Christmas and New Years

'Tis the Season again! This holiday season has been wonderful. We didn't travel anywhere this year so there was no pressure of catching flights or watching the weather. We are saving all our vacation hours for New Zealand so we had to stay local for the holidays. It's been a blast. I've also really been on the ball as far as getting decorated and buying gifts. I couldn't wait to decorate so I had the Christmas decorations out Thanksgiving Day.

We got our tree that weekend and had it decorated that night. We cut our own tree down from a local tree farm in Woodinville. This guy has planted his entire property, yard and all, in Christmas trees to make a little extra money. He provides the

saw and the twine and all you have to do is pick out your favorite. He charges a flat rate too so no matter how tall or small your tree is it's the same price. Because we cut our own tree we didn't have to wait for it to relax before we decorated. It's a beautiful tree and more open so we could see the ornaments better.

We had James' sister Shyla take our Christmas photo this year because she's an aspiring photographer. We went to the local garden center where they have a few displays set up specifically for photos. The poinsettia tree was just too neon red so we picked the little nature bench. It was tons of fun! Evie is such a ham for the camera.

My New Year's Resolutions this year are I think some of the best I've chosen. I'm terrible at New Year's Resolutions normally but these ones are some that I really, really want to accomplish this year and I'm hoping that will provide extra motivation.

• This year I want to master three pieces of music on the piano. I've gotten terribly lax at practicing so I need a goal to get back in the habit of practicing.
• I have several topics I want to learn about this year including, the history and culture of an American Indian tribe, homesteading and specifically urban homesteading, raising chickens and rabbits, and meditation.
• Along with the above goals I want to read at least 1 nonfiction book each month. I already have several picked out including books on personal finance, homesteading, and raising kids.
• I want to sew Evie a nice quilt for her bed since we are planning on switching her to a real bed soon. I also want to sew a new one for James and I to get some fresh colors on our bed.
• And finally, I am continuing my weight-loss all the way down to 135 pounds this year. I've already lost 30 so I only have a little under 60 to go. I know I can do that in a year.

And that's it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!