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

They sell holly, gingerbread man and candy cane sprinkles in Home Bargains or B&M Homes for cheapy cheap

Hairspray I could snog you!! I was trying to work out where I could get some from.

Just won a pair of £45 wellies for the toddler. Woohoo!

I've got my pre Christmas cold, hoping it'll be gone by the weekend.

We are all recovering from or in the midst of the winter vomiting bug. It's joyous! 😷

But, at least it's done before Christmas!

(It's why I've been quiet as I could barely function!)

ooh Hungry feel better!

No probs mummy I bought a few packs earlier in the year and will have to do some baking soon else they will just sit in my kitchen for ever!

Oh Hungry that sounds grim. I hope you are all on the mend now, and that you weren't stuck alone in Bonny Scotland when it struck!

I spent a very productive half hour out at lunch - I hit 3 shops (an arts and crafts, a toys and a kids shop) and got the toys I was looking for to sort 4 DN's and an extra thing I wanted for DD.

I still need something for a 7 year old boy, an 8 year old boy, a 6 year old girl and a 15 year old girl. And a few more adults. But progress is happening!

Actually, I think I need to make sure that the 6 and 8 year olds are bought and wrapped before Friday as DH needs to transport them then. And I'd better order the present for his KK as that requires internet delivery.

Thankfully I wasn't up here when it all kicked off, as it were. But, typically, I'd swapped my working days this week so I dragged my very sorry arse up here yesterday whilst feeling utterly grim.

Today I'm at about 80% of normal and will hopefully be OK by tomorrow.

My poor DH was ill at the weekend as well, but seemed to rally quickly, thankfully. But he has had to deal with a vomiting toddler overnight last night without me there. I hate being up here when my babies are ill.

Only DS who hasn't puked yet! I don't like to tempt fate much though!

I'm impressed with your productive half hour, Biddy. There's nothing near enough where I work to be that productive (unless you have a car to hand, which I don't!). Internet shopping only here!

Oh Horace that sounds grim

DH has lovingly passed along his cough and cold so I also feel awful. Slept for 10 hours last night which is unheard of for me!

I am now looking at the wall that needs painting and getting irritated that my tree is still not up. I'm adding to the trees thread this weekend even if I'm still feeling rough!

Productive day today

Most of my cards are written and I should get the rest done tomorrow.

All the presents for the children are wrapped, bagged and ready to go.

Six bags of presents and cards were despatched at the weekend and if Martha behaves I should get a few more adult presents wrapped up tomorrow.

I've got to clean my front door, porch window and door step tomorrow or Thursday so I can put the wreath up - tree is going up at the weekend!!!

House is all higgledy-piggledy but nothing a focussed hour won't sort out.

I am aiming to sit down on Monday evening in a very christmassy house with nothing to do but get DH's presents. I always leave his presents until last so I get to feel like a christmas shopper.

Forgot to say...Hope all you poorly people feel better soon. Don't give me your germs over the interwebs - I will not be happy!

2 more to buy!

I made my fudge made peppermint bark pops and finished bottling all my booze yesterday. I have fruit choccy buttons and crackers to make tonight, I am going on a site visit with work tomorrow, all the way to Penrith from Brum in one day!

So I imagine I will be rather tired!

Friday is my works Christmas do and Saturday we are hosting our own festive bash with all our pals from Uni descending on my tiny cupboard house!

17

How long does fudge keep? I'm trying to work out when I can make mine.

I didn't do anything more in terms of family festivities last night, but I did end up spending quite some time trying to organize a trip for the Cubs to the circus the week before Christmas, and to the local lifeboat station this coming weekend. (Circus is a freebie offering to Scout troupes locally by the circus management, another trip fell through this weekend so scrambling to replace).

Today's sentiment in my "Busy Women's Calendar" is to "Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart." - Erma Bombeck.

So I will follow my pumpkin soup for lunch (frozen after Halloween) with something nice as well as good for me - its' a great excuse to have a mince pie!

Keeps for ages, all the boiling etc kills any nasties plus the sugar is a preservative. I made some last year about this time that was still good at the end of Jan, but it all got eaten after that so I have no definitive time scale!

I would say a month if you want to be on the safe side but it can keep longer. I am giving out some of my hampers at my xmas party so need to have at least half of them finished before that.

Bugger! Just as I felt like I might be on the mend, I sprained my ankle rushing in to work this morning. I've been off for weeks and just started back on reduced hours so didn't want to be late and slipped off a step. It's swollen and I can't put weight on it which scuppers my plans of painting that wall tonight. Ah I'm so annoyed!

I'm trying to keep looking at the bright side - surely this means I have to rest and crochet for the afternoon / evening while DH fussed over me?

Very of all of you digging in to your Christmas prep!

Oh no! Get to the hospital if you still can't weight bear in a few hours.

Oh no! Hope you're feeling better now, Handbag.

You need RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

16

So close now! I finish work today for an extra-long weekend due to this week's day swap. Lovely stuff! Then it's 3.5 days in the office until that's it til Christmas. I've 3 Defences due before then, so won't actually relax until they're filed and served on time. Oh, and another Court document as well (but I'm clinging on to the idea that it'll settle before then to save me the effort!).

I'm desperately trying not to twitch now. I've a feeling I'm going to fail at that, sadly. Can't help myself! 😂😂😂

I've been twitching like a half dead fish for weeks. I'm really struggling not to buy stuff!!

I still have to buy for my uncle and gtandfather, they are both difficult though! Worst case grandad gets a nice jar filled with werthers (sp?)
No idea for uncle, he is fifty, lives in london, no kids, single, gay, very house proud and works in business travel any ideas anyone??

A really nice travel wallet - something in leather or with plenty of useful pockets for DUncle Hairpsray?

Handbag how is the foot today? I hope the swelling went down.

Hungry I hope you get your defences sorted (I am hearing "My defences are down, he's broken my resistence" in my head!! )and can enjoy the long weekend.

Mummy, I am half twitching too (I bought a lego set for DD when I should have been done - I admitted it to DH last night as he's worried the iPad case, earphones and crocs he ordered from Amazon won't arrive on time as they haven't yet been dispactched).

But I still have 2 DNs to buy for (needs to be done today), and then a few other bits and pieces (1 DAunt/DUncle, a book token for a DUncle, coffee, tealights, 1 more child DN, 1 mid-teens DN, DBIL, and ordering the KK present for another DBIL but I know what he wants/needs). And DH's Amazon Echo - but he wants to wait until that comes down in price again and I had already bought for him.

I've just realized - I have my first yoga class at lunchtime!! I've no gear (luckily I'm in trousers today and they have spare mats). But more importantly, I have shopping I need to do!! Although, DH has DD today, so I could just do it en route home instead and be a bit late....

My ankle is ok I think. I can hobble around but can't put my full weight on it without pain, and the top of my foot has gone a bit blue. I'm guessing my wall just isn't going to be painted which is annoying.
On the plus side, DH looked after me very well yesterday. I barely moved from my position on the sofa with my foot up. Was quite nice for one night. Frustrating today though.

Hungry - you job sounds interesting. I quite like the idea of being away part of the week (although I have no dc). I have images of you working all day and drinking cocktails all night 😁

Mummy - I'm resisting the twitch so far. It's so hard! ok so I gave in and bought a bottle of whiskey for my dad but it's his birthday in Feb so I'll keep it for that

Hairspray - good bottle of booze for uncle?

Biddy - definitely do the shopping on your way home. Hopefully it won't be too stressful at that time?
I hope you enjoy your yoga. I've been meaning to start for ages but just haven't.

I did get my Christmas haircut last night, and some "candy cane" stripes put into it!

I wore one of my Christmas jumpers this morning to work, plain grey, with a santa hat on the front and the text
"I can't keep calm
It's CHRISTMAS!"

Totally appropriately understated for a staid civil servant doing an (un)important policy job!!

Love the hair! I'm growing out a pixie cut. I'm hoping to get dh to stick a colour on it to hide some of the grey.

Oh your hair looks lovely! Mine is a very boring bob - it's naturally red so I haven't dyed it for years but maybe a Christmas colour would be nice....