Good Morning All! What's everyone doing today?

[lucysmam]

I'm just drinking my first cuppa of the day, in silence-ish, in my kitchen spot. The cats have been fed & boy cat is wandering around upstairs shouting so I'm guessing he's lost his sister again 🙄. He'll find her in dd1's room I think!

Dd1's home for Christmas 🥳. I picked her up from the station on Thursday evening & she worked last night until about 2am. She's working again tonight - she's been put down to work until 10 but wants allll the money for next term at uni so will probably be asking to switch & stay later again.

I'm taking dd2 to the Christmas market in Sheffield for a wander later this morning. I'm hoping the Sheffield Candle Co are there (I think they're Yorkshire Candle Co now, actually 🤔). She has lots of school work to do, and is stressing about homework, but I think she also needs a break to do something nice. I'll head up to shower and get sorted when the washer's done.

When we get in, it'll be pj's and see if there's one thing I can get done off my Christmas list - assuming it's not too late in the evening, before reading for a while & then an early night 💤. Probably won't be as early as last night's 5:30!

What about all of you? 🙂

Good morning @lucysmam and all, we are off to the Christmas tree festival at the local cathedral, where they also have a craft fayre. Then back home to do some jobs, mountains of washing and tidying to get through. ‘German market’ dinner tonight, which is basically where I try to replicate all the food on sale there - it’s an annual tradition now.

@dicentra365 German market dinner sounds fun! Do you have any recipes you'd share?

I'm showered, dd2 is in the shower, and dd1 is mooching in pj's with work uniform to wash 🙄. If she'd left it in an obvious place it would have gone in with mine and dd2's this morning <sigh>.

Good job we're only going local, no speed to any of us this morning!

Morning all. Enjoying reading the morning plans, and good news for you Dilemma

Today I am recovering from what I think is flu. I've had my jab weeks ago but I work in a hospital and it is rife at the moment. My fever is gone and I'm feeling generally better but really shattered. I've been up with dcat since 6am, normally we shut him in the kitchen overnight, but my dd came home from uni yesterday and she wanted him in her room, which meant he mowed loudly outside my door early on requesting his breakfast. 6am is up for work time during the week, so at least he can tell the time.

I've put a wash on and changed the sheets (although I was tempted to burn them in a purifying ritual after all the germs we've had in the house) and then had a soak in the bath. I've ordered my last bits of online shopping for Christmas. I really need to get started on wrapping, but hoping DD will help me.

Today we are going to the garden centre for a real tree. I already have three trees up but this will be the last one, and I wanted to wait for dd to be home to help decorate this one. I've got a Gousto box coming later and will be doing chorizo quesadillas for dinner. After we do the tree I think it will be sofa for the rest of the day, maybe with a Christmas movie and a hot chocolate.

Happy Saturday one and all. It's a quiet one here this morning. DH has an earache so not up for much. He's probably caught the lurgy from DGC who were poorly last week. I've just got back from my walk and feeling chuffed with myself as I managed to walk up the steepest hill around here without stopping! Will go out again later if I can as I'm on a walking challenge with family! Sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and was supposed to be planning Christmas stuff but ended up scrolling on MN!

Having the last of the homemade soup for lunch then will probably pop to the shops to get something nice for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch. If I can be bothered, I may get on with some batch cooking to keep us going for easy dinners next week as it's going to be a busy one.

We have done the freezer audit and taken out some curries to eat tonight and some jacket potatoes to eat at lunchtime. Also found some frozen peas which I am very pleased about as Morrisons does not have ANY at all on their website to order! Not even the most expensive Birds Eye petit pois.

I have also wrapped up the flapjacks for our gardener, individually in pretty printed greaseproof paper, and then put them in a nice tin.

Now playing a game of scrabble. Mr Dilemma started with a 7 letter word so scored 74! I usually win, but I have a feeling I will be losing this one.

Good morning @lucysmam and all.
Dh and I have walked into town to get some bits, now having a coffee before blitzing the house. We have friends coming round later which is always a good incentive.
Going to watch ds2 play rugby in a while. Ds1 got home from uni late last night and will come up with us too. It will be nice and social as it's the last one before Christmas.
Then some casual food (pulled pork buns) and (probably too many) drinks with good mates tonight...all the 16yos will no doubt be raiding the booze and we'll play games and Dh will get on the decks...can't wait!

@DilemmaDelilah - that’s great that your scan went well. Can I put in an order for a tin of flapjacks?!

It’s a beautiful day here. I’ve been scrolling on here alongside plenty of cuddles from the cats.

Work on the garden transformation is now halted until the Spring. So now that I won’t have anyone traipsing mud and cement, etc everywhere, I pressure washed the new large patio yesterday. It was incredibly satisfying and looks so much better. I need to do the separate new small patio today and that will be pretty much it for outside maintenance until I cut back all of the rose trees and shrubs, which I usually do very early in March.

Friends and I are going into the village early evening for the Christmas Tractor Parade. Will probably involve a glass of wine in one of the pubs. Once I’m back, dinner will be spaghetti bolognaise with some cheesy garlic bread. And something on tv, not sure what, I need to find something new to watch.

@Ijwwm you would have to ask Mr Dilemma about the flapjacks, as he makes them nowadays! I started making them during the Covid lockdowns, but he took over when I got ill and he is so proud of his prowess he insists on doing them all the time now.

@Ijwwm if it helps... it is an adapted Delia recipe for flapjacks... times 3 and with added chopped dried apricots. I usually get the ready chopped ones but you can use whole ready to eat dried apricots, chopped.

Good afternoon @lucysmam and everyone.

I woke up at 6.15 but fell back asleep until 8.15 so feel as if I’ve lost quite a bit of time this morning. Have had tea and toast and then went for a shower and to get laundry etc. Put laundry on and emptied the dishwasher. Just sitting with a coffee now to read the thread.

No major plans here today. Need to order some Christmas presents for DS who finally gave me a list. And DH has added a couple of things to his list. Which was finished……. 🤔. Need to write some Christmas cards. I might fiddle about a bit with some more Christmas decorations but not sure I can be bothered. We go away from 27th to 6th. But the dining area is looking a bit bare…..

We got a new rug delivered for the dining area so might try and get that sorted. It’s still in the box. Dining table is solid oak and very heavy so need lots of help with moving it.

Other plans today involve either a Christmas movie or a Christmas book. Dinner is fajitas.

@DilemmaDelilah - really good news about your scan results. I love reading your posts about your cooking and you put me to shame. We have lots of veg that needs using up and you have inspired me to at the very least make a pot of soup.

@Taytocrisps - happy 21st to your DD. (I’m craving Tayto now.)

@Peridot1 I'm no cooking expert! And I don't do as much as I used to because 1. Mr Dilemma started doing a lot when he retired and I was either ill or still working and 2. I just get too tired. So I mainly just do the special things or batch cooking 'proper' food. Mr Dilemma loves to do a roast, luckily, so we do have those occasionally!

@DilemmaDelilah - thank you, I may well give them a go at some point.

Washing on and out first thing. 8.30am vet appointment. Last minute decision to go to races. I need to get my things ready for work tomorrow, but if time before Strictly, something towards Xmas.

VERY late to the party! Busy old day. DD16 is now DD17 - she was upset with me last night but luckily that was all forgotten & she was in a lovely mood for her birthday. I was up pretty early after a cuppa brought to me in bed by DH. He started work at 8. DD had cinnamon rolls for brekkie & asked me to watch a bit of tv with her until it was time to collect her GF from the station. I did a few bits eg laundry, unloading/loading the dishwasher etc b4 we left. Nice to see DD’s GF as it’s been a while. Did a 7 hour shift which was actually less manic than I expected for a Saturday. Collected the girls from the cinema then we sorted tea (Chinese to be delivered for me, Maccies delivered for the others) & DD blew out her candles. She requested that nobody sang! I had planned to start my Christmas cards tonight but will do some tomorrow afternoon instead. Need to wrap my DBro & DSil’s pressies so that DBro can take them back with him next week. Have half watched Strictly then part of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire & currently have this morning’s Saturday Kitchen on. Suddenly incredibly tired! Won’t be long until I hit the hay. Already requested that the girls be as quiet as poss because I’m working again tomorrow.

Cinnamon buns sorry.

Lovely day here and DH and I went to a 1940s themed cafe in Norfolk then to see the seals and baby seals, about a mile of them on the beach at Horsey. DD is back from university, came back last weekend and currently at an all night party and talking of doing a half iron-man.