So, this week.

So, I'm cleaning and purging this week.

Hold me.

After packing up and condensing my entire life (along with J's) into storage & 2 bedrooms in my parents' house it has become blazingly clear that I have too much crap.

Way too much crap.

Oh, I've purged through my belongings before. There's a couple of boxes to prove that out in the garage... awaiting that phantom garage sale that has never quite happened. Whoops. Anyway. New Rule. If it's in one of my drawers or my closet & I haven't used or worn it in 2 years, it's outa here.

And then maybe, if I'm really, really lucky I'll find an hour (or 20) to go through the boxes upstairs and see what I can donate or sell from those.


My other project is to geek my way through the two new cookbooks that came to live with me this Christmas.
Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics & the Pioneer Woman Cooks
I am over the moon excited to get my cooking on in the weeks to come. I love love love to cook. And I'm trying to be a better baker. I repeat... trying.

Though the Lemon Poppyseed Cakes I made this year as Christmas presents seemed to go over like gangbusters with my nearest and dearest. Note to self: must add that recipe to my permanent file.

Anyway- how are you spending this last week before 2011??

Christmas This Year

There was quite a bit of this....

There was thankfully, only one instance of this... where he actually put his plan into total action

There was plenty of this

several hours were spent looking at this & not getting enough of it...

seeing secrets shared between two buddies

watching a little boy have 'his' Thomas come stay at his house for Christmas

.... and go out and greet him every night when Thomas, "woke up."

21

Years have a way of passing by lightening fast. So fast that you could get whiplash trying to catch them as they fly by.

I ruminate today on how 21 years could have passed me by so fast. That many years since my granddaddy walked this earth.

Crazy.

Sometimes it seems like its been forever since I saw him.
Ask me another time, and I would swear, with breathless certainty, that it seems like just yesterday.

I miss his face.

Time doesn't heal all wounds, gentle readers. No. No. Sometimes it sneaks up on you when you least expect it. But time puts distance between you and the visceral, knee jerk pain. That goes away. The dull ache. That doesn't.

And, really... would you want it to?
For me, the pain of my grandfather's death is part of the joy of the memory of his life. It's all wrapped up in how very much I loved him. How much I love him today. I think that its okay to say that some pains don't go away. Some sorrow grafts itself into the DNA of who you are.

Ignoring it doesn't make it go away. Denying that it exists just seems to... I don't know- rob you of an important part of who you are. Am I saying that one should through themselves into the deep pit of terrible sorrow?... no. There is a balance.

I can say that I miss Winston. So much it hurts, still. But I can talk about that old man with joy. With absolute joy. I am so proud to hold his memory. I can laugh and giggle and smile boldly when I think on the time I had with him. That's the balance. That's how it all wraps itself together.

That's the amazing thing about the passage of time. That something can hurt & bring joy all at the same time.

And, after 21 years- that's what I'm thinking about today.

Break

Welcome back. Or, I suppose I should welcome myself back.

The last few days of my semester were a whip. November flew by like a flash, I tell you. And now, we're neck deep into December.

I'm taking a month or two off- it's a must. My brain went to mush.

The last week or so have been lovely. I've rested. I've relaxed... ish.

I've done a lot of reading.

Let's take a moment, please. I've spent the last 6 months chained to text books, so all my precious Pretties have stacked up beside my bed..... calling to me. Begging me to pick them up. To crack the spine and delve into those pages and pages of rich, wonderful prose.

I wax poetic, I do.

It's been a joy. I reread an old favorite- Christy. I love, love, love that book. And now, I'm rewatching the tv series & the PAX movies. Yes, I have them on dvd. Don't judge. (Dear Dr. MacNeill, I heart you.)

I'm currently reading a biography on Anne Hutchinson- yes, I am a nerd. The next book on the list is about Augustus. After that, is a biography on Amelia Earhart.....

In other news, I am happy to report that I have found my winter purse. Special thanks to SAMS and London Fog for coming together to make this joyous event possible. (Hi, my name's Taylor and I can switch subjects from deep to deeply shallow in a split second.) And I now have 2 (yes) pairs on winter boots. Can I just tell you how deeply my wardrobe rejoices over this?

Lot's of stuff happening this month- I'm hoping I can carve out the time to sit and write more. As in, work on my long neglected writing projects. Sigh. I can also hear the Siren Call of the theatre... it's calling to me. I've been away far too long. I find my center there- I really do. Must stop letting my 'breaks' extend for so long.


I looked back over this post & I can't really say that I wrote anything too world shattering. Oh, well. Maybe next time. Until then.