have a roly poly christmas

so i learned a few things over the weekend. read on if you'd like.

point one. it seems that the snow falls sideways here in idaho. it's true. the wind blows a blustery winter scene outside and makes you feel like you're on a movie set and more importantly, never want to leave your house again. even to go get the mail, but the chances of getting a fun christmas card overpowers me, so i eventually bundle up, get out and open up my mailbox with my feet sunken in snow. it's always worthwhile though, i haven't yet been disappointed. my sister heidi even mailed me some of her famous cookies. and you can never have too many christmas cookies on the counter, especially if they're the gingerbread type. mmm. for the most part, the bear cub and i are hibernating til winter is over. we've got plenty of cookies to pull us through. hopefully the pretty cellophaned stacks for the neighbors will remain wrapped til delivered. i realize i am completely running out of time.

which brings me to point number two. do not procrastinate buying christmas dinner groceries, delivering gifts, developing photos or buying stocking stuffers. silly me. i thought i'd wait til the sun comes out to melt this stuff before heading out. looks like that isn't happening anytime soon. so wal-mart here we come. i hate to admit it, but it's the closest store to me and santa loves a onestopshop.

point three. sorry to belabor the point, but if you're coming to visit me, you better have an enormous truck with big burley tires. it's imperative if you want to drive safely in this town. seriously, they have decided to forgo street snow removal altogether and allow snow to simply settle in for a long (and icy) winter's nap. it's every man for himself out there. fortunately our car is small but mighty. dan refers to it as the tank. yes, he has removed the hubcaps again this winter to further give our hyundai it's tank status. i wonder if i have to be a guy to understand.

point four. i did get myself over to the gym saturday after harassing myself about building Cookie Kingdom in my own kitchen. a session of yoga is like sunshine for the soul. i laid on my yoga mat and remembered when i was so pregnant that laying on my belly felt like a million light years away. and there i was sun salutating the saturday morning hello and simultaneously realizing how very weak i am. must keep going to yoga no matter how deep the snow.

point five. i really liked my earthy yoga teacher. she was probably in her fifties and looked not a day older than thirty. tough and buff and knowledgeable. she kept saying to breathe from the belly. and i really attempted to do so. and while her poses were complicated, she said something really interesting that caught me offguard. as the yoga students were bending and stretching and balancing, i was attempting not falling over. she said, even if you cannot reach the deep stretch, visualize yourself doing so. picture in your mind what you want to achieve. mind over matter. yes. i loved that. especially since i am far from yogi perfection. i thought that is good advice. be it a yoga pose or graduating with honors or baking a perfect pie crust or publishing a book or asking for a raise or quitting a bad habit or starting a good one. picture yourself achieving. thank you, miss yoga teacher for serious enlightenment.

point six. holding off on cashing in my september birthday gift, a massage gift certificate, was one of the best procrastinating i've ever done. if you love feeling warm and toasty you will definitely love a hot stone massage. i felt like a stick of butter left in the microwave too long. a perfect feeling for the saturday before christmas. (okay, okay, so i gave up grocery shopping for a trip to the day spa, i realize there are consequences i will have to pay. such as battling the crowds at wal-mart tonight with the rest of the world. the closer christmas comes, the crazier it gets. people will begin to buy anything to stuff under their tree. like shrink-wrapped bottles of cologne. nothing says class like shrink wrap.)

point seven. just as i was getting anxious, feeling like i don't give benji enough tummy time, he decides to go ahead and achieve something all on his own. completely surprising and delighting his mama. yep, someone in our house just learned to roll over! it was the most adorable thing ever and he just decided to show me his new trick like a pro, as if he's been saving it for months. benji is three days shy of turning 4 months old and is the apple of my eye. the sight of christmas lights and brightly colored packages are incentive enough to muster the courage to flip from his tummy to his back. oh my, how great it is to watch him grow and learn. he has figured out how to grasp his rattle and shake it about, causing big benji grins. his eyes are still changing right before my very own. and he has this awesome mini mohawk that reminds me of a pony's mane. i love to stroke it and tell him what a good boy he is. i used to hear the phrase i'm lucky to be his mom from other mamas before i had a baby. i never fully understood. but now i get it. this sweet li'l soul is entrusted to me. he is a bundle of sweet curiosity and goodness and love. i see now how blessed, how lucky, how wonderful it is to call him my own. my favorite gift of all truly did come early this year.

any other gifts are simply the icing on the cake cookie.


from our holiday home to yours, we wish you a beary merry christmas.
xo. marta