Spring has sprung...let's Countdown to Christmas 2024 (Thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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For the forgetful of thinking AKA me tomorrow, repeating the countdown!

I spotted a girls Christmas dress in the Next clearance sale online, so I searched the site for 'Christmas' to see if the matching adult one was available and have spent a very happy half an hour wondering if I can justify a Christmas cat ornament.

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Morning!

The answer is yes to the cat ornament, @Frontroomroomjungle!

😂😂😂😂

It IS a very cute ornament, and I'm not one for that sort of thing.

Congratulations BiddyPop DD.

And another yes for the christmas cat ornament - why wouldnt you?

I've just arrived home from Leeds and the M1 is worse than the M6, its just varying sets of road works for about 170 miles - laying drains, apparently. And never stopped raining so a perfect Bank Holiday Saturday.

As suspected my Heritage of Scotland order was nearly all Christmas bags but some of them are really nice and were 34p each!!

I made myself look like an alcoholic bought two litres of vodka today, so I could do my fruity vodka. I still had a litre in the garage, so I have done raspberry, rhubarb and strawberry and blackberry. I went out to pick the blackberries this afternoon.

I also cleared the path to the woods of about 2ft of weeds for 50m. The council should do it, but haven't, and it was getting to the point that you couldn't walk along it without getting stung. So I took matters into my own hands. Most people going along there were dead friendly; it was nice. Bit warm, mind. And I'm stung to buggery now. Dosing up on antihistamines!

Is the vodka all for you or will some of it be gifted away Fluffy?

Magnolia I don't but gift bags anymore as DH receives so many (teacher presents) but they are lovely and I'm often tempted....

We've had a very productive day as we're going away on Monday and are doing that thing where we're making the house nice to come home to 🙄
As a result, we've dusted and hoovered everywhere, carpets have been shampooed, front and back gardens weeded, we've done both a charity shop and tip run, bathrooms are clean and a long time squeaky door has been fixed.
Tomorrow we have more jobs to do but not such big ones.

As is my tradition, I will start properly looking at possible presents while I'm away hidden from DH who already thinks I'm bonkers

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All for me, Meeces! It's for Christmas drinking, but also then lasts a fair while after. I'm just finishing the last one now, in fact.

Sounds like you've been productive. I'm impressed!

I'm impressed with your fruity Vodka, Fluffy and I might do some for myself although I've still got a Rumtopf sitting in the cupboard that I made years ago after seeing it on Escape to the Chateau - its probably quite dangerous now.

Happy holidays Meeces.

I'm ploughing through loads of post holiday laundry . Some of it can wait as we won't be wearing them till the next holiday .

My head is still a bit wibbly , feels weird to be on a floor that isn't moving about

Rudolph Day today I need to buy a new washing basket , how festive is THAT ?

Meeces yes we ( or I did 'cos DH was working) did the whole 'House Tidy ' on the Thursday before we left .
Washing , shopping , changing beds, last day dinner ..more lists than Christmas

Thanks Fluffy - I told my sister about my busy day and she didn't seem impressed!

70 maybe you can weigh in on an argument me and DH have been having for weeks.
I have a plastic flexi type one because I can pull the handles together and carry it with one hand if needed (like pic 1)
DH hates it because when it's not in use it's just a big thing taking up a lot of space so he wants me to switch to a foldable one (like pic 2).
What type are you going for and what's your opinion? Riveting I know 😂

I've been up since 8 and have completed the quiet jobs while DH was sleeping. Having a cuppa now before continuing with the day

I forgot the pics and I won't let me edit to add them 🙄 so here they are

Ooh. I like the foldable one, Meeces. We have one which lurks, but it lives in the huge downstairs loo (which is a kind of lootility as we have storage, washing rack and laundry basket in there as well).

I'm travelling down to see Why today. So far I've walked the dog, made marinade for the pork we're having on Tuesday, had breakfast, showered and wrapped some presents I'm taking down south with me. We're now at the station waiting for the train (luckily I checked the time as it had moved earlier by 8 minutes). We'll wander from Central to Lime St, and go to the little Sainsbury's near the station for travel snacks! It'll cost about 1/3 of the price than getting the same snacks in the station shops!

My sister has been here for a few days, and she brings out the best in me. My heart feels happy just being around her, and now I won’t see her for a few months. Very sad. My parents arrive today for 8 nights - can see that DH is dreading it.

We have been contemplating a move back to the UK (South East) for a few years now. I’m not sure what’s best for everyone, but I know that I’d love to see my sister regularly. The DC adore her, and we barely have a relationship with BIL and SIL and niece here. Having such a nice time with my sister makes me really think about that move. I’m just not sure it’s best for everyone else.

Happy holidays to everyone going away ☀️

Meeces just to add a further complication we have got 3 laundry baskets. Two fixed ones and one like your first pic - BUT it's collapsible. The bottom folds upwards so it's still as tall but is only about and inch thick so would slide down the side of a cupboard for example. It was a B&M purchase but typically I can't find it there so this is it from Dunelm

I'm another one that tidies/changes beds to come back to a tidy house after a holiday.

Fluffy wave as you go past 👋🏻

Congrats to @BiddyPop’s DD!

Tomorrow is our last day in Croatia. Am enjoying the holiday but also looking forward to being home.

Afternoon all. Happy Rudy Day. Thanks for all the good wishes for DD - she's currently packing suitcases (she flies on Tuesday) and I am figuring out how, if it's proven that it's broken tomorrow, she can get her nose reset in AMS next weekend when the swelling goes down. (She fainted at GP reception desk earlier this week and properly knocked herself out when she dropped - she's fine enough to have raced in a national champs all weekend before trying to get an X-ray this afternoon...🤪).

I like a good laundry basket - I'll get photos in a minute but I brought 1 of our 2 (identical) with me, but it's too big here. I have 2 okra bags (1 for dirty, 1 for clean to be folded) which are very useful. And I got the IKEA rectangular bucket which works perfectly as a laundry basket wet things and is also long enough as a bucket for my mop.

I bought 4 dining chairs today - I will need them for Christmas but also for a meal with work colleagues in 2 weeks to welcome some new arrivals. I'll ask a couple of attendees to bring a couple of chairs each for the remainder of the group.

Am now about to preserve some tomatoes from the balcony, do the ironing and hopefully some sewing (for Christmas) after that.

The blue basket is the original - flexible sides. The green bucket is what I really use, and the bags are great for moving things around - it just happens they are all from ikea but all bought separately over the past few years.

I have found my thread ! I have been getting quietly excited about Christmas for a little while now and cannot contain myself any longer , but everyone on RL (except for one like minded thread) isn’t interested. The nights are drawing in, I’ve an apple and cinnamon pie in the oven and I’ve been looking at Xmas trees online. ☃️🎁🎄🎅🏼

Hi everyone!
Trying to get organised..

where is the best place for Christmas pjs? We are a blended family and I need 6 adult and 1 toddler set of Christmas pjs this year that won’t cost me a fortune.. 😅 .. because we are off to Florida for the week for Christmas! 🎄

I've ordered a couple of plastic rigid laundry baskets , I already have the blue squidgey oval one in Biddys picture , Ikea bargain.
I can just stack them and store in the utility room ( glorified cupboard)

Lakeland had some of the collapsible ones but i am sure to trap my fingers in it

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Morning!

@TheRedheadMummy you can try Studio for christmas pyjamas or Primark do family sets. I'm not vouching for quality though as the last time I bought a matching set of Christmas pyjamas it was really just for the comedy and DH wore his for maximum 40 minutes. (Bah Humbug)

Beautiful day here - @NoWordForFluffy hope you're having a nice time with @whydoesitalwayshappentome dahn sarf.

PS welcome @Swollenandgrouchy

I've made a start on presents, but my favourite thing is the brandy I make for myself. I've made cherry brandy and bramble brandy. I also do a pear brandy 🙂

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My DD mentioned that we didn't have anything Christmassey planned ( apart from the Christmas Market ) ........she is most definately my daughter

DH and I always do a Traditional Shopping Day on the last Friday in November , but over the years we buy less ( because the DC need less ) and have a day wandering about and have lunch .

If there's anything at the cinema then I;ll book us all to see a film , dragging DS kickin'n;screamin'

London , I'll need to find somewhere different . I did a short list last year but we didn't get round to it . A mixture of train issues and weather . Oxford Street isn't the same as it used to be .
DD and I went to Bluewater on an early December Friday which was a lovely relaxing day , I was searching for a Cafe Nero Almond Croissant (couldn;t find one )

toughmonkeys I made Skittles Vodka one year ( red Skittles / purple Skittles ) they looked lovely and after filtering and chilling like jewell coloured syrup.
Some people mix colours and flavours but I have no idea what you end up with if you mix them all !