Thing-a-day Is Coming!

Are you a artsy fartsy sort of person? Creative? Do you like a challenge? February is thing-a-day 2009 month.Each day during the month of February, I pledge to make one new thing, and this year I'm planning to try silk screening, metal work and quilting (in addition to knitting, painting, decoupage, cooking, baking, candy-making, sewing, embroidery and whatever else I can think of). Everyone chronicles what we produce on thing-a-day, and I'll be posting updates here as well. Last year was great -- and a real challenge. See some of the cool things that participants created last year on the flickr site.

So...anybody else in?

Woo Boy!

Maggie begins her foray into organized sports this morning with Tot Soccer. If she is anything like the rest of us, organized sports will be a short-lived outlet for her. We are not an athletically gifted family. In fact, challenged is a charitable term.

In other news, the boy is wandering around the house with red goo attached to his head with masking tape. He is planning to clone himself, and then take over...something? His plans aren't real clear, but he has some. I should probably be more alarmed.

Also, Paul discovered belly dancers this weekend. Now that is a world of wonders.

The grippe grips our house.

To celebrate Friday, I was going to upload a very sweet little video of laMag singing a favorite Halloween tune (or "Happy Happy, Joy Joy" over and over), but I seem to be a tech moron (Shhh! Our secret!) Instead, please take a gander at these beautiful images of cold and flu viruses (top and bottom, respectively)...

I'm not sure exactly which ones are having a party inside me (remember that Cosby Show episode where Dr. Huxtable explains to youngest daughter Rudy all about the germs having a party?) but something is definitely amiss. All I want to do is lay down here on the carpet under my desk and hope that some kind soul brings a blanket. And maybe some hot tea. Really just a blanket. I'm so cold.

(Personally, I'm blaming Maggie, who had croup at the start of the week. I really shouldn't have let her breathe into my mouth, but it seemed like a sort of good idea at the time. Looking back, I was an idiot. Again.)

Holding off on starting the New Year

I admit it. I'm one of those people who's ready to take the Christmas decorations down and the tree out to the curb on January 1. However, I live with people (males) who are awfully sentimental about such, so the tree and decorations stay up until the tree dies or something breaks, whichever comes first. Which means we're in a holding pattern. A standoff, if you will.

Add to that the heaving sighs and tears this morning as two people (males) made their way back from two weeks' vacation. And Maggie has croup, so the one person who really wanted to get back to life outside of this house didn't even get to go.

So if the tree is up and at least one person is at home sick, I'm calling personal extended holidays. Which means I'm not going to get on to those big (and much-needed) organizing projects. Or any self-improvement, really. The laundry is going to wait one more day, too. And the grocery shopping. I'm just going to turn on the Christmas lights, make a pot of tea, listen to all the cool music I downloaded from iTunes this weekend, and knit for an hour. Or two. Happy Holding Pattern to you and yours!

Incidentally, Paul is planning to wear his "jamas" inside-out for the foreseeable future. So if the snow (or ice) starts to fall, you know who to thank.
(I'm sure he'll have something to say about all of this later today on his blog.)