Here's my Christmas in a nutshell:
My niece Ella loves to read, so we added a few books to her collection. It was great to sit and chat with my brother Kyle and sister-in-law Lindsey while watching Ella walk around and play with their dog, Jeter. They are all moving to a new house this Saturday, so we'll be seeing them again quite soon!
My Christmas was made up of mostly babies and dogs, which is not a bad thing at all! The kids' excitement and laughter is contagious and gets the whole house feeling joyous. Sometimes it can be a bit rambunctious, but it just adds fun to life.
I made Banana Bread French Toast for Christmas morning. The idea came from Magnolia Bistro in Burlington, VT. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. They have breakfast and lunch dishes made with local and organic ingredients. It's a real treat! Breakfast was a bit time consuming, but totally worth it. I made a Pillsbury Quick Bread early, dipped the sliced pieces in an egg and milk mixture, then placed it on a large pan. Add butter and syrup, then voila! the perfect Christmas breakfast.
One of the neatest gifts I received for Christmas was this Fujifilm Instax camera. It works just like a Polaroid, so I can get pictures instantly (clever name for the camera then, huh?). I'll be trying it out at New Years, but below is a picture of our Christmas tree that I took. I look forward to the entertainment it will bring!
I heard about the book, The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter- and how to make the most of them now, from a magazine and decided it would be something interesting to read. It was such a good read that I couldn't put it down until I finished it. The premise of the book is that the author, a psychologist, has met with many twentysomethings and has heard the major issues they deal with in terms of work, love, and life in general. Basically, the book taught me to use my twenties wisely because they shape the rest of your life. So, it has pushed me to focus on my life and goals. I've had a pretty motivated winter break up until now, working on my thesis and getting back into shape by running. This book is certainly keeping that motivation going strong.
I'm always looking for ways to be healthy, so my new favorite thing is oatmeal. I felt pretty good about myself when I put berries and cinnamon in it this morning. It was quiet tasty! I am also on a tea binge, so the mug I received from Kyle & Lindsey is going to come in handy.
Now I was planning to go for a run, but it's a bit rainy today. Not like Christmas morning, where we had a lovely white Christmas!
Thanks for reading!
-H
