I am SO blessed to have an amazing family (of birth and choice, both).

This weekend, a bunch of us are helping my son and his girlfriend move into the house they just bought. Not only are we schlepping boxes and cleaning the old apartment, but Quester has been over at the new place almost every day this month, prepping and then laying the new hardwood floors.

Family members and friends have steamed off wallpaper, painted, and more, all on a very tight timeline, at the holidays.

The thing is, we’re happy to help. That’s how we roll in this wonderful community.

Even with all the extra craziness, our holiday celebrations have been quite merry. No one ended up in the hospital this year – yeah, that’s a thing, sometimes, with us – yet there were some challenges.

We all miss my daughter and her fiancee, who are still in Colorado. Money is tight for some, and flowing better for others. Time is crunched.

Not everything comes together perfectly.

But we always have fun together. I’m so thankful that we’re there for each other. It is a powerful blessing, one that I try not to take for granted.

Here are a few links for your holiday weekend:

Here’s one of the end-of-year things I’ll be doing this week, when I’m not helping the kids with their move: filling out this workbook.

Still in celebration mode? Here are some fun and uplifting things to do. The Literary Goddess circle? I’m in.

Winter holidays are perfect for some warming foods. I’ve been getting into trying vegan recipes. I’ve been vegetarian for years, and lately my body is not very tolerant of dairy, so…  I made this yummy tomato soup recipe and we loved it. Here are some I haven’t tried yet, plus one for buffalo cauliflower bites, which we enjoyed at a restaurant in Denver last fall.

Looking for some good books to read? Here are Leonie Dawson’s picks. I’ll post my own 2019 favorites soon.

How to make the shift from scarcity to abundance.

Have an excellent weekend!