Monday Musings: The Budget, Christmas Week, a Reader Question and Other Stuff.

 Wow, it's been a week and I really have no excuse. I mean, as always I keep myself busy, but it's not like I've been out of the house running around and carrying on.

In fact, I unfortunately have to go out tomorrow for the first time. Our community hair dresser is off, and I don't think I can wait to get my hair cut (the clippers no longer work when there's no one around to do my nape for me and all that). Add that to the fact that my son in law is getting booze for Christmas and a real trip, walking into a couple stores, is a requirement. Then I can come back into my little cave until Christmas Eve.

My church is having a special service tonight called the longest night, both to "celebrate" the solstice and to lament everything we have lost in the past year. Would have liked to go, but was in the middle of a project. Besides, after today the days can only get longer and the nights shorter, no?

I decided not to make any more Christmas sugar cookies other than the ones I sent north. This will be the first time I haven't had them myself with my eggs on Christmas morning but it's possibly time for a change and next year I'll teach my son to make them himself. I still might change my mind, but i can always make them for winter (snowflakes) or Valentines or whatever. I like the decorating and eating, tis the rolling out and cutting that get's me. I will do some baking, and I know that my daughter will have white chocolate macadamia nut cookies at her place, which will keep me going along with the sand tarts I'll make today or tomorrow.

Still fine tuning the budget over here, as we move to 2021. I want to be able to buy for the food bank, and do some other things-and to supplement my daughter visits with fluff and fold.  That and the church and increased fabric and yarn allowance at  least at the beginning of the year. Hopefully the things I am NOT doing due to Covid like no entertainment and a lack of travel (although I do have a decidated travel fund) will keep me on the keel I had before. i mean I still down't know how much travel will happen this year, and I expect one long road trip will be it, but who knows.

Meanwhile, today I went online and placed a large fabric order(just sitting in the cart waiting for me to be sure of my choices and then click), and I now need to do the same with yarn. My creative goals in January include one quilt, one large finished knitted item and a mini quilt at a minimum and all require things not on hand. Besides I need to re establish my stash which never got to the levels it was in Texas the first  time.

Other than my foray tomorrow morning, my schedules remains the same as always until Thursday afternoon: Outside walking and and yoga (good thing I'm allowing myself a full year to get to the hour mark), knitting and sewing and reading and a new show, and the general dabbling of life. And Christmas chocoalte, and Christmas baking ( sugar cookies aside).

Now for my reader question: I have a four hundred dollar gift card which will either go to a laptop (plus some other cash) or a bigger TV and some $150 walking shoes.  I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on your Windows laptop if you have one, how long you've had it, how it performs and so on. I will do my due dilligence, but I'm looking in the fourteen to fifteen inch range and want to hear from people what they use. 

Oh, and while you may love your Mac, please do not suggest one to me. Not even a try it, you'll like it. I'm only looking for a Windows product-it's nothing personal and yes, I know real graphics types always prefer them. But I am not interested in a Mac, IMac, or anything similar. Just as I don't use Iphones, ever. 

And now, she said, I should probably get some pre-bedtime knitting accomplished.