Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!

 Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!  So happy to see you!  Let's face it 2020 sucked big hairy monkey balls - yep there's a visual you won't get out of your head anytime soon...

That being said, I'd like to think that there have been some silver linings in this crappy COVID cloud.  Part of my "create" in the new year, is to work on creating the habit of counting my blessings on a regular basis.

• I still have my job and have been blessed to be able to work from home 
• I am able to go see my dad every couple of weeks because I am staying home
• Our dog is now completely spoiled rotten from all the extra attention she's getting
• I've put way fewer miles on my car
• I made nine quilts with my dad to donate
• I've reorganized all of my kitchen cabinets...more on that in another post
• I've binge watched a LOT of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime
• I've made burp clothes, fabric letters, birthday t-shirts and lots of other gifts for friends and charity
• I've realized how important it is to stay in touch with family and friends.
• I have my health and when I do have issues (my eye surgery), I have insurance to cover it
• My kids are healthy and doing well 
• Tom and I haven't hurt each other....yet!

I have promoted myself to ninja expert status when it comes to online shopping. The UPS delivery guy knows our house very well!  Online grocery ordering from Kroger is my new normal and does stop me from picking up a bunch of extra stuff I really don't need.  Those funds are used for Target and Missouri Star Quilting.

 I have mastered Zoom and Teams meetings.  There are days that it's really great you can turn your video off because I can't disguise the WTF look on my face very well - I would never make a good poker player 😂. The extrovert in me really misses real life conversations.  It's pretty sad when you are excited to have a doctor's appointment, so you can talk to real people but I've been there this year!

I know we still have quite a way to go before things are back to "normal" but knowing we now have the vaccine does give me hope.  I'm looking forward to better and brighter 2021.  I am really looking forward to getting to see my friends in person and give them real hugs....not those puny virtual ones!

Here's to all the hope and potential a new year brings!

Going silver...well actually white!

So I had been contemplating going "silver" for about a year now.  I found blogs and Facebook pages that support women wanting to make this big change.  I made a list of pros and cons - anyone who knows me, knows I l-o-v-e lists!  My husband encouraged me to "go for it" and become his silver fox!  I think he just wanted to save money from how much I was spending to color my hair every 5-6 weeks 😂  My sweet hubby's nickname is Mr. Salt and Pepper (he's more salt than pepper now) 

Premature graying runs in my family.  I started coloring my hair when I was 26 and pregnant with my first child.  That child is now 25 and has grey hairs!  Sorry Tyler, genetics are a bitch!  MacKenzie jokes about not having any, that's ok sweetie, you got your crappy eyesight and those lovely allergies from your father. My brother is six years older than me and he has had solid white hair for at least the past ten years.  My mum had a large grey streak in her blonde hair when I was born...if only she knew how much of her gray hair would be because of me!!

So I bit the bullet and the next time I went to my awesome stylist, I told her that I didn't want to color my hair anymore.  Thank goodness Bonnie is always up for a change and/or challenge!  She started by shaving the sides of my head - pure white was left behind!  I promptly burst into tears.  It was a shock but it immediately reminded me of my mum's hair and I got a little emotional.  Once I'd had my funny five minutes, I was good to go.  She colored the top gray - it only took two tries.  The first time, I looked like a cross between a poodle and Kelly Osborne.  The second time looked so much better!

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I have discovered this awesome thing called purple shampoo.  It helps keep the brassiness out of my hair as the last of the dyed gray grows out.  I just got a fresh cut last week and I only have a little bit of the color left to grow out.  My next hair adventure is to grow it into a short bob and let my natural curl have its way.  We'll see how long that plan lasts...

The white hair crew on my Daddy's 88th birthday this year!

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Create in 2021!

 This is the first post on my brand new blog!  Every year I pick a new one word to focus on.  I learned about this concept from Ali Edwards blog several years ago.  I have been guilty of writing a long list of New Year's resolutions in the past, starting off with the best expectations and then failing miserably 😔

I really like the simplicity of focusing on just one word.  However, one word can be a very powerful statement.  For this coming year, the word "create" just really spoke to me.  I love to make and create new things,  I am looking forward to creating some healthier eating and exercise habits this year.  I also really want to create a greater sense of gratitude for all the blessings I have in my life.  Living through this COVID crap has really shown me that!

In previous blogs, I would have linked this to lesson plan ideas, how to use technology with this concept but this time I'm just going to focus on my journey.  For several years, I have bought a piece of jewelry with my one word on it.  I've been looking on Etsy but I haven't found anything that really speaks to me yet.  I'll let you know once I find it!