Hello everyone. This week started off with a crisp and foggy morning in the high thirties prompting me to up the new thermostat a couple degrees. It’s that time of year now where full time heating will be needed again until spring arrives and the temperatures start to rise again.
I baked a batch of almond butter cookies - fabulous!
My work schedule was to work all day Friday where I spent the bulk of the day setting up for our 44th annual holiday bazaar and then a few hours on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. I was off the remainder of the week and it was fairly uneventful, which made it rather lovely. My goal this particular week was to slow down and enjoy the upcoming holiday which I think I did quite well. I had the weekend to sit quietly each morning with my cup of hot coffee and slowly start my day with prayer, reflection and gratitude. I did some planning. I did quite a bit of writing and a lot of lap time with my beloved kitties. It was very peaceful and allowed me to recharge my batteries.
I crocheted myself a new set of potholders
I’m in that stage of life where my children are too busy with their lives to make time with me a priority and its okay. I’ve been able to make that adjustment and embrace my new normal. I am now living for myself and I have to say I quite enjoy it. While I do miss spending time with my children I understand, I was young once too. I’m sure with time that will change, but for now I will simply do my own thing and I’m just fine with that. It no longer makes me sad. In fact, I was very much looking forward to spending the day alone.
I turned this... 
into this!
I did not need to do any grocery shopping ahead of Thanksgiving, I already had what I needed on hand, and so I was able to stay out of the busy supermarkets. Initially I had planned to pop into Costco to pick up a rotisserie chicken, but at the last moment I decided to give myself a break and prepare a holiday meal using only food I already had in my freezers, fridge and pantry and it worked out perfectly. I spent the entire day watching movies from my DVD collection that I haven’t watched in years – Evita, The Greatest Showman, Burlesque, Dirty Dancing & Pretty Woman. The day was very relaxed and enjoyable.
It was delicious! 
As you can see 😗
and I had the perfect amount of leftovers
For those of you in the U.S. that celebrate Thanksgiving I
do hope it was a wonderful day for you as well.
For all of us I feel we need to know how blessed we truly are and be
grateful for what we have, especially as we make our way into the heavily commercialized
Christmas season. This is a time when we
need, now more than ever, to have Peace, Joy & Love in our lives. I wish that for everybody. Let’s make it happen! Be blessed.
As much as I loved seeing all my children, I must admit that I do treasure the peace and quiet that is my home now. Its so weird to parent adults - no one tells you that when you have kids. I remember feeling very independent at their age, so I hope I have given them a solid base from which to also be independent. But I do get to missing them...
ReplyDeleteIt's bitter sweet isn't it? I raised them to be strong, independent and resourceful adults and now that they are... It seems they have it so much harder now than I did then, but I keep telling myself they'll be just fine.
Delete“Evita” is one of my favorites. Over 20 years ago I found the VHS in the free section of the thrift shop and picked it up for DH and me to watch after the kids went to bed. As perfect as Madonna was, I think Antonio Banderas really made that movie shine.
ReplyDelete-Meg B.
100% agree! He is one of my favorites.
DeleteI love how you gave yourself a break and stayed out of the stores.
ReplyDeletebarb
Me too! ;)
DeleteHi there! I am praying that this response will reach you because I have had the worst problems trying to respond to your magnificent posts this year. I just wanted to express how deeply another one of your Thanksgiving posts has affected me. The sacrifices you made for your girls are very similar to the sacrifices my mother made to give me the opportunities that were denied to her. I admit that I had a selfish spell during my early days of independence and missed a few holidays with her. I can't entirely say that I regret the adventures that took the place of my visits home, but I do regret missing time with my Mum, and, as her life ebbs, I spend every possible second with her. Your lovely girls, I think, will understand Mum Love far sooner than I did. Xx
ReplyDeleteBig hug,
Heloise xxxx
Bless your heart. I appreciate your kind comments and as always it is so very nice to hear from you. XX
DeleteAs someone whose mom would have been "devastated" if we didn't come home for a holiday, you are giving your children a gift by not pressuring them. I'm now 58 and trying not to be resentful of my now elderly mom for always making me feel responsible for her happiness. It's a hard road for sure
ReplyDeleteYou have to let go and let your children live their own lives.
DeleteMy sons have been gone for quite a while but we still keep in touch regularly by texting. One will take a picture of what he is doing at that exact moment and everyone will reply the same in return. The pictures are hilarious. They are anything from a pile of dirty dishes to a grocery cart full of food or the speedometer of the car going down the road to a dead mouse caught in the trap. Often times there is no conversation only laughs. One son loves to photograph his bare feet on the floor in winter because I it drives me crazy. I can't resist texting him to put on socks!
ReplyDeleteDo explain the game before you start playing or they will think you are crazy.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry