I don't think Sheaffer and Shay are doing the link-up this month, but I'm going to answer the prompts, anyway; I like having them to look back at over the years. Plus, I'm eleven months in; can't quit now!
What We're Eating
I don't have any pictures of our meals, lately. I think I've been in survival mode as the holidays approached, which meant eating whatever was on hand. We did have a fabulous turkey feast on Christmas day, so there is no doubt what we will be eating for the rest of the week (the turkey weighed 22 pounds and took foreverrrrr to cook). In fact, I threw the carcass in a pot yesterday and made a turkey stock that will be used in soup either today or tomorrow, and, I am very much looking forward to a turkey pot pie before the week is out. So, yeah...turkey...we're eating turkey.
What I'm Reminiscing About
Christmas was a great celebration; we enjoyed the company of our parents, my sister, her son, my niece and nephew, and our kids. I would be lying if I said that I haven't been reminiscing about when the kids were small and we all got together, though. Those days were chaotic and loud and crazy and messy and I miss them like crazy. Christmas really is for children, and I miss having littles under foot. As it was, our "littles" spent Christmas day playing inappropriate card games and drinking me out of champagne. Mimosas and Cards Against Humanity for the win, I guess.
What I'm Loving
When I got up to put the turkey in the oven at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day, I discovered a gift that Santa had left while I was sleeping. Not only do I love the gift, but I love that Queen B was Santa in this scenario; she was so proud of herself! She had purchased the blow mold in November and made arrangements to have my niece drive it down from Texas. I love how much she enjoyed surprising me, and it goes without saying that I love the blow mold.
What I've Been Up To
This month was all about preparing for-and celebrating- Christmas. I celebrated with my staff at a new wine and whiskey bar in Hooterville, where we wore ugly sweaters and exchanged Secret Santa gifts. We also put together a card for all of our friends at our partnering agencies.
We also made it a point to dress up for a photo for the card that we posted to our social media accounts.
The Christmas card that my family sent out this year was also a lot of fun to make. We are so excited about adding Shanti to our family! Still no date, yet, but; she did "accidentally" find her wedding dress while on a spur-of-the-moment trip to a bridal salon in Neighboring City with her mom and her sister, who was visiting for Christmas. It is gorgeous and now I really can't wait for them to make it official!
I also took a trip to Texas to spend some time with Queen B earlier in the month. We had a great time! We took a carriage ride to see the Christmas lights in Highland Park, searched or treasures in every antique store between Stephenville and Ft. Worth, shopped at a German Christmas market, hosted a sip'n'paint with for a group of her friends, and just generally enjoyed being together.
What I'm Working On
I am slowly working on taking down the Christmas decorations. And, by slowly, I mean at a snail's pace. Yesterday, I put away the Winterberry dishes that we used on the table for Christmas dinner. Today, I plan to dismantle the wrapping station in my office; returning it to a crafting room and not Christmas Central. Tomorrow, I will tackle everything but the tree (it will probably come down on New Year's Day). It's always faster to take the decorations down than to put them up.
What I'm Dreading
I'm not really dreading anything! Unless you count the physical labor involved in getting all of the Christmas boxes back down from the attic and back up again. But, I'm trying not to think about that.
What I'm Excited About
I'm excited about the possibility of traveling to the UK to visit Erin and Kristi in the new year. Kristi will be here in January, and we are going to plan my trip!
What I'm Watching
I watched all of my favorite claymation Christmas classics this year! Including Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and The Year Without a Santa Claus (Queen B's request, not my fave). The only one we missed was The Little Drummer Boy, but I am on the hunt for it (I have all of them on DVD, but we no longer have a functioning DVD player; we're working on that).
What I'm Listening To
I have been playing my Christmas albums on repeat; this is my favorite time of year to use my record player. I like to listen to the carols as I wrap presents and bake.
What I'm Reading
I picked up this book at a Barnes & Noble while I was in Texas and read through it in two days.
What I'm Wearing
I've been rotating through my Christmas pajamas, of which I have many.
What I'm Doing This Weekend
I'm pretty sure I will still be taking down my Christmas decorations, see above: snail's pace.
What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month
I am actually looking forward to getting back into a work/life groove. I have plans for my physical and mental health as well as a renewed energy for my job (time off will do that; who knew?). I am also looking forward to having Kristi visit, as well.
Favorite Amazon Find
My Amazon purchases were primarily gift this month, so I don't really have a favorite. I'm sure I'll have something awesome to report next month.
And, that's it for both the month and the year! The next installment of this link-up will happen in a brand new year. Here's hooping it will be a good one!
I pretty much felt the same way about doing a WUW post; even if they aren't hosting the link up I can't just not post one for December! It sounds like you had a wonderful family filled Christmas. It definitely feels so much different not having any little kids around but I kinda loved it this year. It felt so much more relaxed and laid back and not at all stressful.
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