The Start of 2013

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you enjoyed the holidays and are ready for a new year ahead. 

We traveled to Richmond after Christmas just to get this adorable color coordinated photo of Ben, Zoe and Eddie. Joy to the World!

We celebrated Christmas with smiles, gifts and good food. We gave Sybil and Dad a glass mirrored "ornament" to hang outside. There is a tree here at my favorite museum that is loaded with them and is so gorgeous.  I was pleased to find them at a gallery in town.

My father in law even managed to give me a smile during a VA Tech game after I dare wore this sweatshirt of my dad's. Sorry, just had to do it. Plus, I love sweatshirts. Dad, I promise I'll give it back....maybe.

The following night, Cacky made a yummy meal complete with a beautifully set table. 

She demands that my children maintain proper decorum at all times. Just look how bad they are. No, actually, my kids took a bite of things they otherwise wouldn't have which pleasantly surprised me and shows me that maybe I need to add molasses to my lima beans too.

Unfortunately, we came home to our view being absolutely gone. Seriously, I dread opening the curtains now. So so sad.

Which led me to start boxing up things. That...and the painter is coming in a few days, so we need to declutter to get ready for staging the house.

Now these are all over the house and occasionally heading to the storage unit each time I take Eddie to school since that is where it is located.

And the kids crafts are all over the place. Have to find a way to maintain a liveable area for them while also boxing up all their things. 

Meanwhile, because we are selling our house in a few weeks, there is a leak under the kitchen sink. Of course. 

So, this stuff is sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. Who wouldn't want to buy this place?  The good news is the the house is a wreck and I am feeling very calm about it. After we stage it and have to keep it clean, my demeanor might change, but for now, I'm embracing the mess and boxes. It shows change is on the way. And that is one thing I am usually not good at. But, maybe I'm off to the right start in 2013.

p.s. because I couldn't leave you with the image of my sink in your mind....thought I'd recap New Years Eve. We celebrated with our friends, Gemma and Tim and their kids, Finn and Emma. They came over for dinner and Peirce was thrilled to have Gemma, a true Irish lady, fix him an authentic irish coffee.  And yes, Gemma and I get asked all the time if we are sisters. I always say yes and hope they don't ask me why I don't have an accent.