My friend Ann stopped by after work today and dropped off my Christmas present – some homemade Chex mix, which I LOVE, and some fruit bars, which are also my favorite. Mmmm. She also found me this amazingly soft sweatshirt when she was traveling. How cool is this skull?

I’m so thankful for her friendship. It was nice to spent a bit of time chatting over wine in front of the fire. When she left, I planted myself in the armchair in front of the fire and relaxed with the pups. I intended to finish wrapping presents, but only got the rest of Patrick’s done. I have a couple friend’s left to do, but with Patrick coming home tomorrow, his were a priority. Who can resist the lure of the fireplace?

I’ve been really busy with Patrick away. I’ve moved onto construction projects. Ha. Actually we finally have someone rebuilding our deck. The original deck had the support posts placed directly on the concrete slab below it, so when the concrete cracked (as it does with weather extremes) the posts started to shift. It got to a point where the stairs began to pull apart, and we knew it needed to be fixed.

Rebuilding a deck because you HAVE to is like replacing a roof or windows that have gone bad. It’s the home equivalent of buying underwear. Necessary but not especially exciting. So we decided if we’re gonna spend a bunch a money, we might as well get something out of it. Therefore we are making the deck a tad bigger. Ok, we are doubling the size of it. It’s slightly nuts since we never entertain, so needing a lot more space isn’t really essential, but at the same time, we also don’t go anywhere. Spending time in our backyard has been our primary source of vacation time for the last few years. Plus our backyard is big enough that it won’t be weird.

I’m thankful that the weather has held out long enough for them to get a lot done already. I’m thankful the workers are nice, even though their choice of music isn’t (bluegrass at 7 am, really?!). I’m also thankful we are able to make this investment in our home that we will be able to enjoy as soon as winter is over. I know we are lucky.

I had a day to myself, so I was able to make some Christmas cookies. It took all day, partly because I had to buy some ingredients and then clean the oven beforehand. I wasn’t sure what had spilled in it from Patrick’s cooking, but I didn’t want anything savory changing the flavor of my sweets.

My favorite so far is this pepperkaker. It’s crisp and spicy, and the house smelled wonderful and Christmasy all night. I’m thankful I had the day for baking, which I didn’t do last year. If I get more done this week, I’m planning to give some to our neighbors. Well, as long as they turn out tasty…

It’s been incredibly windy here the last couple of days. We even got a dusting of snow this morning, but it quickly disappeared. We ran a couple of errands early, and as I was rushing back to the car, I caught my reflection in the side mirror. I was laughing as I entered, and told Patrick when he asked what was funny, that I was just thrilled to see my hair blowing in the breeze. Blowing. Yes.

I’m so thankful it’s beginning to get some length, albeit still a bit unevenly. And those cowlicks. I can’t even. But I feel more feminine, which matters to me. And how about those cute Christmas earrings I found?

When you’ve had a long week, a snoring pup behind you helps. So does a curled up one next to you. Once again, I’m thankful for these sweet moments.

This was another day that started with a 6 am meeting and continued with me being crabby most of the day. Sigh. While I have been dealing with a lot is sinus issues (thanks change in weather) I don’t even have a good excuse for my crabbiness. Mostly just tired. And wishing I could see my kids. Or my friends. And frustrated with work again. Blah blah blah.

So after work I decided I needed to get out of the house. Literally just needed to get some fresh air. After a bit of time chasing the dogs in the backyard, Patrick and I walked around the block. I’d like to say I left my crabby attitude outside, but I can say the fresh air helped. My crabby cloud got smaller. I’m thankful for that. I think Patrick is , too.

It was a long day that started with a 6 am meeting. Maybe luckily for me, I was awake every hour from 2 am on. For some reason, I now have a hot flash every night at 2 am. Fun. Thankfully, our tile is cool in the middle of the night, so getting up and walking into the bathroom is helpful in dispelling the heat.

Speaking of cool, look at this Christmas countdown wine box. We missed the first few days, but we’ll catch up. I’ve enjoyed trying new wines, especially white ones I don’t normally drink. And each bottle has about two glasses of wine in it, so it’s just enough. The added bonus is that it’s perfect for the end of these long days. I’m thankful for some simple ways to unwind. Tonight it was a glass of wine, a short ride on the stationary bike (I’m still working on that leg), and a silly Christmas movie.

Patrick says I should be thankful for him today because he does all the things. But he says that every day. I am always thankful for him because he does do a lot, even though “all the things” really means all the things he likes to do. Like cooking, gardening, and shopping for cooking ingredients.

I’m also thankful today for getting the presents wrapped that I needed to so we can get them shipped this week. I also straightened up the basement again since Patrick did a good job getting it cleaned for me. I love when it’s not cluttered.

Speaking of cluttered, I started rearranging my craft room. I’m trying to get it a bit more open for sewing. Right now it’s a mess, but I plan to move some items to my storage unit for now. Stay tuned…

Most of my day was spent doing one of my favorite activities, strolling leisurely through an antique shop. Only today I went with a friend to a shop she had not been before. We both found some treasures and spent longer than we probably planned there. We were starving afterwards and went for a late lunch. I’m thankful for a fun day with a friend.

While I was gone, Patrick cleaned up the basement so I could spend the evening messing it back up.

I put on the Hallmark Channel, poured some wine AND hot chocolate, and wrapped presents. I need to get items mailed, so it was time. I ended up too distracted by a movie, so I didn’t get everything done, but I made a lot of headway. I’m grateful he prepped the space for me and even built a fire. A fun day and a festive night. How lucky!