Been a long time

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here.  Lots of stuff going on in my personal life and I just haven’t taken the time.  Today Chris and I went out to breakfast together and then to court for our divorce proceedings.  Now all of the motions have been gone through and it’s just a waiting game (until April) for the process to finalize.  I’m glad that we were able to close that chapter amicably and still walk away friends.  So many other couples are not so fortunate.
In other news I’m working steadily on renovating my new home office.  So much has been out of control (like the closing of my home loan refinance, etc.) that I needed to accomplish some small things so that I didn’t lose my mind.  The office has been stripped down to bare wood floors and I have an email out for an estimate to refinish them.  If it’s cheap enough I’ll have someone come in and do them.  If not, I’ll tackle that myself.  I also bought a new ceiling light and installed it by myself.  For some folks that may be a simple task, but never having done that before it felt like a huge triumph for me.

While I was at it I installed a new light switch and wall plate too.

I’ve been invited to attend a birthday party this Saturday for a one year old girl.  So in honor of that celebration I’ve baked up lots of little cookies and cookie pops in the shapes of circles, clouds, hearts and flowers (similar to what I did for Emelia’s bday party).  Tonight I’ll pipe the outlines on them and tomorrow I’ll flood them all with color.  They should have plenty of time to set overnight and be packed up on Saturday for travel.  I can’t wait.  Cookie decorating takes lots of preparation and concentration, and I find it very therapeutic.  It’s another of those things that makes you feel very accomplished once complete.  Plus you get the added benefit of seeing the smiles when someone views them for the first time.
On Saturday evening I’ll be local for a friend’s holiday party.  For that I’ll be baking up some individual-sized Nutella cheesecakes.  I did them last weekend for a party and they went over extremely well.  The recipe itself is a fantastic one, and the single-serving size is great for a party since folks can just grab one and go.  There’s no mess involved, and no slicing necessary.  Can’t beat that.
Next weekend will include two more holiday celebrations.  One with family, and one with people whom I’ve never met.  That one will include a possible overnight stay as it’s fairly far away.  And whatever shall I make…?
J