A New Word For The Year, Let’s Celebrate!!!

Hello friends and here we are ten days into the new year. I usually pick a word for the year instead of doing New Year’s resolutions. You may remember, but probably not, that my word of the year last year was Time. You can read that post here
the whole concept behind this word was that I was constantly late for things and it made me feel stressed out and behind all the time. I knew that when I allowed myself extra time it made me so less stressed. I was more productive and made for a better experience on everything. Some of my timing improved but some did not. Since choosing the word Time I have been more conscious of time. I do tend to give myself more time for things and that is probably the biggest key to staying on time and focused. I think by choosing that word it did make me more aware of my time and how I was using it.

So I decided my word for this year will be “Celebrate” I think it means a lot of different things. I want to celebrate each and every day. I want many celebrations throughout the year. I want to celebrate moments with family and friends little things and big things. I want to celebrate feelings both good, and bad because I think that is just the way life is. I think you can always find good in almost everything. By finding the good then I think you should celebrate it. Stay tuned for more celebrations.

Back to day to day life: Our office space at work has been moved temporarily to another building on our work property. We will probably be here for a few months while a new entrance building is being built. The building we are in now has stairs and guess what the bathroom is downstairs and we are upstairs. I am going to celebrate this stair climbing this summer by just how in shape I will be, HA!!! We will see about that. I really don’t mind it. It is a great way to get extra exercise. We still have a lot of things out of place and constantly seem to be asking each other where something is. We spent most of last week getting moved. So I have gotten a lot of exercise since the beginning of the year and that is definitely something to celebrate.

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby and used my gift card I got at Christmas. Isn’t this yarn gorgeous. I have a thing for yellow right now. It is just so cheerful. It could be because a lot of our days have been gray and cold. Plus Hobby Lobby had all their yarn 30% off. That is about the only time I buy it there. I just wait for the sale.

The first thing I did Monday morning was make my breakfast burrito for the coming week. I use the Carb Balance tortilla shells. I only put eggs, sausage and diced potatoes on mine. I make five of them and wrap them in foil and put them in the refrigerator. I eat one every morning. I put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. The calories are not bad at all because of the low carb tortillas. They are so yummy I love them. You can also use turkey sausage. The potatoes are just a bit of an indulgence for me. You could use cheese, peppers or anything you like. It’s a quick easy breakfast option.

I am a bit embarrassed to say I still have my Christmas decorations up in my house. I just haven’t had the time to get them put away. Sooo we just continue to enjoy them every night. Heck I may still have them up in July. I hope not because I have some cute Valentines decorations I want to dig out. That might look a little weird but who knows. I have somehow found the time to watch season 3 of Emily in Paris while snuggling with Kitty Kitty. But sometimes you just need that down time.

Just look at the look Kitty Kitty is giving me. She is not crazy about pictures.

I caught this sunset on my way this evening. Have you noticed the days are getting slightly longer. That means that spring will be here soon. I love winter but I am always happy to see spring.

So that is what has been happening in my world. What have you been doing? did you choose a word of the year?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Friday Favorites

What a crazy week this has been. We have a huge project going on at work and we are moving all of our offices and basically everything in our building to another area or two on the grounds. This is so we can build a new entrance, visitor’s center building. I’ll explain more as the process goes along but it has been hectic. I am off today but will go in tomorrow.

I wanted to share some of my favorites that I have enjoyed lately, here we go!!!

These Pond’s makeup remover wipes are awesome!!! I have tried several different types through the years. They are to be used when you can’t take your makeup off properly for whatever reason. Or you can keep them in your car or purse if you are working out and need to wipe sweat away. I kept a small packet of these in my overnight bag when I spent the night at the hospital recently with my sister. I loved them. I got these at Dollar Tree. This is a package of 10 and fits easily into my purse or overnight bag. They also make your face feel so smooth.

These garlic knots I got at Walmart are a meal in themselves. You actually bake them or heat them I should say, in the bag they come in. They are incredibly yummy and addictive. I think they would go great with lasagna or spaghetti and then maybe you wouldn’t eat half the bag like I did. They’re is 8 in a bag and my husband and I shared most of a bag last night. That is all we had for dinner but as I said I think they would be great with spaghetti or any type of pasta.

I got these little boots back before Christmas. I bought them at Burkes Outlet in nearby Athens. Do you have a Burkes Outlet where you live? They have some really nice things. Also very reasonably priced. And their store has undergone a transformation and it is just lovely. The layout is very inviting. Anyway I bought these boots in a size 7, they are Dr. Scholl’s. The 7 turned out to be too small and I had to take them back for an 8 and they fit great!!! I have worn them so many times since Christmas. I find myself pulling them out every other day or so. I just love them.

I am not sure what brand this little cup is. My husband got it at our dirty Santa exchange at Christmas but I immediately took it away from him. It barely holds 16 oz. but it is just the perfect size for me to take on my drive to work. The coffee stays hot the entire time even if I don’t finish it until after I get to work.

Look at this little gardener Santa. I snagged him at a thrift store just before Christmas. I added him to my Santa collection. I definitely don’t have one like him. I also got him 50% off because it was just a few days before Christmas and all Christmas items in this store was marked down. Isn’t he adorable?

This mini Chainsaw was a Christmas present. There are probably not a lot of women who ask for a chainsaw for Christmas but I am her. This is 6 inches, cordless and is made to cut wood and do tree trimming. It has two batteries so I should be good to go for awhile. I haven’t used it yet but I can’t wait to get out in the yard with it.

This is not my kitty. She is a resident kitty where I work. She came to us a few months ago. We named her Anthy, after Anthodite which is a beautiful cave formation, and she is a bit feral. She comes out mostly in the evening and we feed her. Some of our night guards at work have even been able to pet her. She is becoming friendlier so we are hoping maybe someone will soon be able to take her home. Not me!!!!

Guys, this book is amazing. I loved it!!!! Tara Westover recounts her journey from her isolated life in the mountains of Idaho to completing a PhD program in history at Cambridge University. I was so engrossed in this book I was sad to finish it. Tara has appeared on several talk shows and you can google them and watch her. It is an amazing story. If you read nothing else this year please read this book.

The last Friday Favorite is actually a Christmas favorite. My 21 year old nephew bought me yarn for Christmas, soft yarn because he remembered that I told him I didn’t like the acrylic yarn. You guys this touched my heart. Anyone who buys me yarn gets me. Forever. It is absolutely the best thing you could buy me. I was beyond ecstatic and touched.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Christmas Time and A Scary Time

Hello friends I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that you are having a happy New Year. I know I have been out of touch lately and not posting as frequently as I usually do but it has been quite a scary time over here. I will get to that in just a minute.

Our Christmas was very quiet. The temps were unbelievably cold. On Friday before Christmas Eve 12 degrees F was the high temp for the day with morning lows at about 6 degrees F. Now that is really cold for us in the south.

My husband had to work all weekend so I went to my sister’s house for Christmas Eve and spent that time with her and my brother in law and nieces and nephews. Christmas Day I spent at home alone watching movies and eating snacks. It was quite wonderful. It would have been better of course if Mark had been there too but it has been this way a lot of holidays for us because of his job. Mark and I didn’t get to open our Christmas presents until Christmas night. That is fine because it’s not like we didn’t know what we were getting anyway. I’m not sure why we carry on with the gift wrapping and everything. We put most of our items that we are interested in in our Amazon gift cart or text pictures of what we want and where to find them. We then purchase them. One of us picks the presents up from the Post Office and then we do wrap them for each other. It sounds silly I know, but that’s just the way we roll over here. I think when you get to be our age you buy what you want when you want it anyway.

My nephew Caleb showing his bear feet house shoes I got him. I spotted them at a small shop close to home and I knew he would love them. His mom says he leaves them at the back door when he leaves and he puts them on the minute he comes back into the house. He is so funny.

One of my very favorite Christmas presents was this shawl wrap thingy that my nephew and his wife got me. I just had to do a runway modeling of it. The Santa hat and the intense model stare just added to it I think. HA! HA!

And now for the scary part. Several days this past week have been spent at the hospital with my sister Sandy. I think I may have mentioned that she has been feeling bad for the last couple of months. Watching her feel worse day after day has taken a toll on our whole family. She had been seeing several doctors for months and was diagnosed with anemia and a couple of other related issues. But she just continued to feel worse with every passing day. The day after Christmas she felt so bad that my brother in law and my nephew took her to the hospital ER. She was admitted and a lot of tests were done. Because she was immunosuppressed from other medications she was taking she was quarantined. Only two people could stay with her in the hospital. So me and my brother in law took turns staying a couple of days at a time. We are relieved to finally have some answers. It is not what we wanted to hear but it could have been so much worse. My sister has large b-cell Lymphoma. We are now in the planning stages with an oncologist so we can start to get her better. Prayers for all she is going to go through in the next few months is appreciated. She is a 35 year survivor of colon cancer. I know how strong she is. I know with God she can do this.

The night my sister was admitted to the hospital we had a freak snow. It snowed and at first it wasn’t bad at all. Then with cars driving on the road, because it happened right around rush hour 4:00 PM, the roads became slick and turned to ice and then more snow fell and it was just treacherous. I had planned to go to the hospital first thing the following morning to be with my sister but my driveway, which is very steep, was covered in snow and ice. Fortunately the temps warmed up fairly quick and with my husband’s help getting my car out of the driveway, I was able to inch my way out. My car is all wheel drive so it does pretty well on the road once I am out of the driveway.

We made the best of being at the hospital. Of course my time there was nothing compared to hers. We watched T.V and TikTok, read and of course I knit. The hospital had a great cafeteria and gift shop. They also had lots of after Christmas sales.

This was my bed for a couple of nights. It looks cozy but the actual bed part felt like a rock hard slab.

A Starbucks inside the hospital. Skinny Caramel Macchiato is my favorite. Iced or hot

A very nice cafeteria. This is what it looks like at 6:00 AM

Window scenes. The snow was still hanging around.

While my brother in law stayed with my sister in the hospital I kept my little nephew dog Max. He is precious and has been such a good boy for me. Even the kitties have adjusted to him. I won’t say they love him but they tolerate him. He is going home today so I will miss him. He is a great little snuggle bunny and loves sleeping right up against me.

So I say goodbye to 2022 with a great deal of relief. I feel that so much has happened this year it has really made me feel vulnerable and insecure. I lost my sister Pat in April, I lost my two precious kitties Milo and Buster just before that, I had Covid, my brother had open heart surgery, but good news there he is doing great!!! My precious dog baby Molly died and then my precious boy Scruffy. And now my sister has been diagnosed with Lymphoma.

I couldn’t sleep last night I was awake most of the night with a lot of thoughts on my mind. Around 3:00 AM I wrote these two Haiku:

So on to 2023. I am still and ever will be grateful for everything I have in my life. I have faith and it is strong. I am so grateful to all of you who take the time to read what I write. When I started this blog it was a way to journal and help keep track of my life through photos and sharing my words. It has become so much more than that to me. Thank you for being here.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Cherish Your Loved Ones

Well it is just a few days until Christmas and only one day until winter officially arrives. Winter has been flirting with us for a few weeks but is officially declaring its love for us this week. The temps here Friday morning are in the single digits. That is cold for us here in the south.

On Sunday I had our family Christmas gathering at my house. There is usually about twenty people give or take a couple. My husband hates this. Not because of the people and the preparation but because he said I go a “little” crazy during these times. I don’t think I do, but it is possible I tend to get a little nutty about the house and yard and garage and the driveway and just about everything else anyone might possibly see. I want it to all look nice. I did go a bananas last year and I was a little manic with it all. I don’t think I fully enjoyed my family because of it. I was very stressed and it took away from the precious time I had with them. This year I decided to be different. I planned a little better. I got up really early the day of our event and got a lot of things done. I did things a few days in advance…. WHAT???? Is that really me? I even took a nap before everyone arrived, shhhhhh. But it all helped me enjoy my time with my family and realize that if every single little thing didn’t get done, it’s alright.

Last year my sister Pat was with us. She passed away in April. We, of course, had no idea this was her last Christmas with us. All I can think of is that I snapped at her in a hateful way last year during our family Christmas get together. Maybe I was stressed out from having everyone in my home, maybe I was stressed out from work, maybe I was just stressed. But I can’t forget that I did snap at her about something stupid. Of course I also have to laugh because I know she gave it right back to me. That is the way we were and I know it meant nothing to either one of us. But man I would have cherished those moments had I known. I didn’t know this was my last Christmas with her. But when you think about it we should cherish all of them, every single holiday, special occasion and yes just every single day. How do we know this is our last days together. WE DON’T!!! And we’re not meant to.

My sweet sweet sister Pat. She was a one in a trillion. She loved coffee. She always had to have a cup after every meal. She was funny and kind and just the person you would want to be best friends with forever.

But we had a great time. We had many empty seats at our table and it was very noticeable. But we have to cherish the memories of our loved ones that have left us and cherish our loved ones that we see every day.

***We played dirty Santa and exchanged gifts and stole gifts.***

***My niece Michelle and her boys, Tyler & Caleb***

***My brother Donnie and his wife Diane and their granddaughters.***

My good friend Kathy, she came for dinner with our wild crew. She was my sister Pat’s best friend. When we lost Pat she lost her best friend, neighbor and confidant. It helps us be together at times like this.

So yes it is sad when our loved ones are no longer with us. But as we remember those precious loved ones, let’s love and cherish the people we have in our lives right this moment. Tell them you love them, you miss them, you hope that they are well and doing fine.

You probably noticed that the word cherish was mentioned several times in this post.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!