Here is the Instagram Catch up for last week!

Gratitude Sunday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Today I am grateful that whatever the weather does outside I have a safe and warm house to live in. It is so easy to take these things for granted. Especially when I live with a chronic illness which means that I can't do many things that other people around me take for granted.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We are only ever one flick of the TV remote or click of the mouse away from people who could only dream of a safe place to live never mind a roof over their head.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀For everything I don't have I am equally blessed with what I do. What are you most grateful for at this moment?

Homelife Saturday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Today we have welcomed a new addition to our household. Not a living breathing one though. We have invested in a new fridge freezer. The house comes with an under-counter fridge and freezer but they are small and a standard weekly shop leaves them fit to burst.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀In the short term we wanted to organise the Christmas food over a couple of weeks but going forward the plan is to do more batch cooking and creating our own homemade "ready meals" then those days when Michael is struggling we have an option other than ordering a takeaway.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I am looking forward to all this new addition can provide - Oh and there is a water dispenser on the front!

Fibro Friday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Have you hit that panic moment when Christmas seems to be hurtling towards you and the to-do list is growing?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Relax, you have got this. When I look back on previous years at this time, I am hit by the amount of time I lost worrying about what I had to do. Not even allowing for the possibility of a flare-up of my Fibro.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀You have still got time to make a plan and to delegate things. Remember it is 2020 which has been a difficult year for so many reasons. Anything you can do to recreate ANY of your usual festive season traditions will feel like a wonderful slice of normality.

Colourful Thursday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Did anyone else put their decorations up much earlier this year? Being 2020 and all that? We put our main tree up two weeks earlier. It was kindly gifted to us by our lovely neighbours who decided they wanted a change. This is the first time I have had a tree with white lights and I really like it (although we have colourful lights wrapped around the bannister going up the stairs).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This second tree on the upstairs landing (which I can see from the open doorway of my craftroom/office) has colourful lights on it, so I get the best of both worlds.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Out of interest do you prefer coloured or white lights on a tree?

The temperature can be difficult when you live with a Chronic Illness. Too cold and everything hurts, too hot and hyperhidrosis can be triggered, not that I need to be warm for that! I have to confess that every December without fail I hope for a White Christmas. In the early Fibro days when I still drove regularly, I always wanted the snow to come when I had made my final trip (Christmas morning to Church). Last year we attended Midnight Mass but not a Christmas morning service (as I am no longer involved with a Church choir) so I hoped to wake up to snow. This year with Covid we are unlikely to get to service so I am hoping for Christmas Eve snow. Well, all the beauty of it without the cold!

Crafty Tuesday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀It is Christmas Card central in my craft room. This is one of my double fold cards, so the image on the left opens in the usual direction. Then the image on the right opens as well to reveal a back panel with two "arms" the inside is my next task.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This card is actually for my Dad to give my Mum so I think I will add the sentiment wife to the front as well. In the past, I have often left "jobs" like making cards for the immediate family to Christmas week. But it is best to practice what I preach and start early and pace myself... and I love it. If I don't have a flare-up and get behind Christmas itself will be much less busy and a lot more relaxed.

Motivation Monday⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀So have you? Perhaps you do yours super early. I'm thinking about you @lordandlordettes 😀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀If you haven't started yet I can't tell you how much I recommend you get on it, even if you only have one gift to buy. Have you read my preparing for the festive season blog post? If not I recommend you do then you'll know why.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀If you follow the link in my bio you can find it and a selection of my other recent posts.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Perhaps you are all ready for Christmas, do you have any birthdays coming up in the New Year? If so jump on those discounts* while they are available if you have the funds.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀*Just make sure they are discounts, I'm sure we have all come across stores who put their prices up gradually through the Summer and Autumn to dramatically drop them back to what they already were. I will add a useful link too.