"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" - J. B. Priestley
Well, hello December!
Yesterday Ohioans ushered in the new month with a day of continuous (if not sticking) flakes. ...And it was good :) I know that in a couple weeks months I will be sick & tired of winter weather (although, to be fair, by mid-January we're pretty much done with snow, and well into the season of slush. Yuk.)-- and, frankly, I hate shoveling snow as much as the next person-- but to me, the first snow is magical. I love the way it softens the whole world, the way it brightens up the night, and the comfort it brings me, as I remember holiday seasons past.
We decorated the house this weekend (we meaning, of course, my sister and I, as J happily hands over the decorating tasks and resigns himself to playing video games in the 'man cave' for the duration of such projects ;), and it really puts me in the Christmas spirit to come home and light the tree -- I think it takes away a little of the heartache I feel each day when the sun sets at 5 pm.
And, in addition to decorating the house (pictures to come!), other things are happening over here, too. BIG things, as a matter of fact :) Assuming that you aren't google-reading, you've probably noticed that Amy Around the Corner has experienced a little face lift! (Do you approve?!) As anyone who has ever watched a small child knows, long periods of quiet rarely mean that nothing is happening :) There's been a lot of dreaming and scheming going on over here (in addition to ... you know.. attempting to have a life), and the dreams began to come to fruition last evening, with the help of a few fabulous seasonal beers, a little chocolate, much consultation of "the googles" for html help (note to self: add "learn html" to next year's goals.) and of course, my fuzzy sidekicks:
(Clearly, "help" is a relative term. Heh. Actually, Laurie took this picture on Saturday!)
Granted, I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I'm pretty bounce-off-the-wall excited about the whole thing. (uhm. And in the spirit of complete honesty, I just took a 30 minute break from writing this post because I have another blog window open, and I was reading past posts, courtesy of the new links. ... I may or may not have cried when I stumbled upon this post. I was clinging to every word. This is why I write this blog.)
And now, I'd love to catch you up on November in typical Amy-style:
Good List
1. J. I think I fell in love with my husband all over again on Tuesday night. No kidding. I had been having a bad day, so when I came home, I headed straight to the kitchen for a glass of wine to cook dinner. By the time I had finished up with the homemade cranberry sauce (YUM), J had arrived, and we stood in the kitchen and talked to each other for over an hour. The deep soul-searching, soul-growing kind of talk. It was incredible, and it reminded me once again how absolutely perfect he is for me.
2. Crafty, Home made (home baked) goodness. As we focus our energies inside for the winter months, I am finding so much joy in creating, whether it be baking, writing or, in the most organic sense of the word: crafting. Here's a picture of the diaper cake I made for my SIL's baby shower in mid-November. ... I know it's not perfect (I like to think the slight lopsidedness adds charm :), but I was very proud of it.
3. Christmas comes early for our (extended family) this year, as my SIL and her husband are expecting their first child (a BOY!) in mid-December. I'm so excited to meet and hold the little man... he is so loved all ready. I'm going to be an aunt!
4. Anticipation. Both my biggest source of frustration, and my biggest blessing. Right now I'm riding high on the blessings, and working hard to squash the lingering doubts.
5. Adrenaline. I've decided that 2011 might be a year of risk for me-- or rather, a year of taking risks. It's said that sometimes with the greatest risk comes the greatest reward, and I'm ready to take a couple (big for me) leaps of faith. I'm scared, yes... but more excited to see where these things might lead.
6. New (super cute) boots. Delightful.
7. Family. J and I were blessed with a very family centered Thanksgiving weekend: Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's, Friday night dinner with Jon's sisters and their families (including bambinos to be!), and Saturday was decorating & dinner with Laurie. Good, good stuff.
8. Fabric softener. This stuff almost makes me want to do laundry. Almost. (Although, while we're on the subject, I had quite the mountain of laundry to tackle this weekend. It's a miracle blessing that that's done!)
9. Letting friends (including blog friends!) motivate me. I'm taking a cue from Bobbi and doing a 31 day yoga challenge during the month of December (so far, so good!)
All right, your turn! What have you been up to? Is there snow where you live? What has been the best part of your holiday season so far?
