Happy New Year!
Greg and I got the flu about a week before Christmas, and we are still recovering.
We managed to get the Christmas decor up right after Thanksgiving (though I had a cold then!)
The tree in the living area:
I was happy to have an advent candle for the first time this year!
We've gotten more snow this year than last year, for sure. But it's not enough!
Can you see Nora watching me shovel?
This day was interesting . . . the snow had melted, run down the driveway a bit, and then frozen in this pretty lacy pattern.
And we got our Christmas cards printed and sent!
I have loved wearing this tweed-ish coat on the warmer winter days.
And this red slightly sparkly blouse was great for the festive season!
I wore this to Cora's and Esme's school Christmas program!
I experienced good thrifting during December.
Cute little basket - I was planning to use it to hold gift cards for a family member, but it didn't end up being the right size, so I still have it!
I've wanted a small glass lamp in the bookshelf in the living room, and I found one at Goodwill!
Look how cute it is!
This tree is not actually a tree!
It's a wall planter. It has the hanging hole on the side.
It turns out that it's worth a bit, but I don't plan to sell it at the moment. I like using it as part of my winter decor.
I have been looking for planters for my baby aloes because one of my plants has made lots of babies and they need their own places!
One of the parent plants needs a new pot, too.
Another aloe pot:
A ceramic birdfeeder!
It's working fine now because it's very cold, but I need to find a rubber stopper for the top hole so that the rain/snow doesn't melt and made the seed mold.
Shopping at Target with my Mom:
And coffee/sparkling water!
But happily Mark saved the day by offering to be our chauffeur in his big safe truck!
Cora ended up feeling sick, so first Mark and Greg picked her up; then we all dropped Cora off at home to rest, and we went to 100 Goodwill stores (that may be an exaggeration) and had a great time!
We ate at Noodles & Co and they had some gluten-free vegan options!
This horse is potentially worth a couple of hundred dollars. I need to do some more research before I know for sure, but we will see!
A bronze and marble sailboat (sells for $50-$75)
We awaited snow . . . .
The wind blew the little snow pieces into interesting feather patterns.
A few inches of snow came, so I used our blower!
It sometimes (often!) blows right into my face and gets all stuck in my hair!
For some reason, I love houses where you can look right through the house from the front door. It's a fetish of mine. Here's my house from the front door! You can see the pine trees and SNOW!
Before I got sick, I also managed to make Christmas cookies!
Spritz:
And molasses crackle cookies:
And then Greg announced that he was very cold and not feeling well.
Allistair was willing to help:
I had a thrifting trip (Christmas shopping) planned with Cora (since she missed the other one) and Esme, and I woke up feeling fine (though I thought the flu was probably coming for me!)
The girls are thoughtful shoppers.
We also had pizza for lunch!
And we went to Half-Price Books!
My Mom had come down with the flu too, and was feeling terrible, so we took her some flowers!
Here are some things I found!
Unique beaded art in pretty shades of blue:
Vases with a lot of texture:
Some great books!
Two ceramic goblets:
A pyramidal vase with imperfect ombre blue glazing:
The next day was Saturday and I woke up feeling fine. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and enjoyed it! Look at that gorgeous view!
Greg was feeling terrible. He slept by the fire for a bit, then went to bed for the rest of the day.
Greg almost never gets sick, especially not sick enough to be knocked out like this, and I get sick often, so I figured it was only a matter of time before this virus got me. I decided to wrap all the Christmas gifts before I came down with it!
The sunset shines beautiful pinky orange light on our back trees.
Greg came down for a drink and found this (White Christmas in the background!)
The following morning, I woke up with a headache and a dry cough. As I got ready for church, my body started to hurt and I started to get colder and colder. BUT our leader was out sick, and my partner in supporting kids with more significant needs in our program was sick, too. I had most of the specialized equipment in my magic bag, so I thought I should go in at least to drop that off. It was miserable. I haven't felt this bad in years. My bones were even sending me sharp pains. I was weak and shaking and all hunched over and my voice was almost gone. I got to church with my mask on and they told me to go home immediately. I dropped of the equipment and explained which kids needed a family member to stay with them for safety, and left. HOWEVER, I had scheduled a grocery pickup for after church! I slept in the parking lot (out of it) for over an hour because they didn't get it done when I hoped. That was not very fun, but I made it and then we were stocked up on food for our time of infirmity (though I definitely didn't eat as much as normal during this illness).
The following two weeks were full of a lot of TV, being uncomfortable, coughing, sneezing, achiness, not sleeping, sweating, groaning, and trying to drink lots of fluids. Ew.
We missed all the Christmas events we had planned, though we were able to reschedule.
The cats loved having us be slow and sick.
My best friends were:
Mark, Esme, and Cora brought us some flowers and treats we like! Esme remembered that I like this brand of vegan chocolate and Greg likes Nut bars! How sweet and thoughtful they are.
We watched our church's Christmas Eve service online (me from a prone position).
For a long time, it was hard to sit up very long, but when I did, I was thankful for this clip-on reading lamp because Minnesota winters can be kind of gloomy and cozy AND my eyes aren't the best.
We had excellent views to enjoy during our convalescence.
We eventually had our family gathering with my family, but it was delayed, I still couldn't really talk and I was coughing a lot, and I was exhausted and lying in a chair the whole time.
I was glad that I had made my Christmas "feast" before I got sick, too!
Fewer photos than normal because we weren't feeling or looking our best. My parents were still recovering, too - this is a looooong illness with a hard fight back.
One day later in my recovery, I went outside for 5 minutes to check out the ice and to appreciate the beautiful blue sky.
There were crazy frozen bubbles under the clear ice!
And eventually Greg and I celebrated with our own gift exchange. He bought me this crazy and wonderful potato slicer!
In action! (These potatoes were very hard for some reason! All the other batches of potatoes we've had got sliced perfectly without any muscles required).
And then it was time to slowly put away the Christmas decor!
We got to appreciate some Christmas activities this year, but our enjoyment was hampered by the flu, so it almost feels as if we missed most of it. But we still have lots of happy wonderful memories and more to make!
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