It's a New Year

 

Happy New Year to you! 

I always look forward to January and welcome it after the busyness of the holidays. January is a time to rest and really just be. Drink lots of hot tea, read books, and relax.

Here's to a new year filled with health, happiness, and peace!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas, friends! Hope you've all had a wonderful day celebrating.

A New Ornament

 

Hello friends! I treated myself to a new ornament as I do most every year. It's a Linzer cookie ornament and I just love it. I came across it online, but it was sold out. I searched and searched and finally found it at a little online shop in NY, so I ordered it and they shipped it to me very quickly. It's a great addition to our tree. 

I finished the last of my Christmas shopping online today and that makes me very happy. I'll have lots of wrapping to do next week and lots of cookie baking, as well. I always gift cookie boxes to friends and neighbors, and family, too. Charlotte's last day of classes is on Thursday, so Christmas break begins for us on Friday. We are very much looking forward to a relaxing two weeks. We are meeting up with friends for dinner on Saturday night and I'm looking forward to catching up with them. We'll likely stroll around and look at the Christmas lights afterward.

 I'll be back next week to share pictures from our holiday cookie baking!

It's December

 

Hi! Just a quick hello and a few Christmassy photos. Charlotte and I decorated the little area behind her desk where she sits for homeschool classes with a cute garland and lights - I think it looks very festive. Life has been busy (it's December) and I haven't had much time to update this space, but I'll be back soon! Hope you are enjoying this holiday season, as it seems to be racing by too quickly.

November

 

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far. I made cream of mushroom soup for dinner tonight, and it was very good, although Charlotte wasn't much of a fan. I can't believe we are coming up on Thanksgiving. Wow! That happened fast. We are putting up our Christmas tree tomorrow. Yay!! I just love all the lights. I had hoped to put it up today, but we didn't get around to it. I also made a cake for my stepdad's birthday today, and one for my husband earlier in the week, whose birthday was on Monday. It was a busy week full of birthdays!

I went grocery shopping yesterday and also stopped by Trader Joe's. I love to look at all their fun, seasonal stuff. I picked up the truffles above as a little treat for myself, and they are so good! And Rosie insisted on being up on my desk, as you can see above. She's very curious and always wants to see what I'm doing.

It's been a bit of a weird fall with several of my family members being sick - for the most part, they have recovered. My grandmother, who is 89 and in a nursing home, fell ill on Thursday and is currently in the hospital. She's very weak right now, and we are praying for healing and strength for her. Please keep her in your prayers.

Anyway, I'll share photos of our tree soon, and I'm hoping to make a batch of chocolate shortbread cookies tomorrow. I'm off to get cozy and watch a Christmas movie. Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin time!

 

We carved our pumpkin last night! We really don't celebrate halloween, but we do enjoy carving a pumpkin and all things fall. I think he's rather cute!

Autumn days

 

Hi. Happy Autumn! Here we are in late October already. Where did the month go? I've been baking and cooking all our favorite soups, stews, and yes, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, too. I made them from scratch for the first time! It was a bit easier than I expected, and my house smelled amazing. Needless to say, everyone loved them. I topped them with a cream cheese frosting after they came out of the oven, and they were perfect.

We spent yesterday in a town about an hour away in the mountains. We enjoyed seeing some beautiful leaf foliage. I especially love the red leaves! The weather was perfect - sunny and 65 degrees. We spent a lot of time outside, which is so good for the soul. It was a great way to spend a Sunday. After we returned home, I put a whole chicken in the oven, which roasted alongside baby potatoes and carrots. It was perfect and so cozy. There's something so comforting about a simple roast chicken, I think.

As you can see in the picture above, little Rosie has taken over my yoga mat. I've started doing stretches most evenings for my hips, which I've been having some off-and-on issues with. They seem to be helping, which is good news. Over the past two years, I think I've done way too much sitting and not enough walking/moving, and it's become obvious to me that I have to move my body every day. I just feel so much better physically and mentally when I do. 

Homeschooling is going well and we seem to have the hang of it now. We are both enjoying our days at home together. I'm so thankful we are schooling at home now.

Have a great week!