Wherein I discover that I'm no more organized in 2026 than before...

Here we are, a little over a week into 2026, and you've clearly discerned that one of my New Year's resolutions was NOT daily blogging, haha. I hope you all had terrific, fun-filled, peaceful, enjoyable holidays and have started off the year on the right foot. I have begun a jigsaw puzzle that we received for Christmas, but it is on the poker table in the basement and I'm rarely down there so I keep forgetting to work on it. Need to read more books and assemble more puzzles this year and play fewer games on my phone...

I've also, despite my hope and precautions, ended up with lymphedema, but that it not a story for today. We'll get there eventually. Right now, I'm just... I don't even know. But while I'm thinking about it, for whoever is taking notes, petite medium shirts aren't working. Some mediums also aren't working at all. I very much resemble a preschooler insisting on dressing myself, including getting arms stuck up over my head, because between the compression sleeve and the swelling in my arm sleeves are giving me fits. Please don't shop for me. It's going to be a case of me having to try stuff on to see what works. =/ Gah. Bah. Humbug!
 

On a better note, especially for those of you afraid to break a New Year's resolution, I have boldly gone there already. I possess a ridiculous amount of tea, including fun ones shared between my amazing sisters-in-law, below:

I decided I would have a cup of tea each day in 2026 since I have plenty. 

January 6, I forgot. 

So, you know, not even a week into the resolution. You're welcome. 

So far this is my run down:

Day 1- I admit, I was a little apprehensive to read "green tea, roasted buckwheat, and almond". However, it was delightful! I was not expecting to enjoy it.

Day 2- Grand Jasmin Chun Feng- green tea with jasmine flowers. Here's the thing. Had I not read it, I wouldn't have been consumed with giggles and probably would have liked it more, BUT because my Grammy had a jasmine air freshener in her tiny bathroom that my brother and I loved to hear "pssssst" when we pushed the button, my brain had a problem with the juxtaposition of that scent being in tea I was drinking. I let Dada try it and he thought it was fine, but I noticed he also didn't finish it.

Day 3- Detox- that word kinda scared me so I was apprehensive again but then I read, "rooibos, honeybush, moringa, and mango" and even though I don't know what honeybush or moringa are, I do like rooibos tea. This was no exception. Delicious! Bring on the detox!

Day 4- blend of Assam and Yunnan black teas, which was fine. Nothing stand-out-ish, but good.

Day 5- lemongrass, ginger, and carrot- didn't really expect much from this one but was pleasantly surprised about the delightful lightness of it!

Biggest letdown of the week was Day 6- long jing, "delicate and vegetal green tea". Probably fine if you're a green tea fan. I think vegetal was the right word and this one didn't get finished. I'm trying to drink them all straight and undoctored and this one didn't feel like much would improve it to where it wouldn't taste like honey or whatever versus the green tea taste itself.

Day 7- "blue mountain"- black tea, strawberry and flowers. Yum! Yes, please! Made up for the Day 6 even though I drank both of these on Day 7 to catch back up. 

Should probably mention I'm working my way through an Advent tea calendar that didn't get opened at Advent so I'm kicking off the new year with it before I work my way through all the other stuff I have. I'm also drinking all of these as hot teas, in case anyone wondered.

I don't know what today's will be, so I'll let you know later!

Have a wonderful week!

We may need another intervention

 In talking with a close friend of mine, the conversation turned to Legos. I told him how all our kiddos have enjoyed using those colorful choking hazards and dangers to barefoot walkers everywhere to fire up their imaginations, and how Thing One had even taken to painting on some to turn them into a Percy Jackson set. We have Harry Potter sets, Star Wars sets, general multi-purpose sets, Batman, Spider-Man, City, you name it. Well, not “girly” ones like fairies because I’d be the only one putting those together, and honestly, wherever would I find the room?

That's a poker table which seats six very comfortably, mind you, that Dada crafted himself, complete with metal cupholders (which make excellent Lego separators, incidentally). When we moved here 8 years ago the deal was that the Legos would stay on said table as it had a rim around the edge so they wouldn't fall on the floor easily to be stepped on, vacuumed, consumed by smaller siblings who shouldn't be touching them yet, etc.

They're even creeping up the stairs from the basement.

Our Lego containment container needs backup; send help!

These ones made it clear to the table in the library, along with a rubber ducky friend. 

While beloved by all our kiddos, it's safe to say Liam is the biggest fan. He hasn't had much time to be working on them this fall because

 A) school 

 B) gutter maintenance and black walnut pickup (we have a ridiculous amount of them- if you want them, come and claim them. Anyone else hear Arwen in your head? Just me? Alrighty then, carry on.) 

 C) a special art project 

 D), let's face it- the Nintendo Switch ranks higher these days than Legos.

I didn't ask the question, but the answer would be E) all of these with the exception of B which really doesn't take that much time except B isn't by his choice therefore it takes all of the time and is so ridiculous and why do we even have walnut trees when we could just chop them down and problem solved?

Said child is going to be 16 on Halloween. Yeah. Me too. Or me neither, depending on if your thought was "I can't believe she's old enough to have another sixteen year old" versus "I can't believe he will be sixteen!" Haha. Anyway, here's hoping the kid doesn't ask for more Legos because enough already!