What's Been Happening

Thanks to everyone who wished us well on the very long-anticipated sale of our home on the Virginia Eastern Shore, The Frog & Penguinn. 

Here's an update. 

Unfortunately, we're still homeowners and while we were hoping to start the new year being "home-less" (in a good way) that's not going to be the case. 

We left NH at the end of November and were "on the road" for 3 weeks. Most of our time was spent in VA, but we also had overnight stops in NJ, a weekend and concert with friends in Washington, DC, and a 1st birthday celebration and visit with friends in PA.

While in VA as Grenville and a friend completed minor repairs resulting from the home inspection and appraisal reports. The original closing date was set for mid-December and as we would thought we'd be spending the last holiday in VA, we recycled and decorated a Christmas tree which we also enjoyed every night.  And, of course, a tree needs presents as mentioned in the I'll Be Home for Christmas standard.

We hoped the tree would welcome the  new owner in time for the holidays. She met us at the house and was excited about house and the tree (and we liked her as well). Since the transaction is still pending and this holiday season is nearly over, maybe she can celebrate Christmas in July.

Briefly, the delay is an extension requested by the mortgage company which should bring a closing sometime in January. While "Santa" didn't fulfill our 2017 Christmas wish, we remain optimistic and hopeful.

That said, we did get another Christmas wish fulfilled and celebrated Christmas at home for the first time in several years. For the past several years, we've been away at the holidays mostly due to family situations including a passing and a new arrival. This year, not only did we return home before the holiday (even if just a week before) but also set up two (little) trees, exterior and interior.  

We also went about making our apt as holiday festive as possible in a short time. The decorations included many a lot of snowmen from wall hangings to those on shelves.

Teddy bears and penguins shared some of the shelf and table space too.

Santas, reindeer and snowmen hung around on doorknobs and our stockings were "hung with care" even if we don't have a fireplace or chimney. 

We have angels in various sizes and a Nativity with special meaning. The pieces are from my late mother's set and had been displayed in my parent's home previously. 

I still mail holiday cards and those we received were opened on our return home and then displayed by the front door. It's something I enjoy doing to remind us of friends and family's well wishes all season long. How do you display holiday greetings? 

We don't know about Santa's other reindeer, but Rudolph appeared to be in good spirits.

Mother Nature and Father Christmas gave us the beautiful present of a White Christmas.

Thanks to all our blog friends for your visits and comments throughout this past year. 
We appreciated all of them. See you in 2018.