Good Morning All! What's everyone up to today?

[lucysmam]

I'm just about to drink my first cuppa of the day, in my kitchen spot. No-one else is up yet so it's lovely and quiet 😊 Unusually, I haven't seen any birds flitting about from the trees at the bottom of the garden yet!

Today is pre-Christmas BIG CLEAN day here. I'll get the washer going in a mo, so that it's then free to wash sofa and chair cushions, and living room curtains later on.

Dd1's volunteered to help in the kitchen avoiding her bedroom, dd2 has requested to do her room next weekend instead so she'll be chipping in down here too!

Both girls have homework to be done so we'll make sure that there's time for that as well.

I haven't thought as far as tea yet, possibly takeaway pizza & chips. Whatever it is, will be accompanied by a glass of wine for me.

Later on, I want to get on with a cross-stitch Christmas card for my dad, and have a couple of things on the go for work that need another coat of paint - they'll have to wait for the kitchen to be done though!

What about all of you? 🙂

My back has gone into spasm. Hobbling around trying to do house jobs and clean and getting so frustrated. 😩

@lucysmam Love York Christmas Market, love York in general. DD was at uni there and we used to visit often. Not much happening here today. DD off to work later, DH off to tidy up allotment for winter. I'll go for a walk as it's a lovely day. Then wine and Strictly later.

@mrswhiplington dd1 is keen on York uni for Law! We haven't been for years so I'm really looking forward to it 🎄

Good morning Lucysmam and others. Takeme2insanity I'm sorry to hear about your wee one. I hope he gets well soon.
This morning I've stripped the bed and washed all the bedding. I've been to Aldi for food and in having a cuppa before I empty and load the dishwasher. The rest of the housework was done yesterday. Then I'll make a slow cooker pot of lentil soup. It's -3° here and beautifully frosty so I've stuck carol's from Kings on Alexa to get me in the mood. Later I have to nip out for a gift card and deliver it. Then I have some Christmas presents being delivered. Enjoy your day all

I am horribly hung over and feel awful - NOT from drinking, I don't drink alcohol, but from eating 4 blackberry tarts with almost a whole carton of cornish clotted cream. My stomach is giving me hell. I'm off out to buy some alka selza but first I have to wait in as usual for a parcel that is arriving this morning.
There is a frost fair in my town so I might head off there later to see if they have anything that would be nice for xmas.

@lucysmam DD loved her time at York. She would have stayed but she's doing her Masters and they didn't do that course there unfortunately. Enjoy your day.

Morning I'm on my second coffee, been and topped up the bird feeders, done the online grocery order and put my coats in the washer. Now sat watching the birds and pesky squirrel while my daughter does crafty bits

@lucysmam York Christmas market, there is a lovely stall near the main entrance to M&S that sells wooden Christmas decorations including light up ones. I see myself spending a small fortune there next week

Good morning all! Sounds like you have a busy and productive day ahead @lucysmam.

I've got to do some cleaning this morning before the cleaner comes tomorrow (?)! This afternoon, I'm off to the cinema to watch Napoleon and try and take my mind off all the stuff I bought yesterday and the money I've spent. Eeek!

First frost of the year today. Funny seeing my car all iced up.

Keep warm everyone and have a lovely day.

I’m sitting in Pret with a coffee and a croissant. Just finished a book which I loved. About to start some Christmas shopping.

DH went to work at 6am
and won’t be home until late tonight.

Im going to my Mum’s for lunch then DD and I are going to watch Dr Who tonight. I’m making Bibimbap for myself as DH isn’t keen and he won’t be here for dinner!

Morning! I've had a busy morning so far, DS came into my bed at 6am after a nightmare and I thought was having a lovely cuddly sleep with me but did in fact pee all over my bed, through the duvet, sheet, mattress cover and electric blanket 😭
That's all gone in the wash and I'm now sat in the cafe at gymnastics having been here since 9am for the both kid's classes.
Later we're heading to a Christmas fair with a friend and her DC and then home for some Christmas crafts, housework and cleaning the remains of my poor bed!

Sending good wishes, thoughts and hugs for little one x

@wineandmaltesershappyme I'll keep my eyes open for it, thank you! I usually buy a new glass one each year 🎄

Morning everyone. Love these threads 🙂Bit of a slow start here, DD still in pjs and playing on her tablet. I'm going to have another coffee then crack on with the housework - been having a rough time the last few months and have let things go a bit domestically speaking so there's a lot of it!

DD has her swimming lesson late afternoon so after that we'll have something warming for tea, thinking sausage and mash. Then I might find a cheesy Christmas film and make a start on writing Christmas cards

Hi all, I've been to buy a paper, have tidied a bit, frozen the last of the jambalaya I made on Thursday, checked whether there's any news about Icelandic earthquakes/volcanoes, emptied the clothes airer into the ironing basket, sent DH off to the supermarket to buy some stewing steak for tomorrow, and I'm now drinking coffee and contemplating the declutter needed before we start thinking about putting up some Christmas decorations. I'm hoping to do that next Saturday, so I need to get cracking really. DD rang earlier so I had a chat with her too.

@lucysmam We went to York Christmas market yesterday and it was lovely, but BUSY! Some lovely handmade soaps as well as the usual festive offerings.

Today has been reasonably quiet as both DS and I have colds. DS had country orchestra and county windband rehearsal this morning, and DH had a piano lesson (miles away so is a big chunk of the day). I went into town for coffee with some of my book group to our favourite independent bookshop and we set the world to rights. Now we are all home, DS is doing homework, DH is walking the dog, and I'm about to start my new book. No fixed plans for the rest of the weekend, which is just what we need before a busyDecember hits!

Thank you for all your kind wishes and positive thoughts. Life in the NICU is definitely a rollercoaster!

My kitchen and living room are now sparkling 🌟 and I'm relaxing with a large 🍷

I still need to move the dining table & mop under there, but will do that one afternoon this week.

Unfortunately, dd2 accidentally broke the fake ivy garland I was going to use around the booze shelf, so I need to fix that now before it goes up.

I've just put some peg people in the room to mark out their outfits, but probably won't get to them, or the cross stitch, now. I'm quite tired 💤💤

Please educate me about the big pre Christmas clean?! Maybe I need to do this but never heard of it as A THING?!

@silvertoil the BIG CLEAN is a thing here because, for the month of December at least, there are too many sparkly things about the place to get everywhere to clean it!

Long live the sparkle! (I really should clean tomorrow lol!)

silvertoil it’s definitely a thing! We blitz the whole house before Christmas. Definitely need to declutter bigstyle & clear all the piles.

@LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand , please could i have your slow cooker lentil soup recipe, thank you.

ssd here you go.
2 chicken stock cubes, 2 ham stock cubes, although you could use vegetable stock. 2l boiling water then added 300g lentils, 2 potatoes cubed, 2 celery sticks finely chopped, 1 leek finely chopped and 3 carrots ( 1 grated and 2 finely chopped) then left it on low for a few hours and stirred every so often.

I add whatever left over veg to the basic recipe. Today I've chucked in diced parsnip and also three Brussel sprouts shredded