And that’s it folks! So long 2020 with your ups and downs. It’s been a crazy year and it’ll be an even crazier one tomorrow. Wishing you and yours all the best this coming new year…
Lots of love,
Tally
2020 Photo Diary
Tag: traditions
Christmas 2020
Merry Christmas 2020
O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Isaiah 25:1
The Bible is God’s holy word is replete with examples of God’s faithfulness. From the beginning God spoke of a coming Savior who would crush Satan’s head freeing the elect from the power of sin and death. History is God’s story of redemption and love. But who is this Messiah? Is He to be ignored? Is He to be admired? Or is He to be worshiped?
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4
“26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[c] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Luke 1
The Savior, fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit and without sin. He is the Son of God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1
Jesus the Son of God is eternal and the creator of all things.
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1
“18 For Christ also suffered[a] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” 1Peter 3:18
He came to earth to be a ransom for sin to give His life to redeem men from every tribe and tongue. For we were dead in our sins and trespasses alienated from God. We were His enemies deserving eternal death.
“2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ Ephesians 2
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[a] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In the fullness of time God sent forth His son Jesus who is Christ the Lord.
“2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.[c]
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” John 2
Merry Christmas to all!
DIY Christmas Touches
Last post I am gonna try to squeeze in before the season is over. Yikes! I meant yesterday’s and today’s for last week but I was rushing around meeting up with friends. Trying to squeeze them all in before the holidays. Anyway all that to say that is way this week you are about to be overloaded with Christmas related content. Let’s go!
This year(like back in March when the world ended) I decided, mainly because my fingers needed something to do, I decided to make homemade ornaments for everyone for Christmas. I try to make a least one gift. Last year I made those big hand knitted blankets for my coworkers. (My adult coworkers to be clear) I find that homemade gifts are more special and meaningful than something store bought.
These gorgeous hand embroidered ornaments were a joy to make and took me since March till last week to finish. I think I made a grand total of seven… I think. They all kind of blur together.
I started by painting the canvas so I had some kind of pattern to go off of and then went into stitch after stitch. I really think they turned out well.
This might be a tradition I continue. By making a homemade ornament every year. Though now my embroidery project is over I miss the hand work and need a new project to pick up. Obviously I need to decide what next year’s ornaments will look like(thinking of trying needlepoint) And then my other two grand ideas are fancy rag dolls and/or a quilt. A hand sewn quilt. That might be too ambitious but we shall see. I am going to be doing a lot of research into this one before I just jump into it. Quilting can get expensive along with being time consuming and taking up space in my apartment.
Anyway do you have any homemade gifts to give this year? Or ever received a homemade gift?
Merry Christmas!
Tally
Nannying at Christmas
Oh what a wonderful, crazy time of the year! This is true I think in every aspect of life, but nanny hood can get especially chaotic.
I thought I would do a very brief and grand overview of what a Christmas Nanny looks like! (Ya know since I don’t have time for an in depth look)
Christmas Traveling
First thing you should be aware of if you are thinking seriously of pursuing that #thatnannylife, is that some families will actually want you to work during the holiday season. If this is a regular thing for them, because they travel every year and need that extra help, they should explain this either in their want ad or during the hiring process.
Most families however like to have the possibility of you being willing to work a holiday. So they’ll say that in their ad. Something like “must be flexible” or “willing to work some holidays”. For instance I will be working New Years this year. So just be aware of this when applying for a job.
Wrapping, wrapping, wrapping…
I don’t know if every family will ask their nanny to wrap Christmas presents, but my family does. And it never fails that at the beginning of the season I am all excited to pull out the paper and the scissors. But wrapping for six kids quickly gets to you and by the end I don’t care if the paper has sharp edges or not! As long as they have something to pull off the thing on Christmas. When people ask me what I did at work today I say I wrapped… for an hour and half… I don’t know if everything will be wrapped by Christmas.
Everybody’s Home
The Christmas season is also challenging in the fact that everyone is home. This year hasn’t been quite as noticeable because of COVID. But everyone is on Christmas break and the parents are home wanting to do activities with the kids. Plus relatives come to visit(I have done a post about the awkwardness of this here) and the house can get very full, very fast. Don’t get overwhelmed and just focus on your job as best as you can. Much like being on vacation with the family(covered here) nap and bedtime schedules and other daily routines will get shifted around or thrown out the window. Just do the best you can and know that is only one time a year that this happens.
Never ending Christmas Programs
Of course this looks a little different this year. With many events having been canceled and/or done virtually. But this time last year it seemed every night there was some Christmas party, program or what not to get the kids ready for. Normally I would just make sure they were clean, dressed and as ready to go. But sometimes I would take them and drop them off early for whatever Christmas themed program was needed. Then there were cousins and family members’ events to get to. It can quickly become a lot. But like everything else on this list, just remember that you can only control so much. Do what you can and let the rest go. You’re only human after all.
And that’s it my lovelies! If you still aren’t satisfied and what to learn more about nannying at Christmas here is last year’s post; plus a link to my very first nanny related post if ya want to start at the very beginning of my crazy journey.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas,
Tally
Why is Christmas so Stressful?
I don’t know about you guys but this time of year is either all or nothing for me. Either it is crazy busy, bubbly and none stop go; or really lonely. There is like no in between. Last year was kind of “eh” time. And like at the totally other end of the spectrum this year has been the most Christmas-y Christmas I have had in a long time. I think that is probably because my baby sister is living with me. (So thankful she’s staying with me)
We’ve listened to Christmas music none stop since November 29th and we have basically watched a Christmas movie every night. (I think Tay is getting slightly tired of the music) We got our first ever real tree, made gingerbread houses and threw a Christmas party.
And the most lovely part is we haven’t been forcing any of this. We’re just doing it because we want too and not because we feel like we have to.
What’s the point of all this? Great you’re having a wonderful Christmas. So happy for you, but what does that have to do with me?
I just want to “give you the permission” not to do all the things. Christmas doesn’t have to fill some list or Instagram goal. It’s okay. I don’t know, maybe it’s super presumptuous of me to even write that. But I know I really need people to tell me it’s okay not to do everything. Don’t put that stress on yourself. Why should you? Who said Christmas was supposed to be perfect or trend worthy?
Anyway I just thought I would put this out there for those of us who need that permission. I hope this makes sense(it probably doesn’t) Oh well.
Merry Christmas!
Tally
What’s Up with the Blog 2020?
I debated with doing this post. Will they actually care about my plans for the blog 2020? In the end I decided since I am such a goal oriented person and love making lists and then checking things off my list that this post would be fun to make if nothing else. (Sorry my loyal readers but please let me indulge in my mania just this once- Who am I kidding?! I always indulge)
So what’s up with the blog?
- Travel- Oh how I LOVE to travel. With at least two awesome trips planned for this year; New Orleans in March and Maine In October. Expect some awesome tips, tours and packing posts. Arguably one of my favorite posts to write I can’t wait to be on the go again!
- Nannyhood- Continuing the original theme of my blog I will be passing on some of my advice to aspiring nannies, tips for my fellow nannies and my honest opinions for those of you who are just curious about nannies.
- Monthly Media Favs- I love doing this monthly media rap up posts, so you can expect these to continue.
- Nanny specific product reviews- We’re talking diapers, food products, clothes, toys, etc. All of my fav products for your perusal.
- Diary spews- I can’t help myself when it comes to the random spewing of words. Sometimes we just need to set out our thoughts in order and in words, no? Hope you enjoy these, thankfully sporadic, views into my inner workings.
- Exploring Milwaukee- I have lived here for two years now and yet still feel like there is so much about Milwaukee I don’t know. As I continue to explore my adopted home town(city) I will pass it on to you. *smiles*
- Photo Dumps- I enjoy taking photos. I enjoy taking more photos than I actually need. Not only will I be continuing the tradition I started last year of a yearly round up of my favorite photos, I will also be doing photo style diary posts and so on.
- Facebook Vlogs- I am the worst when it comes to vlogs. I promised you guys a vlog for my trip to North Carolina back in November and I still haven’t posted it. (I am a despicable human being) But I do want to add this kind of content to my repertoire. So I am going to take my Facebook page(link at the top of the page) and use it primarily for video content- Yay! So be sure to like the page so you can get notified when I post a video. (Also my long awaited video will be going up this week… I am going to say Friday)
No more fashion posts..
Now don’t freak out and think I am never ever going to make a fashion post again, because I probably will but only if it ties into another theme. For example, “what I am packing for a trip”. And if I keep using stitch fix I will do an unboxing post. However just stand alone fashion posts are a thing of the past. While I had fun doing them they’re not the direction I want to take my blog in. And plus they are a pain to create; all the links and most all of my clothes are outdated so they don’t sell them anymore, so then finding something similar- A pain! What I am thinking of doing is putting some fashion favs/collections on Instagram. So if you love my fashion related content it will still be out there just not getting an entire article about it.
Also I will be updating my sister’s signature look transformation(first started here) because yes it is still going on.
I just want to wrap this up by saying 2020 is going to be a great year for this site(I think so anyway) but I really want to know what you guys think. Are you excited about the content I have planned so far? Anything I should add? Lose? Please- please– let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to sign up for email notifications and follow my Instagram account, plus like us on Facebook since a lot of new content will be coming through there as well.
Wishing you so much love this year,
Tally
Art Journaling
This is a hobby I started… I guess two years ago. I took an art class on art journaling and then last year I officially dived in and turned my daily planner into a doodle filled “art” book. I use the term art loosely here because my doodles are a far cry from actually being art. But it was a fun way to keep track of my year and I am continuing the tradition this year.
Once again you can go crazy with this hobby and blow tons of cash on pens, markers, stickers, etc. There are people who bullet journal and obsess over penmanship and cute little banners. Or who really go all out for art journaling, because they can actually sketch or paint. (Totally jealous of those people) But I know my limits. I draw doodles and cartoon characters and call it square. Which is perfectly okay because that’s me and so when I look back at my “art” filled daily planners I can see my own whimsical take on life.
That’s it! These are my hobbies for the year. What about you? Any hobbies? Old ones? New ones? Let me know in the comments below.
Lots of love,
Tally
Book List 2020
So this time last year I did my first ever “book list” style post and I thought I would continue on with the tradition.
So I’d like to say I met every goal that I set for myself reading wise last year, but that wouldn’t totally be true. If you remember(and if you don’t please refer yourself back to last year’s post) my three main goals were:
- Read books by Agatha Christie
- Read Bleak House by Dickens
- Read Nonfiction
Yeah this is what I actually read:
- Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
- Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
- A Tree Grew In Brooklynn by Betty Smith( an amazing- AMAZING book by the way)
- Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth(nonfiction)
- Broken Heart by Ruth Graham(nonfiction)
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Blink by Malcom Gladwell(nonfiction)
- Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- The Unwind series by Neil Shusterman
Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Of course I’m totally envious of people who plow through like seventy books a year. Mainly because before I was forced to grow up I could do the same. But hay at least I read at least one book every month. And I pretty much met all my goals… except of course something by Dickens… Let’s get to this year’s literary goals shall we?
This year’s goals are kinda of similar to last year’s but more specific and bigger!
- Read Bleak House by Dickens by June
- Re-read Jane Eyre(My all time favorite book… ever)
- Continue reading nonfiction(more specifically though Wild West history… I feel like as a country there is a lot of disconnect with this time period)
- And my author for the year is… Elizabeth Gaskell
My all time favorite author I have already read several things by Elizabeth(my favorite being Ruth) however I feel the need to finish up her amazing collection of works. If you have never heard of Elizabeth Gaskell you’re missing out. A contemporary of Charles Dickens(whom she worked for) and Charlotte Bonte(who was her best friend) Elizabeth is the like the perfect combo of both. Her more we’ll know works include North and South, Wives and Daughters, and Cranford. I can’t wait to dive back in.
How about you guys? Any literary goals for the year? I’d love to know. And who’s your favorite author/book? (I know difficult to choose) Don’t forget to like, comment and sign up for email alerts about the latest content.
Lots of love,
Tally
2019 Photo Diary
They say a pictures worth a 1,000 words… I guess 2019 had a lot to say…
Christmas Diary 2019
Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to all of you!! I hope you had an amazing holiday and are excited for the new year and the new decade. I have two very special posts going up(one of which I have been working on all year) in celebration of 2020! But first I thought I’d give you a quick blow by blow of my Christmas break with my family.
The break began with a bang. We went Christmas food shopping and as my sister said, “Our cart is very fun.” Not a healthy, fat free thing was to be found. Mostly butter and chocolate. All in all we had a great time. The night however ended horribly when my sister’s dog ran away… we still haven’t found her. I’ll write more on this later, because I want this post to be kinda upbeat. (I don’t want to cry right now)
The day after that was family picture day and a crap ton of pizza, hot chocolate bar, puzzles and the Mandalorian! Again we can’t do anything by halves.
Mercifully Monday turned into a day of rest(I had an awful head cold my entire time home… figures) and I literally just bummed around… it was glorious.
Christmas Eve carried on our family tradition of all day junk and snack food with board games. My sister and I took my Mom on in Scrabble(her favorite game) We we were shocked when we both beat her. Were we really that good??? Yeah no. The next game she creamed us. Beating us both by a margin of 140 points… she then proceeded to tell everyone how badly she’d beaten us.
Christmas Day started with my dad’s famous French toast and bacon, then presents, more games, naps and a ham dinner. I apparently was so lazy I didn’t take any pictures… oh well!
How was your Christmas? Does your family have any Christmas traditions? What was the highlight of your holiday? Please leave and comment below and don’t forget to subscribe!
Lots of love,
Tally
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