Thursday, December 31, 2020

Do we really have to be thankful for 2020? {Thankful Thursday #292}

 


Can you believe this is it... the last day of 2020.
I dont think there is one person who is sad to put this year behind us.
Onward & upward, right?  

We're coming out of the year different people I think. I know I am.  
At the beginning of 2020, I was on the go go go, always doing things, meeting up with people, serving in church, in all the stores, in all the restaurants.

Fast forward & we have not eaten in a restaurant since March.  I havent been back to my church since March.  I have hugged 2 people this year since March other than my husband - one by accident - the other, I told her to hold her breath & we both had masks on HAHA.  

I have seen the worst in people & the best in people... there's always good.   The political season brought out some sides of people that shocked me. COVID brought out the horrible sides of people.  Everyone was taking out tension behind keyboards & even worst, in public... I think 2020 is going to be a shame to look back in history books at the climate of the country, the character of Americans.

& in all this ho-hum talk...there was good. Things we can be thankful for.

The biggest - WE'VE SURVIVED IT!!!! WHOO HOOO - pat yourself on the back.

I need a I SURVIVED 2020 t-shirt RIGHT NOW!!!

But I really hope you have come through learning new things about yourself.  
Finding  new passions.
Enjoying time with family you wouldnt otherwise have.
That you come out of finding joy in the little things - like a smile, a hug - things we miss dearly

I pray we leave the ugliness behind & learn from all we have done, seen, heard, felt.... & come out better people in the year & years ahead.

But - let me finish off with just a few things from last week I'm grateful for - because hello - Christmas week!

I am Thankful for:

*We had some warmer days in December!  Followed by snow - but then warmed back up. Mother Nature is feeling me with the menopause symptoms.

*The Hubs has been great driving me to places - even the doctor - with my ears being so bad & my dizziness being horrible.  He even has driven my car because his truck makes me car sick & usually when he drives my car, its a fight. "You're braking too hard"" "You're too close to the side" "You're going too fast" "Dont touch my mirror" "Dont touch my seat" "Dont even think about changing the radio"... ya know - marriage car driving normalcy.  But he's manned through.

* Julie got her vaccine.  I cant wait for all my loved ones to be protected so I can stop worrying... some...a little anyways.

Stole her pic off Facebook

*Sweet surprises came in the mail last week from friends, in cards & packages & all of it just made me feel the hugs from afar.  The spirit of Christmas just coming through the mail.

*Speaking of mail - GOD BLESS all the delivery people.  Literally were out delivering packages on Christmas Eve!!! & I got in all my packages in time for Christmas.  They really have kept me going through the whole COVID year... & will continue to keep me going.  When we can hug again, is it weird if I hug my UPS man?

* I'm so glad my cardiologist is still in business.  All my other doctors have retired (....cough ... cough... I'm old) but he's still trucking along, looking just the same - still yelling at me for all the same things.  But I'm so glad I got an appointment with him on the one day I was off before Christmas.  

* Holter Monitor. I talked about this Monday but I am so glad they have used technology for good & made it where its wearable & not miserable to move & sleep.  I honestly forgot I had it on.

* Family.  Yep... Christmas was weird. & we didnt get to see half the people we normally do - but I'm glad we got to see the ones we did - even if it was across a yard & with masks on.  Just being NEAR loved ones is enough.



* Friday Christmas. How awesome is it for Christmas to fall on a Friday!!! Give me that long weekend Santa!!!

* Mug Winner!!! You all know I love me some Show Us Your Books with Steph & Jana - & they had a giveaway because they are just so giving & sharing & give the love back to real needs in the world.  & their latest giveaway on Instagram involved a mug...two actually - & I won one of them. I was GIDDY excxited. I've falled in love with the Rae Dunn mugs & this is now our 3rd. This will officially be my "Reading mug" ... because you need a mug for every occasion!!!



So tell me something good about your Holiday

Even better - tell me something good you're taking out of this year!!!

HAPPY  NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

& oh yeah... yesterday was my birthday! 
Talk about an adulting birthday... I worked  from 7am to 6:00pm...after working the night before to 9pm. Year end stuff at work is CRAY-CRAY!!! But the Hubs always is the best at making me feel special - even if he feel asleep 15 minutes after I signed off work. Bless his heart.  Here I go venturing into my last year in my 40's... 50 lies ahead. I dont know how to feel about it.  So I wont. I'll treatit like I do most things of 2020 - ignore it & play in my planner, read some books & snuggly with my puppies.

OK... again - here we go 2021 straight ahead & to the right!



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Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The best books of 2020 I read {Show Us Your Books}

 

Life According to Steph


What a weird year of reading for me.

It was a total roller coaster.  
Between COVID & the political season & all the back & forth stupid & ridiculous arguments between people, my emotions struggled in it all.  
I wanted to hide away in make believe worlds but I also had a hard time just escaping the grip this world had around my mental state.

So its interesting to me to look back & see what did take me away for a little bit


So this one, I really enjoyed the twists & turns in it - especially because it disturbed me so much too.  Luckily, I read this in February so before my "disturbed level" was to its max with 2020.



I still love this series.. & the 2nd book was just as good & I actually have the 3rd book but want to be in the mindset to really enjoy it & keep the excitement of it up.

I really really thought this first book was so interesting.  I'm not into futuristic or sci-fi books - I have a hard time understanding, but this one was really deep thinking.  Now, the rest of them in the series, I wasn't too excited about. The 2nd was ok - the 3rd, ugh.  But this one, totally enjoyable.


My Bachelorette loving heart was into this... add in a plus size woman who had some snazzy attitude - Totally into this one! This was my first kick off into Book of the Month club too & I'm still loving it too!


This one wasn't corny or over the top romantic - it was realistic to me in the sense of romance. Funny too.  I'm currently reading a book by this same author & I'm really enjoying her writing. She may be on my radar for all her future books.


This one I could not put down... I had to see how it ended. I think I read it all in one day.  I'm keeping an eye out to see when the next one in this series comes out.  I honestly laughed at the main character & enjoyed the mystery of it all.  

AND MY FAVORITES!!! I'm going with 2 for 2020


This book really did change my life.  This one made me rethink how I let others treat me & gave me some strength in my soul to be who I am authentically.  & with Jen's trademark humor in situations, it honestly made me laugh out loud & equally cry for the things in this world that are said to represent Christianity, but is so far from the hands & feet of Jesus.  I may need to re-read this after 2020.

So this may have been everyone's pick last year - I'm late to the game... but I just really enjoyed this book. Warm to the heart on friendship & had a turn at the end that I was not expecting but I totally approved of.    This has a lot of hype & usually, I'm horrible at hyped up books - but this one, I'm totally standing behind.

So tell me what your favorite read was this year....I'm always a year behind anyways.
It may very well be my 2021 favorite read!

Monday, December 28, 2020

The weekend we made it through a COVID Christmas

 We made it!  We survived Christmas!!  I know it was a strange one for us, but honestly, I put my mindset in it from the get-go & it really did end up being a really good one. Could it have been better? of course... but there were moments that wouldnt otherwise have happened had it not been a COVID Christmas, so I was about finding those silver linings & they were shining everywhere.  

I'll try & keep things brief because I stepped out of blog world last week & had a 5 day weekend so lots to talk about.... let's try & crunch it together.

When I signed off work Tuesday, I actually had to go get a COVID test.  My first.  I had just been feeling bad for a few days & over last weekend, I felt just rotten.  Turns out, the COVID test was negative - thank God... but the doctor said, "its a good thing you came in"... she said that all she could see were bubbles everywhere & there was so much fluid on my ears & told me "So.... you're ears could be on the verge of rupturing any day now"... WHAT?  WHATTT???   She told me that when there's too much fluid on the ears, it causes the eardrums to rupture - but not to panic, because it will actually bring relief of the pain... BUT, to get back the doctor ASAP to get on antibiotics so it doesn't cause permanent damage.  Geez. Great. Merry Christmas to me.


I ended up leaving with a nasal spray I have to use twice a day to try & dry out the nasal cavity & told to take allergy medicine - which I can't because any sort of antihistamine will knock me on my back for days on end.  I have zero tolerance for any sort of medicine.. that might as well be called "COMA IN A PILL" to me.  My poor ears.

I woke up on Thursday & had to fight morning work traffic to go see my cardiologists. I've been having some heart issues lately & went to see my doctor that has been my heart man since I was 15 years old.  Yep, I've needed him for all those years.  Let me tell you - the man must have drank some vampire blood or something in all these years because he looks exactly the same.  His hair, a little lighter - but still looks in shape, no wrinkles... I honestly need to know his secret.

He sent me to the hospital for some blood work - because that's what I need, more blood taken out of me (maybe there is something about that vampire blood theory?) - & scheduled me for some more tests & sent me home with a holter monitor on.

OK... see previously where I say he was my doctor since I was 15... so that's mid 80's.  I remember the holter's of those days.  The kinds that had wires everywhere & they'd tape them together & tape to your skin so you could always feel the pull on your skin if you twisted or moved too much.  You had to wear a cassette player around you on a strap - carrying crossbag style... that was the biggest pain.  You had to sleep with all that stuff on you too!  This new thing?  I had to wear 48 hours & I said, so no bath? & she said, Oh yeah, these were made to swim in! WHAT??? & honestly - it was 3 little wires that didnt go around my body & that little black thing was the biggest part of it. You just clicked that button in the middle when you felt an episode happening.  Amazing.  I honestly forgot I had it on the entire time.... 


... until Ernie kept sniffing it - he didnt like it on me one bit....

I had the rest of the morning & afternoon to myself so I tried to so some shopping in places I found that weren't busy ... & got The Hubs a pecan pie from his favorite place for his birthday the next day.  

I had it setting out so he would see it on Christmas Eve as he was leaving for work.... FUN FACT - you can eat pecan pie for breakfast on your birthday apparently.



So Christmas Eve, I was going to run out & get some final things while The Hubs was working... but man... these ears.  The world was spinning.  Hard & fast & enough to make me so nauseated.  Plus, that nasal spray was making me sick too... so I ended up just staying at home & ended up getting some baking done.  Good thing I didnt fall into the oven with my luck & dizzy balance.

I ran over to see my momma for a little bit & give her some gifts.  She was doing much better.  She got a new tablet & was excited to play around with it when I left.

The Hubs & I were having a hard time trying to figure out how to do Christmas with everyone with COVID this year.  Ricky's family had canceled because its a pretty big gang all together so we agreed it was the best decision.  Then, for Christmas with my brother,  we were going to sit outside around a campfire but who knew the frigid Tundra was coming down... it ended up getting in the teens & SNOWED!!!!  So everyone put on masks so we could run gifts over.  Made the twins get together real quick so I could document this weird Holiday.

Look at that doggie in between them!!!


Look at my brother's trees!  He decorated them.  I swear, its such a shame he didnt pursue a job in interior design or something that showcases his artistic talents.



We got home & watched our church's Christmas Eve service online..... & watched the snow coming down. It was really a nice Christmas Eve night.


Time to get in some Christmas jammies & get ready for the big day...... I live for Christmas jammies!



I woke up at 5:00am on Christmas morning & excited to do my tradition of sitting by the Christmas tree with my coffee & just enjoying the stillness. It was even more beautiful waking up to see it was truly a White Christmas.  




I was surprised when The Hubs woke up super early too & came to join me.  I ended up making some cinnamon rolls & we turned on Mulan & watched it at 6am.  ... I LOVED the movie.  We both did.  



Look at the snow.... perfect Christmas weather.


The Hubs & I pulled out our gifts to one another & we just had the best time.  The dog were all about being in the middle of things too... curious little creatures.



We just enjoyed the slowness of the morning & just had fun opening gifts & little surprises for each other.  It really is the little things that bring such joy!


The Hubs said his favorite gift was probably that Cobra Kai shirt - HAHA. See - it is the fun surprises that makes the Holidays.  I'm so glad he loved it.  We both love that corny show.

We were playing with our new toys & got the call that our twin grandkiddos were ready for a visit & we rode over to see them.  Yep, 2 of our girls were in town & staying with their mom & stepdad & everyone was being very cautious with COVID.  We had some talks on how to best handle the situation & with some health issues for various people & of course, the two littles, no one wants to risk anything - so we just agreed to go over & put gifts on the porch for them to open later & then just stay in the yard to visit.


Honestly - its better than nothing, right?  So glad to see everyone. One family came from West Virginia & the other from Minnesota so it was just good to see their faces, even if covered a little bit... & of course, so happy to see those cute little boys. Yes, I wanted to run up & kiss those little faces, but its OK.  I'm just glad to see them at all.  I can't believe they'll be 2 in just a few months.  Where does the time go?

It was 18 degrees so I was proud that we made it outside for about 30 minutes... but we didnt want those little tiny twin noses to freeze off & they apparently dozed right off to naps when we left.  Glad to have gotten a picture of everyone & we all agreed this isnt how we wanted to do Christmas, but its what is needed to keep everyone safe.  & we're hopeful of getting together in the summer when everyone is vaccinated.

Yep... you can tell the one in Shorts is from Minnesota - haha! Cold dont bother them


The Hubs & I got in the car & thawed out with the heat on full blast & then drove over to Louisville to see my Mother in Law ... & again, we kept a social distance in her home & kept masks on... & we were so excited to see her new Christmas gift - A PUPPY!!!!

It's super fun kissing a puppy with a mask on - lol... that little baby is SO TINYYYYY.  & such a puppy.  Biting my new boots & getting those laces all broke in for me.  This did not help our puppy fever one bit.


We got home around 3pm & we just stayed in the living room the rest of the evening, staying warm, watching movies & playing games.  The Hubs got me a new chess set because I'm about the Queen's Gambit - & it came with a Chinese Checkers set.  My grandmother played that with me days on end.  I still remember her pattern of getting her men out - & it had me as a MAJOR champion.  She'd be so proud of me.




We usually go to the movies & for Chinese/Japanese on a usual/ordinary Christmas Day.  So what did we do this year?  We settled in for the new Wonder Woman movie that came out on HBO Max & I made some Chinese for us at home.  It was really the perfect evening.... all except the movie. Oh my gosh - so bad. SOOOO bad.  I really thought it was one of the worst super hero movies I've ever seen.  Oh well - cant win them all.



The rest of the weekend?  Just a lot of resting, relaxing, movie watching, reading, nothing exciting at all....

I did end up back at the Little Clinic on Sunday morning because my ears  were in such dire pain, I thought for sure something horrible was happening.   They said that there was even more fluid on them & they were so red & inflamed.  So they gave me some steroids to try & take down the inflammation & upped the nasal spray (UGH! - if you need me, I'll be puking in the bathroom).



So there we have it... Christmas 2020 - the strangest one in the history of Christmas's... but what a memory we all have & a story we'll talk about years down the road.  How much more will we appreciate future holidays where we can get together & hug & laugh together & play games & eat together? & see everyone's face below their eyes? 

We still have 2 more Christmas's to go & I'm not sure how they will work... but one thing I learned - I'm not going to worry about it - if it happens in the yard, or in the summer, its OK.  Because small things dont matter as much as the big things of my family & loved ones being healthy. 

How was your Holiday?

Did you have some social distance / masked up gatherings?

Did you watch Wonder Woman?  Tell me your thoughts.

Do you have ear issues?

Whose ready for 2021????

Monday, December 21, 2020

This is it... Christmas week straight ahead!

 Happy Monday everyone!

I'm not even going to bother with a weekend post because 1. like most weekends, nothing exciting happened & 2. this is it... the big week!!!! The one everyone always counts down to & Advent calendars are nearing the last few doors to open up.

This week is also The Hubs Birthday on Christmas Eve, I have a cardiologist appointment in thanks to some heart issues rearing its ugly head (Boo!) & of course all the things leading up to Christmas that needs to get checked off... even when its a different 2020 Christmas.  We have important things still to be done... like make sure Harvey Dent, Ernie & Zoe's stockings are full for Friday morning - HAHA.  It's work that matters.

Also this week, we kick off winter - BOO & YEAH!!! I hate winter.  But it is the turn around for the sun light.  No more LOSING sun... we start GAINING.  I cant tell you what that does to my spirit to just know we're gaining a minute more of sunlight - even if I cant really see it   Its like air & wind - I dont have to see it to be happy about it.  



Let's not forget the CHRISTMAS STAR this year!!! Anyone else excited to see it?  I'm hoping we have some clear skies so we can get a good look at all its brightness & glory.


The big event straight ahead after all the above... CHRISTMAS!!!!  

Again, its going to be a hot mess... because why wouldnt it be for 2020.  I've already got my mind set in place about it & all the things canceled, family gatherings, parties, meet ups... & I'm OK with it. Heck, if you're not used to it by now, then what's wrong with you.  & if you're still not canceling things & acting like nothing is different, then what's wrong with you? HAHA

The Hubs & I are talking about things to do with our day & we've got new movies set to watch with all the streaming services - Disney+ bringing out the new movie SOUL & we're signing up for HBOMax solely for Wonder Woman.  So we wont get to the theater, but we'll have movies & I'm making my sweet potato chili.  


I also bought stuff to make cookies & decorate them on my own.  Little secret - I've never made cookie icing before on my own.... how sad is that to declare as 48 year old? (Only 9 more days till 49 - wow)  But I'm going to try it out.... ANDDDD - I'm also going to try making my own bread too.  Because why not?  Its the time where CHRISTMAS MIRACLES happen, right? 

All this is chit chat to say, I'm going to step away the rest of the week from blogging.... I know there's a lot to do still, with wrapping presents, dropping presents off, resting up & getting to feeling better.

So I want to wish everyone the best possible Christmas!!!  We've seen 2020 has changed so much & canceled to much, but it doesn't change the birth of our Savior & the celebration that comes with it & what He came to do in giving us the gift of Salvation!  We see the things that can never really change or be canceled in this year.  The important things, right?  The true things that matter.

However your holiday looks this year - I pray you find some stillness in it, calmness, some perspective in it, some JOY, lots of love & some focus & happiness on all the gifts that could never fit in boxes & bows & under trees.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU 
FROM THE VINCENTS!!!!!

JESUS CHRIST IS BORN!!!!



I'll be visiting around still & I'll be back next week!!!

Friday, December 18, 2020

Friday Favorites

 

(Click Pic for Link)

HOLD UP... I just noticed - this will be the last Friday Favorites for 2020!!!
Next Friday is Christmas & then the Friday after that is 2021! WHAT????
I'm sorry - that just blew my mind!

Favorite Cheese Board


ITS MICKEY!!!!



Favorite Kids Socks


I love library socks but never saw them for kiddos before.... such a fun baby shower gift!

Favorite Lotion Set


Cute little containers to throw everywhere - in your purse, in your car, on your desk.
Or even cute little stocking stuffers!

Favorite Scarf


Before 2020 & face masks, I always wore infinity scarves to cover my face during cold & flu season.... look at me being ahead of my time!  But I love infinity scarves to change a look of a shirt/dress.

Favorite Water Bottle


I guess because you see so many with such pretty designs, this one just looks so nice to me.
It's clear... I mean, that's where we're at in the world when just a clear water bottle is attractive -LOL
But I love the time reminders on it too.

Favorite Phone Holder

Staying on a minimalist sort of thinking
isn't this pretty to just hold your phone up.
I'm thinking on a desk... & you could even use the tray for paper clips 
Or earrings if they get on your nerves being on the phone
.... or put your rings in it & sit your phone in it while you're getting ready in the morning & checking out the latest news or tweets.

Favorite Gloves

I love these in the brown color too!  But that bow & fur trim!!!! 
They work with smart phones too!

Favorite Whiskey Decanter


Living in Kentucky with all the whiskey around - this would be a nice & classic way to store it in a bar area.  A really nice gift for a man... because what do you get a guy for Holidays!?!! 
(Always the hardest!)


Favorite Funnies

















This is legit























Happy Weekend Y'all!!!

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