Week In Review - December 9 - 14

What a weird week!

Yes, North Carolina achieved snow!

And how different from a Montana snow. We were in the heavier snow in the Charlotte area (the mountains to the west got double digits), but Mr. RaceCar was the one who lost power over the weekend. Lady K got two days off school. Texter, who had picked up extra hours before the storm, was off for two days too. Even GameStop was closed on Sunday due to the road conditions!

So there was a lot of 'home-time' this week. We received three packages in the mail. However, only one was for me! The other two are for someone who lived here at least a year ago, so I returned them to Macy's and let them know to flag her account. Next one is mine!

My trio of amaryllis are all set to open and should be a breathtaking display. I think there will be at least 12 flowers once they open. And my poor little 99 cent rescue has revived and will be blooming soon too.

And speaking of flowers, I made a stop at the Charlotte Flower Market and picked up their December special - $5 for 5 stems of a spray of roses. 

The colors were limited at the time I went in and the young man let me know they were processing some in the back and would have them out later in the day. But it didn't matter to me. I picked a blush and a red rose.

My 'plan' was to have some for my desk and then some for my Yule altar which I will be setting up shortly. Of course, Lady K advised me when she got home last night "Grandma, I was wanted roses." I have a feeling I need to make yet another vase being set up.

And before those out there say "I thought you were supposed to be saving money." start wagging fingers, let me say this..."F*** off!". 

No really, I know. However, for me, it's like a diet. If I say "I'm not going to eat sweets, etc." I will pull out a new bag of Oreos and eat the entire package in one sitting and go looking for more. But, if I tell myself I can have a couple of Oreos daily, then that's what I will do. I'll have a couple and be happy and I'm not pigging out.  

The same with money. If I tell myself "nothing, nada, never" then I will go out and spend like crazy on junk I have no use for. If I tell myself I have X amount to 'play' with during the month, then that's what I'll spend and be happy. Right now, I have a small amount which goes to my Starbucks account and then I spend $10 on flowers.

If these roses are anything like the daisies I got last month, I'll have them well into January. The blooms are still tight and they are covered with buds which haven't even started opening yet. And with the next couple of weeks being crazy with work at home and work at GameStop, I will need something which can be 'soothing'.

What else?

Took Texter to Target for her to pick up items for a secret Santa swap and in the $1 section they had a huge vinyl wall calendar. I need a wall calendar so I can track who needs to be where during the month. Plus I also needed to redo my 'wall' beside my desk.

Before...

My current calendar is the Krispy Kreme calendar which I bought and hardly ever used their coupons. Or recipes. My Montana postcards, my basic daily schedule and some odds and ends.

My only problem is the boxes are a bit tiny and I need to get some finer point markers (I think). So we will see how it goes. For $3 I will give it a try and see if it works for us.

Speaking of planning, I can't wait until the end of the month and I can swap out my planners for the 2019 ones (even though my Weeks/Money Tracker I am already using). 

As you can see I have already started 'decorating' and making notes for 2019. I wanted to be sure to keep an eye out for the Bath & Body annual candle sale next year (I think I'm the only person who didn't know it was THE event of the year.)

This year's Christmas is crazy. With Texter, Savvy and I all working retail this year, it doesn't appear we will have a chance to get together for 'family' time. Savvy and Mr. Arizona are going to visit her father on Christmas Day, her one day off. Since she hasn't seen him in months and hasn't gotten to celebrate Christmas with him in years, it's OK with me. Texter and Mr. RaceCar are doing something with Mr. RaceCar's father.

Then Lady K will be heading to her father and the other grandparents during the school break. Luckily, he is in college now and is out for the holidays. And with our schedule for work, babysitters (which we could use) would be a pain in the butt. Since he hasn't been around her over the past few years and he has a huge family there, she will be going to spend the two weeks she is out with him and his family. Which is a huge relief to Texter and me because we won't have to worry about who will be able to watch her. It also means Texter can stay with Mr. RaceCar and he will help get her to/from work. 

So it will be a little strange starting next Wednesday when it will be me - empty nest temporarily - and I can work, work, work and not have to worry about anyone else. Except for a dog and two cats.

But with Lady K heading out of town on Wednesday, they celebrated Christmas on Saturday and let her open the gifts from the family here. Santa will be leaving some gifts for her to come home to. It also meant I got my gift from Mr. RaceCar.

  

A coffee grinder! A huge one!

Now I can use the Starbucks Winter Roast I have had in a jar for ages. (Coffee people - don't rag on me for coffee storage, etc. Deal!) Normally, I use Folger's and my reusable pod in my Keurig. Now I can get beans and try different coffee. 

I want some more Death Wish Coffee. We had some, pre-fire, and it got 'roasted'. It had been a gift from a friend of Texter's and I really enjoyed it. Some days you just need maximum caffeine. 

I also want to try out Bones Coffee. And anything else which catches my eye. Of course, anyone who has seen me put sugar and milk in my coffee is wondering why bother with specialty coffees, but F*** off people. It's my coffee and my morning routine. (Oops, think I need more coffee already.) 

Otherwise this week...

• Finished reading 2 books
• Wrote 5 posts
• Bought my ham for Christmas (and I'm fixing today to eat on during the next couple of hectic weeks)
• Got fingerprinted by the FBI for my background check for the 2020 Census job (which was an odd experience)
• My 12-Days-of-Christmas swap gifts purchased and mailed out

This coming week...

• Lots of hours working at GameStop (huzzah!)
• Lady K handed off to her father for the holidays
• Winter Solstice!
• Starting working through The Great Work for the coming year (more on that later) 

But for now, more Starbuck's Winter Roast and start cleaning the house!