Day One of Routine ~ Not!

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a great day today.

I decided to postpone my regular routine and just took it easy for another day.

I did very little. I talked to mom, had a shower, a cup of coffee and am reading a good book in between doing a little of this and that around the house.

The 3rd and last book in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy.

This book is extremely popular and has many holds on it at the library.   had better finish it quickly as it is due soon. I've haven't been reading as much over Christmas holiday as I had hoped so I still have hundreds of pages to go before I am done.

I love reading. It gives me a lot of joy.  How about you?

Two other books I've read this past week.

Each year I am steadily increasing my reading goal. At the same time I don't want to make the goal so high that I don't achieve it.

Last year I started my reading goal quite modest. I think it was 25 books and I kept gradually increasing it because I kept surpassing the goal. I ended the year with 56 books read and that didn't seem too onerous.

This year I've set my goal at 45 books. If I find myself getting behind I will simply reduce it so it doesn't become a chore.

Over Christmas I posted on my blog that the highways through the mountains to go and visit my mom were mostly bare and clear. Then we were expecting a snow storm over the weekend but it didn't affect where I live. However it did affect most of the rest of the province and there are a number of road accidents. Unfortunately, I also had some sad news.  One of my brother's friends passed while he was shovelling snow the other day. This is very sad because he is under the age of 50 years. It really drives home how dangerous it is for people to shovel snow. Especially if they have any unknown heart issues.

Please be careful if you are shovelling snow. It might be better to hire someone if you aren't feeling up to it. This is not activity in which one should push themselves to do more. If you are tackling the job yourself, read these tips on how to take care of yourself. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/Shoveling-Snow-Health-Hazards_UCM_426562_Article.jsp

Keep safe and enjoy the snowfall if you are affected by winter snows. It can make everything look so clean and pretty.

Post Christmas Doldrums

Hi friends,

We are now well into the New Year and I'm a little in the doldrums.

I was bracing for cold weather and snows this weekend but it didn't happen.  We did have coolish tempertures last night as I went out to a friend's house for dinner. Maybe the snow is just a bit late. I'm ready for it if it arrives.

I am still feeling a bit tired as I have been in a long cycle of not going to bed at a good hour. I hope to change that tonight.

My cousin who was supposed to visit with my family this Christmas never made it. As an alternative, we agreed that she would visit between Christmas and New Year's but she never made it due to her brother-in-law getting sick. Now she is far away visiting her daughter before she goes home.  I'm glad she is with her daughter who had a heart attack a few months ago.  But I really did want to see my cousin again briefly so am sorry it didn't work out.

I am a bit behind schedule with getting my Christmas decorations put away because instead I've been trying to buy a few things that I need and while they are on sale.  I finally got a chance to take down the decorations this afternoon.  My things don't look so colourful anymore, lol.

It is a bit funny because I have an artificial tree and it sheds needles like a real tree. I still need to vacuum.

See the pine needles all over the carpet.

Joy is my theme word for the year and today I wasn't feeling much of it.

So how can I find joy today?

I think that joy is a choice.  Not just something to be felt only when outside circumstances affect us.

Today I choose to feel joy even if I feel a bit sad too.  Although my cousin did not visit and I am feeling a bit tired and behind schedule in some ways, I can still choose joy and to look at the bright side of things.

Things to be joy-ful about are quite plentiful.

I had a terrific visit with my mom, my niece, nephew and brother. We had an out of town journey that went off without a hitch. When I returned home I was able to unpack, do laundry without delay and put clothing away. This is something I seldom do and it often takes me weeks to fully unpack and put things in their proper places.  I had so many bags of things to put away this year that I made a point of doing it right away.

I also managed to think ahead and take advantage of some sales on household items (bedding, linen, pillows) and some crafting items (rotary cutters and replacement blades, yarn and fabric pieces) so that I'm all set for the New Year. I did purchase some things on credit though so I have to pay those down as soon as possible.

Other ways I am on top of things include keeping in touch with friends. I had a nice dinner invitation yesterday and have another one next Saturday with a friend I haven't seen in awhile. I have so many people to try and keep in touch with so when I get a chance to meet with some of them I feel a bit more breathing room to be able to get in touch with others I haven't had a chance to see yet.

I like to be ready for the year so that I can be as organized as possible. Each year I seem to be getting a little more organized for the coming year.  Maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit tired.   After a month of my routines getting out of whack I'm hoping I can start getting back into a schedule this week.

I hope you are all set for your year. If you are also feeling a bit down after the Christmas whirlwind, I hope you too will choose "joy".  Let's make 2015 a great year!