Happy Monday to you Friends!
It's been a minute and I'm so happy to be back in blogland. :)
I look forward to going around and catching up with all of you! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and are feeling ready to move on to a new year soon. Can you believe we are mere days from 2026?? We're still kind of reveling in the holiday feels over here...even though our wonderful guests have left. Matt and I are still loving the glow at night, and that his work is slower right now, and just enjoying each other's company again.
We had such a wonderful Christmas with the kiddos staying here and Matt's folks in town since before Christmas week. We enjoyed so many fun game nights (even into the wee hours with the kids), and chats and wonderful food and just togetherness. We celebrated Jesus's birth and did lots of laughing and we all spoiled each other with more gifts than we should have.
Favorites this time of year for me continue to be how the kiddos see Matt as such a father figure and they each share their own special connection with him. How our kids express the home base we are to them and the ways I just LIKE my kids so much....besides loving them unconditionally of course. We have the absolute best time with them. 💗
I loved all of my goodies and enjoyed that my son's gifts to me contained our inside jokes, and his Jill made me wonderful homemade gifts, and Annie showered me with amazing skin care products and high end makeup. She overheard me complaining about my maturing skin and my scar at the moment and wanted to help me out with it all. We had such fun doing girlie hang out time as she gave me makeup tips for my new products. My kiddos are like best friends as well as our kiddos. Yet, I'm still Mom in all the ways they love - even down to my daughter sitting on my lap and just wanting to be snuggled like when she was little. I loved those kinds of moments so much too!
I have a grateful and full Momma heart.
❤️💚❤️💚
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:
some wheatabix cereal and a coffee with natural almond vanilla creamer
ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:
run errands and groceries later in the week, working on NYE plans with friends, bring some things to my Mom, home projects, hospice work
THINKING ABOUT:
Do you ever look at a date and then it hits you that it had meaning before? Today is a date like that for me. In my old life today would have been mine and my ex's 30th wedding anniversary. Even though he is someone I don't know at all anymore - I remember so many wonderful and very fun years together. Growing up together and then creating and raising a family together. There are times my kids remind me of him in the best ways: the way my son laughs like his dad, or my daughter will remind me of my former MIL, who was such a best friend in my life. There is still such a gift yet in that connection...and I am grateful for it.
THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:
My sweet Ruby. She's almost 14 yrs now, and even though she can't see as well and doesn't hear too well - she is still such a sweetheart and a little lover. She still has spunk and likes to play and loves to snuggle. Time with her brings me joy.
CURRENTLY READING
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (I didn't do as much reading over the break - but jumping back in now) Want to read this and then watch the movie
ON THE TV TODAY:
Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother, Junk or Jackpot on HGTV, some cooking shows, still watching old episodes of the Office too, movies we want to watch
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
MONDAY - Mexican street tacos from Costco
TUESDAY - pasta with slow simmered meat sauce, salad
WEDNESDAY - might be out for dinner or eat in fun food with friends
THURSDAY - tacos
FRIDAY - ?
TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:
read book & new cookbooks, do artwork from new kit, crochet
TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:
I'm so grateful we all remained healthy over the holidays - but keeping this in my back pocket.
I made us homemade hot chocolate the other night but have always wanted to try this hack.
FROM THE CAMERA:
**WARNING: mega Christmas photo drop below so buckle up!
Annie is my puzzle girl and she indulged in some on her down time away from school, and we definitely got a snowy white Christmas:
I made several homemade gifts this year including cross stitch, sketchings and water color paintings, and stovetop potpourri jars. Also, food gifts including tins of sugared pecans, tins of ranch oyster crackers, and little cranberry orange breads that I would later glaze before wrapping up.
The reason for the season:
We hosted several
Christmas gatherings including a Christmas Eve brunch with my Mom and Bro, Christmas Day with my MIL and FIL (in our Christmas Vacation wally world jersey pj's all day), and a couple of Christmas times with my kiddos including present opening the night before Christmas Eve. Ruby and Bubba got to open their goodies too and loved them. I helped them open things and they kept coming back to me when I would open my own gifts thinking they were getting more goodies themselves. Lol
We also took my in-laws out a few time including one of the nights to celebrate their anniversary.
Over the holidays the wassail flowed, yummy food was gobbled, and all while visiting and laughing around the table. Such great times that flew by so fast!
Some of the goodies and meals I made while my in-law's were here. Homemade fudge with Ghiradelli chocolate, my Gram's Christmas cut-out cookies and homemade cream cheese frosting, steak chili with all the fixings & biscuits, and chicken almondine. I will share recipes in the future!
And the treats continued as I also made some Christmas shortbread in my shortbread mold right before my kiddos left. It has orange zest in it and is so good! Matt and I indulged the other night and I made us homemade stovetop cocoa, alongside shortbread topped with some raspberry jam, and I put Christmas sprinkle whipped cream I had frozen on top of the cocoa. Such a yummy time of year 😋❤️💚
PRAYER LIST:
For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence. For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace.
For a safe and healthy New Year's ahead. And that the Lord bring His peace into 2026.
For Christ's Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way to loving our neighbors as ourselves. 🙏🏻