Mahonia Monday

[Kittykatt]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««

[Kittykatt]

Mahonia Winter Sun, also known as ‘Oregon Grape’ and holder of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, is a magnificent evergreen shrub with striking yellow flowers that bloom during the Winter months, bringing a ray of sunshine to the garden during the bleakest time of year. With its compact size and dense growth habit, this Mahonia species is perfect for adding structure and interest to small gardens, rockeries, and mixed borders.

Mahonia Winter Sun is native to Asia, and its yellow flowers are a favourite of bees and other pollinators, making it a valuable addition to any wildlife-friendly garden. Its leathery, evergreen leaves are a deep, glossy green and provide year-round interest, while its spiky, upright growth habit makes it an ideal choice for creating screens and hedges.

In addition to its beauty, it is low maintenance and easy to care for, making it an excellent choice for gardeners of all skill levels. This plant is adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions, and can thrive in both full sun and partial shade, as well as in soil that is moist or well-drained.
https://www.letsgoplanting.co.uk/wp-con ... Sun4-1.jpg

[Kittykatt]

Good morning, everyone, and happy Monday!

Gma, WTG dealing with all that paperwork!

Dogged, I use bathroom buster drain unblocker to clear any clogs in the bathroom (and also as a preventative).
https://amzn.eu/d/4b2QWwW
(BTW, Buster also make a kitchen version, which works well on grease and other kitchen clogs)
I also use a dossil to cover the drain hole when I shower, and then just remove the hair and debris that collects each time, with a tissue. It's not a particularly pleasant job, but if you do it every time it's not too bad, and its surprisingly effective and definitely beats having to unclog drains!! (BTW, it's best to just put the tissue with the collected hair in the bin, and not to flush it, as you really don't want to risk a clog there!)
https://amzn.eu/d/5dfwsos

I e also got a plumber's snake to use with clogs. That's also effective and no chemicals, but slower, more painstaking, and rather gross!

DH has just left for his day volunteering on the trains. He was up at 0 dark 00, and it's dark and cold, so I'm going to post my list for today and have some snuggle time with Jude before I think about getting up!

[Kittykatt]

To do:

Appointments:
Monday:
DH having a day volunteering on the heritage steam railway
At home for me
Tuesday:
DH??
At home for me
Wednesday: New Year's Eve
DH??
9-10 am Waitrose delivery
PA groceries
Clean kitchen
Hoover car?
Laxapet for Jude and Matilda
Thursday: New Year's Day
DH off work
No church today, so at home for me
Friday:
DH off work
At home for me
Saturday:
DH??
At home for me
Text DF E - not this week
Sunday:
Church 9.30 am
Visit DFE for coffee? Not this week, we're doing coffees after church
Laxapet Jude and Matilda
Set up new Waitrose delivery

Future dates to note:
7/1 order inhalers
6/1 Freddie - Solensia 8.30 am
8/1 Jude weight check 2 pm

Outstanding deliveries:

Extras:
Check upcoming Amazon S&S
Check and amend SOs and DDs for next month
Email NW when I have a reply from RP
Put pictures back WIP
Order new orthotics - wait until ankle settles
Can I do 15 minutes of decluttering each day?
Digital decluttering- Google Photos for 2024 and 2025
Pick up my footprints
House tasks: Replace the bit of mortar that's fallen out of the edge of the roof (I think its called the verge? Can this wait until we get the house painted when a roof ladder will be in place?) I need for it to stop raining before I ask anyone to come and look!
Verge and ridge tiles on garage roof
Sort out cabinet that wobbles - does the back need some sort of bracing ? MJ will sort it out in the new year
Take up and hem those thick winter curtains for the kitchen
Book eye test for me
Sort prints and put in albums (this will probably be an activity to do on wet days!) WIP I am now working on 2025
Think about setting up Guardianship for F,J and M - looked on Cats' Protection, I need their microchip numbers, approximate DOB, colour and markings and useful information about them. Bookmark link with local recommended solicitors (also ask DF CW?)
Change health centres to the one nearest us? We're going to do this in January

To do:
Early morning:
Cuddles and treats on the bed with Matilda, Jude and Freddie
Cup of tea
QT
Lightbox session
Make bed
Shower / wash hair/ moisturiser and sunblock/ clean and floss teeth
DH launched
Physio exercises and back exercises
Proprioceptors exercises X1 x2 x3
S/S bathroom
Get dressed
Breakfast and meds / supplements - me
DRINK WATER #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8
Check bank account
Go for my walk

Garden:
15 minutes in tiny front garden
15 minutes in back garden

Cats:
Cats’ breakfast and meds / supplements
Fresh water in cat bowls
Scoop cat trays
Check Jude’s bowl
Check Matilda's bowl
Walk Freddie
Lap time with Jude, Freddie and Matilda
Play with Jude, Freddie and Matilda
Head rubs with Jude, Freddie and Matilda
Cats' supper

House:
Rubbish down to wheelie bins
Kitchen clean up
Unload DW
Load DW
Run DW when full
Unload DW
PUPA downstairs
Quick dust sitting room
Quick hoover downstairs
PUPA upstairs
Quick dust bedrooms
Quick hoover upstairs
Lunch
Supper
Lay out clothes for tomorrow
Journal three things I am thankful for today
Hand cream

Extra house tasks:

Monday:
Clean bathroom
Clean spare room
Clean bedroom
Wash spare room throw and cat blankets

Tuesday:
Clean hall
Clean sitting room
Clean stairs
Empty hoover before starting work
Wheelie bins back when dustmen have been
Filing paperwork for 15 minutes

Wednesday:
Clean kitchen

Garden extras:
Water pots
Feed pots weekly

Financial:
More work on budget WIP

[FrenchFlybebe]

◕‿◕ * * * Good Morning! * * * ◕‿◕

Thanks for the start kittykatt ! Your DH is brave, volunteering during cold holiday times.

It's very cold here too, at payroll in the offices. Brittany isn't adapted to freezing temps.
Not many people in the office.
Dealing with accounting messes this morning, and it becoming clearer and clearer that there will be some deep work to do on VAT records and other fiscal stuff before it can be audited in late Feb / early March.

TADAs
Morning routine
DS10 was up at 7.15 (why ?)
MrNG stays home and I'm facing the cold and payroll-related dread

TODO
Lunch break
More payroll tasks
Back home, hopefully warmer
A few FACE tasks at home
MrNG will cook dinner
Time with the kids around bedtime

[trissie]

Yikes about payroll records being a mess, Frenchie! But with an empty office (is Ms. Crazy Boss off as well?) you'll have some quiet time to work on it!
kittykatt, I for some reason thought mahonias are poisonous, but I must have mistaken them with something. Anyway, they would not fit in with the style of our garden, so I didn't miss on anything

We had a really lovely stay with out friends yesterday, and we got home really late. Today is the last day before the cottage - I need to get groceries, make menus for the cottage, maybe do some freezer cooking and start packing. We want to leave early, because the cottage will be very cold and it best get heated before we go to bed!

TaDas
- slow morning
- breakfast and coffee
- reading and interne time
- dressed to shoes
- morning routine

ToDos
- start lunch
- 15 on laundry (goal is to have all laundry baskets empty and deal with mending and sorting and outgrown stuff and who knows what's still lurking on the bottom of the baskets, well probably not before year end, but close to it)
- deal with everything that ended on the staircase to be taken upstairs

[FrenchFlybebe]

Trissie, good luck getting everything ready for your stay at the cottage !

Four more hours to go, I'm unmotivated but I don't want tasks to pile up. I'll do low-brain tasks for awhile, it may clear the way for some high-value work later.

Mahonias look very pretty.
They remind me of mimosa. I love mimosa, it brings light to the cold February days.

[helia]

That sounds like a good way to tackle payroll today, FFB. Ugh on the accounting messes. Is your boss away today?
Glad you enjoyed time with your friends yesterday, trissie. Cheering you on as you get ready for time at the cottage!
Enjoy your at home day Kitty. Is dh volunteering all day?

And. . . it's over! Our Sinter Klaas celebration was a lot of fun! We started late because some of the surprises took more time to construct than expected. A couple were so funny, many of us were doubled over in laughter and crying! Those would be RH's and M's. And I'd say it was DD30 who figured strongly in creating the humor. . . We finished opening gifts around 11:30 pm. The one thing I regret is that dd27 and I didn't make the letter cookies this year. There was just too much to do. She had even made the dough ahead of time. I think she has frozen it for some future event. Everything was tidied up and put back in place before we went to bed around midnight. We were 10 people + 2 active puppies who chased each other and wrestled nonstop.

It's still dark here so I don't know if we got any snow during the night. While it was in the 50s yesterday - very unusual for us this time of year - it is now 22F. I can hear the wind blowing.

RH is up working, but I'm ignoring him.

Today: We are leaving to pick up the girls and then head to the airport around 10:15 a.m. - about 2.5 hours from now. In that time, I need to pack, write those last 2 thank yous, and do last minute cleaning tasks.

Next:
- reclaim kitchen
- back exercises
- s2s and self care

Later:
- some qt?
- Pack: clothes, toiletries
- Pack: books, Cmas gifts, electronics
- Are we packing pots/ pans for cooking? (We are staying celiac-safe for dd30.)
- write 2 thank yous; put them in the mail
- make the bed
- swish the MBR toilet
- set up jigsaw puzzle to do on the flight
- 10:30 pick up the girls
- check a bag; through security; buy a sandwich
- safely FLY to Seattle
- get our car and safely DRIVE to our bnb
- TJ stop: GF things for the girls
- go to DS + F's home at some point
- do we need to get groceries for dinner?
- Are we cooking dinner for all tonight?
- Hold my granddaughter
- duolingo
- update health apps?
- maybe, payroll: curriculum review

TaDas!
- up (didn't weigh)
- coffee
- email deletions; weather website
- put away some of the dog toys still lying around

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Mon 10:15 am - leave for the airport to TRAVEL TO WA to visit ds, F, and baby I
Tue See Ss in WA?
Wed + Thu Visit/ help with baby and cooking
Fri TRAVEL home
Sat NOTHING
Sun 10 - Church/ Host Dinner for 8?

December Brain Dumps
This Week - House
- can I scrub the tile in our shower?
- clean sheets on bed

This Week - Deskwork
- make appointment with optometrist and food doctor
- schedule mammogram
- Memorial thank yous
- reach out to JK?
- finish charitable giving for the year

This Week - Errands
- get Mom's bags of stuff to the charity
- C and E's gifts in the mail

General Brain Dump
- progress decluttering clothes - wip
- new phone eventually

Mom
- go through bag of Mom's knick knacks

[trissie]

Frenchie, I love mimosa! They brighten up any day, especially the kind with a splosh of Grand Marnier
on my unmotivated/overly tired payroll days, I do filing and shredding and all that. It's never high priority, but it does need doing every once in a while to keep things moving on more intense days!
helia, your home Christmas may be over, but the baby Christmas is starting today! Safe travels!

TaDas
- start lunch
- 15 on laundry
- deal with everything that ended on the staircase to be taken upstairs
- washed the new bigger remoska that Santa brought and giving it a test run

ToDos
- midday routine
- 15 on laundry
- cottage menus and shopping list

[helia]

How is the bigger remoska working, trissie?

I'm off to reclaim the kitchen.