The Year of Our Staycation

Have I told you that my husband and I decided not to travel this winter? 

A mere three years ago, we had a family meeting where we announced we’d be splitting our time between the north and south, actively looking for a place in Arizona to spend winters with our horses. Then, life changed and our family’s needs changed, and it became clear there would be no leaving. Not now, and not ever. 

There was a bit of a relief in that because we actually love our home, and we even love it in winter. 

So, this year, we took it a step further and decided not to even travel away for that little bit of warmth and sunshine. 

And again, there is some relief in it. We can give our uninterrupted focus to the home we so love. 

It has also been a mild winter, which has allowed us to hike and explore. 

I’m still on that soup kick! Last night I made homemade pasta (egg noodles). 

Our grandson helped and we had so much fun together! We turned half the batch of noodles into beef stroganoff soup. Yum. And the other half, cut to fettuccine size, will be for a fresh herb and lemon pasta tonight. 

I also tried a new recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup this week. 

You’d think we’d be getting tired of soup, but there’s so much variety in flavors, they all seem new. 

The tradition of cooking with kids is a long one in my family. My mom did it with me, I did it with mine, and now the grandson is at our side chopping and mixing. 

When you’re surrounded by people and animals you love, there is, truly, no place like home and everyday is a vacation.