Shiny

Tomorrow is our Newman-side-of-the-family Christmas, which means I can still blog Christmas things and not feel guilty about it.  This is good because I happen to have (more than) a few Christmas-y pictures from a visit to a local museum in December.

Art.  History.  Trains. Christmas. A Mansion.  All wrapped up in a billion shiny bows.  I went with my sister and her littles and by the end of the night, was thirsty from all my drooling.

I love how Andrew has his arm around his sister.  Awww.  Sweet brother.

My train boy was in his glory.

Lots of displays about how different countries celebrate Christmas.  I loved Denmark.

Then there was the MANSION part.  A real home, once upon a time.  Unfathomable (to me, the peasant class.)

I want this for my home.

This one too. 

Blurry- but it is all of us.  The museum must have been quaking in their boots when they saw us walking in!  

I spent my New Years Day de-sparkling the place...such a sad, plain, empty space it is now.  Without all the glitter- it was easy to spot all the dust bunnies and cobwebs from a month (or two) of neglect so I charged after them. I moved furniture and mopped under it all.  Washed walls and windowsills.  Sorted.  Polished.  Shined.   It felt glorious to start the new year with clean, fresh slate.  And when I was done, I realized the house looked sparkly again-just in a different sort of way.

Been thinking about the future a bit too and all my hopes for the new year.  I'll share them one of these days.  I don't know about you, but I think that this time of year is just plain fun.  Brimful of possibilities, life is.