Well we are almost to the end of 2021 and while it was better than 2020, I have higher hopes for 2022. We had a lovely Christmas celebration last week. My parents were able to come down for Christmas Eve and it was a lovely day. Then on Christmas we had our own family celebration and drove to my grandparents farm in Wisconsin. It’s probably the last family Christmas we will ever spend there so it was bittersweet. With the unseasonably warm weather, the kids loved playing outside and seeing the pigs, cows, and barn cats. Then on Monday we headed over to my in-laws for a celebration with them. Now we enjoy the last few days of 2021 and December.
BOOKS I’VE READ
- Back in the Burbs by Tracy Wolff & Avery Flynn– Mallory is 35 and not where she thought she would be in life. She is going through a divorce when her Great Aunt Maggie passes away. But she leaves Mallory her house-with 47 HOA violations to be taken care of. I enjoyed this light hearted romance. It was full of stereotypical characters, but managed to stay cute and fun. 3.5/5
- Educated by Tara Westover– Tara Westover was born to survivalist parents in the mountains of Idaho. She did not begin her formal education until 17 and her education and experience transforms her. I was fascinated by Tara’s life. She has been through so much and I respect her for the journey she went through. 4/5
- The Best Worst Christmas by Kate Forster– Lily decides to visit her mom after 10 years of being away and runs into her first love within the first few minutes in town. This was another light hearted Christmas themed romance.
PRODUCTS I’VE TRIED
- Television shows
- In the Dark– There are a few seasons of this on Netflix and I’ve watched them all. It’s about a woman who is blind that gets involved with money laundering while investigating the death of her friend. The show keeps me on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait for another season to begin.
- Ghosts- There is a BBC and CBS version of this show and I’ve watched them both. They are both hilarious, but if I had to pick, I would say BBC is better. The actors seem to have more chemistry.
- Too Faced Cinnamon Swirl Palette- I paid full price for this and while I’m kicking myself, I’m still not too mad. I think that says a lot. It’s on sale for at least 50% off or more depending on where you purchase. I have used this about 2 months and still reach for it almost everyday. I love the pinks and browns. There are so many great looks you can create. The shadow is really pigmented, blend well, and has only minor fall out. I do have some creasing after a long day, but much better than other brands.
- Fireplace mantle-I mentioned this in another blog post I believe, but wanted to share it here, too. We never had a mantle on our basement fireplace. It wasn’t a priority, but we got the idea to use barn wood from my grandpa’s farm for the mantle. My hubby’s uncle built it after we got the wood to him. He installed it right before Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks after my grandpa passed. It’s absolutely perfect and so special. I couldn’t be more pleased. There is even a square nail he salvaged from one of the boards that he added to the mantle.
RECIPES I’VE MADE
- White chocolate lemon truffles– I got this recipe from my neighbor last year and added it to our cookie list this year. They are really tasty!
- Skillet Sausage Stuffing– I added flavored sausages, cranberries, apples, and more to beef it up for a main dish. It was good, but I think if I make it again I will add some more savory elements like onion and some minced garlic to balance out the sweet flavors.
- Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies– Matt made these into a cookie cake in his cast iron skillet with Claire after having some at work that he loved. We all loved them with a bit vanilla ice cream on top.
- Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken– This was so tasty! We ate it with some Mike’s Hot Honey for dipping.
- French Toast Casserole- I had a freezer burned loaf of Italian bread that needed to be used and I found this yummy looking recipe for Christmas morning. I prepared it the night before and popped it in the oven when the kids woke up. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and you have breakfast perfection!
- Cajun Sweet Potato Chowder– This was good, but I accidentally over cooked the shrimp and kind of ruined it. I love the sweet and spicy combination though.
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding- I made this right at the beginning of December when we still had way too much pumpkin pie left over from Thanksgiving. I took our leftover dinner rolls and half of a pumpkin pie and made it into a bread pudding. We topped it with a whiskey sauce and IT WAS SO GOOD! My favorite recipe of the month by far!
Currently
- Anticipating– Both girls are anticipating some winter snow! It’s been a very gray and brown winter so far and they can’t wait to get outside to build snowmen, snow forts, and make snow angels.
- Organizing- How appropriate a word for this time of year after we receive all of these generous Christmas gifts! Now we need to organize them all. I am hoping to get some organizing done in the play room and game closet downstairs this month.
- Reading- I’m actually in between books right now, but I’m hoping to read one of the hardcover books I have, but haven’t been able to get around to.
- Resolving- I was really diligent with doing my hip stretches and exercises twice a week until last month when everything got out of hand with the holidays. I am resolving to be better about it again!
- Scheduling- We are looking to schedule Claire’s birthday party this month. We typically try to to schedule a party for her (if she is having one)
- Family Update
- Aveline: Aveline was one of the wise men in her school pageant. Apparently they were going to give the bigger roles to the 5 year old children, but one didn’t want to wear the costume. Of course Avie did! She did such a great job and was so cute to watch!
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- Claire: Our Christmas baby is 9! I can’t believe it. We celebrated with white chicken chili and ice cream cake. She also enjoyed going to Sing 2 as a family. It was our first movie theater experience in years.
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- Me: I have minor surgery next week on my wrist. Whomp, whomp. It should be a quick surgery and quick recovery. I’m glad it’s finally happening because my wrist has been bothering me a while.
- Matt: Matt’s leg is on the mend. Thank you for all the sweet well-wishes! He is doing much better and in less pain. It was nice for him to spend the last week of the year off of work at home before January starts up and he is busy with travel again!
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DECEMBER GOALS
- Sign up for a race- I am signed up for a half marathon in April. There really isn’t much else available, but I may try to get in a St. Patrick’s Day race, too.
- Read all my magazines- Done!
- Try a new Christmas cookie recipe- Done! I tried a lemon truffle recipe from our neighbors this year.
- Organize kitchen utensil drawer- Done! Check out the before and after.
January Goals
- Splurge on myself- You’d think this would be easy, but I am awful at it! I’d love to splurge on myself with a self-care massage or facial, or slightly pricier item I’ve been wanting a while.
- Try an 11-12 mile run– This one is weather pending, but I’ve been doing a 8-10 mile run each weekend and I’d love to try and increase the distance just a bit.
- Clean carpet in the basement– I bought a carpet cleaner last month and have slowly been cleaning all of the carpets and upholstery in the house. It works well, but is time consuming. I really want to get the basement done this month.
- Sand & paint hooks for running medals- This was a previous goal, but I need to get it done.
LINKING UP WITH ANNE & WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
