Until Next Year

Christmas has come and gone for another year.  We stayed down in the country during the holidays this year.  Erin and I stayed with the kids on Friday, and Fee (and plenty of rain) came down Sat.  A muddy mess all around. 

 New pjs for the kids on Christmas Eve...

There were over 20 people for Christmas dinner, and we had food a-plenty.  It was all so good!  I missed having Amelia, Chris, and B.E., but we had a great Christmas Day anyway.

I didn't take a single picture while everyone was there!  Everyone else had cameras and were snapping away.  By 8:00 Sunday evening things were quiet again, and we were all overly full and tired.

We packed it in on Monday--I came back to town, and Erin and the kids headed  to Baton Rouge, a long drive, especially in the rain.

No post-Christmas blues, but this week is one of those lazy "recovery" weeks.  I will eventually put away the Christmas decorations, but right now, I'm spending most of my time reading and relaxing.  Maybe tomorrow I'll feel more energetic.

It is time for a little reflection as well.  Another year has made its way through the calendar, and we will all be changing the date to 2012 soon.  As usual, the year has provided both ups and downs and that is the stuff of life, but we have experienced some really good times this year and are grateful.

Although we can (and frequently do) make new beginnings at any time of year, the end of each year sends most of us into a period of evaluation; we review the past year and make a few plans for the new one.  Resolutions?  Sometimes, but not always.  Anticipation?  Definitely.

One bit of news provided anticipation for our whole family:  niece Megan and husband Drew are expecting their first baby.  Next Christmas will have a new family member!

I've finished several more Scandinavian mysteries (Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson, Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser, and The Hand That Trembles by Kjell Eriksson) that I need to review on my book blog, and I have begun 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.  There are a bunch of books in the TBR pile, too.  Reading and maybe some sewing will take me through the rest of this lazy week.

Also on the list of things I may or may not do this week: some more eco dyeing, another art quilt, dress a doll that remains bare-legged, and complete a couple of dolls that need arms, legs, faces, and clothes--they are pretty much heads and torsos at the moment.

 I'm in the mood for this kind of thing right now; reading and crafting and maybe some Netflix.  Too much hustle and bustle.  Time for quiet and restful activities.

How about you?  What are you doing in this lull between Christmas and New Year's Celebrations?