Too Many Tabs Open

November has been here for one week, and already it has management issues.

The pumpkins are still on duty. Thanksgiving is asking for a head count. Christmas is rattling a box of ornaments in the hallway. Meanwhile, I am standing in the middle of it all holding coffee and wondering whether changing the kitchen towel counts as seasonal decorating.

I have decided that it does. Especially if the towel has a turkey on it.

Three seasons, one small attention span

This is the time of year when my brain starts behaving like an internet browser with too many tabs open.

One tab is planning Thanksgiving dinner. One is admiring Christmas ribbon. Another is reminding me about an unfinished sewing project. Somewhere, music is playing, but I cannot find which tab it is coming from.

And the autumn tab? That one is still looking at pretty leaves.

Here in Hooterville, the trees have been enthusiastically relocating their entire wardrobes to the ground. I appreciate the color palette. I have questions about the cleanup policy.

The craft table has entered the discussion

My craft table is its own little November village.

There is fabric that would make something adorable for Thanksgiving. There is another piece that would be perfect for Christmas. There are scraps too small to use and far too emotionally significant to throw away.

Then there is the project I actually sat down to finish.

It is underneath the possibilities.

This is the trouble with being creative. A perfectly innocent scrap of plaid can turn into a doll outfit, a new illustration, a holiday idea, and an excuse to look for matching buttons. By the time I return to the original task, the coffee has gone cold and I have mentally opened a tiny boutique.

No inventory. Excellent window display.

The boys have a simpler system

The dogs do not suffer from seasonal confusion.

Their November priorities are remarkably clear: investigate the kitchen, locate a soft place to sit, and supervise any activity that might produce a snack.

They have never once worried about whether the pumpkins clash with the Christmas decorations. If I put a blanket down, they consider the room finished.

There may be something to that.

Of course, their decorating philosophy also involves leaving a toy exactly where my foot is about to land, so I will be accepting their advice selectively.

A small Saturday agreement

Today, I am making a modest arrangement with November.

I will enjoy one autumn thing before rushing toward the next holiday. Maybe that means a warm drink, a little drawing, or ten quiet minutes with a piece of fabric I love.

I will choose one small task I can actually finish. One seam. One sketch. One corner of the table reclaimed from the expanding button community.

And if a Christmas idea wanders in, I will write it down. It can wait on paper for a little while. It does not need its own shopping cart before lunch.

There is plenty I want to make this season. I would also like to be awake enough to enjoy making it.

So the pumpkins can stay. The turkey can leave a message. The ornaments can remain in their box for another day.

I am having my coffee while it is still hot.

What has the most tabs open in your brain today: Thanksgiving, Christmas, unfinished projects—or something entirely different?

— Bella ♥