7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 74)

--- 1 ---

This might be my last post as Catholic Newlywed.  I'm been planning for a while now to change my blog name and design a bit and it's currently in the process.  Everything should be up today or later this weekend!  The focus of the blog won't change and all my old posts will still be in the archives, but I'm no longer a newlywed and this blog is so different than it was when I started that I'm ready to retire the name. 

--- 2 ---

I have about 25 posts partially written in drafts.  Including Lucia's 12 month (one year!) post and a post on sharing the faith with your toddler.  Now that I have 17 days off for Christmas break, it's time to play catch-up.

--- 3 ---

Christmas dinner is at my in-laws' this year. They have invited my parents, grandparents, and brother as well, so it will be a large gathering.  I love that I don't have to "split" the holiday this year!  I dream of hosting Christmas at our home one day with both sides of the family there and I didn't imagine we would have a chance to all get together before then.  I am also super grateful that David got Christmas Day off and only has to work until 1pm on Christmas Eve!

--- 4 ---

We hit the year mark of breastfeeding.  Technically, that was the same day as her birthday, but it's a whole different achievement, I think.  My goal was to breastfeed for a year and anything past this is a "bonus".  I'll continue breastfeeding as long as possible, but won't feel as much pressure to keep my supply up.  Lucia is eating a ton of food now (she had an entire cheese enchilada the other night, plus beans!) that her breastfeeding has gone down quite a bit.  I have to decide in the next week or so whether I'll continue renting a breast pump and I think I'll just return it.  I have a hand pump that works pretty well and don't need to pump as often as I once did.

--- 5 ---

I made cookies for my students this week and they came out fabulous.  Not just any cookies, the official state cookie of New Mexico, biscochitos.  (I wonder what the state cookie of Colorado is?  Anyone else know their official state cookie?)  My grandmother is a proud New Mexican who can trace her family back to the first Spanish settlers in the territory in the 1500s.  New Mexico has a rich culinary history unique from that of Mexico and I believe that biscochitos are one of its gems.  We couldn't find the family recipe on short notice, so I used this recipe, tasted just like I remember.  I'm going to make more to bring to Christmas dinner.

--- 6 ---

Anyone else not done with Christmas shopping?  Usually I only have one or two left this close to Christmas, but I think we still have about half our list to go.  David works everyday until Christmas, which means that it's up to me to pick presents for his family.  Yikes!  They are a difficult bunch to shop for, David even struggles with picking them gifts (and he is a really great gift giver); I don't know them nearly as well as he does, so if he doesn't give me any hints, they will all end up with chocolates.

--- 7 ---



I'm pretty sure these antlers are for our dogs.  We don't usually dress our dogs, but my mom can't resist a dog costume on sale.  They have a few Halloween costumes to choose from, antlers for Christmas, and my poor Jack Russell sometimes gets tortured with a Christmas sweater.  Aside from the sweater, they all fit Lucia and will for the next few years, so expect some "who wore it better" posts in the future with my daughter squaring off against the dogs.  Yes, I realize that someday she will be humiliated by pictures of herself wearing dog costumes, but I also realize that about ten years after that, she'll think they are just as funny as we do.  Hopefully.



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