Christmas is Here....

...and I am not feeling it. I mean, I have watched my10000th Christmas movie, I have listened to some Christmas music, and we even made our Christmas plans. But, I haven't started baking, shopping, nor decorating for the season, despite all of the happy Christmas photos I see on Social Media. I know that I say this every year..and every year I WILL end up decorating, but right now...meh :) I wish that the cleaning fairy, and then the decorating fairy would show up and clean and decorate for me :)

I think it is because I don't feel like we have a nice (or clean) enough house, nice enough decorations, or nice enough....??? Part of it also is because we don't get a lot of company...and I don't spend a lot of time in the living room. I spend a good chunk of my time in our bedroom. I think if we had kids, we would tend to do it...also, part of it is b/c we grew up not putting up the tree until well into December. Since being on my own (and then getting married), I/we usually have put up the tree anywhere from mid-November, to early December. We also keep it up until well into January. One year, we decided to not put a tree up, and we put up a small table top tree, and a few decorations and lights, and we really enjoyed it. I am thinking that we might just put some decorations and some lights, and call it a day. Though, our tree is already up, so half our work is done for us, right?? We might put the tree in our bedroom, and then find a smaller tree for the living room. I know people who have a bunch of trees in their house. I think two for our house would be more than enough!

And then there is the shopping! Oh, the shopping! The people, the stores, the sights, the sounds...the  traffic...the parking lots, driving through the ice and snow...the overstimulation of the senses! And the quest to get the perfect gift! Ugh! I used to really like it...and I DO..BUT, it is stressing me out more as I get older...maybe because we don't have a ton of money to spend on others. I hate that Christmas is SO commercialized! I doubt very much that Mary and Joe registered for their Baby at Babies R Us. Don't even get me started on Black Friday, Small Town Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Since when is everything about STUFF!!?? Yes, I love stuff! Don't get me wrong. But, guess what? That "stuff" costs money! We don't need STUFF!!! My IG, and Blogger were/are filled with Cyber Monday deals, and I could honestly care less. I do love gifts, they are my love language. I am not a huge one to volunteer, but I might decide to do some of that one year. Or, I might even give gifts of World Vision, or give gifts to/in the community in someone's name.

Then there is getting to your destination for Christmas. If you are close to where you will be staying..Yay! But most of the time, one has to go somewhere :) You gotta drive (in snow!), and worry if your car will make it...worry about the other drivers...and then you have to come back home!

It sounds like I am a Scrooge, and I am really not. The problem is that I LOVE all these things...I love the light, the sounds, the decorations, the shopping (yes, I do), the music, seeing the kids in their costumes at their concerts. going to fun plays, drinking Christmas drinks, eating Christmas foods...the music, the movies, the Christmas parties, the dresses..the list goes on! But I feel that I am insignificant, and that I am not "enough" or "good enough" to get, do, and give these things. And also, that I am lazy! Ha! But, I also know that it is wrong to think that....b/c really, the person you are doing this all for is yourself, and God (well, I don't think He really cares about the decorating!!). And honestly, isn't the really the whole point?

We are Family

I **still** have a few posts that should get out..and no, I didn't do them this weekend! I was busying doing, well, not a whole lot..ha!

I just wanted to take a moment to talk about something I know I take for granted..a lot! That is the wonderful (well, most of the time!) relationship that our family has. Now, please know, that we are not perfect. We fight, we hurt each other, things get miscommunicated, we might ignore each other for awhile...we get upset with each other...BUT...we always forgive and go back to one another. Just an FYI: I am talking about my side of the family (immediate, extended, and I am talking about both my mom's and dad's side..with us, and with each other). Anker's parents are no longer around, and his  one sister (who is very different, but we do connect with) lives in the Island, and his other sister lives in the States.

The reason that I got thinking about this, was that I have just finished reading a book by Danielle Steel, called The Award, where the daughter was the most despicable person around, and was bitter towards her mom and about her life in general until the very end. I was thinking on what a wonderful relationship that I have with my mom.

Just a quick backstory: My dad is a 3rd generation sheep rancher, as well as a pastor of our local village church (no, it's not a Hallmark town, sadly...lol). My family also home-educated us (we older kids went to school for a few years, then younger kids have never been to school), and there are 7 of us kids. There are 3 older kids (I am the oldest), and then there is an almost 8 year gap between the older set and the younger set. Anyway, all that togetherness (along with my grandparents-who are dead now-and my two aunts-followed by two uncles) could have caused A LOT of issues...and while it has and does, we always end up talking things out, and loving each other again.

When I hear of families who don't talk, or who are estranged, it really does break my heart. I cannot fathom it, actually. Yah, they drive me nuts, and they are annoying, and there are things about them that we can't stand, or that we wish we could change...but guess what...they are our family!!! They are the only family we will ever have! Yes, there is my work/church family, and they are awesome....and yes, they have sometimes taken the place of my family-family, and they should at times. Our family-family isn't (and can't) always be there for us, and help us out when we needed. But, there is A LOT to be said for having a wonderful relationship with our family-family; our siblings (who are our first friends), our cousins (also, one of our first friends), aunts, uncles, grandparents, not to mention, our parents :)

I am just happy, proud, honoured and blessed to call my family my friends!!!

Five on Friday

Here are some of my tops faves from this last week:

1) Books

2) Throw Blanket

3) Starbucks

We are a bit mixes on their Christmas Blend this year....but mixed with our regular coffee, it is actually really good!

4) Walmart Loot/Anne of Green Gables Series

Found this Anne of Green Gables sets for only for $7 off one of the buy and sell sites! This reminds of me Christmas!!

I have wanted to buy The Grinch for ages, and I finally found it for $8 at Wal-Mart. I also got the Home Alone Series! I also found this beautiful Cranberry (?) sweater, and I love it!!! I really want to get another one (different colour), but I probably won't.

5) Purse

I found this purse at our local thrift store for only $11. So far, so good! I can keep all my junk in there!!!

I'm Alive!

Yes, I am alive! I just haven't felt much like blogging :) I thought I would get some blogs hammered out when we had our 3 day wknd, but that didn't happen. I still have about 8 posts that need to be written and posted. I haven't done a Five on Friday in awhile....since it is almost Tuesday, I will try and do this wknd. I HAVE been watching lots of Hallmark Movies, however! I have also started on a new Danielle Steel book. I read the one (D.S book) that I stopped reading 3 or 4 years ago (which was the last book that I HAD read until I started up reading again this summer). I also am going to try a Debbie Macomber book, and I might even try a Joanne Fluke book (I never read murder mysteries!).

Life is ticking along. If you have been watching my InstaStories, you probably know that we had tried to order something to fix our back defroster, but it never showed. Anker tried to put in a dispute with PayPal, and they sided with the seller. Goody. Anyway...not sure which route we will go now....get a new window in for $500, try another cheaper idea, or go through the winter with my scraping off the back window (which I do, anyway). Also, Canada Post is on a bit of a strike right now, so the chances of getting something that isn't priority (Christmas, government), before spring is pretty unlikely.

This last weekend was pretty lazy. I slept in, watched TV/movies, babysat H, read, didn't blog, journaled, went to church and did the music slides for the first time (almost!) on my own, checked out the "new" library downtown that had been renovated, took myself to Starbucks (only once!), found out that my mom was super sick, ran errands (Wal-Mart shop!!), went to the library, and went for groceries (not necessarily in that order!). It was a good weekend, for the most part. I wish that Anker and I had done something together, but that didn't happen. Oh well :)

Anker got approved from some compression gloves, and he was able to get three pairs. He has only worn them once or twice, but the really likes them, and they seem to help him with the cold. Work/school has been going well. Although the days sometimes do go slow, I find that the months go by fast! I cannot believe that it is almost November 20th! I visited K (my SIL) last Thursday, and I had planned on staying for only an hour or two, and I ended up staying nearly 4 hours!

Although I am into reading, watching and listening to Christmas things, I can't seem to get myself motivated organized to start decorating. I haven't really begun any Christmas baking for shopping, either. We are thinking of going to see Anker's sister and her family this year, but we aren't sure. She has invited us, but we always stress out when it comes to travelling (money, car safety, etc), and then when the roads are bad, we are really stressed about it :) I think I am getting old :) It also has to do with driving with someone who stresses out pretty easily.

Happy Thanksgiving Week to all of my American friends!!! I am 1/4 American....does that mean I get to take Thursday off? :) Surely, that means I at least get some Turkey dinner :) Ha! Well, at least we have Black Friday sales!!!

 I got a really nice cranberry top from Walmart on Saturday, and I really like it. I also got the two Home Alone movies...a cheap Christmas CD, Christmas magazines, and The Grinch (the original one).

  I still find Black Friday sales hilarious! I usually don't go (though I think I have), but I might try and venture out after school on Friday.

I still don't like on how they changed their cranberry bliss bars, but I have to have at least one of them during the year. I love The Award...I am about half way done! I love me a White Peppermint Mocha.

 I bought this throw blanket from Save On Foods for $10.99 (plus tax!) I love me a throw blanket!

This was on how I spent a good chunk of Saturday...and yes, I will probably do the same thing this Saturday morning :) Oh...I did get caught up on The Good Dr, and Grey's.

A Few Random Things

Here are some random pics of my life lately :) One amazing thing that happened this wk (that should have been in my FoF) was that Anker was approved for 3 pairs of compression gloves. He has Raynaud's Phenomenon, which basically means that he gets cold in his hands and feet quicker and worse than we do. He gets pain, and he goes white. While this obviously isn't a problem over the warms days of spring and summer, over fall and winter, it gets really bad. So mach so, that he doesn't want to go out. After work today, we went to a local medical supply shop to get fitted for gloves. So far, so good! Here are some random photos of things that happened (in no particular order) that I did in the last couple of weeks.

 The top one I got at Value Village at the end of August, and I like it, but I don't wear it often, b/c it has ties that come out from the sleeves that usually come undone. I do love it, though. The bottom one was one that Mom bought for me a few weeks ago. I love it!! It is from Reitman's, and it is very flowy, which I love (and need!).

I don't have a full picture of me wearing it, but there is a photo of the top part of me with it on on my IG account.

                    I tried the Witch's Brew Frap at Starbucks the other night. It was weird.

I am stalling on the reading department lately. I seem to be only watching TV/movies, and going out with friends (well "going out" isn't really the word..it is more like going to their house to chat...or going out for coffee). I think I have only read one (long-reading) magazine this week...and I haven't touched any of my books since Sunday! I hope to try to start up again this week :)

I haven't really don't Halloween in ages, but I went out with my sister-in-law to a party that a local church was having in the community. It was really well done, and lots of people showed up, which was wonderful. They had food, drinks, and candy! H went as a Space Trooper-thing. I saw lots of people from the school, so that was kind of cool. I was feeling a bit down, though, towards the end..these events cause me to reflect on the fact that we don't have kids. So, I left and went to the library. Then, after the library, and I went and chased firework shows for an hour! I didn't get home until 9! Oh, and I might have gotten some candy!

I have been seeing Naan Chips all over Social Media lately, so I was kind of craving them. I found a some with hummus, but it was too expensive, so I bought tzatziki, and some Naan bread, cut the bread up, and voila...I had chips!

That being said, I have sort of been thinking of how many carbs I take in a day...so I was hoping to start finding new things to eat...so far, I only had eggs one day (and also an egg and turkey bacon sandwich today), but hey, it's a start. I also hate omelette's. I used my Tupperware Breakfast Maker to make some eggs, and although they tasted rubbery (probably b/c I had them in for too long), at least it was the idea, right?

I am trying to grow out my bangs. Ya'll, I hate it! It is driving me insane! But, I have to keep up with it! I hope to be able to put into a side braid by Christmas! Mom says that it will probably be a year before they will be long enough to put into a pony tail with the rest of my hair.

I think that is about all around here :) In Canada, Christmas things have started!!! I do try to wait until have Remembrance Day to start listening to Christmas music, shop, decorate, etc. But everything else is fair game :) I AM trying to finish all my fall-related movies before I start my Christmas ones, though. Speaking of movies..I have about 8 dvds from the library that I need to watch...but I seem to be watching other things right now :) Oh, yah, back to the movies that I was talking about...I will also find them on NF, and on YT :)

Five on Friday

Happy Thursday/Friday! I have been meaning to blog for ages, but I just haven't been able to really get into it....and I have been busy visiting, watching tv...you know..real life :) If you go out on Halloween, I hope you had a good one! I ended up going out to a local church's party that was being held in the community, and I joined my SIL, and H. It was a fun evening, but I was feeling a bit blah, so I left at 7, went to the library, and I chased fireworks for an hour! Here are my fives from the last week or so:

1) A Weekend Away

Last wknd, I went to my parents'. I went partially to get away, and also to attend a workshop there on Saturday. It was pretty good, and I bought a book, and my mom bought us a DVD (which I hope to watch soon) on his talk about Anxiety. The workshop was all weekend, but I only went for Saturday. Dr. Grant Mullen hails from Ontario, and is a Doctor who specializes in Mental Health. Go on his website and take a look around for some helpful insight!

2) My Job

Yes, it is exhausting..but man, the kids crack me up! I love going to work every day, knowing (or not?) that what they will probably make me laugh (or groan!).

3) Red Cup Day

I have yet to blog about this, but Red Cup Day at Starbucks starts on Nov 2, and yes, I  plan to get one for myself. Did I mention that they are reusable?
**edit** I love their cup!!! It is so red!!! Christmas has thrown up all over Starbucks!!

4) Magazines

I haven't bought magazines in ages, but I did buy some a couple of weeks ago. I also bought two Christmas cookie magazines in the last while.

5) Hallmark Movies

Yes, I am such a girl, and I watch them. I love them! They are clean, fun, and light! They have been having a lot of Faltumn-related movies on lately, so I have been watching those. And Christmas movies started TODAY!!! I watch the Hallmark Movies on the W Network. We usually get them a week or so later (sometimes later), but trust me....I am never without a movie to watch!

Salmon Run 2018

This is almost a month late, but here it is :) Just before the Thanksgiving Weekend, on Oct 3, some of our school went on the Fall Salmon Run. I think I had only been once, and that was when I was probably about 9 or 10, so I was really excited to go! We left the school on a school bus at around 9:30, and got back at 2:30, so it was a fun-filled day! I am going to post a few here, b/c most of them are on my FB, and/or IG :) Every 4 years, it is a "dominant year", so BC Parks does school tours, charges a bit to get in, bring in some vendors, and puts out lots of literature on it. It was HUGE, and I wish I could have gone again with adults, so I could have spent more time looking at each vendor, and talking with the park people about it. We went to the Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, which is near Salmon Arm (about an hour's drive from here), but I know there are other places to see it. The day we went was a bit cool, so I dressed warm! It ended up being a wonderful day, though, and I am glad it wasn't any warmer (it was really warm when we left), or we would have gotten hot.

We got there at around 10:30, and had our snack, and then we set off to find the salmon. We were a tad disappointed that it wasn't as much as we thought would be there (normally, the water is "red" with salmon), but we were still able to see a fair amount. The kids thought it was really fun, and interesting. I loved that there were park people (I don't think they were Conservation Officers) along the river that held up fish signs, indicating that we could ask them questions :) It was really interesting! Then, we sat and had our lunch on some rocks on the river. After we walked back (it was a fairly good walk), we got ready for our 1st of two info sessions. The first was looking at a directed salmon, which was super interesting (and gross!), and the next session was about our forests, which I found less interesting. After both sessions (which were about 15 minutes each), we boarded the bus and headed back! We were all SUPER tired when we got back! We all slept well that night!!!

                                                         Here, fishy, fishy!

                                                    Love on how red they are!

                                           We could see them a bit better in the back water.

                    They had a lot of vendors! And yes, that is a Mini Donut truck in the background!

                        They did a great job with the students! They were really organized!

The info sessions were in little tents. There also about 50000 other people (students, tourists) there!

If you haven't been, I would highly encourage you to go. It is over for this year, but try to go next year!!! I just saw this site...go and check it out! Adam's River Salmon Society has some great information about the salmon and their journey (also, I may or may not have just found it this minute!).

Goals I want to Crush this Year

So, I had this ready to post (as in write) for ages, and now that we are 1/8th through the School year, I have yet to really tackle even one...but here goes! Better late than never, right?

I have never really been one to set goals. I mean, realistic ones. Sure, I would love to get skinny and win $1M, but as for realistic goals, I tend not really tend to stick with the work. At the start of the school year (for those who are new to my blog, I am an Education assistant in a school), I had hoped to set (and work towards) some realistic goals. So far, I really haven't done much towards that, but here they are, anyway.

1) Health

I have wanted to get back to the gym for months. I actually was doing pretty good for a month, but then I got sick, life happened, I never had the money to continue to go, etc. I really wanted to try to eat healthier...which goes it spurts, I will say (which is good and bad), but I haven't even walked in AGES! I am so mad sometimes! But, I think I might try to get back to the gym (if even for walking and bicycling) maybe this month. This also includes, in regards to my anxiety and sleep hygiene. I am horrible for being on the phone until I fall asleep, and although I still will do it, I think I am doing it less. I am also on a sleeping pill at night. I HAVE to be on it...I am not sure why, but I haven't been getting to sleep at night since the middle of August. I don't know if it is b/c of the noise (or lack thereof), or what, but I will be in bed for hours before I fall asleep. I was taking Melatonin, but I am now on something a bit stronger. For the most part, it has helped, for which I am thankful.

2) Spiritual

I had also wanted to start on reading a Christian Book (Max Lucado, etc), and of course the Bible every day. Well, I mean parts of the Bible and some of a chapter in said Christian book each day. Sadly, I really haven't been doing much of that, either. But, I will say that I have been giving it a college try...even if I read the Verse of the day on my Bible App. I also read some of my Lucado book a week or so ago. Hey, carrying it around in my bag, counts, right? I also have been going to worship more than I was in the summer, and I try to get to church more often than not.

3) Financial

This, I can say, I have been doing pretty well with/at. I have been trying to put some $ away in a savings account each month (even if I have to go back and use it), and money from at least one pay period a month into a super savings account. I also will say that I have been trying to be more purposeful and intentional of things that I buy. Of course, this doesn't go for EVERYTHING, but it goes for a good amount of what I buy. I usually ask myself..."do I really need it?" "Can I live without until next pay day"?. The answer is usually "yes" and "yes. Then, I decide if I really, really want it then (is it going to be on sale again? Can I really justify buying it right now?), or if I really can wait. This even applies to food purchases. Is this healthy? Is this too expensive? Can I make this at home? Can I buy this at the dollar store? I then decide from there if I can purchase it. More often then not, I won't buy it. Yes, there will be slip ups (and of course, food is non-negotiable), and there are going to be some things that I just won't care about (not) buying. But, I think I am doing pretty well-ish.

4) Professional

This one (like the other ones, I suppose) is two-sided. On the development side, I know there are courses out there that I can take, but most of them are a semester (or more), cost money, and take time. We are doing some PD days at school, which I am looking forward to, and I always learn from those. I also hope to do some more reading (books, Internet) about what I do (Special Education-related). I also want to really be able to learn more at work, take more advice/ learn from others, and spend more time finding new things and ways to help my student.

So, there are those goals, that I have been trying to accomplish! What are yours?