Weekly Tasklist

Posted on December 14, 2013 by nicdempsey

Time for the list. Lots to do this weekend. I’m having a haircut this morning and doing a big Christmas shop with Ma this afternoon and tonight is Grace, the theme is Christmas by Numbers. One of the joys of how we do things, is that if you’re not on the service planning team, then the service is a complete surprise! The planning team are asking to borrow ipads they can use in the service, so I’m intrigued! If you’re interested, please come along, if not for the service, at least for Richard’s killer mulled wine and the mince pies. (If we ever change our ethos, ‘Create, Engage, Risk, Participate’ I reckon ‘never knowingly underfed’ might be a contender!).

On Sunday, I’m meeting Max for a catch up and some Christmas brainstorming, if I know Max! So I reckon it will go one of two ways, either I’ll get it all done and be super efficient or fail totally. I’m hoping for the former, obviously!

Kitchen

  • General clean (sort out the recycling and rubbish, mopping the floor and general cleaning)

Cooking

  • Food prep for the week, breakfasts and lunches
  • Sourdough

Christmas stuff

Bathroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change towels, empty bin, clean bath, sink and toilet)

Bedroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change bed, dust, general tidy)

Living Room

  • General clean (sweep floor, dust, tidy sofa, put things away etc)
  • Decide where the Christmas tree is going to go next weekend and move the plants, chairs etc
  • Get Christmas decorations and tree stand out of cupboard

Hall

  • Hoover

General things

  • Washing (clothes wash, white wash, towel wash)
  • Ironing
  • Wash make up brushes
  • Wash hairbrushes
  • Water plants
  • Shopping
  • Back up laptop
  • Charge kindle and camera batteries
  • Send out Christmas CD’s (it’s not too late to shout if you want one, think of it as my gift to you for reading the blog, just drop me an email with your address to nic06dempsey@gmail.com)
  • Write Christmas cards
  • Buy stamps, wrapping paper.
  • Tidy the cupboard, it’s a bit crowded in there
  • Christmas shopping (or ordering online!)
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Friday Night Cocktail

Posted on December 13, 2013 by nicdempsey

This afternoon, I’m out for the team Christmas lunch, for those of you keeping count, this is the second work related Christmas thing, I have three – company, dept and team – altogether. December with it’s mix of Christmas celebrations and my family birthdays, can be hard on my liver! In order to ensure that I don’t do too much damage, I don’t drink at home without company during December. Which is all well and good but water, tea and coffee do get boring after a while.

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This was an attempt to do something a little different and use up some grenadine and a grapefruit half that was hanging around the fridge. I enjoyed it, next time I might add some bitters to it.

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What

2 oz grapefruit juice

1 oz grenadine

4 oz tonic water

How

Fill a long glass with ice.

Add ingredients and stir.

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Friday Links

Posted on December 13, 2013 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! Goodness I’ve had a busy week and I’m glad to get to the end of it! Here’s some reading for the weekend.

1) Things that Nelson Mandela did not say.

2) We have a growing economy but no-one that isn’t a millionaire is feeling the benefit.

3) Euan Ferguson writing about his stroke. Some scary stuff there.

4) Pensions and retirement, just so..

5) It might be good for science but yuck…Experience: I discovered a new species up my nose

6) Childlessness and how we view it. Yes, just like that, and she’s right, single and childless, it’s difficult..

7) How planning effects cities and health. I’m so lucky to live in a city where you can walk to things.

8) Cassie at Back to Her Roots has posted a recipe for Christmas ornaments and Cheese Straws that I’m trying desperately not to add to my Christmas To Do list…

9) Finally! People who never drink die younger than people who do!

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Handmade Christmas – Biscuit Tins

Posted on December 12, 2013 by nicdempsey

One of my more expensive habits is Illy coffee, which comes in lovely tins.

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Tins that mostly end up in the recycling, because I can’t think of anything to do with them. When I was thinking about Christmas and handing out bags full of good things to eat, it occurred to me that the Illy tins would make good containers for these biscuits. Apart from anything else I like the idea of giving people biscuits that are really good with coffee, in tins that used to have coffee in them. With an idea and some spray paint, I was away…

If I was a more organised person I would have taken photos as I did this to show you the process of primer, spray paint and clear top coat. However, I’m not at all organised and I didn’t take pictures but I think they look pretty good. I decided that silver was the way to go as it wasn’t far off the actual colour of the tin. Filled with biscuits, I think they make a pretty good present!

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Boots

Posted on December 11, 2013 by nicdempsey

I’m very taken with my new boots! So taken with them that I took some photos to show you!

They are actually a Christmas present from last year, it’s just taken me this long to sort them out! What I also notice is that I really need to dust that mirror!

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Any of you have a piece of clothing or footwear that your smitten with? Please tell me about it!

 

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Tired and emotional

Posted on December 11, 2013 by nicdempsey

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It’s foggy this morning, it’ll probably burn off later in the day but I’m always amused when people talk about ‘London fog’ because it’s not often foggy. There was smog in the days before the Clean Air Act, which Ma remembers but fog is not a standard weather condition in modern London. It’s strange, stepping out of the house into misty darkness, but it was how I started the morning and felt reflection of how I feel today, my brain doesn’t feel like it’s functioning at capacity. I’m tired and busy and I could really do with a holiday. A week when I can sleep lots and only get out of bed when it’s daylight. (This is middle age, people, fantasising about sleep!)

As you can plainly see by my meandering prose, I’m struggling a bit this week. It’s traditionally the time of year, I find hardest to navigate emotionally and I’m trying really hard to keep up with everything that needs to be done at home and work for the run up to Christmas. I had a conversation with a colleague this morning where we talked about being so tired you just burst into tears. I’m at the stage where I need to narrate my way through tasks because I don’t really remember how to do them. I have lots of lists and am drinking more coffee than usual.

Anyway, here’s a bad picture of my fingernails. (Essie – Smoking Hot and Oh My Gold on my little fingers). Nail varnish is such a silly thing to make me happy…

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Weekend tasks – What got done

Posted on December 10, 2013 by nicdempsey

I forgot to put this up yesterday! I didn’t have a very successful weekend in terms of getting things done as I was quite low energy and lazy on Sunday, when I should have powered through some the stuff on this list. However, the lesson is that, time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time, I needed some do-nothing time and none of the stuff on the list had to be done. Some of it, I’ll do in the evenings this week, other stuff can wait for this weekend.

Kitchen

  • General clean (sort out the recycling and rubbish, mopping the floor and general cleaning)

Cooking

  • Food prep for the week, breakfasts and lunches
  • Carrot cake for Ma’s birthday

Christmas stuff

Bathroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change towels, empty bin, clean bath, sink and toilet)
  • Sort out area behind this plant

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Bedroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change bed, dust, general tidy

Living Room

  • General clean (sweep floor, dust, tidy sofa, put things away etc)

Hall

  • Hoover

General things

  • Washing (clothes wash, white wash, towel wash)
  • Ironing
  • Wash make up brushes
  • Wash hairbrushes
  • Water plants
  • Shopping
  • Back up laptop
  • Charge kindle and camera batteries
  • Send out Christmas CD’s (it’s not too late to shout if you want one, think of it as my gift to you for reading the blog, just drop me an email with your address to nic06dempsey@gmail.com)
  • Write Christmas cards
  • Buy stamps
  • Rescue sourdough starter
  • Tidy the cupboard, it’s a bit crowded in there!

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Handmade Christmas – Wrist warmers

Posted on December 10, 2013 by nicdempsey

I quite like knitting. What I like about it is it’s simplicity. I know that knitting doesn’t have to to be simple but I’m pretty rubbish at remembering where I am in the pattern and although I knitted a cardigan for Oli when he was born, I mostly I stick to scarves and the occasional hat.

This year I’ve diversified to wrist warmers. (Please excuse the pictures I took at ridiculous o’clock this morning!)

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They are fairly simple, I made it up as I went along, so this isn’t really a pattern.

I used, this wool (Rowan 4 ply cotton merino), on 3.75mm bamboo needles, cast on 40 stitches and after a row or two of knit, I did as many rows of knit one, purl one until I got the length I wanted. Then I just cast off and sewed together remembering to leave a gap for a thumb.

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I think they look pretty good, they are easy to make and in the age of smart phones more useful than mittens!

My plan is to put them together with a matching scarf, a jar of hand-scrub and some other nice hand related things, maybe some hand cream or nail varnish or something.

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Monday Morning

Posted on December 9, 2013 by nicdempsey

Things in life are certain, death, taxes and Monday mornings! Here we are again, hopefully rested and ready to attack the week. I’m not quite sure if I’m ready for my week but it’s happening so time to strap on my big girls pants and get it done…

My weekend was not stellar, let’s just say that family is sometimes tricky but we work it out eventually because we have to…

Anyway, I’m pleased that I survived the office party in one piece and was up on Saturday morning to make Ma’s birthday cake and shop and cook lunch. I also made mince pies and finished a Christmas present but didn’t write my Christmas cards, there’s still time!

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This week I’m happy for new boots, a new to me handbag (thanks Ma!), advent calendars, seeing Sarah on Thursday, my team Christmas lunch AND only being a week away from a hair cut, my fringe is seriously out of control…

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What are you looking forward to this week?

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Sunday Music

Posted on December 8, 2013 by nicdempsey

She and Him – Baby It’s Cold Outside

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