I know there is one more holiday approaching, but I hope you all had a very nice Christmas. Our Christmas week is typically full of celebrations - our youngest's birthday, Christmas Day, and our Wedding Anniversary. A lot to celebrate in one week for sure.
My husband only got Christmas day off of work this year. It seems the kids also had to work the same days.
Our weather is taking a turn for warmer temperatures, and tomorrow they expect it to be around 60°F here. Crazy for sure. However, it is the perfect weather to take down all of the outside Christmas lights. I would love to keep them up for New Year's Eve, but the weather will turn right back to very cold temperatures by next weekend.
It's the perfect weather to work on outdoor projects, but the best weather days are during the week. The home repair list is dwindling, but it's still lingering ha ha!
Two of the kids are house shopping, and we are trying to help, but it's not a great time to buy right now.
I have been seeing a lot of cardinals here lately. I do need to clean my windows ha ha! Next time I will go outside to snap a photo.
We made one batch of our traditional butter cut out cookies (gave most of them to others), and one batch of a new einkorn recipe from Jovial recipes - Peanut Butter Blossoms. They contain einkorn flour (no white flour), but they do contain granulated sugar and brown sugar. I used the Hershey kisses, but these went to work with my husband for a treat. We kept just a few for us. They are very good. Next time I will try breaking up an organic white chocolate or dark chocolate bar, and use those in place of the kiss candy. I got 43 cookies using my small pampered chef scoop.
We also baked a healthier version of "chex mix" and have already given half of it away (one kiddo loves it). We all love it, so I'll have a post on that soon. It's a treat only at Christmas and New Year's Eve for us.
I'm still staying on track with my fitness, and otherwise healthy meals despite the holidays and cookies. I have a few new salad recipes to try soon, and we are focusing on the freezer and pantry for the next month. Other than buying fresh vegetables and fruits, it should be a fun monthly meal plan.
I mixed up a new recipe to try - homemade body wash. Winter brings dry skin, and I wanted to give it a try. We do typically only use goat's milk soap, but this may help a bit more. I'm only making a small amount to make sure I am not allergic to any of the ingredients. I'll update on it after using it for a while.
In other news . . .
I was washing dishes, and saw something jumping around out in the yard. It was this cat, and he/she (most likely a he by the coloring), was pouncing on something. I had to laugh. It was out hunting for food, and caught it. I've see it hanging around before, but it's been weeks since I've seen it. I could not get a close enough photo to see if it was a catch and release (tipped ear) cat.I have not been watching he morning or evening news, so I really don't know what's going on in the "real" world lately. I have spent more time sipping herbal tea and reading, and a few minutes of easy crochet work. Once the weather turns cold again, I will check my yarn stash and start a new lap afghan. I may have enough to donate by next winter (not enough time this year with home repairs/purging/cleaning, and re-organizing (but so worth it).
I have finally opened my new planner and started filling it in already. Which reminded me about how people spend their entire day looking forward to the end of the day, or end of the week, instead of embracing the moments as they are in real time. Don't forget to find joy in the present moments, as you can't get that time back.
Do you do anything "fun" to embrace a moment or moments in your day? Sit outside and watch the birds? Watch the sunrise or sunset? Plant a new plant indoors? I would love to hear your winter activities or plans.
I was gifted a new planter container last May (gulp), and have yet to fill it. I had planned to try and bring in Thai basil, but that failed. Rosemary is very difficult for me to winterize indoors, so I'm looking into maybe another herbal plant.
I have not yet found any local line dancing, but we are continuously seeking out activities for us this winter. If anything, we'll get some evening walks in.
New Cookie Recipe Tried ~ Homemade Body Wash © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
