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

[lucysmam]

I'm just drinking my first cuppa, in my kitchen spot, after boy kitten woke me up climbing through Christmas Narnia in the bedroom 🙄 . Both kittens are now snuggled up in their favourite spots on the cat tree for a snooze 💤

I'm just about to catch up with Christmas Chronicles, while it's peaceful. I've been trying all week but just too tired to concentrate. Once I've read, I'll have a quick tidy round down here & probably clean the bathroom. There'll be towels to tumble dry, too, once the washer finishes.

Our only real plan for the day is to wander to Lidl for sweets for the gingerbread house & a bottle of their Bailey's dupe 😋
If there's time later, we'll do some baking & I'll pre-bake a birthday cake for Thursday.

The girls dad is going to nip to big Asda for a coat for work (they gave him a giftcard for Christmas, so using that), and the Radley shop at the Outlet to try and find dd2 a bag like mine for her birthday on the 28th.

It'll be something from the freezer for tea, then showers all round & chill. I'll probably pick up my crochet church, although it'll not be done for this Christmas either 🙄. Maybe next year!

What about all of you? 🎄

Sat in a cafe next to the bowling/arcade place drinking a latte and scrolling T'internet while DH and DD spend all their money winning tickets.

Needed to get her out the house for a bit but it's windy, rainy and cold so letting all the bright lights and prizes do the hard work today.

Will head to a shop later for some hair dye and a few bits n bobs.

Lazy morning so far. Enjoying my coffee in peace while the kids build a marble run nicely together in the living room (normally they fight!)

Then thinking of heading into London to do the penguin trail near Fleet Street. Probably have dinner on the South bank, then home to finish watching Strike.

Just had my third cup of coffee, about to put DD down for a nap and then crack on with general housework, need to get through the mountain of clothes that needs folding n putting away at some point after DD nap, hopefully MIL will be home today so we can exchange presents and that will be it for Christmas visits until boxing day 😮‍💨 already got my food shop done ✔️ was mayhem- some old lady clipped me with her trolly 🤦🏻‍♀️ so glad thats all done, get everybody some lunch 🥪 probably just make a butt load of toast- 5 kids here lol after lunch clean up n tackle the laundry, probably need a shop run always running out of milk lol dinner is pasta bake and garlic bread, clear up after dinner, put baby to bed 7, put twins to bed 8:00, send older 2 off to bed 9:00, have a couple presents to wrap, bath, might do some crocheting/colouring to relax if im not too tired and then head to bed myself ready for it all to start again come 6am haha xx

Trying to finish an essay - made some good progress this morning (still in bed, this is my lie in 😁)

DH needs to go see his mum in the care home

Eldest having a friend over this afternoon.

Promised middle child we'll bake during youngest's nap time.

Should be nice! Nicer than yesterday hopefully!!

Oh and I have four loads of washing to fold but I don't mind that, so long as DD will leave me alone and not climb all over everything (toddler)

Good morning @lucysmam . I slept in this morning thanks to the joy of medication. I've had several bad nights in a row and decided to treat myself to a good night. I have woken up in some pain which is a bummer!

Just had my breakfast in bed and I'm about to get up to work on the bedrooms for youngest daughter and toddler. I have just finalised the Morrison's order for tomorrow and DH has now just looked at it and has been been telling me we don't need weetabix or blue milk.... He would have continued in that vein but I have discouraged him by letting him know my displeasure..... He has access to the Morrison's account - if he wants to change it he can. I've been trying to get his input for weeks!

Anyway - rant over. He's doing that old man coughing thing whilst getting dressed - I'm not going to get dressed until I'm ready to go downstairs. Off I go now to get cleaning/dusting stuff for my office and the spare room - we will make both rooms look lovely for our visitors and then shut the doors on them until tomorrow. Daughter is driving down from Liverpool so I am hoping that the weather is OK for her journey.

Morning @lucysmam and everyone! Happy birthday @JoanChitty! 🥳 Congratulations on finishing your masters work @Brachytherapyquestions!🍾🎉

I’m still wrapped up in bed in the duvet burrito but I need to get up soon. Our main objective today is to walk to Aldi to buy a few more things for the holidays. It’s currently raining off and on while very windy and only -4.5C real feel outside! 🥶 We’ll probably wait until this afternoon when it’s supposed to ease up a bit.

In the meantime, we’ve got other stuff to do before and after the Aldi shop. I’m just making my to do list for the day off the top of my head…

• Hang a couple sweaters / laundry to dry on the radiators

• Probably need to do another 2 or 3 loads of laundry to clear the backlog. Have to fold and put them away too. Bleah!!

• Tackle the toilets and the bath for a clean

• Clear detritus from the main chair in the living room.

• Clear surfaces in the bedroom

• Make a meal plan for the next couple weeks. I profited from the cheap veg and want to make some chopped veg soup bags for the freezer I think.

• Find the wrapping paper and gift bags so I can wrap OH’s present and my secret Santa present

• Schedule holiday calls with family and friends back in America.

I may propose getting an easy dinner from Aldi because I don’t think I’ll feel like cooking after all that today.

@OneLilacEagle good idea putting on Christmas carols while cleaning. There’s supposedly a jazzy instrumental holiday playlist on Spotify that’ll be good for me. I’ll feel so Christmassy while sticking my hands down the toilets 😂

Good morning everyone, it’s very dreary, wet and cold morning here, the dog and I didn’t get beyond the end of the road. She just refused to move 🙄
So I have cleared a pile of ironing and put it away, tidied the kitchen and about to have a coffee.
I’m going to do a bit of embroidery in a while, I have a new audiobook to listen to and dinner’s sorted - pasta bake and salad followed by trifle.
A lovely quiet day.

Good morning everyone!

We were out til almost 4am at our friends' house. I wasn't drinking so feel fine, if a bit tired. I think DH is feeling a bit more delicate.

Have been out to the butchers to collect the meat for Christmas. Just having a cuppa and some toast then going to collect DSs from their grandparents where they stayed last night. Then I'm helping at a kids party at the local sports club. We've got bacon sandwiches for lunch and I need to pop up to Tesco to get a few bits after that.

Not sure what we're having for dinner yet, probably spag bol as we've got a frozen one in. Then I need to wrap the last of the presents and if there's time watch at Christmas film. It's quite a busy one here today. Hope everyone has a lovely day

Change of plan - our slow morning at home has now changed to a trip to the supermarket. DH and I thought we had everything covered but we don’t! Also it means tomorrow we can have a full day lounging around the house before another busy few days, and I think that’s needed.

Good morning everyone, it's Christmas in our house!

The dc are with their dad this year so we're having our Christmas today. They spent over 2 hours opening their presents then we had a huge cooked breakfast. Now they're both gaming while I have a coffee in peace. I'll get started on the Christmas dinner soon then we'll take ddog for a walk. Then home to snuggle up under a blanket with the cheeseboard and a David Attenborough documentary. Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄

Morning @lucysmam and all!

It's the big pre Christmas tidy up here 😱 I'm working my way through a mountain of laundry through the day , not fussed about getting it away as long as the clothes are clean that's good enough for me 🙂

Got family coming round late afternoon into early evening for a simple buffet. Got pizza wedges salad coleslaw, garlic bread, garlic chicken Kiev's, sausage rolls, crisps and dips, mine pies and Yule log. Hopefully that's enough.

Then when DC are in bed I really need to do some wrapping. Probably with a Bailey's hot chocolate!

@RabbitsRock can't you lift out the sausages now surely they will be defrosted in time for tea I always lift things out in the morning.

@lucysmam can you do a thread every day it's lovely ♥️

Happy Sunday to everyone.

We had some unexpected guests yesterday (a lovely surprise, a dear friend and her two boys came over) but it curtailed all our cleaning and baking plans.

So this morning we're all beavering away to get things done before we head out to inlaws later for a pre Xmas dinner. I think we'll build the gingerbread house before we go and decorate later or tomorrow?

We'll see how it goes and what time we get home.

Watched Home Alone last night so tonight it will be Elf.

I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday (albeit just from home) and I've still got a few things to wrap and a few things to buy including the turkey, pigs in blankets and dessert. I'll go to M&S early tomorrow before work.

Off to M&S (which is a 5 minute walk away) stick some chicken in the slow cooker,wrap the last of the presents, open (and consume) a bottle of Prosecco then mould my body to the sofa all cosy with Christmas candles and lights and watch some shite on tv.

@Decafflatteplease I'll try and remember!

@RabbitsRock I'd take the sausages out now, too! They'll be fine 😊

I was in the midst of tidying round the kitchen & sat down for a minute with my coffee, to look for something online. I now cannot move. AT ALL!

GIRL KITTEN IS SAT ON MY LAP! This never, ever, happens! She's not snuggled up like her brother would be, but this is a proper treat 🤣

@lucysmam Phew, I found you! I did my usual search for my favourite thread and couldn’t find you. It turns out I had southernised your name to ‘Lucysmum’ 😂

Quiet day here, have had a nice bath and lots of tea and toast.
I’ll be wrapping up and taking the dogs out for a run shortly, then back to start a Christmas jigsaw I pick up in a Charity shop yesterday.

I’m working tomorrow and half day Tuesday, so don’t feel that I’ve broken up yet.

Have a great Sunday all.

Well - I have finished both the rooms for the royal visit! (Daughter and toddler). Once we got going it wasn't as much work as my mind thought it was. DH does the hoovering and the heavy lifting which really helps. They both look lovely and welcoming. We have shut the doors on them now so I don't have to think about them at all. We will do the general housework tomorrow before she gets here, so today I might prepare the mashed potatoes for the fish pie on Christmas Eve, I have a wash to put on, and I need to check the dining room (which DH assures me he did while I was working last week). While I'm doing the potatoes for the mash I might as well prepare, part cook, and freeze the roasties for boxing day. We're going out to lunch on Christmas Day and daughter and toddler are going to other daughter's on boxing day, so DH and I are going to have a mini roast all on our own. Ostensibly so that we have some cold roast turkey for when everbody is here on the 27th, but really because we like it. DH has already requested chestnut stuffing, which I normally only make for Christmas day, so that is ready and waiting in the freezer.

Slept in again. It's grey and icy here today. DH has just handed me my second mug of coffee. Going to jump in the shower soon and then we're heading out for a Sunday roast.

Later I will finish the present wrapping, followed by some jigsawing. Really loving my velvet touch puzzle from Art & Fable.

Absolutely no housework to do as our cleaner comes tomorrow to do her pre-Christmas deep clean and she'll put clean bed linen on all the beds. I love her.

About to have my second coffee then we’re off to the butchers to get the turkey. It’s a good half hour drive away. We might stop for cake on the way back. Then home to reorganise the fridge to make room.
Present wrapping then a tidy up. Beds to be made up for family arriving tomorrow.
I need to check my list of last minute food to get tomorrow.

Just squeezing in before midday!
Am still in my nighty after spending the night on the sofa coughing and not sleeping at all. Still, I finished my book.
It’s full Christmas here - DP had a mince pie for breakfast and I baked some croissants.
DP has taken DD to the park while I have a shower and crack on with lunch - something basic with pasta and veg. Or maybe lentil bolognese if there’s time.
Need to do another couple of loads of laundry and some tidying, but we’re basically ready for the big day. Will wrap presents this evening once DD’s in bed, assuming I’m not too shattered.
Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

@lucysmam oh she is absolutely adorable! ☺️ I wouldn’t move either if I were you! I hope you’re wearing a diaper to stave off the bathroom visits 😂

Just remembered I need to bath the dogs too.

I've had my tea followed by coffee and a couple of croissants

Made DD breakfast whilst she was getting ready for her PT job

Made DS breakfast who's home from uni so it's a nice treat for him having meals made

I'm watching Sunday Brunch whilst cooking in the kitchen

I'm making Gremolata crumb from left over bread to have over fish, chicken, veggies salads

Meeting DD later to buy some presents for DC partners with her help

I watched Scrooge's last night so will watch another Christmas film later not sure what yet though

I'm packing stuff up into boxes to put in the loft whilst also clearing the loft.