Undecorating

Winter arrived with a windy, bone chilling intensity today.  It's c-c-cold out there (all of 32 degrees with high winds) and I couldn't be happier. :o)  Of course, it's right back up to the mid-50's for the rest of the week, so I'm enjoying today. 

Of course, today would be the day I decided I just had to undecorate--since everything is stored in B's workshop--Doh!  We typically wait until Brien's birthday (Epiphany) to do so, but I had to do it.  You see, it's time to move Beanie to her big girl room.  The room she's in right now is the nursery because it's so close to our room.  But, it's also right where the stairs are, and sound travels right up to her from down in the living room.  She'll be moving into the former Monkey Studio formerly Hannah's room.

I'm very glad we decided to convert Han's room into a stamping space for me prior to moving another little girl in there.  This way it doesn't actually feel like I'm moving Ellie into Hannah's space.  I'm moving her into a room that has been Han's room, a studio, and then a guest room.  The room looks nothing like it did when it was Hannah's, and I anticipate being fine with this move.

Anyhow, all this revolves back around to undecorating because all the tubs and boxes were stored in the guest room and B and I agreed it would be silly move all the empty boxes to another room only to have to move them yet again.  So, the living room tree is down.  I'll have Lil help with Hannah's tree, the dining room tree and the Hokie tree.  The Hokie tree will remain until after the Sugar Bowl tonight--I'm superstitious like that.

As much as I love sitting in my living room with my tree lit, listening to Christmas music, there is something so refreshing and rejuvenating about putting things back to rights.  For the most part, the living room is finished.  I need to redo the mantle and sideboard, and find a home for the Lite Sprites, but overall, things are good in here.  Now to tackle the rest of the downstairs.  I'm about ready to go on my annual decluttering spree...;o)

Tomorrow sees me hitting the playroom (yet again...always with the playroom) and schoolroom, and hopefully getting laundry done.  I'm revisiting my daily chores list and will post when I have it done to my satisfaction.  For now, I'm just trying to settle back into our typical daily routine. 

Typically, undecorating leaves me with a sense of sorrow and sadness.  So far I've experienced no post-Christmas letdown, and no down yo.  I don't know if it's simply good ol' time at work again as I've become used to his new "normal" of ours, or if it's something else.  Whatever it is, I'm grateful for the reprieve.  Hurting over the holidays really really sucks.

Maybe the down yo will come when Hannah's sparkly tree is taken down.  Maybe it will come moving Ellie into that front bedroom.  Maybe it won't come at all.  I'm not borrowing trouble by looking for it to happen, or dreading that it will.  Instead, I'll do what I always do, enjoy the up yo while it lasts.  It's amazing how much longer those up yo's last these days...

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  Getting the living room whipped back into shape.  I'm not nearly as frazzled as I was yesterday.
2.  All the helpful comments about getting moving.  I had to chuckle as my plan has been to start walking as soon as I get Lil on the bus, and taking Beanie around the neighborhood and walking trail.  Y'all must be mind readers.  :o)  Then, once I'm feeling more in shape, letting Jillian kick my tushy once more.  ;o)
3.  Ellie chasing Lil through the house calling, "Will! Will!!" She makes me laugh, that girl.
4.  We got it done.  We shifted and moved and shuffled and shoved and hauled, and the Bean has a new room!  It looks just like her old room--only bigger.  She was most nonplussed when we took her crib apart to move it.  It really freaked her out and she screamed and cried and tried to force us to stop and put it back together.  Once Daddy had put it back to rights, she began bringing me all the items that belong in her crib.  So far we've had no problem with her sleeping in there. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the evening.  She seems pretty chuffed with the entire situation, though. :o)
5.  Tech plays in the Sugar Bowl tonight.  Ulp!  If they stink it up like they did against Clemson, I don't know what I'll do...

Milestones:
Another little girl has made her place in that front bedroom that once belonged to Hannah.  I wonder if Ellie can sense that.  She seems to adore her oldest sister and jabbers to her when she sees photos, so this may just be where she belongs.