Spring Cleaning

In French Women Don't Get Fat -- yes, it's a diet book & no, I don't have a weight problem -- Mireille Guiliano mentions that she does her "spring cleaning" in the winter when she wants to be inside, so that she can enjoy spring fever by being outside.

Yesterday, despite icy roads, the members of the Emmaus Community came to pick up our bedroom-cum-living-room furniture. It's like we have a brand new room. I was afraid Cami & Graham wouldn't respond well to the change, but when Cami walked through the front door after school, she immediately gave it her stamp of approval. Rosie & Graham are loving all the space. They are happily playing downstairs right now.

With the big change of simplifying the living room, lots of little purges have occurred. There was a lot of paper stored in those drawers that are in recycling bags right now. Jason is currently on an errand run that includes a stop at a charity shop (aka thrift store) to get rid of unused books & clothes.

With a bit more determination, things will be spick-n-span when spring fever hits.

Which Came First: the Pancake or the Mac?

I mentioned to Jason that I'd overheard someone talking about IHOP (International House of Pancakes). He observed, "It sounds like a rabbit made by Apple."

Happy 2010

Happy New Year. It's 8:48 GMT, so many of you are probably just heading to bed. I hope your memories of the night are worth remembering.

Jason just told a squealing Graham, "Don't scream. Our neighbors are still hung over."

For whatever reason, I'm finding it hard to be motivated today. I've spent the last few days clearing out a lot of clutter, which feels really good. But today I really don't want to do much more than read a book or watch a Thin Man movie with Jason.

But the day is beautiful. The red roof tiles across the street look pink with frost. The sky is clear. And it'll be too easy to just laze the day away if I don't get out into it. Or at least laze the day away until the panicked tidy up that will happen an hour before our friends are supposed to arrive for a waffle supper. So, instead, we're going to go for a walk in the woods. It's the sort of memory I want to make for a new year.