Self Portrait Tuesday - Reflective Surface #2

Standing at the kitchen sink.

The dishes have piled up and the counters are in a disarray. Christmas preparations have taken top priority lately and the mundane household duties have been pushed to the back burner - way way to the back.

Tonight, though, I reclaim my kitchen and restore order. The coffee is brewing and the whipped cream is standing by. Once the kids are tucked in to bed, I'll push up my sleeves and get to work.

The house is cold so I'm staying bundled. Head to toe wool - a warm hat, a comfy sweater and thick socks. The dish water will keep my hands warm.

Even the most beautiful Christmas decorations shine a little less brightly when surrounded by chaos.

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Self Portrait Tuesday - Reflective Surface #1

We are a family of 5 (4 of them males and 3 of those males are under the age of 9!) sharing 1 small bathroom. You will often find wet towels and dirty clothes on the floor, toothpaste smudge across the counter and in the sink, and soap bubbles and water spots on the mirror. The door very rarely closes.

More often than not, I have company in the bathroom. If I do get a chance to be alone with the door closed, someone is usually banging at the door or shouting to me through the crack underneath.

We have one small towel bar. It's just big enough for a bath towel and a facecloth. We have very little counter space and it's often cluttered. The only storage space is is the small cabinet under the sink.

The window is big and lets in a lot of light. It looks out on to our back yard and is high enough that we just have lace curtains so as not to block the light. The mirror is also big. Very big. It reflects the light and makes the bathroom feel more open.

The boys told me that they hope that Santa will bring us another bathroom for Christmas. I think that might be a little hard on the reindeer.