Dear Load of Laundry,

I’m sorry. I left you in the dryer way too long and you have become hopelessly wrinkled. Sadly, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Far from it.

I often completely forget about you and your relatives as you sit patiently in the dryer — clean, dry, and warm — awaiting the moment when I will rescue you, fold you, and put you away. Instead, I’m reading or surfing the Internet or sipping coffee or making dinner. Not thinking about laundry. And there you sit.

You know what’s even worse? I’m not going to iron you. Those parts of you that are salvageable, I’ll hang up and hope for the best. The rest of you might find yourselves back in the dryer for a quick refresher. And I’ll try not to forget you this time.

Regretfully,
A deficient laundress

***

Dear Paper,

Where do you come from? I don’t mean in some abstract “how-is-paper-made-from-trees” kind of way. I mean in the very concrete “where in the world does all this paper in my house come from” kind of way.

Oh, I know, I have two kids. One of them brings home piles of paper from school. The other is eternally drawing, coloring, writing, cutting, pasting and otherwise using paper and littering it about the house.

But still. Paper. Try to contain yourself. How about you just stay on the coffee table and not encroach on any other flat surface in my home? Deal?

Warmly,
A woman who is not afraid to use her shredder

***

Dear Deer,

As a general rule, I have nothing against you and your kin. I love to watch you grazing in the fields. Your fawns are always adorable. And I haven’t caught you eating the plants in my garden (yet).

But next time you see me driving down the road, do me a favor. Please stay in the woods. Kindly do not run into my car and then gallop off into the darkness like you did Monday night. My checkbook and my insurance adjuster just don’t appreciate that kind of behavior.

I hope you’re as okay as you seemed to be, but we’ll get along much better if you stay off the road when I am on the road.

Thanks,
Reluctant deductible-payer

One of my most favorite parts of each morning is that special time when I turn on the Keurig, brew a mug of awesomeness, stir in the requisite amounts of cream and sugar, and sip my way into coffee delight. It doesn’t matter how hot it is outside — I still want my mug of warm coffee in the morning.

Not only does the caffeine help me navigate my morning (and yes, I admit, I appreciate a little caffeine boost each day), but I genuinely enjoy my coffee. It’s comforting, familiar, yummy.

Coffee is my friend.

Tea? Um…not so much.

It’s not that I dislike tea. It’s just that tea doesn’t deliver the same level of enjoyment.

However, I want to like tea. Really, I do.

I don’t want it to replace my daily coffee ritual (oh, forbid it!). I just think tea might be a good supplement. I can imagine a mid-afternoon visit over a cup of tea, or a soothing non-caffeinated herbal tea to end my day.

But here’s the problem: I can’t find a type or flavor of tea that I enjoy without copious amounts of sugar.

[Though I'm not from the south, I admit to loving the sweet tea the south produces. But sweet tea is one of those luxuries I only indulge in occasionally. In a perfect world, I'd love to be able to enjoy a non-sweet tea on a regular basis.]

I’ve been making my way through the teas made for my Keurig. I’ve tried English Breakfast Tea (bleh), Earl Grey (meh), Lemon Zinger (so-so), Sleepytime (passable). But even with these, in order to fully enjoy them, I find myself stirring in too much sugar.

My most recent purchase (back to traditional tea bags) was this:

Chocolate Hazelnut Tea? Yes, that’s what I thought too. But I figured — hey, if they can actually make tea taste like chocolate, I am so in.

The verdict? Undecided.

I mean, it’s “fine.” An oh-so-slight hint of chocolate and nuttiness. But still very tea-ish. I’m not giving up on it yet, but it didn’t quite live up to my (likely overblown) expectations.

I don’t know, maybe it’s hopeless. Yes, I use both cream and sugar in my coffee (but considerably less than I used to use), so maybe it’s unrealistic to think I’d find a tea that I enjoy with little-to-nothing in the way of additives. But that won’t stop me from continuing my search.

I have my eye on a peppermint tea that might just hit the spot…

Are you a tea drinker? what’s your personal favorite?

I’m not nearly as stressed out as I should be.

I haven’t baked a single Christmas cookie yet. I haven’t made C’s teachers their gifts yet. I haven’t visited the grocery store to pick up ingredients for the Christmas Eve hosting we’ll be doing. No Christmas cards went out this year. The Nativity set has not even been removed from the storage room. And it looks like at least one Christmas gift (ordered weeks ago, by the way) will not make it here in time.

And, oh yeah, Christmas is in three days.

Normally, I’d be a mess at this point. The perfectionist in me would have taken over. I’d be feeling guilty over all the things that are simply not going to get done, and my stomach would be knotted over all the things that I’m going to really, really, really try to get done in the next couple days.

But for some reason, I’m resigned. At peace, even.

Yes, I’m going to try to get a lot done. I have plans to bake, and a grocery store visit lined up for tonight. This afternoon has “Make Teacher Stuff” written across it in my planner.

But the things that don’t get done? They’re just not going to get done. And I’m okay with that.

I’ve been taking care of a sick preschooler this week, nursing my own illness, and trying to focus on the things that really matter.

Jesus’ Birth.

Love.

Family.

The cookies, the dusting, the cards, even the gifts…they’re nice things, but just not critical.

I don’t know exactly why I’m so okay with the state of things, when normally I would be “not so okay.” Even Chad knows what my typical reaction would be. He started to tell me the other day how I should not get stressed out and worried and uptight about all the things that “should” get done…and I told him that I really wasn’t stressed out — and I meant it.

Whatever the reason, I’m thankful to be feeling this sense of peace in the middle of a crazy season. And I hope you are feeling some of it too.