'Tis the Season

Christmas is here and it has completely ROCKED my world! I'm going to work with frizzy (well frizzier than usual) hair, an after thought outfit, AND... (wait for it) a COLD! I just can't get over my snotty, merry misfortune! It's like with Christmas, there's already NOT enough time in the day... Between Christmas crafts, baking, cooking, shopping, wrapping, present hiding, eating, cleaning, decorating... did mention all of this is AFTER 7PM (when I get home)?! NOW, you expect me to blow my nose every 2 seconds?? OVER IT! So, yea, you might catch me with a little "glaze" in the name of placing the last piece of tape in the right spot on a gift... But it's worth it and everyone does it... right?!

So, with everything that's going on, how do I manage the requirements of my normal life with my holiday life?  DRUM ROLL PLEASE... I create a holiday block schedule...  Nothing feels better than checking things off of my list so I categorize a checklist and then dedicate 1 day (or week or month depending on the project) to tackle a category.  Last night I got the last gift for my dear and sweet hub-bug = Christmas shopping DONE. The night before was my warm-n-fuzzy day filled with the sites and smells of Christmas... Hubby ordered pizza and put together this awesome-fantastic playhouse in the basement (munchkin will LOVE it) while the ladies of La Casa De Keese baked gingerbread family cookies(complete with grandparents and uncles and aunts).  Munchface was SO into the decorating and the part of decorating where she gets to boss me around that it took forever to do 3 cookies!  Finally, 1 hour after bedtime, I decided the sugar rush was OVER!  We have to finish the others at another time... O no, did I totally just add another THING to my holiday block schedule? MY LIFE! Maybe Christmas Eve?

With the munchkin in bed, I spent the midnight hour cleaning the mess of gingerbread guts off the counters (and floors...and dog - don't ask) and then took my Mommy15.  The Mommy15 is 15 minutes I take for myself everyday... *inhales adoringly* EVERY day... Sometimes, I make a craft, sometimes, I sneak a cookie or make a cup of hot chocolate...or shower by candlelight...or do a facial with that over-priced and fabulous facial wash I bought from Sephora... or paint my nails or... SOMETIMES, I just lay on the bed with the lights off and. do. nothing. Ahhhh... just talking about it calms me down.  That's where Fabulous Island came from... my daydreams during the Mommy15... EVERYONE should have a mommy15... well, I digress...SO, on this particular night, I filled my apothecary jars with Christmas items - yes, no where near doing nothing BUT making things pretty is relaxing so it counts! My jar filler included 1 of these pretty little Christmas bulbs:

I'm using this as a gift topper for grandparents (I think they'll love it) and it makes a perfect edition to the Christmas decor! I found the bulbs at (one of those few-things-actually-cost-$1) Dollar Stores in Alexandria.  A pack of 4/$1.49!!! Can you say SCORE?! I happy dance at the thought pretty much everytime I look at them... I purchased them thinking I'd put her picture and let her dump glitter but Shelly's ornament idea was perfect! Anyhoo, tonight is my gift wrapping and house prepping... I'm also making a simple comfort food casserole that is sure to bring warm fuzzies to the family :) I'll post the recipe tomorrow (if I get decent pics)!

Well, I'm off to buy my small paint brushes for some annoying little touch-ups around the house today... Maybe I can completely renovate my powder room in time for Christmas? Maybe that's a bit much BUT I shall be doing something before the mom-in-law comes!