Reading... Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. It was my Book of the Month Club pick for November, and I could NOT put it down. I have enjoyed all of her books, but this is my new favorite. Highly recommend.
Drinking... lots of cocoa. Since the weather turned, I've been missing coffee so much. I've been tempted to go back to drinking it... but I know better- it's not good for my anxiety, and also not good for health (I drink about half coffee and half cream) so instead I am having cocoa on those days when I really crave a yummy warm drink. It's totally hitting the spot.
Watching... Ocean's 8 with Josh & Samuel on date night. I enjoyed it, but it did not live up to Ocean's 11 or 12. Luckily I love Sandra Bullock, so I liked it even though I was missing Danny & Rusty.
Hanging... with my sister & her kiddos on Saturday. She drove over to spend the day with us, playing and sharing pizza & a movie. The boys played super well, spending most of the day outside, while we spent it chasing the girls around inside. My favorite part was when Roxanne went to change Romy, and Carly went over to change her baby doll's diaper at the same time. It was so precious!
Celebrating... my 36th birthday with dinner, cake & ice cream with Josh, the kids and my brother-in-law Samuel. It was such a lovely evening. The kids sang Happy Birthday and Carly helped blow out the candles. After we had cake & ice cream (yum!) I opened presents, and was thoroughly spoiled.
Wyatt bought me a frame that says "Best Mom Ever" that's my favorite (!) and wrote me the sweetest card. It said, "You are the greatest mom ever!!! You have been so good at taking care of all of us. Have a really happy BIRTHDAY!!!!"
Logan bought me the most beautiful, sparkly, gold water bottle and a notepad & pen for making grocery lists, both things that I LOVE and that I needed. His thoughtfulness & how well he knows me meant so much.
Jack got me a sign that says, "I just love that you're my mom" that I jokingly pointed out to the twins while we were shopping, and he also got me a book of quotes that I can rip out and send to my pen pals or tape into my journals. It's like a book of Pinterest quotes. I love it!
My Aunt Linda sent me a pair of adorable heart earrings & a heartfelt note.
Samuel got me some notebooks, gel pens, stickers, gemstones & puff paint because he had teased me about how much I spent on journals, when a spiral notebook is so cheap. This way, he said, I could decorate it myself. I laughed so hard as I opened his gift, and am actually really excited to use all the craft supplies, as are the kids! I love that guy.
And lastly, I got a box from my mom (in addition to the two books she got me {Small Victories by Anne Lamott & The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer} and the amazing bath bombs she sent with my sister) and in the box was a pair of Lularoe leggings (my fav- so soft!), Bath & Body Works lotion & foam bath, and a pair of earrings and a necklace from Origami Owl.
The necklace made me burst into tears.
Feeling... all the feels. Seeing "Nevertheless She Persisted" on the necklace from my mom, after the year I have had, just meant so much. I think of my mom as a really, really strong person, and for her to look at me and think of me as a strong person was just a huge compliment. For her to take the time to acknowledge what I've been through, and how I've handled it just made me really proud of myself and grateful for her in my life.
35 was a bit of an ass kicker, I'll be honest. But without hard times, we don't grow. And I really love who I am now, heading into 36. I love this quote that Haverlee shared on her Instagram last week:
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| {mike foster} |
But in the end I've learned some amazing, life changing things. (That I plan on sharing with you later this week!)
Dealing... with a cold that will.not.quit! It started with Josh, then Jack, then me, then Carly, and it will not go away! We're all blowing our noses and coughing like crazy. It's so annoying! Carly has probably had it worst cause she's so little. But I will admit, when she wakes up in the night needing me, I kind of love the snuggles and her sweet warm breath on my neck. I know how fast these days fly by, and I'm not taking a single one for granted.
Organizing... the garage with Josh on his day off Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The kids had a half day, but his school district is different, so he had the whole day off. Even though I was sick, I threw on some cozy pants and made myself go help him because the garage had been driving us both crazy for weeks. We laughed that we are officially grown ups that a day off spent organizing the garage brought us such joy. ;)
Making... rolls from scratch using Josh's mom's recipe. I also made two pumpkin pies (and their crusts) from scratch, as well as two batches of fudge Wednesday so that Thursday would be a little easier for me. Everything turned out great, and I was really proud of myself!
Hosting... Thanksgiving at the last second because Josh just couldn't bear to let his family have it out at his parent's shop on their land, which was the plan. He went out there a few nights before Thanksgiving and came home to me saying that there was no table, and no chairs, and hardly any room and it was going to be cold and miserable, and he thought we should just host it here. So we called everyone up and changed the plan. "Come on over!" we told everyone. We borrowed some chairs from the neighbor and set up an extra table, and it ended up being just perfect.
We had the best time- the food was great, the company was awesome and the memories were oh-so-sweet. We had his parents, his brother & his girlfriend, as well as his sister, her girlfriend & her three sons. So it was a full house, but a happy full house.
Decorating... gingerbread houses with Aunt Julie on Friday. Josh's sister is the fun aunt, and she brought gingerbread houses (and tons of candy) to decorate and let the kids go to town on Friday. Even Carly got in on the magic.
Taking... the kids bowling with their cousins after gingerbread houses Friday. They had fun bowling (Wyatt got a strike on his first roll!) and it was a fun time hanging out, visiting for the grown ups. After that we all headed back to our house to have pizza and watch the Apple Bowl (WSU vs.UW) where sadly WSU (where Josh and I attended) lost. But it was a super fun day of family, and I'm so grateful we had that time together. Especially Julie's girlfriend Erica and I, who managed to finish an entire puzzle in two days! (Even after my cats decimated it Friday morning!) I love doing puzzles and was glad to find someone in the family who enjoys them as much as I do.
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This year I was thankful for:
1) My kids being here.
2) Josh
3) Samuel moving here. He's brought so much happiness & laughter into our lives.
I'm also thankful for this little space on the internet.
I love coming here to share my heart with you.
Thanks for reading.
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