Hello my dear wonderful Friends! Happy 2018 to you!
Isn't the thought of a bright shiny new year always a comforting one? Like in Anne of Green Gables where her regular mantra was that each day starts brand new with no mistakes in it (yet... Lol). Well that's kind of how I feel about a brand new year. Fresh clean slate with endless potential. Sounds beautiful to me. ;)
It's so nice to be back in this space and feeling back to "real life". I hope that you had a very blessed holiday season and that your new year has been starting right already! Our new year has already begun with a lot of hockey and right now a sick little Pumpkin. Annie is home from school today and has been fighting a belly bug since this weekend. She seems better today and hopefully will be able to play in her hockey game tonight. My break was wonderful and filled with lots of family time, fun food, games, movies, and rest. Including just yesterday I spent the day with my best girlfriends for our annual Christmas exchange (we always do it in January). We have been making this happen for 29 years! Pretty awesome. I love them so much and we always have THE BEST time!!
I just wanted to mention that now that I'm back to real life - I haven't forgotten that I wanted to do a giveaway for my belated blogaversary. I will plan to post details and prizes for it by the end of the week or early next. So check back for that and how to enter! So grateful for all of you and love doing something fun as a thank you for sharing this space with me. Now on to the week ahead...
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
We have had such a cold snap (well below zero most days) for weeks! But it's a down right balmy 30's and sunny today! We're at least in for several days of weather like this - but then by the weekend back into single digits. Brrr and boo! Is it Spring yet? Ha!
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:
A bowl of honey nut chex cereal. Coffee.
RIGHT NOW I AM:
Listening to the tv in the other room as Annie is resting on the couch and watching it. She loves HGTV just like her Mama. ;) Working on my weekly planner and this post
AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:
The sun is shining! Ruby is out running around in the snow. It's been so cold for her and her sweet little paws lately that she often only spends a few very brief minutes out there. So she is loving this warm snap right now too, and spending extra outside time
AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:
Very BARE! It always seems so empty after the Christmas decorations come down. We took down the majority of what was left this past weekend. I haven't put out a lot of replacement "filler" yet, and will need to go shop my house a bit later and see what I want to put out for decorations right now. I know I have a few valentine's things so I know I'll throw some of that out for now.
ON TODAY'S (& this week's) TO DO LIST:
A lot as always! Several hockey games between both kiddos - and practices. Religious ed class. Volunteer time for me up at their school. TAlking to my hospice coordinators about scheduling my time as a new hospice volunteer! I will need to shadow a current volunteer for my first several times before I schedule my own regular day each week. Go visit my MIL. Making dinner for my FIL. Annie has a haircut this week too. Running errands, some groceries etc. Yep, back to real life! Our water is currently shut off (gggrrr) as the city is working on some pipes. But the upside is I guess I can't do laundry right now. Glass always 1/2 full right? Should be back on this afternoon
CURRENTLY READING:
Just starting Caroline, Little House revisited - a book I received as a Christmas gift from my Aunt. She knows how much I always loved Little House on the Prairie (show and books). It's by Sarah Miller and it's historical fiction about the little house days from the perspective of Caroline - or Laura Ingalls' "Ma"
ON THE TV TODAY:
I watched the Golden Globes last night - Oprah's speech was amazing! This week back to regular shows: The Good Doctor, This is Us, Will and Grace etc. But Amazing Race starting again. Kids Baking Championship I watch with Annie too
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
MONDAY: penne pasta, dinner rolls, salad
TUESDAY: meatloaf, au gratin potatoes, mixed veggies (for my FIL too)
WEDNESDAY: sausage breakfast bake, toast, fruit
THURSDAY: chicken and noodles dish, muffins, raw veggies & dip
FRIDAY: ? - maybe out for dinner?
WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT
Finally getting somewhere with Legacy box project. Still need to finish a bit in my Grandpa's scrapbook. Also, finally pulling out my old family scrapbooks to catch up on and working on some projects I had left off months again. Getting my mojo back. Not to mention tackling my yearly clean out of my craft space/office and organizing it better. Yay 2018!
NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:
I will share some recipes from New Year's Eve
TIP OF THE WEEK:
Might be handy tip if you have any leftover stale holiday cookies lying around ;)
FROM THE CAMERA:
Before and after. Always so bare once the tree and "glow" gets taken down
We sure enjoyed lots of cozy time by this over the break. It was SO COLD all through the holidays
Love these pics from my FIL's house. Even though my MIL is in a facility now due to her Alzheimer's - he is still able and wanting to live in their big old historical home. This was Christmas morning when we went over to open gifts and they were getting ready to check all of their stockings. Don't you love my stinker niece Gracie's face? Lol Can you tell she's the youngest? :P
Then back to our house Christmas day for dinner where we host all of my Hubby's family. We did buffet style and it was nice and easy and everyone enjoyed a yummy ham dinner with all the extras! After dinner we did the funny door prize game, per annual tradition, and it's always great for lots of laughs and fun.
And I love this pic from Christmas with my Mom (kiddos' "Nana") because my son loves baked potatoes - so one of his gifts from her was a bag of potatoes! Lol
And we got my MIL out of the facility for the day to come to the festivities and this photo of her and my FIL sitting on our couch just goes straight to my heart.
And New Year's Eve friends of ours weren't able to come over last minute - but my son was having a group of his friends over already.. and Annie had one of her besties sleep over. So I still made a fun dinner and snacks and we had a great time ringing in the new year with lots of crazy young people. Lol!
And now after a season filled with lots of yummy snacks and visits to the cocoa station... I'm back to more hot tea, my intermittent fasting, and better diet habits to be healthier again. I kept my 38 pounds off over the holidays and now i'm shooting for my final 20 pounds to lose and get to my healthy dream goal! What dreams and goals do you have set for 2018??