The photo project I am working on is much bigger than I initially thought it would be. I addition to going through all of the albums (which number in the tens), I also have photos in a couple of places in the house (memory boxes, cedar chest, cigar boxes), and an impressive collection of negatives dating back to the late 70's/early 80's. Oy.
I stood there looking at the boxes where I had meticulously organized and labeled negatives by decade and thought "no one is ever going to print these". Instead of leaving it for my kids to deal with some day, into the recycle bin it went - along with the second round of emptied photo binders. Not gonna lie, that felt good.
I have already purged the albums and recycled the binders. Now to pull out the photos I am keeping, organize them, replace them into new albums, and scan all of the pages into my computer and then onto thumb drives. I'm working on this project an hour of two at a time, because its hard on the mama to trip so hard down memory lane.
TMI: Last week I enjoyed some TJ pizza, with roasted garlic, pesto, and added cheese. Delicious! But I have decided that after Christmas Day, I will go back to my simple meals featuring salads with added protein and such. The older I get, the less my body likes certain foods (pizza). And since I'm trying to find a good balance of eating out/eating in, I need to prioritize things that will not bloat and dehydrate me for the rest of the day. It was good - but it did not love me back.
I got industrious on Christmas Eve and made two quiche - sausage with green chilies, and bacon with green onions. Also a walnut raisin pie with rum-soaked raisins. I made a big pot of stew and did some rolls as well. Leftovers were sent home or stored in my freezer. But I would like the food prep to be even easier next year.
Church on Christmas Eve was lovely. I am so glad I have added this in as my tradition. It was something Mark and I did regularly before kids and even when they were small. Maybe as time goes by, my peeps will want to join me, but for now I'm not pushing it.
This church holds deep and personal happy memories for me. The whole time I was sitting here watching the church fill up, I reflected on how absolutely blessed and lucky I am to be able to sit here and freely worship in warmth, surrounded by beauty, feeling the peace of the Christmas season like a big hug. I was there by myself and never felt alone. That being said, I am happy to be moving into January and an even slower season.
The Girl kept saying "a pony" when I asked her what she wanted for birthday or Christmas. So I could not resist adding this horse ornament to one of her gifts. Ha! But already I am making plans in my head for how I want to handle gift-giving to my adult children in the future. I will likely keep making stockings (since those are so fun!) but I don't think I should "be" Christmas for them - they are adults and maybe we can all figure out how to do Christmas for each other going forward.
Anyone got any tips for me?
Gina
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