Natalie"s Notebook-December Recap

Tiny moments of awe, ratatouille, and the notes app

Hi there, and welcome! This monthly newsletter contains recommendations, interesting articles, recipes, and fun finds. Get cozy, settle in for a bit, and let’s get caught up ☺️

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December Chit Chat ❄️

Happy New Year! 🥳 This monthly edition is later than usual because my family and I were traveling last week. January always brings a fresh start, and while I didn’t choose a word for the year, I made some exciting and (hopefully) achievable goals for 2024. December was a wonderful, busy month as I prepped for Christmas, spent time with family, made yummy Christmas treats, and enjoyed the season. I delighted in the twinkly lights, Christmas music, and holiday parties.

Here are some other highlights:

• A trip to Chicago with my girls to see my daughter-in-law graduate from Naval recruit training ✈️⚓️

• Attending the wedding of a dear friend from high school🥂

• Celebrating my husband’s birthday 🎉

December 2023

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Everyday Loves

• Three great shows: I watched The Crown’s final season, The Gilded Age season 2, and Lesson in Chemistry and loved all three.

• The notes app on my phone. I use it for all kinds of things, but what I appreciated about it last month was using it to keep track of Christmas gifts. Every year, I make a list of who I’m buying gifts for, and as I purchase items, I write them down next to their names. As each item is wrapped, I place a checkmark (☑️) next to that item. When I‘m finished shopping for someone on my list and everything is wrapped, I place a green check mark (✅) at the end to know I’m done. We have two family members with birthdays near Christmas, and I keep those gift lists on the same note.

• Two books. I read seven books last month, but two stood out: Wrong Place Wrong Time (so thought-provoking!), and I Have Some Questions for You. Both books were page-turners!

• Online restaurant reservation apps. I used Open Table and Resy quite a bit last month to book dining reservations. These apps are handy for planning, whether at home or traveling.

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Noteworthy Links

• I can’t think of a better way to start a new year than noticing tiny moments of awe (a.k.a Glimmers.) You can read more Glimmers here and here.

• Do you want a younger, healthier brain? Here are five anti-inflammatory foods that help.

• A friend and I recently discussed this issue: What happened to the family doctor?

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From the Kitchen

• I love a one-pan dinner, which was so tasty: Lazy Man’s Ratatouille.

• A comforting dinner to serve on a cold night: Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage (I added a bunch of fresh spinach and used chicken sausage)

• I make Shannan’s Party Bark every Christmas, and let me warn you, it’s hard to stop at one piece! I make mine with GF pretzels and vegan butter, and no one complains 😉

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How was your December? What were your highlights?

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.”
— Neil Gaiman