Helloooooo, lovely people! Did you all have a good week? We were away for a few days, so I have some catching up to do on blogs. I’ve also been distracted by a few Christmas gifts… *ahem*

I guess this is about it, isn’t it? End of the holidays, end of the year. It’s hard to believe 2013 is almost over. In some ways it was what I expected; in others, it’s been completely different, but I’ll be closing the books on what I consider to be a great year.

Looking ahead to next year… not yet. We’ll get there. It’s too scary.

So, what do we still need to wrap up here? Well, Amy Snow has gone back to the North Pole to relax after what was probably a stressful December with our family, so I’ll post the last few pictures. We came home from my in-laws’ house on the 28th and the kids were quite sad to see she’d left.

Hanging out with the big man himself

Playing a little Wii while we were sleeping, Amy?

Snowflakes! Amy’s better at them than I am.

Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of Amy on Christmas morning. She was wearing a lovely new dress that a friend of mine sent for her. To be fair, I didn’t get pictures of anyone else that morning, either.

We had a good Christmas. AJ was up at 4:30, but the kids slept until seven, and the dog slept even later. I got seven pairs of knee-high socks (pictures to come, they’re amazing). Even better…

I finally got a Kindle! So now I can read the 52 books I already had downloaded. Wheeee! I’ve already got through a few. VERY exciting. I don’t know if it’s the screen lighting or what, but I’m finding it more enjoyable to use than the Kobo. With the Kobo I can read the books, but I’m always conscious of the format. The Kindle seems invisible.

My family loved their presents, so that was good. I was nervous about one of AJ’s big gifts– I dared to go off-list.

…because he IS the Brute Squad!

He loved it. Andre the Giant, The Princess Bride and cozy hoodie– what’s not to love?

We all got spoiled. And then off to the in-laws’ for ANOTHER Christmas and a few days of relaxing. Not too shabby!

Back to work now, though. I have a ton of work to get done in January to get this manuscript ready for editing. I still feel like chapters 2-4 (or maybe 5) aren’t right. It’s a small enough portion of the book that I know I can’t give up over it, but it’s driving me INSANE. It’s a pebble in my shoe. A cat-hair in my nose. An odour in my literary fridge that’s making me gag but I can’t figure out where it’s coming from.

UGH.

I will get through this. I will. The answer is out there, I just have to find it.

So… how was your week? What did I miss? Do you have big plans for New Year’s Eve, or will you be staying home like me, trying desperately to stay awake until midnight?