not necessarily in this order

holiday baking edition The four cookies of this Christmas! Not only did we make cookie tins for close friends, but I also  dared not to make a centerpiece dessert for Christmas day , and instead  went all in on these four cookies  - which we’ve gone on to enjoy all vacation week*! high . #2 (top right) for the underdog surprise of this Christmas for us! Lil’ Momma asked me to find a Norwegian cookie to make to honor her and Brian’s heritage. I found this recipe for a Sandnøtter Christmas Cookies with Lemon , which was perfect as my girl loves lemon. However, I paused when it came time to bake them on Christmas Eve; they seemed too simple and the only lemon flavor came from zest; would that be enough? I went for it, though, and these are absolutely amazing - all 3 of us loved them ! The outside is crisp and the inside is as light as clouds; they dissolve in your mouth. Even better, they have a ton of lemon flavor! I will make these forever, and with all different types o...

 soup and tangents on a Monday I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas (or the quiet Sunday of their dreams if it’s not your jam). I’m hoping to do a cookie roundup / recipe reflection if another quiet moment hits this vacation week  Lil’ Momma came down with a cold (so far, just a cold) Christmas night, so I’m making this ginger scallion chicken soup but with egg noodles as I don’t have time to make matzo balls. It seems so right for this cold day and will hopefully kick these germs so we can enact our plan of walking adventures later this week (both to keep me and Lil’ Momma out of Brian’s hair while he works and to kick off our year of outside adventures we hope to have) I’m so simmer paranoid making soup. It probably comes from 15 plus years of watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats before bed with Brian*. The episode about what qualifies as a simmer vs a boil vs a nothing echoes in my head whenever I attempt this  I’m starting Anthony Dower’s Cloud Cuckoo Land tonight....

 pre-holiday valleys and peaks…  moderate low . We are having a windstorm in the northeast right now and Lil’ Momma woke at 1am because the sound of the wind was louder than her white noise and we were mostly up until she left for school. In her defense,  it was/is incredibly loud. These nights are few and far between now that she’s 9, but lack of or broken sleep takes me back to her first 6 years (especially the first 3) where sleep was a legitimate issue* and I have to remind myself that tired and sad can feel the same to me, sometimes haha!  high . I bought a winter coat! I honestly don’t know why I’ve been making do the past few winters with layers of hoodies and coats that just suck up moisture. Yesterday, Brian and I had the day off and we nipped out to a store so I could try on a few coats meant to go out in the snow and cold. Sticker shock aside (and with the luck of sales), I’m excited to be more comfortable making snow people and winter walking this year...

notes from a weekend I am more ahead on teacher and activity gifts than I’ve ever been at this point in the month; however, I did forget that we would have to wrap these (oof, tiny details). On a desperation shopping trip to Target, I realized that I could almost be doubling the price of the actual gift by trying to buy gift bags. Luckily, I found a pack of white bags that would fit our little presents. Lil Mama looked a little daunted when I told her I was hoping she would decorate them, but it became the perfect weekend activity! She’s so enjoyed drawing a special picture on each one (even though she did give some feedback about drawing presents in a color she didn’t like for some of the teachers who are not her favorites, sigh). I think we’ll keep this as a tradition! My girl is the most extra extrovert (she gets it from her dad) and very excitedly volunteered to deliver her classroom’s gifts to the local elder that they’ve been gathering for. As the parent who is not as socially...

Summer of 2021, I became a people leader at work (now that’s a story for another time), and in my desperation to be people-y, I started ending our late-week check-ins with “highs and moderate* lows”**of the week As we got to know each other and have more to talk about, H&MLs only pop up randomly, but I thought I’d resurrect them here.  moderate low .  I missed my walks this week (well, a more accurate statement is that I didn’t prioritize them enough). I am a significantly happier person when I move my body on a regular basis, and as someone on this awkward comeback from a neck/back/nerve/rotator cuff nightmare, I am also physically much happier when I move my body on a regular basis. It’s so easy to get caught up in work, or getting ready for the holidays, or just sitting down when there’s a moment of quiet, but I need to do the work on this next week high . I took the dog out at night in the cold and the rain, and she slipped her leash and started happily running aw...

A weekly-ish round up of what I’m… Watching . I started The Afterparty on Apple TV     (as part of my ongoing self reminder to use Apple TV because I’m paying for it after desperation purchasing a subscription from the treadmill to watch the Billie Eilish doc). I love a murder mystery with a sense of humor - and Ben Schwartz - so this is right up my alley.   Reading . I’m reading Anna McNuff’s memoir Barefoot in Britain about how she ran the length of Britain barefoot (duh, Lindsay). Her books get me right in the inspiration / motivation - they’re comfy like talking to a friend, but also authentic and vulnerable as she tells the ups and downs of these physical feats.+ Listening (to):     My family only listens to holiday music * once November hits and it’s driving me batty. When I’m alone in the car, it’s all podcasts or silence to balance my poor brain.  +up next is Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, which I’m reading simultaneously with a friend...

I don’t know what this blog will be . But, I love reading them and I love writing, so I thought it would be a good exercise in engaging and creativity.     For now, list format a couple of times a week with some anecdotes, what I’m consuming, and workouts… Caretaking and pandemic restrictions kind of did me in terms of   hobbies and health, so I’m figuring out what I want to do in this iteration of me . Have always been very into books, tv, movies, and writing and added cooking, baking, and bike riding recently   My guy and I have a 9 year old who asked us call her Lil’ Momma last week and I plan on calling her that forever. She’s all personality; very into dance, singing, and art; and enjoys beating me at step challenges. My little family is everything I never knew I wanted  I started exercising in my early 30s (totally out of character haha!) and ended up in this CrossFit-ish women’s group class that filled my bucket and gave me confidence I never knew I neede...