The end is really the beginning

So another year has come and gone with many trials and challenges to face for many of us.  I have managed to pass most of mine for this year and I suppose I will have more to face in the upcoming year because that's just how "life" is.  If we aren't challenged then we don't have a chance to learn and grow as people.  My personal challenge lasted several years and I suppose I am still adjusting to not having to deal with it directly (the debt payments and car payments) but that doesn't mean that my behavior hasn't been modified.  I will still adhere to the regimen  that I have adopted to make sure I can  make the ends meet each month.  With the price of everything climbing monthly and no sign of this trend changing, I am guessing I will be doing this for the rest of my life.  I suppose I am not the only one of my friends that will be practicing frugality with the way things have become as a life choice and not a trend.

This holiday season was the first year I was actually able to purchase a few gifts for my sister and her family. I used the money that would have been for the car payment and turned it towards them so no credit cards were involved :-).  I like that.  No credit cards were used in this season!!  Not that I would want to use those evil things.  Credit has it's uses but it shouldn't be a constant crutch to survive.  The point to this...I won't have to pay off any credit bills for presents.  Unfortunately, I was unable to make my home made cards or presents which I truly enjoy doing.  This is a disappointment to me because then I can give something homemade and hand crafted to people that I know.  I suppose I can make something for this month if time allows.  And there is the problem: time.  This is the reason why I was unable to make anything for everyone in the first place.  Work is just busy.  Of course, I would rather be busy at work and be able to pay my bills than not busy at work and have no way to pay my bills..,.so I'm not complaining about the "busy" just the "not being able to make something for everyone".  I suppose, in good time I will be able to make this up.  So expect something strange and random from me if you have received something from me before.  Perhaps this will be better than when something is expected.  Pleasant surprises are nice...most of the time!

My time this season was spent for the most part being sick for several weeks and only working a few weeks of Dickens Christmas Fair.  I had feelings of dread and not wanting to do the fair after I signed on, perhaps I knew that I would be a sick as a dog for several weeks.  Even after receiving a flu shot.  I feel bad for everyone at the shop having to cover for me but I'm glad they were able to manage.  Of course how it goes is that after fair, everyone that wasn't sick during the run gets deathly ill with the "plague".  I usually don't so I guess my luck ran out this last year!  Oh well, here is to us all being healthy this upcoming new year!!  I made up for my absence for tear down so I guess it sort of breaks even.

Oddly enough, the timing of this holiday season has enabled me to actually take time off from work.  When I say time off, I mean more than just two days but five glorious days.  When was the last time I have had an actual "vacation" you may ask?  Well, I looked and it was 2007.  Right around the time I started the debt settlement payments.  I would say this is a cycle that has completed!

I may have had Christmas Eve off but I spent it and the following Saturday by I ended up working it at the Cow Palace helping with the breaking down of the tea shop.  There seems like more things that need to be done when breaking something down than when building something up.  I tried keeping everything "organized" but honestly things got jumbled by others so I said to myself, "screw it" and gave up the illusion that it could be put away in such a manner as to ease the task next year.  It is what it is but with many hands to help it should go quickly.


I didn't really go anywhere for my stay-cation but stayed at home and enjoyed it completely!  The day after Christmas, I decided to brave the stores and try to head to Michael's to pick up the frosted fruit decorations I had been watching with interest for the Tea Shop's Christmas tree for next year.  I showed up to the store and it was picked bare.  When I say bare I mean bone dry bare.  There were a few decorations left but none that I was looking for.  It appears that I was not the only one watching the decorations with interest.  I failed in obtaining them but I was able to pick up a few presents for myself such as a sock loom and some fancy yarns to play with.  The yarn was displayed with other yarns on sale so I assumed that it was on sale.  You know what they say about assume?  It makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me".  So I get to the register with my yarn and sock loom trying to get my coupon to load on my phone.  I let the cashier know that it wasn't loading so she cut me a 50% off one item deal and the bill was still kind of high but I just wanted to get the hell out of there.  Did some other errands and got home to discover the store had stuffed $8.99 yarn (which I purchased) in with yarn that was marked on sale for $3.99.  I foolishly picked up the full priced yarn and bought two skeins.  A bit annoying but at least I got the loom for half price.  Win some loose some!  Doesn't really matter, I still like the yarn.

So I decided to do a project that would be quick, making a type of cowl scarf.  It was a bit tricky with the way the yarn is made so I had to look it up on Lion Brand's website but was able to get a nice cowl scarf made.  I also realized that this yarn would make a darling wreath with the right color OR a lion's mane for a Halloween costume for a child.  So many possibilities...so little time :-).


So to show you what I mean, let me show you the picture: I'm a lion...Rawr!


At least I was also able to get some house cleaning done at a leisurely pace while enjoying my time off as well as some relaxing cooking.  I was even able to knock out the holiday cookies and was able to deliver them.  This pleases me because then I am able to enjoy any of the failed cookies...yay!


Unfortunately, I was enjoying just "being" so I didn't get a chance to do any deep cleaning like I had originally planned but the tasks that I did do were enjoyable and relaxing.  I didn't get a chance to really visit with anyone except for the days at the Cow Palace for tear down and when going to my sister's to deliver the presents.  Honestly, I'm fine with that.  I am relaxed and I feel at peace-this is what is important.  My life has been "go! go! go!" and the break was "stop and listen!"  I am glad that I took this time off even though there is plenty I could have done at work to get ahead.  There are charts to purge, box and organize to be picked up.  There are forms to complete so the patients don't drive me crazy on how broke they are (although I can appreciate what they are telling me) and I can get caught up on filing and scanning.  My tasks are huge and never ending...but I am glad I paused and took a break.  I will play catch up best I can when I return January 2nd.

All the holiday decorations are put away and the house is clean and sadly naked now.  I enjoyed the gift from Ann (the home made marshmallows and cocoa which were delicious) while packing while watching/listening to the latest Sherlock Holmes Blue Ray while packing away the holiday decorations. The only thing that I didn't have the heart to pack away was the mirrored disco ball decorations.  So, I decided to place them about the house for extra sparkle and to scare evil spirits away (the quirky superstitious side of me) in the windows.  I felt compelled to do it but I do like the way they look.  I even put the little ones in the ficus tree all over on the branches.  I am looking forward to how they all sparkle when the light hits them through out the year since the window facing the the tree is in faces the sun as it sets most of the year.  With all that is completed today, this makes for a perfect ending to a perfect day of a perfect week!

And as 2012 has passed and I welcome 2013 and it's new challenges May this new year bring all of us many good memories to reflect back on and may all our hearts and hearths be filled with love, light, laughter, friendship and bounty this upcoming year.  Bless us all and Happy New Year!