Wrapping Up

I just finished a double commission of two holiday chinchilla paintings. I actually had chinchillas for a little while, so I have a special place in my heart for them:

The gap in his ear was actually the customer's request because the chinchilla in question had an injury when he was just a wee little fellow. 

We couldn't have him eating candy, that wouldn't be healthy for a chinchilla (actually, I'm not sure they can have popcorn either... but the cranberries are probably OK.)

I'm running so far behind this year. I haven't even finished the painting I had meant to be released for my official Christmas Card for 2013. *head*desk*

As I've said before, my studio is so stuffed full of things now (organized, but there is simply no room for me anymore) that I have been working at the kitchen table. In the middle of that though, we were supposed to do gingerbread houses. So, half the table is covered with my paints and things, and the other half looks like this:

Since I finished the commissions, I'll actually be piecing together the houses tonight so my kids can decorate them. Everything feels so rushed, but I'm hoping that will change starting today. There are only a few hours left that my online store, www.KWilsonStudio.com, will be open (I couldn't close it down when I expected to because I was notified that the cart hadn't been working all this time. Eeek! So until midnight tonight I have a 10% off sale going with the code SORRY, and everything will ship out on Friday.) I'm going to paint and ship and what have you for the rest of the day along with constructing the gingerbread houses, but I think the biggest hurdles are out of the way.

This year, I'm closing down things a bit earlier than I normally would. In general, my business would be open and I would be painting away commissions and mailing prints and other items right up until the last minute for folks. But this year is different. We're going on an early vacation! We're going on a cruise! (Did you know that cruises leave out of New York year round? Yeah, neither did I!)

My parents are going to house-sit and take care of the animals and probably polish off whatever cookies are left from the holiday baking that I didn't snarf down (let's just say that my swimsuit experience on this cruise won't be pretty.) I'm glad that my parents will be taking care of things, even if I know my cat won't be speaking to me until New Year's because of it.

Now, this was all very exciting when we first booked it. We're supposed to be going kayaking with the manatees and swimming with the dolphins - two things I have always wanted to do. How cool is that? However, I now realize that going away for a week right smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season means I just shortened my shopping and decorating days by a third. Cue the panic.

Upside about the cruise; not too much shopping to do because this is kind of it for my husband and I, and we have main gifts purchased for the kids already (we don't do huge Christmases,) but there are still lots of little things to do. The in-laws, cards, neighbors, teachers, etc. It's amazing how big that list is, and how much harder it gets when you cut out a week. But I can push through! I can!

We need this vacation so badly. Our family is so burned out. I am so burned out. My eye has even developed a tic. It's actually been a very hard year for us on multiple fronts from personal and professional issues to things like us having to put Cosmo to sleep a few weeks ago. We're hoping a nice vacation for the family will help us just sort of... reset.

We're staying overnight in Times Square before the cruise. I'm planning on seeing that Rockefeller tree all lit up in person, something I always wanted to do too! Maybe go ice skating if it's possible as well? Anyway, it's an early holiday for me, and I'm hoping it'll kick the season off the right way for us and that we can finish 2013 on a high note and set up 2014 to be a fabulous year. That's the goal!

Now... I wonder if I can get that kitten/mouse/stocking painting finished while doing laundry and trying to pack?