Author: julesfarm@yahoo.com

Happy New Year to you all on this 4th day of 2022. I’ve spent the last few days cleaning, organizing, purging……dresser drawers, junk drawers, closets, the fridge/freezer and the pantry. Pretty much any space I encounter gets consideration of a good cleaning and purging for the next several days. It happens every January in preparation for a fresh start to the new year. It’s always been therapeutic for me to physically toss out the old and welcome in the new, whether that means sorting through my sock drawer or cleaning out the freezer. I like fresh starts. I like looking ahead. I like switching things up. I like change. I’ve always welcomed change. I enjoy day dreaming of what I see for myself, then making a plan of how I’ll make it happen. Sometimes I’m successful and sometimes I fail, but I always learn something about myself along the way. […]

Good Morning and Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s going to be a day of reflection for me while I take down Christmas decorations, clean house and think about my approach to 2022. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking of going into 2022 with zero expectations and taking one day at a time. Not my usual New Year’s Day approach, but one that feels more realistic. These last few days have been extremely emotional. Having Tess and Manuel here with hopes of us all being together for Christmas and possibly welcome the new baby as a family, then not being able to, has been hard and unexpected as October and November felt so promising. I know many of you also had unexpected cancelations this holiday season and we are all working to get through it and move forward with patience. I choose Happiness today as I practice gratitude for […]

When this mug was new, it said Today I Choose Happiness. Happiness was in this pretty gold lettering. Well, I’ve continued to put this in the dishwasher, and the Happiness has worn off. Now each time I have coffee from this mug, I think about what it is I Choose for myself for the day. Yesterday I chose to Breathe, think about our new grand baby and get through the day. New grand baby?? Yes!! Rockwell (7 lbs 6 oz and 20″ long) was born Tuesday morning around 5:00 am. Mom and baby are healthy and they may get to come home tonight! Daddy and Rocky….. Thankful for Rockwell as it’s been a tough few days here and we all needed some good news. This is baby number two in our family born during Covid, so we missed out on that moment in the hospital waiting room pacing in great […]

If you are celebrating Christmas, I hope you are having the happiest of Christmas Seasons! I saved the Jolliest mug for today! Good ole Dollar Tree. Well, we went from this set up for 19…… to this set up for 7 in a matter of minutes yesterday afternoon. Fevers and sore throats prevented 12 from coming. I was so bummed as I know they all were too. And the kids. Ugh….I hate to think of having to cancel plans for kids on Christmas Eve just a few hours before it’s supposed to start. We still were able to have Mikes parents, Jake and Jordan and Wrenley over. The baby seems to be waiting until after Christmas, which is what Mom was hoping for so she could spend her Christmas morning at home. While learning we were downsizing, I was in the middle of making this….. The 7 of us didn’t […]

Okay, they are just on this mug. It looks like these are the only snowflakes we will be seeing this year for Christmas. I’ve talked to several friends recently that so wished we had cold weather and snow here in the midwest for Christmas. It looks like we may have some record highs instead. I’m going to enjoy the fact that 70 something is actually my favorite temperature and we will be able to utilize the deck tonight. Heck, we may even hear Santa and his reindeer if we’re outside! Tonight we’ll have the kids and grand kids over for a lasagna dinner and games. Tomorrow morning Mike and I will go by each of our parents house for coffee and a visit. Tess and Manuel will be here next week and we’ll have all the kids and grandkids together for our big family Christmas. More food, more games, more […]

After so many morning coffees in Christmas mugs, and a couple of weeks of doing all of the Christmassy things, you’d think I’d be feeling all the Christmas feels today. I’m not sure if it’s the warmer temps, Covid getting in the way or what, but something feels off today and I can’t put my finger on it. This year we are hosting a Christmas Eve dinner and doing our big Christmas with the kids and grandkids a few days after Christmas when Tess and Manuel are in town. With Tess and Manuel still in Texas, Jake and Jordan expecting baby boy any day (any hour) and my parents either not comfortable driving after dark or not feeling comfortable being around a large group of people right now, Christmas looks different this year and I’m just realizing it I suppose. So, we have plans and I’m prepared, but something just […]

Good morning! It’s a sunny one here! It truly is the Christmas season. This cute little Christmas tin appeared in our mailbox yesterday from a sweet neighbor. Homemade treats are so much fun to receive. I may need to hide this from myself. Sooooo good. These have greeted me by the coffee pot for the last four mornings. They remain unopened. Three of the grand kids were going to spend the night this past weekend. One of them ended up not feeling well, then another, so our sleepover had to be cancelled. I bought these cinnamon rolls for the kiddos and every morning I’ve looked at them and thought…..I bet those would be great with my coffee. Still, unopened, but they were staring at me HARD this morning!! May have to take these over to my mom today. She loves her coffee and sweets together. I know that these next […]

Yesterday was one of those whirl wind days where I never seemed to stop going and going, yet I’m not really sure what all I did. Today was much the same. I’m now cozy with hot tea by the fire gathering my thoughts and wrapping up the day. I looks like a no snow Christmas this year, so I’ll stare at this mug while I sip my hot cinnamon tea and dream of an old fashioned white Christmas. While lunch was filled with veggies, the rest of the day was filled with un-pictured snacking and not enough water. But it was a fun night! I took my high school girls on a Christmas light tour last night. We put a date on the calendar to get together for dinner at a fun Kansas City hot spot all decked out for the holidays. With a late attempt at reservations and no […]

Good morning from my bed! Ha! I slept in a tad this morning and decided I’d just stay right here while I share my yesterday. I’m feeling all the warm and fuzzy feels these last few days. Several things happening with family that has me feeling extremely lucky to have such a big family. Whether it’s being able to help someone out, lend an ear to listen, have an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on, I know Mike and I are extremely lucky to have both of our parents, four kids all with a great spouse, and number 10 grand child due any day. We spent yesterday over at Jake’s new house wrapping up a few things as the movers come today! There are still some things that they would like to do at their new house over the next several weeks, but they are hoping to […]

This little mug is an oldie but a goodie. It’s a Christmas miracle it’s still around. It says clearly on the bottom of the cup “not dishwasher safe” and I’ve ignored that, hence all the little cracks. Oops. Friday I left the house around noon to finish up ALL Christmas shopping and pulled into the driveway after six. Done I say. Done! Saturday I met a friend early for coffee, then met a few friends for a birthday lunch, then spent the evening with one of my grand daughters making Christmas cookies and taking her for a little drive to see Christmas Lights. While this night was so much fun, it was supposed to be me and four grand kids. Three of the grand kids had to cancel at the last minute because one wasn’t feeling well and they didn’t want to pass anything on to me, which I greatly […]