Winter Blues

I'm not feeling very "Christmasy" this year.

Maybe it's the recent cold snap; it was 14 degrees when I woke up!

Or maybe it's working long hours, which means leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark.

I haven't decorated, and Rob and I are debating not putting up a tree at all this year. There's really no room for our usual (fake) 6 foot tree, and small trees usually don't do it for me.

The only holiday happenings going on at our place is the lighted tree we have outside our front door, accompanied by the pumpkin that seems to be flourishing (and now adorned with a jingle bell wreath). I just don't have the heart to throw him away.

The sky is gray. The wind is blowing.

The only pop of holiday color are these poinsettias I purchased at the garden center almost two weeks ago. They're lending some festive spirit.

I guess nothing beats the presents that are accruing around the Christmas cactus this year.

Maybe we don't need a tree after all.

Summer's gone

Gosh it's cold today. I guess it really started yesterday but I'm still not warm enough today. I've got the heat on in my office and even my heated floorpad.

I even broke out the fingerless mittens I crocheted a few months back.

I knew I'd need them. But I'm still cold.

Even Ginger is hanging around my office. Hmmm... maybe that sweater would keep me warm.

Ah... guess I'll freeze. She looks way too comfortable.

BTW, I'm totally enjoying my new camera phone.

Day 4 of Being Lonely

Being lonely makes me clean.

A lot.

My husband has been on the road since Friday night for business. He won't be home until Thursday. The first few days weren't so bad because I was distracted with school (but it was lonely going to bed alone at night.) Now that I'm entering my fourth night alone, the silence of the apartment is really obvious.

So ... I clean. Given the state of the apartment usually, you'll be able to tell that I'm never lonely! But tonight I avoided the obvious pitfalls of laundry and dishes and decided to tackle our "office" space, which is usually our disaster area and dumping ground. In the room, we have two desks that face into either corner. When you walk in the door, there is a large table from my grandfather's kitchen that I kept for posterity. This was pushed right up against Rob's desk. The only problem was its immense size in such a small space. It had to go, but I've been delaying the inevitable for some time (ohh... let's see... about three years!). This past weekend I toyed with the idea of running to IKEA and buying a new bookshelf to replace its spot, but the last time we tried to buy bookcases from there, they were just about 5 inches too long for my car... and wouldn't fit.

I decided to avoid that and kept thinking. Then it dawned on me. About a month ago on my way to the trash room, I discovered a baker's rack waiting to be put on the curb. There was nothing wrong with it- it was in excellent condition. Not wanting something useful to be thrown away, I dragged it out of the trash room and back down to my apartment... where it proceeded to sit in front of our coat closest for the last month.

Tonight, the two ideas connected.

So I spent the better part of the early evening hauling everything on the table out to the living room. I then disassembled the table, and dragged it out. I vacuumed, then brought in the baker's rack. I originally thought a good amount of craft items that are currently at home in the living room could be stored here, but after organizing, resorting, and bringing back in the items that were already from the office, there wasn't room for anything new. But the result is already dramatic. The room seems more open--even lighter--without the large table in the way. And things seem slightly more organized-- for the moment. (The table will be going to storage to stay until we get a house... hopefully someday soon.)

But I think besides getting a clean apartment, being lonely helps me remember why I married my husband. Too often we let life get in the way. Our day jobs monopolize our time, and I get on such a bent to still have rewarding experiences outside of work that I too often fill up my spare time with other activities. Which isn't a bad thing -- just I've filled my plate a little too much. (My eyes are bigger than my stomach, as my grandmother would say.)

If anything, I think time apart makes us appreciate each other more. I've been pretty stressed out and pulled in too many directions for the last seven months. And in return, Rob has been very stressed with his job, too. We kinda got in the routine of living, but not really enjoying or living in the sense that we should.

Now I feel that when Rob comes home, I'll listen more closely and smile a lot more.

We interrupt this posting...

... to lament my poor car! I finally made my way to Harvest Beads & Silver up in Manchester, Connecticut this past weekend when my car took a beating from a dump truck. In addition to two dents on my hood, a rock slammed into the passenger side of my car's windshield. I wasn't able to get a license plate, since the plate seemed to be mounted higher than usual and covered in dirt and grime. By the time I got close to him to *possibly* find a DOT number, he swerved off on the exit for Hartford.

*sigh*

So that will be a costly repair. I was surprised by the glass inside the car. Luckily the car didn't leak when we had a torrential downpour last night, and the windshield will be getting repaired tomorrow.

But... on to more *happier* thoughts, the trip to the bead store really was beneficial and I found some interesting beads to create new sun catchers with. I have some new ying yang inspired beads, as well as agate slices-- can't wait to create something new with those! :)

(Trying to find my silver lining here...)

Spring!!

When I got to work this morning, I saw the daffodils I planted outside poking their heads through the soil! I'm very excited -- one of the first signs of spring! :)

I'm also kicking myself that I didn't bring the camera to work!

Little Etsy Moment

I actually saw one of my photos show up under the Recently Listed Items tab today! (See the owl at the lower left hand corner.) I know this isn't too big of a deal, but it was awesome to see it flip by.

I made many delicious things last night in pastry class... eclairs, whipped cream-filled swans and more. I tried to take photos last night when I returned home at midnight, but I haven't had a chance to look at them yet. The lighting in the dining room was being fickle and so was my flash. So I'm keeping my fingers cross that I'll have a nice one to post!