Just wanted to pop in one last time to wish all of you a Happy New Year!
Many thanks to each and every one of you who continue to come back to this space day after day, year after year. I am truly grateful for you, and I am praying for happiness, peace, love, and GOOD HEALTH for all of you in 2022!
We had a wonderful Christmas, and today I’m recapping it all on the blog!
Monday, December 20
Monday morning, B had to work, and I headed out bright and early to do all of our grocery shopping before the crowds settled in. It was definitely busier than usual for 9 in the morning, but it wasn’t too bad at all. When I got home, I got everything unloaded and put away, and then I snuck a few minutes in my office with my cup of hot tea.
Mid-morning, the kids and I worked on some Christmas crafts. Olivia had it in her head that she wanted to make Christmas stockings, so she and Jacob crafted their little hearts out using pipe cleaners, scrapbook paper, stickers, and other embellishments, and they turned out so good. They did them all on their own with just a little bit of help from me with the hot glue gun. Afterward, we did a little impromptu photo shoot. ;o)
One of my old coworkers called me Monday afternoon for our monthly chat, and I ended up talking to him for 30 minutes getting caught up on everything with him and his family as well as all of the stuff going on at my old job.
By the time he and I got off the phone, it was time to cook dinner, and we all sat down to Cajun chicken pasta, broccoli, bread, and wine for B and me.
After dinner, we watched a couple of episodes of Fresh Prince and then B and I watched some more Shark Tank and All American before heading to bed.
Tuesday, December 21
Tuesday was another work day for B, and yet again, I headed out bright and early to get some last-minute things we needed for the holidays. My first stop was Target, and second was Fresh Market.
When I got home, I had just enough time to squeeze in a cup of cinnamon tea before the kids and I had to head out for our semi-annual teeth cleanings. It was rainy and FREEZING all day (like I think the temp maxed out at 39 on Tuesday) so it was not a day that we wanted to be out running around.
After our appointments, we headed home to eat lunch and then hang out for the rest of the day. I got some more stuff done for Christmas and then cooked dinner, and then we all watched The Santa Clause 2 before the kids went to bed. Then once they were in the bed, we watched The Bachelorette finale.
Wednesday, December 22
Wednesday morning, we all slept in and had breakfast, and then we all got ready to go visit my Momma at her office because… it was her last day of work before her retirement!! She has worked in our church office for 35 years (since I was four years old), and prior to that, her Momma worked there (my Mama Cass) for more than 20 years. They even overlapped a few years, too.
I grew up going to her office. I did homework there, I typed stories and poems on their typewriters (before they had computers), I helped run all of the envelopes through the postage meter, and I “helped” wherever else I could when I was little. It’s going to be weird knowing that she’s not there anymore, but we are so very excited for her and her next chapter of life! I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time with her, too.
Brian and Jacob were on a team, and Olivia and I were on a team, and the boys ended up beating us 303 to 266. The game took forever, and by the time we were done, the kids were ready for video games, but I made them take a few minutes to tidy the house first because it was a wreck.
It was cold Wednesday night, which was perfect for this outing, and it was just the best time with my sweet little fam and my parents. It was also a nice little outing for my parents to kick off my Momma’s retirement!
Thursday, December 23
Thursday was Christmas baking day!! We all slept in, and then I made homemade waffles per the kids’ request. I joined them for a couple of cartoons on the couch while I enjoyed my cinnamon tea, and then it was time to get started baking.
Every now and then I’ll have several weeks where I feel “off” and weird so this isn’t the first time this has happened – and I’ve had this happen before Covid ever existed, too – so I have a feeling it’s a hormones thing. No way to know for sure, though, I suppose. Especially since it happens so infrequently.
Anyhoo, back to baking – first up, we baked a Funfetti cake with peppermint frosting. While the cake cooled, we had a quick lunch, and then we frosted and decorated the cake. Both kids asked to do the frosting, which they’d never done before, so I let Olivia frost the bottom layer and then Jacob frosted the top. I frosted the edges and then touched it up a bit, and then we crushed some candy canes to sprinkle on top. The kids also added some holly and berry sprinkles for a pop of color.
And just for the record, I didn't take a picture of Olivia when she was frosting the bottom, and when I took a picture of Jacob frosting his part, Olivia was like, "I want a picture of me frosting the cake, too!" So she pretended to frost the cake for a picture even though she had already finished. Haha.
Mid-afternoon, the kids played some Mario Kart while B and I got ready, and then we all piled in the car to head to our next festive adventure… Fantasy in Lights to visit with Santa! We had planned to try to visit Santa the week prior to Christmas, but everyone had the flu, so we had no choice but to wait until the last minute… we really cut it close this year!
Fantasy in Lights is quite a haul from where we live, so we had to leave pretty early to arrive there in time. We wanted to beat the crowd, so we arrived 15 minutes before Santa was scheduled to arrive. When we first pulled up, the place was PACKED, and I thought for sure the line for Santa would be crazy, but it turned out that most people appeared to be eating at the food trucks, and there was hardly anyone in the big tent where Santa was. We ended up having about eight or nine families ahead of us, but the line moved lightning fast, and we were in and out of the line in about 10 minutes once it started moving.
The kids were able to remove their masks and take a safe picture with Santa since he was behind the glass, but they were able to talk to him and tell him what they wanted, too.
Friday, December 24
Friday morning was Christmas Eve, so Brian headed out bright and early in search of donuts from our favorite local place. He also swung by Starbucks to grab a Peppermint Mocha for me. After breakfast, B made a fire, and we all piled on the couch to watch Olaf’s Frozen Adventure followed by The Santa Clause 3.
When the movie was over, the four of us took at-home Covid tests just to make sure we were good to go for our family gatherings, and we were all negative as expected since none of us had any symptoms anyway.
We have a small-ish family get-together on Christmas Eve at my parents’ house and a large get-together at my aunt and uncle’s on Christmas night, so our entire family decided it would be a good idea to self-test to make sure that everyone is negative before mixing up inside together. I still can’t believe that after weeks and weeks of barely any positive cases in our city, Omicron arrived just in time to try to ruin Christmas again. Sigh. Thankfully, we were all negative as we suspected.
Christmas Eve at my parents’ house is my most favorite thing on earth, and last year that got ruined, so I was beyond excited and oh-so-grateful to be able to do it this year. In the weeks leading up to it, I thought for sure something was going to come along and ruin it for us again, but thankfully, it didn’t.
We headed over to their house just before 4 PM to watch Christmas Eve Mass virtually. We had all originally planned to go back to church in person for Christmas this year, but with Omicron flying all around town, we decided not to because we didn’t want to risk getting sick and then missing Christmas celebrations with Brian’s family.
After Mass was over, I had my Daddy take a picture of our family of four, and then my Momma and I got started on dinner. In year’s past, we’ve always done a traditional Christmas dinner – ham, dressing, mac n cheese, sweet potato souffle, etc., but last year we decided to start doing something easy so everyone would have less stress.
After dinner, we all sat around forever, and then out came the desserts – the peppermint Funfetti cake and homemade chocolate chip cookies that we’d made the day before.
By the time dessert was eaten, the kids were itching to open presents, so we all gathered in the living room, turned on Home Alone (our Christmas Eve tradition), and we got to work.
Saturday, December 25
Christmas morning, I woke up and looked at the clock and it was 8:40!!!! WHAT?! I could not believe that the kids weren’t up, and I couldn’t believe we had slept that late. I jumped out of bed and peeked out of our door to see if the kids were, in fact, still asleep, but I found them awake and waiting patiently in Jacob’s room.
Apparently, we have trained them well. Lol.
On normal weekends, they know not to wake us up unless they truly need us (we are not morning people), so they always hang out in one of their rooms or the playroom or they go downstairs until we’re up. Apparently, they forgot that it’s okay to wake us up on Christmas morning. Lol.
Once we were up, I went downstairs to turn all of the lights on and take pictures of all of their goodies while they waited upstairs. Once everything was ready to go, they came flying down the stairs. The funniest part was that Olivia got a Barbie Dreamhouse for Christmas, and it was literally front and center in the room, but she and Jacob both ran right by it and didn’t even notice it. Haha. A few minutes later, they both realized it was there, and Olivia freaked out.
As usual, Jacob reached for the Legos first, and Olivia reached for her Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron (the thing she wanted more than anything else, and naturally, the thing that was nearly impossible to find). We all watched her do that and it was really neat. She also received several craft kits, so I helped her work on some of those. And, of course, she spent lots of time with her new Dream House. She was also very excited about her matching PJs with Sheepie.
While all of that was going on, B spent forever outside trying to put together the basketball goal that we’d gotten. FYI, those things are a paaaain.
Around 4, it was time for me to bake my pineapple casserole and get showered and ready, and then at 5, we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house for our Christmas celebration with my extended family.
We had the traditional food spread there – ham, sweet potato souffle, mac and cheese, garlic green beans, mashed potatoes, pineapple casserole, dressing, cinnamon muffins, etc. and it was delicious.
A couple of my cousins who don’t live here were finally able to make it home for the first time since Covid started. We usually see them every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they hadn’t come since 2019, so it was really good to see them.
We got home a little after 8, got the kids in the bed, and then B and I watched that new-ish movie on Netflix – Red Notice. It was really good!
Sunday, December 26
Sunday, we never left the house. I finally got in a workout for the first time in two weeks (although, I still wasn’t feeling 100% normal), we played with the kids’ new toys, B finished putting together the basketball goal, we got the house tidied up (which took forever), I did about 4 or 5 loads of laundry, I started some deep house cleaning, and I finished a blog post.
We got Five Guys takeout for dinner because – why not? We’d already had so much junk food at that point, might as well do it again, right?! EEK.
Then the kids got showered, we played a game of Exploding Kittens that the kids got for Christmas (we all love it!), we watched an episode of Fresh Prince, and then B and I watched Don’t Look Up on Netflix. It was such a fantastic movie!
One week of Christmas break down, and one more to go! And more Christmas celebrations to come this week with B’s fam!
And now for a few current things…
Currently
Reading
In
December, I started reading In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren, and I’ll
have it finished in the next couple of days.
I’m loving it! It is so
well-written and funny, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly so far.
Currently
Watching
With
B: This month, B and I have been
watching Supermarket Sweep, Shark Tank, The Bachelorette, and
Saturday Night Live. I think those
are the only shows that weren’t on winter break this month. We have also watched a lot of movies – Love
Actually, Christmas Vacation, The Holiday, Die Hard, Red
Notice, Don’t Look Up, and Finch. We’ve also been watching college football
bowl games here and there, too.
With
the Kids: We’re still watching The
Fresh Prince of Bel Air and we watched loads more Christmas movies. This month we watched Home Alone
(again), Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3, and
Miracle on 34th Street.
Alone: Mostly just Serendipity on repeat
while I work! I haven’t been spending as
much time in my office this month anyway.
Currently
Listening To
Aaaaallll
the Christmas music.
And
now that Christmas is over, I’ve started shuffling my entire music library just
for fun. I have thousands of songs, and I
often forget about some albums that I love, so it’s good to shuffle all of it
every once in a while and remind myself of all of the good stuff that’s in
there!
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
2021, you
started out reeeeally questionable, and I was beginning to wonder if you were
going to be a repeat of the dreaded 2020, but eventually you did get
better. We had lots of ups and some
serious downs, but overall, you will be remembered as a decent year. Definitely not one of my favorites, but better
than 2020, at least.
The Bad…
After a wonderful New Year’s Eve and very high hopes for 2021, we got the bad news that we’d be starting back at school virtually after Christmas Break. Up to that point we had made it five whole months with not so much as one virtual day, and then, we had to do two weeks of it to kick off the new year. Sigh.
It was the year that our nation’s Capitol was attacked, vandalized, and looted by terrorists right here from our own country. It was shocking and terrifying, and it was an incredibly sad day for our country.
It was the year that my Grandma died, and we had to say goodbye to her as well as the home that she and my Pop had lived in together since before I was born.
It was the year that there were also a couple of other things happened in our family that I won’t mention for the privacy of others, but trust me when I say that things were just so tough.
It was the year that started out in time spent apart from our families… no Sunday lunches or dinners or church or eating out, and it was much of the same as 2020 for the first few months.
It was the year that a truck was stolen on our street followed by a rash of break-ins in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood has always been very safe, so it was not a great feeling, and it made us uneasy for several weeks.
It was the year that sickness invaded our home after over a year of no sickness at all. Jacob got a stomach virus, Flu B, and a terrible sinus infection that resulted in the highest fever he’s had since he was little. Olivia got strep for the first time ever plus a couple of smaller colds. Then Flu A swept through our household the week before Christmas and both kids experienced the highest fevers they’ve ever had. The fevers and illness lasted for nearly an entire week and they (and B and me) missed out on countless holiday parties, Christmas programs, get-togethers, and time with loved ones.
It was the year that all of us had to get tested for Covid… over and over. We went the whole year of 2020 not having to get tested, but 2021 brought on all the sickness, and therefore, all the testing. Thankfully, we were all negative every time.
It was the year that I lost one of my old coworkers to Covid, and also the year that many of our friends and loved ones lost loved ones to Covid.
It was the year that a very close family member found out they had cancer and had to undergo treatment. Thankfully, said person was able to undergo surgery and the docs were able to get it all, and they are now cancer-free. We can also file this one under the good!
It was the year that another very close family member had a cancer scare, but thankfully, there was no cancer. We sure did have some scares this year, though.
It was the year that our girl broke her elbow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a typical break either… it was extremely traumatic for her and also for me, aaaand for Jacob and all of the other kids and parents who were there, too. I’m so grateful for wonderful first responders and an excellent medical staff for giving her such great care and getting her elbow back to normal.
It was the year that because of said elbow break, our girl was in a cast / on strict orders to rest/be cautious/avoid water aaaallll summer long. We had to change many plans, but she was a trooper and I think she (and we) managed to make the most of it.
It was the year that we thought things were going to turn around for Covid, but cases started skyrocketing yet again as the kids headed back to school, thanks to the Delta variant, and later, the Omicron variant.
It was the year that Jacob’s precious classmate passed away.
It was the year that several tropical storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes ravaged the U.S. We were very fortunate and only suffered a couple of power outages, but there were so many other people who weren’t as fortunate.
It was the year that there was major turmoil and loss of life in the Middle East.
It was the year that Jacob started experiencing some anxiety here and there. Thankfully, I have it, too, and we have all of the tools we need to manage it.
It was the year that we lost my step-father-in-law’s mother.
It was the year that I received the sad news that my friend’s cancer is back. She’s been battling for so long, and she’s tried nearly everything. Please keep her in your prayers.
The Good…
It was the year that new administration took over in the United States and gave me a new sense of hope, especially after everything that transpired on January 6.
Week 3 - see beach recaps above
UGA Spring Practice Game – Athens, GA
SEC Championship Game – Atlanta, GA
UGA Spring Practice Game – Athens, GA
UGA vs. Alabama SEC Championship Game – Atlanta, GA
The Friends Experience Atlanta Trip
SEC Championship game in Atlanta
Dinner Date with Jeannine, Shelly, and Natalie
Dinner Date with Jen, Jeannine, and Becky
Girls Night at Jen’s Apartment
Girls Brunch with Jeannine, Jess, and Khristina
Taqueria Dinner with Jessica, Jeannine, Becky, and Jenn
Thai Dinner with Jeannine and Jen
Garden Party for Jessica’s 40th
Birthday
Girls Dinner with Jen and Jenn
Playground Playdate That Ended in Olivia’s Broken Elbow
Playdate with Mack and Buckley at our house
Cousins Playdate to the Animal Safari
Playdate with Friends at the Swimming Pool
Pumpkins at Callaway with Friends
Fall Festival Playdate with Friends
Fantasy in Lights with Cousins
Christmas Break Playdate at Our House
A Complete List of Things to Clean Out in the New Year
The Easiest Way to Keep Track of Daily Tasks (My Daily To-Do List)
How to Completely Organize Your Master Closet (My Organized Master Closet)
Bar Cart Essentials – Everything You Need to Have a Festive and Well-Stocked Bar Cart
My Love for the Simplified Planner Continues…
How I Use My Simplified Planner on a Daily Basis + Simplified Planner Launch Day
This was the second year that I didn’t have a new post go viral… after doing some research, I found that Pinterest has changed so drastically in the last couple of years that it doesn’t yield results for anyone unless you’re one of the few in the “top-tier of creators.” Thanks, Pinterest for messing everything up for everyone else.
I do still have several old posts making the rounds on Pinterest, so maybe they’re grandfathered in?
Income was steady which is all that I can ask for these days since I’m pretty much blogging for myself again and not stressing out anymore over SEO, gaining followers, etc.
Y’all LOVE my Amazon purchases posts and my weekly recaps. Those always have, by far, the most views.
Anyway, here are my top five posts of 2021…
F I V E – A Complete List of Things to Clean Out in the New Year
I love this one, too, y’all!! I published this post at the beginning of the year, detailing all of the things that I clean out in our house at the beginning of the year, and apparently all of you were interested in doing the same! It always feels great to get a fresh start each year!
I have no clue why this post was the fourth most popular post of the year… it must be a fluke. Haha. I do really love that top, though!
This post came in at number three for the year, and it’s no surprise since it’s an Amazon post! We love our Amazon!
Another Amazon post came in at number two, and there were lots of good things in this one!
O N E – What I Ordered from Amazon in June 2021
And finally, this post was my most popular post written in 2021… another Amazon post! Surprise, surprise! Y’all must love Amazon as much as we do!
***
And just for fun, my Top 9 Instagram photos for 2021... I love that my Mama Cass made it in there! <3
2021, you weren’t great, but you weren’t nearly as bad as 2020. We all managed to avoid Covid again, and we’re all healthy and well, so we’re going to call it a win!
2022, I'm scared to even ask what you have in store for us...
Amen.
