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

I have a funny feeling we may need a 3rd thread before Christmas actually arrives this year!

Ha ha... am I going to dress her up?!? Yeah!! Until she can protest and effectively argue her case against me then she will wear whatever I put her in we will be cracking out the Christmas Pyjamas next week, and I have put out a christmas jumper for today.

In years to come no doubt she will tell me off but for now I will indulge!

I think thread three is a certainty.

Oh Biddy!
I am civil servant too! I don't think I am anywhere near as important as you mind I just deal with forms and write reports and make maps. Occasionally they let me out of the office to actually look at a project I am working on, but mainly it is very abstract.

Oh Hairspray, that sounds like bliss!! Reports, maps, a little outdoor jaunt occasionally - yes please! (No, I am not important really - at least, I don't think so, it's just that someone has to go and we share those joys around the small group...and this is a much smaller group than some others).

21

In 3 weeks it'll be Christmas Eve

Got the cake done today (the house smalls of Christmas now )

I'm going to sort out the freezer in the garage (defrosted the fridge/freezer in the kitchen last week)

Take DH to the supermarket to get dried/pantry/freezer things

Christmas bedding now on all the beds

Christmas oilcloth cover on the table (that'll be till Christmas Eve then we'll use the fabric ones)

Planning more tidying up , then DD and I are going to London.

Looking forward to some time off work to relax and watch rubbishy telly

I've started my Christmas present making. I'm machine embroidering blankets for seven children. Just snowflakes sparsely over the blanket and their name on an IKEA fleece. I'm hoping they look nice, the only out lay is £3 for the blankets and £25 for a long roll of stabiliser. My mother in law gave me the machine and a box of bobbins and threads.

Soap will be made this week and then the week leading up to Christmas I'm going to make the truffles and fudge-mas trees.

First blanket finished :-)

Thank you, I don't own a kiln but do go to a pottery group once a week, I only started a couple of months ago so I'm quite chuffed!

Tree has been bought, will be going up tomorrow accompanied by mulled wine.

Ooh the blanket is lovely, so of people who are arty types.

So 20 days now , in three weeks it'll be Christmas Day.

We are going to London (DD and I) on Sunday.

Next week will be DH & I shopping (we usually go in Nov but he couldn't book a day off earlier) Hopefully just the last few bits and a Costco shop.
I've put some things on his eBay watchlist that I want.

The Tree and Decorations next Saturday
DS Birthday meal on Sunday (he chooses its always a Carvery which is nice and festive)

I'm working through my Present List, my To Do List and need to write my Food List.

I have a Christmas TV Times here but its 17th-30th Dec - is there a Christmas Week- New Years one or is this the format?

I've cleaned the oven! Christmas can begin now.

I have the washing machine running with a cleaning gloop in it (to clean the machine, no clothes), and 2 loaves of banana bread in the oven making nice smells in the kitchen! DH insisted we went to the storage this morning to get out the decorations - but then gave out about the amount we were bringing home (I left 2 crates there!).

I have some more tidying to do in the spare bedroom - making some order out of the chaos. And then start decorating tomorrow evening I think.

I've just realised I will HAVE to clean the oven - the banana bread overflowed the tins....

Did the tree today, the kids were at my mum's and it felt totally wrong. DD got home and burst into tears because I'd done it without her

Went Xmas shopping with DH yesterday and didn't buy a single present!

Have I lost my Christmas mojo?!

Tree got and done. It smells lovely! We chose it in five minutes and I love it when they cut it down, real tradition.

Tree is going up next weekend so this week the plan is to blitz the kitchen (again.... I bloody seem to do it every week) and clean the front door and windows so I can get the outside of the house done.

We've been staying at my parents this weekend and have been to Winter Wonderland at Tamworth Snowdome. It was fantastic!!

Martha is trying out Santa's boots....

19

I met some reindeer yesterday! I went to Planters in Tamworth and they were there for the children, and me!

Today, I am mostly working in the office for the morning (and losing myself online for part of it - to move from 1 set of legalese into the next and not get mixed up!).

This afternoon, I will watch DD playing hockey and hopefully touch base with the teacher in charge of it, who may agree that we no longer need to supervise hockey weekly (there's 1 more week before Christmas break, and my DAunt will be collecting DD after Christmas but I can't really ask her to go so early to stand on the sidelines for 45 minutes, but also can't really afford to ask for all that time off on a regular basis). There have been no problems at all in the 4 weeks we've been supervising.

Then we will do some baking at home, I hope, as the school fair is on Sunday and I have to produce stuff for that. DD has requested Candy Cane cookies, so I can make those ahead of time. Otherwise, it will be trying to do some more tidying and maybe changing DD's sheets for the Christmas ones.

I think I'm done! I've bought all presents and written all cards. I even posted the ones that needed posting today. I have never been organised this early before!

I spent a very nice hour or so yesterday watching the Holiday and finishing the cards, however, there is no tree up at our house yet. I have a wall to paint first and it's not going to be done until Wednesday so probably won't have decorations until this weekend

Have we all checked out the 'show us your TREES' thread? I saw some posters have been over. It's a beautiful thread

It's lovely isn't it?

Well I'm glad the tree is up as I've spent all day staring at it due to a temperature, sore throat and hideous headache, meaning I've been off work. Still got over 39°, so looks like I may be off again tomorrow.

So much left to do, zero energy and time to do it. Can we start the countdown from November again please?

18

Heading into manic times now. Music recital this week and then next week there are daily Christmas events at the preschool I work at. There's nothing like a sea of 3&4 year olds to raise your Christmas spirits.

I'm pretty much prepared for the 'mechanics' of Christmas but not feeling very festive yet.

You can have my three year old if you like?

He's got his performance next Tuesday. I'm chair of the committee so I've got to do the cakes. Trying to work out how to make crispy cakes Christmassy and easy!

Thanks for the offer Mummy but err...

Christmas tree crispy cakes - rice crispies, White chocolate and green food colouring. Shape into small cone shapes and add a few sprinkles for decoration.

Disclaimer - not sure of the effect of green food colouring on preschoolers.

I'll give it a go. I've done wreaths before from nigella and they were awful.

Or can you get holly shaped sprinkles? You could make the regular milk choc rice crispie version into a ball shape, put a small dollop of white choc over the top, and add a holly leaf/berry sprinkle if you have them to make a "Pudding". A red cherry could be used to chop into little berries instead if you really want to be faffy and have no sprinkles.

We didn't bake. DD had walked to the secondary school in her tshirt, in 8 degrees C! Then was cold and hungry so got in bad form quickly. She played, but we needed hot choc and food afterwards (I needed lunch!). Teacher agreed that DH and I can drop attendance - yay!!

By the time we got homework done and got home, made dinner, had dinner, and did a hair treatment (dreaded nits are rampant in school again!) - we did not have time for baking or fun stuff.

But I have the important paperwork sorted. A few more bills to pay today. And hopefully a quick shopping trip at lunch to get a few more things - my list is reducing but not yet gone!