Daily Project Round 9

[SpiritOfEdna]

Hello!

New thread for when we are ready.

Happy New Year, Happy New Thread

Whether you want to do one extra thing a day while the kettle boils or a list helps with a kick up the bum to Get Things Done - all welcome.

@Aria999 @autumnangel @WinterFrogs @crivit @FoolShapeHeart @FourSeasonsLobelia @mumofoneAloneandwell @Mumtobabyhavoc @Peridot1 @petalpower @RunningKatie @SingleThreadJoiner2 @SunnyViper @SydneyCarton

Hey y’all, just catching up on the thread. After last Saturday’s party, we’ve been absolutely shattered and my brain has been scattered. Yesterday was a washout but I’m back on the wagon again today.

@Peridot1 how is your temporary mouse car tenant doing?

@WinterFrogs you must pay the cute cat tax. Them’s the rules, sorry! I call myself a vicarious crazy cat lady because I love cats but can’t have any right now due to lots of factors. I also find cats complaining about things hilarious and adorable.

In terms of job list…

• Grocery shopping ✅
• 1 load of laundry drying in the machine and another load washing ✅
• I plan to do another 2 loads today / tomorrow
• Dishwasher going ✅
• Work on my UK taxes. I’ll hunker down to categorize transactions for the next few days. I told my accountants I’d send them my info by Tuesday.
• Do some 2025 reflections and think about 2026.
• Plan my week

I am currently in bed lying down for a nap after the grocery shopping, coming to eat lunch and getting all the washing/drying machines going. I have 3 machines doing housework for me right now. Thank you, house robots!!

@Peridot1 yes, I got the trees in. I was in Tesco again today and there are still quite a few left and they also have some raspberry canes. I might pop back tomorrow and get some more to increase the orchard size.

Today has mainly been house tidying and more gardening while the weather is good. We are having a family meal tonight with all 8 of us so that will be nice. We have 2 vegans and 2 vegetarians so it’s hard to find something that suits everyone but fajitas seem to work well so that’s what we’re on.

I have sent two invoices to the hobby treasurer to be paid. Dh has many he needs to send, too. But I’ve done mine so I can cross that off for my shitty job of the day.

Viper, I'm still curious about the trees. How big are they?
Black bean soup is also good for all.

The trouble is, some things are worth keeping (for me!) but don't fit into a neat category to be stored in a particular place.

E.g. I have some Xmas decorations from my DMs childhood. They aren't really worth putting on a tree these days because they are tiny, flimsy card. They are from WW2 when there was rationing, and DMs parents were working class poor, plus her DF had a chronic health condition (so at times couldn't work, didn't get much sick.pay and there was no NHS. She remembers the stress at home when he was ill, although a pre school / primary aged child and her parents tued to shield her).

But they are special because, as a child, they were to her Xmas and magical. We now have so.much more, but I don't want to throw them away

Just to add, our current Xmas decorations are 90% those from my childhood, which DM never got rid of 😂 if you grow up with rationing you keep hold of things that might, one day, be useful. And I loved rediscovering them decades later with a DD of my own! Some of them are very strange, however, the 70s had some odd design ideas 😮

So DMs childhood decorations are special in terms of family history, but not really usable as Xmas decorations.

Actually typing that out has helped. I think i will get a clip frame and put them.up on the wall, next to my DM's mother's (my grandmother) gorgeous embroidery sampler that i aspire to one day copy. She probably did it when she was about 10... I am rather older and trying to become that accomplished...

Baital, I wish I had the Christmas decos from my childhood. My parents had some really old ones in addition to others collected over the years. Apparently they broke in storage after my parents separated.

I got a bit busy late afternoon. I made burgers for dinner and used some of the ground beef for a beef barley soup we had as well. I now have three containers of the soup for the freezer. I also made a pan of mint choc chip brownies. Wow they really turned out well! 😅
I've just done a general tidy and vacuumed.
kids are curled up in the living room with me and I've got a movie on Netflix. They both crashed for about 90 mins before dinner, so there's no hope in getting them to sleep for at least another hour.
It was chilly today, I think it finally got uo to about 8c, but had been 1c over night. It was super nice, sunny, so I took the kids to the park for a bit of a kick of the soccer ball until Havoc had an on-going tantrum and we came home. 😭 It might just be because Havoc is 4 or was still tired from activity yesterday, or because sharing the ball with Baby was too much, or any of a number other things, but I was worn out encouraging, diffusing, placating etc so home we went. Naps came easy for both after eating and Havoc rarely naps now. But, I digress..., 😂

That's a lovely idea!

@Mumtobabyhavoc 💐 They do keep you on your toes bless them! Impressed with all the cooking. Curled up with Netflix and kids sounds lovely!

I have some tech recycling to sort out so I can use appropriate bins at the tip. It's been in my living room for a week.

Horse duty now, then a visit to my mother, then a batch cook session so I am set for the week.

My mother has also just given me her Kenwood Chef whose existence pre dates mine (I am.in my 50s) and was involved in lots of cake making in my childhood and teenage years. I have fallen down a rabbit hole of all sorts of attachments, which then I have to find a recipe to try out to.use them.

My little modern food processor is in a box to go in the loft as a back up for a bit. But possibly to go on Freecycle once I am sure the Kenwood does everything I need.

My sewing machines, in the now tidyish front room, are also 1930s to 1950s Singers, and I have lots of attachments to play with.

I am gently sinking back into the past... but will keep the washing machines, WiFi, central heating etc 😂

Anyway, plan for today is a gentle dog walk with a friend, Sunday lunch for DD, DM and myself, and then to actually use the sewing machines for the first time in about 6 months.

Sorry winterfrogs, I have no idea why you got quoted!

One of my DR'S childhood decorations, vaseline for scale

My grandmother's sampler

And finally, having put the food processor in the loft (after several weeks sitting by the stairs), I give you on of my 1970s childhood Xmas decorations.

I have no idea what it is supposed to be or represent, or its connection with Xmas 😂 a genetically modified icicle?

I love that.

They are lovely @Baital.

@JingsMahBucket - mouse tenant has thankfully not made an appearance. That I know of! Car is going to garage on Wednesday for investigation.

Not too much achieved here yesterday. DS and I went car shopping. Well looking rather than shopping. Have narrowed choice down. DH will do research and then we will go looking again to sanity check. We stopped off at Waitrose and I picked up my parcel.

This morning I have cleaned the cross trainer which is in the garage. We now need to move it to the garden room/gym. We tried but even with three of us it was not working. So my Plan B is emailing a local removals company so I have done that. It needs professionals as otherwise we are likely to injure ourselves.

My plan for the day is to not do much! Reading and making some online bookings will be the extent of my doing I think.

Have a good Sunday all.

I expect it was mention of mothers! Mine gave me her big Le Creuset set when it got too much for her to lift. I think she gave her Kenwood Chef to one of my girls ❤️

I'm gently sinking into the past too, like you with a modern twist. Mainly with some of mum's old books. Love the sampler! I remember making one at school but I never finished it. My granny had table cloths she had embroidered. I don't know where they ended up, but what a labour of love!

There was a lovely thread some years back where people were embracing old fashioned stuff and it was really sweet and soothing.

I have one of my grandmothers embroidered tablecloths, and have it out on the dining table (of my childhood!) that now is a TV stand 364 days of the year, but becomes a dining table again on Xmas day.

When I moved back to the UK the only furniture I needed to buy for a 3 bedroom house was a sofa 😂 the rest came from DMs house and garage... definitely grew up with rationing and keeping 'just in case'!

Anyway, food processor now moved to the loft, so now having a few hours down time

I have soup simmering on the hob, and I'm currently on on enforced down time as I have a cat sprawled on me. And it feels so snuggly 💕

That cross trainer must be really heavy @Peridot1! Sensible move to get professionals in.

It feels a bit springy although that'll pass, but it's done my energy and motivation levels good.

Must tip cat off so I can get on with things. Mayhem wil hit once again tomorrow and I'll regret not being prepared if I don't get on.

@JingsMahBucket I have a lovely picture of him looking very disgruntled. I'll try and find it. I take many pictures but they aren't good or they have people in them ( or DH's belly as cat finds him very comfortable!) Cat's snoring now 😴

You can't possibly disturb the cat. Your only option is to stay where you are and delegate any tasks to.other members of the household.

@Mumtobabyhavoc here are a few of the trees. They are round 5 or 6 ft so not huge but a good size to plant out. A dozy pheasant is wandering around in between them😂. Not a great photo as I took in on the way out and it was raining so I jumped in the car but hopefully gives scale. The apple trees are through the gate at the back of the photo.

@WinterFrogs - it’s heavy and also really awkward. We were thinking of asking our neighbour to help but I really don’t want anyone to risk an injury. So hopefully we can get it moved professionally.

@SunnyViper - they look great.

Good morning, everyone. ☀️It's another sunny and chilly day here on the west coast. 😎

Laundry is on!
Breakfast is done!
Movie watched last night and on again.
(Yeah ME for picking one the dc liked!)

Viper, very impressed with your tree purchase. I think you got a bargain! 🤗
Peridot, I think you need a couple of flat dollies. Tip the trainer to one side and slide the dollies under then roll it. You should be able to do that with three people. I moved an oak entertainment unit like that by myself using two of these cheapies:

Have vacuumed a couch using the wand vacuum after baby dumped breakfast in frustration. Apparently Now, mummy! means "Now" when something is wanted. 😵‍💫
Havoc wants to do something quite specific today that I'm not really up for, but I might try and organize it anyway as the weather is so good. 🤔

Lovely garden @SunnyViper 😍 Bet that keeps you busy!
Cat did eventually go in search of food. Made it to mother's. She was quite querulous bless her. She really doesn't like being old. She actually won't admit that she is despite being not far off ninety. Someone accidentally referred to her as elderly the other day and she was most put out. I said oh they were wicked- you're not elderly you're just getting on a bit. That made her laugh and forget what she was grumbling about ( a chef who doesn't know how to cook broccoli fyi)
Managed some errands - on a Sunday! I know!!!
I remember when you were talking about due date for Baby's birth @Mumtobabyhavoc. It's astonishing that we've all been chatting away and sharing projects for this long.

Right, phone off, bath and book. And to prep spare room as DH is a bit snorey at the moment.