It may be a smidgeon late for posting my Christmas card, but at least I finished it before Christmas! (And even mailed them out two days before). For all that every single craft sale since March was canceled, thus freeing up my pre-Christmas weekends, we still managed to be just as busy as ever, and I might just be more late than ever on the cards.

For a quick review of the year: My second illustrated book, Isaac and Izzy’s Magical Treehouse by Angela Henderson, came out in May (though due to all the havoc in the publishing world, July might be more accurate). Given the cancellation of all events for the year, I had too much time on my hands and spent it looking at houses instead of working on art or writing or even reading (mostly–I still managed 2/3 of my average book count for the year, and I was able to catch up on some series I should have started long ago, including Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, in which each of the four books averages 1,200 pages. So I was not completely idle).

After helping so many people move last year, we had firmly decided we would not move in 2019 (not that we had any intention to anyway). But 2020 is a different year, and in the spring we reviewed our finances and realized we could actually afford a house. Then in September we closed on a cute 1925 house, which, after much patching, painting, floor finishing, re-wiring, and plumbing, we were able to move into the weekend following the two snowstorms in October (wherein we had to borrow a snowblower to make a pickup-wide path on the lawn to the front door, or we would have neither a piano nor bed, and while my husband only feels the need for the softer one of the two, I require both).

So to finish the year, I have finally put the first art on our walls, and none of it is my own–just some beautiful art cards by Canadian artist Sue Coleman, the first of which I bought in tenth grade while visiting Victoria, BC. But more artwork shall be added–I have a stack of canvases and oil paints to play with. Perhaps in the new year I’ll have time!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and may your new year be blessed!
~Rachael