I was going through my unpublished drafts and came across these two, so I’m publishing now as part of my digital decluttering efforts:
Unfinished Draft From 2011:
Two weeks ago I finally tackled the kitchen island that hasn’t been decluttered since we moved here in ’06. Yup, sometimes it takes me FIVE YEARS to get to things. I shouldn’t call it “island” — it’s a set of cabs that Aisa and Bong put together for me one Mother’s Day after we bought the house in Pennsylvania. Ikea materials — love their drawers!! One drawer was overflowing with assorted cables and wires — hah! got rid of those. The others were just so mixed up owing to the toddler’s curious habits. Now the island is off-limits to him, and it seems his curiosity has lessened somewhat since seeing everything that was in those drawers. This was my preparation for the holiday baking. Wow, last time I dared to share pics of these drawers was 2005, I believe.
I love Ikea’s drawers, and their drawer organizers. I wish they’d design organizers that can be reconfigured though.
Unfinished Draft from…. 2012? Not sure.
It took six sets of string lights to light up the Christmas tree. The tree that I would call a “mistake” had it been for any other purpose than Christmas. We had planned on taking the children to cut a fresh tree this year, but between Aisa’s work schedule, Paco’s lessons and all the other activities they had, we just couldn’t find a Saturday morning where we all free and rested. Enter Costco with a deal for $29.99 a tree, a Fraser fir at that! The day after we came home from Thanksgiving weekend at Mama’s in St. Louis, hubby and I bought one. Unfortunately the choices had been picked over and we were put off at how a couple was taking their time picking “just the right tree”. Hubby and I: “We’ll just take whatever they give us.” That’s how we ended up with a 9-foot tree that we had to cut down (both bottom and top) just to fit into our tree base. Now we have what we call our Christmas forest, occupying one-fourth of our living room. It’s hilarious, and we still half-smile, half-laugh every time we walk by it.
Aisa had learned to properly light a tree several years ago, and I would have asked her to do it again if not for her toxic work schedule that doesn’t get her home most nights of the week ’til almost or past midnight. It’s not that we’re Christmas tree snobs, but a professional-looking lit tree is just delightful. Instead of the usual wrapping of the lights around the tree spiral-fashion, her method calls for weaving the light in and out of the branches, wrapping each major branch. Easy enough on a fake tree, where the branches point out in a predictable pattern. Not so much with real trees where the branches overlap and go every which way, preventing the decorator from taking shortcuts.
The important thing to remember is that a professional-looking Christmas tree looks like it’s lit from within. The lights aren’t superficial, they don’t just inhabit the outer branchlets. The tiny bulbs almost look like fruit sprung from the branches, not just an “effect”.
In working my way in and out of that tree, evaluating every now and then by stepping back and trying to find the dark spots that need illuminating, I am reminded of my Advent resolution to be exactly that: lit from within.
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