Holiday Slog

I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now. We are supposed to be moving this week...yes, this week, but does our apartment look like we are planning to move? Do the cats seem anxious? No. In fact, we are still waiting to hear that we can move in and we have keys or contract...this is extremely unnerving. Only in New York, really, I think that is the biggest downfall of living here. The insane things that go on in this market where people bring 4000 cash just to secure an apartment to rent, where making a quick decision is almost waiting too long, and where negotiating means you lose the apartment.
We are just moving across the hall, but its still moving. We are going to the yearly tornado of holiday events. We take a bus down to VA to have dinner with JJ's Dad and step mom--->from there go to Oxford, NC for extended fam time---->California, MD to see JJ's mom and step dad----> back to NY and on the same day we get in have dinner and jazz concert with JJ's dad and step mom. This is not a week trip, but 23rd-27th. I cannot tell you how tired it makes me to think about it.
A couple of exciting thing to negate all this negative chatter: I bought all gifts this holiday from Peru or from small vendors in the USA.
I have a meeting with a literary agent in January. This is exciting because I lost my agent recently (who was not a literary agent) and went to see two literary agents who did not really see my books going anywhere. I find it frustrating that my book is less re-readable than a book called "good night ipad." I was showed this book and all I could think was, this is not a children's classic nor will be be relevant in 5 years. Angry birds will not be vogue. I was told that: no one would reread a finding book (that must be why where's waldo never took off), a kid does not want to read a book about getting dressed for school when they are about to go to sleep (no joke, she said that), and there was not enough of a plot. So, it will be nice to meet with someone else. Even if this other person cannot see how to sell this book at least I will feel like I am trying.
I am cleaning house of art, which feels very good. I put tons of prints on etsy because I have too much back stock, I put ceramics on etsy that I painted recently, and I just finished a commission painting of whales.
I am excited to move and next year: get published somehow, do some craft fairs with another great design duo, pay a lot of money for a full website overhaul that will give me a blog-store-pholio all in one place, do a kick starter for tea towels, and last but not least work on a book of illustrated recipes from celebrity chefs...after I pitch it to the chefs in question.

Right now I am in the process of testing out a recipe I invented called Holiday Snog Bread. If it turns out well it will be another illustrated recipe. Fingers crossed.

Now off to get packing and divesting.