The Weekend Send-Off

December 23rd, 2011 - filed under: Furthermore » Feedback




Hello hello, and aren’t we in the thick of it? A few nights into Hanukkah, yesterday was Solstice, and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Wherever you are, I hope that you’re celebrating and spending time with the people that you love!

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And now, because isn’t there just so much to be thankful for? Le Love List!

1. Taking Care Of My Family
I spent every night this week staying up laaaate, wrapping presents. (It’s so strange how every day, I do things that my own parents did for me, but for some reason, being on “the other side of the Christmas tree”, makes me feel like *such* a parent, know what I mean?) Anyway, I spent a lot of hours lovingly packaging gifts, getting super creative, determined not to purchase any wrapping products. Re-using and repurposing for the win!

On Friday I made the dogs a big batch of Christmas treats. Tonight I cooked a vegan feast for all my in-laws, and everyone loved it.

These little acts, so very simple, fill me up with so much love. Yay holidays!


2. Daydreaming of Tropical Vacations
Hawaii in January for my birthday? Perhaps? Or Merida in February? Why not?

Damian and I have been scheming and dreaming and looking up flights for a little winter getaway. Okay, so it probably won’t happen. But that’s okay – sometimes the imaging is enough!


3. This Video.
Not safe for work. From Funny Or Die – and definitely funny!

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Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!


My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!


Have a wonderful, love-filled weekend my friends! Happy Holidays!

  • http://www.veganicia.com/ Alicia

    Sayward! I just finished your vegan pregnancy book in one sitting :-). In Madrid! I asked a friend who was in the States for a few months to order it for me and she gave it to me yesterday. I thought it would make you happy to know that your book has travelled far already. And I’m not even pregnant!

  • http://vegantasticness.blogspot.com Felicity

    My love list:

    1. I’m working in Vietnam for Christmas but all my co-workers are having a big feast and they asked me to make the veggies (naturally!) Sooooo… I made curried squash and lentils, green beans AND vegan stuffing (which was a challenge because there are no ovens in Vietnam AND no ready made broth! And I had never made stuffing before!) Turned out alright though!

    2. The little impromptu veggie market outside my door every morning. I got a ton of veg today for like, 2 bucks!

    3. I work in a public school in Hanoi and I love my students! Seriously, those kids make getting up every day worth it!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692392402 Joselle Palacios

    Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, Sayward! Your post today is bursting with holiday spirit.

    1. So, we bought a house. Our real estate agent just came over Christmas Eve morning to revise the agreement of sale after the seller accepted our final counteroffer. Anxious? Excited? Nervous? Relieved? Check all of the above! It’s a beautiful condo in a prewar building with gorgeous hardwood floors and light streaming through every big window in the house. The streets are treelined and it’s just 11 blocks from my husband’s job and my school and places I may work as a nurse. Furthermore, the sale of our current home could not have gone more smoothly. My husband bought a house years before he met me so even though we’ve lived together for 2 years, it’s always felt more like his space than ours. So, we will finally be able to have a home that belongs to us both.

    2. My 32nd birthday is on Christmas. I’ve been really moody lately, between tying up loose ends for school, buying a house and, oh, a nasty bout of PMS. But then I remembered a line from one of my favorite TV shows, Mad Men. One of the characters says something along the lines of, “Whenever I’m feeling restless and irritable, I look at my calendar. There’s usually something significant coming up.” Yep, turning 32. For some reason, my 31st year of life was the year where I really felt the passage of time in my body: hips stiff if I sit too long! needing to wear sensible shoes! This wasn’t happening when I was 30!!!!! So, yes, I’m really in my thirties and even though I don’t consciously freak out about aging, it’s obviously something I’m grappling with on some level. Oh, but wait, this is supposed to be about love…

    3. So small and simple but it’s been an oasis of calm in this hectic week: Teavana’s Cacao Mint black tea. Holy moly, the best tea ever and I’m a tea freak.

    Merry merry. xoxo

  • Rachel Fesperman

    My (holiday) love list!

    1. That this blog inspired me to start blogging again!
    2. my mate’s (vegan) christmas gift that she gets to open tomorrow
    3. rice milk in “sugar plum” coffee early in the morning…

  • Sam

    Love List!

    1. Celebrating all kinds of special days around this time of year, including Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, birthdays and the solstice. My mom and her friends have been celebrating the summer and winter solstices since I remember, and it’s such a fun and meaningful tradition to me now.

    2. Family: cousins, aunts and grandparents who I don’t see often enough.

    3. Bonzai Aphrodite, and all its awesomenes and inspiration; methinks I am going to start my own blog soon!

    4. Brown paper packages tied up with string :) that’s how I wrapped this year! All stuff I had on hand too, yay.

    5. Simple presents that don’t cost anything but mean everything.

    Also! super strong coffee, thick socks, Christmas lights, candles, cookies, my awesome mom, my family and friends’ dogs, hardwood floors, paperwhites, and Great Lakes Christmas Ale :)

    and that I had so much on my love list, and could probably keep adding to it all day :D

  • http://bittsblog.blogspot.com bitt

    I ended up taking the bags from some places I bought gifts from, so I used the paper bags as wrapping. I used to use brown paper and stamps or better yet potato stamps.

    I also just made dog biscuits! What’s your recipe?

  • Sara Ann

    Happy Holidays!
    My love list: (I always do this in my head but I rarely every post it).

    1) Bringing my boyfriend to meet my big, HUGE family.

    2) My Mom has been really supportive about providing me with vegan/ wheat-free options for the holidays!

    3) Homemade gifts.

    4) My Bonzai Aphrodite bag that goes everywhere with me! (I will send you a picture of me-and probably my dogs-with it!) Thank you, thank you. It makes me feel like an activist.

  • Meghan

    Today is Christmas (observed!) for the federal government, so as far as I am concerned, it is still the weekend!

    Love list:
    1. Cranberry orange muffins. Mmmmm.
    2. Stuffing. Man. Stuffing is so awesome.
    3. Tofurky’s giblet gravy. If I ever switch to a non-Tofurky holiday meat sub I will still buy the gravy. omnomnom.

    Enjoying food has been a problem for me since I’ve been pregnant (no severe morning sickness… just severe disinterest in food!) so I am please that my love list is full of food products. :-)

  • Melisa

    I feel you on the age thing. I turn 33 in February. I took turning 30 really hard, partly because of struggles my family was enduring. And now, though I work out am in good shape, my body feels old a lot of the time. Argh.
    Congratulations on the new, beautiful house, though! It sounds amazing, the kind of place that will be rejuvenating to come home to. :)

  • Melisa

    1)My husband, who is incredibly sweet. He got my vegan cookies and Sock Dreams socks, and two vegan cookbooks for Christmas!
    2)Looking forward to the New Year with an enthusiasm I couldn’t muster last year. I’m ready to take it by storm.
    3)The fact that my daughter’s favorite Christmas gift are her art supplies! So much like me as a kid. :)
    Merry, Merry!

  • http://flightsofthevalkyrie.blogspot.com/ Valerie

    Love list:

    Deciding to listen to my body & its milk allergy & going semi-vegan by going milk free. I feel so much better. Vacation! Seeing my in-laws, some of them for the first time in more than two and a half years! My mother-in-law is a seriously good vegetarian cook & even though the family taste-buds have a love affair with cheese, she is making most everything vegan :) I’ve finally had time to relax and catch up on all your blog posts since September. (I stopped reading before we left for Germany for a month & I haven’t had time to catch up since we got back)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Awww, this is so wonderful! Thank you so much for letting me know, I can’t even tell you how happy that makes me. I’m so glad you liked it and maybe it will come in handy one day? ;-)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Wow, that sounds like an awesome Christmas and what an experience, to be in Vietnam. Amazing!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Congrats on all the house stuff, lady! And Happy birthday/Merry Christmas! I’m sorry you’re having a rough time with the birthday/aging stuff. I think it’s totally normal to have a quarter-life crisis. Just let it lead you into self-discovery, you might as well use the melancholy to your advantage, right?!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Merry Christmas, and welcome back to blogging! =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    This is a SPECTACULAR love list Sam, thank you for sharing! <3

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Ooh I’m totally doing potato stamps next year, I love that idea! Great kiddie project too. =)

    I just made up a recipe, loosely based on a few from the Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, mostly made of peanut butter and raw nut pulp from homemade nut milk.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Thanks for posting Sara Ann! And I would LOVE to see a picture of you with your bag. =)

    Happy Holidays!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    That makes me happy too. =) Every pregnant lady should enjoy her foods, in my humble opinion. Merry Christmas sweetie!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Vegan cookies and sock dreams socks and vegan cookbooks??! That sounds like a sweet husband indeed. =)

    Merry Christmas Melisa!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Welcome back to Bonzai, Valerie! Sounds like an awesome holiday with an awesome family-in-law. Merry Christmas!

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