Happy New Year!

After what was essentially a pretty crappy year (with the exception of our big OS trip) we did have a really lovely Christmas and New Year.  It was very special for my kids to have both sets of grandies for Christmas Day.  Prior to Christmas there was the Live Nativity (which is always a highlight for the kids and a timely reminder of why we even celebrate Christmas)

The kids made an unspectacular gingerbread house (and I stayed true to tradition by huffing and puffing and saying we are NOT doing this again next year!)  We made reindeer food and they sprinkled it on the driveway on Christmas Eve.

 And then it was Christmas; with too much good food, and lots of laughs and so much sweet, simple family time.

 Mum and Dad stayed with us until New Years Day.  They can't sit still longer than it takes to drink a cup of tea so while they were here Dad plumbed in a rainwater tank and tried to fix my washing machine and Mum attacked the garden jungle and painted all of the traffic areas in the house (got rid of 8 years worth of grot and grime and kids handprints!) and I sugar soaped all of the walls (finding muscles that I didn't know I had!)  Hannah's feature wall was repainted in a mushroom colour to match her sophisticated new "tween" look.

And in between all of the frenzied hard work there was a tea party in the new fairy garden (that is a whole other blog post) and a trip to the park to try out our new scooters (thanks Santa!)

New Years was a quiet bbq at home.  And now, it is a New Year and we are sliding into long, lazy January days.  The kids have been outside dancing in the rain with their new umbrellas.  I have been enjoying the steady pitter patter of rain knowing that some of it is going into the new tank.  Hannah has had the same Taylor Swift song on repeat for most of the morning.  And yesterday I snuck into my crafty room and did a few scrapbook pages, and cast on some new knitting, and perused the bookshelf thinking about my Julie/Julie project and what I will begin on?  I love that a new year is always so full of possibilities.
Happy New Year!
xxxx