* My okra Santas are starting to pile up on my kitchen counter, their little soft-sculpture faces waiting to be painted, plus I got the brilliant (read: crazy) idea to make my own seed packets in order to give saved seeds as holiday gifts, so those are half-done and everywhere as well. Both these projects are easy to do while chatting, so that makes them particularly well suited to those “down times” when the company is here for days and we’re just doing that famous thing called “hanging around.” I grew up with the adage, “idle hands are the devil’s playground,” so keeping busy is pretty much a requirement for me, and hot gluing organic cotton beards fits the bill!
* For those of you without company, spending time on your hobbies may be your idea of heaven as well. Practice your putting (even better if you have one of these putting greens), catch up on movies (a comfy home theater helps, even when it’s a cave), curl up with a good book (who doesn’t love an under-the-stairs reading nook?), or get crafty (here are some craft rooms for inspiration), locked away in your “craft corner,” happy as a clam.
* Now that the holidays are off and running, you may be off and running to the stores for all those holiday sales. Take an hour or so and consider straightening out (or creating) a “gift wrapping center” so you can increase your efficiency (rather than be searching for scissors and tape) throughout the season. For those of you who are all thumbs, get a quick gift wrapping lesson at this cute blog here.
* And finally, it’s time for that scary trip to the attic to get the holiday decorations. While you’re up there, notice if the insulation looks fluffy and full to you or if you’re perhaps a little low. This is one place where most people could use some pounds over the holidays! You’ll save cash on your heating bills, and that could mean more holiday goodies for you and your family (or to sponsor a family in need over the holidays). I’m a fan of recycled jeans insulation (although I’ve yet to use it). I’m not a fan of throwing money away on wasted energy. Along with idle hands, wasteful=bad where I come from! See Anti-Freeze Strategies that Work for more ideas.
What’s good, of course, is that Kudzu makes it easy for me to be productive (happy, happy) and find service pros who can help me get my home in shape, fix things, add insulation, and get my to-do list done. So I can busy myself elsewhere.
