@MusicCandy @SadMe70 New place to communicate

Hello my friend, it's a lovely day outside.  I just spent an hour out there feeding the animals and doing a few chores.  Back inside now to clean up and then get more of my holiday shopping done.  I'm going to make a photo calendar for my mom online so that's one thing I need to work on today.

My week was ok.  The usual decent exercise and meals, too many treats and alcohol.  Stuck in a rut! School is going well, and this coming week we have a holiday-themed spirit day every day.  I always look forward to that.  It kicks off with ugly sweater day, and I have a doozy that I got in a bag of clothes from a friend who is a former teacher.

I continue to worry about my son.  Big blowup with his wife about two weeks ago.  I can't even bring myself to rehash it here right now but it's not good. Her behavior really worries me and she has again quit marriage counseling because she does not like to face uncomfortable truths about her own behavior.  My son has continued to go, so at least he has someone to talk to, though I don't see the situation getting any better.  She needs to treat her medical issues (hormonal for sure and possibly other mental health issues) and she refuses.  Then he got a bad cold and now has a tooth problem.  There is just no end to bad things happening to him.

I don't have it in me to send Christmas cards or get a tree this year.  Just not feeling joyful.  I am very much looking forward to seeing my local son and DIL on Christmas Day, visiting my mom and other family for almost a week, and the fun stuff at school.  That will be enough for me this year, and those are the best parts anyway.  My husband got me a little tabletop artificial tree as a surprise, that comes with decorations and fake presents.  I didn't really want something like that and have no good place to put it, but I really appreciated the thought. I am taking down my usual refrigerator pics and putting up ones of my grandchildren from last Christmas for the holiday season - it will make me sad but at the same time they are darling pictures.

I hope things are going well with you.  Catch me up on all your news, since I messed up last week and did not write!

Merry Christmas my friend!  I kept looking for your message and not seeing one, not realizing it was on the previous page of messages.  I was actually getting worried about you! I see now that my most recent message had started a new page, and yours was just before it on the previous page.  Phew!  I am headed to my son's in a couple of hours to spend the day with him and my DIL. On Friday I head to my mom's for six days.

We talked to my other son last night, video call.  I got to see my grandchildren playing with a toy that my son suggested I get them.  They loved it and had been playing with it a lot.  It felt really nice to see that.  It's a toy about two feet high with two spiral tracks for little cars.  My grandson especially loves cars and other vehicle toys.  We also got pictures and a short video of them "helping" to mix up gingerbread.  They were having a great time scooping flour from one bowl to another.  

I have spent my break so far doing no exercise at all, and lots of eating.  I'm just letting it all go, and will start over when I go back to work.  Fingers crossed that I can find some strength at that point, and really try to get my eating back under control.  I did spend hours cooking yesterday.  I am taking an enormous shepherd's pie to my son's today, and also a new dessert that I tried out.  It's called cranberry pudding and you cook it in a pie dish, but really it's like a coffee cake.  It looks really good.  I've never made anything with cranberries before except cranberry sauce, and for some reason I decided I wanted to make a cranberry dessert.

I really hope that the device will help Rachael!  My sister-in-law has a bad tremor.  She cannot eat with a spoon, and carries a straw with her to drink with.  Years ago she tried a surgery that did something with her brain (I can't remember the details) that helped some for a bit but did not last. My husband has a slight tremor, and their mother did too, but nothing like his sister.  Does this device send some kind of electrical signals? Does it get implanted somewhere? Keep me posted on that!  I've got my fingers crossed that it will help!!

I hope that your holidays are going well, and that you have some time off to rest and be with your family! Merry Christmas to you!!

I was glad to see your message too. It is sometimes too much with the usual Holiday to do list. I sent some DIY soup in a jar gifts to my sisters and a very few cards. There is a pile of Christmas stuff in the attic, several trees and on and on. I did not get any of it down and I fully intend to donate most of it, but that takes time and gumption to let it go. Maybe next year. My fiance is a lot like your husband in the same way, sentimental . He used the picnic table umbrella that was propping up the giant tomatoes plants to turn upside down and made it look like a tree with lights. And he had an outdoor lighted Santa train set up from salvage I'm sure and put that outside. I wouldn't have done a thing.

Rachael goes to her Dads and he has a lot of decorations and a beautiful tree, so that is nice for her. I just don't care for the effort, and Christmas isn't my favorite holiday anyway. Plus working just takes most of my time.  We had a quiet winter solstice hour at church and I set up for that, and it was actually very calm and peaceful, with just candles and personal prayer, meditation time. That was meaningful for me, and a few people came- it was pretty cold and a lot of the members are elderly. 

Anyway, now I have a cold since Christmas Eve, and I worked that day and now the whole week-end too. but its not terribly busy. It will pick up after the holidays. I have not paid much attention to food, but we did get to the gym most days, but not the walks- too cold in the morning. I am ready for Spring. 

As for the clinical trial with Rachael, it isn't what I thought - not a device that I saw online- its actually a new medication. I hesitate to put her on any medication with possible side effects, but this one seems to be no side effects. There is a 4 week set up and info time before anything oral, so I feel better about that. The MRI/ guided Ultrasound procedure is great for a lot of people, but she isn;t able to cognitively respond during it, which is part of it. We are at the point of having to try something.

I hope you enjoy the time with your new DIL and son, and I'm happy that you got a toy for the littles that you could see them playing with it. A little thing, I know. Abi took me and Fiance to a candlelight string quartet performance, I cant remember if I told you that already, but it was such a nice gift. 

Church is Lessons and Carols this Sunday and i planned to go, especially since it is the one time of year that we have to sing. Our usual service is no music, but they always have hymns at the later one. Hardly anyone sings that comes to 8 oclock, and I try to make that service since I Can, and at least someone does so it doesn't sound totally pitiful. But with this cold, I may not even have a voice, plus I'm an alto and some of them are pretty high pitched. It will go on, either way. Getting through the rest of my shifts and hopefully, this cold will be better.  Enjoy your family time and I'll catch up again later. 

Hello my friend, I had a lovely holiday.  Christmas day with my son and DIL was very nice.  Ate a lot, played games.  The trip to my mom's was also very nice.  My son and DIL, sisters, brother-in-law, aunt and mom were all together on the weekend.  More food and games! On Monday I saw a cousin and a friend from high school.  On Tuesday it was just mom and me for a quiet day together, and I came home Wednesday.

I took two walks with mom, one since I got home, and two exercise videos.  I gained 10 pounds in December, ugh.  My biggest gain in a while.  I feel pretty motivated to get started eating better again and back to my normal exercise routine.  I would like to have more time for exercise but not sure I can fit that in.  

I found out on Christmas Day that my son in Korea was supposed to come to the US for a week of training, flying in Jan 11. We would get to see him over that weekend.  There is some holdup with funding for it though, so it might get postponed or not happen at all.  

The umbrella tree that your fiance made sounds neat! I guess it's good we have them to put some light into our lives.  I was feeling much too dark to do any decorating myself, but I really did enjoy the little tree my husband put out.

We went to church with Mom on Sunday.  Mainly what I like is our visit to the cemetery afterwards, to visit Dad and my mom's parents.  Once mom is gone, we won't have anywhere to stay nearby and it will be a lot harder to visit.  

I am glad you had the winter solstice hour. It does sound peaceful.  I felt more peaceful in general up at mom's.  I already feel anxious and stressed back home again, and for no particular reason.

I am very sorry to hear that you had a cold! I hope it is gone now.  I know it is hard for you to get enough rest when you are sick, since your job is so demanding.  I'm glad it was at least not too busy.

That is frustrating about the clinical trial.  I would also be more willing to try a device than a medication.  I really hope this will help.  Please keep me posted on how the set up period is going.

The string quartet performance sounds wonderful!  I really miss seeing live music.  My older son was in three music ensembles in college so we went to lots of performances of various types of music, from jazz to classical.  I am so glad you got to go to that!  It sounds like a really nice gift!

Did you make it to Lessons and Carols?  I hope you felt well enough to go.  My mom likes to listen to that on the radio every year.  

My weather app is currently showing that we are getting 11-14 inches of snow on Monday.  Yikes!!  I would like to see some snow, but that much makes me nervous as far as losing power and being able to get out of the driveway. Maybe the storm will disperse a little!

I hope you fare well in this upcoming snow, and that you are feeling better now.  I missed my chai last weekend since I was away, so I'm off to make it now!

Have a good week, my friend!