Taking a few weeks away from blogging was a good thing for me to do, and gave me time to think about how I want to do things going forward to avoid burnout, and make sure writing stays a pleasurable activity for both me and my readers.
I managed to keep busy with a few things during my time off:
- Our daughter-in-law called me the Sunday before Thanksgiving and asked if I’d like to go along with her and K to World Market. A sensible Laura would have said no because I don’t know of a store that has more temptations to spend on than that one does (it’s the most dangerous store ever for me), and I always buy more than I intend when I walk in. However, Brett said I should go so I promised I would be careful, or as careful as possible. I somehow got out of there with just four bags of stuff, including a throw pillow and warm thrown for the sofa, but I also came home with a chair – never saw that coming. I kept walking back to look at it, loved the armless style and fabric pattern, and thought it would look good with our sofas. I finally looked at the tag and discovered it was on clearance for 50% off so . . . I sent Brett a picture and asked what he thought and he said get it! We now have a super comfortable, sturdy, and stylish chair that provided some much needed additional seating at Christmas. And with the addition of our new print, our home feels “complete.” (Our DIL liked it so much she almost got one too!)
- I got my hair cut. I loved my curls, but they are not simple or inexpensive to maintain so I went to a barbershop and got my hair cut short-short again. I got a great cut (barbershops are all about grooming versus just style) for less than half of what I would have paid at a salon.
- I attended a Nashville Symphony Orchestra “Home Alone” concert with M and K (K’s new “favorite movie ever”). We watched the movie on a big screen in the auditorium while the orchestra played the soundtrack below – it was fantastic! Since one of us still has to stay home with Kaipo, Brett stayed with him that day, but I watched him when Brett went with them another weekend to see the ice exhibit and all the Christmas decorations at the Opryland hotel.
- Our very good friend Denise came through Tennessee on her extended road trip and we had a grand time catching up before it was time for her to be on her way again. We had dinner at our place and the next day Denice and I explored historic downtown Franklin. Both of us were grateful to have our dogs along (she has two!) as they limited us to window shopping only. We were able to snag an outdoor table at the Irish pub across the street from the historic Franklin theater and enjoy a delicious lunch there.
- I tried three new recipes in November and December: pumpkin lasagna, easy dulce de leche, and an amazing apple pie that we had at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recipes will be coming up in the next few weeks!
- Brett and I hiked at the nearby Marcella Vivrette Smith Park – there are four well-marked trails through the woods and fields – and we walked around historic the Ravenswood Mansion which is located there as well. The mansion, built in 1825 for the Wilson family, is currently used an an event site (weddings, etc.) so no tours were available of the interior, but the home and several exterior buildings have been well preserved. As I’ve said before, I’m not much interested in plantation homes unless slavery is discussed right up front, and the write-up of Ravenswood does not shy away from it.
- I read several books, and brought my total books read for the year to 58! I ended the year with several new books on hold at the library, so those will be interspersed while I reread other books throughout the year.
- We did a big stock-up on toiletries for 2023 throughout December, buying (hopefully enough) shampoo, shave cream, shower gel, moisturizer with SPF 55, body cream, razor and blades, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, and dental floss to get us through the year. We also wanted to buy vitamins but they go on sale this month at Costco so we we’ll pick those up this month. The bath bombs are for when K spends the night with us. I got a big Target gift card for Christmas and as we honestly don’t need another thing for the apartment I’m going to use some of it to stock up on tissues and toilet paper.
- I applied for a job at our nearby Trader Joe’s. I am having some second thoughts about it, especially with our grandson staying in Tennessee and having to fit in his new school schedule with K’s, but I haven’t heard anything from TJ’s either, so will just wait and see what happens.
- I had fun making a special Christmas “Cocoa Bar” for our son and family that I took over to them a few days before Christmas. I found two big red mugs at Goodwill last fall for the grandkids, and along with a container of Cadbury drinking chocolate added miniature peppermint marshmallows, double chocolate marshmallow spoons, and vegan cocoa sticks from Trader Joes, a box of big peppermint (stir) sticks and snowflake marshmallow toppers from World Market. I was planning to arrange everything in a basket but found the cute wooden “Cocoa Bar” box at Target’s dollar market at the front of the store for less than a basket would have cost.
- We signed up for a new travel card and earned enough miles for a free trip to Mexico (in 2024). YaYu wants to see San Miguel de Allende and asked us to go along with her and now we can . . . for free!
- Preparations for our big family gathering kept both Brett and I busy throughout much of December, and the actual time everyone was here was crazy but wonderful, especially after Southwest cancelled the girls’ and KN’s flights home. We still had an absolutely perfect family gathering for Christmas and we all said we’d like to do it again next year – WenYu has suggested maybe at her home in Massachusetts!
Thank you again for the time away from the blog – it was necessary but I feel ready to get back to it again.
The Occasional Nomads 