2014 Week 2

It is now mid September.  I am moved, in and mostly unpacked.  Or at least, there is room to move around! LOL!  I still have much to sort and organize.  However, it is time to be working on my own version of a countdown. I would dearly love to participate with “The Grand Plan” (email group), but I know I just can’t handle the volume of email that involves.   I’d love to at least have a “byddt: that would work along with me and we could support and encourage each other.  But alas .. no one in my world is in the least interested.  So, I will slog along the best I can.

Here is a quick overview of my own plan:

Week 1 .. continue unpacking in my room.

Week 2 .. (current) .. take care of business dealing with change of residency, banking, etc.

..and continue working on my room

Week 3 .. eye doctor appointment and continue working on my room

Week 4 .. clean out front hall and closet; put up Halloween decorations

Week 5 .. clean and organize pantry; class reunion

Week 6 .. clean and organize linen closet

Week 7 .. plan and do prep for Halloween party;  complete any areas tackled so far if not done

Week 8 .. final prep and cleaning; Halloween party

Week 9 .. pack away Halloween decorations (leave up fall); work on organizing my closets

Week 10 .. begin sorting Christmas decorations

Week 11 .. pack up all fall and other decorations; Meadow Lights and Christmas parade on weekend

Week 12 .. give whole house once over deep cleaning; Thanksgiving (where we will be not yet determined); begin decorating on weekend

Week 13 .. complete decorating; begin baking

Weeks 14, 15, 16 .. enjoy the Christmas season!

This apartment is very small; and so is my budget.  Things will be drastically different this year, but I will do the best I can to make the most of what is.

Half year Update

I haven’t updated in a long time.  This has not been the best year in terms of my decorating.  So, a quick update in case anyone checks this that isn’t aware of what is going on in my life:

My husband was on hospice from July 2013 until he passed away in March 2014.  While I had a degree of help from family and from hospice, I was primary care giver .. and that didn’t leave me much time or energy for much decorating.  I changed out candle colors, but not a lot more.

At the same time, I have been losing my vision.  I am now legally blind, so a lot of things are much more difficult than they once were.  One thing that particularly gives me trouble in decorating is I have a hard time distinguishing a lot of colors.

Anyway, things will be changing dramatically.  In August I am moving to an apartment in “the big city” which I will share with a niece.  There won’t be nearly as much room for decorating (any holiday) as here .. but hopefully with less stress I can get back to making things as pretty as I can. 

I won’t have space for the full size white tree that has stayed up for years now .. that makes me a little sad.   But fortunately, my niece feels like it wouldn’t even look like “my” home with no tree .. so we’re both OK with a table top tree that I can change out with the seasons.  And I think she will be amazed at how many trees (not all 30 of course) I can fit into the apartment at Christmas, without blocking anything.  I am looking forward to that challenge!

Since I’m in the middle of sorting, purging, and packing, not a lot is getting done this summer.  I do have blue candles on the mantle.  I will hang my patriotic wreath by the entrance door for most of the month.  (during times I’m not home I will hang it on the street facing door that we don’t use). 

One of the things I have maintained up to now was keeping my dining table pretty.  Unfortunately, I’ve sold it (won’t need or have room in the apartment, niece has a dinette set).  Once I move I will get back to a pretty table. 

I won’t have room for my vast collection of dishes and glassware.  Some will go into storage; and some will get sold.  But I will be keeping enough to use as well as be pretty. 

I know, not much of an update.  But best I can do with all that’s been going on this year.  Hopefully all will soon be settled and I can again focus on Christmas.

I forgot to take a picture of my "green table", but felt the need to change it up to something "happy and sunshiny".

End of January 2014

It is the end of January, and I’m close enough “on track” to be satisfied.  About 95% of Christmas is neatly packed away.  I didn’t ack as organized this year; but considering (1) it’s very difficult to see what I’m doing and (2) I had absolutely NO help this year, I’m very pleased with my progress.

The main “goal” for January was to get the attic clean before taking Christmas up .. and that got done!  I did have hired help for half a day with that, but oh so worth it.  Not only did she help me go through piles of random stuff that had been just shoved up there, but she also took away all of the bagged trash as well as a lot of items to be donated.

Once the last of the Christmas stuff (meaning one last tree, and a few boxes that need to be “in front”) is properly stowed away, I’ll be able to go in and out easily, access all of the rest of the seasonal decorations, and even have a cleared off wrapping station  OK, I don’t exactly *need* the wrapping station .. but who knows, I *might* want to wrap a gift at some point! LOL!

As a last minute decision, I changed out the dining room table.  Several weeks ago I had put away the Christmas china, and used my “good” china instead.  Today I removed the festive gold tableecloth, the gold chargers,  and the fancy wine goblets.  I put all of the silver pieces on a shelf (recently emptied by culling out books).  I  used a pretty vintage tablecloth with a gray background.  I put the dishes back, but instead of the wine goblets I used some thumbprint water goblets.  I bunched a lot of white and silver candles in the center; and I will go back and put the silver S&Ps back on the table.  Ta DA! J

The only thing I planned for February is Valentine decorating  and getting a mini-vacation.  I think I might succeed! J

A new year, a new start

I did not do nearly as well as I had hoped and planned for 2013.  But, it could have been worse.
The up side: early on (late summer) I got a very good start on deep cleaning most of the house, and a lot of serious purging.  I did have decorations up.  Everyone that matters to me got Christmas gifts.  We had a lot of good family time, but in a way that didn't overwhelm DH.

It is now January 2014.  The decorations are mostly still up .. partly because I just like them.  Partly because I haven't gotten the upstairs cleaned enough to put things up.  I have help coming to do that.

There are many things completely out of my control, so my challenge for this year is to find ways to accomplish what I need within the limits of DH's health and my failing vision.  One thing that will be important for me to remember is not to let myself get overwhelmed.  Don't plan too much, don't epect too much.  And be happy with whatever I manage to accomplish.

I do have a vaguely defined goal:  
January - clean attic, put up Christmas
February - put up Valentines, get a break
March - put up St. Pats, front bedroom and hall
April - put up Easter, clean back hall and den
May - put up spring, clean porch
June - put up summer, clean guest room and bathroom
July -  ut up patriotic, clean my room
August - put up late summer, clean living and dining rooms
September - put up fall, clean kitchen
October - put up Halloween, whole house once-over
November - put up Thanksgiving, begin Christmas 

Of course, there's not telling how well I'll be able to stick to this; but I'll try anyway.  

For now, my white tree  (that stays up all year) is now *winter*.

Final Countdown Week 2013

It is now just under one week to Christmas Day.  I am not where I wanted to be now; but considering all the unexpected circumstances I’ve been dealing with, it’s not too bad. 

I am happy that I got started early with going through the house room by room.  While there will always been more purging to do (especially with losing my vision – not much point in keeping a lot of things, such as books).

I did not get as much done as in previous years; but considering that the more problems I encountered, the less help I got from the ones I had most counted on .. it’s not too bad after all. 

My biggest problem at this point is with shopping.  I did not “plan ahead” to not be able to leave the house, or to not be able to drive.  For that matter, shopping is no longer fun when I can’t see things; and shopping on line just isn’t possible at all.  I used to prefer waiting; but clearly my priorities in that regard have to change.

Also, in the past I started just after Halloween to get decorating done.  This year I waited until after Thanksgiving since I had a big crowd here for that.  Since I did less .. and since I’ve had extremely limited chances to do “holiday things”, it’s worked out OK.  I’d like to think for next year I’ll go back to decorating early.

The truth is, I have no clue what will be my situation by next year.  I hope I will still be here in this house I love.  And I hope DH will still be here with me.  But in truth the only thing I can pretty much count on is that my vision will not be improved (and will most likely be a lot worse).

That being said, I need to revise my whole plan and start in January.  My original plan was a room a month, and I need to go back to that. 

This year there will be no piles of pretty packages.  There will be no big Christmas dinner.  I expect (I hope)  our grandsons will come by sometime in the evening; but that depends on what time they get to their dad’s house (might be too late to come here).  In the end, it will most likely be just another day here.  But it will be one with pretty lights anyway. J

Early December Update

I am very happy to report that while I won't have anywhere near as much as past years, I will have Christmas decorations.  I see very little hope of anything in the yard.  But a friend came over for a few hours yesterday to help me inside.
I had managed to get all of the fall decorations packed and upstairs; and I brought down the boxes of linens and had those in place.  She helped me bring down 7 bigger trees (4 and 5 feet), plus a few smaller ones.  Two of them need lights replaced (on half the tree), but that's not bad all things considered! LOL!

Today I have the rare opportunity to get away for a whole day!  It was supposed to be for a parade (with my DGD in marching band); but it's pouring rain and the temp is dropping rapidly .. so the chances seem very strong that the parade will be cancelled or postponed.  Since care for DH has been arranged, I still get the day with my DIL. :)
Tomorrow I hope (rested and refreshed) to begin "filling in".  Oh, nearly forgot, the friend also helped me unpack and *place*  a box of Nativities.  I still hope to bring down some of the nutcrackers and some of the snowmen.  And I may also bring down a few Santas  It's going to depend on how DH is doing (how much of my time is spent caring for him ... he has good days and bad days, and no way to plan ahead for that).  Except for the trees that were never undecorated, they are "naked" .. and may stay that way.  I can't see well enough to really do much about decorating them.  And since what I mostly see are the lights, I'm quite happy with them just having lights! LOL!

I will post pictures when I get a chance.