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Monday, March 20, 2023

I'm back

Hi friends! Thanks for hanging in there with me these last couple of weeks. Thank you, all of you who offered positive thoughts and prayers on my and my family's behalf. That means the world to me.

Last week began rough but improved as my daughter's health made positive steps forward. This has been such a roller coaster of almost a full month now. My only advice for anyone going through a similarly rough patch is to keep taking steps forward, take each day as it comes, and try to make the best, next move possible when the move you want to make falls out of sight. One day when I couldn't see very many ways to help my daughter I decided to just take care of business and get her taxes filed so she could at least get some money infused into her bank account. I still need to do my own taxes and help my other daughter with hers. But I felt better getting this one item checked off my list.

Budget birthday celebrations

At the end of the week, my daughters celebrated their birthday. As always, we set out to celebrate this special occasion in a way that would make both daughters feel special, without overextending our budget.

My husband took the day off from work, we packed a picnic lunch, and drove to the nearby vintage town. Part of my daughters' birthday gift was a little spending money to use in vintage shops -- the two of them really enjoyed this. There's a picnic area down by the river that not many outsiders (tourists) know about. So we dined al fresco for lunch on the riverside. I smiled as I looked over, about 40 feet, where a restaurant has an outdoor terrace, overlooking the same part of the river, at a cost much higher than that of our little picnic of sandwiches, chips, carrot/celery sticks, hummus, tangerines and cookies.Afterward, we visited the pie place and shared some slices of pie. To top off the celebration, we came home and watched a movie that we checked out from the local library and had homemade cupcakes. At the end of the day, both daughters said that this was the best birthday ever for them. And it's not over yet! This next weekend, my son and daughter-in-law will join us for dinner and cake for a larger family celebration.

That's about it for today. Now I need to make dinner for my crew. I hope you all had a beautiful weekend, and your week is off to a great start!

20 comments:

  1. So happy you are re-energized and the outlook looks better!

    We had a difficult weekend. A good friend passed away and my family is devastated. He was like a grandfather to my children and good friends to my husband and me. Lots of other things clouding our weekend but we know who care for us and our friend was a believer and we know where he is today,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So sorry to hear about your loss, Alice. Prayers for you and your family.

      Delete
    2. Hi Alice,
      I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of a close family friend. And I agree, knowing someone is a believer is a consolation during our grief. Prayers for comfort for you and your family.

      Delete
  2. Lili, I'm glad that your daughter is better, as well as you. No matter the age, a sick (or worried) child is of concern to we mothers. I'm sure your mood could lighten once she was improving.
    Alice, I'm sorry for the loss of your family friend. We have lost a number of friends lately, and it is hard. My husband and I were talking about all those friends we were missing just today.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lynn,
      Thank you. Our family is sighing in relief. Mothering never really ends, does it?
      I'm sorry that your family has lost many friends lately. That's been happening in our circle, as well. So much loss in the last couple of years.

      Delete
  3. Lynn from NC Outer BanksMarch 20, 2023 at 5:56 PM

    Oops, it was me, Lynn, making the comment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lili, wonderful to gave you back! Prayers for continued improvement for your daughter and all on your family. Taking it one moment at a time is the best choice. Know that you mean a lot to your readers!
    Alice, my sympathies..we can live friends just like family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Thank you very much for your prayers and kind words.

      Delete
  5. It was me commenting..sorry! Alice I meant Love not live.

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  6. I'm so happy Lili that things are going better in your world. And taking things as they come is really the only way we can do things, isn't it. Your day at the beach for the birthday celebration sounds really nice. What was the weather like? And having two birthday celebrations for your daughters seems only right. There are two of them after all. Ha, ha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Live and Learn. We had such a great day. It was sunny and mid-60s, a huge change from days in the 40s and low 50s we'd been having. It was warm enough to linger outdoors by the river eating our picnic lunch, without needing hot drinks even.

      I agree, since there are two of them, 2 celebrations does seem fitting.

      Delete
  7. I'm glad to hear things are looking up for you! Sounds like a fun birthday celebration!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cat. And yes, they have both told me several times that they really enjoyed the day. Part of that enjoyment I believe came as a comparison to the difficult weeks we'd been experiencing.

      Delete
  8. Lili, I'm glad to hear that things are looking up for you. Sometimes life throws unending challenges our way. It's nice that you, hubby and daughters could have a beachside picnic.

    Alice, sorry to hear about your loss.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      Thank you. And yes, the birthday picnic was lovely, peaceful, and full of laughter.

      Delete
  9. Lili, so nice to hear from you, and that you and your family are on the mend. By focusing your energy on productive tasks, you felt less vulnerable. I shift gears like that too, to allay my fears. Sometimes our brains get in the way and create worries and fears beyond the reality of what's happening. We can survive challenges better than we think we can. And there is a silver lining to our challenges that help us grow stronger.

    Your daughters' birthday celebration was so nice. Some birthday spending money for vintage shopping sounds like a fun activity that made the day even more special and memorable.

    Have a nice day and take care,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laura,
      I see you understand my need to do something, anything, productive when I couldn't do much else to help my daughter. Doing her taxes was something I could do in the moment.

      It was a very fun and light-hearted day, something we all needed.
      Enjoy the last of your evening, Laura. Thank you for always wishing me a nice day.

      Delete
  10. I'm glad to hear that life is calming down for you a bit. This month has been that way for me, too. I'm always on edge when my 6 month CT scan is due. These darn health issues are such a worry, but I'm grateful for medical advances. Aren't we blessed? And I guess these issues are the birthday gifts that life gives us. I'm also grateful for this community that cares about each other. I learn so much from the posts and comments - and feel the sincerity of care. Have a good week all!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ruthie,
      I can completely understand being on edge when your bi-annual CT scan is coming up. I agree, having the tools we do now is a blessing. I'm glad life is calming down this month for you as well.
      Wishing you a wonderful early spring week, Ruthie!

      Delete

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