I have to confess...one of my skills (faults?) is taking on more obligations than I actually have time to take on.
The holidays are not any different, there are just several extra details that need my attention. Did I mention that I also have a job outside the home? A job that I LOVE, by the way. But as of late, my 30-hour work week has morphed into something much more and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the fewer hours I can allot to myself.
We have two kids home from college. The son arrived Wednesday and the daughter was due to make her grand appearance sometime Thursday, but her ride fell through (so Mommy Dearest drove to her college town and brought her home after my work day ended).....that means more food needed in the refrigerator and less time to shop for it.
The Christmas cards have all been addressed (that's early for this procrastinator extraordinaire), but the annual letter is still a work in progress. Oh, and I haven't gotten to the post office to buy the necessary Christmas-themed stamps.
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| A preview of our Christmas cards.... |
Oh, and there's my blog. I have been very disciplined about writing a little each day, and have several posts started....but in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, I had to let some things slide....and the blog drew the short straw (my bad). I have numerous blog posts (from others) awaiting my attention in my inbox, but just haven't had the time to read them (or comment on them either). Pathetic, huh!
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| UGH! The numbers don't lie.....173 unread (and unanswered) emails awaiting my "free time"..... |
So, I have been MIA from the blogging universe this week...what else have I been doing?
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Knitting
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| I have been a knitter since I was a kid, most of my creations are from original patterns I design myself. This is a pic of some wrist warmers. |
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Coloring
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| Adult coloring books are the latest craze, and I have jumped on the bandwagon |
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Baking
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| Turtle Treats....one of my favorites! |
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Working
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| I had the bright idea of doing the Elf on a Shelf game at work, which means I have been going in early to hide the Elf every morning... |
Alas, all the details of Christmas are there because I choose them. I have learned that a lot of the extra details are not necessary and most are not missed (by others) if those details are not present. As our kids have gotten older, they don't share in my enthusiasm for decking the halls....and my enthusiasm is starting to fade as well. I still do the decorations, just not as many.
There are a few things I have let slide....for example, some of the "extras" regarding our decorations. Heck, I love the decorations as much as the next person, but it's usually ME who does most of the work and it's ME who has to take everything down and stash it away come January. My solution? I don't put as many ornaments on the tress as I used to do.....and honestly, you cannot tell from the outside, so it's all good.
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| This is the tree in the family room....lighted and adorned with ribbon. |
When our family moved back to Iowa in 2002, I got the idea to make a tree skirt and put the kids' hand prints on it. This tradition continued, but every year the task became more of a chore. Last year, I had the hand prints traced out on newspaper, but never got around to transferring the prints to fabric. I accessed the skirt, and determined it looked pretty great as is, and called it good. Guess what? The hand prints are not happening in 2015 either, and I'm OK with that.
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| What this tree does have, though, is the hand-made tree skirt. I have traced the kids' hands every year (since 2002) and sewed them onto the skirt and embroidered their names or initials. |
Through all of the hustle and bustle, I am keeping my workouts consistent. My streaking is going well. I'm three weeks in, and still looking forward to every run...and all of my runs have been outside, so that's a huge bonus for diminishing any guilt for my lack of blogging (sort of). I'm also doing well with my push-up challenge (100 push-ups every day in December).
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| Some times the streak runs don't happen until 9:00PM, but they are getting done regardless |
Do you stress out over the Holidays? Have you had to shorten your to-do list?
**I'm linking up with Marcia from
Marcia's Healthy Slice for the Runfessions link-up. Head over and check out all the great reads about how we're all keeping it real and confessing....
Coloring is so relaxing, I love it! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun? I totally loved coloring when I was a kid ;-)
DeleteI totally TOTALLY get this. Looks like you have your priorities in line to me. It is I who decorates and does everything holiday here as well. And much of it goes unappreciated. So there are things that never make it out of the holiday boxes anymore. I need to get me one of those cool coloring books. Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteWe have tons of ornaments from when the kids were small, as well as ones we have collected from places we've traveled....although it is nice reminiscing each time we display them, it is SOOOO much work. One year I decided that I wanted a tree like you'd see in a magazine (you know, everything color-coordinated, etc.), so I put only the fancy silver ornaments on the tree...and nobody noticed the ones that were missing!
DeleteThis time of year is especially hard when it comes to balancing everything in our lives!! You seem to be doing an awesome job and it's okay to say no to things (like our blogs) when we're short on time!
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to be blessed with an extra six hours of "bonus" time each day. I have so many saved blogs to read....I'll probably never get to reading all of them ;-(
DeleteI am a knitter but have started nothing this year. last year, I made my gifts.
ReplyDeleteI want to color too so I don't have to do all the stuff I don't like to do - clean...
ugh....cleaning is definitely NOT in my top 10 of prioritized to-do's.
DeleteOh Kim, I'm so stressed out. And like you, no one at my house really shares my love for decorating. I've definitely cut back.
ReplyDeleteWe have our big family get-together tomorrow at my cousin's house, then just our immediate family stuff after that (including my parents & sis). But, I still have a lot of stuff to finish(shopping??? for kids who only want money? #notfun #buzzkill)
DeleteI too am trying my best to get caught up in the blogging world. I afraid my house and things I usually do for the holidays are the ones to suffer. I bought me an "adult" coloring book too, I enjoyed it the ummmm 2 times I did it then it fell to the way side. Maybe my balance will get back to normal but I don't see it happening before the end of the year lol!
ReplyDeleteit's a crazy time for all of us! I hate to see the holidays wind down....but I usually breathe a deep sigh of relief for having survived when January rolls around ;-)
DeleteI hear you...I feel so behind on social media lately. I usually have a better content schedule for my blog but everything is last minute this month. Perhaps because I've been devoting more time and energy to photography toys and instagram, but still! That and days seeming so short with the lack of daylight.
ReplyDeleteIt's a struggle! I have several new blogger pals, and I hate not having time to stay as connected as I'd like...but I also realize they're probably just as busy as I am LOL The short days will start getting longer soon!!
DeleteAs I have gotten older, I too do less. Less decorations on the tree because I also put it up and take it down. No one notices. I ordered my cards but they still have not come yet. And baking ? I don't bake because I am the only one who eats it. So that definitely takes a burden off !
ReplyDeleteI don't do as much baking as I'd like....but, again, it's ME who would be doing it. The kids liked helping with it (some) when they were younger, but they'd rather be on their phones now. They will eat the baked goodies, though ;-)
DeleteI have let blogging slide, especially the reading -- which I really enjoy. I get bogged down with the little details and traditions, but it seems my kids ask about it if I don't do it. I guess I still want them to have those special memories. This is candy making weekend (sigh). Your hand print skirt is such a cute idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's kind of nice being able to actually sit back and enjoy the tree skirt without having to worry about adding the hand prints to it this year ;-)
DeleteThanks!!!! This is my 5th time streaking...and usually by this time in the streak I am ready to be done. It's been going well, and I've been lucky to have had decent temps and (mostly) pleasant conditions.
ReplyDelete