Thursday, January 14, 2021

Really Random Thursday, 1/14/21

 
It's 2021. I usually look forward to January 1. The Christmas decorations are down and put away. I look forward to decluttering the house, for a cleaner, fresher feel.

However...

We have been decluttering all.year.long. There is little left to clean up or give away. I did go through a few drawers and cabinets. I mean, there are always a few wayward things here and there. And then I turned my attention, as I usually do at the beginning of the year, to going through all my fabric and destashing. It serves two purposes. It reacquaints me with that I actually have, and also clues me in to fabric I know I will never use. I gave five big bags to my friend, Dotty, mostly larger pieces that can be used by our church quilting group for sashing, binding, and backing. It feels good to have more breathing room. I'm feeling ready to turn on the sewing machine. 

We were able to take our annual trip to the coast again this year, albeit with a smaller group than usual. Our good friends, the Isaacs, were unable to spend a day with us because they are not in our "bubble."

A change of scenery was just what we needed. The days were in the 60s, the nights in the 40s, with lots of blue sky and big waves.

We arrived on January 6, which turned out to be a day in history we will never forget, one of those "do you remember where you were when the Capitol was invaded?" kind of days. Unbelievable. And heart breaking.  This was the wine we drank that night.

Mark built a nice fire that night.

Charlotte and I always drive into Pismo Beach, go to the Hotlix candy store and take our pictures in their photo booth. Not this year, however. We did go to the candy store, and this year Levi came along with us, but the photo booth, while open and available, was not maintained/sanitized. So nope...

But never fear, says Charlotte. We took pictures and she turned them into a photo strip with some app she has.

The kids loved dipping their toes in the (cold) water.


One of Ella and Amelia's favorite pastimes this year was putting on makeup, using Amelia's Christmas gift.


The rest of us played games.


Or read. There was a lot of reading going on.

Beautiful sunsets each night.

More playing in the sand.



Walks on the beach (thanks for these pictures, Christa...)






Eating.

Chocolate chip pancakes made by Gramps.
Ruby loves her sourdough bread from a local bakery.

A tradition is that every morning, the kids come up to our room, which is a studio apartment over the garage, at exactly 7 a.m., and wake us up. It's a way for them to get extra screen time. Ha. Charlotte is at the age where she likes to sleep in, so most mornings 7:00 a.m. is not her thing. But she did come up one morning.
Going to the candy store has traditionally been a treat for just Charlotte and me, but this year, being a different kind of year, I took Gabe and Ella as well. They loved it because Hotlix sells a lot of candy containing crickets, larvae, ants, etc. Ugh. Not that they bought any, but they liked the thought of it.


On Thursday, Aaron got notification that he could get his COVID vaccination. In Madera. At 9:30 a.m. Even though we were three hours away, we all encouraged him to get the vaccine. So on Friday morning, he left at 5:45 a.m., received his injection, turned around and came back to the beach, getting there just a little after lunchtime. As an optometrist, he has close contact with patients all day long and we all feel better knowing that he has received the first vaccination. 

This year we had kites to fly, and Friday afternoon had enough wind.


On our last night, we had another great fire.

Of course we had to take our annual family beach pictures.

These funny, crazy, loud, silly people are the nearest and dearest to my heart. We all needed this change of scenery so much. I can't imagine being in a "bubble" with anyone else.

Welcome to 2021 here at Live a Colorful Life. Let's hope it's a good one. 

7 comments:

05 08
Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Here's to a great new year. It may be off to a rocky start but I still believe it will a good one. Glad you were still able to get away. Purging is once again on my agenda . . . seems to be an ongoing thing. Wish I could be as good at purging fabric as you though. It's the one area I find hard to do.

Patti said... #

Oh what a fun read!!! Lucky you and you sure have a great family!!!

Needled Mom said... #

I’m so glad you were able to make the trip to Pismo. Looks like all had a fun time. The surf has been huge! There will be lifetimes of memories for everyone.

FlourishingPalms said... #

You have such a nice, well-populated bubble! I'm glad you were able to get out and about, and enjoy beach time. It looks like lots of fun.

Deb Cox said... #

oh cindy, what a sweet and wonderful post. just what we needed. you are all fortunate you could manage that bit of a get away. lucky bunch and will deserved. thanks for your time and heart in your blog. it is enjoyed so very much. take care dear lady. (-:

French 75 said... #

Looking through your beach pics, I almost felt like I was there. It looks like you and your family had a fantastic and well needed getaway. I'm glad you were still able to have your annual beach trip.

Robby said... #

Somehow, I missed this on my blog reader and then... there you were. What a wonderful little break for everyone. Isn't it funny how just being with those we love seems like enough these days?