2021 A Year in Pictures

One of the pans that came with our new set is very tiny (and also very cute). Of course a Maelle wanted to try making mini quesadillas with it. We got out a round cookie cutter that was just the right size. She cut the tortillas and baked her quesadilla in the tiny pan. I didn’t taste it, but it looked pretty good. 

We finally broke down and bought a new set of pots and pans, after using the same ones for 21 years. The brand is GreenLife. It’s ceramic coated, so much healthier than many other types of pots and pans. They are so nice to cook with and clean. I love the turquoise color, too. 

Maelle is spending the night with a friend. The rest of us had Hamburg for supper. Benny and I went to a Busch’s and got ice cream and he also got a root beer. He was pretty spoiled. After supper we watched True Lies. It was fun to hang out with these two. 

This is how Winston was sleeping on our bed tonight. He is so spoiled. 

This is one of last year’s poinsettias, and by last year I mean Christmas 2019.  Last winter it started in the inevitable decline of a tropical plant in Michigan in winter. I usually hang onto my Christmas poinsettias for a few months until it is too unbearable to watch it supper and decline any longer. Last winter, however, all three of my poinsettias started to grow back. I guess I kept them long enough to give them another chance at life. The unfortunate thing was that they were only growing green leaves. I did some research and learned that by limiting their light to 8 hours per day, they would start to regrow their colored leaves, the ones we all know and love and refer to as “flowers.” For the months of November and December (right up until Christmas), we religiously put a box on top of them at 3:00 every afternoon and then uncovered them at 7:00 am the next day. Nothing at all seemed to be happening, except for the occasion and unfortunate broken limb from boxing them hastil...

Maelle got a Buddha Board for Christmas. You “paint” on it with water, and after a few minutes (when it dries), the painting disappears. It is supposed to help you let go and be okay with letting go. We have it in the kitchen right now, and everyone seems to be taking turns drawing on it. It’s pretty fun. 

We tried a new green chicken enchilada recipe. It was delicious! I had never tried green enchilada sauce before, but we will definitely be having this recipe again soon. 

My flower bloomed over Christmas break. I always forget what this flower is called, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. I think the next step is that it will lose all of its flowers and then all of its leaves so it can start all over again. The first time this happened was very alarming. This time I will be ready. 

Chris got called into work this morning, so I said I would feed the pigs. They had to wait a little bit for me to get up, but they didn’t seem to m mind too much. I also put all of the Christmas ornaments and decorations away. This Christmas season seemed to fly by like never before. I will miss the tree, the lights, and the decorations. Maelle also finished up her stop-motion animation project for genius hour today. The ballerina is a picture she drew on the computer to add to the credits. Her whole project turned out great. I am so impressed with her talent, and also quite proud of her hard work and dedication. 

Tonight Chris and I listened to records. He got a new one for Christmas, and I feel like listening to some “oldies” (Pink Floyd and U2). This is the last night to enjoy the Christmas tree. Winston curled right up on his cushion to join us. He would have laid on the couch, which he is not allowed to do, but we were there. 

It’s a brand new year! 2020 was rough. I gave up my Picture of the Day sometime late in the year. I just stopped doing it. Then I woke up in 2021 and realized why I started doing it in the first place. Life moves fast and my daily blog is my way of slowing it down. I didn’t realize until two months passed by in the blink of an eye that I need this. It is a small commitment that leads to big rewards. It’s my way of holding on the the pieces, the moments, of my life. Even on the days when “nothing much” happens (and believe me, there were A LOT) in 2020, I still need this.  Today Maelle and I painted, but I didn’t get any pictures of us doing it because I wasn’t sure I would be doing my Picture of the Day. I am painting my spider plant in the sunroom. When we work on them again, I’ll be sure to get a picture. We also made delicious homemade pizza using th cast iron skillets. Maelle especially liked her little baby pizza. We were sure to add pork sausage and pepperoni for Our New Year...