Friday, December 23, 2022

Home for Christmas!

My daughter came home, today!

She tested negative for the first time on Wednesday evening.  She tested herself twice, just to make sure, and she tested negative, both times. 

Even so, she tested herself again on Thursday, too, to confirm, before finalizing plans to drive down with her friend P.  She tested negative on Thursday, too.

She tested herself this morning, too, before she left on the long drive home, which took longer than usual due to several accidents and resulting road closures.  But, eight hours after they left Berkeley, they arrived home, at 3:30 p.m.  She tested herself once she got home, too, and tested negative.  I'm not quite sure what she would have done if she tested positive after she came home!  

But, the CDC Covid guidelines for ending isolation requires two subsequent negative antigen test results, taken at least 48 hours apart.  That's what my daughter was going by.  

She is home for the holidays and will be down here for at least a week.  Originally, she was planning to stay for two weeks and fly back.  But, P has offered to drive her back, except he will leave before New Year's Eve.  Daughter will decide closer to the date if she will return to Berkeley with P or stay another week.  We are going to plan our activities with the assumption that she will return to Berkeley before the New Year.  

This morning, I picked up an order of groceries I had placed last night.  I knew that my favorite store clerk, Jennifer, would be there, today.  With all that has been going on the past couple of days, I didn't make the time to bake her brownies, but, I took her a jar of my peach topping as a holiday gift.  The brownies will have to wait for another day.  

Later, I remade my daughter's bed with flannel sheets and cleaned her bathroom.  I made some fried rice for my brunch and cooked a fresh pot of rice for my daughter; she had it with chicken curry and broccoli when she came home.

M was here in the evening and he brought me a couple of native plants for the garden as his Christmas gift to me (as well as another plant I had asked him to get, which I paid for, that I wanted to give as a gift).  I forget the name of one of them, but, the other one is a Matilija poppy, which is also sometimes called the 'fried egg' poppy.  He also brought us two chocolate croissants which were delicious!  We planted out the snow peas, today.  I will be watering them in the coming days, as M is off next week.

We've spent a quiet evening at home.  Neighbor S sent us more gata and puri bread and I called the Temple and aunt C to tell them that my daughter has tested negative and is home for the holidays.  I didn't make any gifts today, but, some of the gifts I had ordered were delivered.

Today, I am grateful for:

- My daughter has tested negative
- Daughter and P had a safe drive home
- My daughter is home 
- M tending to the garden and gifting me two new plants
- Neighbor S sending me more goodies!

Today's joyful activity has been having my daughter home.

Plans for tomorrow include wrapping up the gifts and tagging them.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for tomorrow?

20 comments:

  1. Negative covid tests for your daughter, hurray and a safe drive. This morning (Friday) I bought a fabulous pumpkin pie made by a local bakery, and a green apple to put in coleslaw for our Christmas feast. Tomorrow we will go to the Christmas eve service at church.

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    1. Thank you, Terra. That pumpkin pie sounds wonderful and the coleslaw with green apple sounds delicious, too. I like your plans for tomorrow. I usually watch the Midnight Mass from the Vatican on Christmas Eve - that has been my tradition for several years, now. I wish you a very happy and blessed Christmas.

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  2. Thank you for a lovely year of blogging, Bless. May your Christmas be one of joy and love and your new year blessed with peace and hope ❤️🙏😊

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    1. Thank you, Angela for that lovely wish! Thank you, too, for your friendship over the years and all the kind comments you leave on my blog. I have enjoyed reading your blog posts and have learned much from you; I wish you and yours all the best this holiday season.

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  3. That is just wonderful, Bless that your daughter's health has improved and she is home for Christmas :)
    I know you must be very happy as she must be as well.
    I can feel the happiness through the words on my screen!

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    1. Thank you, Debra. Yes, we are both very happy to be together at Christmas. :)

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  4. Oh that is wonderful! I'm so happy for you. I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful Christmas together!

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    1. Thank you, Celie. I wish you a happy Christmas, too; stay safe and warm!

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  5. Your daughter is well and home for the holidays! What a blessing.
    Happy Holidays, Bless!

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    1. It is indeed a blessing, June! It's what we were both hoping for. :)
      Wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas!

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  6. So glad daughter is safely home and virus-free! Have a very happy Christmas together!
    Glad you put the tree up now? :o)
    Ella

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    1. Thank you, Lady Ella. It is wonderful to have my daughter well and home for Christmas! And, yes, I'm very glad that I put the tree up! :D

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  7. Fantastic news Bless. I'm so happy for you, both because your daughter is now negative for Covid and because she is home with you for Christmas. I hope you both have a lovely time together xx

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. It is such a relief that she is now testing negative for Covid! And being able to spend Christmas together is a blessing! We are planning to have a quiet day at home, with a quick visit to my cousin's to drop off gifts for her grandsons. She had invited us to Christmas lunch, but, was very understanding when I said that I am still not comfortable attending big gatherings.

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  8. I'm delighted to know that your daughter, Covid free, has made it home! I know you will have a lovely time catching up now.
    We are snowed in, on Christmas Eve! Our plow guy hasn't shown up.
    We had to put off the family visit as we are really not in great shape for anything but a lazy time as we snuffle and sneeze. It is a relief in a way that they won't be driving up tomorrow, as the weather is so fickle. We have been fortunate as we didn't get the high winds where we live. The stories of people stranded on trains and in airports are so sad, so we will be thankful that we have warmth, food, decorations, entertainment (including a new jigsaw puzzle to start), and each other!

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. It is a blessing to have her Covid free and home!
      Oh, no! Being snowed in is no fun and I'm sorry you are both having to deal with your colds. But, it is probably for the best that the family visit will have to wait until the weather improves and you feel better. I feel so sorry for the people stranded in airports, etc., as that is no way to spend their Christmas! We have much to be thankful for!
      I wish you and your DH a warm and blessed Christmas. Enjoy your jigsaw puzzle. I've spent the day wrapping gifts and making a few more cards. I will stay up and watch midnight mass from the Vatican a bit later.

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  9. Wonderful news that your daughter is home and Covid free! Enjoy your Christmas together. God bless x

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    1. Thank you, Angie. Happy Christmas to you and your loved ones, too. :)

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  10. I am so happy your daughter made it home for Christmas. It must have been a relief when you knew she could for sure. Xx

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    1. Thank you, Jules; yes, it was! Neither of us was looking forward to being on our own at Christmas and New Year. :)

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