It’s been another busy month here. It’s officially been six weeks since I moved and I’m finally starting to feel settled into my new routine. There have been a lot of adjustments of course, but it’s no longer a daily stressor, it’s all just part of what I do now.
Somehow the holidays are already here, which seems impossible. I’ve promised myself that I’m not going to stress too hard about gift-giving and making sure everything is perfect. It’s been a hectic year and I think ending it on a low key note sounds perfect to me.
Amidst it all, I have been working hard on intentionally carving out time to engage in hobbies that bring me joy, that I’d spent the past few years pushing aside. I’m reading a lot more, which was all I did growing up, but recently I’ve struggled to make time for myself to pick up a non-work related book, and it’s been really nice to get back into reading for pleasure.

I’m also doing a lot more crafting, both for other people and for myself. I have several crochet projects going that I’ve been commissioned to do and I’ve been painting decor for my friends who are getting married in a few months. I also learned just this weekend that I really love watercolor painting, and would love to do more of it. One of my best friends was

celebrating his birthday at the raptor sanctuary where he volunteers. They were having a painting class where they brought in one of their birds for us to learn about and paint.
I tend to lean towards crafts that involve a lot of coloring inside the lines, or making an exact number of stitches so the product is identical every time, and it was really

freeing and fun to work with something less exact and predictable. I see a lot more of that in my future, and maybe next time I’ll have more art to share!
Until then, happy holidays!!

