Well kiddos, the party is over!!!!!! Time to get back to 'normal'. We have had our celebrations and get togethers and now we get back to regular LIFE!
We ended and started the years quite mildly in my area. It was in the 50's and 60's and rain. Today - well BOOM it is cold. Winter has finally come and will stick around for a while. This next week looks to be pretty darn cold. There was even a dusting of snow this morning. Heck, we are one month closer to spring and about 2 1/2 months we will be there!!!!! We can do this!!!! LOL
We had chilly and warmer temps this week. Rain and more rain which made LOTS of mud! Oh geez, it has been mud fest here!! And fog!!!! Lots of fog this past week. The grass is so green - it is kind of funny to look out in January and see green grass.
On other news - my sis is HOME!!!!!!!!! YAY! She came home the day before NYE. She is still having occupational therapy and will for quite a while, and still has a bunch of pain. But she able to be home with her baby and she is trying to get back to somewhat of a normal life. It will still be a few weeks before she can drive - but we have all volunteered. My nephew really did a good job in placing a lot of safeguards in her home and even lowered her bed. (It was TALL and she is so short).
This just made my day and a great way to end/start the year!
My week:
- Did a lot of crock pot cooking this week - with the family get together and with my NY dinner
- Shared food with neighbor and his son. Helped them out with a couple meals of meat and some snacks!
- I had everything here I needed for that family thing, except buns and fresh veggies. Big spread for hardly no money!
- Got to actually air the house again 2X this week! Amazing
- All holiday stuff (both decor and gifts) is all put away till next year. The house looks empty!! LOL (but neat)
- Cut off the fronts of all cards to use for gift tags (next year) or lists
- New calendar marked up and on the wall
- I did my last store run of the year - because I had $20 is discounts I wanted and needed to use before the month ended. You KNOW I won't lose $20 in free money!! I got some more milk, fruit, juice and lots more cat food.
- I topped the gas tank while out, due to really cold weather coming. I only needed about a half tank. I paid 2.29/gal. with my discount! WOOHOO
- Using up leftovers in new ways and freezing some for later
- Yesterday I did a Twilight Zone marathon! YES, I am a TZ geek! I love it - and most of what I saw yesterday, I didn't remember seeing before. I know it is sci-fi (and I am not big on that), but each show always has a morale and something to make you think! That was my quiet NY day - that and finishing laundry and putting away tree.
- I ended/started the years with fresh sheets and bedding! LOL - that is always a thing I do. Just makes both the end and beginning feel fresh!
- Using what I have here, cooking from scratch, using leftovers, drinking tea and flavored water, laundry and just doing all the normal stuff. Pretty quiet week!
Meals for the past week:
Last Sunday - made Mex. pulled pork with a loin, BBQ wienies and meatballs, cheese dip, meat and cheese tray, veggie trays and dip, lots of chips and crackers, tea
Pulled pork sliders, chips and veggies
Pork fried rice
Pork soft tacos
Mini cheeseburgers, chips and veggies and dip
Homemade chicken tenders, fries and veggies (fresh)
Corned beef, cabbage and black eyed peas
SNACKS: fruit, fruit juice, meat & cheese w/crackers, Chex snack mix (gift), nuts
Want tacos and no lettuce - no problem. Soft pulled pork tacos with diced veggies (from tray) and Taco Bell sauce from frig (always keep). The crunch was nice, and these were great!
How has your week been? Has everyone finally gotten rested up from festivities? Do you have your decorations put away? How have you saved money this week?
Can't wait to hear from you all. Looking forward to getting back to our normal routine!!!!!
Blessings from my humble little home to yours.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
Lord, Thank You for the gift of this new year. Help us to make good of it and to always look to bless others and spread joy. May we always look at the good that You give and may we all resist the negative and evil that tries to invade our lives. I pray for peace and love for our world.
AMEN
I am so glad your sister is home and recovering. Prayers and love for her and her family.
ReplyDeleteHow nice of you to give to the neighbors. I ams sure they appreciate it.
You did good by using what you had on hand for the meals.
Happy New Year to you and your family. xo Diana
Thanks - I am just so grateful she is home a recovering. It gets scary when folks get up in age. My neighbor helps me a lot - so I figured they would appreciate some home cooked food!
DeleteHappy new year to you and your family.
The week started really cold, and today we are getting a bit of a break. I plan on getting out and doing a bit of a stock up today at some point. Mainly because the temperatures will be dropping once again.
ReplyDeleteIt is very quiet now that the sons have gone back to their respective homes, and I am having fun trying to remember how to cook for two instead of 4 once again.
God bless.
Glad you are getting a weather break and can get out. Cold can just go through you. I go out every day several times to feed my babes and the critters - so I am kind of used to it. But I do bundle up!
DeleteI bet it is quiet. So happy you got to visit.
Have a great week. Blessings
We left Wednesday and came back Friday to go to the funeral of my sil. My brother died four years before. My husband did the service and we caught up with a few relatives. I got to see three of my five children and two grandsons. Christmas is put away for another year and most of the goodies are gone. So bitter cold here today we are not venturing out to go to church.
ReplyDeleteWe stopped for milk on way home from funeral and are good to hunker down and weather this stretch of bitter weather. We didn't get much snow yesterday. Just enough to make everything look beautiful. Planning on rearranging my kitchen cabinet contents and purging again. We are praying about installing a fireplace/woodstove. We live out in the country on a lake and the electricity goes out a lot.
So sorry for your loss. I am glad you got to see family, seems that is how it goes sometimes. We get to catch up at funerals - that is a shame.
DeleteYes, stay in and stay warm. I would think some other sort of heat would be a very good idea. You need to keep your home and yourselves safe.
Blessings.
I’m so glad your sister is back home, that is great news. It’s been really warm here this week but now we may see snow today. LOL crazy weather! Your menu sounds delicious and the tacos look good. We save our Taco Bell sauce too. They usually give us too many of those anyway. We still need to take our Christmas stuff down but are in no hurry. I hope you have a great week, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteThank you. We had that warmer stuff too - then boom. It is really chilly out there today.
DeleteKeep your things up as long as you want - there are no rules. I miss mine - but things do look neat now as well.
Have a good one.
Glad to hear that your sister has come back home. We are having cold temps as you have seen on the weather channel. Staying in mostly. We have taken down all the inside Christmas decorations. The lights are still up not sure when we will take those down. I want to wait till it's warmer. We have been talking over some home remodeling, for sure we are getting our shower replaced. But we are tossing around adding a fireplace. So we'll see. I did order a cat condo for my kitties though!
ReplyDeleteOutside lights can wait! I still have white lights on the TV armoire - and I think I will leave them there. Nice night light.
DeleteOh, a fireplace would be nice. It would be so cozy. It would sure add to the value of the house as well. A new shower will be great.
The kitties will love you even more!!!!!
Have a great one!
I need you're motivation. All I've fine since Christmas is chill and rearrange my studio for two new crafts. And ordered from instacart since my car is finicky right now.
ReplyDeleteI DO have those weeks, trust me. I didn't really do that much.
DeleteEnjoy your little world - why not? No rush to do things. There really aren't any rules - so do what you want.
Have a good one
I'll echo others in their delight that your sister is back at home, Cheryl. Sounds like you had a wonderful holiday season and are back in the groove of an ordinary, quiet life.
ReplyDeleteYour meals (as always) sound delicious! It took us nearly a week to eat through Christmas ham. LOL!
Our decorations and gifts are also packed away. This week, my hubby's 1st as a retiree, I enjoyed a family dinner at a favorite out-of-the-way restaurant for my 60th. I also began sorting my closet, packing some things in under bed storage, and starting small piles for donation. With our lows near freezing (yes, in CA!!), what a blessing to have plenty of clothes. A good goal for the New Year is continuing to be grateful for the many, many blessings of life in America. --Elise
I did have a nice season and yes, I am ready for back to the regular grind.
DeleteI am so happy for you both that your hubby has retired and you will now have more time to do 'those' things you want. Happy birthday!
We are blessed to have enough clothing and bedding to keep warm.
Great goal - we are truly so blessed.
I am so glad to hear that your sister is home! Here's hoping for e real change this year and moving on to better days!
ReplyDeleteYes - to better days!!!!
DeleteSuch good news that your sister is back home. I can only imagine your relief at this.
ReplyDeleteChristmas decor is getting put away little by little. I usually wait until Epiphany, but will be traveling late week and into mid-week next, so I'm starting to pack things away little by little. It may not all get done before I head out, but it will definitely have a dent in it.
I've set up my books for 2022 and have decided to go back to cash for groceries and entertainment, rather than putting everything on my card. While I wasn't reckless with my spending last year, there are some major purchases I'm anticipating in 2022 (dishwasher started acting up over the holidays, and I noticed some loose ends and wear in my bedroom and guest bedroom carpets), and I know those are areas where I can (and should be able to easily) trim. Because I get cash-back on fuel purchases, gassing up will stay on the card.
All the best in 2022! I'll be following!
It is a huge relief for her to be home.
DeleteI pay cash for a lot of things any more. I used to use my card, as I get points. I try to pay cash when I can call me crazy, but I figure it is harder for "others" to track my purchases!!
Safe travels.
So happy that your sister is back home but no more than she! It's good that family can help with adjusting some things for her.
ReplyDeleteNice of you to share with your neighbor and his son. Folks for the most part are not neighborly these days like in years ago.
Excellent Scripture and prayer...we need to be good stewards of what the Father gives us, whether material goods or answered prayer. NanaDiana's son-in-law has been on my prayer list since his cancer diagnosis and now there are other family members with issues. I will keep your sister on my list along with Adi and Remi.
We have had some good days which we took advantage of to air out the house. Won't be doing that again for a while. Brrr!
Thanks, and thank you so much for your prayers. Each and every one is heard, and He listens. It means so much that you pray for us all. That is what He wants us to do. We each need to be the best steward we can be.
DeleteBoy is that right - Brrrr. No more airing for a while!
I hope you have a great year, Cheryl. And so glad your sister is home now. Take care. Celie
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Celie. Here is to a good year for us all! Cheers!!
DeleteWonderful news about your sister being home. That's a nice New Year's gift. Hope she's feeling better soon. Since we had our Christmas in Las Vegas we stayed in for New Year's. I made a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and we stayed in all weekend. It was freezing all weekend with rain and light snow so that was easy to do. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022.
ReplyDeleteThere is much to be said about staying home for NY. I'd much rather be in my safe and warm home, than out with all the crazies! Oh, I used to that - but now home is my comfort.
DeleteStay warm and cozy! Thanks!!!!!
YOu know here is to a wonderful coming year with you as my friend. We can share all sorts of info and you must help keep me on track. Where is the track aagain?
ReplyDeleteThanks. I look forward to a new year. That track is right in front of you - although it does have a lot of curves in it (for all of us)!
DeleteHappy New Year - and what a lovely way to start it with news that your sister is back home!
ReplyDeleteI will be back to work tomorrow - just PT but it helps to keep me on track and the money is certainly appreciated. And since my province is going back under more restrictions due to a rise in Covid infections I will be WFH for the next couple of weeks instead of splitting the week. And since most entertainment venues and restaurants are closing again there isn't much to do anyway so a good time to save some money!
I will finish putting away the Christmas decorations tomorrow and will do a quick dust and vacuum to keep the apt, tidy. I made a big pot of soup today and a quiche and half of these servings will go into the freezer. There is still a lot of chocolate and cookies left so I am going to make them stretch for as long as possible.
Have a wonderful week Cheryl.
Yay on getting back to work. It will seem like a little normalcy. The money will be good as well!!
DeleteAmazing that they are still closing venues of any sort - ours are open, just limiting the number of people.
Your meals sound so good. Smart to make ahead. Don't overwork yourself and enjoy!
Our venues had been operating under a limited capacity but Covid numbers are now affecting hospital admission numbers and that has always been the main criteria here for any restrictions. We have not been fully open anywhere in this province since the start of the pandemic and have been under a mask mandate for the whole time as well. I think we all knew it was coming so no one was surprised. Don't forget, I live in a city of over 3 million people and even though nearly 90% of us are vaccinated this variant spreads like crazy. Plus - we only started vaccinating the 5 to 11 year olds in the past 6 weeks so it will be another couple of months until they are fully done. I get my booster next week so will feel more confident after that. Hopefully this is the last wave and by Summer things will be mostly back to normal for all of us.
DeletePretty amazing. We have limited capacity at 'some' place - yet still have huge sports events. Some places require masks - others do not. They say our hospitals are full - but not a ton of restrictions here.
DeleteSince I have had this uti for three weeks, I am just sitting here, waiting to feel well enough to put away decorations.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you feel so bad. Lots of water and cranberry juice as well as meds! Feel better soon.
Delete