The Christmas Season is beginning!

 Christmas season is upon us.  We had a lovely, quiet Thanksgiving at home, but we missed getting together with our extended family.  We haven't seen anyone since last month.  Thankfully, we got out a tiny bit back then to go to birthday parties and stand in driveways outside and talk.  I think it was possibly the only time this year we've seen some of them.  

With just the 4 of us for Thanksgiving, we cooked our own feast and just had what we wanted. We roasted a chicken, made dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, gravy, rolls and pies, pies, pies.   It was great and we are still eating some of it, several days later. 

I blog so seldom lately that I can't keep up with what I've put on here.   Did I mention that we adopted a new dog?   He apparently needed my daughter (He really did.) and he has now joined our family. His name is Frederick Von Spookington a.k.a. Freddie, which is a nod to Freckie.   He's young and he's learning and he's big enough to get on his hind legs and get things off the countertop.  His adoption necessitated us installing barn doors between our kitchen and living room.  This has been wonderful.   It has cut down on noise between the two rooms and with the 4 of us and 2 dogs stuck here at home all the time, it helps to have 2 kind of separate living spaces.  It also helps keep the dog out of the kitchen sink which is very important to us all.   

Back to thoughts of the Christmas season, I've uncharacteristically gotten some of my Christmas shopping done already.  It just has been such a year, I think we all need it to get in the Christmas spirit to try and keep our spirits up.   My latest thing, after this year of trying to do different jobs and cover for others and work all the time, is now working at home, which I will be doing for the next while.  I miss my co-workers and am more distracted at home, but it's okay I guess.  This week I'm glad to be protected from getting the virus as I prepare to take my coding test next weekend.  (big sigh).  I'm praying my daughter and I both pass the darn thing this time.  I don't know what we will do if we don't.  I don't know if I'll have a job after February if I'm not a coder.  

We've done okay through the pandemic and I hope you have too.  Keep your spirits up.  I believe it will eventually be over.  

Mid November Already.

 I can't believe it.  I know it's been a weird year, but for our family,  it hasn't been an awful year.  We've been very fortunate in some ways.  Life has gone on.  There have been some positives.  We still have our jobs (at the moment anyway).  Youngest son got his job and he likes it.  Oldest son switched jobs and (I think) likes it better. (I'll have to ask him next time he calls which I hope is today!).  The weather has been okay.  We've gotten some improvements done on the house.  We got the bedroom flooring done.  We got new shutters.   A few small things here and there are adding up.   I've lost a tiny bit of weight, but it's better than gaining a ton, which is my norm.   My daughter has 3 commissioned art pieces to do for Christmas.   Oldest son and daughter-in-law might be able to come here for Christmas.   They both work at home, so they're pretty much quarantining all the time.   I might get to start working at home too, maybe next week.  I'm trying not to be too excited about it because it might not happen and if it does happen, it might not last long.  The 2 ladies who currently work the front desk are pretty fragile and I may be asked to step in there again.  We're getting to go back to church again, with stringent precautions of course, but getting to go feels good.   In working all these hours I haven't wanted to work, I've saved up a pretty decent little nest egg.  Not wealth, but nice to have a little saved.   It's a good thing too, because our heat pump has quit working and is going to need to be replaced.   

When you watch the news, it's hard to stay hopeful, but it helps to just make a list of things that are going well lately, things that worked out, things that you can be happy about.   

I'm getting excited about Christmas a little bit and planning ways that we can make the holidays fun even if we can't get out and do things or see extended family.   

Now if we can just past that darn coding exam!  Attempt 2, here we come!