Less Hustle More Coffee

Hello Friends!

I’ve been enjoying my mornings with the sunrises. Today it will be rain and likely lots of it. I’m tempted to take a safer back route to avoid the crazies on the interstate but it’ll take way too long to get to work I think. Those crazies on the interstate are really getting crazier these days during the pandemic times. It’s as if they don’t care if they die or not so why not speed. It’s unbelievable what I’ve seen people do out there. I’m getting more and more fearful of the interstate. It seems there ARE NO RULES ANYMORE.

Yesterday morning in our work parking lot, I drank my coffee with the wind blowing in my face and watched the clouds rollover the sun rise. It was one of those “stop and smell the roses moments”. It was nice. I was thanking God for his artwork and for the moment to just stop and “remember who you are and where you are going”, a moment of thanks, of feeling blessed. I remember thinking “this moment is mine and no one can take it”. And that comes from me and my little time problem, ha! So much in life snatches so much of your time. I’m pretty guarded over my time. That goes waaaay back into the high school and college days I guess when time got tighter. And it’s been that way since.

I didn’t really get on here to begin talking about time. It is just one of the many side trails we could go off into. But that would take too much time (too much time to talk about time- ha ha) so we’ll keep going down the “what’s happening” trail instead.

What’s happening is that daughter Katy will be induced soon. Likely next week or first of the next one. They did blood work and all is ok but they asked her to keep the next appointment on Tuesday and will schedule a date then. So….we are preparing (already had been) to get packed and get ready to go once we have the date or get the call. We have made lists galore – what to take, what to pack, what to get at the store, what to eat on the way, and so forth.

I have also been working hard to get things done at work. It’s month end, quarter end, and year end. So I have been racing to get extra things done. All my reports are printed which have to be done before the next payroll run. My end of year Periodic Maintenance is done. And my tax tables are changed in the system. I did research on some of the states as I’m not getting mail that the states are sending out. I guess it’s going to someone else. I don’t know where it’s going so phbbbttttt on that. I just looked it up on the internet in our accounts on line to see what our new rate is and what the base wage is. Many did not change. A couple were electronic notices. But anyway, at least I knew where to find it. All that was taken care of.

So today I have to try to squeeze today and tomorrow in – as we are not there tomorrow. Part of Friday may have to be squeezed into Monday. Also have to work on holiday pay a bit today to figure those that are not eligible. Fun times. But this was an important week and now I will just spend January plowing through month end withholding payments, quarter end withholding payments (my weekly paid ones are done for this week), quarterly withholding returns, do my reconciliation report, then I can start on unemployment returns for the quarter, and then do all the many reports for Oregon (rolls eyes at their many taxes, lol) and then I will do all the unemployment returns and then all the year end reporting for all states and then the W-2 reporting. It’s quite the January. A lot to do. And I’ll be missing a few days of it. So the window will be tight. But I feel better remembering there is always a week of the month where I’m waiting on others so that means being off a week maybe won’t be that distressing after all.

We have been making birthday plans. It’s all tentative. You know how I feel about tentative plans, lol. But it doesn’t really matter. One way or the other on my birthday we will be going out. George says he will take me out just us and then we are going out with my SIL and BIL. Different dates of course. I’m not sure which one it will be on the 3rd. But I’ve picked my places! Stay tuned.

HBO Max

I discovered I have access to HBO/HBO Max. We have AT&T unlimited and so was able to get this streaming for free. I had to do a bit of research to figure all this out. It didn’t seem to be flashing at you anywhere. But I at least discovered it while checking into seeing how much it would cost. There were a couple of shows advertised recently that I thought we’d check into it. One was “The Flight Attendant” and we began watching that. I guess we’ll see how that turns out. I kinda had bad dreams after watching it, but I’m on the edge of my seat to see what happens. lol.

If you have these plans below as screen shot from my phone, you will be eligible for HBO MAX.

It’s not like we don’t already have enough to watch.

The to Do List is Stacking Up

What could be overwhelming, is actually a little fun – as long as it stays that way. There has always been lists of “What to do after Thanksgiving”, “What to do after Christmas” and “The New Year List”, and now there is an “After Texas List” and a “February List”. I’ve not gotten much further than that. But you know me and planning!

Most of it is simple. It’s not accomplishing big projects but just knocking simple things off. I mean doing my nails has been on the list for a week, lol. Downloading Big Sur on the Mac is on my list. Right now my lists are everywhere. Notes here and there. I’m looking forward to a “regroup” this weekend to get a bit more organized and to get some things done. I’ve not even had time to download December’s free audible book and now it’s almost time to download the January’s. (It’s not really free – I pay so much a month but get 1 “free” download a month with the subscription.) It’s been the best gift I’ve given myself. It’s also time tomorrow to put the Christmas decor up and I need to finish the video and get that up, but have to do George’s segment.

I’ve begun using my planner as the new year week started in the planner this week as New Year’s day falls into it. That was fun. Love the new planner. This week’s pages are full!

I have found that I LOVE THESE sparkling waters the best of any I have had. It has real squeezed fruit in it and it’s flavor is so vivid. I’ll be getting more of these!

George fixed a good dinner last night after my request for kielbasa or sausages meal. It was kinda cajun in a way. Poured over rice. Just excellent! Had red and green pepper in it. As well as onions and tomatoes. It was very good. He air fried the sausages which really took away a lot of the fat. So that was good!

I suggested we have a Brandy or Cognac after dinner. We watched Below Deck and sipped the last of a very good bottle of Cognac that George had received for Christmas last year.

Mr. Roger is a mess. He had the worst night ever a couple of nights ago. Last night George got up with him and they slept on the couch and when he went to sleep he brought him back to bed. We will keep working til we figure this out. But he is not liking the bed but when you put him somewhere else he howls because he wants you to be with him – just not on the bed.

Once he knows you are with him, (not on the bed) he does this……and snores to high heaven.

Well, I need to get ready and get this day done so I can come home and do all the things on my list here. Some of which is to give you all a year in review for the blog tomorrow. Put out my “here’s what I read” list. And there is so much but the focus will have to be as follows:

1. Prep for Texas
2. Finish next video
3. Big Sur Update on Mac- have to get this done and a new security program set as the old one is about to renew and it doesn’t play well with Big Sur, want to finish the video soon in case it messes with iMovie.
4. Christmas Decor up and out.

I can’t even remember what all else is on the list and it’s time to head to work. Yes I have to work on New Years Eve. So….over and out.

Oh and we are having leg of lamb for dinner tonight which was a Christmas present. Looking forward to THAT. I guess I’ll have to have a nap before midnight. I don’t see how I can possibly stay up that long. No way. What are your plans for today and tomorrow? Don’t forget to eat your black eyed peas!