Blogging Break Over

I seem to take these blogging breaks without any intention of doing so.  Over the Christmas and New Year's holidays things were hopping around here--Christmas crafting and decorating, family gatherings and get-togethers, meeting for brunch or dinner, babysitting, etc. 

Bryce Eleanor spent a week with us over the tail-end of December and beginning of January.  We had lots of fun, played with blocks and dolls and cats, read books, and watched Curious George and Bolt.  When she left, I had the clean and organize virus again and have been going strong ever since.

I made no Resolutions again this year, but it is difficult not to be affected by the images of new beginnings and clean slates that enter the psyche on January 1.  As a result of this kind of subconscious compulsion, I've cleaned and organized some of my fabric and some of my embellishments.  For a while, I was working in the studio every day just trying to organize a little bit at a time.

Then there is the dusting, vacuuming, mopping, waxing that requires moving things, not just going around them.  The floors now look as good under the sofa, chairs, tables as they do elsewhere.

After that, the renewed effort to keep the cat hair under control.   (Mind you, I groom the little buggers with the FURminator almost every day, but there is no end the fluffy stuff.)

Cabinets and drawers emptied, purged, and organized.  Not finished with all of this, but I've gotten the office area looking much better and have a much better chance of finding what I'm looking for after throwing away or filing loose paper, receipts, letters, and magazines.

These spurts of energy occur several times a year (spring cleaning/end of summer or beginning of fall cleaning), but the New Year Effort finds me the most industrious.  Even though I go through the process knowing that my good intentions won't last very long, the feeling of satisfaction for that brief period of "reasonably organized" makes me happy.

Most of the time, I'm in "good enough" mode.  Can't see it?  It's clean enough, straight enough.  I'm approaching that stage now, I'll not get to everything because I can feel the need to do more creative play.  So not all closets or drawers will be cleaned out, and the pleasure of keeping everything neat will fade, but that point has not been reached yet, even if I can feel it coming.

I read a lot in late November and December and because I was not on the computer much for about a month, I'm trying to catch up on reviews.Why I won't review the book as soon as I've read it is one of the mysteries in my life, but rarely have so many books piled up without reviews.  Usually I bitch complain about having to review 5 or 6 at a time; this time, however, (until yesterday) it was about 20.  I knocked off quite a few yesterday and have them scheduled to post through Monday.  Maybe I'll get them all done soon.  Working on that, too.

Today, I returned to work on the little girl doll begun a couple of months ago.  She now has her dress, but needs some knickers and maybe a collar.  Another mystery is why I start a doll then let it sit for so long while I make other dolls.  Maybe not so mysterious, I'm always a bit unsure of how to  dress them.  This fabric?  That one?  Lace? Details?  Accessories?  Four heads have been sitting around for months.  Another doll  is complete except for her clothing, waiting for me to decide (and she's been waiting a long time).  Various other projects in limbo.  BUT the little girl will soon be done...although I've said that before.

We are expecting some bad weather tomorrow.  For the South, that doesn't mean a blizzard like N.Y. and other states have endured, but it does present problems because we are so unprepared to deal with ice and snow.  Possibility of sleet tonight, wintery mix tomorrow through tomorrow night.  Which will mean, if it happens, roads and bridges and overpasses will be closed.

I've made bean soup for tomorrow...with lots of sausage.

 Have a great weekend!