Unreserved

If you are foolish enough to have your children born the week after Christmas, do yourself a favor and have the birthdays be five days apart. It makes party planning that much easier. I keep saying if we have a third it won't be right after Christmas (if I can help it), but the more I think about it, I should just have a third Christmas baby. It's convenient! *snerk*
In our household, the birthday decorations mingle with Christmas decorations. I don't have the heart to take them down before New Year's Day. Mom and I went out birthday shopping yesterday (with a side trip to the newest area yarn shop, of course), and today I baked two cakes. Now I've got to find a shovel to clear out the living room so as to make room for guests amidst the toys.

Christmas was its usual marathon of festivities that left us all in a holiday coma in our jammies on the couch the day after. Holidays, like vacations, make you happy to see them arrive and happy to see them pass. I thought Anna would be very excited to see a big girl bike under the tree. She took one look at it and said, matter of factly, "See. I told you Santa would bring me my bike." I suppose when magic is so very real, it's not all that surprising. Claire was happy with everything she opened, whether she knew what it was or not. I notice she spent today playing with the animal train she got last year and seldom touched. Go figure.

I finished painting our bedroom Thursday (it just wouldn't be a vacation without a paintbrush in my hand) and Mr. Unreserved started prepping the girls' room for a much needed overhaul.

I finished all my Christmas knitting in the nick of time and am enjoying working on the socks I started back in August. Not that I enjoy them - they're boring - but I'm enjoying the fact that I'm knitting a) for myself b) with no deadline c) so that I can allow myself to cast on something new.

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And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Except me.
The shopping is finished
The cookies are baked*
The house looks half decent
Could it be a mistake?
Could I really be missing
The pre-Christmas rush
Drinking wine and relaxing
In the late evening hush?
I'll admit to still knitting
On an optional accessory
But I find that it's fitting
Oh hell, nothing rhymes with accessory.


*Three of the five varieties of cookie are neatly tucked away and the kitchen is all clean. Tomorrow I will finish baking the thawing frozen cookie dough and the chilling pinwheel cookies, but that's simple compared to the mess I made in the kitchen this evening mixing up all the doughs and batters. It's SO nice to have more than 2 square feet of counter space.

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I think all children go through a stage of dressing themselves in various inappropriate articles of clothing. Anna hit hers today. Frankly I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. I came home to find her wearing a pink and orange gingham short sleeved button down shirt. Under that was a white long sleeved cardigan. For pants, she had found a pair of red and white seersucker pants one size too large. On her feet, piggy slippers. The effect is somewhat clownish, but at least she is covered up. Mr. Unreserved had to veto the sleeveless top that goes with the pants as well as a bathing suit.

Tonight we tried making cinnamon ornaments. I believe I had the applesauce/cinnamon ratio off. They were messy no matter how you slice it. I hope they turn out okay, because the persistent smell of cinnamon on my hands is getting on my nerves.

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I'm still here - the house hasn't fallen in on me. Yet.
House progress: Thanks to the wonders of Craigslist, we have procured a radiator for the girls' room. Yes, we have no radiator in the girls' room at the moment. No, it doesn't get freezing cold in there. All hail convection. Installation of said radiator will be pushing four figures. Someone remind me why I like old houses again, please.
I have painted our bedroom. Well, I painted the walls. I didn't just paint the walls, I primed the walls, put two coats of paint on the ceiling, filled in the gaping hole from the old light box on the ceiling, and slapped two coats of "quiet veranda" on the walls. Instead of being glossy eggplant, they are now a light golden yellow in a satiny finish. I'd share my opinion of the previous decor, but you just never know who is reading. Suffice it to say it was not my taste. The trim awaits my attention. Then it's off to the girls' room. It's really amazing the difference a fresh paint job can make.
The gaping holes in the fireplaces have been filled in with drywall that was painted to look like marble. I'm really impressed with how the faux marble came out - decorative painting isn't really a skill I call my own.

Crafting: I've finished the scarf, I finished the afghan. I cast on for a hat, and immediately cast on for a different hat. It's a new emergency holiday project and it's moving right along. The one year I manage to finish things ahead of time the universe laughs at me anyway.

Holiday preparations: I'm closing in on the end of my shopping. The Christmas cards were picked up today - I might get them addressed tonight. Maybe. Don't hold your breath. The girls' holiday picture was taken, Santa was visited (Anna was terrified, Claire happily chatted away), the train was ridden. The house is decorated inside and out with the exception of the tree. That's this weekend's project. I'm afraid to put this in writing, but there's a slim chance that I'll escape the frantic pre-Christmas race to the finish line. Maybe.

Question: Why is it that children will be almost perfectly behaved when only one parent is home (it does not matter which parent), but the minute the other parent walks in the door they turn into complete nut jobs?

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