New Year’s Eve

I have actually started several entries to post here—but part way through writing I just lose momentum and stop. Not that life has been boring…heavens! Anything BUT boring. Maybe it’s just that there has been so MUCH life–and I am having trouble trying to simplify it all into words. Or perhaps the exhaustion of the past several months has caught up with me and I just don’t have the mental energy. Maybe it’s all of the above..

So I am just going to rattle on and see if anything comes of this entry.

It is a dark New Years Eve, and I have a lull before we need to leave for the night’s revelries. Don is on vacation this week and is napping at the moment. His definition of a great vaction is one with lots of naps. He deserves it after a BRUTAL “worst ever” holiday season with UPS. Don’s son Charlie was his Christmas helper this year. This was a very eye-opening experience for Charlie as to how incredibly hard his dad works. Charlie’s comment after the season was over: “You know, I could probably do a job like this—but I think I am just too young to work this hard…”

As for me, the wild ride of our theatre production was overlapped and eventually replaced with the wild ride of selling my “Itti-Bitties” ornaments at my pre-Christmas craft shows. After my final and favorite “Artsy Stuff” craft show, (here at my house)–I finally skidded to a stop. Whew!!! There were still people in and out of my house buying last minute gifts just before Christmas, but it was all very fun and manageable.

We had found several Christmas gifts for the boys while we were in Spain, so there was not any stress or rushing around this year—which was nice. Gifts for Don is always easy, because he loves Practical Stuff…bathrobes, tools, kitchen spatulas, you name it. If it is useful, he loves it.

I am much more difficult (in a rather shameless way)–and prefer Impractical Stuff. Don can slip in a FEW practical things he knows I’ll use—as long as it’s in the company of girlfluff.

So this year I got yummy scented candles, a new Cyber-Shot digital camera, (a Quick-Jaw Hobby Clamping set), an amaryllis bulb, darrrrrk chocolate, (a 32 pc. Magnetic screwdriver set) a gift certificate to my favorite shop downtown, (an electric mattress warming pad-with two controls), heavenly hand-made soap, and a vintage pearl neck-piece. See how sneaky he is?

The boys were pleased with their gifts from Barcelona and the other things we got them. All was well and warm with laughter on Christmas day.

The rest of last week was spent tearing the separate shower out of the bathroom of our house. Not fun. This house was built in 1948, and has never been remodeled. It is also a Very Well Built House-which is great—until you try to tear anything out. Plaster dust went everywhere. Everywhere! We are making the shower—which was always too small—into a closet. The bathtub is now both a shower and a tub—and needs to be re-tiled.

Like most things that Don and I try to do, it tends to get…creative. And inspired by all the wonderful mosaic we saw in our travels, we are now thinking outside the normal realm of re-tiling a bathroom and are thinking artsy. Stay tuned…it will get interesting.

We will be off soon to the first of this evening’s activities—a party where a young friend of ours is going to propose to his girlfriend. After that, we will see what unfolds into the night.

Happy New Year to all of you dear ones out there!!

:)xo

Adagio