Wow! Time Flies and then stands still... at the same time!

Today is the final day of 2019. I have been on stagnant mode since just after Thanksgiving. Not really sure why, but it seems I've gone dark. Time to wake up and prepare for the future.

This past year was "enlightening" for sure! Losing the house in January, dreaming of quitting work in February, March brought house hunting and birthdays, April more birthdays and more house hunting. Then we needed to vacate the rental house. Our first move of the year was much lighter! The second proved that we were good at finding more "stuff"! DH checked out the drive time to the ER from the rental house... yup much faster!

We found the little house and it was the first house DH gave a thumbs up to so we bought it. It had everything I never wanted in a house! Split-level, vaulted ceilings and a horribly torn up back yard! But it has become "home". We looked at 40 acres in a town way out east and it had potential but it was so far away... my thoughts were what if DH needed medical attention. Or if the girls got hurt it would be a 60 mile drive one way to help. I just wasn't ready to be that isolated yet. Not to mention the older kids said they would not be out to visit at that distance! Whiners!

I digress, this little house became the place where both girls would make lots of friends, learn to ride bikes and generally see a different side of life... one with cement sidewalks. They were able to experience how not wearing all that protective equipment feels! Funny we lived without it! Now I'm not saying the equipment isn't important, it is! We just managed that's all. They broke the rules many times and sometimes they fell, sometimes they didn't. (stock tip: buy band aid)

Most of the Summer was spent working for a company that I came to really resent. The caring side of "health care" wasn't there. Twice I took off to see family and wondered why I continued to go to work, why did I go back and feel so different from the rest of the "team"? The assisted living area had the best workers by far. Of course there were those that just didn't make the grade and needed to be turned loose. More and more it seemed it was most important to just have staff so when I did leave the residents would have caregivers.

The day came when it just had to be. August, 21st I left and if I had known that the replacement nurse was going to be so vindictive to the residents and staff, I might not have left.  However, there was no way to tell that from the start. If I could turn back time, I would have left when the company took over. It was not worth the experience and losing 20 years with Centura. Not that time with a company means anything anymore. Even time with Uncle Sam means nothing without your DD214, I am told this over and over!

All that said even being off from work I have not completed all that I needed to do for 2019. You might say I am easily side-tracked. That is something I can work on for 2020! Still, I did accomplish some important things... I cannot remember what they were at this moment.

Oh! I did make His and Hers ear warmers for my Granddaughter and her boyfriend! You can get the patterns at https://www.marymarthamama.com/crafty-cat/sewing/christmas-gifts-to-sew/

And I finished this hat for Chloe! She is my mom's littlest angel! And older sister to my littlest girl. The pattern for the original version is here at https://makeanddocrew.com/free-crochet-elf-hat-pattern-with-ears/

I also finished an afghan for my oldest grandson. I forgot to take a picture of it completed, but here are two in progress. Sorry there is no link to my brain for this one... it would be really scary if there were!

Unfortunately, I did not save the world or create some new cure for anything. But I tried to make a difference to the people in my little world. In 2020 I suppose I will go back to work to some degree. Not that I have not enjoyed being a stay at home wife, I have, I am just not a very good one. Usually, I remember that dinner needs to be cooked 10 or 15 minutes from the time it should be served. Forget breakfast or lunch... you are on your own with me in charge!

This time off that I have had has made me realize that I am good at getting up and getting ready for work (even more so if the uniform is picked out for me) and getting there and doing a good job!

The plan at this time is to go back part-time or PRN and go from there. The girls are used to me being home and it would be too much on them for me to be gone full time again.

On top of all the things I enjoyed about being home and looking for our new home I learned that some new homes have a "hidden" pantry and you should look at all your options before buying LOL. When we went looking for a new place to put on our property the options were pretty much endless. Some were absolutely out of the question but it was still fun to look at them. Once we decided to go with a modular home I thought the process would be so much faster than stick built. Not so much I guess because there are still lots of hoops to jump through.

But yesterday the hoops were lowered to my height and hoop of the home being set on the basement happened!

The chickens were just as oblivious to the new house being set up as they were to the old house burning down. Although, in their defense only the two white ones were around for the fire.

So, the future has started to take shape. The moving process will most likely occur more towards or in February. We have been told that the proposed move in date is January 8, 2020. One year to date of the original fire. We will start moving small things about then I'm sure, but our newest grandchild is due to greet the world January 23rd... so we will stay in town to help with that.

With that I will close for today and go see if there are any goodies left in the stores. I did not join in on the "day after" sales and actually I have not been to the stores since Christmas eve. Sad, the economy is probably collapsing as I type...