Flannel sheets are the best! Every bed in our house got a set for Christmas this year.

I WOULD TOTALLY BE AT A GOTHIC CHRISTMAS CHICKEN!

I wouldn’t miss that for anything!

Had a good Christmas with my side of the family and got back from Oklahoma yesterday. Yippee for computer and the intertubes!

I hope everyone has a good week, and I will see you at this Friday’s Chicken.
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … Company Girl Coffee: Twas the Week Before Christmas =-.

The Bad: the After Christmas Crash in which the migraines have been intolerable. Been barfing for 2 days now. Also realizing how much in my life needs to change for me to be happy and feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. But that could maybe also go in the Good column.

Happy Zombie Yule!
.-= Vickie´s last post … Merry Christmas! =-.

I have to laugh, though, at the stories of people’s Quiet Christmases, because we hosted, for the first time this year, my family’s gigundous performative extravaganza, which has been set in stone for aeons. And it was about as quiet as you’d expect when 21 people sit down to a huge 3-hour meal… (For the record – because oh look, I can’t bear to take undue credit – the cooking was very much a joint effort by all the involved households.)

In Ireland in January, people often ask each other, “How did you survive the Christmas?” It does have that feeling of achievement and survivorship, really!

HARD this week:
- Stressing about presents. (It all got sorted in the end.)
- Christmas Eve, realising on the way to my uncle’s house that I’d forgotten to remind them about the dairy sensitivity; dining on stale bread, hummus (decent, but still), and soup from a carton; feeling really embarrassed.
- My mother being upset about some family stuff.
- Completely failing to make any time for my poor blog.

GOOD this week:
+ The Christmas itself actually went amazingly well. OK, we sat down to eat two hours later than planned, but it was astonishingly relaxed, and there was plenty of everything, and people were in good form, and it just worked.
+ Best bit: I got to make the desserts, so I was able to eat ALL of them! Mixed berry sorbet and pecan-vanilla vegan ice-cream – yum.
+ Other best bit: watching my boys having what looked like a totally joy-filled day.
+ Two days previously, hosting our annual solsticetide party. For an introvert, I’m oddly partial to having a load of friends around.
+ Seeing lots of a really close friend who lives in San Francisco and comes to Ireland twice a year.
+ That Carolina Chocolate Drops track you linked to in your Item! post. OMG! I’ve listened to it so many times, and it’s on permanent loop in my head. So good. Kazoooooooooo!
.-= Lean Ni Chuilleanain (@leannich)´s last post … Spring Two Steps Forward, One Step Back =-.

The hard:
– so much Stuff around the holidays it’s nearly impossible for me not to sink into a funk so deep and dark no one sees me again until Mid-January. It truly feels like a war, in which imaginary versions of me are popping out of foxholes and flinging issues at real me. All around hard.
– trying to be cheerful around the hippie husband because he can’t understand why, when we get x-mess our way for three whole years now, I still have Stuff lurking around from the previous 35+ bad ones.
– was making real progress with the shivanata and writing, progress that came to screeching halt three days ago and now I’m getting all resentful and cranky because I’m not comfortable enough yet with the art of the ask. Harumph!

The good:
+ Successfully navigated a holiday without injury or sickness.
+ Got on a writing streak that lasted for nearly three days – made a post and a more “me” about me page.
+ Found new ways to incorporate shivanata into my morning routine and started getting some BING moments.
+
.-= Casey´s last post … Writing =-.

The hard:
- Had epiphany one where I realized that apparently the reason I don’t do things like eat when I’m hungry is because I think that everything I do related to self-care is selfish. (In a bad way, not a good way.) Because I’ve been told I’m selfish for years.
- Had epiphany two where I realized that I am horribly, deeply, down-to-the-bones sad – because all this holiday stuff that tells you that family is the only thing that matters is reminding me that unless I go to a certain church, I don’t really have part of my family anymore.
- The usual, “but he’s a dog, he doesn’t even know what day it is” .. from people who don’t understand why I don’t want to board my dog for the holiday so I can visit family (ha-ha) or don’t want to have him stay home alone for the day while I go somewhere.
- Epiphanies resulted in lots of sobbing .. which is not really making for an enjoyable holiday season.

The good:
- I was able to give myself what I needed right now – which was to decline everything and spend time doing some of my favorite things – a very long hike with the pup, a movie, a nap, and nachos.
- Though I might complain about them, the epiphanies .. because now I can work with them.
- Sunshine.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … wishing you every blessing =-.

About this:

My favorite Stuisms (like this one) are the ones that hint at an alternate timeline that runs parallel to our own. I especially enjoy the ones (like this one) where, really, can you be sure which one is your reality and which one is Stu’s?
.-= Tracy´s last post … Holding Zone =-.

The Hard:

-Being away for the holidays and missing my animals. It sounds silly, but my dogs are such a presence in my life. I really miss their positive and supporting energy.

-Being the shy person in a group of outgoing people. I feel like people think I’m anti-social, and I’m not. I just don’t want to invade anyone’s conversation space.

-The usual worries of starting a business. Making a plan to sit down and talk to my stuckness that says that this can’t possibly work later-hopefully I can reason with it.

The Good:

-Having an actual business plan. Revamping the site, creating a store, creating more products for all kinds of budgets. All hard, but all good, and I finally feel like I’m on the right track with things.

-Getting up the courage to think about applying for the Kitchen Table program. I’ve been wanting to for ages, and didn’t think I was of the right caliber, but I think I’ve finally convinced myself that I can do it.

-Doing a little better at balancing my personal life with my work life. Still not a lot of personal, but there’s more of it than there was.

Happy Zombie Holidays to all, I hope you had a wonderful day and can resolve your stucknesses as painlessly as possible!
.-= Holly´s last post … Merry Christmas! =-.

chickening on a Saturday, first time ever!

So this week…

The Hard:

trying not to stress on the family/holiday stuff

watching poor wife get a cold as soon as she stopped work

The Good

Seeing my family, particularly spending some Good Time with my little brother and sister.

Giggling at stupid stuff with little bro and sis. excellent to share jokes and silliness

my mother-in-law’s outstanding home-made sausage rolls

spending an hour and half in the kitchen making special sweet potato and feta “sausage” rolls while watching the last two ever episodes of Defying Gravity on my macbook pro.

the beautiful, shiny fountain pen that wife bought me for christmas…

peaceful holidays all.
xxx