Winter Has Arrived

Our Winter Weather Advisory has turned into a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Friday 10am morning.  could get anywhere between 4 to 16 inches of snow (according to my weather app). Winds up to 45mph. I am so glad daughter went home yesterday! I would have been terribly worried if she had to drive in blowing and drifting snow. The temperature has dropped too - it is currently 12F/-11C. I'm hoping the snow stays on the lower side of that prediction! They almost always get it wrong!

I did go for a walk this morning. It was already really windy and cold. There was only a little snow coming down so I thought I'd get out while the roads were clear in case I can't walk tomorrow. I hate driving in the snow so I probably won't go out if the roads are bad. It was so quiet at the park. I was apparently one of the few people crazy enough to go out for a walk! It was quite lovely though. I like it when it's peaceful.

I came home and got most of the rest of my washing done. I still have a winter coat to do (that I got from Jane's - it's lovely and long and will be perfect on cold winter days) and a couple of dog hairy blankets (lol). I shall do them tomorrow. I got tidied up the bit in the corner by my chair. I apparently have an abundance of books again. Yikes! I need to read faster (or stop buying books).  There were a couple of really good sales after Christmas that I gave into. 

On that note - buying too many books and other bits - I going to try for a low spend January. I'm not sure exactly what that will entail right now. I know I am staying away from buying craft items. I am actually  trying to think of how to get on a tighter budget for the whole year. Do I just say I'm buying no leisure items or do I give myself a set amount to spend each month? I watched some Youtube videos using the cash envelope method but I'm not sure that will work. As you can tell from my blathering that I'm not sure how this is going to work yet. I just know that I want to be more concious of where money is going. 

Also to do with books - I am going to try to get rid of ten this month. I did really well when I tried this before. I got rid of so many books! It felt good so I need to get back on track. 

A photo from my snowy walk

And my Phone Photo of Things That Make Me Smile 5/365

A nice cup of hot chocolate when I got home from my cold walk. It always makes me smile! Both husband and daughter got me a selection for Christmas - they know me so well!

Daughter Left Today

 My daughter drove back home today. She kept in touch when she made stops and let me know when she arrived home. I was glad she got back when she did as both us here in Michigan and where she lives in Minnesota are expecting snow. The roads back today were clear and I am thankful for that. I worry when she drives that far by herself. 

I am so thankful she got to spend the time with me. She helped me through some tough days over the holidays as did my sister - who sent me lots of lovely photos of her smiling, happy grandchildren enjoying their Christmas. 

Today I went for a walk after daughter left and then spent the rest of the day getting rid of dog hair lol. There was lots of it! I washed blankets and bedding and vaccumed. Tomorrow I will catch up on lots of our clothes washing and clearing up the things I haven't been taking care of when daughter was here. It's supposed to snow here in the morning so most of the day will be spent inside. I am going to work on my plans and goals for this year in between doing my housework catch-up. 

This year I am trying to do a photo-a-day. I did one in 2020 and started again last year but when Mum got sick and with all that happened I ended up dropping out. So I am brushing myself off and starting again this year. In 2020 I decided to do Things That Make Me Smile and took the photos completely with my phone. It worked out well as did I really need to try to smile that year! I am going to do the same again this year. I've been feeling down a lot lately and I need to remember that there are always little things that make me smile throughout the day. I'm using my phone because - well, frankly, I find it easier to keep on track with. 

With each photo I usually add a little explanation. I am thinking I might make a separate page for these or I might keep them at the end of each post. 

The second photo on my last post was 2/365 (Jan 2).

This one is 3/365 (Jan 3)

We had snow overnight and for once, when I went for my walk in the morning, it was sunny and there were lots of puffy clouds. My favourite kind of cloud day! The view made me smile and I enjoyed it all the more because it was so peaceful!

4/365 (Jan 4)

Daughter left today. Seems like a strange thing to make me smile, but I so enjoyed her time with me! I am so thankful she was able to come and visit. I am thankful that she has such an understanding, supportive new husband that didn't mind his new wife spending their first Christmas/New Year as a married couple with me. Just thinking of her and her having such a good guy in her life makes me smile. 

Happy New Year!

 Just a quick one to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope it is healthy and prosperous. It has to be better than last year, right? Anyway, daughter is still here visiting but she'll leave on Tuesday so I am spending time with her and not on the computer so much. I won't see her again for a couple of months. I shall be back with longer posts when she has left. 

Thanks so much to everyone who reads my blog and comments. If you let me know that you have a blog I'll be sure to pay a visit. 

Photos today from a walk today on the beach. We took the huskies to a dog-friendly beach and had a walk on some fresh fallen snow. 

Goodbye 2021...and Good Riddance

 It's been a horrible year and I'll be glad to say goodbye to it. It's another tough day. Mum and I usually see in the New Year together. I'll call or Skype her and we'll watch and listen to Big Ben ringing in another year. We've done it for...well, as Mum would have said, we've done it for donkey's years. We usually have a natter, sing Auld Lang Syne and then finally I'd be able to say I'll see you later this year, rather than saying I'd see her next year. Sigh. Good Memory, but really sad. I suppose in time it will be a little easier. I'm going to try to find a way to listen or watch and have a drink in her memory. 

On a positive note I've been thinking about 2022 and goals. Hopefully I'll have some to share. I haven't posted for a couple of days as I've just been feeling a little off but I have been doing some thinking. A lot of the plans I had for this year barely got started before Mum got sick. I want to follow through on some of those and maybe make new goals. I don't do resolutions as those tend to last for a bit and then when I fail (which ultimately I do) I abandon them altogether. So rather than resolutions there will be goals. I shall try breaking them down into smaller more managable goals. I shan't be too hard on myself if I do fail. I shall pick myself up and start again. 

Do you make resolutions? Monthly goals? Long term goals? 

I hope you have a safe and peaceful New Year's Eve. 

Everyday/Snow/Is it Spring yet?

 We took the dogs for a walk this morning. It didn't go too well. I forgot that the park I chose had a bunch of visiting geese in the winter and lots of goose poo! One of the dogs was really excited by it. Sigh. They did get a little worn out though! 

The house is a big mess. A little stressful but I am enjoying daughter and the dogs visiting. It started to snow this afternoon just as we were taking the dogs for another walk - this time just around the neighbourhood. 

Managed to snap this one with my phone as we walked along. 

Oh...on a side note...when daughter and I went to the shops yesterday we noticed that they were already stocking Valentine's Day and even Spring/Easter sweets. Oh my! It is a long time until then. I know shops work in advance but surely they could wait until the New Year. Has anyone else noticed this? 

This is an American Marshmallow Treat usually used in Spring Time. I can't admit to eating one as they have Gelatin in them, but most people around me either have a love or hate relationship with them. Either way it was a little...interesting to see them so early!

Another Day - books

Eileen - daughter isn't quite sure when she is going home. She has to work on Thursday but brought her work computer with her. She will probably go back after the weekend. I'm really appreciative that her new husband is so supportive of her spending time with me. He knew how tough this year has been for all of us. I know it's not easy to be away from your family in tough times and I'm glad he understands that too. He is such a great guy!

What a horrible dreary day! It started with all kinds of weather - snow, ice, rain and thunderstorms! Sadly there was no sun to follow. It was drizzly, dreary and foggy most of the day. The thunderstorms actually woke me up!

I went for a quick walk before daughter really got moving today. My oldest son is home from work on holiday this week and he was nice enough to look after the dogs while daughter and I went out and had a little look around. We didn't find a lot. I did splurge on some new books. The bookshop had a really good deal on hardcover books. I got some money for Christmas so treated myself. 

One of the books I got was this one. It's quite interesting and has been on my wish list for a while. I am looking forward to reading it. 

Speaking of books I completed my challege of 100 books in 2021! I was sure I wasn't going to complete the challenge. I didn't keep track of a lot of what I read so I'm glad to be have recorded as many books as I did. I am going to participate in the challenge again next year. I like having the books I've read recorded somewhere and Goodreads is really easy to do. 

2021 READING CHALLENGE

2021

READING

CHALLENGE

Congrats!

You have read 108 books of your goal of 100!

108/100 (108%)

View Challenge

 

I think tonight will be an early night. I am quite tired and am having trouble keeping my eyes open!

Boxing Day/A Nature Walk

This morning it was quite chilly. There was a thick frost on my car, and a thick frost in the field at the nature park I usually walk in. I don't generally go there on the weekend, but because of the holiday and daughter visiting I decided to take a walk there before we started our day. It was -4C as I was walking. The field was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't long before I came across a couple of male deer. They seemed a little wary of me, but (weird but true) I talked softly to them enough to take a few photos before leaving them to their breakfast. 

I walked down to The Point where one of the beaver lodges are. By that time the sun was just coming over the horizon. Quite beautiful. Not everyone is happy about the trees the beavers are downing lately, but I find it really interesting to watch. It seems that every morning a new tree has been gnawed upon. This happened last year too until it got too cold for them to do much work. I don't know too much about beavers but it seems to me that they fortify their lodges for winter and put some of the branches they strip off beneath the water, close to their lodges so they can chew on them during the winter. 

There were no beavers this morning, but I saw a muskrat (maybe more than one - who knows whether it was just the same one popping up!).  There was a thin layer of ice on top of part of the lake and I watched as one popped up through. 

Daughter and I didn't end up going far. We took the dogs on a couple of walks around our neighbourhood. I think the drive is catching up with her as she was awfully tired today and took several naps. I know she's been working hard too, so I decided it was more important to let her sleep and rest a while!

Christmas Day

 How you feel at the beginning of the day

How you feel at the end of the day

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Day.  

I want this post to be a bit more cheerful so I will say that I received lots of thoughtful presents. I was quite spoiled. I did receive the books I really wanted from my oldest son.  A new adventure for 2022

Christmas Eve

 I missed yesterday. I had been trying to post every day this month and have done really well up until now, but last night I was tired. By the time I remembered (for about the tenth time) that I was going to post I was already in bed and, well, to be honest, I just couldn't be bothered to get back out of bed, fire up the computer and write the post.  So no post yesterday, but back on the posting wagon today. 

I managed to buy everything else I needed yesterday so I didn't have to shop at all today! Writing a list really did help. I finished most of the wrapping yesterday with just a couple of stray items that needed wrapping today. I went for a really long walk this morning. It was quite lovely. Quiet for a while early this morning, but by the time I left the car park was full. There were lots of birds around today eating the berries of the trees. I stood on the path and just watched. Nobody at all came along the path. 

I messaged with my sister this afternoon. She, my BIL and her younger daughter S, S's husband and two children went to Felixstowe today and took some flowers and a card to Mum's bench. They took photos to share with me. It was lovely but made me cry. I can't wait to be able to go sit on the bench and just chat with Mum. 

Middle son came up later and I cooked some pizza and nibbles. I was really surprised when someone came in the door - it was daughter and her dogs!!! She has surprised me with a visit home for Christmas. Her husband stayed home but he messaged me to say he hoped I liked the surprise. He is such a good guy. I am so thankful that my daughter has found such a lovely partner to share her life with. I wasn't looking forward to Christmas at all but it will be lovely to spend the time with her. 

I wanted to share a photo of one of the lovely gifts daughter and her husband gave me last week. It was son-in-law's idea to have this made for me. It is a blanket/throw. I am not sure I can bring myself to use it maybe except to wrap myself up in it and try to remember how it felt to get a hug from Mum. The flowers just so say Mum - she loved flowers. 

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday. 

I have been feeling a bit sniffly for the past few days. My nose hasn't stopped running and I'm tired (but haven't been sleeping well either). I decided to take a Covid test just to be sure (have some at home) as I didn't want to chance passing on anything to anyone else. It came back negative so probably just a cold. 

An ornament I brought home from Jane's tree to put on mine. She is missed this Christmas. I always tried to get her genealogy gifts as well as a Barnes and Noble (bookshop) GC. She was such a great reader! She always emailed after Christmas to tell me what books she purchased with her GC. I missed making her a lighthouse calendar this year. 

Lastly, the kindness of strangers. A cookie a lady at husband's work made. It is so beautiful I am almost afraid to eat it. 

Okay, this definitely is lastly. I really want to say a big thank you to all my blogger friends for your comments and support this year. They have really touched my heart and helped me through this difficult year. I hope all of you have a lovely holiday season. 

 It was really cold this morning when I woke up. I went for a really long walk and just about froze. I just needed to not think for a while, enjoy nature and the beauty around and take photos. Snow was falling lightly while I was out. I think that because it was so cold everyone decided to stay away from the park and it was lovely and quiet. It was really quite beautiful. Very cold though. I couldn't find my long undies and my legs were pretty cold when I was done. I came home and looked for them, but I still can't find them. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be just as cold so I will probably wear some leggings under my jeans. 

I managed one store, got quite a few things on my list, but still have to go out tomorrow to buy the rest. If I am not done tomorrow it won't be bought. I am determined not to go out on Friday. It will be crazy. I did get a whole lot of wrapping done today and tidied up some hotspots in the living room and dining room so I'm feeling a little better. Clearing up has made me realise that I have a lot of work to do in my own house next year. I also realise that I feel quite anxious when there is a lot of stuff/clutter around. My house isn't that big but I like space so there are things that will need to go. I think I shall have to be quite brutal about it. But that's for next year!

I kept busy all day.  There were more tears last night rather than today. I left a memory on Mum's memorial page. I am really glad the funeral home set it up. I'm not sure how long it will be there, but when I'm having a particularly difficult day I go on the page and light a candle or leave a thought. I want there to be more days when I try to think of the good times rather than the guilt I feel at not getting there in time. I know it is all on me as she wouldn't want me to feel that way. It's just tough. I can almost hear her telling me I'm being silly and her giving me a hug. 

I'm not going to end this on me being sad and moaning again. 

We got the Christmas tree up. Photos to come. I put up the ornaments I brought back from Jane's house. I have some I brought back from Mum's but they are still in the (unsorted) boxes. Husband put up the little tree. He usually does. Most of the ornaments we end up putting on the tree are handmade.

Tomorrow I'll be taking another walk. I have three shops to go to. One is just a pickup order, the other is for GC and the third for food. I have the last of the wrapping to do, some neglected housework to do and then I am hoping to take a nice relaxing bath before husband and son get home.

How are your preparations coming? Almost done? 

Today's photo is a picture of daughter, her husband (that sounds so strange to say lol), me and hubby at the light festival this weekend. Happy times.