Hey, Great news, the last package is on the way....that means everyone is still in the game. That is really wonderful! Try not to be procrastinators next month...hint. Put that reminder on your calendar right NOW!!!!! As my dad always used to tell me "If you do it now you won't have to WORRY about doing it later" OK, so my January was really fantastic, I'm feeling energetic (which is not real common with me) and I have been super busy with work, which is great for this time of year....expecially since my husband started his own business Jan 1 and his weekly paycheck is no more. I have been freezing in my house, so yesterday I got a heater for right next to my desk, so my office can be warm, even if the rest of the house is cold (bad insulation in this house) and we splurged at Walmart and I got a great new electric skillet, big enough for cooking lots of bacon, without it hanging over the edge of the pan, he he. My garden plans are also keeping me busy. Last year I focused on getting the hardscape in, but this year.....finally, I can concentrate on PLANTS!!!!! I have mostly been looking at my vegetable garden plans, since I will start some indoors, but next on the agenda is to order some perennials for my hill garden, now if I can only narrow down what I want, ha. Keep well, be peaceful. See you on the February Post. YaYa

Wonderful idea. I, too, had trouble with reading it. The printing is small and light. I still will be checking it from time to time. So nice of you to do it and share with all of us.. I know something like this takes a lot of time... Again, thanks... Susie

Jeffrey: nice setup, got those machines to but in white and mines from 2008 heres the washer, not used that much more than for big loads as I got 2 eurosize washer, it sometimes has a hard time to balance before spinn and my detergent compartment gets hardwater buildup so I have 2 sets and switch them out about 6-12 months. My dryser has had its computerboard replaced, cost 1/2 of what the dryer cost new but these machine size cant be found in Sweden any more.

I am so very sorry for your loss. (((Hugs))) I was widowed 6 years ago; my husband, 48, died after a very long and brutal battle with Leukemia (and suffered severe complications after a bone marrow transplant). He'd had late stage Testicular cancer four years before, and after chemo, everything went well -- we thought -- until he got Leukemia from that chemo, which is rare. Our daughter was 15 when he passed. We held his hands until he took his last breath, five hours after life support was turned off. It was still a horrific shock, I believed until the very end that we'd get a miracle. There was no preparing for or discussing death. It wasn't an option. I don't believe in the concept of pre-grieving, nothing can prepare for them actually being gone forever. There were no soft-focus Lifetime movie moments with heartfelt goodbyes. No, there was a man wasting away, in unbelievable pain, and us fighting every day for his life. I focused all my energy on him surviving, not dying. So hearing the nurse say it was over ... I felt like I'd been pushed out of a plane with no parachute. I just remember screaming, and not wanting to let go of him. I couldn't face that once I left his side, I'd never see him again. We were married 21 years, together 23, and met when I was just 17 years old. He was my life, and losing him sent me into a hellish nightmare I didn't know how to survive. But I did, somehow, it just takes time and learning to accept the unacceptable. Early on, I found a wonderful support board specifically for widowed people, and talking to others helped immensely. Grief is hard work. I miss him every second of every day, but I can smile at memories now, rather than go to my knees sobbing with searing anguish, as I did in the first year. Certain days still knock me down (anniversaries, etc), but not as hard as they did. It will always hurt in some capacity, grief will be a constant companion, but I've learned to co-exist more peacefully with it, and it's quieter now .... not ready at any moment to wipe me out. It does become easier to cope with over time, as life evolves. It is so painful watching our kids grieve and suffer this loss. My daughter and I clung together like two people in a lifeboat on the stormy sea. I tried to find a healthy balance of staying steady for her (even on days I could barely muster the energy to shower or eat), but letting her see me grieve, too. And encouraging her to open up, and share her pain. We tried counseling in the early months. I did realize later that in those early months, she held her grief in, until she saw that I was better able to cope with the worst of mine. It seems to be common, after hearing from other widowed parents. Our precious kids trying to be strong for us. She is now in college, Dean's List, volunteers, and I'm so proud. I know her dad is, too. They were extremely close, she was always his little shadow. She is so much like him! It's bittersweet, to see his looks and mannerisms in her. It hurts, but makes me smile, too. I won't write a book here of my past six years, this is long enough .... I just want to send my support and understanding to you and your children. Please be gentle with yourself. <3