Missing my mojo + Passover

Still life with Matzo (and some toddler detritus)

Ah Passover. Starting whenever DH can help take the kids off my hands on Sunday, I will be working like a madwoman to prepare our house for Passover. I admit that we aren't all that good about kashrut during the rest of the year. We eat out and even occasionally bring food in (although we don't eat it on our regular dishes), but we are extra strict during Passover. We (OK I) clean the house and especially the kitchen top to bottom, change out all the dishes, pots, flatware, appliances to our Passover versions (stored in boxes in the garage throughout the year) But this year I am so unprepared. Sure, I have my shopping done (all but produce which is another Sunday outing to the Farmer's market) but I have done no cleaning, I've not really made menus, (although I have some from years past that I will rely heavily on) I've not even taken the boxes out of storage yet. So I guess I'm going to be stuck doing it all on Sunday/Monday day before 1st seder Monday night. It just feels pointless to start the cleaning when I can't completely enforce the no eating in the rest of the house rule because the toddler who shall remain nameless has ways... if you know what I mean. So best to remove all offending food from the house at once rather then having to repeat the work. So I'm working on making sure that laundry and ironing and other things that are not holiday cleaning related get done.

Which brings me back to my mojo. I don't know if it is that I am tired and burned out from lack of me time or just the weight of impending work holding me down, or my concerns about Z and school (which I may or may not mention another time), but I am having the most difficult time accomplishing any creative work at all. I haven't even made progress on my sock that is remaining. I forced myself through 10 rows of a 20 row repeat on the lace pattern the other day and there was no pleasure in it. When I realized it was a chore I put it away. No sense in working on an enjoyable diversion that I'm not enjoying.

I really am feeling the call of my sewing machine and also hand sewing, but I'm overwhelmed by the task. I don't have much confidence in my skills, although I know the right way most times, I don't have the skills in my hands to accomplish what I want to do. I have a bit of embroidery that I finished a while ago (A challah cover) that I haven't backed because I am stumped on how to proceed. I feel paralyzed by it. I even bought a beautiful batik to back it with, but I can't figure out how I want to attach it. Should I do a light batting? Use a binding? Fringe? Some other edging? Here's a picture of the work with the backing fabric to the side:

Anyway, I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

I have been out in the garden trying to make things grow and worked hard to get a vegetable garden going this past Sunday. I love watching it grow, but I have no real idea what I'm diong and I fear I'm taking out my inexperience on poor defenseless plants. LOL