The crazy holidays have ended, thank Baby Jesus.

I was just sitting here in a daze, thinking about the past few weeks. Make that the past year. This was my first year as a published author!

What a year! I wanted to thank everyone for the kind notes and messages you’ve sent my way. I’ve loved every one. It thrills me when you reach out to tell me that one of my stories has made you laugh or had made your day a little brighter. Thanks so much!

I turned in a book mid-November and thought, ah, finally, I can get my life together now and get ready for the holidays. Take a breath and all that. But then I got hit with a set of edits. And right after I finished those, I got hit with more edits–this time for my Montlake book that will be coming out in June. My holiday fantasies of sipping wine, wrapping gifts while listening to Michael Buble croon about how it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas faded fast. And my house looked like nothing but a disaster!

I always said th eleanorroosevelt100870 e two worst months as parents with small children are May and December. What I learned this year is even if the kids are not little, December is still brutal!

There is a scene in the 2006 version of Pride and Prejudice where Keira Knightly is staring into space and days and nights are rising and fading around her as she continues to stare. Well, that was me, sitting at my desk. Dawns and dusks blew past. Children came home from college and grad school. Somehow the tree got put up–haphazardly. All those treasured homemade ornaments never quite made it on the tree this year. And still I sat. Bye, have fun! I called to my family. I’ll still be sitting here when you return! Just dust me off when you get back!

Hubby spreading good cheer.

Don’t get me wrong–I am so, so grateful to be writing! It was just a little cray-cray to be on deadline all through the holidays with the house full of people and chaos.

I did manage to have some fun despite working. We cooked, we baked, we dined, we spread a little good cheer.

18 yr. old son–I guess he grew some 🙂

We got all the kids into the kitchen helping out, including my male child, even though he outgrew his apron that my dear friend sewed for him when he was five.

And we got to see the new Star Wars movie as a family, which was really fun.

The edits somehow got done and turned in. Even though this holiday was crazy and imperfect, i.e., the decorations were weak, the cookies got done late, and no Christmas cards got sent, and I did all my shopping in one day–I think we managed to have what really counts–the time with family.

Below is a pic of my favorite present. My husband bought me a giant dry erase board to plot with and he hung it up in our basement (it weighs forty pounds!). I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about this gift!

As we leave the craziness of the holidays behind, I wish you all a wonderful 2016 full of blue sky and clear vision and dreams that come true.

Or, in lieu of a perfect year, I wish you peace and love and the things that really count. Happy 2016!