I’ve caught a little case of the blues. Nothing to be too worried about, but it’ll explain yesterday’s post and some of the less-than-exuberant updates from me. It’s just stress and the changing of the weather and the lack of sunshine. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. I don’t have a massive amount of holiday activities or energetic children running around, so I don’t have anything to really make me think that much about the season or any reason to be terribly excited. Of course, not having all of that running around to take care of should make me feel more relaxed and calm, but it’s just not turning out that way.
I’m working on tactics to improve my mental health. Tonight I’m going to get back into my yoga practice. I’m writing in my private journal again. And knowing is half the battle, right? So knowing that I’m feeling blue should make me more prepared for dealing with that situation. And having a plan is certainly better than sitting on my butt all evening just staring at the wall. I mean staring at my computer. And the wall.
I’m hoping to decorate for Christmas this weekend. We still have pumpkins sitting out on our front porch and fabric leaves scattered on the coffee table. I have a couple craft ideas that I’d like to try out if I can make it to Michael’s tomorrow. I’m hoping that it’ll help. Spruce up the house, in more ways than one. Change around the scenery. Give my hands something to do and my brain a little bit of creativity.
I don’t want you to be worried about me. I’ve debated back and forth about whether I should even mention it. But I’m pretty sure that it’s already pretty obvious that I’ve just not been feeling up to par. And if you all aren’t my support group, then who is?
So that’s the scoop: I’ve got the blues. With a little stress and anxiety thrown on top. If I have another day like yesterday, when I sat down at my computer and just couldn’t find the words to explain how I was feeling or what had happened in my day, you’ll know why. The words were there, hidden in the texture of the paint on the wall, but I couldn’t get them to stand in line, couldn’t get them to march onto the page. Screen. Whatever.
See? I’m still having trouble with that today.
Does anybody have any fun, cheap Christmas decorating ideas? I’m hitting Michael’s tomorrow for felt and shellac. I’ll try to put up pictures once I’m done.
P.S. Do you remember at Bargin Bills they had a BIG tub just filled with loose mixed buttons? I wish I could find that around here. I want buttons!!
boo for the blues. I’ll be praying that you have some experiences that encourage you!
Thanks, Amy! Things this week have been better. I’m keeping positive things in mind and it’s a good start. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear you’re blue… 🙁 I always look forward to our Friday chats, though. You should call my cell phone tomorrow in case I’m still coming back from my meeting–or if you don’t get a chance to call, I’ll call you this weekend. Maybe I should put Chloe on the phone for a bit–haha! She can babble about how much she loves trains. 🙂
I enjoy our chats, too! I’m glad we got to chat yesterday even though I missed you on Friday. And I would love it if you could video Chloe talking about her love of trains. 🙂 Or playing with her new bobcat!
Winter blues are horrible and it’s unusually cold for Georgia which is making everybody want to stay inside and cuddle under blankets.
Decorating ideas….
Your could buy a big tub of Christmas bulbs and use them to make a wreath or fill tall vases.
Dollar tree has 4ft garlands for $1
You could make popcorn and then string it and put it on the tree
You could choose a color theme other than red and green (blue and silver, blue and green, white by itself, or purple is supposedly the popular choice this year)
You could choose a theme – a lot of people are suggesting a “go natural” theme using only pinecones and berries.
Marthastewart.com has a lot of great Christmas suggestions. Hope this helps! I can’t wait to see what you do.
Ooh, if I could just cuddle up in a big pile of blankets and pillows and not move all day, that would be sooooo nice!
Thanks for the recommendations! I finally started decorating this afternoon. I haven’t hit Michael’s yet, but I might have to run past Dollar Tree, too, now. $1 garlands! Awesome! And I’ve got a ton of pinecones that I got for fall, so I’m thinking of tipping them in silver or something, but I haven’t got the paint yet or figured out how exactly that would go . . . .
Pictures eventually!
You could also cut sheet music into strips and place them in the tree or make a garland or wreath out of the pieces.
Or you could make all handmade ornaments this year.
Okay..I’m done.
Something just seem so wrong about cutting up music. 🙂
And we have a bunch of ornaments that we got on sale a little while ago, so we’re pretty set for the tree. It’s the rest of the house . . . .
Do you remember the cookie ornaments I made years ago? They don’t last forever, but they are easy to make. You’ll have to go online for the recipe, but it is a basic flour and salt paste that you roll out and bake in a very low oven for a very long time until they get hard. Then you can paint them to decorate them. It’s cheap and easy, even if it does take a while.
Then while the cookie cutters are out, make some molasses cookies to decorate with frosting and eat. (immediately or later…)
I very vaguely remember the cookie ornaments. I’ll have to look that one up . . . .
And it’s crazy, but the only cookie cutters I have are ones that Justin’s mom sent for Halloween. Oh, and a star. I don’t even have a decent round cookie cutter. 🙁 That’s pretty much why I stick to drop cookies. Plus, I can’t get the silly things to not stick to the counter! I fail at cookies in shapes. 🙂
@Chris (…erm, Mom): Just remember which cookies are which when you frost them and eat them! 🙂
Bargain Bills was cool. I’ve got to think that there are more stores like it out there, but I wonder how you find them…they don’t really advertise, I imagine.
I’m on an electronics kick right now. I want buttons, too! Oh. Wait. You meant…
I’m sorry you’re feeling down. You’re always welcome to call — if you want to be exhausted by kids from a distance — or if you just want to chat.
You know what’s amusing? I didn’t read your comment here until just now — hours after I called you this afternoon. 🙂 It was fun chatting! Did you figure out what was up with Audrey?
And I’ll keep an eye out for your diode buttons if you’ll keep an eye out for my notions buttons! 🙂