Holiday decorating | BulgingButtons

November 30, 2014
by BulgingButtons 8 Comments

What’s On Your To Do List?

The other day I was chatting with my neighbor and she was a little bit frazzled. She was trying to set up some holiday decorations in her yard, and she felt like she was “behind.” I reminded her that it was still November, but she wasn’t having it. She told me that she had a ton of things to get done before Christmas, so everything had to go according to plan, or it would all fall apart.

I felt badly for her. Here is was, not even December 1, and her plan was already coming apart at the seams. I asked if maybe there were some items on her list that weren’t as high priority, but she assured me that every single thing was critical. Yikes.

I leave that kind of high pressure stuff for my work life. There are things associated with work that I simply have no control over. The biggest one is testing. Another round is coming up soon, but I can’t worry about it. I teach my students the best way I know how, and hopefully they’ll do well on their tests. I can’t do more than my best, and I can’t do more for them than teach them and encourage them to do their best. The rest is up to them. Yes, part of my professional life rests in the hands of nine-year-olds. Do they feel like taking the test seriously or not? Did they get a good night’s sleep or not? Did they get yelled at on the way to school or not? Do they truly understand equivalent fractions or not? Did they read all the choices given or not? There are a lot of variables over which I have no control.

In terms of the home stuff, though, it’s up to me to decide what’s urgent or not. I had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner because that’s what we wanted to do. I put up lights because we agreed it would make our house look festive and welcoming. But I’m not going to make myself crazy over the holidays. No black Friday shopping for me, thanks anyway. In fact, I’m paring down my shopping considerably. I’d rather do things with my loved ones than spend money on stuff for them that they don’t really want or need.

And my “to do” list? Well, it’s not that long, but it’s been taking me a while to work through it. In fact I have two of them. One is the day to day stuff, like finish unpacking the final four boxes (from my move in July, yeah, I know) and one of them is the big stuff. That one’s on my bulletin board, and believe it or not I’ve been able to cross off a few items. I went to Hawaii, I got out of debt (aside from mortgage), and I switched schools. Oh, and the biggest item of all? I fell in love. Now that’s my kind of to do list.

November 29, 2014
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Christmas Lights

I love Christmas lights. I always have, ever since I was a little kid and realized that we didn’t have them while most of our neighbors did. My parents explained that Jewish people just don’t do that. At least in those days they didn’t. Now, though, there are a lot of Jewish people who have adopted various Christmas traditions, including lighting up their homes.

I’m one of those people. I love to decorate for holidays, and for Christmas in particular. I think it’s because I felt kind of left out all those years when my friends and neighbors celebrated Christmas and our family just kind of stood on the sidelines watching. When I married a man who celebrated Christmas, I took it as a pass to go for it. I’ve been doing Christmas decorating ever since.

Today we did the outside lights. We bought some new ones a couple of weeks ago and set them aside, waiting until after Thanksgiving. This is our first Christmas in this house, so we’ve never done the lights here before. We decided to go with the larger old school style bulbs. I’ve always liked those, they remind me of gumdrops on a gingerbread house.

My sweetheart got on the ladder, and meticulously placed those lights so that there’s not a single crooked bulb. He took his time, and they look perfect. My son set up the row of candy canes, and he put together this year’s new decoration, an angel pig, complete with wings and halo. I do love my flying pigs, and I was delighted to find this one a few months back. My job was to wrap the bushes out front in lights.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, we flipped the switch. Santa inflated, the pig lit up, and the candy canes sparkled. The multi-colored gumdrop lights looked perfect too. The left side of the yard was a success, but the right side stayed dark. Cords were checked, bulbs were wiggled, and strands were removed. I was disappointed. I grabbed one of last year’s colorful icicle lights and wrapped a bush in that. It wasn’t great, but it gave some balance to the yard, and I can replace it.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with our lights. I may add a few more strands to the bushes, we’ll see. I think it looks pretty good the way it is. In fact I like it a lot. I’m just glad we don’t live one street over. On the block behind us the amount of Christmas decorating is insane. People were up on their roofs (on two story homes) messing with their lights. Yards are full of inflatables and handmade wooden cut outs and lights, lights, lights! There are exactly three houses on the entire block that aren’t festooned with brightly lit holiday displays, and it’s not even December 1st yet. I’m curious to see if those houses continue to stay unlit or if they join the rest of the block. The amount of pressure to put up a great display must be insane. I’m happy with my little display, it brightens up our home and puts me in a happy holiday mood.

What about you? Do you decorate with lights? Inside or out, or both? I would love to hear about your lights and your neighborhood. Is it like mine? Mine is crazy for Christmas, and I kind of like it.

October 22, 2014
by BulgingButtons 4 Comments

Ten Tiny Steps to Clutter Control

We moved into our house two and a half months ago. I used to be able to make that statement in weeks, but like the mother who claims that her little one is 42 months old, I need to face reality and admit that some time has passed since the blessed event.

At this point, it’s no longer ok to be surrounded by clutter and partially unpacked items. It’s time to finish the job of settling in. After all, one can’t decorate a mess, and a slew of holidays are right around the corner. Jack-o-lanterns on top of piles of paper are more annoying than decorative, and I’m not about to drape lights over half empty boxes in the living room. I just don’t think that would impart the holiday ambiance that I’m going for.

In order to make headway on this daunting task I’ve decided to tackle the mess one tiny bite at a time. This morning it was my bathroom vanity. I’m telling myself that if I just take care of 10 items I’m making progress, and it’s true. Slow progress, but still progress. Besides, I usually go beyond 10.

The sad thing is, there’s no place in this house that feels “done.” Every room needs work. Every surface has stuff on it. Every closet feels full. Every box that’s still around has stuff in it. I don’t feel like there’s a single serene spot in my house. Oh, and the indoor temperature has been hovering around 85 degrees since the air conditioner went out a few days ago. It just doesn’t feel comfortable to be home. I need to change that.

Fortunately the ac guy is coming tomorrow, and the family room isn’t TOO bad. I think I’ll head there next. My work in the bathroom this morning was quick and yielded good results. After all, it’s not hard to throw out three items, place two in the hamper, one in the medicine cabinet, and four under the sink. I can do that. If I just keep doing that, the house will be put together in no time.

Hmm, maybe there’s a lesson here. A lesson about health and diet and exercise and weight loss. Maybe I don’t have to do it all at one time. Maybe I can make tiny changes to help move me in the right direction. Of course I know this to be true, but it’s difficult to resist the Halloween candy. I swear I’ve only eaten four pieces of it, and they’re the really small ones. Maybe I should put the bowl in the freezer? Out of sight, out of mind? Except that it’s in a weird place now and I have no trouble remembering where it is. Still, I’m not a big fan of frozen candy.

Now I’m off to the tackle the coffee table. It’s not too bad, which is good, since it’s a work day. Wish me luck as I try to move forward ten tiny steps at a time.