5 things I’m loving at the moment:
1. WEEKLY REVIEW: I am in love with my relatively new “weekly review” process on Fridays. (See post here for more details.) I actually find myself looking forward to it. Knowing that I have time blocked off to just deal with many loose ends + time to proactively look ahead at next week has felt SO GOOD. I’m considering also adding in one more step- possibly a weekly/scheduled “photo purge”. Going through any pictures I take in the week and deleting duplicates, etc. on a regular basis could probably really help keep my photos organized.
2. CHRISTMAS PIANO MUSIC: I’ve been working with the boys on their newly chosen Christmas piano pieces for their school’s virtual Christmas concert.
Ethan is going to play “Coventry Carol” (beautiful song…not the typical/ cheery Christmas song but just gorgeous. This Loreena McKennitt version is worth a listen too- click here. Where was You Tube when I was learning to play the piano?? It’s so fun to look up various versions of their pieces together.)
Asher is playing “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. We looked up videos too- this one PERFECTLY displays the dainty touch needed on the piano to emulate the light footed ballerina on stage and the celesta (which makes the soft bell sound) played in the original. Beautiful scene and ballet dancing in this video!! Love it.
3. NEW PODCAST: I stumbled across this podcast yesterday- Overheard at National Geographic.
I went back to Episode 1, Season 1 and thoroughly enjoyed a fascinating discussion about the incredible “whale culture” of the humpbacks in the South Pacific. I had been feeling lately that I want to broaden the scope a bit of what I consume and get out of the rut of always reading/listening to the same genres and sources. This fits the bill perfectly! Fascinating stuff.
4. TLACOYOS: My sister-in-law dropped off a batch of tlacoyos the other day- one of our favorite Mexican foods. A tlacoyo is made of masa into a soft, thick dough-like substance, then shaped into an oval, with a thin layer of refried beans inside. You then top them with the most delicious (and SPICY) salsa, onions and crumbled cotija cheese, and eat this scrumptious thin cut Mexican steak with it. AMAZING. Just AMAZING. So good. She makes these for us almost every month and we are eternally grateful. 🙂
5. WALK OUTSIDE– Take 2.
If you remember, last month I shared a bunch of pictures of a morning walk at a nearby marsh (in this post.) I went back yesterday (almost exactly one month later), and wow- what a difference!! It was so serene, still and beautiful both ways. It’s incredible what can happen in a month. Back in October, the marsh was full of noisy geese, animals, and activity. Yesterday, I really enjoyed the stillness, in contrast.
October 2020 
November 2020
October 2020 
November 2020
October 2020 
November 2020
October 2020 
November 2020
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for the feeling of the sun on my face. I sat on this little bench for maybe 5-10 minutes at the end of my walk. The sun had just come out from behind the clouds. I closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sun….ahhh. Is there anything better than that feeling of the sun’s rays on your face?? 🙂
GRATEFUL KAE 
walk outside is definitely therapy for me too! I like my monthly review too, kind of fun to re-live some highlights of the month 🙂
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I have not heard of Tlacoyos before. They sound good and maybe gluten free since masa is GF? They kind of remind me of arepas which is a favorite food of mine – we get them from a restaurant with roasted pork, black beans and cotilla cheese. They are sooo good! I haven’t had them since this summer but I would like get some via take-out after the baby is born.
Your outdoor pictures are so pretty! What a change from month to month. This was such a beautiful fall, although it ended pretty abruptly here with all that snow! But I definitely soaked it up while it was beautiful and we had gorgeous weather here this weekend so were outside as much as possible!
Christmas is my favorite season for piano playing! I hope my joints cooperate soon so I can start to play some Christmas music on our piano.
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Love your pictures. The contrast is amazing – yet both times of the year are so beautiful, and peaceful in their own way. Also, Christmas Music! I forget how much I love it – and how much I loved playing it on the piano.
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