So buying that file chest was a terrific idea, because by the time I got home yesterday afternoon, Richard had managed to fill the bottom drawer entirely with all his files, and in the process, got rid of every single box that remained in the office. Granted, some of them are now hiding in the coat closet, but the point is, they are no longer piled messily in corners, and the office looks absolutely huge now, with all this empty floor space. Heh. We shall not speak of the printer, still in its box, that I need to set up on my desk, or the fact that my own desk is a big ugly mess right now. The issue right now is all about clearing away the boxes.

He also managed to clear out several of the boxes that still lurked in corners in the dining room, so when I got home, I tackled the remainder. Amusingly, we finally found the other battery charger, lurking in yet another unlabeled box of ‘miscellaneous items’; naturally we found this only after we invested in a bulk package of double A batteries. Ah well.

In preparation for having all the family at our house, I’ve worked up a menu, and emails have been flying fast and furious between my mom and my sisters and I over the past few days. I am realizing important things, like the fact that I have apparently never made mashed potatoes before, and that I never paid much attention to how stockings got stuffed at holidays past (or, for that matter, by whom). I’ve also been poking madly around on websites, looking for craft and game ideas to keep the younger set happily occupied while they’re here. I’ve got activities planned (ice skating, gingerbread house decorating, trip to the zoo), but it’s been a bit gray and soggy out lately and I’ve started to have second thoughts about the wisdom of including so many outdoor activities for a joint family visit smack in the middle of winter.

Happy Holidailies!