WHAT TO DO NEXT?

The holidays are over and Spouse is back to work. It was a nice vacation while it lasted but now it's time to get busy in this house, but what needs my attention the most? Bigger Tigger is very contented and Casey seems to be saying he likes things just as they are. He loves hiding under the tree skirt. The cats all had a good time playing in and around the trees and had great fun knocking them over. I'm so glad I put only unbreakables on the trees this year.

I usually give the livingroom and diningroom a thorough cleaning once I've taken down holiday decorations. I suppose that would be a good place to start. But wait...I haven't actually taken down decorations yet. I'll probably put things away in the manner I began the season - by doing a little at a time. I'd like to be more organized as I store my holiday decorations this year and there's no rush, right? In fact, I might display my lighted village for awhile longer. My spouse and I both like how it makes the livingroom seem cozy and peaceful at night and it's not actually Christmasy, it's "wintery". Besides that, the livingroom won't look so stark or empty if I continue to display a few things.

My good friend Deanna shared a great idea for storing holiday decor. She's going room by room as she fills storage totes. All her livingroom items will be in one or two totes and labeled. She'll do the same for kitchen and dining areas. I hope she doesn't mind that I'm borrowing her plan. She's making notes as to where she displayed which decorations so she can put them in the same locations next year if she chooses.

So.....this morning I took digital photos of my holiday displays. I'll print those, add a few notes, and include them in the storage boxes as I put things away. I often dread taking down all the decorations, but today I think I'm actually looking forward to getting started.

There are so many things I want to do in this new year. I want to work in my cabin, continue to organize fabric and craft supplies, keep clearing out cupboards and drawers and give away things I'm not using anymore. I hope to write more stories, compose lyrics, re-arrange holiday storage areas, crochet, sew, meet with my sewing group on Wednesdays, sing at chorus practice on Tuesday evenings, enjoy family dinners with my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids on Fridays . . . and the list goes on.

I know from experience that I can probably only hope to do one thing at a time if I want to do it well. so I'll start taking down decorations and then see how I feel about working in the cabin - or sewing - or cleaning - or organizing.

One thing is certain. I'm never going to be bored. There's enough to do around here to keep me busy all year!