January is upon us and it's time to settle in for a time of coziness. Never mind that all our Christmas things are still up, and will be for a while. They bring a smile to my face and the tree lights brighten the long evenings. Everything will have to come down sooner or later, but for now . . .
We woke up to about four inches of snow this morning and it continued to come swirling down for some hours. When we looked out the windows, it was as if we were looking at a snow globe. So beautiful! Strangely, I have been totally energized all day and have a list of accomplishments that I'm quite proud of including two bright and shining bathrooms, a pot of stew simmering in the oven, fresh bread to accompany the stew, sale pork vacuum sealed and in the freezer, and now I'm working on a blog post! Must have been the snow!
We had a lovely Christmas that stretched over almost a week. First up was a trip to niece Kirsten and husband Tim's house on Christmas day to celebrate with them, Bruder Bear and Karen, and nephew JR, wife Mariah, and their little guy, Bennett, who arrived in July. We feasted, opened a few presents, and visited and visited. We stayed over at the nearby hotel and rejoined the gang the next morning for another day of relaxing. And eating.
 |
| JR, Mariah and little Bennett |
 |
| Taylor with her new toy puppy |
After a busy weekend for Ann and family, we were able to celebrate with them on Monday night at our "off holiday" (they hosted Eric's family) "Pizza and Present Extravaganza." After consuming two giant pizzas from Papa Murphy's, we retired to the living room and commenced to open presents. Piles of wrapping paper later, we surveyed our booty and declared everyone well satisfied.
New Year's Day we trekked to Tina's for her annual Italian New Year open house. I don't know how many years we've been attending, but it's always such fun and filled with amazing food. I don't even pretend to cook authentic Italian food, so I made a family favorite of wheat thins filled with peanut butter and dipped in melted white chocolate bark. Yum!! I even decorated with a small tasteful tap of red and green sprinkles. :-)
And Friday night we, along with a few other couples, enjoyed an evening of visiting and more treats at the home of some longtime friends. So much laughter!!
And so, you see, hermit that I am, I'm ready to settle in to January. Cozy food, some crafting, some knitting, some quilting. I'm ready!! ♥
You don't sound like a hermit at all. Settling in is good, though. Hmmm -- the Wheat Thins treat sounds good and if you count the wheat and the peanut butter, it's even nutritious!
ReplyDeleteBut I am! Those things listed are the busiest I'll be the rest of the year, excluding basket ball games, etc. :-)
DeleteOh yes, I'm certain those treats are nutritious!!! LOL They are certainly yummy, of that I'm sure!
Oh! I love hermitizing! I'm a homebody extraordinaire, and frankly, I think there's something to be said for it. Not much is accomplished in meetings.
DeleteI think we're more alike than not, which probably explains why we've been friends all these years (sixty-five and a half). I agree--there's something to be said for being homebodies. Personally, I think it means we're pretty happy with our lives.
Delete