Hello, friends! Long time no chat, I know. I’ve spent the last two weeks out at the family vacation home in Utah on my winter break, enjoying a little time away from the internet world (with the exception of Instagram, of course. Can’t do without that!). I am writing on the plane ride home feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I spent the first week of our trip with my husband’s family enjoying some quality time together, celebrating the end of the holiday season and the beginning of the new year. Everyone else returned home again last Wednesday, but Don and I stayed through Monday for a little extra time in the mountains.
I was very much looking forward to some quiet downtime after a particularly busy holiday season. One of the things I most enjoy when I’m on break is a leisurely paced morning where I take my time over breakfast after my morning workout, catching up on my favorite YouTube channels and reading. I started Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach once again with the new year. This is my fifth year enjoying this daily inspirational read. I highly recommend it to anyone on the path to self discovery.
I was also delighted to finish two books in the past week. The first, Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting edited by Ann Hood, is a collection of anecdotes from famous authors on their experiences with knitting that I received in my December 2013 KnitCrate (get 10% off your first purchase by clicking this link!), a monthly knitting subscription service I’ll talk about in an upcoming video on TBBB . The other, The Chocolate Lover’s Diet by Carole Matthews, is a fun fictional sequel to a book I loved and read years ago (The Chocolate Lover’s Club). There’s nothing quite like settling into a very bubbly bath with a good book as the sun sets over the mountains!
You can now see what books I’m reading in the “Current Reads” widget on the sidebar to the right
I also enjoyed a luxurious spa outing with my MIL, Suzanne, at the St. Regis Deer Valley’s Remède. It was. SO. NICE. I had the most relaxing massage followed up by a pampering pedicure. And what spa experience is complete without a juicy hamburger and fries! I had such a lovely time I’m thinking of taking a spa day for my 31st birthday which is just around the corner.
Don and I finally got to see the latest Hobbit movie in theaters, which we both thoroughly enjoyed as huge LOTR fans. I can’t wait until it comes out on DVD! And of course, no Utah trip would be complete without indulging in my favorite ice cream! Candy cane fudge deliciousness!
The other pastime I was looking forward to indulging in during my break was a return to knitting. My Grandma taught me how to knit about ten years ago when I was home from college on a break. I was immediately hooked (pun intended!), but let my new hobby fall to the wayside when I returned to my busy school schedule. I was left with three almost finished projects and a penchant for yarn that has stuck with me through the years. In fact, every time I pop into Michael’s I make my way to the yarn aisle to admire the beautiful skeins just waiting to be turned into something warm and cozy. Knitting is something I’ve longed to get back into, but have pushed aside for different reasons over the years. I’ve decided that 2014 is the year of knitting for me and am back into this long lost hobby of mine with two completed projects to show for it already. I’m currently working on my first ever shawl that requires following a pattern. It’s a new frontier for me, but I am so enjoying the journey! Knitting is a wonderful way for the over-thinker worrywart inside of me to zone out for a little bit and I’m trying to carve out at least 15 minutes a day to knit. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!
In other news, I’m changing things up on MHWL this year by switching over to weekly vlogs. Welcome to Weekly Wednesdays! Every Wednesday I will post my WIR here on www.prettyneatliving.com and upload a weekly vlog to MHWL. I will link to the blog post in the video’s description and include the video as an embedded file on my WIR post. On that same trend, I plan on putting up a coordinating blog post on www.prettyneatliving.com for most of my YouTube videos across my different channels. I am looking into integrating my tumblrs (Winnie the Tzu and Positively Polished) here as well. I want this website to be the best place to find all of my content in one place.
You can check out last week’s vlog here if you’d like:
I have some new and exciting ideas percolating for 2014 and I can’t wait to share my journey with you. I hope your year is off to a great start!
* Post contains affiliate links. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *
