Saturday, January 4, 2014

A perfectly peaceful vacation


As Christmas vacation comes to a close, I thought I'd take a look back at two lovely weeks. While the first few days of vacation took place prior to Christmas and so were a whirlwind of cleaning, cooking and other preparations, the time following Christmas was one of the most relaxing periods I have enjoyed in recent years.

There were a lot of late nights watching movies, a fair bit of sleeping in late and a great deal of time spent in pajamas throughout the day.



We were fortunate. Many people in our area spent the days just before and even during Christmas with no power as a result of the ice storm. Our street was unaffected and so we simply got to enjoy the beauty of the after-effects of the storm.


This should give you a clear illustration of just how much ice was involved. My son pulled this ice cap off of an evergreen tree in the front yard.


My little gal had a blast skating on the sidewalk. After the ice came plenty of snow, as you can see in the picture of our front walkway (above, right).

 
After Christmas, my husband spent time upgrading our cell phones and searching online for heavy-duty cases to protect the iPad minis the children got from their grandparents for Christmas. (Somebody also decided to quit shaving over the holidays.)


My mom and dad stayed with us for the holidays. Granny is something of a Candy Crush addict.


Grampy isn't into technology, but he enjoyed reading all the home decor magazines I have piled up around the house.


Growing up, this mistletoe hung from the entryway chandelier every Christmas. I use it in my house now. The kids had fun racing by it, tempting me to catch them underneath it.


Post-Christmas I worked at incorporating more stuff into the house - including a pile of new books.


Here are some of the tidbits that Santa brought me. I also got lots (and lots) of chocolate and cookies.

 
Handmade gifts are the best. We got this lovely cutting board and serving knife from a friend. Have a look at his amazing, one-of-a-kind bowls.


The kids got a lot of crafty gifts from Santa, including a chemistry set. My girl enjoyed making a little volcano.

It's back to school for the kids and the husband on Monday, and I have a couple of writing deadlines looming myself. Vacation is just about over, but I can't complain. We were so fortunate to have two full weeks to enjoy family, friends, gifts and leisure.

How did you spend your vacation?

8 comments:

  1. I can relate - when the kids were home we stayed up really late playing games and slept in, which we never do! When everyone is here under the same roof, I sleep like a baby!

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    1. That's what it's like to be a mom huh Jill? It's always better to have your babies with you. I'm glad you enjoyed the holidays!

      Jo

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  2. Oh wow snow! Ha, you can tell I don't get that here, though I'm guessing the novelty would wear off quickly! I was in the US for one Christmas and I couldn't walk outside because the ice was so slippery but the locals were all experts at it. Seeing cars sliding across icy roads was pretty freaky!

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    1. Yes, lots of snow. We got dumped with some more last night. And no sunshine to speak of. It gets depressing starting in January, after Christmas.

      I never get used to walk (or driving!) on ice. ;)

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  3. Looks magical! I love your neighborhood!! So glad you all had a wonderful time. Now would you please send a little snow over this way?? Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks Kelli. It's kind of nice for suburbia. ;) I would be happy to send you ALL of the snow. ;) Happy New Year to you too!

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  4. What a wonderful couple of weeks, and such beautiful snow.

    My children are back to school tomorrow (and I am back at work), for us it has also been just about the best and most relaxing Christmas break I can remember - no snow here though, only lots and lots of rain and gusty winds.

    Happy New Year.

    Kate x
    Kate at Home

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    1. The snow looks pretty, but we are tired of it now!!

      I'm so glad you had such a wonderful Christmas break Kate. Sounds like we all needed some relaxation. :)

      Happy New Year!

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