...and a Happy New Year!

I've so enjoyed my break from blogging during this past week. It's given me the opportunity to enjoy my family, friends, and the slower pace of no school assignments or lunches to pack.

Mr. Neoclassic's employer shuts down for the same duration as the school holidays, so we get the chance to just relax together as a family. We usually spend the weeks before the shut down planning lists of projects to tackle...then we cross one or two off and accept that the rest won't see completion this time. And that's totally okay with us since the time is better spent playing family games, making day trips, or just being lazy.

Here's our list of time spent well:

**Early on Christmas Eve day we celebrated the fact that I finished sewing this year's ornaments ahead of Christmas. This is unlike years past when the ornaments were finished for Epiphany or, say, Fourth of July. :)

Ornament idea from Noodlehead

**Following Mass on Christmas Eve, we sat down to dinner at the home of wonderful friends who wanted to include us in their traditional Christmas Eve meal. We enjoyed the Feast of the Seven Fishes with much laughter at the eight children and countless anecdotes of a year well spent. (No pictures, sorry, because I was too busy stuffing my face! Enjoy a few of us dressed fancy for Mass.)

**We spent a magical Christmas morning opening gifts from each other, Santa, and family members far away. I am always amazed that the simple gifts are the ones that create the biggest smiles.

**We visited Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Williamsburg courtesy of good friends. They gifted tickets for our family with a "thank you for being our friends". The park was decorated with millions of lights, creating a wonderland and surprisingly cozy aura of Christmas. We watched an awesome musical show and laughed when Jazz decided that the lead singer/ narrator/ angel character was really God. His voice was that phenomenal! Classic Rock decided the amusement park was best visited in winter, when almost all the rides are shut down and the hot chocolate is delicious and plentiful! Jazz exclaimed more than once that "this is the best night of my whole life!" (No pictures, sorry, because I didn't want to lug the camera around the park with me.)

**I sorted, organized, and labeled our attic. This sounds silly, I know, but when your only attic/ storage space is a 6'x8' room, you must keep it under control. The camping backpacks and sleeping bags, as well as crafting/hobby supplies and Vintage Collection bins had started to overflow the shelving and migrate across the floor like lava bursting forth from a volcano. (Do you really need a picture of our "attic"? Nope)

**I measured, sketched, planned and cyber shopped supplies for an overhaul of the girls' bedroom closets. I had hoped to implement the plan while Mr. Neoclassic was home to do the shelf installation, but - well - see that aforementioned "time better spent..." There will be a future post on this topic.

**Classic Rock and I spent a whole day fighting over who got to keep the couch from levitating. Victims of food poisoning, we just laid around looking pathetic. It didn't take much to look pathetic....(No pictures and I'm not sorry)

**We hosted a few Scouts for the building of more Eagle Scout project benches. The boys worked diligently and completed four of the five remaining benches. There will be a future post on this topic, too.

**Whilst all the children were engrossed in their newest bling, I indulged in uninterrupted sewing time. I braved trying a new-to-me sewing technique discussed in Patchwork Style and created hot pads. Can you say Christmas gifts next year??

Wishing you a Happy New Year from our lazy but content Domestic Church!