Countdown to 2016 - a whole extra day to wait.

[AbbyCadabby]

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[santa]

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I have spread my festive cheer to my place of work I told my colleagues about some Book People bargains and said they would make good Christmas presents. I'm bulk ordering them this morning.

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Go woolly I've got my my stash of body shop bargains in the the loft, just need to get some
Festive gift boxes now.

Just picked my preferences for the works Christmas party today too.

I will need to raise the gristly subject of The Works Christmas Party at our next Staff Meeting, otherwise nothing will get decided (and it will be a 'mare to find a date/venue/price/menu) that everyone is ok with because the organised people will have got there already.

There will be the "FFS it's May" but I'll tell them all EXACTLY how many days there are

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Pulled out the knitting projects I meant to finish by last Christmas and will actually get them done soon, then I can hide them away. We moved just before Christmas last year (stress!) and I've still not decided where to hide stuff. Back of the linen cupboard? God knows nobody else ever thinks to change the sheets!

I am going to pare the buying right back this year (she says optimistically) We generally have a thousand pounds for presents, food, nights out, but this year we are going to my parents so the food bill will be much reduced, I've just got to work on the twitch!

I still want to make Martha's first Christmas special - not that she'll remember it

Rest assured Paper , The Twitch will get you Big Time this Christmas.

Lots of really cute baby clothes Twitch
Books to read at Marthas bedtime Twitch
Advent Calander Twitch
Nice spoily things for you (so you don't miss out on the nights out and pampering) Twitch
Going to parents....oh we'll take nice chocolates, some wine, cold meats Twitch

Don't forget a trip to a really good Santa and a copy of the official photograph and a nice new frame to put it on. Twitch

Not the bitter voice of experience speaking. Oh no. Not at all

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It's inevitable isn't it....I'm going to go beserk and have a husband who is slightly annoyed and a baby who is nonplussed.

If your DH gives you the look then just roll it right back at him.

"I'm making Memories for Martha" you tell him, if he says "The baby won't know/care"

My DD was 6 months old on her first Christmas (she's 14 next month) . She loves the video of her rolling about with the Santas Letter clutched in her sweaty little hand

There's all the late night Christmas Shopping trips (when it's hopefully quieter) and she can look at all the decorations and lights.
Santas Grotto (might be a bit scary at some of the big shopping centre ones, not to mention the queues) but there will be quieter ones , maybe one of the garden centres or farm events ?

Buy a special Christmas Teddy bear . One year when my DC were little , I collected tiny teddy bears and put a Teddy On Every Step of the stairs .

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I'm making memories for Martha!! I love it. I've stored that one in the comeback vault for future use.

She loves lights - we were in our local pub last night and she was mesmerised by the fruit machine! We'd been out shopping with the fairy godmothers all day and the fairy godfathers felt abandoned so they decided that they need a boys night out. We gatecrashed 😆

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I have found a very cute reindeer hat pattern for Martha Paper - for memory making purposes of course

Woolly

Sounds amazing!!! I am a huge fan of cute hats

Last Christmas Day a group of us went for a quick dog walk - the attendance criteria was Christmas Jumper and santa hats. It's one of my favourite memories of last Christmas, my mum's hat was particularly fabulous. She wore a knitted elf hat with massive knitted ears, oversized pom pom and it had a musical thing which played a wonderfully rubbish versions of jingle bells.

Hopefully this will work...

www.repeatcrafterme.com/2013/11/crochet-reindeer-antlers-pattern.html

I think it might come in adult size too...

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Oohh love the Anrlers Hat

You need to make one for Martha and make adult sized with bells on the antlers for the grown ups, (you've still got seven months )

My DD is planning all her birthday presents (next month) she's very full on organised with Birthdays/Christmas/Hallowe'en which is great (she blames me for her Christmas~aholic tendancies though)

DD, don't forget it's MY Birthday before yours. I ask what she's buying me, she shrugs meh and adds to her list

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Oh that's fantastic!! I love it

One of my friends posted something on my Facebook saying there was only 20 Fridays until Christmas. I was stupidly excited about that little gem until DH pointed out that it was way out and that there were actually about 30 Fridays to go. For a split second I was distraught. I almost had to have a mince pie to calm down

Aww, Paper, still that does mean there are only 30 Fridays to go!! (I did a quick count on my office calendar).

Woolly, that hat is gorgeous!! I must contemplate trying to learn crochet again - there will be a new baby for Christmas this year in the family to spoil! (And I haven't yet even started something like knitting a blanket).

Life is just rushing along here, DH managed to stay up this weekend so we had a nice family weekend. Saturday afternoon was DD's first one free since January, so we went into town and bought her a dress and shoes (converse!) for DB's wedding in the summer. (She actually approved a dress!!). All within about 20 minutes of arriving in the first shop.

Then I spent a lot of Sunday clearing out the spare bedroom, doing the summer/winter clothes change (and helping DD when she decided to do the same!), and bringing the off-season stuff to the storage unit. I have 3 bags put into the clothes bank, and another 2 and a sheepskin rug in the boot for the charity shop. And a bag of out of date medecines for the pharmacy later this week when I get DD's script filled.

Work is busy, but making progress. I got the money stuff done that I needed to for Cubs. I still need to do my US taxes, and tidy the study (and re-do my dressing table). But progress IS being made.

And I am finally starting to get back to health(ier) eating. I had my salad yesterday for lunch, and a pack of sushi for today. I restocked my office windowledge with fruit. And had dinners with plenty of veg over the past few days. (And not a lot of cake either!!). 7 weeks to do something before the wedding, and then another 23 to recover from that and look stunning by Christmas!!

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Happy Rudolph Day 🎄

My goodness Biddy you never fail to amaze me - you lead such a busy life!! I'm exhausted just reading through that little lot.

Just as I thought Martha had cracked this sleeping malarkey she has proved me wrong (the little beast). I was THAT smug mum..."oh my baby sleeps from 11 - 5. It's wonderful" well it was wonderful for a week

A work mate came round yesterday with lots of clothes for M, and in the stash was three Christmas outfits. I'm thinking she can wear her jumpers from when there's an "r" in the month.

Just to cheer us up...in 30 days time we hit the half way point in the year! We'll be closer to this Christmas than last.

Hi Paper,
what a shame Martha decided to change her mind (a woman's prerogative they say?! ). I like your idea about wearing jumpers when there's an "R" in the month. (DD decided that she needed to let DH know, properly, that I'd acquired a new jumper for Christmas and pulled it out while he was having a look at the tidied up spare room - he groaned when he saw the "I can't keep calm, it's Christmas!!!!" one - rolling eyes and all, but with a grin! He's a keeper!).

Damn, I knew there was something I forgot - the sprouts will be VERY al dente this year....

Happy Rudolph Day everyone!

Happy rudolph day fellow xmas nuts.
not much happening this end with regards to xmas.DS1 has a birthday coming up and he's been putting in his orders. To be fair he doesn't want much in way of presents it's just a party he keeps harping on about.
hope everybody well.
Paper i use the making memories excuse all the time. Works a treat

Happy Rudolph Day

I can't start wearing jumpers when the "R" months start, hot flushes mean I wear a Christmas Jumper for festive frivolity not warmth.

My sprouts are on a nice simmering heat now,having been on a rolling boil since Jan 3rd, waiting to be tossed in butter and chestnuts 5 minutes before we sit down.

at Paper and Biddy , Sooo disorganised .

(Whispers) I sent out the invites last night for DD's birthday party - we completely missed age 9, and she's now almost 10.5. That shows just how disorganized I am. Maybe I should start the sprouts now for Christmas 2017?! (sneaks quietly back out the door)

Oh goodness you are all ahead of me in the festive veg prep.

I'm slobbing out on the sofa with my crochet. I did spend a very virtuous morning cleaning the bathrooms and cracking on with the laundry. The linen baskets are empty ahead of DD1 arriving home in Saturday with a month's worth of dirty washing

As its Rudolph Day I have lit my Christmas Yankee Candle

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My niece decided that she was wearing her Christmas jumper yesterday (she's 2 and a half - you don't argue with a toddler) my sister was decidedly unimpressed and declared:

"That's all I bloody need; a daughter that's as excited about Christmas as her Aunt"

I pointed out that it was appropriate atire on a Rudolph Day but this was met with a "wtf are you talking about stare" from my sister.

I played no part in DNiece's sartorial choices but I wholly approve and am considering wearing my Christmas jumper on 25th June