Posts

January highlights {New Year's Eve, lots of basketball, Snowmageddon, Wicked}

-
Image
  1) New Year's Eve. we rang in the New Year with good friends, good food, and lots of music as has been our tradition for the last few years! I ordered another half-dozen carol books to round out the set from last year so we had plenty to go around.  Cece's fondue set was a hit although we did have a minor medical event when Greta ate several pieces of pineapple and broke out in hives! thankfully no throat swelling or difficulty breathing. I dosed her with Zyrtec and she was fine, but no more pineapple for her! love these ladies! (also, the poor angel tree-topper has seen her last Christmas, I think) our New Year's Eve party is one of my favourite nights of the year with a house full of our favourite people making beautiful music together. plus, there is generally at least one baby (this year we had two!). we opened the bottle of Veuve Clicquot I was gifted for my fortieth birthday to toast at midnight and welcome another year full of adventures.  singing with his goddau...
1 comment
Read more

Christmas 2025

-
Image
every year, I feel like Christmas is a balancing act between the spiritual, the fun, and the mundane -- and what saves me from losing my mind is the mantra "decide once", a la Kendra Adachi . I have decided that I order photo cards from Walgreens using a same-day pickup promo code (rather than wading through all kinds of assuredly beautiful cards from other sites). I fill stockings with mostly consumables, including toiletry products. I wrap using mostly gift bags -- so much faster! we eat clam chowder for dinner on Christmas Eve. we go to Christmas mass on Christmas Day, rather than the vigil the night before (well, Nick is at ALL the Christmas services, but I take the kids in daylight hours). I keep a locked note on my phone to track gift ideas and ultimate purchases. all of this frees up mental space for things that do shift from season to season! I want to strike a balance between enjoying a beautiful, special experience with my family while still maintaining my equilibri...
2 comments
Read more