Wow! A Year Is Not Long...

I cannot believe it has been a whole year since my last blog post! I have not intentionally abandoned my blog, I just get so side tracked that time flies by without me realizing it until it is too late.

A year! Wow! I have actually done some things in that year...I'm just about finished knitting a really cool sweater. A good friend and I have been doing a knit along since February '14. She has already finished and blocked her sweater, and has worn it a few times. One of them being yesterday. We went to a little Indian restaurant about 15 minutes from my house for lunch. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced too.

My youngest swims for the Naval Academy Aquatics Club swimteam now, so we are on the road constantly for swim practice, and meets are about 2 a month. We love it though. So does he.

Christmas and New Year's were great...we did nothing! We slept in, did whatever we wanted, and were just in the moment of whatever was going on. It was such a relaxing and quietly enjoyable time. Two whole weeks school was closed!

I am looking forward to getting my house in order and getting organized in all other areas of my life. Just so very tired of not being organized to the point that I am willing to get rid of just about anything (shhh. don't tell my husband that part) to be totally in control of it all in a simple simple way.

Time for bed...one of the many things I am working on...getting enough shut eye each night. Good night! 

Warm and Cozy Day at Home...

Chuck roast with veggies and gravy in the oven, fire in the fire place, wooly slippers on, bread rising...today has been a full one with errands done early, and dinner in the oven to roast all day. I love days like this, when you putter about all day just doing things on a whim. Things that need to be done, things you do as you see them in passing, on your way from or to doing something else.

Yesterday was a nice and unexpected break. It was my Friday off from work, and schools were unexpectedly closed for the day. We did not leave the house all day! Waking up with a migraine wasn't in the plan, but a trip back to bed with a steamy wash cloth over my face, sleeping a bit more, and taking a nice warm shower upon waking did the trick. It's been a while since I had a bad one, and there was no warning before hand. All in all though, the day was a welcome retreat.

Bought our Christmas cards at 70 percent off while out this morning. I am excited to have them done by November 1st, so we can mail them out the day before Thanksgiving like we use to do. I would like to write a personal message to each family, but when we are last minute and rushing, like we were this year, that becomes a bit difficult. I'm planning on writing 7 each month up through October. I've never thought of it as a chore, and haven't missed a Christmas yet! Not in 31 years...since getting married in 1982. It is a tradition we don't want to stop, because that is a big part of what Christmas is about, staying in touch with the people we care most about, letting them know they matter, and they are thought of often. Even those we see and talk to on a regular basis are left with a good feeling after receiving a lovely card meant just for them. Many people have stopped sending Christmas cards, and there are many who haven't. Postage is high that's for sure, and it's about to go up again! I feel like it is a very small price to pay though. Keeping in touch is priceless.

Warm and cozy at home is where we are at right now. Away from the rest of the world, doing, planning, cooking, dreaming, and renewing our souls for another day, another week, another month, all leading into another year of living. Hoping your time at home or where ever you happen to be is warm and cozy. If not in temperature, then at least in your heart and soul.

Extending the Magic of Christmas...

Another Christmas gone by...well, that is if you don't take into account that today is actually the 11th day of Christmas! The 11th day of Christmas you say? Yes, the 12 days of Christmas are actually the 12 days following Christmas Day, ending on January 6th. Everyone just assumes that it is the 12 days leading up to Christmas Day.

At our house the stockings are still hung, the Christmas lights still on, the tree is up and decorated (didn't get it decorated until the day before Christmas Eve, but that's another story in itself) lights shining bright, Christmas music fills the air, we are watching at least one or two Christmas movies an evening, and I am stretching the gingerbread cookies as far as they will possibly go. Which by the way, may take us into February, considering I am only decorating/icing them one and a half dozen at a time! And to think, I was so worried about having gingerbread cookies baked but not decorated in time for Christmas Day! I'm thinking this is our new tradition...get them all baked (all 185 of them), then make enough icing for all of them and put the icing on them in small batches, one or one and a half dozen at a time, once a week or so.

We absolutely love Christmas because of all these things...the things that are fun to do as a family. It's a celebration of love and friendship, of warmth and giving, of all things kind and joyful. Our hearts are more open during this time of year, so why wouldn't we want to extend all those wonderful feelings, and to keep celebrating the birth of Jesus. He after all is the reason for all of it, the one who we celebrate. So, in trying to extend Christmas we are reminding ourselves over and over of God's infinite love for us all. Trying to hold on tight to these moments of pure delight and joy reminds us to carry it through the year...carry it in our heart and soul for all who we come into contact with, even during our most harried days.

If you too are wishing for everyday to be like Christmas, then make it so...treat every ordinary day as though it is Christmas Day. Fill your heart with joy, your eyes with light, and the air with beautiful music...the sounds of laughter, singing, and praise for He who made the world possible.
Extend the magic of Christmas, and feel the blessings of each and every ordinary, but also extraordinary day you are given...choose to live with hope and joy, and the promise of God's undying love.

Discipline is Greatly Needed...

I am one of those people who is a procrastinator and who definitely needs more self discipline...I always start out the weekend with big plans for getting my house in order from top to bottom, and somehow always fall short, very short! I have not posted for quite some time, due to lack of time to do it all! I had to choose priority over want...and a blog is not priority in the grand scheme of things in my life right now. My top priority is my little guy, my husband, our older son, and getting our home in order. I for one cannot do it all! At least not properly. These years go by way too fast to not spend them in the moment with my family. I will post randomly when I have time and something worth posting.   

A Bit Of Summer...

Every year I think things will slow down once school is out for the summer...that is simply not the case...EVER! I always forget about swimteam, practices every day, with swimmeets on Saturdays. It is busier than ever! We love it though. This year it has been amazing to see how far the little guy has come with his swimming. He has been on the swimteam since he was 4 (the kids have to be able to swim the length of the pool without stopping, touching bottom, or hanging onto the lane ropes), and has made a tremendous improvement. The first meet this summer he placed for the first time ever...not only did he place, he placed 1st in two events-breaststroke and mixed relay, and 2nd in two events-freestyle and backstroke. He was so excited to do so well in breaststroke...that was his big brothers stroke when he swam, and he thinks his big brother is the "be all and end all". So sweet.