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Merry Christmas from the Wilsons!
We’re only sending a handful of physical Christmas cards out this year (hopefully, if I can manage to actually print and mail them), but we think it’s too cute not to share:
Merry Christmas from the Wilson family! We’ve had an exciting year – mostly because we welcomed our sweet son into the world in April! He’s an active little rascal now and leaves us very little time to work on our home (or eat dinner), but we wouldn’t have it any other way! We are grateful for all the growth, fellowship, and fun that 2019 brought, and can’t wait for the new adventures that 2020 will bring!
Recent Reads
I’ve read a lot more books than I expected this year (turns out that reading is one of the more enjoyable ways to pass the time when a baby is eating and/or sleeping on you), and just wanted to highlight a few recent reads and items on my hold list that I’m excited about!
I loved: Recursion (science fiction thriller about time travel and memory); Practical Magic (a sweet story about love and family – and magic); the Shadow and Bone trilogy (YA fantasy and currently being adapted for a Netflix series!).
I have on hold: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (working my way through the HP books on audio!); The Starless Sea (the much-anticipated second book from Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus); The Ten Thousand Doors of January (a book about books and stories… can’t see how I won’t enjoy this).
Stay tuned for an upcoming post on my favorite books I read in 2019!
Christmas Traditions
A few of our favorite Christmas traditions (some new and some old):
- Decorating the tree while listening to a Christmas record. My family always watched a recording of the Manheim Steamroller Christmas Spectacular while decorating our tree. This year, Scott and I bought the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack on vinyl to listen to, and it was such a fun and festive evening!
- Christmas Eve Box. This year, we have matching pajamas for the whole family! (We bought these from Target.) I’ll also include some candy, hot chocolate, and either a movie or game.
Make Money Shopping
I heard about Rakuten (formerly Ebates) years ago, didn’t start using it until early 2018. I can’t believe how long it took me to get on board, because it’s such an easy way to save money! Click through their website or install the browser extension, then shop online as normal, and you can earn cash back with each online purchase. I’m not always great at remembering to use it (and don’t spend THAT much money online shopping), but have made close to $80 in the past two years! If you sign up through this link, you can get an extra $10 in cash back on your first purchase!
An Inspiring Master Bedroom
We probably won’t be doing much work on our master bedroom for awhile, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not always looking for inspiration. I love how this master bedroom from Chris Loves Julia feels warm, relaxed, and just a little moody. Hopefully, we’ll be installing baseboards, painting trim, and adding a rug in 2020 – which I think will go a long ways towards making our room feel more like a retreat! Since we’re still in the early days of homeownership, it can be easy to feel like our rooms will never really be “finished”, but we’re (slowly but surely) getting there!