This and That, November Through March

Sean, Ashley, and Lydia went to the Outer Banks in early October. I always worry when they take a trip, but they had a great time.

 

I think this was at Bodie Island Lighthouse.

 

At the Roanoke Island Aquarium.

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I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because of how much time has passed and because I don't remember most of the details lol, but we had a great Thanksgiving (desserts were pumpkin pie and apple pie), Anniversary (31 years), and Christmas (desserts were pumpkin pie again, key lime pie for Charlie, and homemade chocolate chip cookies). I don't remember what gifts were given. Lydia had a great time though. She loved the talking, singing tea set we got her.

 

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December 27th, Sean called me so that I could hear what Lydia calls me. (She hadn't called me anything prior to that.) He and Ashley were showing Lydia pictures of me and saying, "Who's that?" Lydia said, "Mema". It melted my heart to hear her say that with her sweet voice. She gets excited when she sees me and says, "Mema!" And when Sean's talking to me on speaker phone and she hears me she says, "Is that Mema?" Charlie is "Papa."

 

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On January 9th, I had to bring Loki to the vet because of blood in his poop. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious. He had a full anal gland, which the vet took care of. 

 

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Saturday, January 24th, it was forecasted that we would get a bunch of ice with very cold temperatures, and probably have power outages. We didn't get as much ice as was expected and we didn't lose power, but it was very cold (single digits and teens at night and in the mornings; 20s during the day). 

 

Sean, Ashley, and Lydia came to stay with us (they live about a mile or so from us) in case they lost power. I had bought a lot of food for all six of us (I had to go to five different stores to get everything we needed because people were buying up everything; I went to Walmart, Food Lion, Dollar General, Lowes Foods, and Harris Teeter) and ended up spending over $600! But at least I didn't have to worry about us going hungry.

 

We have a generator, so I cooked up a few meals ahead of time that we could heat up and have a hot meal each night for supper.

 

We got ice and sleet that Saturday evening and Sunday morning, which meant the roads were iced over. Sean, Ashley, and Lydia left sooner than we felt like they should have (Sunday afternoon) because Sean was going to try to go to work that Monday. They made it home safely, but Sean wasn't able to go to work.

 

This was taken on January 27th.

 

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Saturday, January 31st (and I think into Sunday, February 1st), we got 13 inches of snow. The biggest snow we've had in awhile. Again, I had go to three or four different stores to get what we needed because of people clearing the shelves, but I didn't spend nearly as much that time.

 

 

 

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Some time in January, Sean and Ashley told us that they're expecting another baby. On February 28th, we found out that it's a girl! She's due in September.

 

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My 53rd birthday was February 7th, Kelly's 26th birthday was February 8th, Charlie's 57th birthday was February 21st, and Lydia's 2nd birthday was March 11th.

 

Lydia is such a sweet, smart, funny, sassy, adorable little girl! She is a joy to our family and friends. She loves cats, dogs, horses, buses (yes, buses), dinosaurs, and frogs. She knows her ABCs, colors, can count to 10, knows some words in sign language, and is learning to count to 10 in Spanish. 

 

She's at that adorable age where she can't say many words correctly and has such a cute voice. Fish is feesh, car is caw, bus almost ends with a lisp, she can't say the R in horse (well, she can't pronounce the R in any words; Ls are also difficult), Kelly is Keggy or Keh-yee, dragon is gaggon, frog almost sounds like the F word. She says our cat Effie's name really well, but can't quite get Loki.

 

Anyway, I could go on, but I'll stop now. :-)

 

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Tomorrow (technically today), March 21st, is Sean and Ashley's 6th wedding anniversary! 

 

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Lydia is supposed to get tubes for her ears this Monday. She gets an ear infection nearly every month (except for the summer) and had two in one month last year. They've had to reschedule the surgery several times because if she gets sick (like a cold or anything that causes congestion), they can't do the surgery. As of today, she's not sick. Here's hoping and praying she stays well. 

 

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Christmas Day

We had a really nice Christmas. After getting up, eating a late breakfast, taking a shower, loading the dishwasher, and waking Kelly up, Sean, Ashley, and my mom came over to open gifts. 

Mom didn't stay for supper (she eats once a day, much earlier than we eat), but I made a pretty good supper for my family - fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, black eyed peas, corn, and crescent rolls. (Salt and pepper on Kelly's chicken, Goya adobo on mine, and cajun on everyone else's. I also dipped mine in honey.) Dessert was chocolate chip cookies I made the night before, pecan pie, and chocolate silk pie, but we were too full from supper to eat any of it. lol

This year's gifts:

Charlie: I gave him a PS4 golf game he wanted. He actually wanted something this year. lol Most years I just get him whatever I can find or think of. Sean is going to pay for them to play golf when they get the chance and the weather is nice. 

Mom gave all of us money. I don't remember what she said Sean and Ashley got her. I wanted to get her a nice purple cardigan for church or a nice purple purse for church (her favorite color is purple), but I couldn't find either anywhere I went. So I got her a Christmas throw blanket with a couple cardinals on it. I plan to keep looking for a cardigan or purse for her.

Sean: We got him two T-shirts - Band of Brothers (I found it on Redbubble) and Superman (black shirt with black/dark gray Superman S symbol). I wanted to also get him a Superman (or whatever) hoodie, but couldn't find one. Which suprised me. I still want to get him a third thing since I got Ashley three things.

Ashley: I got her a perfume Sean said she wanted (can't remember the name of it) and two pink throw blankets. She said she wanted a pink blanket, but I didn't ask her what shade of pink she wanted, so I got her a bright pink and a soft/blush/rose pink.

Kelly: I don't remember what Sean and Ashley got her. Charlie and I got her an Ahsoka hoodie (I found it at Game Stop while looking for a hoodie for Sean), two Batman video games, a mushroom mug from World Market (white mug with a lid/top/cover that is red with white spots), and an iridescent colored butterfly knife. We got her everything she asked for, but the hoodie was a surprise - she didn't even know it existed. Ahsoka is her favorite Star Wars character. She loves the hoodie.

Me: Sean and Ashley got me a Funko Pop of Loki on the throne (God Loki) from season 2 of the Loki series and a Loki keychain. Charlie got me a stereo for my car (what I asked for), speakers for my car (what I asked for for my birthday, so I don't know what I want for my birthday now lol), a back-up camera for my car because I mentioned needing one once lol, and a Loki action figure, which I was not expecting.

After eating, Sean, Kelly, and Charlie played a board game while Ashley and I sat in the living room and talked. Sean and Ashley left around 8 or 9 o'clock because they had to work the next day. Charlie was off, but will be going back to work today. Charlie took the whole week leading up to Christmas off. He and his guys got the day after Christmas off since Christmas Eve was on Sunday.

I would add pictures to this post, but I didn't take any pictures on Christmas Day this year.

Anniversary, Christmas, and Shopping

Charlie and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary on December 17th. I wasn't feeling well (AF), so we didn't go anywhere. We exchanged cards and Charlie gave me flowers and a laptop. 

 

We don't usually give each other gifts. Our anniversary is a week before Christmas, so we usually just do cards and dinner out and he gives me flowers. I had been wanting a laptop for about a year or two now so I could sometimes use a computer (bigger than my phone screen) while sitting on the couch in the living room with him while he watches TV or messes with his phone. Then my computer started having problems. I don't recall bringing it up in the past couple months, but when he brought home a laptop from work over a week ago and let me use it, he remembered that I've been wanting one. 

He was going to give me the laptop for Christmas, but when he asked me what I wanted and I said, "A new stereo for my car" (the aux cord outlet doesn't work anymore and so I can't listen to my iPod in the car), he decided to give me the stereo for Christmas and the laptop for our anniversary. The stereo isn't a surprise, but the laptop was. 

 

I told him I'd like new speakers for my birthday in February (the speaker in the front passenger door quits working sometimes; the system is as old as the car - 2007), but he got me those for Christmas as well. I wasn't supposed to know that, but I looked in the box that was delivered and saw them. lol

Anyway, yeah. Twenty-nine years. Almost thirty. Our thirtieth first date anniversary (we don't actually celebrate that lol, but I mention it some years when it comes around) is April 29th. So we have been together nearly 30 years. (We got engaged on May 6th.) Which is crazy because I don't feel like I should be 30 years old, let alone married for nearly 30 years. lol And we'll be grandparents in April! That's even crazier to me! lol

We went out to eat (Cugino Forno) a couple days before our anniversary. We weren't looking at that as an anniversary date, so unofficial anniversary date. lol

 

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Christmas is almost here and I'm almost ready for it. lol Charlie finally got the tree out of the attic for me Monday night and Kelly helped me decorate it - a week before Christmas! lol But I normally leave it up until the first or second week of January, so we have some time to enjoy it. I've also bought most of the Christmas presents, including one for our mail carrier. I just have to find something for my mom (I've checked several places, but haven't found anything I think she might like) and get one more gift for Sean. I was going to get him and Ashley two each, but then I got her three, so I have to get one more for Sean.

 

For Christmas dinner, I'm making fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, black eyed peas, probably corn, and crescent rolls. Pies will be pecan and chocolate silk. And I'm going to make chocolate chip cookies because Sean wants them. I made fried chicken last year and I'm making it again this year because Sean loves my fried chicken.

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My most recent purchase (December 8th):

Boden dress. Purchased from someone on eBay. Originally around $130, I paid $38.20 after shipping and tax.

Yes, I love shirt dresses. lol Especially Boden shirt dresses.

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I forgot to mention in the entry about the storm and my car that the windshield was replaced on December 8th. I don't know how much longer it's going to be before my car is repainted and looks nice again.

Anniversary, Christmas, and a Sinus Infection

Charlie and my anniversary was December 17th. We've been married for 28 years now. We were going to go to Salvino for dinner, but there were no tables available that night. So we went to Bravo instead. (Lucky 32 would've been our next choice.) Our food was really good. We ordered cheese filled fried ravioli for our appetizer. Charlie had the pasta woozie (alfredo) and I had chicken marsala.

 

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We had a pretty good Christmas even though I was starting to get sick with a sinus infection. I had made chocolate chip cookies a few nights before Christmas. My son Sean absolutely loves my cookies (the rest of the family loves them as well), so he was excited about that. I only make them once or twice a year. He told me the other day that he wants me to make more. lol For Christmas dinner, I made fried chicken (salt and pepper on Kelly's, Cajun seasoning on Charlie, Sean, and Ashley's, Goya adobo on mine and I dipped it in honey), homemade macaroni and cheese, homemade buttermilk biscuits, corn, and black eyed peas.

We watched the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special while we ate. Sean and Ashley hadn't seen it before and they loved it. It's so funny and touching.

Gifts

 

I got Charlie two pairs of plaid/flannel house pants. (House britches. lol) Sean and Ashley got him a cup that's like Yeti, but not that brand, and something else, but I don't remember what.

I got my mom a pair of soft pajamas by Cuddl Duds (dark blue with little Christmas trees and red pick-up trucks). She gave us money.

We got Sean the set of Mission Impossible movies. (He wanted them.) We got Ashley the first Outlander book. We got Kelly a video game (Death Stranding), a plush, dark blue/navy blanket, an Ahsoka Funko Pop, a wall tapestry with mushrooms on it, and an Elder Scrolls map. Maybe something else, but I can't remember. Also candy in her stocking. Sean and Ashley got Kelly a game, I think. Maybe God of War.

We got Del and his fiancee Shari a red plaid blanket that's lined with sherpa. Mom said they're getting us a gift card. They didn't know what we wanted and I couldn't think of anything.

Charlie got me new perfume. That's all I could think of that I wanted, so when we were out on our anniversary, we went to Macy's and I picked some out after smelling a lot of it. lol I chose "I Want Choo" by Jimmy Choo. I had been wanting new perfume for a few months now. I was tired of smelling the same. lol I had been using Marc Jacobs "Daisy Dream" for the past several years. I still have about a half a bottle left, so I'll alternate.

Sean and Ashley got me a book I wanted (The Fall of Numenor by J.R.R. Tolkien), a couple boxes of Goobers, and a bag of French burnt peanuts.

When I was finishing up the Christmas shopping on the 20th (for Mom, Del, and Charlie), I went to The Extra Ingredient and bought an apron and a set of biscuit cutters. So Christmas presents for myself? lol

 

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As I mentioned earlier, I started feeling sick on Christmas day. It was bad Monday through Thursday. Wednesday being the worst. The pain in my head, face, and neck was some of the worst pain I've ever had - a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I started sneezing and coughing on Tuesday or Wednesday. Thankfully, I was never fevered. I started feeling better yesterday evening. Today I felt about 90% better. I'm planning on going to church in the morning. I'm really looking forward to it.

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If I'm able to tomorrow, I really need to pay the taxes on my car and Charlie's hauler. It was due November 30th, so it needs to get done ASAP. As long as AF doesn't arrive, I will get that done.

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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Covid and Other Sickness, Broken Machines, and Birthdays

I keep notes on my computer of stuff to blog about so I don't forget. (Because I will forget.) Here are the things I've made note of since my December 30th blog post. Fleshed out for my blog.

January 3rd - Took the Christmas tree down and threw it out. It was a pre-lit artificial tree with many burned out lights that would be too much of a pain to figure out which lights needed replacing. The tree also wasn't big enough. The height was fine (6 feet), but it wasn't big enough around for all of our ornaments. I could only fit about half of them on the tree or less.

 

January 4th and February 1st - Milo got his pain shots at the vet.

 

January 10th - Sean was quite sick (vomiting, headache, body aches) and was diagnosed with covid for the second time a few days later. (He and Ashley had it back in early summer 2020.) By then, he was feeling fine. Ashley, my mom, and I were sick soon after that. Ashley and my mom didn't have covid. (Would've been Ashley's and my mom's second time if they did have covid.) I didn't get tested because I'm pretty confident it was sinuses since I always lose my voice with sinus infections and I lost it for a couple days this time also. Plus, I hardly go anywhere, I didn't leave the house while I was sick, and I wore a mask when I left the house before getting sick and after getting better.

 

 

Around mid January - both our dishwasher and our washing machine started acting up. Charlie was able to fix the washing machine (once the part arrived a few days later) and we ended up getting a new dishwasher. Our old one was 24 years old and had had problems in the past. This time it had 2 or 3 things wrong with it and I said we should just go ahead and get a new one. It was delivered on February 1st.

 

 

February 10th - Milo had a vet appointment. Charlie was off that week and brought him to the vet. Milo got two shots (bordetella  and lyme disease vaccine) and they tested his stool for intestinal parasites. Test results were good.

While Charlie and Milo were at the vet, she told told Charlie that she and the other vet feel like it would be best not to do the liver biopsy on Milo. I had called them about a month or so ago telling them that we were very nervous about the surgery (could he die during?) and I asked some questions about the procedure, results, treatment, etc. So it was kind of a relief when they decided against it. (Though they might have done it anyway if we'd told them we wanted it.) He's in the last years of his life and whatever's going in his liver doesn't seem to be affecting him. He acts like he feels good - runs, plays, eats, drinks, etc.

 

Birthdays:

My 49th birthday was on February 7th. I would say, "Gosh, how am I 49 years old?", but I know that's a silly question because obviously it's because I'm still alive. Ha ha. My mom gave me money, I got cards from the family, Charlie decorated for my birthday (I think I was a teenager the last time birthday decorations were put up for me) and made me a chocolate cake, and I got a few things - a couple dresses, a couple jackets, and a black T-shirt from Amazon that says "Middle Earth's Annual Mordor Fun Run. 'One Does Not Simply Walk.' " I'm waiting on the jackets and one of the dresses to be delivered.

 

J. Crew dress that I've been wanting for a couple years. I found it at ThredUp (still had tags). Originally $98, I paid less than $33 after shipping and tax.

 

 

Alex Marie shirt dress. (I love a shirt dress!) Not sure how much it originally cost, but I paid less than $29 at PoshMark (after shipping and tax).

 

 

Sonoma jacket. I paid less than $19 for it at PoshMark (after shipping and tax.)

 

 

Levi's military jacket. Originally $180, I paid $88.01 at Poshmark (after shipping and tax). I already have it in army/olive green. I don't have a black jacket and I've really wanted one over the past couple months when I've wanted to wear a black jacket (and not my black coat) on days when it was chilly, but not cold.

 

 

Kelly's 22nd birthday was on February 8th. She got money from my mom, cards from the family, a strawberry cheesecake from Cheesecakes by Alex, a video game (waiting for delivery), rose gold PS4 controller, house pants, and a flannel shirt.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~

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Park, Milo, Holidays, and Anniversary

November 11th - Kelly, Milo, and I went to the park.

 Milo had a lot of fun running around.

 

 

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November 15th - Milo had to have an ultrasound at a specialty vets office. They saw that his liver is significantly smaller than it should be, nodular, and mottled. They think it could be cancer or copper storage. He will have to have surgery so they can do a biopsy. Surgery will probably be in January or February. For now, he's on special food and acts totally fine - loves to eat, playful, energetic.

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November 25th - Thanksgiving. Mom, Sean, and Ashley came over. We had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, black eyed peas, stuffing, crescent rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate chip cookies.

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Speaking of Sean and Ashley, they moved out of my mom's place and into their own place 2-3 weeks before Christmas. Right down the street from my mom. Ashley's dad moved in with them. They also bought a new washer and dryer and a new stove.

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December 17th - Charlie and I celebrated our 27th anniversary. We went out to eat before our anniversary and then on our anniversary we went out again and had Kelly with us because we also had to do some Christmas shopping.

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December 25th - Christmas. Mom, Sean, Ashley, and Del came over. (Del came over after the others had left. He had been to our mom's house earlier.) We got my mom a blanket with a Christmas pattern and thick, purple house socks. (She loves thick house socks.) We got Sean and Ashley a knife set and a cutting board. We got Del a gray and black flannel shirt and a black thermal shirt.

Sean and Ashley gave me a black Loki T-shirt (it just says "Loki" on it with each letter being a different style; the O is gold, the other letters are different shades of green) and two books from my Amazon wish list - Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and All the Little Hopes by Leah Weiss. They got Kelly a lantern wax burner, a pack of French toast scented wax, and a pink blanket. (Kelly loves blankets.) They got Charlie golf balls.

 

Mom gave us money.

We got Kelly a Wanda/Scarlet Witch Funko Pop, a stuffed Grogu/Baby Yoda, a Slytherin pillow with stuffed snake, a video game, a pink blanket, and a bat T-shirt. (Kelly loves bats and Batman. Sean's nickname for her is "Bats".) I got Charlie two golf shirts (Izod and some kind of Pro Golf/PGA brand) and a pack of dress socks (which he really needed).

I got a Hawkeye T-shirt, a Loki T-shirt, a Hawkeye Funko Pop, a forest green wool coat with removable hood, and a throw blanket with Christmas cats on it.

For Christmas dinner, we had lasagna. Dessert was Oreo pie, pumpkin pie, and butterball cookies.

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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The Holidays, Doctor Stuff, and Sick Dogs

I've gotten way behind with my blog. I told myself several times that I need to post a new entry, but I'd always get busy with other things. I'm setting a few things aside to write this.

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We had a pretty good Thanksgiving. My mom didn't stay for dinner because she doesn't like to eat after 5:00 or 6:00. :-/ We have it that "late" so that my brother can have Thanksgiving with his son and his son's mother's family (he's still married to Jennifer, but left her a couple years ago) and not have to rush here or still be full from dinner there when he gets here. Plus, I don't have to get up real early to cook.

So anyway, it was just me, Charlie, Kelly, Sean, Ashley, my brother Del, and my mom (who didn't stay long and didn't eat). We had turkey (of course), mashed potatoes and gravy, black eyed peas, stuffing/dressing, green beans, crescent rolls, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.

 

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Kelly had her neurologist appointment on December 11th. He doesn't believe she has Tourette's because of her age when it started. He wants her to see a psychologist. The psychologist is supposed to call to make an appointment, but they haven't yet. I may have to call the neurologist and ask about it.

 

After Kelly and I left the neurologist's office, we went to Cugino Forno for pizza. They open at 11:00 and we got there around 11:30. There was maybe one or two other small groups there (2-4 people each), so we were able to sit far from other people and enjoy our amazing pizza.

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Charlie's doctor still hasn't scheduled his surgery. Something we thought they would do a couple months ago. He said he called them yesterday and they said they would let the nurse know. :-/

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Charlie and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary on December 17th. We didn't go anywhere because of corona and because we didn't really want to go anywhere. I cooked us a delicious supper, he gave me flowers, and we exchanged cards.

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We had a nice Christmas. Sean and Ashley came over. Mom came over when she got off work (around 3:00 or 3:30), but didn't stay long. Del didn't come over, but he came by a couple days later because I told him we had a gift for him. He said his apartment is cold and he only had one blanket before our mom bought him one. So I got him a nice, thick blue one. He loved it.

Mom gave us money. 

 

Charlie and Kelly got me an electric fireplace that looks like a wood burning stove for my office. This room gets cold and I was tired of having to wear socks and cover myself with a blanket. I like that when the weather gets warm I can run it without the heat, so I can still enjoy the look of it in the summer. 

 

Sean and Ashley got me a Barnes and Noble gift card, a few boxes of one of my favorite candies (Goobers), a bookmark, and a Fellowship (LOTR) decal for my car (something I asked for that I knew wouldn't cost them much).

Sean loves astronomy, so we got him a small USB light projector that shines blue stars wherever he points it. He can use it in his car or their bedroom. We also got him a blanket with constellations that glow in the dark and a black T-shirt with four or five '70s models split bumper Camaros on it - his dream car.

We got Kelly a stuffed Pusheen lion, a black cloak, a blanket that's forest green on one side and white/ivory sherpa on the other (she loves blankets), an Ahsoka Tano Funko Pop figure, and a video game.

We got Ashley three books - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I had sent Sean a text with the titles of several books asking if Ashley had read any of them and she hadn't. He said that she said she trusts my taste in books because she loved the ones I got her for her birthday. She told me a few days after Christmas that she read Anna and the French Kiss in a day and loved it. :-)

Kelly and I got Charlie two T-shirts - a blue one with Chevy Novas, Camaros, and Chevelles on it (including a '67 Camaro, the year Camaro that he has) and a white one with Novas on it (including a '70 model, the one that he has).

 

We got Mom a pretty purple cardigan and a pink/purple decal for her car that says "Protected" with angel wings over it and a cross for the T.  I've had a white one like it on my car for years and I remembered her saying she wanted one when I first got it, but I couldn't find anymore back then. So I checked Amazon and found a few.

Sean and Ashley got Charlie a golf hat and golf towel. Some brand that Sean and Charlie like. They also gave him a pretty green Hot Wheels Camaro. Charlie wants to paint his Camaro green, so Sean figured Charlie would like it.

For Christmas dinner, I made a roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli or green beans, black eyed peas, crescent rolls, apple pie, and pumpkin pie. That evening, Charlie got the free month trial of HBO Max so we could watch Wonder Woman 1984. It was okay. The first one was much better.

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Saturday, December 26th, Milo woke up very squinty. He could barely open his eyes and kept them shut most of the time. He started sneezing the next night. Pippin had been sick to his stomach (something that happens to him a few times a year), which usually lasts about a week, but after a week he still was barely eating. His stomach issues had cleared up, so it wasn't that. I watched him more closely and figured it was probably a tooth bothering him.

So, I called the vet Monday morning and they had me bring them in early Tuesday morning. (December 29th.) I was finally able to pick them up around 4:00. They sent Milo home with steroid drops for his eyes and antibiotics. They also took blood from both dogs. They weren't sure if Milo's problem was an upper respiratory infection or something else. Or possibly both. 

 

Blood results were pretty good for both dogs. So Milo probably did have an upper respiratory infection and it's definitely Pippin's teeth or a tooth that's bothering him. There's nothing they can do for Pippin though. With his age and his heart problems, they can't put him under general anesthesia to pull his teeth. I've since started mashing his food after letting it sit in warm water for awhile to make it easier for him to eat and that seems to have helped. He can't eat the canned stuff because it gives him diarrhea.

Milo is doing much better. He started playing again after a couple days on his medicines and is no longer squinting or sneezing. He had a follow up appointment on Thursday the 7th and the vet said he looks great.

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A couple weeks ago, I was having trouble sleeping. I would wake up several times, usually because I was cold. I doubled up my quilts and that helped a lot, but I wanted to get a thicker blanket or comforter so that I wouldn't have two quilts to wash when I changed the bedding. (I only have three.) I got a cheap one at Walmart - just $64 before tax. When I put it on our bed, the material felt kind of thin to me, so I wasn't sure it would keep me warm, but it has. I don't know how long it will last because of how cheap it is, but I like it. I may get a better quality one (on sale) someday.

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I bought a new coat from Dillard's a week or so ago. Actually, I ordered it online. I saw that they had coats on sale and I really wanted a red one, but I wanted to try them on first. I ended up liking the way the black London Fog single breasted looked on me better than the red Anne Klein double breasted. It was originally about $150 and I paid less than $90 before taxes. It came with a scarf, but it was shorter and thinner than I prefer. I was going to bring it to Goodwill, but Kelly said that Rene loves scarves, so I gave it to her. 

 

I can't remember the last time I bought a coat. At least 10 years ago. It's nice to have a new one. My gray one needs a button sewn on it and my other two coats (one long, red double breasted and a dark purple one) are my church coats because they're too nice, in my opinion, to wear while grocery shopping and running around town.

 

 

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This was longer than I was planning, but that's usually how it is with me. lol I hope to do my usual end of the year and beginning of the year posts soon.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~

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Wedding Anniversary and Christmas

Charlie and I celebrated 25 years of marriage on December 17th. I say "celebrated", but we're not into parties or fancy dinners or big to-dos. We went to our favorite pizza place - Cugino Forno (delicious Naples style pizza - they use the original 1889 recipe and get their ingredients from Italy), exchanged cards, and he sent me flowers. Normally we probably would've gone somewhere like Salvino (great Italian food) or something, and for a few of our past anniversaries we've gone to Asheville, but we wanted to keep things simple.

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We had a pretty good Christmas. Money was tighter this year, (Charlie's truck payment for the truck he bought in the spring, vehicle tax on the Honda and Charlie's car hauler, car insurance, vet bill, etc.)  so not nearly as many presents were bought/given, but it was fine. The kids (who are technically adults) are old enough to understand.

We got Sean a video game he wanted (he wanted a couple others, but his girlfriend Ashley got those for him), a Playstation gift card, and Charlie ordered something for him that we're still waiting to be delivered. We got Kelly a book, a Fawkes Pop (Harry Potter creature), a big plush cat (can't remember if it's a Pusheen thing or what), and a Playstation gift card. And, of course, a few goodies in their stockings.

Charlie/the kids got me the perfume I wanted (I had recently run out) - Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream - and an iTunes card. I got Charlie a Calvin Klein dress shirt. I got my brother a Starbucks gift card. He goes there every morning. I got my mom a soft, purple blanket. Mom gave each of us money. I bought a book Saturday evening with part of it - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I bought it at Macy's. Originally $75, but was on sale. I can't remember how much I paid. The color is called bordeaux.

The food was good. I made roast chicken, stuffing, green beans, black eyed peas, and biscuits. Desserts were apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, and butterball cookies (made with almond extract instead of vanilla).

My mom had to work Christmas Day, but came by at around 7:30 after she got off work. My brother ate dinner with us and watched a movie/TV with Charlie, and Sean's girlfriend was here for several hours.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Merry Christmas!

At a little after midnight, the kids opened their presents. They didn't ask for much this year, so there weren't a lot of presents to open.

We got Sean two games (Red Dead Redemption 2 and For Honor: Marching Fire), a lamp for his nightstand, Carolina Panthers calendar, and a PS4 year's subscription. I wanted to also get him a Panthers toboggan (knit hat, to non-Southerners), and maybe a couple other Panthers things, but I'm going to let him pick what he wants.

We got Kelly two Funko Pop figures (Master Chief from the Halo games and some Star Wars character called Ahsoka, from a Star Wars cartoon), a Fantastic Beasts creature (Bowtruckle), a stuffed dragon from Harry Potter (Hungarian Horntail), a couple pairs of house socks/footies (one pair covered with cat faces and one pair with panda faces over the toes), a video game (Battlefield V; Sean has this one already and now they can play together), and a really small stuffed, gray cat (2-3 inches high) that she wanted.

They both also got candy in their stockings.

I got Charlie a medium/dark blue dress shirt from Dillard's (I want to get him something else, too) and I got my brother a black, button-up, casual, long-sleeved shirt. I got my mom three ornaments from World Market for her tree. All purple, her favorite color. A heart with gold swirls on it, a peacock, and a hummingbird. She loved them.

I got the Loki purse and Loki sticker (gold helmet) for my car that I've been wanting for awhile (from Charlie and the kids), and money from my mom. She gave the kids and Charlie money, too.

For Christmas dinner, I'll be making roast chicken, stuffing, green beans, black eyed peas, and crescent rolls. Dessert is chocolate cream pie and apple pie.

If anyone reads this, may your Christmas be merry and peaceful, and may you be with those you love.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~

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Anniversary and Christmas

Sunday, December 17th, was mine and Charlie's 23rd wedding anniversary. We got each other cards and he gave me flowers. Neither of us felt like going out. Mostly me though. With all the busyness lately, I just wanted to stay home.

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Tuesday, December 19th, Charlie, the kids, and I (and Milo) went to Tanglewood Festival of Lights in Clemmons. We hadn't been there since the kids were little. It was really beautiful. I took lots of picture and videos.

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This past Friday night, Charlie went with me and Kelly to get groceries. (Sean was at my mom's house.) We then went to a few stores and got something to eat at Brixx Pizza. After that, we drove around the Sunset  Hills neighborhood and looked at the Christmas lights and Christmas balls. (You can find some videos on YouTube.) I took pictures and a few videos.

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Charlie and I did the Christmas shopping together on Wednesday, December 20th. I usually go alone. It was nice to have the company. The kids didn't ask for much. We got Kelly an LED potion desk lamp, a white tiger dream catcher, long sleeve Hogwarts shirt with matching toboggan (knit hat/beanie to non-Southerners), long sleeve Batman shirt with matching toboggan, Fawkes the Phoenix action figure/statue thing, Skyrim Alduin Funko Pop figure, and a plush blanket throw with a wolf and wolf cub on it.

We got Sean three video games (Star Wars Battlefront II, Need for Speed Payback, and Project Cars 2), and a year's Playstation subscription. He also wanted a Flash jacket from Hot Topic. We'll take him to get it sometime soon.

I got my mom two pairs of soft, purple pajamas (what she asked for) from Macy's. She gave each of us money. I got Charlie an Ancestry DNA kit. At first I told Charlie that I couldn't think of anything I want (that's realistic lol) and then I thought it might be nice to get a new dress. So I'm going to go shopping for a dress. If I can't find one I like I'll get boots or something else.

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 For Christmas dinner tonight, I'm making Lidia Bastianich's chicken and potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. For dessert we're having blueberry pie and cookies and cream pie.

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I'm almost done reading Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I want to finish it before the new year so I can have it on my list of books I've read this year. Since I started it this year, I want to finish it this year. I have 156 more pages to go.

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That's it for now. Merry Christmas!!!


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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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