Not getting everything done in a day

There wasn’t much at all accomplished ‘round here today. 
According to my mental list, this is the time to start the snail mail newsletter and all its enclosed goodies.
That means photos chosen on the computer, then prints done at Walgreen’s, and color copies done at Kinko’s.

Just today, I purchased the stamps at the P.O. and envelopes and markers at the office supply store.  Then go through the rolodex box and write the addresses on the envelopes.  There was one time when I tried typing up labels, but I got to the letter H and something happened to make the computer screen go blank and I lost all my effort.
It had taken so long that I could have handwritten all the way to the letter S by that time, and ever since then, I have carefully done block lettering with a marker.

I believe that once upon a time, Husband had an address file going, but the printer wasn’t happy with the alignment.
He has learned to stay out of the way until I tell him that the newsletter needs to be written.  He’s typed it the last couple years.  He enjoys the writing much better than I do, and I like getting the detaily bits like stuffing the envelopes and putting stamps and return address stickers, then lining them altogether in a shoe box ready to carry to the post office.  There’s something so satisfying about filling a box and carrying it to a building and knowing that all that paper is going all over the country.

Well, shoot before I can do anything at all, I am paralyzed by the daunting task of clearing off the catch-all table in the study.
From here, I can see several newspaper clippings to go into a scrapbook, some paper-edger scissors, two boxes of colored pencils, the stickers given out in graduation cards, and a lamp not plugged in because someone borrowed its extension cord and never returned it.

There was a time when I used that table as my teacher’s craft table, working on such things as name signs for over the cribs, and borders for the birthday board.  The last major project was cards for Spring graduates.
Yes, it has been awhile since we’ve seen all the top of that table.

Saturday, knowing I had to be baking cookies, I cleared off the kitchen table, the entire wooden top in all its polished glory.  I did a few Christmas tasks while it was still clear, then got going with the cookie baking.
Husband was greatly amused by this.  He noticed I had done my work sequentially, rather than working in the study.
So, today had been earmarked for clearing the table there.

But I went to meet Husband for lunch, and then to the P.O. and office supply store and craft store, then home to do a load of laundry, and the ironing, and fetch Husband after work, and return something at Best Buy, and supper and take the re-cycling to the drop box.
And now a blog post.  And tomorrow is supposed to be setting up the Nativity scene.  Oscar will like that.
Eventually, I will find the top of the study table.  Meanwhile, the kitchen table again has only one corner clear.  It’s a wonder anything at all gets done, what with the lack of horizontal surfaces to use as work space.

There doesn’t seem to be much time pressure happening because of Christmas break and 1^oF weather.
I don’t think the newsletter will go out for Valentine’s Day like happened in 1997.
Maybe we’ve learned a little something since then.
~~love and Huggs, Diane
Oh, yeah, the new stove is doing its job much better than ever anticipated.  Chris and I have been drinking tea non-stop, the popcorn popper has produced several fine batches,  and the oven is absolutely wonderful at baking cookies.