One Day Down

I have designated January the month of the house reboot. I have chosen 9 days, each devoted to a room of the house, to purge, rearrange and clean, top to bottom.

Today was day one. I chose to tackle the kitchen out of necessity. The new stove cost me some drawer space, so the kitchen was a shambles anyway. Too. Much. Stuff. For one. Second I decided to be a bit more strategic about what occupies prime shelf and drawer space.

We shall celebrate progress. I knew this would be the hardest room to wrestle to simplicity, so I went with “eating the live toad” philosophy from the poster in my sister’s bedroom from long ago that advised: Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse can happen to you for the rest of the day.

Kitchen is half done. We will revisit.

And I even managed to use my new oven in the midst of all the chaos. No-knead bread and roasted garlic chicken.

And that’s all I can manage today. Boring I know.

Yellow

It’s not my color.

I made my own dress for my 8th grade graduation. Loved the fabric–a flowing, soft yellow and pink floral print and I was totally in love with the pattern for the dress. I worked hard on that dress–carefully, painstakingly. It was as perfect as I could make a dress. I couldn’t wait to wear it.

When I finally put it on, I was so disappointed. Something was off. Couldn’t put a finger on exactly what, though.

This was to become a theme throughout my life, but that’s another story.

Much later I came to learn it was likely because I can’t wear yellow. Or cream. Or brown with a yellow base. When I do, people inevitably ask me if I’m sick or tired.

So for a long time I thought I didn’t like yellow. But that was wrong, too. I love yellow, just not on me.

I Am Here

For now I am linking my posts to my photo challenge for the day,

Until I get on a roll.

I miss this. I really do. I have been writing for myself since September, but I’m ready to get started again for a broader audience. If they will have me.

We’ve been talking to Alexa. Surely we can do better. 🙂

<<<<<<<<<“I am here.” Is the prompt:

It was a job getting here today. Went back and forth from car to house three times before I finally left my house. To arrive here. Where the berries are beautiful, and the birds are frantic about the sunflower seeds that are left.

Inside is warmth and fragrance and football and good food–hearty, healthy and simple. And most important, family. Family with wide open arms to graciously accept strangers as part of the family, even if the “temporary” family is deaf, legally blind and autistic.

I married into a special family. I wish I could adequately express how grateful I am.