So ...

So it's been a while, huh?  Almost a month, really.  Awesome.  Where have I been?  Here.  Just here.  The kids have been sick on and off for quite some time now (the current illness has been with us for two weeks now), the holidays have hit full force, and all of it has been a lot for me to handle.  Attention has been at a minimum, and when something does manage to get my attention it gets all of it.  All.

Christmas shopping alone has been all-consuming.  I love giving gifts, and I love the challenge of finding the right gift for each person.  I get a little thrill when there is a knock on the door and a postal worker of some sort is there to deliver a gift meant for one of my loved ones.  (Truth be told, I really love it when my mailman comes to the door; he is beyond awesome, very happy and chatty, and he just adores it when I online shop.)  However, having two young children makes Christmas shopping quite a bit more difficult, so I end up torn ... hyperfocusing on online shopping and horribly guilty for doing just that.  All I want is to find the right gifts for people, and yet get it done early enough so I can enjoy other aspects of the holiday season; I have a bit of a one-track mind at times and figuring out what to get all my family and friends consumes almost every thought, which means being able to enjoy the tree trimming, gingerbread house making, snowball fights, and what-have-you is nearly impossible.  Once the last gift is thoughtfully purchased, however, my mind will hopefully be freed up for other jolly pursuits.  (I will, of course, have a bit of a shopping hangover/shopping withdrawl thing going on, but I'll hopefully get over that soon enough as well.)

Also, did you know that adding an 8-foot Christmas tree to an already jammed up living room creates an amazing chaos that can send the rest of the house into a tailspin?  Yes, that's right, our half-decorated tree (long story) is up and has somehow created a mess on every other surface in the house, from the floor up.  My one saving grace is that I have been diligent, nay ... dogged, about keeping our kitchen island (okay, it's really a peninsula, but ... anyway) cleared off by the end of each day.  It is so nice to wake up in the morning and be able to view that amazingly cleared off span of kitchen counter, knowing that at least one spot in the house is "company ready".

Speaking of which, I need to go clear it off.  It is my little gift to myself each day, and I want to make sure I keep it up.  Hopefully I'll be writing on here again soon!  Very, very soon!

Until then, have a wonderful night!