Happy New Year!!!!!

I hate New Years. Especially this New Year. I hate New Years because it's all about organization and self-improvement. Isn't it? Everywhere you look, every magazine cover "Lose 20 lbs. by Valentine's Day!!" "This Is the Year to De-Clutter!!"

Normally I manage to resist the pressure- I proudly stay fat and slovenly. But this year I feel the need for some self-improvement and de-cluttering.....But lest you think I bought in to all the New Year's propaganda, these are not, in any way, New Year's Resolutions. I've been feeling the need to shape up and clear out for a while. And, dear god, did I start a big ol' ball rollin' with that one.

I decided a while back that I wanted an elliptical. I just wanted a little small, cheap, unobtrusive one. But Matt was appalled. This was one venture that he was not going to let me cheap out on. (An aside here- I still think we could have gotten a perfectly good one for half the price on Craigslist, but was outvoted by the masses due to lack of warranty. Psssssh, warranty, schmarranty...) So he spent a month or so diligently researching ellipticals, and when winner went on sale for New Years, we used our Christmas money (thanks lovely family!!) to buy it. We were most grateful to The Old Man for being our delivery man, and now I have a HUGE behemoth of an exercise machine in my playroom, and it hurts. Seriously, today was day one, and it kicked my ass!!!!

The upside is that it forced a major playroom overhaul. I am talking de-cluttering on an epic, furniture-moving, multiple trashbag/donation box-filling, get this crap outta' here, scale. A new toy storage unit made (most) of the baskets that held toys unnecessary. Old toys were tossed or donated, same for books, home decor stuff, everything under the sun. I took a big load to Goodwill today and I have another one to take. And while my house is still torn apart, and filled with boxes from Christmas, it is slightly more organized.

And here's the really funny part- I'll be having family and friends over for lunch tomorrow. Yup. I'm nuts. But my attitude is, I'll have it (the parts you can see!) fairly clean, and everyone that's coming over has already pretty much seen us at our worst, so they'll probably forgive a little disaster. Hell, they knew disaster was inevitable if they were coming over here! And I do this every year. It's the one holiday that I host despite my tiny house and chaos, and I love doing it. I love cooking all the old soul food, and my grandmother's banana pudding, and having almost all the people I love gathered in our home. So mess be damned, the collards are done, and the black-eyed peas are on!

I wish all of you out there in my little cyber-community, those of you who are kind enough to care about my life, or even if you just find it funny enough to read, a happy and blessed 2011. (Although you may just not be able to look away from the hot mess that is our household. That's okay) But all of you, whomever you are, wherever you are, may this be your best year yet, I hope this is the year your dreams come true, I hope it's your happiest year so far!