Pseudo-hobbies

Here's my latest confesion--I start projects and don't finish them. As a teacher, it's uber-tempting to put things off until the next chunk of vacation time. This is why the first 2 weeks of this summer seemed to be super busy just catching up on little odds and ends of piddly things that just needed to be done. Weed the south side of the house. Wash the cars. Vacuum. I'm sure that everyone procrastinates on things, but my Achilles heel is organization.

Organization issue #1: recipes. I love love love them! I love looking on the internet for them. I love keeping them in my little on-line recipe box (I have 706 at last count). I love cutting and pasting them into Microsoft Word and keeping a recipe box there for the random recipes that I find and will never return to the website to actually use. I reeeeaaaaly love cookbooks. I love reading through them and marking recipes that I want to try. I love getting my Taste of Home magazine in the mail every two months and luxuriating in the fresh issue. I love the daily emails that get sent to TWO email addresses for me every day! I even love planning the menu for special occasions. I jest not--I spent about 2 hours the night before my birthday a few months ago sifting through all of my recipes trying to find the perfect birthday cake recipe.

But then this happens:


I end up with piles of loose pages of delicious delights that have never been tried or have been relegated to the bin of forgotten treats because they are lost in the quagmire of the recipe swamp. The purple and white accordion binder was my attempt at one point a few years ago to organize. But one binder can't contain this mayhem. I need help.



This looks like there is some modicum of organization, but truth be told, sometimes I buy cookbooks and then never even open them!! I don't know why. I love cookbooks. But new cookbooks hold such promise! Such suspense! And, truthfully, who has the time to lazily peruse cookbooks ad naseum and organize this disastrous spot in my house that I just pointedly ignore whenever anyone comes over to visit.

Organization issue #2: Scrapbooking. I bought and started my very first scrapbook a few months before we got married. It seemed like all the cool kids were doing it, and as I was still in college, EVERYONE scrapbooked. At my college, it was like knitting/crocheting...even the guys did it. Several of my best buds were big time scrapbookers, so it seemed like a hobby that I should take up, despite my complete and utter lack of anything whatsoever creative. My pages all look the same. Picture picture picture on some colored paper. And, this little hobby is crazy time consuming!! No wonder bed & breakfasts host scrapbooking *weekends*. So, my first paltry attempt at scrapbooking has stagnated horribly. I admit that I fell into the "oh, I'll finish it at _______________ break" (Chirstmas, Spring, Summer, next Christmas, next Spring, next Summer...). It's been five years, and it isn't being finished anytime soon. It's still nicely conglomerated in a big bin in my coat closet, just waiting, mocking me every time I pull out the vacuum. And, insult to injury, I received 2 fantastically lovely scrapbooks when Abby came. I'm glad I have them in hopes of some day kicking it into gear, probably about the time she graduates high school and I need something to put on tables at an open house. Or, I just need to strong arm one of my best buds into going away with me for the weekend to a bed & breakfast. I do like the sound of that...