New Year’s 2026

This year we decided to ring in the New Year by renting a cabin up in the mountains all to ourselves, with just us & our kittens! I think it was perfect – but then, I am not exactly a people person. It was bitter cold out, however, with temps well below zero. We had a hard time keeping the cabin warm, as you can see by the frozen window in the bathroom!

As usual, I had my crafting with me. I got to spend 3 lovely days doing nothing but make cards, binge-watch the old X-files series, and munch on snacks!

Bryan worked on computer stuff the whole time, fixing a friend’s laptop that had been accidentally doused with coffee to the point where she was unable to access any of her files. He was a happy little boy, with all that technical stuff going on. And yes, he did manage to salvage the info - but she will need to get a new laptop.

The kittens weren’t quite as enthused about the weekend as we were. They did have their heated blanket, however, so could warm up when they needed to.

We treated ourselves to a meal at the nearby Lodge for the actual New Year’s Eve dinner. They were not officially open but agreed to deliver something off their normal menu. I got a Blackened Halibut Salad while he opted for the Bison Meatloaf with a side of Parmesan Fries.

Christmas 2025

Christmas this year was both quiet and hectic, all at the same time. No different than any other year, come to think of it, but completely different on a whole different level. It wasn’t bad, by any means. I quite enjoyed the whole season. It was just the first Christmas in many years without Mother at the house. She had a way of dominating everything just by walking into a room, you know?

We started off the season with a crafting session (of course). My sister-in-law Heather and her two kids Sam & Kaylee came over to help me make Reindeer ornaments from a kit we subscribe to. It comes to us quarterly, with seasonal crafts that we can all sit down and enjoy together. This one was, as I mentioned earlier, Reindeer! We had a great time!

After that, we decided that we had to make cookies. I originally envisioned us making one or two different kinds, but somehow, we ended up making Cowboy Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Butterscotch Cookies, Chocolate No-Bake Cookies, and Rum Balls! Trust me, that’s way, WAY too many cookies for just two people. But we had fun, and that’s all that really matters.

Since we had so many cookies, we decided to bring a plate of them over to Mother at the Pioneer Home, so she could enjoy them with us. My niece Laurel brought her two girls Autumn and Annalise over as well, and we all had a great visit. Mother was in good spirits, chatty and very much “there”.

Christmas Day at the Beaver House (my house) was a good day. We wore our new pajamas, opened up gifts, and enjoyed watching the kittens play with the discarded wrapping paper.