Rough week

It's just been one of those weeks at work and this one isn't starting a lot better.  Haven't had much energy to write after I come home.  I've read a couple books.  Will try to update tomorrow.

Random Thoughts

Been watching Jam and Jerusalem again - treated myself while they were on sale before the holidays.  Also I got an email from a friend in England.  She was telling me about the group of women she stitches with.  Seeing the group of women on Jam and Jerusalem and receiving that email got me thinking.  I don't have a group of women friends.  I'm really not that social.  A part of wishes I did have friends like those.  I spend a lot of time working and spending time with my family and don't seem to have relationships outside of that.  I'm also quite shy.  I don't really like meeting new people, makes me feel really nervous.  There are a couple of groups I've thought about joining, but the thought of going to something alone scares me.  I have an accent too and that draws a lot of attention I'm not really comfortable with.  I'm really such a fraidy cat.  Sigh.

On Days like these....

...I really appreciate the Cup-a-soup my Mum sends me for Christmas. 

I'm not a coffee or tea (shock! horror!) drinker.   Most people assume because I'm English I like tea. Give me a Cup a Soup anyday but can't find them here in the states.

It's REALLY cold today.  It's -8C with a wind chill of -14C.  Certainly a day to turn the heat up and wrap up!

Dentist update

I survived. 

Snow started about 7.30 am and was coming down fast and blowing like crazy.  You know how much I hate to drive in the snow lol.  Luckily I had asked hubby if he could take a couple hours off work to run me to the dentist.  If I cancelled wasn't sure when/if I would reschedule.

Glad I had him drive.  Could hardly see in front of the car.  He doesn't mind it.  He grew up here in Michigan and learned to drive in the snow. 

Appointment went okay.  It was over in a little more than an hour.  I have a reprieve of about 4 weeks before I have to go back for some fillings.  Sigh.  Hopefully sometime I'll be done.

On another note - I did sort out some books - eleven in all.  Nine went to PaperbackSwap.com and 2 will be donated to the library.  Going to try the same thing tomorrow.

Dentist

Sigh.  I have a dentist appointment today.  I hate going to the dentist.  I have a phobia about going to the dentist.  It is so bad that fear kept me from going to the dentist a LONG time.  I found a new dentist last year and have been going for about 13 months.  I had to have a lot of work done so going has become a regular thing.  I still don't like it.  I worry about it for days and the fear is like a knot in my stomach.  The fear is worse than the actual appointment.  Once I am in the chair and the appointment has begun I am not so bad.  The new dentist I go to is all women and they are all very friendly and understand my fear.  I usually take Xanex before I go - yep it's that bad!  I rarely take any drugs/medication of any kind so it's big for me.  Sigh.  It's only a cleaning and exam.  It's not the pain I fear but I hate the water in my mouth - feels like I'm drowning and drowning is my worst nightmare.  It's the reoccurring dream I have when worried/stressed.

Sigh.  I will get through this.  I will get through this. 

Books

I have updated my 100 books in 2012 page. 

However...I am not doing so well on sorting through the books I have.  I find it really hard to get rid of them.  It is like discarding a good friend.  Someday I might want to re-read that book and then what would I do?  I have a Kindle and am trying to replace some of my sort-of favourite books with digital versions.  It just isn't the same though.  I can pick up a book and read the back blurb just to remind myself what the book is about, but with a digital copy I can't do that.  I do have a goal however - I need to get things sorted before Mum comes to visit. 

This evening I sorted a whole 3 books - 1 to donate to library and I added 2 to my PaperbackSwap.com account.  My goal for tomorrow will be to sort another 5.  Slow baby steps.  I know, I know, this sounds really bad but if my only addiction is books it can't be too bad - right?

Snow pics

Last year's tree in back garden - buried quite a bit by Saturday morning!

This is the tree we had this yule.  It's planted in the fronst garden just in front of bushes buried by snow!

The view up the street.  We live on a hill - such a pain the middle of winter.  The snow ploughs had been through but it was still snowy and - worse still - underneath the snow ice where it had rained the day before.

The pavement.  We're supposed to keep it clear but not always easy!

Snow Happens....again

Yup it snowed.  DD was happy because it was a SNOW DAY!  She got to go back to bed, sleep some extra, laze about in her PJs and is now on the couch reading a book.  Perfect Day.

I, on the other hand, got up at my usual 2.40am, looked out the window and groaned.  Car covered in Snow.  Yuck.  SURPRISE!  My middle DS was outside shovelling the driveway, brushing off my car and warming it up!  OMG!  Just when I'm ready to clobber him he does something very sweet. 

Still snowing.  I'm now curled in my car, watching Cold Case on the telly and reading.  I took a couple snow pics - nothing spectacular - will post tomorrow.

No work tomorrow. 

Snow is coming!!! The Sky is falling!

Crazy at work today (because of snow).  The main story on the local news is the 'maybe-coming' snow storm - how much will we get?  How long will it last?  What does this mean?  What will be closed? 

Enough already!!  I'm a kind of wait-and-see gal.  If it happens, it happens.  Until it does I won't be speculating.  We always keep extra food on hand.  The family maybe won't be thrilled about what they are eating - but they will be eating.  Besides it's not as if nothing will be open.  We live 5 minutes walk from the store and it is ALWAYS open. 

It has started snowing so I will pull out my horrible old boots, get my scarf ready and be prepared to walk up to work tomorrow.

Howwwwllll

...at the moon.  I drove DD to school this morning and on my way back couldn't help but stare at the beauty of the moon.  Strange in a way - in my rearview mirror I could see the sun rising and in front of me it was still dark and the moon was full and bright.  Glorious. 

When I got home I had to pull out my camera.  I'm not so good at taking pics in the dark, but a couple came out.  I didn't have a clear view from my house but I like the look of it through the trees.

I also went out and took a couple pictures down the street once the sun had come up.  Nothing too exciting.

Usually the small lake is covered in ice by this time of the year, but not this year.  You can walk around one side, but the path was icy and I only had on trainers.

Feeling a little Sad

Found out yesterday that one of our regular customers killed himself last Thursday.  Apparently he hanged himself.  Find myself thinking about it often.  He was a nice man, friendly and always seemed chipper though he had lost his mother just before the holidays. He had been her caretaker.  Apparently there were issues with his family too.  I can't help feeling he must have been in a terrible place.  I can't help thinking about the last time I saw him and perhaps I should have chatted a little more.

A few years ago my middle son was having problems in school.  I was really worried then that he would hurt himself or someone else.  We got through it with the help of a wonderful counsellor.  We were going to see him once, sometimes twice a week for years and finally he seems to be doing better.I guess the whole thing is bringing up memories of the past. 

D must have been in terrible pain.  I hope he found the peace he was looking for.

Another book bites the dust....

Up to three books on my hundred book challenge.  DD (funny girl) says I'll read that many in a month.  An exaggeration for sure, but I bet I'll reach it in about six months!

Reading Challenge

I'm going to join a couple reading challenges this year to help me get through some of my many, many books.  

The first one I'm joining is 2012 Witches and Witchcraft challenge over at Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf.  This seems like a fun one and she does have some great books listed on her list.  I am going to try to reach the Crone level - that's 16-20 Witchy books.  Shouldn't be too hard!  I'll start working on a list.

The second one I'm going to join is 100 books in a Year  over at Book Chick City.  This DOES sound like my kind of challenge!  I'll definitely try to keep track of all the books I read. 

Hopefully these two challenges will help me read some of the books piling up around the house!  Happy Reading everyone!

2012 Goals

I've been thinking about these for a few days.  These are things I would like to do this year, goals I would like to attain.  It isn't a long list.  I'm not into making resolutions that I break after a few weeks (learned that lesson well!) but there are goals I try to reach.

The year I turned 30 I wanted to learn how to drive - something I was extremely nervous about.  I'd tried learning one time before with my hubby and it hadn't worked out well.  I had actually ending up hitting something at the entrance to the place we used to live (yikes!).  That put me right off.  The year I turned 30 I hired an instructor and passed my test - haven't looked back since!

The year I turned 40 I wanted to make sure I went back to the dentist.  I have a terrible fear of the dentist and hadn't been for quite a few years.  I needed a lot of work done - still have some left to do - but I have found a dentist I like and am plodding along quite steadily. 

There isn't really a big goal this year but a few smaller ones.

* Buy a lot less books.  Dramatically downsize my book collection.  Sounds really easy?  Not.  Books are my one addiction.  I buy them.  I like reading, but I also love going into a bookstore (new or used) and wandering around, looking at covers and  reading the blurbs.  Books are like good friends.  If I find one I love I can go back and read it again and again.  The problem is that I have too many of them and I really need to downsize.  I do have a kindle, but - see above - there is something about bookshops that a kindle can't replace!

* Do better with a budget.  There are a couple of big occasions this year that we need to save a LOT of money for - DD is graduating High School, Mum is coming over from England and we'd like to do some running around, I want to go back to England later in Autumn and DD is hoping to go on a trip with her Peace Jam club at school to Peru.  There is also work that needs to be done on the house.  Sigh.  Major budget requirements.

* Food - do better with food budget, meal planning and eating healthier. 

* Become more in touch with my beliefs.  There is a Pagan group in the area.  I would love to get up the courage to go to a meeting.  I am quite shy and don't really like meeting new people.  This would be a MAJOR step for me. 

So four things but each one quite involved.  I will be happy to take small steps forward and hopefully not too many steps backwards.

First real snow

Well with the New Year comes the snowfall!  It started yesterday and is still snowing lightly.  Not the worst we'll get I'm sure, but it is kind of pretty - especially as I don't have to go out in it!!!

This was taken while it was still dark out and is a picture of last year's Yule Tree growing nicely in the back garden.

Two of the biggest trees in our back garden.  We have a nice space back there and don't do a lot with it since the kids have grown.  Would like to think about a veg garden this year.

Bushes in the front garden.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I survived New Year's Eve and I survived work today.  Phew.  Now I'm vegging out for a little while watching an Absolutely Fabulous marathon on BBC America and reading the paper.  Work was busier than predicted as the weather people have forecast snow and (gasp!) the sky is falling!