Happy New Year!

Not to worry - I won't make you suffer through endless resolutions or a recap of my entire year. It'll be enough to cover my winter break! It's kind of like a last hurrah before school starts back tomorrow. Prep for Christmas at my house looked something like this:

{Cookie baking!}

{My brother being himself!}

{Lights and a dusting of snow!}

{Present wrapping!}

Christmas Eve, we all went to church (I in my dirndl) and came home with a surprise guest. He had shown up to the service soaked through, in need of a dry (warm) place to spend the night. In the morning, we all woke and opened gifts, ate my mom's sweet bread, and my mom and I worked on dinner. Afterwards, our guest departed, courtesy of my dad's taxi service. (In case you were wondering, he doesn't really have one. A taxi service, that is.)

{All of the stockings!}

{Thanks, Mom!}

I went with my mom and a friend to see Les Mis (and I had gone with other friends to see The Hobbit a second time...), which we all found fantastic. My hair was cut, as you know, and my family and I went to Philadelphia for a day.

{Visiting Independence Hall}

New Year's Eve, I headed out to play for a local wedding and returned home for the countdown to midnight! We ate well, loudly rang in the new year, and my brother and I each decorated gingerbread:

{My house}

{My brother's caveman!}

Happy New Year!
mary beth

P.S. The minion and I also watched Despicable Me at one point :)