A Hectic Week

We walked into our home at 1pm last Saturday afternoon after our return flight from New York. The jet lag coming home always seems worse than from the UK to the USA. Saturday was pretty much wiped out for me. I went straight to bed, woke up at 4pm and then hung around the house feeling sorry for myself because I was still tired and suffering from this awful cough and sore throat. I found a frozen pizza for our evening meal and went back to bed at 8pm.

Sunday was better with me not waking until 9am which is such a late start for me as I am usually such an early riser. It was time to unpack suitcases, start washing holiday clothes and food shopping. I had a chuckle to myself about our freebies from the hotel. I can't resist taking anything that we haven't used so the tea and sweeteners came home with us. I love tea but the hotel provided packet creamer in the room and not milk. Great with coffee but with breakfast tea it tasted vile so we lived on coffee and the teabags came home with us.

I also stocked up on the hotel toiletries and brought home soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. It is a make called Pure and it smells of lemon verbena. Given that this is one of my favourite scents I was not passing up on bringing these home. I read a blog called $100 dollars a month which is written by an American lady. Every Christmas her mum gives her and her daughter a gift of all the freebies she has acquired during the year. There is everything from hotel coffee, toilet rolls and toiletries to mini ketchup bottles. This really makes me smile. Her mum has been stocking up all year and storing everything in bags behind a chair in their spare bedroom.

I had almost forgotten it was the run up to Christmas until I went shopping at Waitrose on Sunday and then it hit me. My word it was frantic with packed aisles and little space due to additional displays being added next to the gondolas. I was shattered when I got home and had to ask David to unpack the car. I spent £20 on flowers and Christmas foliage for my lounge and dining room. Do you think this is too much? I never know whether I have wasted money on flowers or not. I bought two bunches of white oriental lilies at £7 a bunch and two packs of a Christmas foliage. These were six sticks with cinnamon sticks and pine cones on them for £6 for two packs.

Monday evening saw us putting the tree up and we have had to put it in a different place this year to accommodate a full table of eight. My mum has come over from France for Christmas and the New Year. She is currently staying with my step auntie & uncle but will be coming over for Christmas and will be staying with us for a few days over New Year. She has brought her dog Misca with her and I don't know what my cat will think about having a dog in the house. She is fairly timid but because she was a stray she has a street fighter streak in her. She saw a fox off once so I think the dog may be in for a tough time. She has already been up the tree - little madam!

I've been shopping nearly every evening this week and the fridges are packed - I'm cooking two Christmas dinners and have two turkey crowns from M&S. One for Christmas Day when it is just myself, David and my dad and Boxing Day when there will be the eight of us. My mum & dad, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew and niece plus of course myself and David. Everyone apart from my dad is staying overnight so there has been beds to make, spare bedrooms to be cleared of our clutter, and evening snacks and breakfasts to be thought of as well as Christmas dinner. I'm exhausted!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day and Boxing Day and that Santa calls by to your homes on his travels. Merry Christmas to all my lovely readers.