Here are a few of my favorite Christmas presents from this year. The oven mitt my 6-year-old handmade for me (he decided I'm a pink, purple, orange type of person - love him! :)). The sugar pot from Anthropologie my mother-in-law searched all over for me. The super comfy mittens my sister- and brother-in-law gave me.
Those are my favorites because I know I'm loved every time I look at them. They took their time to make, search, choose what I would really like, and just thinking about that puts a big smile on my face. I'm so lucky to have such a loving family.
We didn't have a white Christmas this year. But the sky's been blue and our grass is still green, so I can't be complaining. This reminds me of the mild winter weather I grew up in Japan and that makes me feel a little sentimental. I remember the days I used to fly kites with my brother on New Year's Day.
It's been unseasonably warm around here and my son just asked me if the spring has already come. "We're not quite there yet, honey," I whispered it. "We need to go through winter before flowers blossom and trees bear fruit."
And this is also how the seasons of life unfolds.
It's been a wonderful year with many exciting things happening in our lives. Our boys thrived at school and I started my own creative business, and I couldn't be happier with both.
But we've also had a set of challenges that kept us up at night. I'm grateful for those challenges, too, because they helped us learn and grow. But if I'm honest, it hasn't been easy. I feel as if we've been through a long stretch of winter and now finally started to make baby steps towards spring. It's a slow progress and our path is filled with uncertainty, but there is one thing I know for sure: We're moving towards our goals and dreams. And that's all we need to know in order to keep going.
Our heart is now filled with hopes and dreams for the new year, and it's a great feeling. I know this is going to be an exciting year!
I'm going to take some time off from the internet, including this blog, for a couple of weeks (my Etsy shop will be open). I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my family, reading good books, cleaning and organizing our home, and setting my goals for the new year. The boys are going back to school on January 5th, so I'll probably come back a few days after that. But we'll see how it goes.
These are the books I'll be reading if you're curious ...
Growing Up Social: Lovely Linda at Creekside Ministries gave me this book a while ago, and now I finally have the time to read it. Thank you, Linda! I know I'll be learning a lot from this book :)
And this...
Meanwhile, if you're new here or you're in the blog reading mood, you're more than welcome to check out the archives.
Here are the sample of my favorite posts.
Stories of becoming:
- Now Let's Talk About Fear
- There's something about giving
- Let your ordinary gift shine
- The Sweetest Fig
- The Taste of Happiness
- At Summer's End
- One in a Million
DIY projects:
- Trumeau Mirror Makeover
- Brick Fireplace Makeover
- Resin Bust Makeover
Decorating {in progress}:
- Our Dining Room Today
- Guest Bedroom Updates (here and here)
- How I chose the perfect paint color
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit this blog this year. I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with you in the new year. Wishing you a happy New Year!!!
xoxo
Yuko