good morning monday (december 18)

enjoying

that I am finally getting into the spirit of the season. (I didn’t decorate this year. at. all. [insert gasp].) the christmas music is playing as I type this (sarah mclachlan – thanks for the recommendation geek girl) and I am singing along.

loving

my bangs. yep. i love them more than i want to admit.

gingerbread lattes

watching

the fox and the hound. oh how i love this film. i wish i had the dvd (i caught it on the disney channel). that little todd (the fox) just makes my heart happy. i actually have a cel from this film. the scene between todd and vixey when he gives her the flower.

watching over and over

pride and prejudice. the new one. (the one i boycotted in the theatre but now love to watch because it can be watched in a short amount of time. i love the bbc version, of course, but this one is quite delicious.) my heart goes pitter-patter watching this movie and i find myself giggling out loud.

the muppets christmas carol. this is one of my favorite holiday movies. i can pretty much recite the entire movie. it makes my heart very happy.

singing

joshua radin and (right now) sarah mclachlan

(getting ready to start) reading

fiction: the mercy of thin air by ronlyn domingue (thank you my friend)
nonfiction: name all the animals by alison smith (saw it on the shelf and knew i had to read it)
crafty: plush-o-rama by linda kopp (it is kind a secret for no reason other than i can’t believe i am doing this but i have started making stuffies)

creating

christmas presents (i will share pictures soon!)

cooking/eating

this paula dean recipe (we are making it for dinner tonight) [update: put in the actual link...and want to report that it was delicious!]

nutter butters. haven’t had them in years but they were the food of choice during the black out. I like to separate each layer and eat them one at a time. such yummy goodness (going to eat the last one after I post this…here’s hoping I still fit into my jeans after eating all of them).

peanut butter and jelly on toast.

anticipating

using the new juicer we bought as an early christmas present for me. I am going back to my childhood roots and drinking apple juice all the time (ever since the nurse handed me some after one of my procedures last month – I now have a never-ending thirst for it). now I will be able to make fresh apple juice from the organic apples we get each week in our delivery (I. cannot. wait.).

visiting jon’s family this week. we will be spending christmas with them. and they are so excited, which invites me to be so excited. it is so nice to have people say things like, “we can’t wait until you two get here.” seriously. they are the best.

the new movie night at the museum. is anyone else as excited about this movie as me? I love this idea. a museum coming to life. that is freaking cool.

feeling very grateful

that my family and friends are safe.

that I am learning how to speak the words that are (sometimes) trapped in my throat.

for the community that exists here in blog world. (thank you for you)

that our power is on and we are warm.

for all of the good memories I have of my grandma. I think about her so much this time of year (isn’t that what we do when we have lost someone?) and I spend a lot of time in the sad that I cannot have new memories. yet, today, listening to this music, I am gently pushed to realize I am blessed to have so many positive memories. even though I will not open a gift from her on christmas eve, to live in the sad is to not honor her life and our friendship. (I know I will forget this over and over as I so desperately miss her, but it is good to remember it in this moment.)