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Holiday Preview!

Be careful what you wish for...

I have been craving a day to myself. A day for whatever I want in the exact moment I want it. No worries about anyone else's needs, just a selfish day for me. I imagined reading and crafting and blogging and shopping. Maybe some cooking or closest organizing if I got really ambitious.

INSTEAD I woke up a little before six this morning and just didn't feel right. By the time I sat up in bed, I felt terrible. The next 13 hours I spent alone not worrying about any one else's needs. Nevin and Lou had a day just the two of them while I laid alone in bed wishing for a regular busy day full of errands and dishes. Whether it was food poisoning or the flu, I am hoping to not have to deal with the likes of it ever again. Being sick is the greatest reminder of how good I really have it every day I'm not wishing for someone to put me out of my misery. After having some toast (thank you, Nevin) and half a bottle of Gatorade (again, thank you hubby) tonight, I feel I am finally on the mend. My dehydrated joints are still screaming in agony but the thought of food no longer makes me want to go on a hunger strike.

Why oh why, could this have not been a day spent with my nook and a bottomless coffee cup? Apparently, in the future I must be clearer with the genie.

Days of Thanksgiving: Twenty Four

24. I am thankful for
books +
blankets +
movies +
hot chocolate +
our (fake) fireplace +
a couple totes of holiday cheer =
TODAY!!

Days of Thanksgiving: Twenty-Three

23. I am thankful for a clean house. I hate cleaning. I am not one of those people who enjoys the act of cleaning, tidying, scrubbing, dusting, or vacuuming. All I need to do to motivate myself to those tasks however is to think of the feeling I'll have lounging on my couch knowing my toilets are scrubbed, the counters are wiped and the floors are crumb free (for the time being).


I grew up in a busy house that was overrun with kids and pets. It's not that my family wouldn't have loved a clean house, it's that it just wasn't a priority. I should rephrase that, it wasn't a priority for the majority in the house, my mom would have killed for a clean house but she couldn't win the battle against seven (often lazy) kids, an instrument collecting husband and furry pets galore.


Now that I have my own house, I force myself to make cleaning a priority. I still hate the act of cleaning, but the result of having a clean house cannot be matched. It is the start to all things great.


Now if only I could tackle the virtue of organized closets and drawers...

Days of Thanksgiving: Twenty-Two

22. I am thankful for crafts. I don't have the time to do them as much as I would like, but the anticipation of a good craft is exciting. This pre-Christmas season I'm going to work on an advent calendar for next year.

It will be time consuming and require some patience, but here's hoping!

Days of Thanksgiving: Twenty-One

21. I am thankful for a good cry. I like to think I roll with the punches. I try to buy into the idea that I'm spontaneous and change is a positive thing. The truth of the matter is that I need a schedule. I want to know what to expect and I don't do well when I don't know. Little things often bother me but I force myself to push through. When the fiftieth "little thing" in two weeks happens however, I can no longer pretend. After having our new fridge delivered yesterday and discovering it was 1/8th of an inch too large for the hole in the kitchen, I held it together until the delivery men left. I held it together long enough to go buy Louis milk (as he had sucked the last bit down with his breakfast). I held it together as I hauled the eggs and cheese up from the basement to cook lunch. I even held it together when I hauled it all back down to the basement. When I hit my head on the light that usually hangs over our dining room table but was now in the middle of the room since the dining room table had been moved to get the too big fridge into (and out of) the house, I lost it. Poor Louis watched his mom sobbing like she had not sobbed in a long time.


I can remember very pointedly times in the last few years that I've cried like this and while the problems are never solved after the sob, the act of the sob gives me a renewed sense of power. If I survive the sob, I can conquer whatever it is that has me down and much of the hopeless feeling diminishes.

Days of Thanksgiving: Twenty

20. I am thankful for my love. He is my best friend. He has been there for me in the best and worst moments in my life. He is undeniably funny. He is caring and gentle. He is a great dad. He is an amazing partner. He is a giant goofball. He is my favorite.