I have wasted a whole entire day. Seriously. It's cold and icy. I think the roads are basically ok, but steps and sidewalks are a bit dicey. We decided not to go out, just in case. And so we have been inside ALL day long. Lots of TV, and doing nuthin'. It's not so bad really, a day to rest. But tomorrow we will have to make our way out into the world. We are running low on cat food and coffee, the necessities of life. I hope those steps thaw out. Also? I looked at our weekly forecast and its back into the low 70's by mid-week. Crazy, these roller coaster temps.
A couple of people at work have been out with the flu. I kept meaning to get a flu shot, but never got around to it. I guess it's too late in the season to bother. I am phobic about this stuff though. I swear, every twinge makes me panic that I am about to succumb to some virus of death. One of my co-workers has been out almost 2 weeks with it. I will be happier once this flu season has run its course...and...I need to remember to get the shot next year. Early, like in November. The sickest I remember being was with the flu over Thanksgiving. Oh Lord, just the memory is creeping me out. Yuck!
So we decided to switch insurance policies this year. Well, it's the same plan, Federal Blue Cross, same coverage as we have always had which is pretty darned decent and for that we are grateful. But I was carrying the policy and Bruce decided he wanted to switch it to his name. We are always faced with the possibility that I may end up retiring earlier. I hope not, I am trying not, but just in case my body parts decide to go against our carefully laid plans. But anyway, my insurance ran out and his was activated....we checked and double-checked. But we had no insurance cards and no policy number for about 2 weeks. It was making me nervous. I actually had to pay for a prescription without insurance because I had no information. It wasn't a big deal, but still....Anyway, our cards FINALLY came on Thursday so I can stop worrying. I would hope that if something unfortunate had happened, we would have been covered even if I couldn't prove it with a card, but still...I am happy that is taken care of.
After flirting around with temps in the 70's for most of this winter, it turned cold this week. Cold for Eastern NC that is. People from up North, or the mid-west would probably laugh at how wimpy we southerners can be. Yesterday the high hovered around freezing all day, but the worst part of it was the wind. It was insane how cold it felt. Especially considering that Bruce and I only wore long sleeves maybe twice all of last winter. And today it had the audacity to snow. Just a few flakes. Then it turned to sleet. And this town went insane...seriously. Traffic was heavy, grocery stores were packed, schools got out early....you would think it was the end of the world. LOL!
I needed to run by the grocery store, but I ran by the mall and picked up Chinese food instead. The mall was empty, probably because everybody was at the grocery store. I will hit the store tomorrow...when it's 40+ degrees and nobody will be there because they shopped tonight. What is it about bad weather that makes people feel the need to hoard milk and bread? I never figured that out.
Oh well, I am very grateful that its Friday. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and warm wherever you are and for the love of God, do NOT run out of milk or bread. :)
I needed to run by the grocery store, but I ran by the mall and picked up Chinese food instead. The mall was empty, probably because everybody was at the grocery store. I will hit the store tomorrow...when it's 40+ degrees and nobody will be there because they shopped tonight. What is it about bad weather that makes people feel the need to hoard milk and bread? I never figured that out.
Oh well, I am very grateful that its Friday. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and warm wherever you are and for the love of God, do NOT run out of milk or bread. :)
Happy weekend everybody! Clearly, I am not doing so well in the blogging department this new year. Everything is good here, though. We've got a 3 day break, it's sunny albeit chilly, and that winter storm missed us all together, which made me very happy. We had some drizzle but no snow or ice. Work is still a bit of a struggle, but I made it through a full week. That's something of an accomplishment.
The kids are all doing well, too. Stephen started his program this week...both work and classes.
Hannia has started teaching part-time, French and Spanish at a private school. She is still doing her regular job, too, so both she and Stephen are really busy. Also? She loves it! I think that is fantastic! Erica is also going to be teaching 1 class a week at her university. That starts next week, so no idea how she is going to like it. But she seems to be looking forward to trying something new. And...she is thinking about moving in with her friend Amy in February. Apparently, the UK is an expensive place to live and having a roommate will be helpful. Erica is feeling a little apprehensive since she likes living alone, but it sounds like she is going to give this a try. I hope it works out for her. Amy is from New Zealand, and works in the same department with Erica.
Anyway, we are all off to a good start for 2013. Bruce and I have made progress cleaning and organizing. There is still more to do, always. But I'm happy with what we have gotten done.
We just got back from having dinner with Stephen and Hannia....Outback. Not overly fancy or exotic, but Stephen said earlier this week that he had a mad craving for a blooming onion which made us all want one. LOL! It was good, too. Not cooking was maybe even better.
The kids are all doing well, too. Stephen started his program this week...both work and classes.
Hannia has started teaching part-time, French and Spanish at a private school. She is still doing her regular job, too, so both she and Stephen are really busy. Also? She loves it! I think that is fantastic! Erica is also going to be teaching 1 class a week at her university. That starts next week, so no idea how she is going to like it. But she seems to be looking forward to trying something new. And...she is thinking about moving in with her friend Amy in February. Apparently, the UK is an expensive place to live and having a roommate will be helpful. Erica is feeling a little apprehensive since she likes living alone, but it sounds like she is going to give this a try. I hope it works out for her. Amy is from New Zealand, and works in the same department with Erica.
Anyway, we are all off to a good start for 2013. Bruce and I have made progress cleaning and organizing. There is still more to do, always. But I'm happy with what we have gotten done.
We just got back from having dinner with Stephen and Hannia....Outback. Not overly fancy or exotic, but Stephen said earlier this week that he had a mad craving for a blooming onion which made us all want one. LOL! It was good, too. Not cooking was maybe even better.
Well, the first week back at work was a bit brutal. I was still more sore than I realized. But I did it. I was exhausted by yesterday afternoon, but I finished the week and hopefully things will continue to improve. Not much else was accomplished because it was all I could manage to get through work. But we had worked a lot to clean up clutter, and get organized, so things didn't dissolve into total chaos. I like that....getting rid of things. Bruce took a whole truckload of stuff to Goodwill today. I am still working on paring down and cleaning out. We got rid of the obvious unused stuff, so that drawers and closets look neat and tidy, but I don't want to stop at that. It's not enough that everything has a place to be stored....if I don't use it, then I want it gone. Books, movies, knick knacks....if I have read it, seen it, or feel bored with it, it has to go. Round 2 is going to be sorting what's left. And making sure clutter aka crap doesn't find it's way into the house in the first place.
Of course this means not buying unnecessary stuff, too, so trying to be a more conscious shopper is something I am working on.
Anyway, I am resting up this weekend, getting ready for a full week ahead (I went back last Tuesday, so it was only 4 days. Turned out to be a good thing.). Nothing too crazy on the agenda for me. I am taking it easy....hope your weekend is good, too!
Of course this means not buying unnecessary stuff, too, so trying to be a more conscious shopper is something I am working on.
Anyway, I am resting up this weekend, getting ready for a full week ahead (I went back last Tuesday, so it was only 4 days. Turned out to be a good thing.). Nothing too crazy on the agenda for me. I am taking it easy....hope your weekend is good, too!
I don't mind saying good-bye to this year. It wasn't completely heinous by any means. We had some good times, wonderful news, and plenty to be grateful for. But there were some not so great moments as well, and I am over those and ready to move on. I have broken my rule to not make resolutions and so I have a short list of things I hope to accomplish in 2013. Mainly to get healthier (which entails the dreaded diet and exercise goals). I just had way too many medical things going on this year and if there is anyway to avoid a repeat of that then I owe it myself to make an effort.
I have organizational goals too. Those I happen to love. I downloaded several Kindle books on organizing, de- cluttering, and a really interesting one on minimalism. I understand the concepts but reading these things is always motivational. Bruce and I did the kitchen this weekend. We packed boxes for donation, threw away lots and got everything else organized. I have empty cabinet space now which is amazing. It's a big house and we have a long way to go, but it's a start. I figure I have a whole year to do this anyway.
Besides healthy goals and plans to clean and organize, the only other major plan is to relax more, have more fun and spend time enjoying life. That part sounds easy enough, but it's so hard to implement when life starts throwing some curveballs. I'm working on it....one day I will figure it all out! Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful new year ahead. I just love these fresh starts!
I have organizational goals too. Those I happen to love. I downloaded several Kindle books on organizing, de- cluttering, and a really interesting one on minimalism. I understand the concepts but reading these things is always motivational. Bruce and I did the kitchen this weekend. We packed boxes for donation, threw away lots and got everything else organized. I have empty cabinet space now which is amazing. It's a big house and we have a long way to go, but it's a start. I figure I have a whole year to do this anyway.
Besides healthy goals and plans to clean and organize, the only other major plan is to relax more, have more fun and spend time enjoying life. That part sounds easy enough, but it's so hard to implement when life starts throwing some curveballs. I'm working on it....one day I will figure it all out! Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful new year ahead. I just love these fresh starts!
I think we paid proper homage to 2012 over the Christmas holiday. Thank you to our family who came to help us celebrate. It was a nice ending to the year. I'm glad you all got to spend a little time with Erica before she had to go back to England. She has texted me this morning to let me know she arrived safely in York, and will be spending the rest of the afternoon sleeping. That all night flight to London is a bit rough for those of us who never sleep on planes. I think what she was trying to say in a nice way is, "I'm fine, I need sleep. Do NOT call and wake me!". LOL!
The funny thing, well 1 funny thing about this family Christmas was how our house shrank so quickly. Bruce and I are always kicking around the idea of downsizing since 3 bedrooms, formal rooms and a couple of bathrooms go virtually untouched for most of the year. But bring in an extra 11 people and suddenly we start wondering how we ever survived these tight, cramped conditions. LOL! And Stephen and Hannia live in town and didn't even sleep here. I started entertaining thoughts of UP-sizing, but since it is rare that all of us get together in 1 space, I probably won't.
Some of the high points of our holiday were:
- First and foremost, having Erica at home for the first time in over a year!!!
- The 3 day bonfire! Seriously, it would die down at bedtime but people would go throw logs on the bed of ashes in the afternoon and it just kept going and going. Fun!
- The SHARK! Bruce had pointed out a well designed post hole digger at Lowes back in the fall. Since he loves tools, I picked it up for Christmas. I asked Stephen and Hannia if they could come up with some creative way to wrap this thing, and they did an amazing job of creating a large gift wrapped shark that was the highlight of this Year's gift wrapping.
- The FOOD! Calvin cooked us lovely things for Breakfast! Greg made French Toast for Christmas brunch (which we washed down with cranberry mimosas, yum). And Stephen and Hannia cooked a turkey and homemade biscuits on Christmas night. Jeanne made turtles, Greg made chocolate coconut chews, Stephen baked a cake, and Calvin made sausage balls.....there was too much food to list it all. But thank you all for such a wonderful 3 day long feast! There will be dieting in the near future...LOL!
Anyway, it was a nice holiday. There are tons of pictures and I will share some later. We have been so busy that I haven't even had time to check them out yet. Now it's time to get serious about ringing in the New Year, setting goals, and prioritizing life's important stuff. I hope 2013 is wonderful for ALL of us!
The funny thing, well 1 funny thing about this family Christmas was how our house shrank so quickly. Bruce and I are always kicking around the idea of downsizing since 3 bedrooms, formal rooms and a couple of bathrooms go virtually untouched for most of the year. But bring in an extra 11 people and suddenly we start wondering how we ever survived these tight, cramped conditions. LOL! And Stephen and Hannia live in town and didn't even sleep here. I started entertaining thoughts of UP-sizing, but since it is rare that all of us get together in 1 space, I probably won't.
Some of the high points of our holiday were:
- First and foremost, having Erica at home for the first time in over a year!!!
- The 3 day bonfire! Seriously, it would die down at bedtime but people would go throw logs on the bed of ashes in the afternoon and it just kept going and going. Fun!
- The SHARK! Bruce had pointed out a well designed post hole digger at Lowes back in the fall. Since he loves tools, I picked it up for Christmas. I asked Stephen and Hannia if they could come up with some creative way to wrap this thing, and they did an amazing job of creating a large gift wrapped shark that was the highlight of this Year's gift wrapping.
- The FOOD! Calvin cooked us lovely things for Breakfast! Greg made French Toast for Christmas brunch (which we washed down with cranberry mimosas, yum). And Stephen and Hannia cooked a turkey and homemade biscuits on Christmas night. Jeanne made turtles, Greg made chocolate coconut chews, Stephen baked a cake, and Calvin made sausage balls.....there was too much food to list it all. But thank you all for such a wonderful 3 day long feast! There will be dieting in the near future...LOL!
Anyway, it was a nice holiday. There are tons of pictures and I will share some later. We have been so busy that I haven't even had time to check them out yet. Now it's time to get serious about ringing in the New Year, setting goals, and prioritizing life's important stuff. I hope 2013 is wonderful for ALL of us!
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