HOW WAS YOUR CHRISTMAS?

I was sick this Christmas but then a lot of people were.
Seems like absolutely everyone is ill.
But I had a good Christmas anyway!
As I've said in the past, I love handmade gifts and this year
my niece Lily made me something that when I opened the box I had to struggle really hard to keep it together.
But as hard as I tried, I couldn't help but cry.
But it was happy tears.
She made me a sculpture of BLUE!
She captured him perfectly.

She got his coloring and markings perfect.
And all of his little lumps and bumps.

She even made a black chair and footstool for him.
Just like my sofa and chair.

and....
while, I do adore handmade
my sister surprised me with a flat screen!
I had been watching TV on a very small screen
ever since they went digital.
What was that, 7 years ago or something?
I must say, I LOVE it.
Suddenly people on TV have pores and wrinkles!
I don't know why but that makes me so happy!

and finally.
as I already have said,
I was sick on Christmas.
But very early in the morning I woke up
and got very ill.
After quite a while I crawled back into bed 
and slept in much later than I usually do!
In fact when I woke up the sunlight was streaming in the window.
I opened my eyes and to my surprise this is what I saw -

I keep my phone on the ledge above my bed
it's my alarm
and if someone needs to call, it's within reach.
So I slowly took it off the ledge and took that photo.
Quite the surprise,
I mean sometimes he sneaks up on the bottom of the bed during the night
but he has NEVER gotten up next to me like this.
I kinda feel like he knew I was sick
and was watching over me.
Yep, a very good Christmas.

All You Need is Love.

I've had Good Christmases and Great Christmas and not so Happy Christmases and a couple of Awful Christmases

and I've finally have come to realize that

all the decorations and shopping for gifts and gorging on cookies

and a little bit of snow

makes for a Nice Holiday but really...

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.

  Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings!

CHANGING MY WAYS

I realize that this post reads like a New Years post but....

I need to make some changes.

Life changes, not just resolutions.

I need to figure out how much sleep I need to be getting at night and I need to start getting it.

I need to start eating healthier and stop all the sugar and fast food.

source

I'm exhausted and I feel dizzy a lot of the time and it's because I'm running on empty and filling my tank with junk.

I have too many projects going at once that I'm ending up failing at them all.

source

And... one of my busiest times of the year at work is just days away.

I need to figure out a schedule that fits MY life.

I have a friend who gets up at 4 each morning and gets breakfast for her husband as he heads off to work.

Then she washes up the dishes and tidies the house. She says she can't stand to come home to a dirty house.

She's always pulled together and dresses stylishly.

source

She budgets her money carefully.

She plans out a menu plan for a MONTH in advance and shops and hunts down bargains.

She holds down a very creative but also very physical job and even puts in overtime.

She meets a group of retired people she knows for breakfast once a week

and she meets me for breakfast every other week

and she goes to her parents home one day a week before work and cleans their house.
She runs errands for them and takes them to the doctors for appointments and such.

She plans and prepares everyone's birthday/anniversary/holiday party

and most nights she goes to bed by 8.

Time management.

She's got it down pat.

It's true that she doesn't have any pets now

and she doesn't have any Art projects going

and she's doesn't get on the computer hardly EVER...

So, OK. We have different priorities but

she's working it out

and I'm just burning out.

source

So...

I need to get some sleep now

so that I can figure this out with a clear head.

Figure out a sleep schedule

A schedule to work on things that are important to me

Figure out a money budget

and start eating right and prepare ahead....

And....just to start feeling good again and

Happy.

source

Wish me Luck!

xo

BLUE and SANTA (Santa's helper)

So....

I've been dealing with some stuff by stress eating and doing nothing but watching TV after I get home from work at night.

I just sit in my big chair and read Facebook, Instagram and blogs (and being too brain dead to comment) on my iPhone

while the Boob Tube is on.

Then one night on Facebook someone sent a post to my niece Lily about Santa.

THAT peaked my interest.

So Lily and I made a plan to go see him.

The four of us drove over to the Garden Center where he was at.

The four being Lily, her little dog Lucius and me and Blue.

(sidenote: Lily loves the Batman movies and Batman's faithful friend and helper was named Lucius Fox played by Morgan Freeman).

When we arrived the parking lot was dark and almost empty, yet Blue was full of excitement.

He jumped out of the van and "bounced" up and down.

When we went into the Garden Center, he started to gallop at the end of his leash through the store.

Workers called out to him and I remembered to tell them that he's deaf.

I always forget that.

They asked if they could give him treats and I laughed and said Yes!

He happily gobbled them up.

He was having SO MUCH FUN.

Lily spied where Santa was and she carried Lucius in that direction

as Blue loped behind her.

Blue saw Santa and...

had no reaction.

I lead him up to him and I don't think it was really Santa.

There was no, "Ho Ho Ho"

and no offer to hold Blue in his lap.

Yeah, must have been a "helper".

Now I don't view myself as a bossy person, unless we are talking about Blue.

Santa (Santa's helper) limply held his leash.

I turned around and it didn't look right to me so I asked the girl photographer to "Wait!"

I looped up the leash a bit and asked "Santa" to hold it HERE.

The photographer started to make some noises to get Blue's attention and I didn't even bother explaining.

Instead me and Lily just held up and waved around some treats.

After Blue's photo shoot, Lucius got his picture taken too.

Lily had to lay him in Santa's helper's lap and she called out to him.

He was terrified but it ended up as a great photo.

(Sadly I don't have that available to share right now. I need to get a copy from Lily)

Then we paid the girl and Blue followed Lucius and Lily back out

galloping all the way except for the faction of a second when he swiped a pig ear in a quick swoop

from an end display rack.

Luckily I saw it and quickly swooped it right back to the basket.

A few days ago the photos came in.

They turned out better than I thought.

I'm happy and

I think I need to take Blue on more little adventures.

He enjoyed that one so much!