My Thankful Banner

I have a habit. Sometimes, when things start stacking up......and I have too many loads of laundry, and every single room in my house is a disaster, and the refrigerator is full of old food, and the pantry is full of no food, and I have an entire page filled for my "to do" list.....I freeze. And then I start a really big project, completely unrelated to anything remotely relevant to what I should be doing.

I like to call it "creativity", although I am sure there are a few less flattering - and probably more accurate - terms to describe my habit.

There's nothing like some artsy craftsy time to clear my head and refresh my mood. The fact that I get even further behind while working on these spontaneous craft projects doesn't even bother me as much as it probably should. Sometimes a good craft is just worth it. :)

I have the autumn itch. This is my favorite time of year, and I am anxious to get out my fall decorations, but I can't allow myself to add more clutter until I tame some of the chaos around here. I set a goal for this week to sort, organize, and straighten so I could finally start decorating.

Except I cheated. Just a little.

I was in the craft store, and fall scrapbook papers and trims and stickers were all on sale. So were the spools of ribbon in luscious shades of chocolate brown and toasted orange. There I was, surrounded by yellow silk chrysanthemums and the scent of cinnamon and pine cones, and I lost my head. And my good judgement regarding proper time management skills.

I thought up a project and gathered my supplies. Then, I came home and set up shop on the dining room table, which just so happened to be the only five feet of clear and uncluttered work space in this entire house. My kind family took mercy on me. My husband folded load after load of laundry while watching football games, and the kids all pitched in with the house. All the while I cut and taped and trimmed and tied. It was pure paper therapy, I tell you. Just look at the fruit of my afternoon labors...

My first decoration is officially in place. "Thankful" now resides in a messy room, in a messy house, with a "creative" Mommy who just happily frittered away an entire afternoon. I think it was totally worth it, don't you??