Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Here I am again.  It's late.  I'm in bed and sending this to you quickly before I go to sleep.  It's been a bugger of a week.  Both girls have had colds.  We've had three key people out sick this week at work (which in our small office is half the staff).  We had a little burst of snow on Sunday morning which was lovely to wake up to, but was gone by mid-afternoon.  This week it's been about 50 degrees which I guess to you would be about 10 degrees Celsius.  (I guess it's weird we have different measurements than the rest of the world, I always think about that when I consider sending you magazines with recipes in it!!)  Anyway, while I am not a huge fan of winter, I don't like this "sort of" winter we are having.  The temperatures are going up and down and up and down on a regular basis.  I bought the girls a sled last weekend so now we are sure not to get any snow. 

I've kind of had the blues this week.  I am having a horrid time with my oldest right now.  I don't know how a teenage boy was for you, but an almost twelve year old girl right now is a horror to have in the house.  I don't know what happens, Em has always been a good girl, but she's really pushing the limits right now and declaring her opinion on things loudly and sarcastically whenever she feels like it. I can let a lot of things go, but she's pushing the line of respect and I've pulled out the big guns and made some threats I will never follow up on "If you can't respect me, you WILL NOT live in this house".  As well as ones that I will follow up on "No phone, no computer for a week". I hate to see where we go from here and I hate that I feel like I'm not managing her correctly.  I've always considered myself a good mother, but right now I feel at a loss.

I'm glad you had a nice Christmas, and I am sure it is a huge change once the Professor ends his holiday and heads off.  Some of my decorations are down.  The tree and the greens are still up and yes, my cards are also hanging on the door.  I will probably take them down this weekend.  Taking the tree down always makes me sad though.  I love having a live tree in the house.  I let one stay up so long one year that when I went to take it out all the dried needles fell off on the way out to the door and by the time I got it outside the tree was bare!!  I love your chains and think you've got the right idea, blue is my favorite color too!

I liked your television updates!  See I knew it all wasn't proper English television.  Yes, we do get all those shows.  Downton 3rd Season just started here to much anticipation.  I recorded it and probably won't get to it until Saturday and I just got the first season of Call The Midwife on DVD  for my Grandmother for Christmas though it was in such high demand it just came in this week.  I haven't seen it yet.  The girls and I all love Doc Martin.  At first I wasn't sure but now we are doing marathon runs of it, although I'm a bit disappointed in Season Four so far but only as most of the characters are not getting along.  I want to move to a little village like Portwenn.  It's so tiny and lovely with all those little houses on the hill.  It is done in Cornwall, which I of course know nothing about, except it's beautiful.  I could have myself a farm there.

I hope 2013 brings you some good health and much less rain!  If I remember correctly you hardly got any gardening in did you?  I miss your summer photos out at your table and your Auntie's bench.  Thanks for the praise for the Kindred contributions, I am very excited and impatiently waiting for it to arrive! I have pretty much decided that writing is the way I want to go in 2013, with some photos thrown in for good measure, but definitely the writing.  I remember once you talking about doing family history?  Or a similar type of writing, are you still thinking of that?  You had quite a way with it.

Good for you for for finding activities, I am trying to be less of a homebody here.  I will start working with our local cat rescue group here in about a week and a friend of mine and I are considering starting a book club (one where people actually discuss the books!) We don't have anything like the WI (is it?) that you go to.  It's a good idea really.  Mostly any community get togethers here are church related. 

Well that's it for now.  Off to bed, it's getting late.  Looking forward to hearing about your week.  Hope it's been more peaceful than mine (eye rolls).

xo xo xo

Jen.