Countdown to 2016 - A whole extra day to wait...thread 2!

[MrsDilligaf]

Well hello avid countdowners....

A shiny new thread for us

Link to the last thread here

Woolly is she an "old" mid 80's or "young"?

A new small brolly
Silk scarf square (not actually silk, but you know the sort)
Velcro rollers
Nylon shopping bag that folds into a pouch
Magazine (my Nan always had The Peoples Friend) something like The Lady?
New Glasses Case
Note cards with a book of stamps

I struggle so much for my DF so I feel your pain, so far he's got an Oor Wullie annual!

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Martha...if you promise to sleep through tomorrow night Mummy will buy you a pony.

Woolly
Stocking fillers for your DM - these kind of things go in my Grandmas stocking, she is 71.
Glasses cleaning wipes
Bingo dabber
Sudoku book
Bus pass holder
Hankies
Lip balm
Shopping list book
A nice bauble
Voucher for afternoon tea somewhere
Photos of all the grandchildren from this year in a nice frame
Hand cream
Bath stuff
Gloves
"silk" scarf
some thing home made - felt broach etc.
Something funny - eg wind up zimmer racers - she thinks they are hilare!

Our DS has gone back to being a sleeping nightmare, MrsD. We thought he'd got better with a good few nights of sleeping through. No such luck. Surely soon...he's 2.3 for god's sake!

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DS played up again last night; the fact he's in a new 'home' up in Glasgow this week rather than actual home probably isn't helping! I'm slightly knackered though as I've got a cold festering.

I'm going to do a present review when I'm back down south. I need to assess what's what! I may have over-bought!

Thank you all for the ideas. I'm definitely going to put in a brolly and I'll look for some nice gloves. I'll also Google and see if the garden centre near my sister does afternoon tea, so my sister can take her.

A photo of her grandchildren/great-grandchildren (and her great-great-grandchild) would be bloody huge - I did say we were a big family, didn't I?

Wind up zimmer racers would indeed be hilarious to the rest of us - but she uses a zimmer and has no sense of humour. So my name would be mud in family circles until at least Easter if I pulled that trick!

Ooop sorry woolly hope I haven't offended

Definitely not offended Hairspray we (me, DH and the DCs) would find it really funny. In fact DH would pay me to put one in her stocking BUT mum is very touchy about people she thinks are taking the mickey out of her.

Hello ladies...

I've been to Bicester Village today. Top tip...don't go to the Pandora shop this side of Christmas unless:
A) You can get there before 9.00
B) You are happy to queue for 2 hrs at least if you go any later (!!!)

Anyway. I picked up a BARGAIN in Cath Kidston so in the interests of sharing the love I have decided to give it to one of you

Martha is modelling (and has licked - sorry) a Christmas Organiser, which I would like to give to one of you. Over the last couple of years I've really enjoyed chatting away to you and hope that I continueto do so for many more years to come.

In the interests of fairness if you would like to be in with a chance to acquire this indispensible and frankly beautiful organiser drop me a PM and I'll pull a name out of a hat!

Martha is such a little beaut!

I'm not sure I like pandora, it was all the rage when I was in 6th form but the charms aren't as nice as they used to be, and v v over priced!

Thank you Hairspray she's getting funnier by the day. She's discovered that she can "talk" so she shouts at me all day long "DA DA DA DA DA DA DA" "Eeeeeeeeeee" "a a a a a a a ya ya ya ya" "ssss ssss ssss ssss"

I know what you mean about Pandora. I have a bracelet not hugely keen on it which I am embarrassed to admit but my parents bought it for my 4th Birthday but I did buy my mum a lovely necklace for Christmas and a ring for a friend's birthday today, it's about 50% cheaper than the high street shops and they tend to have stock from about 6 months/1 year ago.

DH wandered into Dior (what WAS he thinking?) and wandered right back out again!

58 🎄🎄🎄🎄

Boots points event today and I've got vouchers to spend! Think I'll run away at bedtime and go shop.

My birthday was yesterday so now it feels like Christmas is really on the way!

My sil bought me a charm for a pandora bracelet. I don't own one and don't want one. So dh has text her to see if she can return it. It's just not my taste at all. My mil has one and I often buy charms for her because she likes it.

Morning!

Not my taste at all Mummy. I'm a wearer of gold usually but not wearing any rings at the moment due to a weight loss!

My son's Christmas hamper is done, my parents are having theatre vouchers (as is my brother), just bought a book, a toblerone, a wallet, slippers, cd and shall buy concert tickets for hubby (when available for release). Already purchased gifts for friends - Boots/spirits. Got the "bits" ready for my son's cloth advent calendar...and bought the last of the chocolate yesterday.

Only the fresh veg and wine to be bought now! Wine for my Christmas Eve party...and I need to find a decent bottle for Christmas Day lunch and Boxing day- hubby driving!

All Christmas Eve party food bought and squirrelled away.

Need to get the Fireworks Party food eaten (in a fortnight) and try and make even more room. Phew!

On another note- my Christmas cactus has buds!

Happy birthday for yesterday Mummy. I need to tackle the forest of tabs left open on the computer by DD2 - "just a few ideas, mum" . I'll mail order some things and add some to my list for my shopping trip the week after next.

Would it be very slatternly to say that as the house was deep cleaned and de cluttered in time for visitors last weekend I have no plans to repeat the exercise for Christmas? I'll be able to keep on top of it and I shut the door on teen DD2's room anyway - not my mess, not my responsibility. Although now I think I need Zoflora in my life.

Happy birthday for yesterday Mummy . Hope you had a lovely day x

Layla I'm very impressed by your mega planning and preparedness

Woolly I bought some Cranberry and Orange Zoflora yesterday - the kitchen smells delicious. I have yet to tackle the deep cleaning... I might have to make a start though I can't remember the last time I pulled out the sofa and did underneath slattern

I am dying to start wrapping presents. I've done all the kiddy presents for friends and family, bar two and if I can get them done in the next few days they can go up in the loft which will help declutter the spare room. However, I should do the mountain of ironing first, but understandably it is less appealing!

hi all,
i have stepped off Christmas prep for a while because real life is a little tough at the moment. No doubt by mid-November I will need to immerse myself in festive preparation to keep myself sane.
On the plus side I did get 3 Yankee advent calendars in the Boots 3 for 2.
DS's girlfriend is another Christmas lover and I found a kindred spirit at work who is not English so I introduced her to some good value Christmas bits at matalan as well as the M&S vouchers and Boots 3 for 2.

I really need to audit what I have. Feel very close to being finished with buying. I got six bottles of sparkling wine from Tesco with 25% off and then used an £8 off a £40 voucher to get it down further.

Had a lovely birthday, national trust day out and s picnic and a family meal the four of us at the harvester. Found food that Gabriel could have and he enjoying it. We were still there at his bed time but he was so good. I forget that having a 13 month old and eating out can be hard. We rarely eat out now! Ds1 lovely the salad cart and the drinks machine and helped clear the table. Ahh it was lovely.

It sounds like a lovely day, Mummy...happy belated birthday (I feel your eating out pain with a 2 and 3 year old here!).

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How can We be at 56?? I'm hoping to get into town one evening in the next couple of weeks to do stockings. I've got a couple Of bits but not enough.

My Christmas wrapping bag has come so I'm going to ask dh to get that and the advent calender down to assess those things. I made a fabric one for wilf's first Christmas and haven't used it since as it needs a few repairs.

My mil gave me a £50 hobbycraft voucher for my birthday so I'm considering using it to buy wool to knit scarves for some of the men in the family. Other men will be getting a selection of Christmas beers. Lots to do!

56!

I tried knitting once mummy ...I'm great at scarves.....for hamsters! As that's how long they manage to get before it goes horribly wrong.

Sorry to hear things have been tough constantly

woolly we are also about to embark on our pre winter 'deep' clean...it's the last chance we'll get to do a proper scrub down before Christmas. When you think about it, there's only 8 weekends left...and who wants to be scrubbing behind the cooker in December?!

Debating when to do the 'finishing off' gift shopping...I've got 80% of what I wanted online, but some things I prefer to see first and I like other odds and Sod's that it isn't worth paying the postage for....

Now, do I do it next weekend and get it all out of the way, or do I wait until the Christmas lights etc are on and it's more 'christmassy'? I have visions of relaxing with a hot chocolate and festive panini after a morning of finding bargains with carols playing in the background, the air redolent with mulled wine and roasting chestnuts...I live in York and it's really a beautiful city at Christmas time.

But...I have a feeling my Christmas shopping fantasy might end up a tad delusional, town will be rammed, the coffee shops full to the gills and I'll have to make do with a Greggs festive bake.

Constantly - you know where we are if you need distracting with inane festive chatter.

Clash York You live in one of my favourite places in the whole world. My lovely DH surprised me with a weekend away there a couple of years ago and it was wonderful.

I have the same daydream about a little bit of light festive shopping. I'm going to the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate at the end of November and will also be in Canterbury in early December when there is a Christmas market. In my head it's carols, twinkly lights and mulled wine. In reality it is likely to be Slade, neon lights and a bottle of Diet Coke.