Happy New Year!

We did something a little different this New Year's Eve.  Instead of fireworks, we released a Japanese sky lantern.  One of my coworker friends gave me a pink one for Christmas.  We'd bought some last year but decided against lighting them since there were so many trees in our neighborhood.  But this year, we're in a new neighborhood with a huge open space in the backyard so we did it!  And it was so much fun!!  

 

We stood there and watched it until it burned out, about five minutes.  It was beautiful against that New Year's Eve night sky.  The neighborhood children, oohing and ahhing over their folks' fireworks, squealed at the sight of our lantern floating overhead.  It really was awesome. 

We started this 2000-piece puzzle New Year's Eve night, too, and it's gonna take a while.  We've got the easy stuff done!  I cooked the traditional Southern must-haves for New Year's Day.  Black-eyed peas and fresh collards plus our own tradition, Cornish hens and wild rice.  And we had German chocolate cake for dessert.

We watched a beautiful sunrise while we enjoyed our coffee this morning just before the bottom fell out again, and we had an hour of heavy, heavy rain.  I'm ready for some sunshine!

I broke out with a really red, itchy rash around Christmas and we couldn't figure out what we'd done differently.  No new detergent, no new soap.  I have really sensitive skin anyway so it could be anything.  Larry decided to check the levels in the hot tub since we've been using it a lot lately.  Sure enough, the pH level was too high.  So we've worked with it for a couple of days, adding this and adding that to try to get it right.  And we haven't been in the water.  And my rash is clearing up.  :)  It's such a delicate balance to getting the water right.  We're probably just going to drain the thing and start over.  We don't know how long the water's been in there or even when the filter was replaced.  We do it now, do it right, and we'll know.

Our camellias in the front yard are blooming and I'm so excited!!  Bright pink blooms everywhere and tons of buds.  

I sold my old desk yesterday.  I listed it on a yard sale Facebook page and within the hour, I had it sold!  We found a bigger one that Larry uses in his office and we just really didn't have a use for my old one.  I wanted it to go to a good home and the lady who bought it told me she was going to use it in her sewing/craft room.  That's perfect.  We had put it in our bedroom for the time being, until we could sell it or give it away so now we have this huge area to fill.  I have an idea for it.  I want a reading nook.  Loveseat, table, lamp, maybe a small bookshelf.  Another estate sale regret is an adorable little hippie loveseat we saw at a sale last summer and they only wanted $50 for it!  I kept saying we just didn't have room for it anywhere and Larry kept saying we should get it.  Well, we didn't get it.  Dang it.  It would be perfect there!  It was very similar to this one.

 

So this year is going to be the Year Of The Cute Hippie Loveseat!  We are going to find one.  And some lady heads, too.  :)

That about catches you up on the life and times of Larry and Ginger.  Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and are excited to see what's in store for your own lives.  No matter what comes, I know ours is going to be sweet.