Everybody's Doing It.......

...setting out their goals for 2012 that is (and NOT 'picking their nose and chewing it' as we used to say so charmingly at school. Yuck.) So not wanting to be left out I thought I'd jot a couple down. Nothing major, nothing too onerous, just stuff that won't cause me to throw myself flailing onto the ground in tears if I don't accomplish them. I like to aim low, or as Babcia says, 'hope for the best but expect the worst'.

So, in the spirit of the (Year of the) Dragon, my resolutions for 2012 are;

1. Say 'no' more often. I said I wouldn't work any more nights again after the last time and this latest one really took it out of me. The trouble is that when one of my colleagues needs help I can't stop myself from offering. I must stop trying to be all things to all people.

2. Look at the calendar and my diary every day to see what's been organised. Big Man is very good at marking things down that I then totally miss because I've not checked for weeks.

3. Pay more attention to my husband, Big Man. He has a lot of good points and I'm sure he sometimes feels like the enemy in his own home. I should try to stop treating his TV choices with contempt too because that's just mean. ;P

4. Make my grown-up kids take responsibility for their own lives. They can do things for themselves, I just have to let them/make them.

5. Go to bed at a reasonable time. Aiming for pre-midnight.....

6. Read 100 books this year. I will post a pic of my loft (aka Babcia's bedroom....I really do have a madwoman in the attic, tee hee!) and you'll all see how library-like it is. There must be 100 books on the floor by the two full bookcases that are up there, plus a third bookcase with self-help tomes on it. None of which have helped me. I'm aiming to not buy any books this year either, just read my stock. This'll be hard - I almost bought this and this yesterday because I really want to read them - but they'll come to me somehow, I'm sure of it. I can't really use the library because I have a biggish fine outstanding, as does Red (from a DVD Carb Addict borrowed on her card and then lost for two years. Ratatouille if you're interested) though I guess I could use one of the men's cards....one of them may be fine-free. Anyway, I'm an extremely fast reader so I'm not expecting 100 books to be too onerous.

Similar to my loft but I don't have a ladder up there. Or an old man.

7. Make sure I order my prescription in plenty of time so I don't end up having to buy stuff to tide me over.

8. Set mine and Babcia's Etsy shop up properly. She has made masses of stuff and I've made nowt.

9. Finish knitting my Christmas Advent Tree for next Christmas. I am a lazy, lazy woman.

10. See more SeeFilmFirst free movies this year than last.

11. Update my ideas notebook.

12. Try to write 200 posts this year and get 100 followers.

Tomorrow I'll have my year-end sitrep and some financial goals. Before I go please listen to the video below and tell me if her voice and this song don't weave some kinda magic together. Spine-tingling....

Dongle Merrily On High!!!

Well, it isn't ideal but since Sky Broadband are unable to reconnect us until December 30 (we tried to transfer our phone to them last month and have had no internet since then. Join my Facebook group 'Sky Broadband Stinks' for more info*) I am currently fighting with the rest of the crew to use Carb Addict's laptop and dongle. I couldn't list anything on eBay and I've done my Christmas shopping old-style....in the shops, in other words. A pain in the crotch but not the end of the world. So the first thing to go was the internet; then just before the final of Strictly last Saturday the TV gave a terrifying crackle and died. Luckily (but to my shame) we have four other tellies in the house so were not too inconvenienced. Phew! And now the third thing (and they always, ALWAYS come in threes) the fan in the fan oven stopped working this evening. The cooker still works, thank goodness, so we won't have to cook the turkey on the barbie or in the dishwasher but still.....what a drag :(

In other news, Mexico was great - relaxing and hot. We slept a lot. Drank a lot of cocktails. Read stacks of books. Swam a bit. Sightsaw (is that a word? Sightseed? Saw some sights). Big Man snorkeled with massive great turtles. The beaches were beautiful. The people are friendly and very hard workers. I ate a pulled pork sandwich at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cancun that made me so ill I truly thought I was going to die thousands of miles from home and was laid up for 48 hours. We went to some ruins. I'm not gonna bore you with photos but we enjoyed ourselves enormously. 'Nuff said.
Work has been just crazy, really manic but it's just about done. I've organised parties; mince pie-making sessions; tree decorating; present wrapping; Secret Santa....tomorrow I have to buy and wrap seventeen old people's Christmas gifts then I'm done. Oh, and Big Man is playing Santa to them on Christmas morning, suited, booted and ho-ho-ho-ing for all he's worth with me as his gambolling helper. Fun fun fun!! I have my three babes at home for the holidays; presents just about all bought and everything wrapped; turkey crown and gammon  - if you want a gammon recipe that is to DIE for, try this one) - coming out of the freezer tomorrow; house all decorated (and our tree looks fab, even if I do say so myself); parcels posted off around the country AND received in one piece; I just have a lil' bit of food to buy, make my chocolate log (really a chocolate refrigerator cake with loadsa buttercream icing and my ma-in-law's vintage decorations on top) and yummy trifle a la Delia; and I'm ready. No stress. No worries.


I hope everyone's Christmas is everything you want it to be and that Santa brings you whatever your hearts desire. Rest up, take it easy, enjoy your families! As long as you're healthy and you're all together everything else is gravy. Merry Christmas!!!!! XXXXX

 

A Spaghetti Western Kinda July.....

...full of the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Pic by DenisM79 at deviantART

THE GOOD!

I had a lovely visit with Babcia for a week. It's so wonderful to see her and it doesn't happen nearly enough.

I made a couple of goodish sales on eBay on the last day of the month. It's always great to add more money to the coffers.

I was given four awards by fellow bloggers - it's so flattering to be appreciated!

I got my daughter Red home from London in one piece, for the forseeable future at least. I only ever feel 100% happy when she's under my roof.

My colleagues and I are building up a really great working relationship - adversity has turned us into a great little team.

THE BAD!

I had no real control over my budget right from the start of July so I'm not going to bother doing a sitrep - I'm back on track now though I hope. It'll be harder to keep a lid on the food budget especially with five adults in the house.

I didn't take all the opportunities I had to list on eBay and have probably lost money as a result.

I had to use our little cushion of money to bail Red out of her rent crisis and Big Man is doing my nut in harping on about it. Despite the facts that a) he didn't even know it was there, and b) it was £680 to help our own child out as opposed to the £18,000 he  saddled us with by not wanting to put employees (who let's face it were nothing to us and walked into new jobs without a backward glance the Monday after we had to finish them) out of work. Nobody can understand how much it grieves me to think that my husband begrudges his own child :'(

I had three lots of £8 bank charges as a result of going over my overdraft. Makes me feel like all the hard work I've put in so far is crumbling. I'm gonna have to be extremely focussed and very ordered. More lists needed! More spreadsheets needed!!

I was bitten on the face by an insect. It's taken two weeks to go back to normal. As normal as I ever look that is ha ha.

THE UGLY

Red and Big Man had a very poor relationship before she went to uni in London two years ago; it was a relief when she left and the truly terrifying, terrible arguments came to an end. Now, after just one week things are becoming fraught. She is very forthright and headstrong...he can be pedantic and thinks things are the same now as they were when he joined the Navy at 16. An example. Big Man to Red - 'Why haven't you got a job yet?' Red to Big Man - 'I only came home the day before yesterday!!!'  You see? And I am always in the middle. I want to say 'LEAVE ME ALONE!!! I DON'T CARE!!!'. I feel too old and tired for this crap right now and I only see it getting worse.

We are short-staffed at work and I have not been doing my real job. I keep getting asked to do carer hours and my activities hours are going by the wayside. This is a problem because I am working very long hours (for me anyway), in a job I don't really care much for at all (hands-on care work) but feel I have to do because I don't want to see my colleagues struggling, and because I of course want/need the money. I'm stuffed, basically.

There have already been several heated debates between Big Man and I over the perceived failings of Red and Mr Charming (no, even he hasn't escaped Big Man's critical eye either). Don't see that stopping any time soon.

It's going to take everything I've got this month not to go under.