Hello, my friends! Yes, I am cleaning today and fighting the urge to take every Christmas decoration down. Does anyone else struggle with that sneaky urge? We keep our decorations up through January 1st; that’s the rule here at MHC. The only thing I have permitted myself to put away are Christmas cards. Some of the greens scattered around the house would be gone today if it wasn’t so darn windy. I’m staying inside – the wind is fierce and the wind chill is in the single digits!

Don gave me the new Dan Brown book for Christmas – I gave him the new George Carlin autobiography. I wanted to read something that is fast paced and engrossing – and it is. The other book, The Paris Apartment, was sent to me by the author, Claudia Strasser, who has a blog with the same name. She generously sent copies to some of her readers. I was lucky enough to be one of the recipients and I am enjoying it a great deal. Thank you, Claudia!

Okay, that takes care of reading and cleaning…the obsessing, ahem, dreaming is about the dollhouse. I am, fortunately or unfortunately, one of those people who, once a project is begun, obsess about it. And often, even before it is started! That has led me to think about the dollhouse all the time, read the blogs of all the incredibly talented miniaturists out there, think and think about what I need to finish, start, research, make….you name it. Goodness, that will take me through the dull days of Winter, won’t it? And beyond, of course. As you can see, the dollhouse has taken over the kitchen table. Luckily, I have a husband who likes seeing a project in progress – he thinks it looks exciting. Thank goodness, because space is at a premium here and I don’t know where else I could put it. Oh, it could go upstairs in the guest bedroom/office/studio, but then I would be in Don’s private lair. Besides, there is better light in the kitchen.

Excuse me while I dream a bit more, will you?