Monday Musings, December 11
Hola, my friends!
As you read this, we are enjoying our early Christmas gift…a family trip to Madrid and Barcelona, with side trips to Segovia and Toledo. It will be a quick trip, 7 days in Spain, but we realized it may be the last chance we have to travel as a family. We have made many memories on our travels through the years and this trip will be no different.
I finished my Christmas shopping before we left and the cookies we made Thanksgiving weekend are the cookies we will enjoy on Christmas day. Honestly, in the perfect world I wouldn’t be traveling the week before Christmas, but…sometimes you just gotta roll with it. One of the mottos I try to live with is ‘It is what it is’ and this is the perfect example of that.
A friend of mine turned me on to The Ordinary, a skincare company. Their products are so much more reasonable than other brands. With a photo of your skin and your answers to their questionnaire, they will provide you with some suggested products and routines.
If you need an easy graze appetizer for the holidays, a Charcuterie Board is the way to go.
I sent my brother 2 jars of these Spiced Pickled Cranberries 2 weeks ago and he texted me today for the recipe (clearly he needs to read the blog!) He and I both agree that they are soooo good in a salad and alongside your turkey and ham. He also added some of the brine and a few of the cranberries in his Black Manhattan cocktail. For the best grilled cheese ever, tuck them into your grilled cheese sandwich. My
My grandma baked these Pennsylvania Dutch Cookies every year and now I make them every year for my family.
Want a special treat for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? These Chocolate Tarts with Cranberry Curd are DELICIOUS!!!
I always love a good project at the beginning of the year and the Diagonal Basketweave Blanket is a good one.
Don’t forget to sign up for the Declutter Challenge that will start in January!
I want to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and Happy whatever ever else you celebrate this time of year.
As you are reading this is Cinncinati or Iowa, someone else may be reading it, at the same exact time, in Israel or South Africa. And that’s a really cool thing about this blog world…the inter-connectedness of us all.
In the words of some of my favorite little mechanical people, ‘it’s a small world after all’ and our digital devices have made it even smaller. So, I send all my friends from around the globe special greetings this time of year.
As much as I cherish this season for the religious significance it holds for me, I also treasure it for the time we set aside to just be with those we love, to relish in our traditions, to reflect on our blessings and to welcome in a new year…oh, and let’s not forget…to consume all sorts of home-baked goodies with abandon. So, my wish for you is to soak in whatever this time of year makes special to you and your family.
Hugs,
