The Chateau Diaries #202 The Fleuries next Christmas grift candle may smell of greed, sweat & regret

[C'est moi]

My grandma has busted out the Chanukiah.
The first night of Hanukkah! We got lots of jelly doughnuts and latkes
Happy Holidays, everyone!

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Happy holidays @Marquis de Potpourri and to all your family and to all of us

 

[pasta_aldente]

Getting candle ads in my feed Bet they all cost less than LF.

 

[Imperious Me]

I have to say I will sincerely miss the Strawbridges and the show. They were the first.

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I don't watch it, but that kid is going to get diabetes if they don't do something now....

 

[Jules100]

I had to do early Christmas all day and evening yesterday with my narc mom, narc sister, my brother and their kids. Frankly, I would rather celebrate Çhristmas alone than with my somewhat feral relatives. It is nice to get it out of the way so you can enjoy Christmas Day without dealing with them.

It is difficult to find some presents for family members. I decided to go Lego this year with a few presents. Here are some of the presents I gave to my sister, sister in law, nieces, and narc mom.:

A Lego orchid and a Lego bonsai tree ( which they could take to their office for workspace or just display at home on a shelf, etc. It gave them a shared activity to do to fill the long day yesterday and keep attention focused on assembling the Lego project instead of pointed comments, conversations, etc.


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and

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I got this Boba Fett Lego set for my 15 year old nephew:
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My daughter was given the Lego orchid for her birthday from a sibling, but told me she wished it was the bonsai.

 

[Sparrowsfart]

My grandma has busted out the Chanukiah.
The first night of Hanukkah! We got lots of jelly doughnuts and latkes
Happy Holidays, everyone!

View attachment 1817261

Yum! Sounds great enjoy your time with family.

 

[mrsp67]

I agree with the comments about the lack of manners in some young people. Children often don't know how to hold cutlery and how to behave at a table. I also think mobiles should be switched off when eating. The other thing that really annoys me is the lack of gratitude. I have sent presents every birthday and Christmas to an old friend's daughter who is now nearly 40. She has never once thanked me for any of these. Her mother does this on her behalf. I know youngsters don't write letters these days but they all use computers and mobiles and even a short text message would be better than nothing. Am I just a grumpy old woman?!

I agree with you people do not have manners! 40 years old is not a child

 

[Imperious Me]

You could be right, of course but I always try to keep up with the times and choose carefully. I know also that another friend has sent very generous money gifts over many years and never received a thank you.
[/QUOTE]
I am sure you did. Maybe it's time to stop sending gifts and see what happens? Gift it to yourself instead Maybe they have a different love language than you?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, send them cards saying you donated to an elephant sanctuary... then go out for dinner

 

[mrsp67]

Because they are running away from themselves and their empty lives.

They have no jobs.

 

[Sparrowsfart]

I don't watch it, but that kid is going to get diabetes if they don't do something now....

Yes it is sad. As a person who has been overweight since childhood (getting under control now thanks) I worry about Arthur. I worked hard at making sure my boys never got the chance to be fat. No diets just lots of healthy food and lots of outdoor play etc. As I never wanted them to be bullied or have my health problems.

 

[Yebo]

I agree with you people do not have manners! 40 years old is not a child

I was brought up very very strictly and in the old fashioned way with nannies etc. I remember my mother explaining to me that she wanted me to be well behaved so that when people visited I was a pleasure to meet and not a child that they dreaded having around. In fact we weren't allowed to hang around when adults were chatting. We just said hello and were sent outside to play. When my peers started breeding and I saw how badly behaved their children were I understood completely what my mother was about.

 

[On Repeat]

It’s very generic. Almost like home decorator store chic.


We do the same, board games, cards, puzzles. We’re an unfortunately competitive bunch!

Very generic for sure. Boring and not any personal details to make it a home. I think Anna is too concerned to make a mistake so she keeps it all ho-hum. Regarding my comment about not having any window coverings in a cold climate- I can't imagine the trauma she would suffer trying to choose a fabric to use. They both need to lighten and up and have some fun.

 

[mrsp67]

Mrs. French Bean showed us yet another messy room. Are there any tidy rooms in that chateau???

The Great Restoration Project needs to be renamed the Great Tidy-up Project.

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Mr. French Bean would do well to give her a few Molly Maid gift certificates for Christmas.

She is not a house keeper, but i
Do still like her as she does not give a darn

 

[Karma baby!]

Very generic for sure. Boring and not any personal details to make it a home. I think Anna is too concerned to make a mistake so she keeps it all ho-hum. Regarding my comment about not having any window coverings in a cold climate- I can't imagine the trauma she would suffer trying to choose a fabric to use. They both need to lighten and up and have some fun.

Agreed… when they were testing colours, there was a rusty orange / terracotta sample that was very beautiful… but Anna insisted it won’t go with the rest of the house.
What she put on is very much Peach and too 80s…I’m just hoping since this was just the primer the main color will be darker..

 

[Yebo]

You could be right, of course but I always try to keep up with the times and choose carefully. I know also that another friend has sent very generous money gifts over many years and never received a thank you.

I am sure you did. Maybe it's time to stop sending gifts and see what happens? Gift it to yourself instead Maybe they have a different love language than you?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, send them cards saying you donated to an elephant sanctuary... then go out for dinner
[/QUOTE]
I donate to The Elephant Sanctuary in South Africa. They take in orphaned elephant calves and raise them. It's amazing, such dedication. Some very sad stories though so be cautious if you watch the channel on YouTube, steer clear of the videos about a poor little elephant called Fenya. She doesn't make it and it's not worth the trauma.

 

[MRShavershamsdress]

Even Hyacinth had slightly better taste!

How odd that comment shows as mine in the quote but it’s actually from @Lady Lindy! Perhaps Tattle Life’s been into the Christmas wine early?!?

Words fail me to describe what I just watched...

Tacky?
Ghastly?
Gaudy?
Claustrophobic?
Appalling?
Tragic?
Migraine inducing?

And the whole thing was just to advertise AnnMarie's skillset as a Jack of all trades. I'm sure he will also be charging her far less that any other contractor... But fanny dear... you get what you pay for!

The phrase “in need of a nice cleansing fire” springs to mind!

 

[mrsp67]

duck me..... It's hideous! It's like a brocante has vomited in every room. Can you imagine dusting that load of old tat. I hope they have staff

I do enjoy stuff not use stuff but I like stuff I like collectibles but I refuse to collect anything because I do not like to dust

Who will explain to me, because I obviously don't understand
Why do people come to Fanny's, for example, at Christmas.
If we ignore that HMN is cold to death SJ is a bad host.
I would hate to go somewhere as a guest, and I would have to do everything myself. In that case, I will stay at my WARM house.
Fanny's casual approach to the arrival of guests drives me crazy.
I thought, and I know it's like that with most people, that when guests come, you do your best to receive them properly. Clean, fragrant beds and bathrooms and delicious food are a must for me. Especially for Christmas.
We all know that with Fanny, there is no preparation, only the acting of preparation. Fanny welcomes the guests with half an egg, old food and leftovers, and she also neatly records it all and puts it on YT.
I am interested in the following: what is wrong with the people who will come to visit her at Christmas. And they keep coming for years.
The only thing they can hope for is that they will freeze from the cold and they will most likely be hungry.
Who wants to spend their Christmas holidays like that (if they don't have to)?

Alcoholic antics.

 

[Yebo]

S d

She didn't only inherit her taste, it seems uncle and aunt also don't seem to use common sense when making expensive investments. How can you buy a property and not realise it is a listed building?
Would also like to know if they bought the house before Stephs parents bought her the chateau. I always wondered how come Isabelle agreed to invest her hard earned money in such a ridiculous project.She most have realised by then that her daughter is basically useless. But it makes sense now if she wanted to prove to her younger sister that she too can waste money on a phantasy object. Makes actually much more sense to me to explain it with sibling rivalry than with deep love towards her daughter. If only some tattler can research how and how much money they all made with those nursing homes. Aunt and uncle seem to be loaded. Was it really just perfect timing to be in the mental health industry? 4 nurses ending so rich in the 80s though maybe only Isabelle seem to have some sense? I wonder....

I've been wondering for a while if the château thing wasn't Derek's fantasy and Princess Fanny was pulled into it. It seems he had a lot of input into it. She's so obviously not a country person but her father could live out HIS fantasy and do his gruesome illustrations at the same time. Perhaps Isabelle was outvoted on this decision.
The hilarious thing is that before the revolution in France, when the King kept the Aristocracy at Versailles, the worst thing that could happen to an Aristo was to be banished from court and sent to their château in the country. If I remember my history lessons, the Aristocrat would receive a 'lettre de cachet'? This would suggest that they were required on their estate... Ie: get the gell outta here. For the Aristo it was as if life had come to an end.
No wonder Fanny wants to escape from the Farmhouse.

 

[Fennelbug]

I've been wondering for a while if the château thing wasn't Derek's fantasy and Princess Fanny was pulled into it. It seems he had a lot of input into it. She's so obviously not a country person but her father could live out HIS fantasy and do his gruesome illustrations at the same time. Perhaps Isabelle was outvoted on this decision.
The hilarious thing is that before the revolution in France, when the King kept the Aristocracy at Versailles, the worst thing that could happen to an Aristo was to be banished from court and sent to their château in the country. If I remember my history lessons, the Aristocrat would receive a 'lettre de cachet'? This would suggest that they were required on their estate... Ie: get the gell outta here. For the Aristo it was as if life had come to an end.
No wonder Fanny wants to escape from the Farmhouse.

I don’t mean to spill the tea, but builder Ian has been responsible for Dan Preston’s taxes for quite some time......

 

[Yebo]

I don’t mean to spill the tea, but builder Ian has been responsible for Dan Preston’s taxes for quite some time......

Paying them or advising?

 

[On Repeat]

Auntie's decor and her silly niece's is not maximus at all- it is hoarder style. It is greedy style. In my facebook ads I am getting the Ruggable range with Iris Apfel (one of my favourites) inspirations. The stylist has nailed maximus, they are beautifully curated rooms. SJ and aunt are just tasteless.