Gently emerging back in to polite society

 I've been off work for most of the last couple of weeks, thanks to the holidays and having to use up vacation time before I lose it.

Today was my first day back and I guess it did not disappoint. One of the first emails I got was a "Hey, I got the invoice" and the numbers aren't the same as the previous one. (Oh wow, I just felt a bit of deja vu writing that) and turns out it was a bigger issue once someone dug into it a bit.  Lovely ... 

At least the sun was out for a bit ... 

And I got a bit of other news that makes me think 2025 is not going to be as quiet and gentle as I hoped it would be. A year of big change, potentially.  Time will tell and I'm not going to let it be a brain drain on me.  

So, with that little bit out of the way ... 

The memes and what people say about the days between New Year's being a time of not knowing what day it is is *so* true. I think it was New Year's Eve, or the day before I was telling someone about something that happened on what I remembered was Christmas Day.  I had the time off, my husband had scattered time off so it got to the point where I didn't know if we were coming or going and whether I needed to make a lunch for his work.  

We had a lovely steak dinner on New Year's Day. 

I tried out a new-to-me recipe. Keto-something. 

It's eggs, cream cheese, butter and some vanilla and cinnamon.  Turned out good.  Was even better with a bit of syrup and fresh whipped cream. 

I'd say this is an apt visual of what that time looked like for me.  Sunshine, but a mild hot mess and chaos. It's beautiful, though.  This is life. As messy and annoying the seeming never-ending dishwashing may sometimes be. 

I didn't do as much crafting as you would think. We were trying to take advantage of what decent weather there was and take care of outside things. 

Yes, we aren't letting the colder weather hold us back.  Hardy, har, har. 

I did start my Mother's Garden cross stitch, by Blackbird Designs. 

Project Name: Mother's Garden

Stitch count: 

Started: Jan. 1, 2025

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Blackbird Designs, given to me by sister-in-law

DMC Floss: DMC conversion: 167, 350, 610, 937, 3781, 3787, 3865, 

Fabric: 32 count Briston Linen, purchased at Hobby Lobby

Making for myself.

Yesterday I had to take care of a couple things in town and make a run up to Duluth. It was a nice day for the time of year, so I stopped at one of the parkways on Skyline and took a few photos and a video. 

Having grown up in the area I take the view for granted. It is beautiful. 

This is the John Blatnik Bridge.  Also know as the High Bridge by the locals. 

This is the Richard Bong Bridge. It's lower and more curvy. Depending on the day I'd rather take the Blatnik versus driving on the Bong. 

And here is your pseudo-tour guide, to memorialize the occasion.  

This evening I took down my wee Christmas tree.  Kinda bittersweet. I didn't want to put all the lights away just yet so I draped them around Furby Jr. 

Pretty cunning, right? 

Yup, that is one lingering gift.  I haven't seen the person it's for. 

There's another project I started this week. Since I don't have a sweater on the needles yet I am sort of at loose ends.

 Take a guess as to what it might be? 

One last thing ... Once the calendar page turned over to January the garden center of my brain activated. 

I've been watching some gardening youtube channels and haunting some of the gardening groups on the book of faces. 

The first seed purchase of the year was made. It's so wee and cute. Only six seed packets.

And the seed starting station has been assembled. 

I already have a plant in there.  Well, it's a bit of an experiment.  One of my Christmas cacti tipped over and a bunch of the leaves broke off.  I had *just* seen a real or video about how to propagate new plants by setting them in a bowl and held up with plastic wrap.  I have nothing to lose and a bunch of new plants to gain.