I love the coffee cup in the photo and wished I owned one!! Ahhhhh, it has been a week of the Januaries. The days have been gloomy for months with little sunshine. This week was bitterly cold and below zero F. My house and office had difficulties keeping warm so I needed to get space heaters, wool wraps and quilts out to stay comfortable. My work building is old, drafty and dusty so all that lead to dry, dirty air that doesn’t make my breathing great.
It ultimately lead to a full fleged sinus infection to where I needed to take medication and I am starting to feel better. On top of the physical discomfort of the deep freeze, that lead to loads of problems at work that needed to be attended to. I felt really beat up with all of the issues that needed to be solved. Then a long awaited pay scale announcement came and it was really disappointing. People I work with got anywhere from a few cents an hour to a dime, I may have 14 cents. Won’t know for sure until I get a private letter telling me where I fall on the pay scale. So much work and I had really hoped maybe more money would come to offset the cost of living. It did not and that really beat me up too, more than it should have. I knew it was coming but it didn’t help with the disappointment.
Sunrise at 12 below zero F
However, I have reframed it and the theme for this month’s Silk + Sonder journal has helped. The theme is prosperity and not focusing on money. I have all I need. I also had an initial retirement appt with the company that handles our retirement funds. I am on track right now to retire in 3 years at 62, if there isn’t some financially devastating things that happen between now and then. I will need to navigate purchasing health insurance and know that is expensive but I believe it can be done. So a ray of sunshine in a week of clouds. I really had to work on not taking any of this as a deep personal wound and look at it from reality. Times are tight, I have work, I have plenty. I have a home and the ability to take care of myself and family. I have enough hobby supplies to keep me going. What more do I really need? I have enough. My husbands work has been slow but it is slowing picking up more hours too. My dream trip around the world may have to wait until I win the lottery, lol , but it is still fun and therapeutic to dream.
I really didn’t do much crafting. I joined a few granny squares together for covering ugly plant pots. So far my covers aren’t as cute as the inspiration pic but will make my porch/greenhouse area look cute. I have puttered around with repotting a couple of plants, setting up and tweaking a grow light. Caring for the plants has been very therapeutic. I want to grow some flowers from seed towards spring to go outside in pots.
The weekend goals today is to dust the house and get the air fresher. I have been boiling water to add moisture to the air because it is so dry, and want to do a simmer pot today with herbs and dried oranges. I also want to do some sewing and a little long arming.
Not all weeks are sunshine and roses in this life but now that the weekend it here I am going to snuggle in the little, cozy house, hibernate from the cold and get ready for next week’s busy week.
Be well my friends,
Vicki
rock I painted at work for kindness day
My Creative Corner3 
That first appointment with a retirement person is quite exciting! You can see that it’s really coming now! Stay warm. I always feel like the worst of winter is over at the end of January – mostly because the increased daylight starts to be really noticeable then. And we’re almost halfway there!
Colleen
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I was excited and it started to become real! And we are already seeing a few extra min of daylight after 5!! So that’s another positive! Getting over the worst of winter I am hoping !
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i am so glad you are safe! Not having power is so terrible, can’t even make coffee easily!! I hope you are able to get power restored and cook food! The collective worry is so much and I hope that you some ability sew or stitch is restored soon! Know I know why Jane made that crazy hard quilt during war time!!
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My power has been out all week due the winds we have had here in Southern California. I have zero cause for complaint in comparison with all those who have lost so much! But no power added a lot of challenges to my week and not a lot of ways to release the stress. Plus you take on the collective stress of friends who had damage or had to evacuate. But power is on today so I’m using the time to prep well for more wind and another possible power cut off in the next few days. But it reminded me how the weather restricts our movement, like you with the cold and snow! There is a comfortable element of coziness and slowing down but it disappears kind of fast if things get imbalanced in any way. I like what you said about focusing on what you do have because that is a positive way to live and will serve us well in any situation! One of my favorite scriptures is 1Tim 6:8: “So, having sustenance and covering, we will be content with these things.” I hope you have a restful weekend and I hope we both get some well needed creative time! Love the cute rock!
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