that I want to keep.  
 I have glossed quite a bit of woodwork today. 
I am knackered. I still have loads to do. 
I can do this. I don't want to be faffing about with it at 7am tomorrow, so it is going to be done. 

ldee2111

NSD 4.

Grateful today for a proactive workday, getting things ticked off the list, for Mum coming for lunch and getting to catch up with her, and for getting to my yoga class… or at least I will be in the next half an hour

dizzyblnd

Hello turtles. Had a busy one today. Put dinner in the slow cooker before work to allow for a run after work, which I did. Put 1 item on V1nted before work so halfway towards my target of 2 per day. I’ll try to load another one before bed tonight. Dinner and meals from stores so I can claim nsd#5. Completed a day at work, took children to clubs and completed homework. 

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#5

Dragged myself out of bed, Norwegian & yoga done before breakfast. Managed to read 2 chapters whilst eating.

Work went well, pupil was a little angel when Head Teacher came to talk to us. She called me a gem later on after liking a suggestion I'd put to her. Stopped at the Post Office on my way home & swapped 2 bags of coppers for a £2 coin. The lady broached me about memory items for her late brother, possibly memory cats. She was the lady who first asked me to make a memory bear, all those years ago!

Watched a 1% Club or with DS1, then couldn't keep my eyes open any longer & had a snooze for 10mins.

After tea I cut out & stitched the beard & a label on to my blue gonk.

Grateful for compliments on my work & new hairstyle, having a great day with my pupils, DS2's passport arriving