Baby, it's cold outside...

Indeed it is.

There's something about this time of year. It's a bit magical, yes. There's that warm feeling of Christmas and family and friends and amazing food and fresh white snow...

But there's a frenzy to it, isn't there? A rush. This "get it done FAST" mentality: the shopping, the baking, the decorating, the errand running, the clearing of the streets so traffic can resume.

This year, I'm busier than normal.

My boyfriend and I just closed on a little two-story in a gorgeous older neighborhood. We're painting every room (the people who owned the house before us had a penchant for green: sage, olive, forest, give me a break) and remodeling the kitchen (a tile floor to replace the old vinyl, new cabinets, granite counter tops to replace the old formica). As of right now, we've got 7 out of the 10 total rooms painted and the kitchen has been torn out with most of the new cabinets set.

I can't tell you how intricate and overwhelming the Home Owners Club is. There's so much paperwork just to get the keys, and so many financial decisions to be made even before that stage. Now that we've closed, the massive amount of cleaning, painting and remodeling that goes into a project like this has completely taken over my life. I honestly have dreams about gallons of Cashmere paint and nightmares about imperfect edges.

And the mess... Being in a state of construction ruffles my obsessive compulsive feathers. I'm constantly sweeping, Clorox wiping and scrubbing dirty or dusty surfaces. There's something about an older house... The idea that decades of other people's grime and grit are gathering in the corners of the baseboards... Ick. Anal retentive and ick.

But it's a process I'm learning to adapt to. I can't "get it done FAST"; I have to take my time and do it right. Which clashes with the rush of the holidays.

And the shopping... A house requires so much stuff. I thought I was in good shape, having lived in an apartment in college having a small couch, set of coffee/side/sofa tables, a few lamps, a basic set-up of the various necessary kitchen utensils, a few televisions, a linen closet of towels and sheets.

But a house demands so much more. There are multiple bedrooms to think about. A microwave and fridge to buy (check that off my list because the fridge was delivered last week and the microwave picked up on Monday, thank you very much). A dining room table to consider. Blinds for the windows. A washer and dryer. A food processor (okay, not necessarily a must, but I really want one). The boyfriend also has this insane idea that every room in our house needs a flatscreen LCD. Ridiculous. Have had many, "Really? REALLY?" conversations about why investing in thousands of dollars of entertainment equipment before you buy things like bedroom furniture is not the best or brightest idea. And why does a house with only 2 people living in it need 5 televisions? Explain this to me.

Sigh. We'll get there when we get there.

We might be completely done and moved in by Christmas. Wouldn't that be a nice present? I think so.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. :)

Ta.
savvy