Ours was so, so much better than I thought it was going to be! It was abundant. It was beautiful. It was peaceful. It was humble. It was fun. It was full. It was unexpected.
One of the highlights of our Christmas Day was that we got to go to a family's house to which we had never been. It turned out to be so fun and so joyful! We got to tour their house, which is only about 3 minutes from us. They tore their house apart 5 years ago, literally ripped it down to the studs and did all of the remodel work absolutely 100% themselves. It was so homey and also so beautifully done. I simply adore Mrs W and we had a great time talking.....not to mention that the feast they put on for us was AMAZING! Baked pepper ham, roasted turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, sauteed carrots, homemade creamed corn, lovely gravy, and as if that wasn't enough, there was so much more munchie food like my famous cheese ball, spinach dip, ranch and veggies...I mean, that counter top island was GROANING with goodies. She made some popcorn mixture with white chocolate, marshmallows, M&Ms, peanuts, and pretzels....ooooh, for this girl who doesn't really love sweet stuff, that stuff was incredible! We played Bingo (which I totally bombed at, like usual), the kids played Skip-Bo, and then we watched a movie downstairs in their family room. In short, it was the perfect day.
Another precious thing was that, unbeknownst to me, Samantha went shopping for me one day and she got me some really cute clip-on tabs that I can put on the edges of my Bible! I was totally shocked and surprised because I was sure there wasn't anything for me under the tree. She also had gotten a pin a while back that's a silver rose with a pearl in the center, and she gave it to me. It reminds me of our Janie Rose and I wear it on my apron, which I wear almost all day every day, so she's always with me. I was incredibly touched that Samantha had thought of me.
Today we're fixing things around the house, little things that need done, like the cupboard door under the kitchen sink that was hanging by one hinge, or the sink in our only bathroom that leaks fiercely....
Later we're going to watch the Celtic Woman special called Believe, while we eat yummy, warm home baked cookies and drink hot mochas!
With Daddy home on vacation, it feels like every day is Christmas, and we want to kind of draw out the festivities this year, so we're taking it easy and the girls are playing and drawing and reading and we're loving a more relaxed pace. We're taking time off from any schoolwork that we do until January, after Daddy goes back to work. We love it when Daddy's off!
Just a few minutes ago, I noticed that there were quite a few pine needles from our tree on the floor around it, so I decided to move the tree skirt and sweep really well.....gracious, there must have been a small hay stack of needles in the dust pan when I was done! It's nice to see it so clean under the tree. I love having a real tree, even if it means extra sweeping!
So now the little girls are down for naps and everyone else is tucked away doing their thing. I'm going to sit in my chair with my heating pad and a cup of mocha and see how much reading I can get done. I'm reading the first book in Michael Phillip's Caledonia series called The Legend of the Celtic Stone. I LOVE his books and if you haven't read his stuff, I can recommend everything he's ever written. I've read all of his stuff before and now, I'm re-reading his books. I just got done with A Rift in Time, which my son and I read simultaneously, and he did a book report on it. So fantastic!
Well, I hope your season continues to be peaceful and joyful and celebratory. I hope you don't give in to the let-down of the after season slump. Extend the party and do something fun and unexpected with your family today!
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