Random Wednesday

December 23, 2020 By Carole

Loving: Our Christmas bedroom. This is year 2 with the gray walls and I adore how that neutral background allows for all kinds of Christmas decor.

Reading: The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey. It’s very good and I’m just about done, thank goodness, since it will be swept away from my kindle by Ms. Libby any day now.

Knitting: Dissent Cowl by Carissa Browning. I’m a little late to the party on this one, I think. I’m using Rowan Felted Tweed in Bilberry for the dark and Clay for the light. It’s great knitting for TV watching. I have a few hand knits that I haven’t been able to show you yet but Christmas is just about here so you can expect them over the next few weeks.

Baking: Swedish rye bread and cardamom braid. Because Christmas.

Watching: cheesy Hallmark movies and kids Christmas specials like Rudolph and Year Without a Santa Claus.

Considering: Dropping Project 365 from my daily routine. I’ve taken a photo a day, every day, since 2009! I originally started it to learn to use my new camera and improve my photography skills. Now, all these years later, it feels forced. I’m still committed to taking photos of things that inspire me, moments I want to capture, memories I want to keep, but I think I’m ready to let go of the task of taking a photo and just let myself be inspired by it instead.

Trying: a gravity blanket. I fall asleep just fine but wake in the night and have trying getting back to sleep. I know it’s related to hormones (thanks menopause) but add in some other stresses and pandemic anxiety and . . . it’s annoying. I’ve read that a gravity blanket can help and I’ve had one for 2 nights now. I will say I’m less restless, probably because turning over in bed now feels like strength training! Seriously, Dale came in the other night and said, how’s the new blanket? And I said, more weight.

Taking: vacation, not just from work but from blogging, too. I love having the week after Christmas off. It’s a great time to read and knit, play games, and do some things around the house. I’ll be popping in at some point, and I’ll definitely be blogging on Thursday the 31st but otherwise you won’t see me here much.

Wishing: you all a happy holiday season! It may look and feel different this year but I’m hoping you’ll find joy.

December Weekending

December 22, 2020 By Carole

Even with COVID, we are making merry over here. This past weekend we . . .

Made cookies and candy. Spritz, pictured here, but also ginger cookies and lemon crinkles, peanut butter balls and toffee. Usually I’d be doing this with Doreen but we decided that wasn’t a good idea so I made cookies on my own. Funny thing, it went faster . . . but it wasn’t nearly as fun.

On Saturday night we watched A Christmas Carol, the version with George C. Scott. It’s our favorite and we always save it to watch right before Christmas. This year we got sushi and I dubbed the evening Sushi & Scrooge. I hope this is a tradition that will stick.

And on Sunday we made krumkake, a new tradition for us. I invested in a krumkake iron a couple of weeks ago, thinking it would be a good way to spend some pandemic time together. I was right! While it took longer than I anticipated, Dale stood at the stove with that krumkake iron until all those cookies were done. They are light and crispy and pretty tasty!

It feels good to do some of these traditional things, even as we’re missing looking forward to our annual Christmas Eve Open House. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say I’m not missing (at all) the thought of making 8 lbs of Swedish meatballs . . . or any of the other food, really . . . but I am missing the thought of the people we love most gathered in our home to celebrate, singing and laughing, eating, and drinking, exchanging gifts and hugs, and just being together.

Some day that will happen again but in the meantime I am embracing this season of quiet and peace and reflection.

Monday On My Mind

December 21, 2020 By Carole

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and that’s very much on my mind. In pagan times, my Scandinavian ancestors, along with many cultures around the world, would celebrate this day, this return of the light, by decking their homes with greens and herbs, and keeping fires burning all night long. It was the symbolic death and rebirth of the sun, a time to feast before the long, cold winter to come.

For many years Dale and I have celebrated the solstice quietly and privately, just the two of us. We write our regrets on slips of paper, share them with each other, and then ignite them in the wood stove. We burn candles and toast to the return of the light with homemade glögg as we share our hopes and wishes for the year to come. This ritual feels particularly important in 2020, as we are more than ready for a fresh start, eager to release our own personal trauma as well as the trauma that has been engulfing our whole world.

A dear friend and mentor of mine, Heather Wood, recently shared how she celebrates Yul and I think her wisdom is something you all might find beneficial. These are her words, and I have her permission to share them.

Carry: what do I want to carry in to next year? What felt good? When I felt the most present and happy, what was I doing? Who was I with? Where was I? I’m going to carry those things in to next year.
Shift: what feels like it needs to evolve or change as it comes with me in to the next year? What’s not quite in alignment? What interactions or situations didn’t feel great? How can I shift those things to feel better next year?
Cut: what needs to be cut from my life? What felt toxic, brought me down, disrupted happy states? How do I cut it out of my life in a way that feels right?

In addition to our other rituals, I will spend some time today thinking about what I want to carry, shift, and cut on this solstice. I encourage you to do the same as you celebrate the return of the light. And don’t forget to go outside and look for the Christmas star just after sunset tonight; Jupiter and Saturn haven’t passed this close to each other in the night sky in nearly 800 years.

God Jul, my friends. God Jul.

Eye Candy Friday

December 18, 2020 By Carole

Even without parties and entertaining, I still decorated our house for the holidays. In fact, it might mean more this year than ever before because nothing lifts my spirits like holiday decor. One new thing I got this season is this fresh greenery arrangement from a local vocational school. We have a friend who is a teacher there and when he shared on Facebook that the students in the horticultural department were creating and selling arrangements, I jumped on it. It’s so pretty and the price was fantastic ($18!) and I love that my purchase supports the kids as they learn about flower arranging.

That’s a lot of words for an Eye Candy Friday post!

Happy weekend, friends!

Three On Thursday

December 17, 2020 By Carole

This Christmas season is certainly different than any I can remember. Or at least any I can remember as an adult. In the interest of it being Thursday, I’m going to share 3 specific things that are unique to Christmas 2020.

Dale and I are pretty much caught up on watching holiday movies. There are a bunch we always watch, from the silly like Christmas With the Kranks to the sentimental like White Christmas to our favorite, Love Actually. We generally have to formulate a plan of attack for when we will watch these, given that our lives are full with meetings and obligations, parties and socializing. This year, though, it’s mid December and the only one we haven’t watched yet is A Christmas Carol and that’s on deck for the weekend. I guess not having anywhere to go leaves plenty of time for movie watching.
I’m not prepping for a Christmas Eve extravaganza. With only a week to go at this point I’d have a finalized menu (not that it ever changes much) along with shopping lists and prep lists and timelines. I’d have coordinated with Hannah to come over and help us make 8 pounds of Swedish meatballs. I’d have talked with various friends and family members to make sure they were coming. I’d have ordered wine and washed glasses and made sure I had plenty of napkins and paper goods and more. And I’d be complaining about a bunch of this, too. Not this year, though. This year we’re still deciding what we are doing on Christmas Eve, our options run the gamut from snacks and apps to a full on sit down dinner. Time will tell on that one.
I haven’t participated in any Yankee swaps. You know what those are, right? Everyone brings a gift and you draw a number that determines when you get to open your gift and who you get to swap it with. They can be fun but both Dale and I feel like we always (a) put a lot of thought into the gift we bring, even if it’s a gag gift and (b) always wind up with a crappy gift to bring home. Bottom line? We aren’t missing this particular holiday tradition one little bit.

Rumor has it that focusing on the things that are different help you to accept that and move on. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

If you wrote a post for today I hope you will leave a link to it below. Thank you for joining in on Three On Thursday.