Part 2: New year, new organisation! Fledglings fly in 2018.

[HillsBesideTheSea]

Chatty month. It continues here from the original thread: here

Oops - sorry - the paragraphs in the following post are all out of order because sitting in cafe/observation seating area/ semi-outdoors/keep being interrupted/ on small tablet thing with difficult scroll function.

Anyway, cheery waves to everyone from the countryside; where I can definitely confirm that buds and snowdrops are starting to make an appearance! (Love the French name for snowdrops - perce-neige - literally pierce the snow. Although that should more accurately read "pierce the mud" ATM!)

Exactly Afresh everyone is at different stages of life; and solidarity btw for those of us living in wonky houses. Wonky is good. Hope you continue to feel better although that cough doesn't sound good..

Zoo Lil Zoo's Russian/Romanian friend sounds fab! Dd's best friends are Rwandan and Italian respectively - the great thing about living in a multi- cultural environment is that class snobbery is irrelevant/gets thrown out the window!

Sorry you are feeling low Whispers

DD is currently going hell for leather over a few (admittedly very very small) x-country jumps on a borrowed horse who has a mind of its own, under watchful eye of tutor. She is finding him difficult to control (the horse that is). Still, tis the only way you learn and mud provides a soft landing

Waves to Honu Foxes Cotswold Foolandfitz and everyone else I've missed ... .

How you survived the party Callme, that it went well, and you don't feel too rough today!

Arf at "oompah-loompah" and "ghost" shades of foundations Bowerbird/Hills

Sorry about your hideous evening Cag the witching hour is the pits! Do you have a freezer/microwave? If so, batch cooking for ballet nights might be a good idea (although easier said than done with baby in tow). Good luck with tidying up today!

Good luck with nursing your wm through the w/e Toostressy!

X posts Cag - sorry - see freezer space limited. Maybe something like thick lentil soup with loads of veg made day before and which is quick to reheat might be good.

Take it today you are bit more relaxed SC( not nail chewing watching.indeed muds a soft landing!!

I MUST tackle boudoir today,no avoiding it😞

I am pretending hard Zoo . Good luck with the boudoir!

I am actually going to try my new soup maker today! Hopefully. However soup would be a step too far ATM apart from leek and potato which DD likes. They are so picky (although as I said I do appreciate it could be a lot worse). But hopefully they can stick to our deal to try more.

I feel really down today. So much to do but baby is wanting feeding a lot and DH also has to sort work stuff. He's going to take DS with him to ballroom as I really really need some silence.

I love leek and potato soup cag

Ok this is it people.im heading into boudoir.....

Shot of Gin you fool gin

Zoo!

Cag, please don't feel too down. You are doing a good job.

The party went well, the cake was saved by my arty mother - when will I accept that I can't ice - and everyone had a suitably sparkly My Little Pony time. Being ill for so long caught up with me though, I've been breathless for days, but after the party I was struggling even when resting, and in a complete self care fail my inhaler had expired. I very rarely need to use it. After a runaway chest infection caused an asthma type response three or four years ago, I have it as occasionally a cold can trigger it again. My parents stayed on, while DH drove us to the nearest out of hours, finally back home, with inhaler at 11:45. They said I really must get a follow up appointment with the asthma nurse this time - it might only happen twice a year when I have a virus or an infection, but I really need to sort out what is causing this. To an extent I have been burying my head in the sand about it, and have not been sensible.

Leek and potato soup is my fave!

Cag butternut squash soup is a good one to start with because DC tend to like the sweetness. Dead easy too. Turn up oven high. Get DH to chop squash in to halves or quarters or eighths. No need to peel. Scoop out seeds. Rub surfaces with chilli or ras el hanout or s&p plus a nut oil. Place skin side on roasting tray and roast in high oven until knife goes through easily (approx 35 mins). Meanwhile, fry gently little onion, maybe celery or whatever you have or red pepper, in solid bottom pan for 5 mins or so. When squash is ready and has cooled a bit, strip flesh off skin in to pan, add stock and simmer for 10 to 20 mins! Blend! Done! Probably even easier in your machine!

Oh no Callme that doesn't sound good; very natural to put oneself last when you have DC! Take it steady today! Great your parents were on hand to help and glad the party went well!

I also bought sweet potato and red pepper and carrot to use (you literally put 600g veg and 600ml stock in for 23min it's like magic) but have had to use some during the week. I hate being so disorganised. Argh I am really feeling it today. Plus the worry about SIL coming isn't helping.

The others have left thankfully, DS is super hard work the last few days and I just needed space :( so I'm currently under a hungry baby, going to chill with a DVD and chocolate. Don't even care that I'm stress eating today. Fuck it

Enjoy the chillin' Cag! (If Cagletini will allow!). Would love to know how soup-maker works (not now - once you are through with entertaining tomorrow or thereafter) as I seem to spend my life endlessly chopping veg.

Be kind to yourself cag you are working hard feeding.eat that chocolate and enjoy it!!
(I love carrot pepper and squash soup btw)

I had emergency call from dd2 asking me to help her whip up a veggie option.hotfooted it to church and located can mix beans,some cumin seeds and chilli flakes and a battered carrot n bit garlic so I supervised a bean chilli be made(verger wasn't sure at 13 she would be covered by insurance if got hurt) she was dead chuffed with herself.
I then returned to continue my room
I have found a stash electric toothbrushes got zoolets ages ago and misplaced them from poundshop
I did not find the birth certs of dd2 and D's needed for opening bank accounts.suspect do had those so they are lost.i shall need buy replacements and cancel app at bank(sigh)
Is my room tidy?erm no
Are there inroads to the bed?yes
Am I fed up and retreating?you betcha...I can't breathe with nose streaming from dust so I've accepted that it for today.ive worked my way along one wall and a space in and out.once dust has settled I may or may not go back in and clear surfaces

I feel the need for a dvd this pm.it dark and raining and my body's screaming for chocolate (and we have none😞)

Lunch is eggs for the girls(roll for lil zoo,sweet potato wedges for dd2 as will be ravenous after spend a morning surrounded by food!!)
DS has agreed have a little soup.quick rummage in veg drawer I've found no onions except sad looking spring onions,A slightly wrinkly sweet potato and a parsnip that deffo in final stages of life so looks like that's all going in.might lob in can chick peas and some garlic.i need grated cheese in mine.i think best stir tahini or nut butter into D's as a small bowl with either with give him fair ummmph of calories

Tonight tea courtesy is meatballs(frozen) pasta and veg.falafel for dd2(also frozen)

I really really fatigued suddenly....

Well my relaxing time was brought to an abrupt end when the family showed up 2hrs early. FML. Other side of family not here yet but only because of traffic so they would’ve turned up early too. And of course nobody had eaten lunch either so DH is cobbling together stuff as we hadn’t planned for catering for so many (other family members are tagging along too which they hadn’t told us). Did I ever mention how tiny our house is BTW. 🤔🙄

That's rubbish cag!

Not going to get to fil today or to the shops as dh was delayed at work and not due back for a while yet. And I've still got my work to do. Feeling very tired now so I've put a Thomas film on for the kids. It's really annoying but dd seems to like it!

Off to find some food...

I am tired.
I want chocolate

Oh dear cag that sounds really crap! Dont they see how much you have on your plate

I am tired

I want cake

Can we compromise and have chocolate cake afresh

Typed a long post and lost it. Pretty much sums up my afternoon!

Basically hungry tired and computer problems. Just decided to refuel with a banana. Ds ate it instead. Then thought maybe I'd have grapes. Dd ate them. We really need more food in the house!

Just leave it to defrost else you'll break you teeth. If you can hack a piece off whilst frozen you can defrost in the microwave an emergency.

Apparently ds has decided he wants to win the rubic cube house comp at school this year. Poor thing will be falling apart by the end of the day if I have not grabbed it and thrown it out of the window for being annoyingly noisy

Sleep med break and ds was up to 3am. And because he was behaving weirdly so was I. Shouldn't have worried worst he was doing was watching stuff on the tv that I might agree with. But still apparently with parenthood comes an unnecessarily large amount of suspicion, guilt and worry. If someone finds a way to keep it all to a sensible level they would make a fortune.

Needles to say I am in Zombie mode and have only just consumed enough coffee to function, whilst not so much as to hinder sleep. a tricky balance

Decided that today I will go into the craft room and do some work there and that was when motivation decided to reappear so if I don't return you might need to send a search party.