Simple Joys of the Week, December 23rd Edition

T minus 2 days until Christmas! I can't believe it. Where did this year go? I know I'm not the only one feeling this way...

So, as the last few days of 2016 fly by, lets pause to look back at our simple, sensory joys of the week. What made you smile over the past 7 days? My biggest SJOTW was obviously our trip to Atlanta and everything that that trip included, but here are a few smaller sensory pleasures that were also quite enjoyable... 

HEAR: Christmas music (because of course!)
I know I say this every year, but I just love it so much! As usual, I've been listening to a lot of Christmas stations on Pandora--my favorites are Glee Cast Holiday, Taylor Swift Holiday, Sufjan Stevens Holiday, and Michael Buble Holiday (depending on my mood). So festive and wonderful!

SEE: Holiday cards from friends + family
Do you all totally adore getting holiday cards in the mail, too? Real mail is so fun! I like to hang them around the door frame as a part of our holiday decor [which is VERY minimal this year], and look at them each time that I walk by. Of course we haven't done ours yet this year, but we're hoping to make a "Happy New Year" card that we can get out soon...we're so behind on everything but that seems to just be life these days. Oh well!

TASTE: Homemade birthday cake
When we were home, my mom made me her famous Sour Cream Pound Cake for my birthday, and it was so tasty that I brought a piece all the way back to the Cape in my carry-on ;) If you've been reading this blog for a long time, you'll remember that this cake is a SJOTW twice per year, every year: during my birthday week and again during Ben's birthday week. It was the go-to birthday cake in our house when I was growing up, and it's now become the traditon for our little family, too. We think it's the best cake in the history of the world! As usual, it did not disappoint this birthday and it was so sweet of my mom to make it  for me. 

SMELL: Incense
While I smell incense every week at the studios where I teach, I don't always think about how much I love it or appreciate it, and I've gotten out of the habit of burning it in my own home (I used to, but it's been forever since I've done so and I don't think it's a good idea to start again now with a baby around!). But last night, when I lit it before teaching, I was reminded of how much I love it and really enjoyed smelling it on a cold winter evening. It was extra-cozy and got me in the yoga mood ;) 

TOUCH: Charlie Mae's "First Christmas" ornaments
We've gotten a few *adorable* "First Christmas" ornaments in the mail over the past week, and it makes me so excited to be starting Charlie Mae's ornament collection. Even though she'll have no idea what's going on, I can't wait to celebrate our first Christmas together this weekend. Ben has declared that he's making a fire on Christmas morning and we're just staying put + relaxing. I love it!

So there you have it--a wonderfully festive week made that way by a number of very small, simple pleasures.

Also, thank you again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and a special thanks to my class on Monday night, who sang me 'Happy Birthday' after we OMed (so sweet!).

On a separate note, a huge thanks to everyone who read, commented, and/or shared Wednesday's post. This was one of my most-shared posts to date, and I'm so glad that it was, because that means that I'm not alone in how I feel as a mom.

I hope you have a VERY merry holiday weekend and will see you back here next Wednesday (I'm taking Monday off from blogging to spend it with the fam). 

Happy Everything!