Sunday Salon - 12/28/14

If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.

Life:

Wow, what a meal!!!  Merry Christm...

Uh, yeh. Not so much.

I spent the past week in bed (and the bathroom, I know TMI) fighting a stomach flu. It has not been fun and needless to point out, my holiday sucked. I tried to make light and posted on Facebook that I was playing the part of Macauley Caulkin, spending the day Home Alone (I certainly wasn't going to force hubby to spend the day in germ-central just because I was sick, so I sent him off to enjoy the day with family). I've never spent a holiday alone (to be fair, hubby and I did do some gift exchange in the morning...but I skipped breakfast, ha) and it's really sad and depressing. It was even harder being totally, absolutely (no kitty) alone. 

I truly feel my heart has been softened to others who find themselves in this situation regularly.

But, I survived...almost. On day six, I am still fighting off the final effects of this nasty bug. Positives of fighting a flu, you ask? Laying around watching mindless TV (especially when you've been carrying a heavy load at work for a month), hubby playing handmaid and even canceling rehearsals to take care of you, and a ten pound loss, 'nough said!

The last couple of days, I have spent more than a few hours looking up crock pot turkey recipes and watching cooking videos online. I am looking forward to recreating my own XMas dinner later this week. Thankfully, I'm on vacation for another week (boy, it's been a rough vacation year for me...I spent my summer vacation mourning and now this!) But I'm looking forward to cooking up a storm and then, next weekend, hubby and I will head to my parent's house to celebrate Christmas with them. So at least I will get some holiday cheer.

Hubby and I kept the gifts small this year, as we just bought a new fridge and stove this month. The fridge really was my gift, as the older fridge was in perfect shape...just small. I can now coupon more than one loaf of bread at a time and can finally fit the 2nd in our new freezer (literally, I'm not kidding). The stove was his gift, since he actually likes to cook, and the older one was over 30 years old, again literally (we bought the house from his 90+ year old great aunt, remember). But he also got me adorable red kitchen canisters for my slowly growing country-chic look and I got him Carol Burnette DVDs. So we're both feeling lucky. I also got a couple Amazon gift certificates, so I am set for a while!

Plans for New Years are minimal as always. Hubby hates to drive on New Years and refuses to ask friends or family to do so. We usually just watch the ball drop alone and then head to bed. Boring, but safe.

What are your plans? I need to live vicariously through you...

Blogging:

With just a few days left in the year, I am trying to hold off reading some juicy items that I am hoping to save for next year's challenges. I'm actually getting really excited about the new year and blogging. I'm planning ahead a bit, which I haven't done much before. I hope to be more focused and productive blogging, despite multiple jobs and all (which hopefully won't last too long). I won't go so far as to call it a New Year's resolution, but...

This week I've started to read a few things, just trying to keep myself entertained, but have had trouble finishing much. It's hard to focus with a temperature over 100!  But now that I am feeling a little clearer and cooler, I've started (and am loving) Jennie Garth's Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde. She is very entertaining and the book is just light enough to entertain me, but not require too many days to finish.

I intend to join Sheila over at Book Journey in the First Book of The Year: 2015 challenge, and have already picked my title! I've been waiting on this one for a while, though it's been out, and happily got it for XMas! Check me out on January 1st! And I will be posting my end of year/month and failed-challenges posts soon. 

Here's looking forward to reading and lots of new and exciting blogperiences in 2015!

Have a great week.

S