You know, at first I was really annoyed by the fact that my internet connection has been out since Christmas, but really the time away has been refreshing. It not only acted as an internet detox for the whole family but also gave me time to bring out the custom ping pong tables for the whole family to enjoy. 
We had a wonderful Christmas–the highlight for me, coming home late Christmas Eve, sleepy girls in the backseat, to my grandmother’s house–luminaires lining the driveway, even up to our apartment, and twinkling candles in every window of her house. It was breathtaking. The perfect gift before a lovely Christmas morn.
We’ve been taking this week easy, enjoying having Dan home each day. His first day back to work was this morning and I’ve been in a slow, but steady, Christmas-recovery state. The approaching new year (and an amazing January issue from Martha Stewart) gets me in the mood to refresh, clean and renew around  our home.

I’ll be back sporadically during the next week…enjoying things like cracking open my new calendar, cleaning out my utensil drawer, setting up a big girl bed for Mary, and getting some new “school” routines in place with Emma, and making plans for a new miniswap. And I’m sure there’ll be plenty to share. Until next time….