Festive frugaleering - Merry Christmas, and a happy 2019 to you all.

[AutumnLeaves12]

Welcome to the new thread!

christmas it was always going to be tough one for you & your mum, but you got through.
lonely the blanket is lovely, I've crocheted in the past & you might just be inspiring me to have another go.
Happy birthday to mini malteser
Em if you can wear a gold sequinned mini skirt, you go girl! I've never had a figure that could carry that off so love the idea of it.
Autumn acrylic in a tumble dryer?

We are en route to devon for NY. Lots of roadworks but have kept moving so far. 2-3 hours to go. We've got a bag of food with us, plenty of filled water bottles and a flask. Just passed a services where there was a massive queue for the drive thru Costa. Save yourselves a fortune & get a flask!!
Forgot to say earlier, the waffle maker has gone down a storm, glad we got it.

Fluffy, great top.
em, I second a pic for tomorrow.
Happy Birthday to Loves dd.

Walking with Dinosaurs was really good. It was narrated by Michaela Strachan, I can recommend it.
I only spent £3 on some chips after the show for the DCs, so that was very good.
Should be a NSD today.

I'm glad autumn only it seems such a funny comment, but if she's a pro, then she probably knows best!
See if my sister (or mum) says for example "gosh you look better now you've put that weight back on" we all know it translates to "ha ha, fat cow, were's your discipline gone now, at least you are about the same size as me again". Neither have quite said this...but you get my meaning!

Kallax built. It's quite small and neat. Just got to find homes for another mountain of random gubbins, and I might be able to see the radiator, and perhaps the tiles.

I know exactly what you mean Lonely. Yes it did sound very funny indeed. I only understood it because I'd been reading clarinet forums online and they are very focused about teeth. Kids aren't allowed to start playing until about 12 because it can make their teeth go wonky if they start too early.

I'm glad I'd read that as at least I understood what she meant.

I totally get you about the comments from relatives. A good friend of mine once went to a family do, and her uncle said "You're getting fat [friend's name] but it suits you."

The awful thing was that he was perfectly right. She was getting fat, and she did look absolutely lovely like that. I was totally at a loss to know what to say when she told me.

Girlie - Totally off topic, but there are also threads on clarinet forums about young teenage girls fainting while playing the clarinet and being sent off for an ecg.

Apparently if they faint while playing they have to be tested for heart problems, because with most girls it's just that they are under the weather, but with a very tiny minority it is a heart thing that has to be caught early. It seems that this is an absolutely known thing among clarinet teachers. I only mention in case you want to give the heads-up to your dd's clarinet teacher, that that is already under way with your dd.

I'm quite big now, but the clarinet still gives me the head woozles sometimes. How a young teenage girl does it I'll never know. I hope you don't mind me mentioning, as encouragement from one clarinet enthusiast to another rather younger one.

autumn that's interesting to know thank you. Dd is booked for bloods and ecg tomorrow, she is very anxious about it so am crossing everything she let's them do it!

We're back from town, tired now but pleased with the bits we got.

Spends
£8 superdrug reduced gift sets.
£7 the works on two birthday gifts for friends kids.
£10 lunch
£11 new look on a new jumper
£2 birthday cards
£4 wilko batteries and bird seed

Dd also spent her book voucher in waterstones on two books.

OOH - xray,chunk of needle removed from finger and Tetanus jab

Hobbycraft -£10 on new sewing machine needles ,some threads and a finger protector

Have just threaded up new needle,donned finger protector and given up as the thread breaks every 3 stitches

Im knitting and watching Cinderella .

Quite is your thread tension too tight. Ouch for your finger!

Everything ,apart from.my clumsiness,was fine until I changed the needle Wolf
Fed up with it now and I cant find the manual.

Girlie that's great that it's being done so soon. Good luck there.

If it's any help, my ds refused the blood test, but we just gave him loads of extra iron and he perked right up, so the test was really not necessary in the end. Maybe if your dd is not keen you could just give her extra breakfast cereal too?

Sorry to hear about that Quite. That must have been quite a poking that you got.

Ouch! Quite.

Almost NSD. Had to buy milk. Been baking amd making soup today.

Spent £7 on electric today.

That's an essential spend though

Snuggly you’ve just reminded me to post spends 4.80 on bagels, milk and melon in Tesco

Ouch quite

DD has been truly spoilt. Our lounge looks like a toy shop

I think I have now been here two years. I joined just after I started my three hours of commuting a day on the train and you all kept me company as I moaned away . I do not miss that journey! Although I do miss seeing my old salary on paper, but after childcare/travel reductions I now have more money in the bank.

£58 John Lewis (found £14 gv to use up)
£16 McDonald's
£16 soft play
£2.25 hot drink

Ouch quite, hope it isn't too bad

I've been getting incredibly frustrated with my clarinet today and wondering if this is the moment when I finally have to bite the bullet and buy a modern one, but I managed to fix the problem with a softer reed. Yay!

NeSD!

Yay!

Quite that sounds sore. Hope its better soon.

I remember that commute Love and you weighing up changing jobs. Glad you gave no regrets.

Ouch, and how annoying about the sewing machine not cooperating Quite! I really want to sit and knit myself but I have lots of washing to put away, and packing for nye (we are only away for one night but it requires travel cot, high chair, bedding... etc. A massive car full!). And I need to bake some stuff to take.

NSD though, hurrah!

I’ve just tried to book an Ocado slot and there’s nothing available before 9pm on Wednesday . We’ve not much in so I think I’ll have to brave the shops... the problem round here is parking as all the supermarkets have relatively small car parks. I normally avoid on NYE .

I have a click and collect to order from Waitrose anyway but it won’t be there till after 2pm and the car park will be gridlocked by then. It’s mostly replacement bedding bits (plain sheets /pillows/duvets - not urgent) but also some vests for dd which are rather more urgent as I can barely do her current ones up. I don’t know what happened to DS’s old 18-24m ones.

Ouchy quite.
Well done on the clearing out lonely.
I've got a car boot full for the chazza now. Will go Wednesday when my nearest one reopens for donations.

£18 Clark's. No school shoes in DS size do got some do for now and will order online to the store.
£4.84 boyes beach bags and bubble gum, £33 in millets, £11 odd in primark, £1 parking, £18 water stones with dd gift voucher,

Quite I didn't realise you had actually gone through your finger with the machine

Ouch quite, that sounds painful indeed.

Like that top fluffster.

We are just chilling before the evening do at the wedding. It's been a super day so far. Had a couple of wines but loads more water than wine.

Here's my dress, but I'm changing into a zebra print jumper dress for the evening. It's Karen Millen and expensive, but we've three weddings next year that it will be worn to - shoes, bag, coat etc already owned.

So far, nothing spent (room was paid for ages ago).

Love the dress jam.

That’s lovely Jam, you have great legs (not surprising really given how much running you do)

Life you have reminded me that we need to go school shoe shopping as the missing shoe has not been returned. I hate hate hate school Shoe shopping and VAT on sodding school shoes

Safe journey North.

Just seen the blanket lonely and that's lovely - the colours are super.

Girlie Feb and March I believe.