Heard back from the seller on my giftee's main gift; they claim the delivery service lost it and they're out of stock on it. So unless I can find it from some other vendor (no luck so far), I won't be receiving it. But hey, good news - I'll get the rest of the gift out this week! I think the theme will still carry without the item that originally sparked it, though I'm bummed. But I'll keep my eyes open & maybe it'll reappear later!

First things first, though I am shamefully late on this: Suzi, I'm glad you liked the ornaments! My plan was to put together another package of Nashville-style treats to send to you, but that hasn't happened yet -- I'm hoping to send something out by the end of the month. I got fixated on finding you some maple fudge, but no luck in Nashville. May I ask your thoughts on marshmallows? Or... bourbon?

And I'll do a little year-in-review while I'm here. The main things haven't changed much: still in Nashville, same house, same job, same husband & kids. This past year definitely saw an uptick in my political engagement, though I let it fall off somewhat in the later part of the year; but I marched in January, made more phone calls to my senators than in all previous years combined, and donated to a bunch of candidates and political groups.

Closer to home: Rose started kindergarten at my school this year (and lost her first tooth on the very first day -- I expect her to turn up with a driver's license any day now), and it's been really great for both of us to be at the same school, even if I don't typically see her during the day. I've been able to come to several of her class events that wouldn't have been possible if I weren't in the same building, and I like that we're part of the same community.

Rose also developed a love of bugs this past year, spurred on by a serendipitous book discovery at a used bookstore this summer, so I now know way more about "Micromonsters" than I ever expected to know. We still haven't really gone through a dinosaur phase, which I admit I've been eager to reach -- that was a big love of mine as a kid. Maybe this will be the year! She also continues to be a big reader and has made big strides in reading independently. We've read a bunch of Roald Dahl books together and are currently listening to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books during our school commute, and I really enjoy getting to share and discuss those stories with her. Oh, and she wants to be a doctor, a nurse, or a vet when she grows up.

Jane, on the other hand, will either be an architect, a mountain climber, or a stand-up comedian -- remains to be seen. She's a sweet, adorable goofball who will still only eat about half a dozen things, and seems to live mainly on blueberry bagels and yogurt. She loves swings and will happily let you (read: insist that you) push her for an hour or more. At 2.5 years old, she can now climb out of her crib (and climb back in, fortunately, since we don't have another bed to put her in yet) and is about to start potty-training.

I've had a good year at work, especially in terms of creating/refining interesting projects with my teachers. I feel like I've learned a lot this year about curriculum design & project planning. I went to a school librarian conference in November that was full of sessions with great ideas that I'd love to try. If we end up doing even one out of every five I wrote down, that would be pretty great, but it was good to feel energized and excited about the possibilities for my work.

Two other changes this year: We added a new room onto our house, so that we can now send the kids into another room to play while the grownups have a little space to sit and read or talk. I took a while to be convinced that we should do this, but have ended up being very happy that we did. And my friend who owns a local bookstore moved to a location that's about a half mile from our house, and asked me if I wanted to start doing storytimes there on Saturday mornings. So that's been going on for a few months now, and it's been a ton of fun.

...This has gotten way longer than I intended, so perhaps I'll just hit "Post" now before I backtrack and edit out like half of what I just wrote!

May I ask your thoughts on marshmallows? Or... bourbon?

Marshmallows are cool and bourbon is fantastic.

Sounds like you have had an eventful year. I love that you are listening to Little House during your commutes.

and seems to live mainly on blueberry bagels

Eat a muffin, Jane!

Thanks for the update, Kate. I like knowing what your family's up to.

Marshmallows are cool and bourbon is fantastic.

Excellent. I shall proceed accordingly.

Thanks for the update, Kate. I like knowing what your family's up to.

Aw, thanks. And I didn't even mention that M and I took a grownups-only trip to SF in July, and got to hang out with a bunch of Buffistas! Definitely a highlight of the year.

And I didn't even mention that M and I took a grownups-only trip to SF in July, and got to hang out with a bunch of Buffistas! Definitely a highlight of the year.

Loved seeing you two.

Another vendor found, order placed! My poor giftee may not see a gift before Easter (well, Valentine's), but by gum, it will have the stuff in it that I originally intended!

aurelia, I'm so glad you got it! There's one more thing you should have gotten, but I can't seem to check on it at the moment.

Okay, I thought I would eventually figure out who my Santa was, but no luck. Speak up, Santa! I'm two-thirds done with Everfair and working on my acrylics, and I'd like to thank you by name!

Waves to Emily

Umm, hi? I get that Part B hasn't arrived yet, as it identifies me (oh, Israel Post. A friend and a foe. Or a friend that is usually really late, but then brings presents and bills? Hard to tell.)

(Also, for my own Santa: nothing from the post yet, but it's all very normal, and I'm checking it regularly. As you do with a friend. And/or a foe).

Yay! Thank you, Shir! I just finished the book, and am still making plans for painting with the acrylics. Thank you so much!

No surprises on the mail delay. I remember sending something to Nilly, back in the day, and being astounded at how long it was *supposed* to take, let alone actually did!