I don’t know about anyone else, but I am glad the holidays are over.
Not that it wasn’t a great time for everyone, but it’s nice to get back to the daily humdrum. It’s comforting to know I don’t have to go anywhere (except to work), buy anything (except for groceries), or do much of anything in my off-time (except for reading, playing videogames – and of course, playing with Puppy Cody).
2018 ended on a good note, and 2019 is starting off well.
First off, one of my daughters discovered a manufacturer who offers scented glycerine soaps at a reasonable cost, and for Christmas she gave me a whole case of assorted fragrances. I love my glycerine soap but had stopped buying it when I could no longer find it locally at a price I could afford. The last time I looked, our local Wegmans was selling one bar for nearly $8. I had switched to Yardley, at $2 a bar, but then Wegmans stopped selling the lemon scent (my favorite) – and I’m really, really tired of lavender. 24 bars of assorted glycerines has gone a long way to starting off my New Year right.
I’m very easy to please.
On another note, it turns out my bank had, in fact, miscalculated my real estate tax burden and thus miscalculated my monthly mortgage payment. That has been now been corrected, and my payment will be going back down to what it should have been all along. Yay.
Finally, I made the last payment on all that furniture I bought a couple of years ago. One less financial obligation each month. Yay.
My boss gave out year-end bonuses, which I wasn’t expecting. At the same time, he indicated that I will be getting a salary increase on my work anniversary in February! It’s almost too much to absorb after so many years of working for skinflints who believed neither in raises nor bonuses.
I still have 3 vacation days that I must use up before my work anniversary. I’ve decided to take 3 consecutive Thursdays in January, to go along with my normal Fridays off, thereby giving me extra long weekends for three entire weeks. As it turns out, my office is closed on Martin Luther King Day, and so I will have a very nice 5-day weekend, followed by a 2-day work week, followed by a 4-day weekend. I can live with that.
I’m becoming very spoiled very quickly. February will be a bit of a rude awakening, but I’ll take what I can get while I can get it.
Which, apparently won’t include winning the lottery. I had received a scratch-off at Christmas, which won $2. So I turned it in on a new ticket – and because it was New Year’s Eve and I felt lucky, I bought 5 more of the same. Those gave me $8 in winnings, so I turned around and got 4 more tickets, on which I won $6. Turning that into 3 more new tickets, got me exactly nothing. Each ticket cost $2, so had I stopped with the first one (a gift), I would have been ahead. Instead my optimism cost me $10, but at least it was a fun run while it lasted. These days it’s hard to find any fun in anything costing only $10.
I suppose I could have bought an $8 bar of glycerine soap at Wegmans and been ahead $2, but as much as I love my glycerine soap, once it’s gone it’s gone, unlike a lottery scratch-off which, theoretically, could turn into a much larger win.
But apparently not for me.
I did win the lottery, however, with my family. My loved ones are wonderful people who actually listen occasionally when I say I want something. In addition to my glycerine soaps, they gave me wine, chocolates, and gift cards to my favorite restaurants and stores – and even though he was feeling a bit under the weather, Hubby took one of his New Year’s holiday days to paint the downstairs bedroom.
Look great, doesn’t it? Yes, it really is blue, but the white furniture and white trim (and gray/white rug) tones the blue down. I just couldn’t get a really good photo as I still need to hang curtains and pictures, and didn’t want to show you the unfinished aspects of the room.
Two rooms done! Only five more rooms and two hallways to go. We’re moving right along. I’ve decided I no longer want a yellow kitchen, so now I can enjoy looking at paint samples again. Something to look forward to.
Hope your 2019 has also started off with a bang, and that it’s a good one for all of us.
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Yes it is nice the holidays are done with. Looks like you made out well with the soap. You’re going be clean and fresh and smell like a flower garden all year. As for me, I got a weather station from my wife. So if you ever want to know the weather conditions down here, just ask me.
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Thanks, Tippy, but my husband watches or listens to the weather news constantly, and constantly tells me the forecast even though I really don’t care.
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But the weather is very important. You really should care.
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I do care. I look out the window when I’m deciding what to wear. But I really don’t need a current report every 5 minutes or so. Drives me nuts.
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How about every 10 minutes?
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If it doesn’t include standing outside the bathroom door (while I’m in there) and relaying the most current forecast. At that point, I really don’t care.
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Happy New Year to you and yours.
Yep, we’re glad to be getting back into the routine and glad all the Christmas goodies are gone. We had a lovely Christmas though, one of the best, nice and quiet, just us. Watching the sunrise on the beach on Christmas Day was awesome.
Plans for the year are to tart up the kitchen, lounge and spare bedroom. We also want to get Hubby a proper Man Cave.
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Hope both our years work out the way we’re planning.
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Oooo! 2019 is off to a roaring start for you!
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It is. I just hope I haven’t jinxed myself.
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What a great start to 2019! Hope it continues to go well for you. I love glycerine soap as well—24 bars should last you a long time!
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Yep, I can always take fewer showers to make it last longer. 🙂
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Wishing you a wonderful (and clean) 🙂 New Year!
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Thank you. Same to you.
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🙂 Bless you.
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Soap, a raise, lower mortgage payment and a bonus? Damn! Slow down, the New Year has just begun.
😉
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I know, right? It is a wee bit scary.
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Happy New Year, CM. I’m glad you’ve been treated well, by your family, boss and yourself!
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Thanks, Mark. I really lucked out with the new job.
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Look like you had a clean and grin new year, CM! And the newly painted bedroom just blue me away. LOL! ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
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The room’s not really as brightly blue as it seems in the picture. It’s more aqua. But it is lovely.
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(⺣◡⺣)♡
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That is very nice about the soap — we all want our soaps, don’t we? Very thoughtful gifts over all.
Wonderful news in the finance department as well! We’re in the midst of two ‘seasons’ for both our kids’ activities, so we just keep takin hits. That is the way, as you know.
So glad you have this job and not the old one. SO glad for you!
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It’s hard to be financially stable when you have kids at home. I never had any money in the bank until they were all gone and I had managed to get rid of the debt I accrued while they were home. It was a long wait, but worth it.
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🙂
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I wish you health , happiness and loads of good luck in 2019. Vlad wishes he had some extra blood 😉💜💜💜
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Happy 2019 to you, too, Willow. Vlad will have to be content with a hug for now. (Oh wait, maybe letting him that close to my neck is not the wise thing to do …)
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No definitely not safe💜
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Is there anything more fortunate in our lives than family? It is, unfortunately, a bit of a lottery though isn’t it? Not everyone has a great family life but we do, so let’s raise a glass to that. Or a bar of glycerine soap. Whichever is handy.
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I’ll take either, Trent. Some people do both at the same time – a nice tub soak with candles and wine, but unfortunately if I ever got into the tub I’d never be able to get out again.
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Awesome indeed that your new year is starting out so good, CM!! May every succeeding month in this new year bring something GOOD to you that is unusual and unexpected. My new year began on a very good note to the extent I’ve got this silly grin on my face half the time. I just feel so happy …. my babies are getting back to normal and I’m being shown things in Mother’s world that are leaving me with my mouth open in complete awe. LOVE that look in your downstairs bedroom. Very cozy! And for those soaps ….. I make my own and will not ever again buy commercial soap. Glycerin soap is a good way to go, however! Smart move!! You also had me laughing about what you did with those lottery tickets. Giggling ….. 😉
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Amy, it’s good to know things are going well for you after all you’ve been through. BTW, that bedroom is more aqua than blue, and definitely not as bright as it looks in that photo. There’s weird lighting in that room.
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Nice to know that your year is proceeding so well. My year started off with an eye operation. If it turns out well (and it seems to have) I’ll have the other eye done in a couple of months. I’m/we’re looking forward to seeing you later in the spring. 😀
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Sounds good. I should have no problem taking off a day to spend with you.
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