50 days to go and counting...time to get organised as the big man is on his way soon! Countdown to Christmas 2025, thread 3

[NoWordForFluffy]

50

Here we go...time to go go go all the way to the big day.

PSA: you need lots of batteries and sellotape, plus tin foil! #yourewelcome

Morning. Hope you’re not too soggy at the office Fluffy
I'm still stitching my cards too and I'm only doing 3 this year My rabbit is maybe 3/4 done and the other Santa one just needs the snow adding (it's rows and rows of white and I lost the will with it so abandoned it to start the rabbit).
Holding out hope they'll both be done by end of the month. Maybe

I need to sit down later and push DH to give me ideas for his family. We’re going to do gifts for each couple but they’re so hard to buy for. They have more money than us and not that many interests.

I also need to get a wriggle on and order my photo calendars. I’ve chosen my photos for most of them so will start that tonight too when I find a good deal on them.

What sort of card are you painting Fur? Village? tree? Snowman? Something totally different? Would love to see a pic when you’re done (and to make it fair I’m adding a photo of my incomplete rabbit as he is today).

And now back to what is going to be a busy and annoying work day. Sigh.

@Oneearringlost chicken wings! You roast them in the oven with stock vegetables and some fresh herbs. You then move your pan to the hob and add some booze, cook it out, then flour and cook that off and mash everything down so it’s all soft and meat is more off the bone. Once you’ve done that you add a couple of litres of boiling water and leave it to simmer.

It’s very easy and the chicken wings make it quite reasonable and delicious.

Surgery is on Friday, thank you for your thoughts!

im making my braised red cabbage today.

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces I love the cross stitch! Today I’m going to attempt some geometric Christmas trees using some masking fluid. Never used it before!

@FurForksSake thank you, thank you!
I'm delighted I've got my chicken wings, then.

I've done my red cabbage, never look forward to making it, ( but much better since I've got my mandolin; I dont have a great
food processor), Delia recipe, v good but lots of chopping). Happily portioned up and in the freezer now.
Sorry, thought your surgery was last friday, best wishes for this coming Friday.

I appear to have injured my shoulder so mot much happening here ☹️

I have started cleaning DS bedroom 🙁don't know how he makes so much dust.
Good.luck for Friday @FurForksSake

Good Luck for Friday FurForksSake

I don't need to worry about gravy ( vegetarians) but I do make one with the water from the vegetables and Knorr StockPot with Bisto (jar) vegetable gravy to thicken.

I decided now I;m going to bake a Christmas cake , I was looking for a shop one but TBH , there's none I like the look of . So I'll dig out the Delia recipe and work out the ratio to my cake tin size , not going to invest in a new tin.

I need to get Selection Boxes , the DC pretend they don't want them but there would be a riot if they weren;t bought .

Mostly dead skin. 😬🤢

Good luck for Friday, @FurForksSake

Urgh Urgh Fluffy
Though in my house the vacuum gets full of cats' hair , it has one of those cannisters and I take great delight in showing DH how much "his cats" are shedding the detritus (they are family cats but DH was the one who insisted we get felines once the guinea-pigs crossed The Rainbow Bridge )
And I feel justified in spending ££ on the snazzy Shark vacuum

Ditto ginger dog hair here. Sooooo much of it! 🐕

I feel ill now 🤢

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Morning

My cat isn't much of a shedder, his ginger brother (RIP) used to leave piles everywhere and I never thought I'd miss it but I do.

I've got an early finish today so I'm going to Primark to look at the Christmas PJ's - think I'm doing a "Cozy Christmas evening in" for DM and DSis so a candle, socks, pyjamas, book.

Good luck for Friday @FurForksSake

Morning. I’m waiting for my train as it’s office day today.

Am thinking this weekend will be the one to get pickled onions in (may be cutting it a bit fine but it is what it is). Any and all recipe suggestions welcome.
May do the red cabbage too, get it off the list.

Magnolia I sometimes find a random stray white hair from ddog who crossed the rainbow bridge 2 years ago. I can’t actually get them all off my woollen blanket without ruining it - I don’t mind though. I miss having him around especially in winter. He used to sit on my lap then randomly decide to burrow under the blanket until he was practically overheating 😂

I need to choose matching Christmas pjs. My DM has requested it as she’s doing an early family Christmas (does it every year so there’s no pressure to go to her for dinner on the day).

Shes had a tough year so I don’t want to say no but it’s going to be £40+ for the 3 of us

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces can you look on vinted or similar for matching pyjamas or has she already chosen the ones you need?

I bought all our wrapping paper yesterday, a HUGE 20m roll from aldi plus several others, I like a selection but all in a colour family - no character paper I am a grinch about that!

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LO woke me up around half an hour ago and I can’t get back to sleep. So so tired 🙄

Fur I’ve been scouring Vinted for the PJs for weeks but can’t quite get ones I like in the sizes I need (being a bit fussy as I am not an easy shape to get clothes for, we’ll be wearing them at my mams who will have heating on high so they can’t be fleece/too warm and I want to like them enough that I’ll wear them again and again).
Anyway, I think I stumbled on some yesterday in Morrisons and they were £12 for adults and £8 for LO which isn’t so bad.
Have bought them in a few sizes so me and DH need to try them on so I can return the ones we don’t need.

Hairspray I am the opposite of you when it comes to wrapping. I think this year I have grinch, stitch and avengers paper along with various Santa/dinosaur/snowman/penguin/star paper. My aim is to provide everyone (and under our tree) a selection of colourful mos matched presents as it reminds me of my childhood and fits in well with our mismatched tree with coloured lights

Have stuck on the Calm Christmas podcast and am hoping to get another hour before getting up for the day. I have a meeting heavy work day and could do without being tired and having a headache which is guaranteed on such a small amount of sleep. Sigh.

Hope you managed to get some more sleep Meeces.

I've got another early finish today as I'm invigilating so I plan to have some IRL shopping. Starting to slowly cross people off my list (cos I've bought for them not coz I no longer like them 😊)

Hope you got some more sleep Meeces i was up at midnight for a few hours because DS brought a vomiting bug home from school so I needed to clean the bathroom when he had finished 😔. He feels better this morning but won't be in school for the rest of the week.

Oh no, Granny. Just what you and he didn't need. I'm glad he's feeling better now.

I had a shocking night's sleep last night, so I'm also tired. The dog had no sympathy and dragged me round for 6km this morning. 😩 Giving blood makes running tough going for a few days too.

I just need some coffee for DH and my nieces' presents in NZ (gift vouchers!). I also need to bring the pikes together and start wrapping.

Morning! Sorry there have been such hard nights.

im listening to the calm Christmas podcast. Thanks for the suggestion, it’s rather lovely.

Hope you feel better soon Fluffy
On a happy note, I went to Aldi today and saw they had blood orange and pomegranate bucks fizz and spiced cranberry bucks fizz, maybe they will be a replacement for the M&S Christmas bucks fizz?

Finally glad that DH got me a steam cleaner for our anniversary

I have a bottle of each, in the hope they're good subs!

My DD is knackered and achy , no coughs or colds she's just really bleurgh . She's still going into work as she's busy but stacking up painkillers to keep her going . She can have a lazy weekend to catch up .
Hopefully all the sleep deprived will get a better night tonight .

I have my cake ingredients so I might as well soak the sultanas tonight

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Hope your DS feeling better today Granny

Good luck with the cake 70 I'm going to stir up some mincemeat this evening I think.

Also going to try and get to Aldi at some point to get the fizz - I am still cross with M&S customer services for giving me duff info so hope lots of folk buy the Aldi fizz.