It's a whole new year

Here we are. It's still Christmas at our house (and in much of Newfoundland) until Old Christmas Day on January 6th, because we like to kick it old-school. So the tree goes up on the winter solstice (new this year: celebrating the solstice with walnut-orange suns and chocolate moons) and comes down now in a few more days. It's a bit of a cultural mish-mash, perfectly suited to our family.

It's been a lovely holiday season, with a select few party appearances, and lots of cozying up at home. The weather has been windy and wet, and we've been holed up with new toys. A marching band kit. Two different pirate ships. Wooden skittles. Flashlights. A kazoo and a slide whistle. Dress-up clothes (postman, pirate, outlaw, king). Miss B has books stacked up to her eyeballs and a long-coveted pair of boots. Pickle has many toasty sweaters and lots of jingly and shaky and chompy things.

Christmas Eve pyjamas were handmade this year: flannel pants for the boys (same old excellent kid pants, with the pattern arranged so that I didn't have to sew the side seams), with matching animals appliqued to some warm, waffly undershirts, and a peasanty situation for Miss B.

The kids were so happy. They still are. Miss B is currently visiting her dad's family in Ontario, and we miss her. We made another batch of marshmallows for when she comes home on Friday.

(Homemade marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and toasted coconut are another tradition. So tasty. So messy. Once the dipping is done, I take the leftover coconut, stir it into the leftover chocolate, add a handful of raisins, and make some manner of delicious chocolate bark. It is magnificent.)

And now here we are: 2013. I don't generally make New Year's resolutions. I'm not one for grand gestures, and making life-changing decisions on a day so fraught with meaning and symbolism just isn't my style. Plus, I'm perfectly content with my lot right now, and can't think of much to change. I do have two things I'd like to work on, though:
: : Eat some lunch. I spend all this time making great lunches for the kids (well, great lunches for Miss B, and boy-pleasing lunches for the boys), then spend my day subsiding on sandwich crusts, handfuls of chocolate chips, and tea. Not exactly awesome.
: : Do some selfish sewing and spiff up my wardrobe, because these days my closet is looking grim. I spend all my sewing time making things for the kids who really don't care all that much, and no time making/refashionng/mending my own clothes. I must fix this.

And that's about it. I think this is going to be a good year. Maybe I'll even blog a little more often, hey?