COVID 19--November Quarantine

November seemed to fly by. It was just Halloween, blink twice and Thanksgiving is over and I'm gearing up for Christmas!!

COVID numbers are on the rise.  It seems people are tired of having their lived turned upside down.  They miss "normal".  So they are letting down their guard.  And more and more people are becoming sick.  I'm still trying to stay hunkered down, only going when I need to.  

Emma was exposed at a YW activity where they were outside, all masked up, and stayed distant from each other.  Amy had Emma tested and she was positive!!  No symptoms, no illness! Amy thought that it must have been a false positive, but had the entire family tested just to be safe.  They all came back negative except Emma, which was positive again.  So, the whole family quarantined for 14 days, with Emma staying up in her room, away for everyone as much as possible.

Mom hadn't been out of the house for several weeks, so we drove out to Amy's for a cookie drop off.  WE stayed in the car in the street while we visited with them for a few minutes.  They stayed on their front porch.  At on point i heard my name.  I walked around the garage and there was Emma in her upstairs window yelling at me to rescue her!!  Nope, you stay up there and be safe!!  At the end of their two weeks, they retested and all came back still negative...good to go!  

After several months of not having much of a choice of soda, I finally found tow of our favorites!

Happy Day

One day, I went to Downtown Disney to buy t-shirts for Todd and Kathy.  When I got there, this was the live to get in!  It turned out to be Veteran's Day!!  As I stood in line, I got on my phone, ordered the shirts, and went on my way.  I had to pay $6 shipping...a bargain!

I got a cute fall puzzle completed.  It was kinda weird, though, because the backs all had letters and the back of the picture had the letter chart.  It made it way easy.

Most of my time this months has been spent getting ready for Christmas.  I've had lots of fun planning and creating surprises for family and friends. Ho, ho, ho!

Black Friday

 A very unusual Black Friday! Empty parking lot, walked right up to the cash register, face timed with Amy instead of being together, hand sanitizer before going into a store, and only three bags at the end!! I miss “normal”!!

#GiveThanks

On November 20th, President Russell M Nelson asked the world to spend the next week flooding social media with gratitude posts and to daily pray for comfort and peace.  He also prayed.  I have never seen that before!  A very humble, tender prayer for not just members of the church, but the entire world, asking for healing and peace.  I was so moved by his words and the intent behind those words.  I found myself reading everyone's entire posts and pondering on them.  It was a wonderful experience.

Friday, November 20th--I have been blessed with two amazing kids. And over the years, they have added the best spouses, not to mention wonderful grandkids. They all are my joy and I am so grateful to call them family. #givethanks

Saturday, November 21st--

Today I grateful for the gift of music in my life. It evokes memories of times past, often putting a smile on my face. It entertains and uplifts. It speaks to me like nothing else. It brings me joy and stirs my soul. #givethanks

Sunday, November 22nd--

I am so grateful for this advice. It has helped me change my perspective, especially on COVID. I was an Eeyore, dwelling on all that I had missed and all that I couldn’t do. The missed graduations and dance recitals. The hugs given from just too far away. The times I’ve had to say that I better not. Now, I’m trying to look on the bright side. To be appreciative of what I have been able to do. The distanced lunches. Zoom parties. Drives along the beach. Hallmark movies and puzzles. All these things make me happy. #givethanks

Monday, November 23rd--

Hugs!! They are the best. They heal, uplift, and bring comfort. #givethanks

Tuesday, November 24th--

We have come a long way since our first family computer, but I am so grateful for modern technology. The other day I was working on a Christmas project. I needed 25 copies of a small poem. What would have taken countless hours and more patience than I possess on a typewriter, took only a minute or two with copy, paste, duplicate!! Technology allows me to not only hear but see family. To “be there” when I can’t. It allows me to listen to a good book while on my morning walks. It entertains, educates, and allows me to feel connected to the world. #givethanks

Wednesday, November 25th--

This beautiful world that we call home is such a gift. The sun rises and sun sets are amazing bookends to our day. The solice and peace found at the beach is calming to my soul. I’m grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for such beauty.

Thursday, November 26th--

Often mom says, “ Look how ugly my hands are. They are full of spots and wrinkles!” My reply to her is, “Be thankful that they still work. You can feed yourself and hold on to your walker.” I am thankful for hands that still work...and feet...and eyes...and knees...The list goes on and on. #givethanks

Happy Thanksgiving

Our original plan this year was to have a quiet Thanksgiving dinner, just mom and me.  Mark was going to have dinner with his grandkids, Milo and Gale were inviting a neighbor, and Emma had tested positive for COVID so the entire family was in quarantine.  Somehow, it felt safest to be alone. But, Amy's entire family tested negative two days before, so I felt it would be totally safe to join them for dinner. Yay!!  It was a wonderful day, full of family, fun, and fabulous food!

On a side note, I was in charge of pies.  I ordered them ahead, but still ended up being in a line around the building  at both Marie Calendar's and Polly's.  A 35 minute wait at both places, but so worth it...Boysenberry from Polly's and pumpkin and chocolate silk from Marie Callender's.

Marie Callender's...a spiral around the back lawn
a couple of times, then down the side, across the
front, and down the other side!!

Polly's line went down the street and around the corner!