Out With the Old? Not Just Yet.

I am easing into 2024 ever-so-slowly, not quite ready to face the fact that the holidays, and the time I spent with my precious family, are over. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that while my tree is disassembled and packed away, I still have piles of other holiday decorations stacked on tabletops and peeking out of half-empty Rubbermaid bins. I haven't even purchased a 2024 calendar, much less filled in the important dates! I feel frozen, honestly, lacking any motivation to finish projects or tackle the many things on my mental to-do list. All I want to do is sit on the couch

with Chip and the pets, watch Acorn & Britbox, crochet and drink coffee.

As frustrated as I am with my lack of motivation/direction, I'll give myself a little bit of grace here because, up until Thanksgiving, we'd been out of town for months, and went from moving back home straight into holiday season. Also, the post-Ian repairs are still underway, if you can believe it, so areas of the house are still under construction. Still, I need to dedicate a few days (weeks?) to getting things in some semblance of order. Just not today. 

Today I ran to the Dollar Tree and bought some Valentine's Day goodies for the grandkids. I enjoyed some cuddle time with Lilo & Marigold before the carpenter arrived and scared them under the bed. I gathered the on-hand ingredients for the soup I'm cooking for dinner, and placed an Instacart order for the things I needed. I had a chat with Chip over coffee where we made plans for the rest of the week, and brainstormed some decluttering/organizing plans I have for my craft room. I petted Loki and assured him that there was no need for him to incessantly bark at the poor workman, that he was just doing his job. I made myself a healthy lunch, made a card for a dear friend, and wrote an email to another. 

And, today I found a new-to-me children's book to read & record for my loves, Once Upon a Northern Night, written by Jean E. Pendziwol & Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Here's a link to the book's Goodreads page;  I wish I could also post my little video but apparently there are copyright laws against me doing so, which I found out the hard way (oops! More on that another time.) I doubt that the video of me reading would delight anyone else as much as it does the little ones who love me, anyway, haha! You can read a copy for free at the Internet Archive, but if you're anything like me, you'll want a copy of your own as soon as you turn the last page. (Full confession: I have 4 pre-owned copies on the way from ebay. They'll make lovely gifts for other children in my life). 

I may still find the energy to tackle a few tasks today, but I'm not pushing myself. Everything will get done, in its own time, and those piles of garland and glitter aren't hurting anyone. 

E. Michele