The December Love List

December has come and gone and and so has this year. Believe it or not, my sweet friend, you’ve landed on the final Love List of 2023:

This Month:

I dropped off two paintings to the City Gallery Invitational at the Pam Miller Arts Center. The show is up through February 3 and the Gallery Hop reception is Friday, January 19, so please check it out if you’re in Lexington.

Tracy and I went to an 80’s dance birthday party; the playlist was lit. I wore a mask that reminded me of Madonna circa 1985.

My mom and I went to see Eli perform in the Aerial Nutcracker, which was amazing.

Tracy and I were lavished with gifts from our family and friends.

Our neighbors came caroling, with bells, and it was so beautiful.

I was out picking up sushi one afternoon and saw giant macrons in the window at Anthropologie. I have such a love for giants and miniatures.

I de-cluttered, organized, and deep cleaned my kitchen and let me tell you, it feels good.

December Lights:

We celebrated the holiday with a watching marathon. (That’s when you light candles and settle onto the sofa with the remote for days on end.)

We watched:

…loves all around.

Our coffee splurge for December was Dark Matter Love Supreme and it was delicious. ☕️

Thank you, 2023

Long gone are the days when I leave my house on New Year’s Eve. My plans for today include a hot salt bath, my most comfortable hot pink loungewear, sparkling water, and more movies - maybe a concert movie.

2023 has been quite a year. My guiding word was Transformation and my body is feeling it. I’ve been resting as much as possible this month and honestly, I think that’s a pretty good attitude to have in December. Hibernation is the way, man.

As we say goodbye to this year, I want you to know how deeply grateful I am for you - yes, you. I’m raising my mug of hormone balancing herbal tea to you in gratitude.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for reading these blog posts, for following, commenting, and liking on social media, purchasing my offerings. Thank you for being a part of my creative life. And thank you for showing up in the world as yourself.

Welcome, 2024

I have pomegranates in my kitchen and fresh new journals, candles, and my 2024 planner ready for tomorrow morning.

I’ve chosen a guiding word for the year and I have plans. I don’t love the word “goal” - it sounds so sporty and corporate - but for lack of a better one, my studio goals for the coming year are writing focused.

In that vein, I’m going to add a paid layer to Midlife Magic (there will always be a free layer.) Here’s a snippet from the latest, which includes my 2024 predictions:

Change is not something that happens to us; the changing world is not something we have to endure. We are the makers. We are the changers. We are changing the world. We perceive, we receive, we grieve, we are reborn.  And even in the midst of turmoil, there are some things that do not change. As we stretch our roots down into the eternal, we remember those things too. We remember who we are. 

You can subscribe here if you’re so inclined.

So, here we go into what promises to be a wild year. I will be pouring some loving attention into this website and blog, my living space, and my dreams. I hope you’ll do the same. I hope we all have opportunity this year to walk in the woods, dance in the moonlight, and savor bodily pleasures.

I hope we connect with our dearest friends and form new connections.

I hope we love and feel ourselves loved.

I hope we are appreciated for the work we do and I hope we do the work we love. I hope there are good surprises, delicious moments, and pockets of peace.

Happy New Year. 🥳



lifestyleLori-Lyn Hurleydecember, links, love, love list, new yearComment