Down the Home Stretch

It's almost Christmas. 
It's almost New Years. 
And I'm almost ready.
Almost.

I had many, many goals set for this month. I have achieved one goal, one-half of one goal, and one-tenth of another. Maybe two-thirds of another goal. Let's just say I'm a smidge backlogged.

What was the one achieved goal you ask? I finished my Christmas shopping. I'm usually done by November. I wasn't done until last week.

Some cookies were baked. The ones that were are now half gone and I didn't even eat any! After all, classmates and teachers need to eat too. I still have two mega batches to do, but not anywhere near the one-thousand I usually make. And no, I'm not kidding this time- that's how many I usually make! It's Christmas Eve-Eve, and I'm still baking.

We decorated the living room. The cats de-decorated the living room. We decorated the cats and duct taped their butts to the wall. Okay, the last part isn't true, but I really wanted to do that- but I like the little goobers too much, dang it all. At this rate, we might be finished decorating by New Years.

We're keeping Christmas on the down-low this year. Not a lot of fundage to play with, so keeping it simple is not only the spiritual ideal, it's a necessity- unless we rent the kids out to help others unload their goodies or set up one of those hanging kettle things and hand them bells to ring. 

Other goals are: 

Having the house clean. Fat chance with all the new decorations- I mean cat toys all over the floor. It's a hazard just to walk, no less clean!
Set up for a Christmas Visit Party. Make goodies, bake more, and have something for everyone without going broke. Some people have dietary limitations, so being the hospitality oriented people we are, we'll be serving water from a local spring and organic grass grown in our backyard. It's organic because my son never mowed the whole dang summer.
Fold all the laundry before if topples and kills me. If I don't, the family will come home to find a huge pile of clothing with only my hands and feet sticking out of it- and the cats sleeping on the top.
Not go stark-raving bonkers. So far I've been able to hide my neck twitches by playing Michael Jackson music and pretending it's a dance move when the family is home. 
Finish gift wrapping. This should be done in 3.2 seconds, since everything the kids are getting will fit in one box- all of their dirty laundry they left on their floors throughout the year. And a Christmas Tree scented hanging thing I bought at the car wash to keep the stench at bay. 
Okay, they won't be getting that- but it felt good to write it!

And last, but certainly not least, I'll have my book written by New Years!
Yes, the book is in it's final stages before I send it out to be critiqued, and hopefully ready to send to an interested agent by the end of January. I'm so excited! I won't tell you the title yet, but it's a lot like the Erma Bombeck series of books- funny little stories and my perspectives on life as a woman. By this time next year, I'll be an author!
How do I know this? Because I'm hopeful, and if the agent doesn't take on the book (foolish mortal!) I'll self-publish that sucker. Either way I'm going into print sometime in the near future.
I'm so excited!

But for now there are edits, to make, cookies to bake, and cats to shoo away from decorations and laundry. 

It's the Home Stretch, and when the new Year comes, I'll start it off with a resounding nap!

I hope you have the best Christmas ever!