Friday, December 30, 2022

Friday's Fave Five #714


The last Friday of the year this FFF is also my birthday.  Happy birthday to me.  LOL.  How was everyone's Christmas?  I hope you had a wonderful celebration with family or friends.  And now it's time to send off 2022 with hearts of gratefulness remembering blessings from the past week.  

~ 2 of 3 kids home for Christmas ~ It was a huge blessing having 2 of the 3 adult kids home for Christmas.  The weather had been so incredibly cold that having them travel on highways was a scary thing for this Mom.  They are the ones who are only a couple hours away and the day they came it started to warm up a bit so at least they were not attempting to come in -50*C (-58*F).  Our daughter from 7 hours away, however, didn't make it.  She decided to not risk the drive as it was still bitterly cold where she was coming from.  We really missed her but had some face time with her and we'll see her soon when the weather is more reliable.  

~ time with family ~ Christmas Eve we all spent with my Mom who is in the supportive living facility.  Unfortunately, we could not have dinner with her as her unit is in a flu outbreak so we could visit with her but weren't allowed to remove masks to eat with her.  But we spent the evening with her just visiting and enjoying being together.  



Christmas Day we spent the afternoon at my sister's eating a wonderful meal with her family.  She told her hubby all she wanted for Christmas was a nice Christmas dinner.  Well he outdid himself.  Turkey, ham and cabbage rolls along with all the sides.  I helped with a couple of the sides and of course we always bring the birthday cake as my youngest is a Christmas day baby.   After dinner we played a crazy game of unwrapping the huge saran wrap ball filled with treats and prizes while wearing mitts.  The thing was massive and resembled a small turkey.  LOL.  This year I was just not on the ball with taking pictures.  Oh well.  It was kinda nice just being in the moment instead of behind a lens all the time.

Boxing Day we again visited with Mom.  We face-timed with our oldest so Mom was able to "see" her too and then visited with my Dad's wife too seeing as her daughter who lives in the same city as my oldest was not able to come down for Christmas either.

~ day of rest ~ By Tuesday, as fun as everything was, I was exhausted and had reached my social limit.  We spent a lovely day of sitting around and doing nothing.  Dave and I watched Top Gun Maverick for the first time and really enjoyed it and naps were had by all at some point in the day.  We had lunch at our favorite Mexican Grill and just relaxed.

~daily walks ~  The last few days it has been really nice out again.  The bitter, frigid cold started to disappear on Christmas Eve and it's been wonderful to get outside again.  However the very fast melt coupled with freezing again at night and cars compacting the melting snow has made for some treacherous walking conditions.  But our pup was absolutely antsy from being indoors for days on end because of the cold so we made some efforts to get outside for walks.  One day we resorted to walking around inside the school yard across the street to avoid the icy walks just so he could get out and get some exercise.  So glad that frigid deep freeze is done.  

~ having the full week off ~ I have this whole week off and it's been so nice to just have quiet days.  Since the kids left on Wednesday morning, I've just been relaxing and putzing around the house doing things that need to get done.  It's wonderful not having to just attack the chores because I only have x amount of time but I can do them in chunks of time  offsetting it with coffee, reading and computer time.  

What have been your favorite blessings this week?

Happy New Year everyone! I leave you with a quote from Tony Evans:


“May your days ahead be greater than the days gone by…. Wishing you all God’s best in the new year.”












9 comments:

Barbara Harper said...

First of all, happy birthday! It's so nice it occurred on a day off!

It's so great two of your kids could be there for Christmas. I'm glad the deep cold is finally abating. It's sad you couldn't eat with your mom and had to keep masks on, but it's good you could see her.

I'm so glad you mentioned reaching a social limit, even with family. I've been feeling guilty about those limitations. For me, it's an activity overload, too, with a lot more going on than normal. It's all been great stuff, but just more than usual. Thankfully, there have been pockets of quiet and alone time here and there as various ones have done things with each other It's nice for everyone to have some one on one time with other family members as well as time all together as a family.

Faith said...

I love that photo of you guys with your mom. It's precious.

I'm sorry your oldest girl couldn't make it but thankful she made a wise decision. that's a lONG drive.

I too was ready for quiet times by Tuesday. And I'm SO thankful to be on vacation until Tuesday morning. This past week has led me to believe that retirement might be sooner than I planned.

WOW...that sounds like quite a dinner and then the saran wrap ball of treats is something I've never heard of but sounds hilarious!

I've been able to do some walks around the neighborhood...the nature preserves are way too icy and muddy right now around here. We have no snow and temps are supposed to be in the low 50s this weekend. kind of crazy.

I pray that the beginning of 2023 is good for you. Love you Susanne and so thankful you do this. oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Willow said...

I agree 100% with the quiet times after Christmas Day. We too took walks in the warmer weather (yay!) and have mostly just relaxed at home--activity overload!
I'm glad you have had a week off from daycare. And the pup has been able to get out. One of our grand-dogs had been going nuts inside in the cold, too.
Happy Birthday to you!!

ellen b. said...

It was nice to read about all your wonderful and meaningful gatherings. A very happy birthday to you! God bless you and keep you. I know the angst about the kids driving in the weather we've been having. It's always so good when they walk through the door safe and sound. Happy Happy New Year to you and yours!

Karen said...

Happy Birthday, Susanne! (insert lots of emojis with cake and party horns and hearts :) It's nice that you had the whole week off.

Your holidays sound amazing. So nice to spend them with so much family. Two out of three kids is pretty good, considering the weather. I sometimes wonder if we'll ever have another Christmas with all of our kids. It's just not easy getting them here.

Our neighborhood is really icy today, too. I picked my way around most of the intersections, and finally gave up and walked in the street in some spots.

Happy New Year to you and yours!!

Wendy said...

Firstly Happy birthday to you and belated wishes to your daughter. I'm glad it's warmed up a bit for you and you have a break for a few days. Happy New Year!

Deb J. in Utah said...

Happy Birthday, Susanne! I hope you have had a great day. I love the family picture with your mom. Precious. So glad you got some good family time, even it some of it was one on facetime. Technology is such a blessing sometimes. It's great to have some time off to relax. We will probably start putting our Christmas decorations away tomorrow or the next day. It's time to look forward to the new year. I hope you have a good one! See you again soon, my friend!

Jennifer said...

Sounds like a lovely Christmas! I hope you enjoyed your week off - woo hoo! Here's to a wonderful week ahead....as life returns to "normal"!!:)

nikkipolani said...

Wow, you are finishing the year with a bang! Sweet Christmas with beloveds, amazing food at your sister's (wow, so impressive!), and some free time to break out of the routines. Happy new year, Susanne, and happy belated birthday!