Last week was exactly what my weary heart needed. On Monday evening, we had Abram’s Christmas concert. I didn’t take one video or picture. I just enjoyed the opportunity to sit with friends and watch our kids’ perform. Tuesday, Abram and I headed to the Bucks game with fingers crossed that the storm that was being forecast wouldn’t strand us in Milwaukee. The next morning, we drove home in the rain, grateful for easy driving and grumbling about rain in December. On Thursday, we woke up to schools closed and snow. Heavy, wet, wonderful Christmas snow. The kids and I shoveled. Made pancakes. Painted name tag ornaments. And shoveled some more. It continued to snow on Friday. And Saturday. I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and (almost) finished my Christmas shopping, and wrapped presents, and dropped off a few week-before-Christmas care packages. Sunday, Abram and Jesse went skiing while V and I stayed home and puttered in our own endeavors. It was glorious.

The kids have school until Thursday this week, and while part of me wishes they had a longer break, another part of me is grateful to have the time to finish up the last things I need to get done. This has been a year where plans have…not gone to plan…but we’re rolling with it. Some days I’m grinchy. Others, I’m grateful. Not judging my feelings makes grinchy feel less gritchy (Thank you for that word, Rita. It’s perfect.) so I’m practicing that.

Let’s talk some things. (I don’t have many.)

Knitting: I’m so behind on my advent calendar squares on my blanket. It was silly of me to think that I would have time to knit two squares every single day during the second busiest month of the year. (May is always nuts for us). I’ll catch up in January and February. I’m working on a scarf and wound the yarn for a baby blanket which will also be January and February projects.

Reading: Not a thing. I have a stack of books over 20 high and a TBR list that is growing ever longer.

Watching: I finally finished this season of Lie to Me (Hulu). I don’t like it. I keep watching it. It’s stupid. Violet and I have been watching The Dragon Prince (Netflix) and I’m loving it. I needed to get a couple of episodes in though before it connected. Silly me was too focused on the fantasy cartoon and Y7 rating. We’re about halfway through the second season and I’m always hoping they’ll suggest another episode. I also watched The People We Hate at the Wedding (Amazon Prime) due to your recommendations and I loved it. Such a great cast.

Listening to: Jazzy Christmas, Baby, Donnie Benét Radio, Reading Adventure (great moody winter music).

Making: Each year we paint Christmas tag/ornaments as part of teacher gifts. I shared my favorites above – V’s Spanish flag (Spanish), and A’s angel (Religion). We ordered these cutouts in 2019 and still have plenty. I keep them stored in an old Christmas cookie tin and it makes them so easy to pull out every year. My 2023 notebook (this year’s color is pacific green and it’s LOVELY) and currently notebooks have arrived. I didn’t do a perfect job keeping up with my 2022 analog systems, but I want to make a more concentrated effort in the next year because it’s fun to look back. I’m also a happier person when I make time for creative off-line endeavors. (V is in charge of my screen time passcode for IG and FB, and that is one of the smartest things I have ever done.) We renewed plans for the community garden plot and have gotten our seed catalogs so I’ve taken an inventory and am starting to make order plans. I’m also doing some prep work for a rest-my-house-systems February goal.

So those are my -ings this week!! I hope you are all doing well, staying healthy (and happy), and enjoying the season. If you aren’t, I wish you comfort. XOXO.

Decorations this year consist of a $10 Charlie Brown tree with two short stands of C9 bulbs. There is not a nativity or ornament in sight. Even the stockings are packed away. At least inside. Outside we still have our usual festive lights, (real)* garlands, and porch pots. It’s just hard to bring anything out when it’s certain to be covered in a layer of dust in less than a few hours. I am trying (hard) not to be a person who complains while remodeling, but I’m stumbling a bit. It’s been months of noise, mess, and pushed back timelines. We’ve reached a point where things we put in off site storage are very much wanted (needed?), and our on-site storage is cluttered with system overflow (one bedroom and one bath for four people = overflowing systems), Christmas presents, and things that will be needed to finish the remodel. I’m stretching my tolerance for chaos.

In other “home” news, I did update my theme. My old one was no longer being supported and started getting buggy. Please be patient with me as I try and make some changes to make it feel a little more like “me”.

Let’s talk things:

Reading: I’ll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood by Jessi Klein (★★★★★), This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (★★★★★), A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (unrated because I couldn’t decide).

Watching: Gossip Girl v.2 (HBO), Real Housewives (Potomac, Salt Lake City), Spirited (Apple TV+) – I thought this was really cute, Wednesday with Violet (Netflix) – I’m also really liking this, the last season Dead to Me (Netflix), Abbott Elementary (Hulu), Reservation Dogs (Hulu)

Knitting: I finished this scarf, a pair of socks, started another pair of socks and have been working on this blanket. (I purchased a couple of yarn advent calendars with my birthday money and I’m absolutely loving adding my two squares every day.) On the knit list is another one of these baby blankets, some of these stars, and maybe even one of these. Alicia Paulson has me wanting to knit up one of these hats too. (I have no idea how she manages to get as much done as she does. And her pictures are always my favorite.)

Making: Fleece tie blankets for a local drive. Actually, I’m mostly just reminding people who will not be named to pick up behind themselves and helping with the lining up of fabrics. In a dinner rut. Feel free to send recipe suggestions.

Listening: My Spotify Wrapped contained one song – ONE SONG – that was mine. Motherhood, man. The kicker is that each of my kids have their own Spotify accounts under our family plan. It’s just my phone is the default in the car and at home when we’re streaming music. I think I need to listen to more music when the kids aren’t home.

That’s me. What’s new in your world?

*(Real) garland is a joke brought about by a video of me, age 12, playing with our silver tinsel garland like a boa while talking about how so-and-so had REAL garland. When asked by my parents what real garland was, my response was “I don’t know, but so-and-so has it.” (So-and-so was one of my best friends and rival for most of my childhood. I am not sharing her name because she doesn’t have an online presence.)

I know. It’s been a bit. It’s also been a lot. The remodel continues at a snail’s pace. Abram finished cross country and headed straight into basketball. V dislocated their knee and brought an abrupt end to their swim season. Jesse and I planted garlic and then something dug through the beds so I don’t know how much (if any) we will actually get next summer. Violet and I went with my sister and niece to Lizzo (it was amazing). Abram and I joined my niece, nephew, parents, and sister for a Minnesota Gophers game (also fun). There was homecoming and football games and 8th grade boy nerf battles. Jesse and I both had COVID (zero stars – do not recommend). Violet needed knee surgery. Abe treated a few different neighborhoods with some friends. V handed out candy. October was gorgeous, and then snowy and gray, and gorgeous again and now we are in November.

Knitting: Finished a pair of socks for my brother-in-law, started and finished a pair from Abram (because when he outgrows them, they will fit me), and am working on this scarf in the Oyster Gray and Meadow color way. The repeat took me a little bit to get right but it’s starting to go fast now that I’ve got it down.

Watching: All the things. Finished the RHOBH season with all kinds of feelings (Garcelle is my favorite. Rinna is not.) Other than that I was mainly on Netflix – Somebody Feed Phil, which I dole out one sweet episode at a time. I love it so much. Do Revenge I enjoyed with Violet. Partner Track was fun and soapy, and finally, The Watcher which was kind of eh. I’ve been watching Tell Me Lies on Hulu and I don’t like it but I also keep watching whatever that means. I’m looking forward to the HBO Max Lizzo documentary.

Listening: Lizzo (it’s a theme and I’m about it), this is a whole mood for a blustery rainy October day (my sister gets credit for introducing it to me), and this for puttering around the house (aka millennial elevator music)

(ETA because I forgot) Reading: Maybe in Another Life (★★☆☆☆) and After I Do (★★★★☆) by Taylor Jenkins Reid – she’s a bit hit or miss for me. After I Do was a hit, Maybe in Another Life was a miss. When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister (★★★★★), On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass (3.5 stars), Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (★★★★★). Currently reading: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Making: We recently went dairy free. I never thought of us as big dairy people, but actually eliminating it has made me realize how much we actually we were using. This pumpkin bread or these pumpkin oat muffins (maybe even both?) are in the plan for this week. October brought about chili season and we’ve made three batches already. My favorite go to dinner lately is an olive oil baked sweet potato with shredded roasted chicken breast – sometimes I add green beans that I put up from this summer or a big spinach salad.

So that’s me. Hope you are all doing well! Would love to hear what you’re up to in your corner of the world.