NST January 2026: Shake and Vac

weenancyinAmerica

We just had a two-hour power failure (from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm). It gets really dark when that happens. Have no idea why - may never know as our city is a failure with its website and there is no newspaper. It is pouring rain out there - which it isn't supposed to be as the weather man said it would rain Saturday and Sunday and not Friday. I was right in the middle of posting a comment on the Decluttering thread. 

grandmanerd

My mantra for the year is to live now. I've rejoined a thread I was on a few years ago and did a 'quick' update on where I am now. It feels like my life has been on hold for years. I was in limbo whilst I was living at mum's, especially the last year when she didn't want me there and deeply resented me (although and possibly because she actually needed me), then it was clearing her bungalow, dealing with her estate and waiting to see how the DSS would treat me. Moving back to my house (where I wasn't wanted either), looking at houses for DS3 and Beloved, first of all in Keighley and then Leigh, DS3 putting it off twice when I was ready to make an offer due to worries about the future of his business, having to cheerlead when his anxiety and depression threatened to swallow him, then 2 years of being messed about by my brother and niece over grandma's house. My own health being wobbly at best. 

Well I need to live. Whatever else is happening I need to carve out a space for myself and the things I enjoy. My vision board will be heavily list based (might gather pretty pictures on pin ter est). Probably starting with the CBT exercise on routine/ necessary and fun activities where you look at the things you do, what category they fall into and how long you can keep them up for. Idealy you start with a limit of half the time taken to reach exhaustion and if you're struggling you concentrate on activities that give you most fun/ joy/ satisfaction.

I need to work out how to do more with less - less effort, less pain, less worry.

I'm using up the pages in my old diary as there were lots of pages for notes at the back. Decluttering is always on the agenda (including use it ups) and I've started to write down 'snag' notes - little things that cause bottlenecks like all those scraps from old notebooks and diaries (where did I put the new number for the doctor's surgery?) and how to organise all the second tier medicinal/ helpful stuff (large tubes, tiny skerricks, small tins and drops)

beanielou

Love your mantra @grandmanerd. Just what you deserve and more. 🤗

f0xh0les

I have had reheated shepherds' pie for lunch, somehow my kids have become very snobbish lately, referring to left-overs  as 'waste-food'.   Must be an internet thing to convince the kids  to use takeaway services as a 'fresh cooked' alternative - if only they knew the realities of a large volume catering kitchen.   I am ignoring their nonsense. They can pay the 'lazy tax' if they want, the shepherds'  pie was lovely. 

I am not going out today, I had planned to,  but I don't need to, so I am putting it off.  With the wind it feels like -3, or so my phone tells me, so I am on the sofa with a cup of tea and the football instead. 

Shuffled some money this morning from a maturing regular saver account (thank you Past Me) into the 'finishing off the house' fund so that Future Me will be more comfortable in this house.   Just got to get someone to do the work now. That is my new priority - it was my new priority last January as well. 

Oh, and I read the meters and submitted the new numbers. 

Things to be done in 2026

 - pay someone to fix my house, 

- avoid Bl00dy Piers Bl00dy Morgan as much as humanly possible, 

- accept all work that comes my way so that I am able to pay tax as soon as possible to pay benefits to people who need them,  because I want to live in a society that does not throw people away, or let them starve, or keeps them broken if they can be fixed.  Proud Soppy Woke Liberal that I am.   

- lose weight of course! It's traditional. I am to lose 7lbs as my first goal -  at the rate I have been shoving biscuits down my neck for the last 2 weeks, it really should not be that difficult. 

DawnW

Busy day today. Still on NSD # 2 as I ordered something needed online today.

Dog walk with DD2, DGS and their puppy this morning. My older, very small and slightly wonky dog is wary of the puppy, who is a bouncy labrador, but was a bit more relaxed with her today. We don't allow her to jump on him, as there may be painful consequences for him (he has had spinal surgery and is a bit fragile). I took DD's birthday present and card as her birthday is on Monday    Also decluttered a gifted box of Christmas chocolate biscuits to DD's family. OH and I don't need to eat them. DD did lunch for us before we came home.

I put up some posh curtains that I got for £2 in a junk shop in the lounge, which has a strange internal window looking out to the conservatory. They fitted perfectly but I needed to sort out curtain rings, hooks etc. The 'old' pair had buttoned tab tops but these have traditional header tape. All sorted now. I will wash and donate them. I still like them, but don't need spare curtains and someone else can enjoy them. They can go back to the charity shop from whence they came. I had all the rings and hooks and gubbins so total cost was £2.

A job dropped off my to do list for next week when the new documentation for our car breakdown insurance dropped through the letterbox this morning. I had renewed it on 2 December, received nothing since and was going to phone them on Monday. No need now. New documentation is now in the car glove box in place of last year's. 

Chilli for dinner again, with rice this time. I will freeze the rest in a minute and we will have something different tomorrow.

Grateful today for a nice walk in the sunshine with OH, DD2, GS and the dogs, that OH is now well enough to be out and about again, and getting some useful things done 

apple_muncher

We're all cheering you on, grandmanerd, replete in lycra and pompoms !!!

apple_muncher

Today's morning win was getting out in the crisp and cold for 30 mins. I had a little run, collected a couple of vntd parcels and didn't slip on the ice. Yay!

Today I am grateful for getting outside first thing, for a warm house to return to, for an evening stroll with Pip, for finding all the WSM programmes playing sequentially on telly today, for getting to day 3 of no sugar.

Thrifty_Taylor

Here here @grandmanerd, another cheerleader here 😀🎉

NSD#3
Today was cancelled as I'm snowed in! Had planned to go to town to visit my only classmate from school, she's been back for sproutmas but currently lives in Oz. Then food shopping with mum & meeting another lady for a cuppa, plus finally bringing DS3 (& friend who lives nearby) home. But wasn't to be. Tried walking to the village to post letters, but strong face wind & total whiteout, so turned around & came home.

Made parsnip & apple soup with the last of my 5p veg. Did some jigsaw with a film on in the background, followed by some reading & knitting, with another film on.

The headteacher was asking who was on the island currently & what our roads are like for possible driving to work on Monday. There's a meeting tomorrow to decide if the schools will stay shut another day 🤞

Grateful for doing the things I enjoy, not having to drive in the snow, the farmers & council staff who are clearing the roads & towing cars to safety

cuddlymarm

Good morning guys
It’s absolutely freezing here today so I’m snuggling up inside. 

The food I’ve got in is lasting . Chilli for tea and probably a cheese toastie for lunch as we’re still wading through the cheese mountain. Any leftover chilli can be frozen.
We get half price electric from 11 so washer loaded and ready, we’ll both shower after that and slow cooker will be on then too. Only pennies but it all helps.
I’m grateful for good central heating and being able to afford to use it. Also my lovely family and for good health, so many people I know are struggling with colds and flu at the moment.

beanielou

Today I need to take down the Christmas stuff that’s still in the sitting room. If I can get it in a bag I will be pleased. 

My mum is having a complete shoulder replacement surgery on Wednesday. She is coming here for part of her recuperation. The mind boggles. The blind leading the blind comes to mind. 

She dropped stuff off earlier. Looks like she is coming for a long time!