Ahhhhhhhhh....

I am warm.

I am alone in the house.

There is no sound but the clicking of the keyboard and the blessed hum of the furnace kicking out heat.

I cannot hear blaring rock music or feel surround sound television shock waves. The living room is not strewn with newspapers and coffee cups and the trappings of new Christmas gifts and gadgets being explored. All trace of holiday decorations and Christmas trees are gone. I need arrange no lunch for my hungry masses, prepare no nibblies for what we call "cocktail hour". No guests are scheduled to arrive so the state of the house is not a pressing issue.

Despite a few challenges (Shattered dining table, dead furnace, dead car battery, bad cold or maybe seasonal flu for My Beloved)our holidays were full of everything they should be. The only things lacking (other than good health for one and all) was sleep - due to disruptions from nocturnal coughing fits and knitting due to all of the above.

We visited with family and friends, we entertained and went out to see others. There was a bit of "skiing" (more on that in a later post) and a bit of being tourists in our own amazing city. Both kids enjoyed setting their own schedules and making their own independent plans as well as occasionally tagging along with us. I even managed three work outs!

Christmas morning was an absolute delight as the kids, now past the Santa years, each had arranged surprise gifts to give others, complete with great and amusing stories to tell. They are both smart and witty people and so naturally just great to be with.

Number One Son told me on Sunday that this was the best holiday he's ever had in the city because he watched almost no television - something we have long supported, at one time enforced but which he has now embraced as his own and of which he has now seen the benefits first hand - a very satisfying moment for a parent to witness indeed!

Yesterday, on her last day of holidays before heading back to school Darling Daughter and I went to the LYS to escape the indoor cold, choose yarn for a Darling Daughter scarf and then came home to sit by the gas fireplace looking at patterns on Ravelry as we ate our lunch. Bliss for a knitting mother!

The cacophony of the holidays was fun and well deserved but I do appreciate the rhythm of quiet routine - especially after a satisfying break from it such as we've just all enjoyed. So having dedicated our heat free Sunday to vacuuming, baking and doing laundry in an effort to add badly needed warmth to the house before we baled and moved over to my sisters, Things are in good shape around here. Time then to get my knitting and knit blogging life back on the rails, visit my in boxes and regroup.

First on my list after this - draft a post about the thoughtful knitting gifts I received this Christmas - I wouldn't feel right keeping anything in my knitting world from all of you!

Thanks for dropping by today!