Monday, December 31, 2018

End of the Year, Part 2

You can read End of Year, Part 1 here if you missed it.

Onward to the final Christmas prep of wrapping the gifts and treats for friends and family was all in the love of pretty packaging. Two good friends each adorned my table with Christmas red and spice in candles and florals and gingerbread and Dutch pepernoten(peppernuts).  And then, it was Christmas Eve. Off to a beautiful Christmas Eve service with our church and then home again for a quiet treat in front of the tree while arranging the gifts. Three different paper patterns for three different kids. And Shane and I agreed to buy furniture for the house and I filled both our stockings with what we like. Simple and easy.



























Christmas morning and the stockings hung by the beds with care are dumped out and each treat is examined while everyone awakes. Not much later, they sit back and look more carefully through all that has been given to them. Nothing too extravagant this year as our new home is our best gift this year, but small treasures given in love to be enjoyed and played are enough. Then it's time for a Christmas breakfast before we clean up and relax.












Then out into the neighborhood to see what the river is doing this sunny Christmas day, first on foot alone and then by car, just the two of us, out for a quick spin to see the icy water swirling through the dam while the kids stay home and play. A drive through scenic Main Street and back across the river again to our side.















The next day is Boxing Day and Shane's twin brother and his family join us in the afternoon for snacking and playing. The boys on their toys, the girls with their play and the moms with their chatting.
And the day after our kitty needs some attention from the vet for a few issues and spends the next two days convalescing in front of the fire before she seems fit to travel.








And then finally, the cat, the kids and I get packed and drive the six hours south to my parents to spend the week with them. There's no snow here in Pennsylvania so we only pack our rain boots!






And that's it for 2018!
See you in the new year! ♥