As they say, Home is where the heart is.

This was our first Christmas, celebrated in the home we’re restoring on Lake Tahoe. If you’re looking for beautifully finished rooms, this is not the place! Not one room is finished, but we relished the chance to spend time with our son and daughter.

We sat around the fire and offered support and encouragement to Andrew, who’s going through a divorce. Thankfully, there are no children involved.

Betsy surprised us with the good news that she’ll be able to graduate with her class, at West Point, on May 23rd, despite some schedule set-backs, after a rugby injury at school. She’s so excited about what lies ahead; especially how she won’t be sharing a dorm room any longer, after graduation!

Andrew and Bob cut the Christmas tree, while Betsy and I offered supervision and moral support!

The kids helped me finish painting the last four dining room chairs, painted in slightly different shades of gray and green, Amy Howard One-Step paint. Andrew seemed to enjoy the process, while Betsy informed me that furniture painting wasn’t her favorite activity!

Andrew got to wear Bob’s homeless painting ensemble and his best gift to me, was a clean shaven face!

Before the kids arrived, I painted a vintage brass and milk glass light fixture.

I painted it in One-Step Graphite, in the same color as the twin beds.

I haven’t brought any of the duvet covers or bed skirts up, because of the dust. The wood floors should be installed upstairs, in the next couple of weeks, when more dust will be flying.

Bob’s doing a lot of the work himself, when possible. It’s not the fastest alternative, but he loves doing it and the price is right!

We’ve seen all sorts of weather, from rain to snow to sun, over the last two weeks. It’s all beautiful! Today, it’s sunny and 37 degrees at almost 2 p.m.

I made two pies this last week (cheated, using the roll out crust from the store), along with a pan of blondies and a bunch of my “world famous” chocolate chip, coconut, oatmeal cookies. Maybe this explains why I feel like I could deliver twins, any day!

Best of all, I’ve gotten wonderful hugs and a have had plenty of time to nurture, listen and care for our two kids, who really aren’t kids anymore.

I hope you’ve found some perfection, in this imperfect world.
Best to your and yours!