Normalizing

Is there anybody who celebrates Christmas who doesn't feel totally and utterly behind on everything right now?  I'm embarrassed to say that I'm wearing yesterday's socks, there are 34 unread emails, 6 adoption calls (yay!), and a half dead Christmas tree in my living room. 

Having David home today really put a crimp in my plans.  I thought he was going back to work today so I tried not to look too panicked when he said he had the day off.  He gummed up my plans by declaring me a "Cat Carrier Hoarder" and counting 23 cat carriers in the basement.  Does he not know that I have more important things on my plate than to dispense with cat carriers?  Apparently not, because while I was on a phone call, he loaded up my SUV with half the carriers and demanded we donate or return them to the shelter.  "Do NOT pull a Ricky Ricardo on me at this time of year!" 

(*cough*)  So we went to the shelter.  Actually...I dropped HIM off at an electronics (geek) store, and I went to the shelter.  I smiled smugly as I loaded up a VERY cute little guy that the shelter named "Donnor":

His new name is "Lloyd" and he's happily exploring my washroom.  :) 

My Christmas decorations took 4 hours to put up and 15 minutes to put away.  Except for the half dead tree in the livingroom, my house looks fairly normal now - and I'm feeling more normal too. 

Call me a Scrooge, but every year I feel the need to put away Chrismtas decorations as soon as Christmas is over.  It's my way of saying, "On to bigger and better things!"  But truthfully, the cats really terrorize my Christmas stuff and I'm sick of looking at cat hair on my Christmas placemats, and my decorations dangling precariously off my tree. 

Tomorrow, David's back to work and the weather is calling for snow and ice tonight.  I'm looking forward to staying home, catching up on everything as we go into TWO Petsmart Adoption Centres on January 2nd.

I promise to be wearing clean socks tomorrow.