Happy New Year!

Postidays

It's a word I recently learned and it certainly fits.  Post holiday = postiday!

It's always a bit of a let down, isn't it, if you celebrate the holidays?  After Christmas is over, there's sort of a black hole.  It's like you spend all this time getting ready, presents and wrapping and decorating and getting into the holiday spirit and remembering the reason for the season and there's this great big lead up and then...splat...it's over.  And quickly too.

I'm trying not to get the positdays blah get to me by keeping Christmas up for a bit longer.  Maybe next weekend, or even the weekend after, I'll be ready to take down the decorations and let the season go.  But for now, I'm still enjoying the garlands and wreaths and twinkling lights on the tree.  

I'm headed off to work in a bit.  But I have the next two days off.  Of course, that makes going in today extra difficult.  But I'll muddle through somehow. :)

No big plans for the New Year, just a quiet night at home.  I'm very much looking forward to that.  2013 was a big year for me.  2014 holds even more possibilities.   

Yarn Induced Guilt

So, I sort of failed on the Christmas yarning this year.  Firstly, I on purpose didn't plan to make that much because I've gotten way, terribly, overly stressed out in recent years past over all the stuff that needs to get done and not enough time to do it!  So instead, I told myself that I wasn't going to make a buttload of stuff this year.  Of course, that comes with it's own layer of guilt (all heaped on by yours truly and no one else) because, well, you know that the yarning is my thing.

I did manage to work up some dishcloths for Sis.  Remember I told the story of Grandma's dishcloths?  Well, I popped out to the yarn store and got some awesome colored yarn and made a couple more for Sis.  And we she opened them she was rather gleeful.

I was going to make some other things, but as I started to stress and get worried over it, I decided it wasn't worth the worry and stress.  So, I've pushed them off for upcoming birthdays instead.

I also decided, rather selfishly, that the Scottish yarn I bought really is for me and not for Auntie.  So that shawl has gone on the shelf for a wee bit (I'll eventually finish it for me) so I can get her present done.  I had a couple of skeins of the super chunky extra warm awesome yarn that I used to make Sis's blanket so she's getting a snuggly shawl out of that instead.  Incidentally, when we were at her house on Christmas, she was telling me that she wanted to get a shawl pin and asked me where I got the one that I gave to my cousin.  I told her about The Shawl Pin store because I didn't have the heart to tell her that I already had a Shawl Pin for her to go with her birthday present (it's January 5th)  Then I felt a little bad about that before I remembered that she can totally have more than one shawl pin.  

The BFF and I are doing our Christmas exchange next weekend.  Which is actually perfect because I have this weekend and then the 31st and the 1st off from work.  Now, it's certainly not going to take that long to complete her gift (to go with the things that I bought) but it's nice to know that I have that cushion.  And have time to complete Auntie's present too.

Of course, I still have to finish Izzy's as well.  

Sometimes, I'm such a slacker.  Damn life for getting in the way!

To Blog or Not To Blog

I've been at this blogging thing for almost two years now (about 21 months) and I've written 400 posts.  Being honest, I sometimes wonder if it's worth it.  I get extraordinarily stressed out sometimes, trying to think of what to write.  I feel bad when I don't put a post up because I have nothing to say.  It can be stressful and nerve wracking.

But then I remember how it makes me feel to write things down and send them out into the ether.  To know that people are reading even if they don't comment.  To read they comments when they are posted.  It's so helpful me to me and my state of mind.  So even if sometimes I think of packing it in and getting rid of the blog, the good far outweighs the stress inducing moments.

Thank you to all of you who take a moment out of your day and read my ramblings.  It is so greatly appreciated.  And as long as there are readers willing to come check out the blog, I'll keep writing. 

Happy Christmas!

Wishing everyone a warm and joyous Christmas!

 

Christmas Random

--I swear the cats have extra super-sensitive hearing.  Simon in particular.  If he's hungry and he's decided it's food time and he hears me on the stairs or opening a door, he'll appear from nowhere, crying, dancing around my feet, rubbing on my legs just begging to be fed with his "oh my god if you don't feed me I'm just going to perish and die!  Please, please feed me because I'm too pretty to die!!!" act on.  Since he doesn't care if getting under my feet and tripping me so I fall to a horrible death down the stairs is the result of his antics, he's not getting catnip in his stocking this year.

--Last night, I made a dishcloth.  It only took about an hour since, lets face it, they aren't very big.  It's sort of a gag gift for Sis.  See, Grandma (my mom's mom) was a knitter.  Fanatical, really.  (Guess I come by it honestly)  And she used to make this dishcloths.  Now, I hate using them on my dishes because I think they are a bit bulky.  But Sis?  They are her favorite when she washes dishes.  And I had some cotton yarn that someone gave me--people give me yarn all the time.  You don't know how many times I hear things like "My mom/grandma/aunt/some other obscure relative had all this yarn and..." and I can't say no--so it's not the best looking thing.  But it was apparent that Grandma's pattern was really easy and after a bit of studying, I figured it out.  I think it looks exactly the same, so I'm happy with that.  I might pop to the store today and pick up some better yarn to make another one with.  But I haven't officially decided yet.  Anyway, she'll get that as a wee giftie under the tree and it'll make her grin.

--The rest of my holiday yarning has been kind of a bust, but there is one thing that I need to complete.  The BFFs gift.  We'll probably do the Christmas thing right after Christmas though so I have a little bit of time.  I'll get it done.  

--Finally going to decorate the tree today.  I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  It's going to be fun and when I'm done, I can sit back and admire.  One of my favorite things about Christmas.  

--There will be Christmas music while the tree is being decorated.  

--When I'm done, there will be hot chocolate and a Christmas movie.  I'm looking forward to that almost as much as decorating the tree.

--I love this time of year.  I love the snow and the joy and the giving of gifts and remembering the reason for the season and all of it.  I just love it.  And with Christmas only a few days away, I'm getting as excited as...well, as a kid at Christmas!

Christmas Yummies

Today, we're having our Christmas Lunch at work.  What does that mean?  Well, basically, everyone brings something in, the boss buys us pizza for lunch, and we spend all day eating at our desks while we work.

I'm going to be so stuffed!

My contribution?  My (sorta) famous apple bread.  Looking at the list, everyone was bringing real food.  Buy that I mean, things that are actually meal-like.  I wanted something sweet and dessert-like to go with it.  So last night, I spend the evening baking.  I forget just how much I enjoy baking until I'm actually doing it.  And considering that I just baked some banana bread a few weeks ago, you would think I wouldn't forget so fast.  But there's something soothing about mixing the ingredients and putting it all together and have it turn out tasting like awesome.  At least there is to me.  And the delicious smells that waft through the entire house while the goods are in the oven ain't half bad either!

But I enjoy it and I was happy to do it.  Of course, I was also happy when it was done and I could set it on the rack and let it cool, too.  

So I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my day.  And I'll be spending the weekend trying to get as much yarning done as humanly possible!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  Be kind to each other!