Eyes, Ears, Mouth, and Nose~~December

I've been into a lot of fun things this month, namely Christmassey things. December has been so busy and I must admit that though the post-Christmas blues are no joke (meaning I will really miss Christmas), I am glad to be moving into a new year. January always feels so clean, doesn't it?

The main accomplishment I must report is this: my book is finished (for now)! I wrapped up the editing process on Christmas Eve and ordered the first print copy. I'll be passing it around to a select few who will serve as my actual editors before making a sale-ready copy. Hopefully this project will be completely completed in the next couple of months.

Besides writing, I've been really into Christmas movies. They began feeling like a waste of time, so I resolved to only watching a Christmas movie if I was working on a Christmas project (i.e. crafting or wrapping). And Christmas projects I did achieve. I made headbands out of decorative rope this year.

In the kitchen, I was into treats of course. Mom, sis, and I made our traditional platters of decorated sugar cookies, rolo cookies, and chocolate dipped pretzels. As far as non-dessert items go, I made a good deal of meatloaf this month. Bacon was also a common ingredient in pasta and breakfast dishes.

On the music front, the She & Him Christmas station on Pandora was my favorite for the yuletide season. I got the new Mumford and Sons and Lumineers albums for Christmas too, which were both nice surprises. Other media intake included The Hobit (I started reading it and listened to it on tape but oddly enough have not yet seen the movie) and The Guilt Trip. That movie was hilarious. I also read a couple American Girls Christmas books...I have a thing for children's literature and bought all the Christmas books in the series as a gift to myself last year.

So that's what I was into this December. Onward and upward, I say. 2013 shall be great!

My Happiness Project Part III...plus more!

With the holiday season comes a crazy schedule...and although I'm no longer in school, dealing with finals and end-of-the-semester chaos, my December is still packed! Coming up on Christine's plate are: the boyfriend's graduation/birthday extravaganza weekend, an out of town wedding, and Christmas cookie night with Mama and Sis, just to mention a few.

With that said, I'm combining my Happiness Project update with Eyes, Ears, Mouth, and Nose (two days late) this month.

So, in November I was really into:

Soft scarves and fine jewelry.

Big pots of soup.

Darling magazine and writing up Christmas lists.

My happiness project.

Which brings me to the update! In November, my happiness project goal was to finish what I started. I wanted to be intentional about meeting my 2012 New Year's Resolutions before the end of 2012. Here's where I'm at:

Be a prayerful woman.
Keep my areas and my home cleaner.
Exercise 3-4 times a week and eat right.
Publish a book.
Be there for Laura and Gracelynn.
Get plugged into a community after graduation.
Have a 3rd annual Sleighbell Sisters' Soiree.
Travel (near or far).

The third annual Sleighbell Soiree happened last night and was quite the bash! Check. Fortunately for me, I've made December and January's happiness goals centered around two of my remaining resolutions. December's happiness theme is "Home is where the (sane) heart is". I plan to come up with a more regular cleaning routine and to get rid of the piles of stuff that tend to accumulate around my cottage through the months (there may or may not be a stack of textbooks inside the shower I don't use). I also want to generally get better at making my bed, putting my clothes away, and the like...because although it is not my natural bent to be a super organized homemaker, I do feel so much more at peace internally when my home is neat. January's happiness theme of health will take care of resolution #3 (though I am certainly putting effort into eating and physical movement). And the book is coming along! As far at the finishing-what-I-started goes, I mainly focused on writing and praying in November. In fact, this post is going to end soon so I can get on with editing pieces for the book.

What better time to focus on the home than Christmastide? I must say I am enjoying the feeling of having a clean and decorated home...currently I'm not even in it, but I know it's waiting for me when I get there tonight. That just feels right.