The Monday After : )

 Good Morning Friends.  

The Monday after.  How are we all feeling? I hope you had a cozy and wonderful holiday.  Ours was just that.  We spent Christmas eve with Rob's family.  There was food, music, games, and memoires made.  On Christmas day we had a relaxing day at home with my family.  We watched movies and I cooked a yummy dinner.  Another Christmas in the books and now we are on track to a new year and a clean slate.  

Santa arrived and (thankfully) did not disappoint.  John's highlight was definitely a vintage record player with some vinyl records of some of his favorite classic rock bands.  Nothing says Merry Christmas like the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and ACDC! Haha.  There was also an Elvis record in there as well, which made my heart happy.  He was also surprised with a new keyboard from my parents which he loved! He's been playing drums for years but has recently been teaching himself piano and guitar.  Our basement is turning into a music studio, which is ok by all of us.  

John always says that the day after Christmas is sad because it's all over, but I always feel happiness and relief.  All the planning and hard work is done and now we can all exhale and relax.  

We have our memories (and new clothes and books!) to keep us warm this winter.  I've been eating my weight in fudge (boy was it a mistake to make 2 batches!) but we need to get it out of the house, so I guess I'm doing a good deed.  We'll go with that : ) 

Next weekend it all comes down (my New Year's Day tradition) so we have one more week to enjoy the twinkling Christmas tree lights and then it's on to the next phase.  CLEANING and ORGANIZING. My lists have already begun! LOL 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and  I wish you a cozy week.  This is my favorite week of the year.  It's quiet and peaceful and my mind loves the idea of a clean slate.  Santa brought me a new calendar/planner and I'm anxious to start filling it in. 

Happy Monday lovely friends! Enjoy your day! xo 

Merry Christmas!

Hello Friends! 

Well, my presents are wrapped and I'm all ready for Santa.  All that's left to do is cook Christmas dinner, which I'm quite looking forward too.  This season, although I tried to slow it down, went by in a blink.  It's hard to believe tomorrow night is Christmas eve! Oh how I miss the days when John was small and SO excited for Santa.  He's still excited (don't get me wrong) but in a different way.  We'll still make cinnamon rolls and open presents around the tree on Christmas morning and it will be just as magical as it can be.  The best gifts can't be wrapped, but felt.  Don't you agree? 

What I'm really excited about is next week.  My favorite week of the year.  The week between Christmas and New Years.  It's quiet and reflective and perfectly acceptable to do nothing but rest and recharge.  I'm hoping to read books and watch movies (in new pj's!) and drink as much tea and eat as many cookies as my little heart desires. 

I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday!  

Merry Christmas my friends! 

I love you all!  xoxo 

December Weekend ♥

 

Hello Friends! ♥

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a lovely and festive weekend.  I finally got my tree up and decorated on Friday night and I must say, it's nice to have a tree in the house.  I know I say that every year, but it just makes me so happy.  I was having a bit of trouble getting in the spirit this year but my little tree made all the difference. Since I'm still working from home I get to enjoy it all day long and that's really nice. We even put a little tree in John's room this year.  It's the coziest thing ever and I'm so happy he wanted it.  He was over it for the last few years but this year he circled back and was onboard.  Hooray for nostalgia! 

This past Saturday John and I had to best day together Christmas shopping. It was productive and fun (which are two things I LOVE).  With his help I was able to check a few people off the Christmas list.  That's definitely a plus about having a teenager at Christmas time.  He's got great suggestions and can help me shop! Saturday evening a group of 13 of us went to dinner in Boston to celebrate my father in law's 80th birthday.  The restaurant had the most gorgeous view of the city but do you think I took a picture of it? Nope.  I was too focused on my butternut squash ravioli which was delicious : ) 

Yesterday we spent the day at home watching football, catching up on things around the house, and I even took a 30 minute nap before dinner because I was so comfortable on the couch my body would not move, so I gave in.  Napping in a room with a Christmas tree in a delightful experience.  If you've never done it, I highly recommend it  ♥

This morning I'm enjoying a hot cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee with peppermint mocha cream.  It's my favorite holiday combo. Its a rainy & windy day and the coffee hitting the spot....more than ever! 

I'm back to work, tapping away on my computer but in the back of my mind I'm thinking about baking cookies and doing some Amazon shopping tonight.  I'm hoping to finish my Christmas shopping online if I can. We'll see how that goes.  Fingers crossed! 

I have a pot roast bubbling way in the crock pot for dinner tonight and I think I'll stop by Whole Foods this afternoon and pick up a loaf of fresh bread to go with it.  That's something I've been doing lately and it's such a nice treat with dinner.  There's nothing like a freshly baked loaf of bread with dinner (and if I don't have time to bake it, well Whole Foods bakery is pretty darn good!). 

Have a happy and cozy day, friends!  xoxoxo  

♥