In preparation for Christmas today I will……

[Beautifulsunflowers]

…….organise the freezer space and get if it stops raining I’ll go into town to WHSmiths to hopefully get the dark chocolate toblerone for ds’s stocking. I’m also going to make a few more Pom poms for my Pom Pom wreath.

Whst are you all doing today in preparation for the big day?

I've hand delivered cards to sundry neighbours.

This afternoon I'm popping into M&S to have a browse and buy any bits that take my fancy.

I am a bit lost today as FIL died suddenly overnight. DH has gone to be with MIL. Have no idea what will happen for Christmas. Kids upset but have gone to school. I’ve taken the day off to drop them in late & in case they need picking up. Am going to try and keep busy with actually doing stuff to not end up totally frustrated with myself by the end of the day.

TO DO:
Rehang outside lights - if it ever stops raining
Check DC lists for last bits that are missing
Check what I’ve got DH/last minute panic buying
Wrap everything!
Get stockings ready before Christmas Eve
Pop into care home I used to work at with chocolates
Buy myself Amarula

Random other jobs I wish I had time to do:
2 x picture frame for DS2’s posters & hang up
Clean the patio
Hang up all the framed artwork that’s been down since the building work started 🙄

• Try not to spend the day wafting about miserably….

*@LivingInaBuildingSite So sorry to read this, how awful so close to christmas.

@LivingInaBuildingSite So sorry to read your sad news.

Dh finishes work today! So happy as he works sometimes 7 days a week and I’m so glad he’s getting a break. He’s going shopping tonight with my brother and our friend where they get gifts for the wives. It’s a tradition.

I’ve done the Aldi shop. Iceland coming in next hour. I went to the tip to empty our general waste bin as our collection next week will be a week late apparently. I’ve come home to recycling bin not collected. They said there’s food waste in it but it’s only got cardboard in! They do this constantly.

I need to sort my outside freezer as I’m struggling for space. I’ll go out when baby is asleep and see if I can free up some space for Iceland.

Dh will be eating out tonight so I’ve picked up an Aldi pack of profiteroles. I’m going to gorge tonight by myself when kids in bed😁

@LivingInaBuildingSite Sorry for your family. It’s a horrible time for that to happen any time of the year x

I'm so sorry to hear that @LivingInaBuildingSite, so close to Christmas as well.

Thanks all for your kind comments. It feels much worse being so close to Christmas, mostly I feel bad for the DC, esp DD who had carefully collected all the purple quality streets for her grandad as they are his favourite.

TO DO:
Rehang outside lights - if it ever stops raining
Check DC lists for last bits that are missing - stressing DS2 doesn’t have much! Need to find a book I got for him that DH hid somewhere.
Check what I’ve got DH/last minute panic buying
Wrap everything -Started…
Get stockings ready before Christmas Eve
Pop into care home I used to work at with chocolates
Buy myself Amarula

Random other jobs I wish I had time to do:
2 x picture frame for DS2’s posters & hang up
Clean the patio
Hang up all the framed artwork that’s been down since the building work started 🙄

Have the house to myself so have wrapped all the presents. Feeling quite pleased with myself.

@LivingInaBuildingSite

So sorry....

I've put up the tree and the lights so DD can see it when she comes home from last day of work, and she can decorate it tomorrow.

Christmas break starts at 5pm.

Just finished work for the year, and have a few more items left to pack for our decampment to our Second Home tomorrow.

Will be making the journey first thing in the morning then the rest of the day will be spent getting the decs up.

On Friday DD is coming down from Durham University to join us, and we'll be doing a tour of the local farm shops to collect our orders (plus a quick whiz round Lidl to get anything we missed).

My DS1 has Durham down as his favourite for uni next year, do you rate it from a parents pov?

TO DO:
Rehang outside lights - if it ever stops raining
Check DC lists for last bits that are missing - stressing DS2 doesn’t have much! Need to find a book I got for him that DH hid somewhere. FOUND IT
Check what I’ve got DH/last minute panic buying BOUGHT 3 x MORE DONE ☑️
Wrap everything -Started… last few bits to go…
Get stockings ready before Christmas Eve
Pop into care home I used to work at with chocolates
Buy myself Amarula DONE ☑️

Random other jobs I wish I had time to do:
2 x picture frame for DS2’s posters & hang up
Clean the patio
Hang up all the framed artwork that’s been down since the building work started

We had a nice day out yesterday 🤗

I planned to get a lot of tidying done today but I wasn’t feeling well for the first half of the day 😩 I need to write 4 cards and bake cookies before the end of the day/night!!

I bought some more gloves for my mum as I haven’t been able to find the ones I bought her before 🙈 I also got dp his last stocking filler, ordered ds an extra stocking filler and picked up the package with the drink I ordered for dp for his Christmas Eve box and now his is complete!

I feel like there’s so much more that I need to get done today as I haven’t done the tidying 😩 I am going to put a load of laundry in now and bake cookies and wash up and see if I have time to do anything else after 🤔

Fly home!!

I may even write my cards on the plane....but I don't feel guilty if I don't get to it.

5 sleeps!!!

Today we will:

visit farm shop for beef and sausage meat. Might get a pie too for over Xmas.

dd has last swimming lesson today and I need to pay today.

Need to pick up 2 secret Santa small gifts.

Get dh to oil the hinges on loft hatch. I suddenly realised how noisy it is and when kids are asleep I’ll be opening it to get out presents. It’ll wake the baby and maybe dd1 so see if dh can oil it 😁

Still didn't get the wrapping started

Today

Today

Without fail

Today.

Today I will:

Buy cheeses and have a look in Lidl to see if they have anything I'd like
Get my DS's haircut
Buy surprise present for DH (main one done)
Buy book for my mum, maybe nice notebook for their Nana
Clean the oven
Finish up last bits for work

All wrapping finished yesterday thank goodness. Today we're delivering presets to people we won't see on Christmas Day.

Today I'm shopping for DH's "big" present. I've left it a bit late but it was so easy to deal with the smaller things first. I'll also pass a small independent shop that has nice cheeses so I'll pop in and maybe treat me and DH to something.

Another thing I didn't think I would do - buy an unctuous Belgian gateau for our house when I get home! Now to manage it safely on the plane...

Also need to remember to take the cheeses from the fridge and put into the suitcase for the extended family cheeseboard on 25th.

But I have remembered to check in (although too late to get a decent seat - stuck in the middle.

Today we went to the farm shop and got beef, sausage meat, giant Yorkshire puddings, gravy and some other nice bits for next few days. Picked up a gingerbread train set to build which we’re getting for FIL who loves trains.

Went B&M and picked up secret Santa gifts for £5 each. We got a coffee set and a hot chocolate set. Dh also picked up dd1 another present. I shouldn’t have taken him, he can’t resist.

Dh has now oiled and WD40’d the loft hinges and springs so when I open it late Xmas eve to get gifts out kids won’t wake up!

Dh has just wrapped my gifts whilst I dyed my hair. He is full of cold so hanging off the furniture at the moment 😅Ignore the fact both kids and me have had it this week by now over it. I told him he has to wrap all gifts separately. He wanted to do it in a pass the parcel style with a present in each layer!

Just got to pick up dd from school after going to her learning festival day. Then swimming lesson to go and pay for. Then home for beef dinner with mash, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, roast pots and veg. Nothing to do tomorrow except take neighbour to train station.

Note to self - the Aldi Belgian chocolate profiteroles weren’t as nice as I’d hoped.

Today I bought some eggs for baking as apparently Sainsbury's had none in store at all for my delivery yesterday
I bought the dogs some presents

That's all. In my defence I'm very hungover. This afternoon after a work meeting I'm going to buy a present for a man I've recently started dating. Later on I'll do some more wrapping.

I can tick off today that I've had my first lot of Omalizumab injections at hospital. I don't have any more appointments till New Year now, so I can breathe a bit. Still to do:

Later today: Pick up non alcohol aperol spritz
Thursday: Avoid the mad wind as much as possible, but drop the teacher gifts off at school drop off and pick up the cats meds.
Friday: Clean the hob and deliver the cards to the neighbours. Update Waitrose order.
Saturday: Wrap DDs presents, then have a bit of a pamper time in the evening. Take delivery of Waitrose Christmas food order.
Sunday: Hopefully have a relaxing day. Go to Crib service early evening.

Not sure if I've forgotten anything.

I need to sort DD1’s room. She’ll be home on Saturday and I’ve kind of used her room a Christmas dump.

I’ve been through cupboards and need to finalise the grocery order for Saturday.

Have the cheese in my checks bag. Have the gateau carefully under my seat (managed to get a non-edit row and last window seat on board!).

Bought the gin DH asked for. And some Belgian Christmas beer he didn't (but loves).

Managed to buy chocs for the people in the office and leave them with a card on each desk. And got a box of naice chocs for DMIL (as she doesn't eat cheese).

Now sat on plane, behaving myself and silently fizzing with excitement going home (6 weeks away). Have a few work bits to do in the city tmrw so will do some shopping as well for gifts not yet bought. And maybe start the wrapping. So probably should behave and not hit the gin from the trolley.