The Clean Slate

I love the New Year. It feels like you can just start it all fresh in one day. People don't expect you to be out and about on New Year's Day since we were all up late last night. You have free reign to wear PJ's all day long if you want to. You can piddle around and clean out the old to bring in the new. For me, that means lists. I love making "to do" lists. Now, that doesn't always mean that everything on them gets done, but the act of writing each thing down and then crossing it off as it is completed is really satisfying for me. I started my lists this morning - all of the things that still need to be done in the upstairs rooms was the first list. I'm happy to say that I have already checked some things off! If you are wondering, the answer is yes - I am the kind of person that will add something to the list that I have already done just to be able to check it off. i did not do that today though - it is all newly listed and newly accomplished New Year tasks!

I also sat down and worked out a budget with Honey. what better time than when all of the big projects are winding down and we are starting to look at how we are going to meet all of our financial goals and still save for future projects knowing that I wont be working (at least for a little while) after May. That was an eye opening exercise! I'm looking at my Starbucks mini-addiction and giving it the heave-ho in the New Year. Five bucks adds up fast when it is all written down.

Last night we tag teamed a party at the neighbors - Peanut had a cold and went to sleep early, so I went over there for a bit, then came home and sent my better half over for a while. We did wind up in the same place at midnight though - have to be with Honey for the smooch! I know I've said it many times, but we really have a great bunch of neighbors. Really hospitable and nice people.

I have learned so much about our homes' sordid past from our neighbors - the stories are really crazy. Apparently, the lady who lived here really liked horses, so her husband decided to get her this huge horse statue for the backyard. They bring it to the house in a truck, feet up ala Bachelor Party, and unload the thing. He and his sons get it all situated, and she come out and starts screaming at them - how could you, what would so and so think...yadda yadda. Now that is a dysfunctional family giving heartfelt gifts. They also used to leave the sprinklers going in the backyard for days on end. I'm sure this helped with the shroom cultivation, but it also flooded the next door neighbors shed. Nice.

So here's to a new year and a new outlook for this house - I know this year will be better for it than the last! We are looking forward to a lot of chaos in 2009 - the antics of our toddler who continues too amaze and surprise us, the ongoing house mayhem and foolishness, the two additional work projects I've taken on for the next few months, and our new addition this summer. I know there is more that we have not yet considered yet as well. May you all have as much or as little chaos in your lives this year as you like!