The “flop” is me falling down from exhaustion.
Sure, it’s a small bathroom, but did I really need to paint it now? So what if “paint the bathroom” has been on my to-do list for two years? So what if all the towel bars kept falling off the walls? So what if My Liege and I were replacing the towel rods in the kids’ bathroom, so figured now would be a good time to replace the aging rods in our bathroom, too? So what if M.L. didn’t see the point in painting the bathroom just because we were replacing the rods? I saw the point, and isn’t that what matters?
So what if I painted the room the exact same color as it was before? You know what? (So what?) It looks great! But I’m glad the job is done. (So what!)
I think I felt the need to paint the bathroom in the hectic weeks preceding Christmas, because I find it hard to write between Christmas shopping and planning for Eldest Son coming home, picking out the tree, trying not to strangle myself at the thought of hosting Christmas dinner two years in a row (usually, I’m an every-other-year sort of girl), writing the Christmas letter, buying the cards, remembering I forgot to the buy stamps, etc. etc. So I might as well spruce up the house.
Anyone else have this affliction?
Sure, I have a TON of “must paints” on the to-do list for 2010. That’ll teach me for ONLY painting the bathroom. But that’s life.
This year I’m sending out Christmas letters with our cards as has been my habit for most of the years of my marriage. Every once in a while, I skip a year. I skipped last year, so I felt duty bound not to skip this year. That would mean, gasp, skipping two years in a row. In this day and age of email, do you still send out cards and/or Christmas letters? My Liege has suggested a time or two that I should email the letter instead of snail-mailing it. But I figure Canada Post can use the business. And as much as I love receiving emailed Christmas letters and cards, I admit I love receiving the paper versions more. It feels more Christmasey to arrange the cards on the piano and/or the fireplace mantel.
When I was a kid, my mom would let me and my brother and sister have the Christmas cards after New Year’s Day. We’d cut them up and make collages and stuff—after a rigorous selection process of deciding who got which cards. We’d start “claiming” cards as they came in the mail. But if your name wasn’t drawn first, you might be out of luck. We’d choose the cards turn by turn, then get into the creative stuff. It was a blast.
There, a tip to keep your children occupied over the holidays. Don’t say I never did anything for you. 😉
By the way, this is the last day to enter my 2009 BOX ‘O BOOKS HOLIDAY GIVE-AWAY. For details, click here.
WAITING TO BE PICKED UP)
Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? So do I. I get mine anywhere and everywhere. One time, I saw a young woman driving with tears streaming down her cheeks. Hm.
lights are on the house. But I’m not, no way, not even considering, putting up our Christmas tree until at least December 15th. I’ve never been able to fathom putting up the tree earlier than 2 weeks prior to the big day. Part of this is because we use live trees, and I like them to last until after January 1st. We put our tree in the family room in the basement, because that’s where the monster TV and fireplace is, and My Liege does love his fire every night. We have a huge living room, but when we first moved into this house it served as a living room/piano room/partial dining room AND office (complete with two desks). There was no room for a tree. So the stockings went on the upstairs fireplace and the tree went downstairs. My kids grew up like that, so that’s how they want the tradition to remain. I can’t argue.
that fall on the floor. If you buy a good fake tree, I’m sure you could expect to keep it for twenty years before dumping it in the landfill. Whereas, with a live tree, you replace it every year.