Every time I sit down to write you, I start trying to explain what life looks like here and I can’t, so I stop. And then try again later. This has happened multiple times over the course of multiple weeks so I’ve decided I’m just going to share some things even though it isn’t Tuesday.

Reading – Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Trust by Domenico Starnone, Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch*, Blue Hour by Tiffany Clarke Harrison*, Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer*, Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo*, Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang (pre-print), Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree*, Women Talking by Miriam Toews, Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt*, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles*, and The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos. I especially enjoyed these.* My TBR is obnoxious so I’ve started making a stack of books, asking on social media what other people recommend I should read next and then grabbing whatever calls to me. Sometimes it’s what someone recommends, sometimes it’s not even something in the pile. They’ve become my favorite posts.

Watching: The Bear (Hulu), past seasons of Real Housewives of Orange County, the most recent season of New. York (Peacock). I could use some recommendations.

Making: These popsicles (and they are so easy and good), and BLT’s because we have so many tomatoes. So. Many.

Knitting: Not a thing. Just haven’t been feeling it lately.

Listening: I am not usually a podcast person, but Normal Gossip was recently recommended to me, I listened to an episode while traveling, and now I’m hooked.

So that’s things here. What about you? What are you -ing lately? Enjoying these last weeks of summer?

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.