In My Home This Week: Sparkling and Shining Bright

In my home this week, I:
                                 

...am decorating my home for Christmas.  Of course, the photo above (and all the rest in this post are, as well) is from last year.  This year's will be....different!  Different from that one, at any rate.  I've had a few inspirations already.  I've only just started.  I've already figured out that I don't have all I thought I had...sigh.  lol  Oh well!  I love being creative and having fun, too.  For me, decorating or changing up a room feeds my creative urges and that leads me to think about things in a different sort of way which leads to inspiration in the kitchen, and in my wardrobe and on the blog.  Sort of a domino effect comes from it.  So I like to be creative and feed that muse.

Do you know what just amazes me?  People who not only decorate this weekend but already have their presents wrapped and under the tree!  Oh gee!  And I've only just this week begun doing my bit of shopping in earnest.  So far I've ordered two presents and then I have a bare handful of items for a few folks.  Not that we do a lot of shopping, but John seems to have fallen into the spirit of a little thing I wanted to do and keeps adding items in.  I'd promised to keep it to a certain spending and thus far he's the one whose bought and keeps suggesting still more things, lol. 

I had the worst foul mood come on me Friday evening.  No reason for it, none at all, and no idea why it even showed up but had you asked me for a recommendation for my husband, I'd have been hard pressed to give a decent one!  What did he do, you might ask?  Nothing.  He was dead tired from his 24 hour shift and he ate a big turkey dinner and did what most do after eating a heavy meal, he went right to sleep and that's what he did all afternoon long.  Which left me free to do whatever I pleased and apparently what I pleased was to sulk and feel resentful and snarky.  Ugh!  Glad the beast got tamed before she opened her mouth to let it all out.


I expect had I stopped a moment and done what I'd promised myself I'd do Friday, REST, I would never have encountered said foul mood at all.  But I slept well Thurs. night and I decided that was good enough and so I proceeded to do far more than I'd meant to do on Friday.  I should have known better after making two long road trips this past week and prepping for two holiday meals on top of all the regular work.  But NO.  And so that tired cloud hung over my head and built up into a regular old thunderhead.  Fortunately it came to nothing in the end. 

...plan my meals:


Pizza, Salad

Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers

Mexican Spaghetti Squash, Green Salad, Mexican Cornbread

on my own x2

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Squash Casserole, Black Eyed Peas

Beef Pot Pie, Salad with apples and walnuts

...plan my work week:

Figure out how to use up all the leftovers in the fridge...Put as much as I can into the freezer as future entrees. I need to pull recipes and put on my creative thinking cap...

Figure out how to avoid eating more turkey right away...Ha!

Make banana bread.

Make apple jelly.

Inventory the freezer and pantry and start lists of needed items.

Finish  Christmas decorating.

Shopping list for minor supplies to finish decorating and make a return while I'm out.

Mop floors.

Plant daffodil and grape hyacinth bulbs.

Seriously get busy trying to alter a pair of pants I could desperately use in my wardrobe.

Start work on the next annual budget...just so I can brace myself.

...plan my leisure:

I have a book I'd like to spend extra time reading.

Spa day. 

Keep my hair appointment.  I am deeply regretting NOT getting my hair cut at the beginning of November. 

Watch the birds at the bird bath (days) and watch the pretty Christmas tree (nights).

6 comments:

Lana said...

I have had some foul feeling moods over the last few days, too. Ugh! For me I think I just need some down time here alone. Hubby has been off since 2 PM on Wednesday and I am not used to so much 'on' time.

I confess that I do have almost all my shopping done and wrapped but I just wrapped as it showed up day by day and it was crazy easy this year for some reason. But, we do not have our tree up as we are waiting on the new one. I did pick an Angel from the tree this morning at church and we stopped and bought toys for that child after church and I ordered a warm jacket for that little boy, too. I dropped the ball on the shoe boxes this year so I am glad we were able to do the angel.

I made my menus this morning and a short list of items for Aldi. I knew I had $17.31 left in my grocery budget and my total was $17.14! I am always glad to be able to stay within my budget.

We will be eating hamburger steaks and baked potatoes, white sausage linguine, BBq chicken, pizza and salmon this week. It is the week I cook for the homeless shelter so we will eat out that night as it just makes things more manageable.

Have a good week!


Debby in KS said...

I'm not really cranky, but feeling all out of sorts. I'm a very scheduled person and don't handle change well. I think that's why I'm the only person in the northern hemisphere that loves January! Quiet and predictable.

Most of my shopping is done and it'll all be wrapped, packed, and shipped by Friday. Then I can go back to my normal routine, but enjoy the extra seasonal activities with nothing hanging over my head.

I decorated today. The little plaster village I hand painted in my 20's is all set up on our mantel with a snowy landscape and trees. The tiny white lights make it look like a cozy little town.

patsi @ a working pantry said...

I think as we grow older we underestimate how important getting rest is and not over doing it. I also think we fail to realize how much those 2 things affect our temperament. When I get grumpy, it's usually because I'm tired.

We are opting for a simple Christmas this year and keeping things low key. That being said, we are truly enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday season around us.

Anonymous said...

I do that to sometimes, generally it's "why does he think it's always up to me to figure out what to eat? Cant he even make a suggestion?" Snarl, snarl! Fortunately i can keep the inner beast contained most of the time. Wouldn't it be fun to go through other people's stashes and decorate for Christmas? I had a friend who loved nothing more than to be asked for decorating ideas and she always had great ones. At my house you would find a ton of snowmen. My daughter calls my tree a grown up tree, but would love to have a little one around to decorate for. I have shopped some, am cleaning and rearranging the living room today for the tree and trying how to fit 14 people in plus a tree! As always enjoyed your post, and am glad to hear Grampa is not theonly who snores through an entire football game that he is positive he never missed a play of! Gramma D

Sew Blessed Maw [Judy] said...

I so understand your foul mood -smile... I did the same thing... I over did the few days before Thanksgiving, and by the time the kids/grandkids all left, I was exhausted.. I had to remind my self that i totally enjoyed the kids/grandkids being here, and I had chosen to do all the extra work..[ I didn't see this clearly until after a nights rest,ha].

I have my tree up, house is mostly decorated, but no present wrapped.. I usually have them all bought by now..But, I didn't get to it this year.. Need to get that done.. I am battling an asthma attack with a cold so not much happening right now..
Hope you have a good week.

Debby in KS said...

Terri, would you do a post on how you do your annual budget?