Monday, December 24, 2018

Simple JOY: Through the eyes of children...

Oh nothing fills my heart more than seeing Christmas through the eyes of children!
And boy! Don't grands seem to grow even faster than our own did? Our grand guys are now one and five and as many of you can relate to,  continue to fill our hearts with enormous JOY!
 
Hubby and I are having one of those "weird" holidays where we actually won't being seeing these two cuties until after the New Year. (But what a great way to ring in the new year!) My Christmas actually being spent sewing (LOL!) while hubby works.  Having always brought our girls up with Christmas's filled with traditions and family, it's taken me awhile to process the idea of being alone on such a big holiday. But as the idea grew on me, I began to find myself embracing it's simplicity as I realized: 
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MY FOCUS:
I've enjoyed sharing my simple celebrations of holiday JOY with you here on the blog this month. Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments.  As you know, the JOY of being a grandmother continuously fills my heart. The LOVE of my husband and family nourishes my soul. But! My FOCUS for 2019 will find me embracing new found freedoms at home and work. For the first time in thirty years, I'm living without the obligations of children. Acknowledging this has been a HUGE part of my esteem, I find myself wanting to be intentional about making 2019 a mid-life creative journey of self discovery and expression.  I'll share more on this as I write my post Yvonne's Planning Party later this week. Until then, I'd like to wish you all a holiday filled with love and...


13 comments:

  1. Have a blessed Christmas with your focus on the positive!! I'll be sewing right along with you!!

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  2. Merry Christmas, love and joy to you too!! May the new year bring you all the good things your heart can hold.

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  3. Joyful photos! Joyful plans! And it sounds like a bit of joyful quiet this year :)

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  4. Merry Christmas to you too! I totally understand how being far from family & how traditions can change. This is the first Christmas I haven't baked or planned a big meal. Think of all the saved calories & no January diet! Happy sewing to you too, that is my exact plan for tomorrow.

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    1. Exactly! Honestly, though it'a a BIG change in holiday routines, I'm LOVING the simplicity, the quiet, and the time to just enJOY the season.

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  5. I look forward to reading more of your journey 😘

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  6. We had two parts of the family here on Christmas Eve (I started to say today, but it's already past midnight), so tomorrow I can get back to sewing again. The other two parts are out-of state and won't be home. I can't wait to see what your "focus" will be in 2019.
    Merry Christmas.
    Pat

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  7. Val - wishing you a very merry Christmas! I love the quote you posted and your determination to shift your attitude into a positive spin. The New Year will be your year with surprises and delights galore. Enjoy the journey!

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  8. Love your attitude. Although they are not with you physically I know they have you in their hearts. There will be time to celebrate later. Today, sew away. Can't wait to see what 2019 brings. Happy holidays!

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  9. Wait, a sewy (rather than a snowy) Christmas Day with hubby away? Throw in a Crock Pot meal and I call that heaven! Love the sentiment of Joy you posted --- so true and so easy for us to allow it to get away from us. Yeah, it's tough to be away from the Grands on Christmas, but even better to start off the New Year's with hugs and smiles from them! That should get 2019 off on just the right foot! Enjoy the "Me" time and the upcoming "We" time!

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  10. Enjoy your sewing time and look forward to spending time with family. As we all move forward we have to adjust and embrace our time alone.

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  11. A lovely post Val. Merry Christmas to you. Ours was also somewhat quiet but we enjoyed it quite a bit. Later this week we travel to Vermont to see the kids and I am looking forward to it. Life is good. :-)

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  12. So beautifully said. I cannot agree more. 🥂Happy New Year!🥂

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I have to admit, your comments make me smile! Thanks for sharing and for letting me know you stopped by. I Hope your day is awesome!

Val:)