November 29

Yep..November 29. 

The house is decorated for Christmas.

All the gifts purchased so far have been wrapped.

WHAT?????

Check the calendar again. Yes, it IS November 29.

I can't believe that the house is really decorated.  Now granted...decorating the house for Christmas is one of the most stressful things I ever do.  Why?  I don't know, but it is.  I despise decorating the house for the holidays.  After it is finished, like right now as I am typing this, I am relaxed and really like the way the house looks.  Gary even said a while ago that everything looked really nice.  Is it worth the bad mood for two days and the horrible feeling of clutter and not knowing where anything is?  Probably.  At least it happens only once a year, and I can do this once a year.  Can't I?

Then there is the wrapping.  Usually the purchased gifts go into Hilary's old bedroom, in the bags, and I start pulling them out the week before we get-together for our gift exchange.  Then I stress out once again, hoping that I have everything.  Trying to juggle time for additional shopping for things I missed.  But I looked at the calendar and it IS November 29 and everything we have purchased so far is listed on my chart and wrapped. 

Online shopping has been great this year!  Three packages came today, and those items are wrapped.  I just ordered four more gifts online.  Perfect!

What to do tomorrow?  I already have a plan.  After Michelle (our insurance lady) comes in the morning, I plan to start on the shirt pillows and the fabric cone trees.  I will actually have time to do this!  I am so excited.

Yes, this retirement thing is working out well this week.  No teaching. No grading of argument papers.  No final grades to complete.  No students trying to convince me that they really do deserve an "A" even if they didn't complete all of the work.  

Instead of all of that, the decorating is completed.  All of the gifts purchased so far are wrapped.  And I can work on projects tomorrow. 

Yippee!!!