Merry Christmas! I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday. Things here were really nice and calm - and that's saying something given the year we have had. We had family come and visit, and saw some more family today, and tomorrow will be a quiet day. I always love the few days between Christmas and New Year's Eve. The fluff and bother of Christmas is over with, but the tree is still up, and everyone is still enthralled with their Christmas gifts so they are occupied. Traditionally, it has been when I have done whatever I wanted for days on end in a guilt-free manner. How great is that? Tomorrow will be a day with some knitting, some Downton Abbey-watching, as well as some plain food eating. You know that you're ready for Christmas to be over when you eat a Christmas orange and your entire mouth stings because you haven't had a fresh fruit or vegetable for a couple of days!!
Christmas was a slightly different beast for us this year. The kids are 12 (13 on New Year's Day) and 15 and this was the first year that there was very little pretense of Santa. It simultaneously gladdened and saddened me a little bit when my daughter pulled something that she really liked out of her stocking (yes, we still do stockings - I love them), turned to me and said "thank you mom". I'm happy that she appreciates the work that I do, but I'm a little sad that the magic is gone. At the same time it's something of a relief to not be solely responsible for all her hopes and dreams. Is that bad?
So...about this year. Man, it's been a bitch. There's just no getting around it. But I have learned a lot, and I'm happy where I am at this moment. I was going to say that I wouldn't change it, but I'm not quite there yet!! Because I am a fan of a list, I'm going to make another one. Crazy, isn't it? But here we go. The last list of 2011:
Things I Have Learned and Hope Not to Forget Anytime Soon So I Have to Re-Learn Them
1. Teenagers suck sometimes.
2. Mothers of teenagers also suck sometimes, but it's a bit of a vicious circle. If the teenagers didn't suck so much, neither would the mothers.
3. My husband might be a superhero. It helps that he's wearing the Superman sleep-shorts that I made him for Christmas.
4. I'm better at most things than I think I am, and I'm willing to learn how to do most things better.
5. Some things aren't worth spending the time on. Like worrying about what teenagers are going to do. They're going to do it whether you worry about it or not.
6. Cat lap (having a cat choose your lap to sit on for awhile) can heal most wounds, unless they involve bloodshed.
7. A full-bust adjustment is a beautiful thing. What this really means is that embracing yourself and your shape is a simple thing once you stop fighting it. I still fight some days, but they are fewer and further between.
8. Easing into life leaves way more energy for other, more fun things. Things like sewing and knitting.
9. There's still stuff to deal with. There will always be stuff to deal with. That's life.
10. Sewing is really fun. I've been working my way through different variations on a blouse pattern (which I will be posting here in the next couple of weeks) and I have re-discovered how fun it can be to play around with design when you start with something that fits you well. When the thing that you love to do is also your job, you can lose track of why you loved to do it in the first place. I'm getting the mo-jo back.
11. Knitting is fun too. I've been finishing things up for the last month or so, and I think a marathon might be in order - a "sewing in the ends" marathon. I've been using the straightforward knitting to get through waiting in offices and the like, but I can't seem to be able to lay my hands on a needle big enough to sew the ends in. I know I have three or four around here, but they seem to be MIA. So maybe that's what I'll do tomorrow.
12. Less really is more. It seem slightly hypocritical sitting in the midst of the post-Christmas chaos, but it's true. I've been using up stash with abandon this Christmas, and it feels great. I know what I have and I'm making things I love with fabrics I love. It seems a little ridiculous, but it's changing my life and how I approach everything. We only have one chance at this life, so what are you saving things for?
13. The four people that live in my house really function better with two bathrooms. We were down to one bathroom for about two months, and it was crazy. I know that families of twelve used to live in two rooms with an outhouse, but I'm not them, and I like to go to the bathroom without feeling like three people are standing outside the door waiting to get in.
14. My kids are going to be really great people, even if they make me insane in the process. But that's their job. My job is to take care of myself so that I can appreciate their great-ness.
15. I am beautiful. I am strong. I am a good person and a good parent. This body of mine can do great things, and it looks great too.
That's a pretty hope-full list. I've got some actual sewing and knitting content to post in the next couple of days (crazy, no?), once the lethargy wears off. And then some thoughts about the next year. It's gonna be a doozy. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for spending some time here this year. I really do appreciate it!
