Getting back on track...

So. Feeling a bit too overwhelmed/lazy to do any sorts of recaps or looking ahead to the new year sorts of posts just yet. :) In the meantime, just wanted to touch base on a few things that have been going on around here between Christmas and New Years...

1. It's been a different sort of year-end for us. Nathan's parents usually come visit between Christmas and New Years. This year, for the first time since moving to Colorado thirteen years ago, I think, we're switching things up and they'll be coming in about a month, instead. That way, they can be here for Asher's black belt promotion...which is good...just different. :)

2. We've been taking advantage of the down time to do some more purging around the house. I was going to say major purging. But, honestly, it's wasn't major because we've done enough major purgings over the past couple of years to not have *that* much stuff to purge...which was rewarding. So, we ended out 2015 by going through the house and removing things that no longer needed to be here. We contemplated having a yard sale but decided we didn't have enough stuff to merit that so took a full van load of stuff to Goodwill yesterday. Feels dandy.

3. This was all started by our decision to rearrange a couple rooms, btw. We finally moved all the video game stuff to the basement. (I've been wanting to do that for more than a year but held off on account of how certain younger sons insisted that they still needed all of the room in the basement for running around and shooting each other with nerf guns and such. They still do that, but we just decided it was going to have to be okay, lol.) So, the rearranging required purging and cleaning the basement. We moved the tv and game stuff all down there and will be moving part of the couch as well. Spent some good time shopping for a new couch, then, for the family room. We finally found one that met our requirements and nabbed it. Unfortunately, it won't be delivered until February. :( But. We have a plan and all is good. Just looking for a few last things to finish up the family room...like a new area rug and maybe an ottoman or coffee table...maybe some new drapes and throw pillows if the new area rug brings a change in color scheme.

4. The other impetus for purging was the need to clean boys' bedrooms. We're having new windows installed in mid-January, so needed to be able to clear paths for the installers...which was going to take some doing in the younger boys' rooms, as they were strewn with stuffies and legos. Noah and Micah fully got into the purging spirit (and it shows!). Asher took a bit more cajoling, as he was reluctant to part with most things so we ended up doing more just rearranging of his stuff. :) And now we have three clean boys' rooms!

5. Incidentally, yes, I realize this all means our January/early February is going to be all jumbled up from normal. I reminded myself of that while enjoying the calm at the end of December, lol. The younger two and I will be working to squeeze our homeschooling in before grandparents get here (and my mom is coming the week before Asher's black belt promotion, too! so that means before January 26) and around the window installation...so that we can hopefully take the time, while both my mom and Nathan's parents are here, off from homeschooling. Noah, though, will still have classes that entire time...and we'll still have karate and gymnastics and archery. Fortunately, Noah's schedule is such that he only has one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we should hopefully be able to work around that just fine. (Of course, gymnastics and karate are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though...but maybe we'll switch karate to Mondays and Wednesdays or something those weeks?)

5. Anyhow. Also during the end of the year, Noah finished up his on street driving requirements and completed a winter drive skills day camp. Now he just has to log the time driving with us and wait until next November. All good, and we feel better for him having had actual instruction on winter driving. :)

6. I mentioned in my Christmas recap that we'd done some clearance shopping for lighting and decorations for next year. To be more specific, we've added now six Christmas yard inflatables and are pretty stoked. (Well, two of us are pretty stoked. Three of us are putting up with the other two of us, lol.) 

7. Thank you, also, for all the anniversary wishes yesterday! Nathan and I went out on Monday night to celebrate and didn't really do much else, as our Hawaii trip was a pretty good celebration. :) 

8. And, last night, we continued our tradition of chocolate fondue and sparkling cider at midnight to welcome the new year. 

Whew. :)