Daddy and Sage testing out the new Radio Flyer on a crisp Christmas day walk in the park.
In late October, I had big plans of sharing all of my holiday bits and bobs with you: The crafts, the tree decorating, the festive drinks, the comfort food. But that didn’t happen, obviously. During the month of December, my toddler decided that he was going to start waking up at 4:45 a.m. Every. Single. Bleeping. Morning. So, by 7:30 p.m when we were finally able to corral him into his jammies and tuck him in, I was exhausted and nearly ready for bed myself. Needless to say, this didn’t leave much time for editing photos and writing a blog post. Sigh. There were just not enough hours in the day or days in the week.
On top of the early rooster calls, December also brought a big change for myself, the business and our family. After nearly five years of working from the home office, I signed a lease on an office space in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square. Since Sage was born in Fall 2011, Justin and I have tried what seems like every possible solution in an attempt to balance a business and a baby. It made for a very challenging year, and I don’t know how many times I thought about throwing in the towel and closing up shop for a while. But, we both agreed that I would go insane; this work and creativity is just too much of who I am.
Thanks to the Northwest Sustainability Collaborative, this is the prettiest alley in Seattle.
So, when the right opportunity presented itself, I decided to make a dynamic move and give it a shot. Friends thought I was crazy to intentionally add a two-hour round-trip bus commute to my day; but that’s two hours I have alone that I didn’t have before. Two hours to sit, to read, to relax, to catch up on Podcasts, maybe even take a snooze. For a busy, sleep deprived mompreneur – that sounds like magic. And when my bus pulls into 5th and Jackson, I wrap my scarf tight, step outside onto the crisp, buzzing streets of artistic Pioneer Square - and I feel right at home again. I get a cup of coffee that doesn’t have a green mermaid on the cup, say hello to the nice old man who sells newspapers on the corner, and avoid the crazy lady who screams at imaginary people on the out of service pay phone in the square. Once I sit down at my desk, I sigh a sigh of relief knowing that I can sit there as long as I need to; uninterrupted and simply… create. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by other driven and creative people. Listening to others’ laughs and watching the ideas dance across the room helps fuel my passion and drive.
As I settle into a new routine and a coming new year, I force myself to stop and reflect on all the love, support and brightness that makes this life possible and the people who make living this life worthwhile.
And now: A Holiday Season in Review
I live scouring the property for things to make the house festive this time of year.
The hens were nice enough to provide enough eggs so we could give farm fresh hostess gifts.
In preparation for our holiday cocktail night, I made candy cane, cranberry and cinnamon infused vodka. We unfortunately had to cancel the party due to illness… so needless to say we have lots of tasty vodka on hand. Shame. ;-)
The thoughtful gifts I received from Justin and some of our family. The Swarovski Crystal earrings will be ringing in the new year with me. The book is the third in a series which I will be reviewing in the coming year. I also found pepper spray in my stocking…just in case.
A side dish we enjoyed for Christmas dinner. I mixed half yams and half gold potatoes then whipped them with browned sage butter and a little cream. Very tasty and festive! I’ll post the recipe soon.
And last but not least, I learned to play a couple Christmas songs on my guitar. When Justin’s Grandpa Vernor heard them, he kindly gave me his 100-year-old banjo that he bought in Hawaii in the Fifties. Such a meaningful gift and I can’t wait to tune her up and learn to play!
