The fog rolling in over the far field.

God put it on my heart today to talk to you about something.

We’re heading into the busiest time of the year. Holiday decorating, shopping, baking, parties. It’s a whirlwind of activity and for many of us…it’s just overwhelming. We can’t all be like Martha Stewart. She works hard, I’m sure. But she has a staff to do the big stuff. So, I’m here to tell you…

My brother, my heart!

OMGosh! I had to be in town yesterday for two separate appointment four hours apart so there was going to be a little shopping done. However, Mr. FixIt asked if he could come along with me to buy a tube of glue. Even after I offered to get him the glue, he still expressed interest in tagging along and of course, I love having him tag along. I can always buy his present later!

We stopped at an art gallery and I saw this amazing nativity. I’ll share more photos tomorrow.

Mr. FixIt and I needed to leave home by 10:30 so I could drop him off at his friend’s house and make it to lunch with my friends at 11:30. I fixed us a quick breakfast and we sat down to eat and have our coffee. The sun came out and we were thrilled the temperature was going up as it got down to 13° during the night. I took a sip of coffee and glanced over at the wall above Alexa and there was a ghostly apparition above it. I studied for a minute and finally realized the sun was reflecting off the window bird feeder. I couldn’t have had some fun with Mr. FixIt but I opted for adulting. lol

We are in the midst of a little cold snap here in West Virginia. I’m still sleeping with the window open, even though the night-time temps are getting down in the twenties and last night was supposed to get as low as seventeen degrees. The house was toasty warm and I was so grateful for my new bootie/slippers. We cooked. We watched the History Channel and learned more about the Titanic and other historical mysteries.

So warm and cozy!!! New boots/slippers.

Whether your day is jam packed with chores or you accomplish absolutely nothing… it’s never really wasted. Your busy day got you farther along on your to-do list. But your absolutely nothing day is sure to have nuggets of gold tucked inside. Self care can be absolutely necessary, especially during the busy holiday season.

I really love baking. It’s been awhile since I’ve baked a pie. Mainly because I haven’t been eating all that yummy stuff and truth be told, by sweetheart doesn’t need all that sugar either. When it came time to volunteer items to bring to our family dinner this afternoon, I elected to bring the Sour Cream Apple Pie as well as those yummy Brussels sprouts. I filmed the pie baking session and it recorded correctly this time. I’ll get that edited and posted as soon as I can.

Our first trip out to see the lights this season.

There are a few traditions that we simply must follow or it doesn’t seem like Christmas. For me, watching White Christmas while I decorated the tree is non-negotiable. For Mr. FixIt, it’s driving around to see the Christmas Lights around town. We’ll go several times in the coming weeks… first one area, then another. He took me to Oglebay Park for our first Christmas together. They have an amazing light display. I’d love to go to the Biltmore during Christmas some day. It’s pretty pricey, but it’s something to save up for.

For a little ten pounder, this turkey sure gave us a lot of meals. The two of us didn’t eat very much of it. I got a good-sized container of meat for sandwiches and maybe a casserole. Then I cooked down the carcass and got two quarts of wonderful, rich broth. I also got two containers of broth with meat and veggies for soup. And a quart of meat to make turkey salad. That’s a lot of potential meals from a ten pound turkey.

Yesterday didn’t go quite as planned. Some of the calls I wanted to make were to places that are bound to be closed until Monday, so I had my list on the desk. Mr. FixIt ordered up scrambled eggs, ham, and toast. Once that was done and the dishes were washed, I started into the office to get after my list. That’s when he asked me if I had called about his ring.

Breakfast here at Marshmallow Ranch is determined by Mr. FixIt’s blood sugar. When it’s low, he gets a nice, breakfast and yesterday we had French toast. I made a cooking video of the preparation, but my iPad is running critically low on memory. I need to do some housecleaning in there and get some room back before I can edit and post it.