It’s cold this morning in Texas. Austin, which is now north of us instead of south, had actual snow again. We didn’t get snow, but we got blistering cold. How cold did it get, you ask?
These are respectable icicles on our pool fountain. These are big enough to injure you if they fell on your head.
In more exciting news, we finally have a working office.
Isn’t it awesome? For the first time in our lives, we have an actual detached office. We can go to work, and then we can shut the doors and go home. When you work from home, you’re always on. But now, we can actually get away from work, which is remarkable. And the view from the office is pretty amazing, too. There are no books yet on the shelves, but we will get there. One thing at a time.
Today is my birthday and also the first day of the New Year. Someone once told me about this tradition that whatever you do on New Year’s Day, you will do through the year. So I am trying to do a little bit of everything. I had breakfast, I did some laundry, some cleaning, some office arranging, and now I am going to work for an hour or so, and then I’ll get to go home and play with my birthday present. 🙂 Gordon bought me a Switch. Later kids are coming in and we’re all going to Outback nearby for dinner.
So good day planned. How did your holiday week go?
Happy birthday fellow Capricorn! Enjoy your day. Nice office!
That’s a nice looking pool! Also YEAH office!! Have a great you day! 😀
Happy birthday! And I agree — being able to “shut the door” on work is a small (yet, amazing) thing that many may take for granted. Who wants to always be at work? I’m so happy that y’all are happy!
Yay with finally having an office! Again happy birthday! My holiday was good. Tried to keep warm in the cold weather. All I have to say is finally it felt like Christmas and New Year. Around Thanksgiving, I thought Texas was part of the southern hemisphere since we had above normal temperatures. 😀
Happy Birthday!!
Happy New Year everyone! And happy birthday Ilona. I really like all the windows and light in your office space. It looks perfect. The pool looks fun too. Glad to see it, in my head you guys float around, drinking beer plotting out your books. In actually it’s probably just that one book but sounds cool.
A very happy birthday to you! May the coming year be a wonderful one!
Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!
Happy Birthday! Hope this day is everything you could hope for.
I hope you have had a fantastic day today celebrating the new year and your birthday. ???
We’ve got the freezing temps here too. Will hate to get the next water and gas bill. I hate having to run the water all night to keep it from freezing. ?
What a great birthday present — and formal office with a great view!! Floors look nice!!! Best wishes on your birthday and for many more!!!
happy birthday ilona!
Happy New Year, and happy birthday! I got a new hip last June and went skiing for the first time in 2 years! Here’s our view from lunch halfway up the hill (Elkhorn Lodge at Panorama BC).
Happy Birthday! My birthday is December 27 so hope you didn’t get cheated on Christmas versus birthday presents. Sometimes – people forget your birthday when you are so close to Christmas. But you start off the new year which is so neat! I love your house. The fountain is awesome, love the icicle dragon teeth on the edges! 🙂 And your office looks very inviting. Bet it will be very comfortable to work in! Happy 2018! Looking forward to more of your books. Love them all.
My sisters have birthdays close to your’s. My grandfather started a birthday tradition when they were little where he shared his June birthday with them.
My family was doing half birthday before it was a thing. Wow, good job Grampa.
I had a brother whose birthday was December 21. He hated celebrating his birthday since it was so close to Christmas. I remember my mom telling everyone that we had to separate out his gifts as to what was for his birthday and what he got for Christmas. Doing that, my brother was fine with celebrating.
The office is great – really like the drapes. Now to fill those book cases with the cool mythology books that provide all the juicy details for the monsters in the Kate series. And happy birthday – hope 2018 is filled with happiness.
Happy Birthday!! Love your new office and the cool pool fountain 🙂
Happy birthday! May this year be filled with love laughter and prosperity!
Really gorgeous house, happy birthday fellow Capricorn (mine is the fifth). We will have the coldest night of the season tonight : minus 40 Celsius. I’m in hiding: too cold.
Happy birthday and congratulations on your new office space. More congratulations on the pool – i hope it’s an oasis of relaxation and inspiration for you both.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne Australia, it’s a balmy summer for the most part, despite a sweltering start.
Wishing you a safe, interesting, happy and productive year to come.
Happy birthday! And happy New Years! I’m glad you are moved in. The fountain is beautiful even with dagger like icicles. And I hope the rest of 2018 goes as well as your day has!
Happy birthday!! And that office looks great! My holiday week wasn’t great, I have a sick rabbit and my chronic health issues have decided to nose dive too. But I had a fab time with friends for new years eve, and today I get to go ride several horses including my new star. The horses will keep me happy and sane while I leave my bunny in the very capable hands of my vets and nurses.
Your house has lots of windows and the yard looks interesting. I’m sure the pets will love it when it warms up. The wind chill in Montana was -48 degrees the other day so I’m trying really hard not to complain about 25 degrees in Virginia although my water dish outside is a large ice cube right now. I envy your office space away from the living space, so much easier to make and maintain the mental adjustment for work time away from household distractions. I found two pennies today, hope that means it will be a good money year! Happy Birthday and enjoy your dinner out.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The place is beautifull with or without ice. Really glad to hear my year will be filled with playing with puppies!
Happy birthday and happy new year! What games did you get for your Switch? I hope you all make a lot of great memories in your new house, it looks super nice.
Happy birthday! Your office looks great. Enjoy!
Happy birthday and same a little bit of everything
Happy Birthday!!!!
Happy birthday! Very neat to see your newly setup office and congrats to Gordon on picking out a pretty awesome birthday gift for you. 🙂 Hope this year is one of the best yet for you and your family, crossing my fingers it’s one of the best years for me and mine!
Happy birthday. The office and view look wonderful.
Christmas, brunch with family, plans for a pre-birthday lunch with middle sister Friday.
Thursday, took oldest sister to the beach.
Friday, lunch got cancelled due to middle sister getting the flu.
Saturday, gave middle sister her birthday present.
Sunday, not a partier, so kicked back until midnight and went to bed.
Monday, started working on my resolutions.
Happy Birthday. I love the colors in the office and I am drooling over the pool. I assume that it isn’t heated, too bad.
It is cold here as well. My car read -20 as I came to work this evening. I broke down and put on a sock hat, I will actually put on gloves when I get off later. 🙂
Hope that tradition is not true, or I’ll be spending 11 hours on a plane every day!
Happy Birthday. The office looks amazing. I love the window covering. Do I see a greenhouse?
Welcome to extreme weather! Pretty ice tho
Happy birthday
Happy Birthday! I hope that it is a stress free (because you just moved), somewhat relaxing (because your still unpacking), wonderful day.
Happy Birthday. Loved the icy pictures. Here in NSW Australia it is getting hotter by the minute so the ice/snow gives a lovely mental cool down.
Today’s my birthday too :-). I really hope what I did today doesn’t carry through because I’m in trouble :-/ I essentially ate all day lazed about on the couch and talked with family and friends. No work what so ever!
Happy Birthday!!!
Happy birthday!
Happy New Year!
Congratulations on the move and the office.
Happy Birthday!
The past week the kids have been off school and not only did everyone come down with massive colds but the weather was in the -30/-40C with the wind chill. That excluded sledding, skating and other solitary outside activities since I wasn’t letting them have play dates and infect other families. After a week of cabin fever they went out when it was a balmy -25c to build a snow fort as by that point they were healthy and I had the fever, cough and sniffles. It has finally warmed up to a more normal -10 and play dates are scheduled for the rest of this week. I can’t wait for a quiet house!!!
Happy Birthday!! Best wishes in your new home. I wanted to read but instead I spent the whole day car shopping and trading in my loved but 12yo minivan for a new electric hybrid. Anne
Happy Birthday! The Switch is so much fun. I spent some time today playing Zelda Breath of the Wild— what a beautiful amazing game. Enjoy!
Happy Birthday Ilona!!!! I wish you a great year!!!!!
Hope your birthday was wonderful.
I’m looking forward to reading the books that come out of your new workspace!
Happy birthday Ilona and happy new year to the whole family! I’m glad to see you’re gradually getting settled into the new house 🙂
Happy Birthday! Your place looks amazing. A green house! And a place to garden. An office you can leave to go home. Looks perfect I hope you enjoy it for many years.
Happy birthday Lovely Ilona! Happy New Year to all you lovely people in the Northern hemisphere! I’m in a sub tropical part of Australia, and here it’s hot, humid and thunderstorms. It feels like a steam bath and the air con is working overtime. Some of you probably think that sounds lovely right about now, but we are craving the cold! Here’s a pic of a recent pic of a early morning thunderstorm, taken by a local phtoographer
Much love to you all from my side of the pond xxxxx 🙂
Great office space, love how open the room feels. Happy birthday!!
From what I can see of it you have a beautiful home. Happy Birthday! Unfortunately, I’ve been sick since Christmas afternoon. This crap sucks. I’m sure it started as a cold but quickly progressed to Sinus infection and bronchitis. I have had them so often in the past I just know what I have and do my best at trying to heal myself. I am improving so hopefully I can avoid the doctor lol. I have no idea what a Switch is soooo I’ll be looking that up. ?
Happy belated birthday. I hope you have a wonderful 2018 filled with a bit of everything… I was always told the same thing about the first day of the new yr.