The month of December is usually a reflective time for me. During my numerous bouts of reflection, I focus on all that has happened throughout the year. Accomplishments. Goals that I have reached. Goals I didn't exactly meet. Moments when the Universe did her little shimmy shakes or shifted. My plans for the new year. Our plans for the new year. This December I went through the same thing, but it was a lot different.
The other day I mentioned that I will be eating with only chopsticks for an entire year. No forks or spoons. Yeah. It sounds a bit crazy, but it's not the first time I've done this.
On this day, 9 years ago in 2011, I made the decision to eat with chopsticks for an entire year. In 2012. No forks. No spoons. That included eating at our home, our friend's homes, and at restaurants. No exceptions. With chopsticks only.
Whirling around the kitchen making Christmas dinner. And sipping my annual bottle of Taylor Brooke Winter Pomegranate. Our first Christmas in our new house has been spectacular, simple, a little weird, and memorable. Just us and our kids. Thoughtful and unexpected gifts from our friends and new neighbors that mean the world to us.
Yep. It's Christmas Eve. Lisa has today off which means a 4 day weekend. Months and months ago when she got this day approved as a vacation day, we were overjoyed. And, we still are. However. today didn't go quite as planned compliments of Mother Nature.
I did a thing today. I made my homemade Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups. The last time I made these, I was 31 years old. Living in New York. Working in city group homes as a residential counselor. In a relationship with someone who had a very heavy hand. Heavy. Heavy. Heavy. It wasn't my first Christmas with her. But, it was my last.
We absolutely adore handmade gifts whether it's an ornament, gift baskets, decor, baked goods, jams, relish, etc. This evening, we got to hang the newest handmade ornament on our Christmas tree. We absolutely adore it.
The other day, Lisa handed me this. A beautiful handpainted winter scene on a small canvas panel. The artist is a 15-year-old. Her dad was a recipient of one of the handmade ornaments we gifted this year to spread holiday love and cheer.
We have a snowstorm heading our way. We're supposed to get 1-2 feet of snow. Whether we get that amount or more or less is to be determined. Mother Nature is very unpredictable here in New England. However, the one thing we do know is that we're slightly unprepared.
It's the last day of Lisa's Staycation. We had a lot of fun and got a lot of work done. That included giving our kitchen a makeover. And, lots of downtime for Lisa.
Our Bodacious 2020 Holiday ornaments are done! It took almost a week. However. There are several elements to making these ornaments and that includes dry time. Lots and lots of dry time. But, they're done!
I posted this photo a year ago on my personal Facebook wall. It was a Bodacious 2019 Holiday piece that was part of our Bodacious 12 days of Christmas. It sold almost immediately after I posted it. When it showed up on my Facebook memories, it strummed my heartstrings a bit. But, something else also happened.
A couple of months ago, Lisa asked what I wanted to do for my birthday week and what I wanted for my birthday dinner. In the years prior, we always did something special on my birthday. A few people in our tribe would do something special for me. Sometimes we'd have our holiday party for our friends and those we considered family. And, of course, it was our busiest time of year.
When Lisa got a promotion back in July, we knew our daily life would change. Her hours changed. And, she would have to cover other people's vacations and days off. Or work lengthy hours if someone called out. But, she worked hard for this promotion. Before applying for the promotion, I told Lisa, "We will take it day by day."
I have started this blog column and deleted at least a dozen times. Why? My original intent was to emphasize that our kids are finally using the DIY indoor dog house that we built years ago. However. There are several misleading (what's the word?) that I discovered today in that single sentence that I needed to explain and correct.
Lisa left work last night a little after 7 p.m. We were getting blasted with a massive rain and wind storm. She called after pulling out of the parking lot. The low tire pressure light came on. Rear driver's side. The pressure was down less than 10%.
