the hectic season
December 11, 2017, 7:01 P.M.

Well, I am way behind on posts. Busy time of year, at work, at home. Lots of baking, candy-making, and other things to keep me hopping.

I have made, so far this season, 2 fruitcakes, huge batch of peanut clusters, two pounds of chocolate fudge, and batches of the following cookies: Pfeffernüsse, almond crescents, M&M cookies, peanut butter cookies (sugar-sprinkes and blossoms), white chocolate-berry oatmeal cookies, and my special sugar cookies (sugar-sprinkles and iced).

Oh--and three flavors of homemade gummy candies--raspberry, black cherry, and lime.

Since this is basically all I give for presents to my Arizona kin, my dad, and my besties (I may buy the besties a bottle of Costco's version of Bailey's, too. They like that muck.), I can at least take the time I would otherwise spend shopping, and use it for baking. But there is still some shopping to do, so I ordered Spouse two new pairs of pajamas from Penneys (he got a new 40-inch smart TV for his birthday, and his new bed for Veteran's Day, so Christmas ain't gonna be huge. He's getting pajamas, and a new bookcase for his bedroom.) And I ordered the B a set of pet stairs for getting in and out of the new bed, in addition to picking up a nice pad for his crate at Costco on Friday.

I won't deny that I've picked up a few things for myself along the way, but with the exception of the new pen, most of them are just "make my life easier" items: an anti-fatigue mat for in front of my kitchen counter, some spatulas that are a nice size for using with the KitchenAid, a new garlic press.

And for the co-workers, I popped into the Christmas bazaar at the Greek Orthodox Monastery (Nunnery) on Saturday. The sisters make all-natural soaps and lotions, so I picked up some lotions for the team members. I may get them each a nice nail file, as well--always good to have, and not too expensive.

I got a seasonal Christmas scent for the co-workers, and picked up a bottle of the lavender for myself--along with a bar of the lavender-scented goat's milk soap. And I got Spouse a small container of strawberry jam cookies (they have a bakery, too) to share or eat, as he liked. He took them to work today.

I also got all my Christmas cards written, addressed, stamped, and dropped in the mail this weekend--both for the card exchange, and the personal ones.

And of course, in addition to all the seasonal stuff, there is the crap that is always with us--laundry, bills, errands, chores, and the ordinary, everyday shopping.

And considering his energy levels and my IBS issues, we get a surprisingly big percentage of it all done. Not all--at least not on the schedule we'd like--but most. Pick your battles, prioritize, engage in creative scheduling--it'll all get done eventually.

Once I realized I wasn't going to get through my list for the weekend, I picked out a few smaller items that would make good weeknight tasks and saved them for later. So tonight, I will ice the sugar cookies. Tuesday or Wednesday night, I'll put up the tree. At some point I'll do a load of laundry or two.

It'll all get done. And if I work it right, most of it will be fun, instead of feeling like a chore.