Today was a rather relaxed day

Today was a rather relaxed day. Most of my days lately have been like that. It's just too cold to do much and I lack the focus right now to get much done inside especially since Dodger has been sleeping till nearly 6 for the past week. Thank goodness he'll be starting another job next week. He needs to get out of our space during the day.

We were supposed to go bowling tonight with my dad and then go out to eat for my birthday that's coming up this week. But I woke up with my lower back giving me fits so we just went to dinner and then dad took Dancer bowling afterwards.

Dinner was yummy. We ate at the family style restaurant down the road from my mom's. This is the same restaurant that we ate at with my mom and step-dad before we had Christmas with them. They were super busy. The word must be out about their great prices and awesome food especially their rib specials.

Oh, I also woke up to a surprise that totally made my day. I found that the author, Regina Leeds, of the book I mentioned in yesterday's post, "One Year to an Organized Life", had left me a comment on my post offering to send me a copy of her book. Thank you so much Regina! I love your book so far and look forward to working through it throughout this year.

Oh and to top off my good day, I did get enough birthday $ for Dancer to take all of her co-op classes and to pay for the rent fee.

I'm really looking for a good memoir to read

It took me till the beginning of this week to get back into the habit of logging my food everyday. There have been a few days where I went over my budget but I logged everything.

Now I need to get back into the habit of blogging daily again. Every day this week I've thought about blogging but just never did it.

There hasn't been a great deal new around here. My uncle went into detox a few days ago. He did it so he could get into the program offered here for addiction. He's struggled with alcoholism off and on for as long as I've been alive.

I've been feeling like a failure because I don't have the money for Dancer to take co-op classes this semester. A dear online friend sent me some money that will cover 1 class and part of the registration fee (which is really my part of the rent fee we pay to the church where the co-op is held). I'm hoping to get a few $ for my birthday this week that may cover another class and hopefully the 3rd class she wants to take.

I haven't started exercising again yet. I'm out of the habit and it's just damn cold here. I can tell I'm struggling with a bit of the blues from the weather, being unable to get out, not seeing my friends in forever, and worrying and getting angry about money. I'm still taking my St. John's Wort daily. I need to get back to exercising. It helped to elevate my mood and my sense of well-being.

I did take a trip to the library on Tues. to return the movies I checked out a few weeks ago. Dancer didn't want to go with me so I went by myself. I picked up 5 more DVD's, one VHS movie, and a few books. The books I picked out are "Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh and "One Year to an Organized Life" by Regina Leeds. I've gotten further in the organization book because it's set-up to work through from the beginning of the year. I know I can't check it out for the entire year but I can renew it once and that will get me 2 months time with it. I figure I can scan the next month if need be and then check it out again or I hope to find it on Paper Back Swap.

I'm really looking for a good memoir to read. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'd prefer memoirs by women.

We had a frozen pipe in the tub last night

Oh my gosh, I am so glad the chaos of the past two weeks is over! I've barely exercised and I haven't logged a day of food in over a week. Ugh.

It's so super cold here. We had a frozen pipe in the tub last night before I went to bed. We've been letting the water run a bit overnight but when I went to turn on the cold knob in the tub last night it was already frozen. Dodger got under the house today with our blow dryer and got the thing thawed out.

I've been vegging since getting up. My electric blanket is just way too comfy to get out from under for very long. I do need to go out and start my truck because this cold has been taking a bite out of my battery life. I also need to go sign Dancer up for golf lessons that start Mon. evening. I will probably wait till tomorrow to sign her up.

I told her last night that we probably won't be doing co-op classes this semester because of cost. We can't afford co-op, golf, tennis and the extra expense of dance costumes right now. Something has to go. It's a big bummer because she was really looking forward to the classes. I feel bad because this is the first time we haven't been able to afford for her to do something that she's really interested in doing. I feel extremely guilty because if I had not quit my job I doubt that there would be an issue with this.

It's at times like this that I get really angry concerning money. I just want to cuss out the people who are gallivanting around with no money lack at all. I see people on Facebook talking about booking trips or getting a new laptop because of a Christmas bonus and I just want to scream. I'm not happy for them at all. I really want to tell them to shove it.

More catch-up...

More catch-up...

Sat. we went to my mom's for gifts with her and step-dad. We met them for dinner at the little diner down at the end of their road. The food was delish. After dinner we went to her place to open gifts. We ended up doing our gift opening downstairs because the living room is being used as a sewing room right now.

My mom was in a great mood the whole night. Dodger and I both noticed it. She was pleasant and conversational and didn't snip once about anything to anyone.

After gifts, Dodger took off to play poker with some friends. Dancer and I stuck around for a bit. They played on the new Wii Fit for awhile and then I took her out to my dad's to spend the night.

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Sun. we went over to my dad's for dinner and gifts. My sister had sent up gifts for us that we opened there. She got me a ruana wrap that I already had and a stainless steel water bottle that I love.

For some reason she got Dancer a Tampa Bay Bucks t-shirt and ball-cap. As if Dancer would ever put that crap on. I'm going to resell it on eBay and recoup something out of my sisters mis-spent money.

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Mon. through Thurs. Dancer spent over at my dad's with her cousin and my uncle. They went ice skating and sledding while she was there. By the time I went out there Thurs. night for New Years Eve she was sick of my uncle. They were seriously on each others nerves. She came home with me on New Years Eve because she didn't want to spend any more time around my uncle.

We did go back out there on New Years Day, Fri. night, to have dinner and spend one more evening with the cousin before she heads back home on the plane tomorrow (well later today, as it's 1:14 am now).