I should be packing...don't tell

In about three weeks, a very tired traveler will walk through the door of my apartment. Now, I want to make things as pleasant as possible for her, so there will be...

-clean sheets on the bed for when she crashes
-tidy right angles and parallel lines to soothe her travel-worn sensibilities (except for the couch which has a new diagonally-oriented location that I love)
-clean floors so she can enjoy being barefoot again
-no dust bunnies or dirty dishes for her to clean
-a neatly folded blanket on the couch for an afternoon nap
-Christmas decorations still up for her to enjoy (I can't help it; I like them too much)
-lentil stew in the freezer waiting to be reheated when she's hungry
-ice cubes and a full jug of water for when's she's thirsty
-clean clothes, especially pajamas, in the closet

Have I forgotten anything?

Just to mention that I can't wait to be leaving tomorrow to go home. My flight leaves at 7:10pm, and the taxi will be here at 3:30pm since I don't take chances with Jakartan traffic. That much is certain, but everything else is in a state of partly to mostly.

The laundry is mostly done (some is still drying).
The suitcase is partly packed (I threw in the Christmas presents but nothing else yet).
Those presents are mostly wrapped (I love bringing home wrapped presents).
The apartment is mostly clean (I still need to sweep and mop tomorrow).
The errands are mostly done (today I obtained chocolate, earrings, adaptors, minutes for my phone, a printed itinerary, newly adjusted glasses, and pencils).
The carry-on is partly packed (in my head, at least).
The dishes are mostly clean and put away (but I keep dirtying new ones, goshdarnit).
The electronics are partly charged (and I still need to sync my iPod).

And I am 100% ready to be home.

What did Laura do yesterday?

How did I spend my first real day of vacation, you ask? (Weekends don't count by the way.)

I woke up early. I called my family. We had a family conference on how/where/when to spend Christmas/the days before/the days after.

I tidied my apartment. Tidied is perhaps to mild a word because there was definitely scrubbing involved. Desperately needed scrubbing.

I did laundry. Is it strange that it still gives me a great deal of pleasure to put my dirty clothes into a laundry machine and not into a bucket?

I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls. I know that I am late getting on this bandwagon, but I am definitely enjoying the ride.

I didn't get dressed all day. Corollary: I didn't leave my apartment all day except to dump the trash down the chute right outside my door.

I made mashed potatoes for lunch. The great thing about living alone is that no one gives a second thought to how much you're eating. They were pretty delicious.

I regretted the amount of mashed potatoes later when I fell into a starch-induced coma and conked out of the couch for most of the evening.

I rallied after the coma for a shower and a couple more episodes of Gilmore Girls and...I stayed up until midnight!

Today will be more interesting, I promise.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

When my birthday package from my parents arrived yesterday, it included a handful of lovely handmade ornaments. Not having a tree to decorate, I could have let them sit in a box somewhere in my apartment, but I got inspired.

As it turns out, a two foot fake Christmas tree with twinkly lights, gold star ornaments, a tinsel garland, red ribbons, and a tin angel on top has an extraordinary power to make me smile.

When I don't feel like doing dishes...

I put on my cute apron in this fabulous print.

I light candles.


I fill my orange bowl with soapy water...

and I whisk.

Three small pleasures = dishes done.