the aftermath

Christmas has come and gone once again. I'm more grateful for the gone part.

I never was a big fan of Christmas. It's not only the excessive commercialism;

it's also the unrealistic expectations...finding the perfect gifts, decorating your

house just so, sending out Christmas cards on time (I only sent out a few this

year - one thing I did cut back on), baking all kinds of cookies for neighbors 

and relatives, hoping once again for a Norman Rockwell-like Christmas ~ and

 knowing full well that it's not going to happen. And then there's thinking of those

who have left us ~ my son, my father, my grandfather, my sister-in-law, my

great-aunt and uncle, a dear friend. Not that I don't always think of those people,

but the holidays somehow make your heart ache for them just a little bit more.

Don't get me wrong - I did enjoy the time spent with family. We went out to

dinner on Christmas Eve with Brian's side of the family. And on Christmas

day, the three of us - or, should I say, the six of us because there's the three

kitties that were in the thick of gift opening, too - enjoyed exchanging

gifts and relaxing and talking in the living room.

The best part of Christmas day was later in the afternoon when we had

a small bunch of family at our house. Lots of talking, laughing, eating (look

at all those desserts! My mom is the homemade pie maker), and Wii playing.

Now that it's all over, I've taken down all the decorations (which I still have to pack

up - they're all sitting downstairs on the bar), have deep cleaned, and am trying

to put the house back together. I can never remember how I had things arranged

BC (before Christmas). You'd think that after all these years I would learn my 

lesson. That I'd take pictures of the living room and kitchen BC to remind myself

where all the tchotchkes went. And since the weather isn't frigid right now, I've

been taking daily walks. Even though I don't like winter, I do see the beauty in

the bare branches, the gorgeous sunsets, and the snow blanketing the ground.

• We're having a heat wave today with temps around 40 and lots of sunshine. It'll be the last day for awhile that I can enjoy the walks outdoors, as the frigid air kicks back in on Sunday night with temps below zero.

• Tim is going back home today. I loved having my boy back home again, even if just for a short while. 

• Brian's had some days off, so he's been painting Tim's bedroom and I'm working on  decluttering in the basement. I made a lot of headway yesterday and have six bags of things packed up for donation.

• I've eaten way too many rich foods and sugary desserts, so it's back to clean eating. I made a pot of turkey noodle soup using the leftover turkey carcass from Christmas for a rich stock as the base, but I don't like turkey! So, I will save some of this soup in the fridge for Brian and send the rest home with Tim today. And then I will make a pot of fennel and carrot soup, which is a vegan recipe that I got from a friend. If it turns out delicious, I will post photos and the recipe later in the week.