Monday, January 2, 2023

Baking and an Update

 


My baking frenzy for Christmas went very well. My family members all left on Christmas with a box full of about fifteen different cookies. It was fun. My Mom called later and said it was a good thing I have her and her boyfriend their own box of cookies because they might have come to blows otherwise. (Sound effect of Lynne laughing),

It was even more fun to hear my granddaughter and son got together to make his favorite brownies, and she even made the whipped cream to eat with them!


I know I haven’t been blogging much lately, but I’ve had a lot going on. Now that the Holiday Season is over, I have taken down and put away all the Christmas decorations and got the house back to “normal.”

I have also decided that I am not getting another cat. It was a hard decision. I have offered a colleague all my cat supplies - kitty condos, tents, cat hammocks, etc and she has agreed to take them (She has three cats).

Since I was able to get rid of all the cat stuff I had room in the office in the closet so I could reorganize my pantry. I bought two wire shelving racks and put them in the closet and then reorganized everything. I was able to devote a couple of shelves to some of my roasting pans and Dutch ovens and my big stock pot.

This is it, above. It took a lot of thought. And I had to rearrange a couple of shelves after I put the racks together. I realized that it access was important, and that I didn’t want to bend down to get something I used a lot (like canned tomatoes.) I need some “liners” so small items will sit on the shelves better, but those are on order.

AFTER I DID THAT… I sat at the desk and went through the huge stack of bills and old statements that were weighing on my mind. Now that’s all done, and I can’t tell how how good that feels.

2022 was a hell of an up-and-down year for me. Some stuff really sucked, and some stuff was pretty awesome. I had made a list of things I wanted to get done around the house, and I managed to complete a lot of them. My office is no longer the pit of despair. My guest bath is no longer tired, dated, and impractical. My kitchen is pretty and organized. My spa bathtub is no longer a catch-all for junk. Some of those things have been weighing me down for years. No longer.

I’ll be in the studio sewing before you know it. 













6 comments:

Wendy Currie said...

How fun to share Christmas baking like you did!!
It sounds like 2023 is off to a lighter freeing feeling for you, I have enjoyed reading about your transformations around your house and now to more quilting 😊 Happy New Year!

Juliana said...

Like Wendy, I have really enjoyed tagging along as you did all the house renovations and freshening up. I have a major kitchen update happening in about a month, and I am anticipating the same feeling you describe of a huge burden being lifted from my whole life. I love the story of your granddaughter making brownies and whipped cream for her dad. Happy New Year!

Mystic Quilter said...

It has certainly been a pleasure to follow your year again on the blog, reading of the sad times and the glad times for you, I'm looking forward to your posts again this year. Congratulations on a fantastically tidy pantry!

Poppy Q said...

Glad you made so many people happy with your baking. I feel sad that you won't have the company of a cat, but it leaves you free to travel and I understand. Good on you for passing on miss Millies things to give other kitties some comfort.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I love this post for so many reasons! We did not get another cat after Miss Angel so I totally understand your decision (and love that you are passing along Millie's things to other cats). That photo of Mr. Karate and Little Miss is priceless and how wonderful that she has inherited your love of cooking. Having seen some of your renovations in person, you did an excellent job and you are going to really enjoy having the new pantry shelves. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment and here's to weight-free time in the studio!

Shelley said...

Baking sheets make great liners for those shelves😊