The 7 Best Gifts I Gave Myself in 2015

This afternoon, I was reading Christie's latest post on Liturgical Living. It's a beautiful little vignette of their last days of Advent - but it was this last line at the end that got me thinking:

And for those who are interested, my Christmas Eve dinner menu:
...
Chinese takeout

That must have been a lovely gift to herself! (We all know what Christmas eve can be like, even without the dinner prep. Amirite?) So that made me start to think - what were the best gifts that I gave myself this year? Gifts that refueled me, or freed me, or just otherwise were a true grace received so that I could give grace to others? In the spirit of 7QT, I offer you these - with the wish that you receive some of these yourself next year!

-1-

A Professional Housecleaning. I've never had this done before - and truth be told, it wasn't a full housecleaning (we couldn't afford that!) - but that didn't seem to faze the cleaners. They just walked in and got right to work. Two hours later, I returned to a home that smelled of PineSol... and to this mama who hadn't been able to mop the floors since the little dude was born, it was the most lovely thing!

-2-

Ah... that *all* nap times were this peaceful...

Nap time. One might say "Why didn't you mop when the children were sleeping?" Well, I have a couple answers to this: #1 - Little dude. #2 - the Spitfire. Neither of my children will sleep through me running the vacuum or bumping things around with a mop in the kitchen. In a house less than 1000 sq ft, I don't exactly blame them. So once the children were down, if I was tired, I took a nap. Or, if I had too many things to do and needed the nap time to get them done, then I at least gave myself a 20-minute meditation break using this app. I was often surprised at how rejuvenated I felt after these 20 minutes!

-3-

Books. Since making a commitment to own less "stuff" I've been doing my best to make the library my first stop book shop. And I've actually found some great titles there that I wouldn't have found otherwise. Of course, ebooks don't take up any space on my bookshelf! And this year I splurged on a few. There's a couple I have yet to read (my reading goals and accomplishment thereof was similar to Haley's and Kelly's). But the thought that I have these lovely reads waiting for me in 2016 makes them the gift that keeps on giving.

-4-

Hot cocoa. This was my go-to after the littles were down for the night (or at least the next 2-3 hours). Sometimes a little adult mix-in was added (my favorites: Frangelico or peppermint schnapps) and sometimes it was just taken as is. But the warm cup and the cuddle on the couch were always the comfort that I needed after a long day of work.

-5-

This Thing. I may have mentioned that our house is small... yes? I did? Did I mention also how the little dude is still sleeping in our office because he can't be moved in with his sister due to his waking every 3-4 hours at night? Oh, well. Yeah... I had figured that by the time he was 5 or 6 months old he would be able to be moved in with his sister; but here he is, nearly a year old and still calling our office his bedroom.  Which, really, is for the best. But it does get a little frustrating for this aspiring blogger when she can't use the office computer because it's... well... in the office and the baby is sleeping. But with this lovely wireless keyboard, I can use our tablet and the Blogger app, and get to work! I can't emphasize how important it has been to me this year to use my mind muscles in non-mom ways. It's keeping me real and keeping me sane. (And keeping me really sane. Ha!) :)

-6-

Kid free time. This also has helped keep me sane. Whether it was with the hubby or not, anytime that I gave myself to be free of the littles was soooo welcome. And savored. I kinda don't think I gave myself enough of it this year. So, add this one to my list of resolutions for 2016.

-7-

Winner winner, taco dinner.

This Guy. For all I have written above about how tired, brain dead, or just scattered I have been because of being a mom to two littles - it still does not compare to the absolute JOY I have found in helping bring this little dude Earth-side this year. Whether it's the quiet moments, or the laugh-filled "wrestling", or watching him play with his sister... it is has been an incredibly grace filled year with him in it. Love. Love. Love.

What were some of your best gifts to yourself this year? Thanks to Kelly for offering this Link Up on Christmas day (of all days)!

Merry Christmas to you! And may you know the best gift of all - Jesus Christ - positively and personally.