Doing This and That

First, this:

I would like to welcome my cousin's NEW BABY to the family!! I love reading "Mommy Blogs" - like Land of Bean, Baby On Bored, and Maternal Mirth, just to name a few. Hint, hint!

Now that:

I return once again to a favorite topic: blogging about why I haven't been blogging. In general, holidays (and visits from friends/family, and parties) tend to inflict upon me a"disease of motivation". For instance, to prep for my annual "Tour de PA" as I like to call it, I had to:
1. Go to work and finish project before leaving at noon.
2. Wrap presents.
3. Pack clothes into suitcase.
4. Bake pie.

I'll leave this to you, Constant Reader: One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong. But nonetheless, it was my plan. It came about quite innocently - my grandmother gave me a peck of apples at Thanksgiving. For those unfamiliar, a peck is actually a **itload of apples. I made two pies and apple crisp, yet there were still enough apples to make another pie. But I did not think they would last until I returned. So in my own little world, baking a pie made sense. But this odd choice of tasks is common. In years past, I have:
1. Cooked 20 mini loaves of sweet breads complete with cute little labels for family and friends. I made the loaves not just for family I knew I would see, but also for family I might see.
2. Went to Harry and Davids at the mall on Christmas Eve to buy their awesome pears so they would be perfectly ripe on Christmas Day.
3. Purchased cards and little ornaments for everyone in the office.
4. Made sugar cookies for my friend's annual cookie exchange - and made 4 colors of icing and decorated each of the six dozen cookies by hand.
5. Cleaned the bathrooms, and tidied the living room, then began dusting each and every crevice, including behind the microwave, fridge, and stove, and cleaned out the refrigerator, and forgetting to change and shower before guests arrive.

The list goes on, but hopefully you see the point. My brain begins thinking of practical, even necessary preparations, and then goes into hyper- over- drive and tells me the car floor mats and car interior MUST be clean by the time of the event. I have been suffering this disease for most of December, but thankfully, it is out of my system.

The worst part is that usually my preparations go like this:
1. Try very hard to finish project at work, but realize that I must ask someone else to finish it while I am away, and end up staying to write detailed email and organize the file until 1pm.
2. Begin to wrap presents and then realize that one present is not in the bag, though it says I paid for it on the receipt. Travel back to store on Christmas Eve, fight to get into parking lot, fight for parking space, stand in line for 45 minutes, get gift replaced (this was the easy part), fight to pull out of parking space, fight to leave lot, and return home.
3. Begin packing after my ride has arrived. Throw random pieces of clothing into bag as they wait in their winter jackets, and hope for the best. (I had to do laundry at Adam's mom's house...)
4. Bake nothing. Throw out rotten apples promptly upon return.

Luckily, I am home. Luckily, I have nothing to do...except pick up my parents, cousins, and uncle from their Rose Bowl travels. Maybe they would like a pie when they get here...