Saturday, Jan 7 2017 in Day to day life from a woman that turned 60 in Oct 2014 and who lives on a farm and Retired on January 2, 2016. I plan to do more sewing, work outside in the yard and just enjoy my retirement.

I was planning to catch up on all my favs, but that is becoming difficult. I have been reading but not noting much to catch up a bit sooner than later, but I seem to take 2 steps forward and then the next day, I’m even further behind than I had been. *sigh I haven’t been on my computer as much for “pleasure” as I’ve been doing research on several topics. When I do research on a project or a “need/want to know” it always leads to more articles, videos, or something somewhere else. I try to get as much info as I can and sometimes I overload. Well, a lot of times I overload. I also prefer shortcuts, which usually just prolong the end result. I have tried off and on for 3 days to use the new Cricut to make a sign for J for his birthday. Such a frustrating and time consuming ordeal that I won’t detail about, but the bottom line is that I had to buy a new laptop. Grrrrr!

It wasn’t expensive, which I’m sure I’ll regret, but since the newest one makes 4 computer type gizmos, I figured to buy a smaller one and see if it would work with the Circut machine. Thankfully it does so now comes more research to see if I can manage to fix my other two laptops. The nextbook that I bought a few months ago is just about worthless to me, but I think J can use it to watch You Tube videos on if he wants to. It has a touch screen which I do NOT like but may make it easier for him.

I’ve slowly been putting my inside Christmas decoration away or rather sorted and packed up. I have also thrown several old decorations away and finally decided that when only a dozen lights light up on a string of over 200 lights, it isn’t worth messing with them. I think I’ve thrown away 3 strings of lights now and many old and or cheap decorations. It is overwhelming how many decorations I’ve accumulated over the years. This is finally the right time to reduce them even if it is taking some time. I still have a few lights to test that I didn’t use this year to see if they will be kept or thrown away. Then when the temperatures warm up in a few days, I’ll hopefully be able to get those that go in the attic, in the attic. I am not storing as many in the attic this year as I’ve done enough reducing to have room in the totes that I keep on a shelf in the garage. I’ve updated the labeling on containers, bags, and boxes so hopefully next year it will reduce any searching for something I need or want to use.

The temps have been bone chilling this week and we received some wet snow which turned into ice. All the schools in the area closed Thurs and Friday and also several businesses to include the Workshop on Thursday. The last couple of nights the temps have been around zero but I learned my lesson and left water running just a tiny bit in every sink.

I did buy and set up the Google Home Assistant and it is awesome!! So glad I used my Christmas money and threw in a bit more for this assistant. I love how I can tell it to play a particular video on the LR TV and it does. It will turn on the TV and change to the correct input and boom, there is the video. I can talk to it from anywhere in the LR or Kitchen and that is great that I don’t have to walk to it to talk to it. I leave it in the LR and so far it is working out great. I can also use it for an alarm which I do. Alarm aka Timer when needed. Again awesome.

I intended to write so much more as to not forget what the first week of 2017 included but now that I’m writing all the thoughts have escaped me. Happen a lot these days.

The 2nd of January 2017 marked my first full year of retirement. I am still happy with retiring, however, I am busier and more stressed than I intended. Life happens and thank the good Lord I don’t have work to add to the mix.

I’ going to do a bit of house work and dishes and then try and work on J’s little sign and see if I can actually get everything to do what it should. I sure hope so as this has taken MUCH longer to do than it should have even for a first project I’m sure.

Take care and God Bless and I WILL catch up.