Through My Window

Can a whole week have passed? And I can barely remember Christmas! It's not that it was such a whirl, although I did make a couple trips to and from Fredericton. The 5 days that my daughter, Caley, was here were nice; even though I wasn't feeling the best, we spent some good time together. She made cookies and cooked us 2 dinners. Every year I barely make it to Christmas and then I spend my holidays trying to recuperate. This year I saw the family Dr who ordered tests and even then I had to make 2 trips to emergency for my breathing. I caught a mild bug from my students that caused a cough and a sore throat, but it dragged on and then affected my breathing.
On the trip back with my daughter we took the long way via Moncton, so that we could meet with my oldest son Jesse and his partner Karine for a meal since they spent Christmas at her parents. We then stayed at my daughter's for the night and took our car into the Subaru dealer there first thing Mon morning for some major maintenance that couldn't be done here. A four hour job turned into a day and a half, another night night and $2100 instead of $600.
Reading back over this it all sounds a little depressing, but really the family time was nice. We were very careful about our spending this year. My youngest son donated gifts to a charity in our name and was thoughtful enough to choose something to suit our interests and give us each a card with the picture of the gift in it. He donated books for me, a radio controlled race car for my husband, and a Bratz doll for my daughter. So, when the car repairs hit, it wasn't nice but more doable because we hadn't overspent. Christmas just seemed to mean more when it involved less gifting.
My last 2 New Year's I've decided to commit to being more creative each day or even a little each week. I have just finished up 2 journals, so I feel that I have accomplished something. I won't be making a new resolution. I want to continue simplifying my life, spending less, and creating more. In response to that I did a small 10 minute doodle last night as my pledge.
Today, I have to do errands, some groceries, and a little clean up, meaning there won't be much time to get into my studio. That's life though. I'm hoping to get some time in the next couple of days, and I'll try to post some better pictures.
If any readers out there struggle with adrenal insufficiency and immune system problems, I'd love to hear how you cope.