It’s always amazing that after all the cards, ordering, cookie baking, and shopping Christmas comes together in the end. We even managed to visit the viral Taylor Swift house here in Naperville and visit Brookfield Zoo Lights! Here is our life lately December 2023 and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
- Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother’s Best Friend by Willa Nash– When Stella started working for Heath Holiday’s construction company, she tries to smother her decade-long crush on him. Except it doesn’t work. This is a quick holiday romance that was perfect to distract me during a long run. It was cute even if the story line was very predictable and characters were a bit flat. 3.5/5
- Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath– Three couples and longtime friends travel to a house in the mountains for an unplugged weekend. But when the lights come back on, someone is missing. A search of the house and the surrounding bushland turns up a body. And the killer is just getting started. Highly improbable, but definitely fast-paced and it kept me guessing. 4/5
- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney– Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget. This was a recommendation and it was good! Very twisted and kept me thinking. I enjoyed it. 4.5/5
- Trapdoor by J.P Pomare– Five go in, none come out. Eva Kavinsky wakes in a dark cellar, with no memory of how she got here. Imprisoned with her, seemingly at random, are four men. The only way out is the trapdoor in the ceiling – and it’s locked. A camera fixed high above reach is livestreaming this whole nightmare to the world. And the cellar steadily filling with water. This was definitely about the dark side of human nature. It was tricky to follow at times because it went into everyone’s backstory then back to present. I was guessing until the end though. 3.5/5
- Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn– Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for…well, it feels like forever. when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same – especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. I’ve really enjoyed the television show and wanted to read the book. I think it will be a good season! 5/5
- The Duke and I by Julia Quinn– Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town’s marriage-minded society mothers by pretending to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. But she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. At first the reviews put me off this book, but it wasn’t that bad. I might like it more than Benedict’s story. 4/5
Recipes I’ve Made
- Pineapple Casserole– I remember reading about this one on Kellyann’s blog around Thanksgiving time. I made it for Christmas. Most people thought it was cheesy potatoes and had a shock when they tasted it. Haha! This dish very interesting and has a sweet flavor. I had some compliments and personally I enjoyed it.
- Oktoberfest Stew– I grew up with the tradition of eating soup on Christmas Eve. So I continued that with my family. This year I made this stew and it was really hearty and very good!
- Candied Orange Slices– I had some not-great oranges that weren’t getting eaten so I made candied orange slices. I like that you make these and orange simple syrup at the same time. We loved both! I will try to remember to make these next year.
- Sweet and Savory Crepes– Claire LOVES crepes and got a crepe pan for Christmas and we made some crepes for dinner one night. We used chicken and cheese for filling. Then we had dessert crepes with nutella, peanut butter, and banana. Yum!
Products I’ve Tried
- Kind Laundry– I was sent some Kind Laundry sheets to try and I really like them. I have tried laundry sheets before and these dissolve really well and have a nice clean scent. They are so easy to use and I love how eco-friendly they are.
- Postable– I got a credit to try Postable. They are a really convenient service that allows you to create, address, and mail cards. The cards are beautiful and high quality. The downside is that it will cost you quite a bit more than the $.40 for photo cards at Walgreens. Unless you mail out 100 like we do, I would go for it though! They do have promo codes occasionally so lookout for those.
Currently
- Loving- I’m loving the delicious Barry’s tea that was in my stocking Christmas morning. It’s my favorite tea and so comforting in the mornings.
- Trying- I went to Tapville Social in Naperville with some friends for their cupcakes and cocktails flight a couple of weekends ago. It was so fun! And the drinks and cupcakes were all really tasty.
- Watching- The last season of the British version of Ghosts just came out. It’s so funny. I love British humor!
- Hoping- So far Claire is the only one of us to not get this awful 4-6 week cold going around. I am keeping my fingers crossed she stays healthy!
- Family update
- Aveline- Avie has been really enjoying church choir and performed at the Christmas Eve service. It was darling! Avie really enjoyed seeing the Taylor Swift-decorated Christmas house in Naperville and Brookfield Zoo lights. She also loved meeting her baby cousin. We all enjoyed getting in our baby cuddles!
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- Claire- Claire turned 11 this month. WHAT?! I can’t believe it! She is so lucky because she got cake from both her aunts. At our family Christmas celebration her Aunt Gwen made her a Taylor Swift cake. Claire was so surprised! To celebrate we are taking her to Chicago for the day with her cousin to do the Tilt 360, shopping, and go to a ramen restaurant. Since Claire is now 11 she will be swimming in the 11-12 age bracket now. But she had a fantastic last meet as a 10 year old with 6 personal records!
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- Me- I started the month with a 5K where I hoped to break a 7min pace. Well, I tied it down to the second. But it is something to push for next time because it was raining/snowing. So given the weather I think I can do it which would be exciting. I came down with the bad cold Avie had last month and am hopefully getting over it. Nothing works!
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- Matt- Matt typically takes off the week between Christmas and New Year so he is enjoying his break. And no traveling for 4-5 weeks straight. Who is this man in my house?! I think he is excited to take the girls downtown and eat at a restaurant near his workplace. He was also a champ and wrapped almost all the presents.
December Goals Recap
- Re-do resin cutting board- I didn’t get to this.
- Organize basement- Done! Although keeping it organized will be a challenge this winter break!
- Organize Claire’s room- I didn’t get to this.
- Start The Running Grave– Well started and wish I was reading it now.
January Goals
- Finish thank you notes- I hope to get my thank you notes done and have the girls do theirs ASAP.
- Re-do resin cutting board- I wasn’t able to get to this and would love to get it done later this month.
- Have a game night with the kids– We got some great games for Christmas and I’d love to have a game night with them this month.
- Clear out some clutter- I really do try to keep a tidy house, but there are a few things I could get rid of. A pretty general goal so I can focus on an area that I feel drawn to most. Whatever works, right?
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS
