There is a tree growing outside our dining room window that I dearly love. It is a rowan tree (also known as mountain-ash, though it is not an actual ash tree) of the American variety. I took this photo on the first of December. That weekend, as Sean and I sat at breakfast, two pairs…
Tag: christmas
Some Leftover Gratitude for 2021
Hi, lovelies, Happy New Year! You might have noticed that I was going strong with my gratitude posts for almost all of November, then suddenly posted nothing at all for more than a month. Yep. In case you wondered, it doesn’t mean that I had no gratitude during that time. Quite the contrary, I was…
14 Holiday Songs That Don’t Mention Christmas
Christmas is here, which means Christmas songs – yay! I look forward to this music all year. I do not listen to it off-season, as I don’t want it to lose potency. If I’m honest, the holiday-themed songs that play at the mall are not usually what makes me feel festive. Although my relationship to…
Random Acts of Generosity and other festive things
Last Friday morning, I walked home from the grocery store with tears running down my face. It had promised to be a very ordinary day: drop off the kids at school, pick up a few things from the supermarket, get some laundry done and some emails answered before teaching at noon. I’d be thinking about…
Sending you actual love, right now.
Hi, Lovelies. It’s been a busy month for most of us. And cold and snowy for many of us, at least in our area of Ontario. I also know it’s a really hard month for people. Even for those who celebrate and love the holiday season, it’s hard. Keeping spirits up when there’s so much to do,…
Dear Kids: For the record, you adore each other.
Our kids are like most siblings: they play together, and they fight together. Sometimes, the screaming is pretty horrifying. And then there are those moments – and those little games and traditions they invent – that warm you right down through to the sub-cockle area of your heart. {For example, there’s this one funny procedure whenever…
Failure and Gratitude and Christmas Spirit
Hey, lovely Di-hards. And hi, li’l blog. I’ve missed you all. It’s hard to believe that not only has half of November come and gone since I last wrote, but Christmas has too. There are many who would tell me not to beat myself up about absolutely crashing and burning in the middle of NaBloPoMo, and while…
100 Happy Days – Day 37: Christmas Tree!
I wish you could have seen how excited the kids were to decorate our Christmas tree. Especially AB – she kept saying things like, “I’m DECORATING THE TREE!” and “Look at this one! It’s so cool.” Like last year, we got a pre-cut tree from the local Y, which helps to support their…
100 Happy Days – Day 34: Advent Calendars
This year, we are marking the days of advent LIKE A BOSS. Like a whole FAMILY O’ BOSSES. That is to say, E still has Auntie Beth’s gorgeous creation which we fill day by day with tiny nifty things. (Except for yesterday, when I broke E’s heart by not having it secretly filled by the instant he…
100 Happy Days – Day 23: Party at the Farm
Sunday, November 23rd: Festive Fun at Springridge Farm! We have a group of friends that do two Christmas parties per year – one for the kids and one for the adults. Our friend K organized this epic outing this year: It was very fast-paced. There were also mini-pizzas, cupcakes, juice boxes, mural-colouring, and even a wee…