Taxes. Deadlines. Estimates. Contracts.

And all that fun stuff.

So Christmas is over and real life is back with a vengeance. I’ve spent the day dealing with all of the above. The quarterly adding up of little bits of paper. The one step at a time, no skipping to the end just to get there faster sort of stuff that I absolutely hate (Myers-Briggs will even tell you it’s not my thing). It’s like going to the dentist — which, come to think of it, I have to do this week, too.

But at least now the worst of it is done — besides writing the checks, that is.

And I have one fun thing that I can do. I never got to make my collage before Christmas. I was expecting to have time to do it with the glowkid. But we got so busy baking for the tea that there was never time to get into the collage. I’ve been thinking about it, though. Planning a bit in my head. Envisioning Sara who is becoming less Kate Beckinsale and more a combination of Eva Green (the Bond girl) and Winona Ryder. Maybe bits and pieces of each.

I bought a couple of magazines, too — British home mags, which aren’t Irish, I know, but in the midwest of America, you take what you can get. And I have my stash of Irish castle pics already here. And, it goes without saying, there’s James Purefoy for Flynn.

I’m getting ideas. All of them, even the worst, are so much more appealing than adding columns of figures.

And I’m enjoying the last couple of days with Youngest Son and his wife. They are gone this evening so I’m clearing up the last bits of tax stuff. Also trying to write my “Christmas letter” which traditionally tends to get sent the week after New Year’s. There is, after all, just so much one person can do in 24 hours a day. And the Christmas letter always seems to get short shrift until Christmas itself is long gone. But then it becomes a recap of the year — and that’s not exactly a bad thing. I just have to stop thinking of it as the “Christmas letter.”

Where are we on New Year’s Resolutions? Should I be starting to think of them? Probably. Getting better organized seems like a good idea. Writing more and faster? Well, I’m not sure how that will work, but it’s a nice thought, though probably impossible.

What about you? Any New Year’s Resolutions you want to share? I could use some inspiration.

. . . grudging courtesy of Gunnar, Mitch and Micah who send you all good wishes for the season and the coming year.

Kids have arrived. I’m vanishing for a day or so to share the holidays with them. If we can convince a dog to wear the Santa hat, you’ll see it after the fact.

Did anyone notice that even Google has a Christmas kangaroo theme this year? Did someone post instructions somewhere that I missed? Well, it’s nice to know that everyone is on the same page at least.

Except, of course, Sid. He has a blog in his honor on Kate Walker’s blog today. Kate has been doing blogs about her cats, comparing each of them to film stars. Bob is Robert Redford. Spiffy is Cary Grant. Dylan is Jack Nicholson. And Kate asked me who I thought Sid compared to. You’ll have to go see on her blog, but there was certainly no doubt in my mind. And I imagine you can guess. And you can see him in a Santa hat there, even if Gunnar declined.

In the meantime, all the best wishes for the holiday. Enjoy!