Dust off your decs and bring out your baubles; this is your 5 week warning! Countdown to Christmas thread 9

[NoWordForFluffy]

36

Morning! Brand new thread for the new week!

Frange it is things like him singingtgsr make such precious memories🤩
The house sounds ideal for you , hope it is your forever home 🏘️🏠🏡

Afternoon!

Acey, I'm glad you're seeing the positives now. It must be comforting.

Frange, good luck with the house!

Mrs, busy as ever!

I've been baking today. I still have 1 more thing to make. So far I've done mince pies, brownies and sausage rolls (to freeze uncooked and cook from frozen when needed). Thai crab cakes left to do.

I'm glad I'm getting ahead as I'd never have got this all done on Christmas Eve!

I'm debuting my Christmas apron too!

Fluffy your baking looks divine well done!
Which apron are you going to wear , l am lusting after the Sophie Allport Robin one is I'd beautiful 🤩

This one! It's not that posh, sadly! 😂

It's smashing very cheeky and jolly , l love it!!! The SA stuff is gorgeous but so expensive ! Difficult to justify the cost tbh 🤔 l wish l bought them in the sale when l saw them lol that will teach me !!!

I have to say you look so slim in it m'dear thank you for getting pic ♥️

Hiya - at the bingo with my grandad now 😂
Addie is currently going wild, she did this last time we came
Will catch up this evening :)
Have a grand rest of the day everyone!

Thank you, Mrs. ❤️

Here's my last thing: Thai crab cakes which I'll serve with homemade chilli jam mixed with lime juice and fish sauce. Can't wait!

There'll be another sale in Jan, Mrs!

Enjoy the Bingo Addie & Mum lol
Fluffy ,Crab cakes look & sound delish and yes to the Jan sales lol 🤩

Thanks mrs

I’m ok. He’s going to stay here till after Christmas so it doesn’t affect the kids Christmas.

Otherwise I don’t know anymore. I’m taking one day at a time. Organizing Christmas, the kids, work and emotions is very draining. But as long as the kids are ok that’s the main thing

Fluffy I'm jealous of your drinks collection. I've hid a few seasonal bottles somewhere. I've hid them a bit too well. I'll probably find them in July.

We had to put on hold decorating the tree as we forgot to buy a star. So braved the town centre. It was chaos but I got that and a couple of presents.

Oh Side, I really feel for you. I hope the new year can see some form of new start for you in some way.

It's not a bad collection, is it Nero?! Most of it was free from Sainsbury's during the double up! I need to buy more of the Irish cream from M&S as it's amazing!

I don't envy you your trip into town!

Fluffy That looks delicious!

Chips I’m so sorry, I hope you can start feeling a little better soon

Called up the house, we are going to view it on Wednesday.

I really can't keep up with you all! Sorry to hear you were unwell wheel, hope you are feeling better now? Amazing baking fluffy!

In laws have just given us DS's birthday present. It is a full size guitar. He will be 3... Internet recommends full size from 12 years old

Mrs - Just being honest my lovely ❤️ That’s the plan my dear, live my best life whilst also giving Addie the best life I possibly can too 💕 I’ll be doing my degree through the open university next October so that I can do it at home whilst I look after and raise Addie. I just want to show her that no matter what life throws at you, if you work hard then anything is possible I love what you said about kids being an extension of us
Addie is my wee miracle and she has already taken over my life, everything I do at the moment is with her in mind, keeping her safe and growing until she’s here. She’s not even here yet and I would move mountains for her, I love her so much it’s indescribable ❤️ She has completed my life in ways I never knew possible
Ah that’s so sweet that you used to take flowers and such to your friend and you found comfort in that 😘 my great grandma and my mums name are on the headstone and my dads name will be on it in the new year, it’s just nice to go there and lay some flowers so that they know we are thinking of them

Chips - I hope the new year is a better one for you

Frange - I really hope the viewing goes well and that this is your forever home

Fluffy - it feels like I can finally breathe and see the light at the end of the tunnel your baking looks fabulous as always! I love the apron!

Nero - you are brave going to town at this time of year! Glad you got what you needed though

Sorry if I’ve missed anyone, still at the bingo

How does maternity pay / time off work in Ireland, Acey? Is it more generous than here? Will you be negatively affected by having worked over here for a while (we wouldn't be able to get SMP or MA without the right qualifying work period).

I've had a fun game of freezer Tetris after baking as we need to fit it all in! Including scraping the ice from the chest freezer to gain a couple of inches! 😂

Interesting present choice, Red!

Our Christmas bedding is on!!

Went to Winter Wonderland, saw Father Christmas, DD went ice skating, DS2 went on the Yeti Ride twice, DS2 had a hot dog for lunch, DD and I had cheeseburgers, we took them to the Bavarian Village to eat, they had hot chocolates with whipped cream and Flakes, had lamb rogan josh for supper, DS2 will go to bed at 7.30, DD will go at 9.30.

Hi everyone! Still slightly under the weather. The room painting is going really well though! We should finish it up tomorrow (Husband has to go to work tonight so it has slowed out progress)

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah so Happy Chanukah!!

PSB I adore that photo with Santa !

Fluffy Fantastic bedding and great baking!! I'd love to eat all those lol

Acey the flowers for your dad are beautiful. I think it's great you have a place you can go and visit and take things for him.

red huh.....that is an interesting gift for a little guy lol.....really....interesting? HAHA

chips You are in my thoughts right now so often as are your kids. :( I'm heartbroken for you.

Fiddle Yay for finding a star! We love the star on top of ours. It's my kids favorite thing.

Frange I'm so glad my kids are older and we don't have to get sucked into the elf stuff. I think it would drive me batty

Here's a before of the kid's room and after although it's not done. Everything is crammed onto that side of the room so that we can finish painting but you can see how different it's going to look with the new paint. It's such a small room there's not much we'll be able to do about clutter but hopefully the blue will make it look more fresh at least.

Also more Christmas lights, our stockings and my new house and tree in my 'forest' :)

Just got home, I didn’t win, but my grandad did yay, a whole €20

Just went to hang my coat up, but maverick isn’t having any of it 😂

Not sure what to do for dinner tonight, it’s getting late and got to be up early for work tomorrow. Hmm decisions.

Fluffy - that’s a very good point, I know we have maternity benefit here, but I don’t know if I would even be eligible, plus working in the UK will possibly have screwed a few things up. My work said we will discuss my maternity package in January so we shall soon find out. Your bedding looks lovely! Freezer Tetris is never fun 😂

Red - I’m laughing so hard at that present, it’s definitely interesting to say the least

Wheelie - are you feeling any better today? Ooo I love the colour of the room, it looks so much fresher! I love your stockings and those trees look awesome. Your house is looking wonderfully festive, I love it thank you, aye it’s definitely nice to have somewhere to go and lay flowers etc.

I hope everyone’s having a lovely evening, I’ll be back on later

acey I'm loving Maverick. I am feeling somewhat better. I was just able to eat some scones and I had a banana and crackers earlier! No fever either! I take a bit longer to recover from stuff like this because I have Crohn's Disease.

Maverick looks so much like Lilah and I'm going to spam you all with one more photo. The boy cats showed Lilah the bathtub and she has a new favorite seat.

She looks like a little blob of darkness with eyes half the time haha

Busy(ish) weekend here and now there's three weekends left before Christmas don't panic Captain Mainwaring

I have to cattleprod DH into the attic to get the decorations, plan where they'll all go .
Go out for dinner next weekend (DS Birthday , we usually go for a Toby Carvery -his choice- but it was a bit rubbish when we went last time - August)
Pick up his present (guitar)
Supermarket shopping for all the heavy storable foods , drinks etc
Tidy after the decorations (I scrubbed the bathroom and oven on Friday )
Get my hair cut and go to my works meal out
Take DD to London.
Last minute fresh food shopping
And some baking

Happy Chanukah Wheelie! Makes me want to sing Phoebe's Christmas song from Friends: "Monica, Monica, have a Happy Chanukah..." 😂

Thanks Wheelie, the dad of the children in front of us said, "There's one happy boy!" as Santa was chatting to DS2! 😂

Lovely blue in your kids' room!

Don't panic me 70