Sorry to be late again. I am still running terribly behind where I should be due to the holidays, I guess.
The reenactment event we did last week is usually a nice simple, although time consuming, event to do. It has been one of my favorites every year. It was an unusually cold week for around here. Normally the weather should be above freezing here in December, one night last week was 9 degrees Fahrenheit and on the final day of the event it snowed. While it is an 18th century house it does have a furnace in the basement and we also make a fire in the kitchen fireplace. This kitchen is unusual for the period as it is in the house - at least as it is set up to be interpreted by the restoration. Normally we are comfortable in the house, but this year it was cold in the house - so cold that husband (with his cold) actually asked to switch rooms with me during the last 2 nights as the room he was in was too cold for him. So he got to talk about our musicians/singers, the odd cabinet bed in the room, the kitchen, and Sinter Klaus (there is a display table related) while I got to talk about the owner’s office and the 2 bed chambers - he likes doing the back rooms as he can talk more about anything he wants to than in the kitchen where there are things to be covered in talking. We even brought plain knit gloves the last two nights to keep our hands warm in the house. Our unit is lucky - we are in the first house in the village so we have the shortest walk from the visitors’ center in the cold. One thing which surprised me was how many people came out in the terrible cold - and many brought very small children and babies.
So after “spending” 5 days in the 18th century, I was behind on everything. I have since read 9 newspapers, caught up on a week’s worth of email and mail, caught up on my online groups - one of which moved to a new setup and I had to join and setup my account all over again, plus doing all of same that has come in since.
We had been told that we were to have snow from early this morning (Thursday) through the day. Where we are was suppose to get about 4 inches. Husband now panics over bad weather. I had my embroidery chapter meeting yesterday so on Tuesday I told him that we should buy whatever he wants or feels we need to have for a snow day. We bought stuff. I told him that I would go to the meeting (which is actually in extended walking distance from our house) and would not stay for the class on stitches after the meeting part. I did make one stop after - I exchanged USB stick drives in our bank vault - I use same for offsite data storage, which is changed once a month. (When he went to work, I would send the drive to work with him and he would bring the old one home with him for reuse.) I then came home. We ended up going to Walmart, the adjacent supermarket and the Walmart supermarket here. (Our regular Walmarts have small food departments, but not the supermarket areas that they do in other places - the Walmart supermarket is smaller than the sections elsewhere and is only a supermarket and pharmacy.) When we came home we went into “horrible weather mode”. All of laptops and cell phones were plugged into charge (and have stayed same since) and he had bought two devices to recharge cell phones, so those were plugged in also so they would be fully charged. Normally I would move anything in the middle of the traffic patterns in rooms out of same - but the living room and dining room where this is mostly done were still neat from the holidays. This way if we did lose electricity it is easier to walk around in dim light and not walk into anything. (For us, we are still in the holidays.)
When we went to bed last night, the snow had gone up a bit in how much we would get, as it had shifted further west. (Those of you in the South or the Northeast part of the U.S. who were hit by this storm, you have my sympathy.) The weather reporters has also started talking about blizzard and nor’easter (think hurricane with snow in cold weather). But, he had not panicked and I was glad of that. When I went to sleep around 4:30 am, there were still no school closings showing up on the local news.
Well, it ended up that this area had over 10 inches of snow - in bitter cold weather. It finally stopped snowing around 4pm and based on the suggestion from the weather reporters, as well as husband’s need to do so, we went out to clear our driveway. Our neighbors on either side were also doing so (they are young with young children - we are old with no children). And shortly after the neighbor’s son from two doors over (in his 20s) came out with some friends to dig out their cars. Our driveway is semi circular. It goes from one edge of our property to the other so just figuring out where to put snow is hard. Husband used the lightweight snow blower we bought last year. I used a shovel and a brush - the latter to clear off our car. We were out there about 2 hours doing this. Husband had trouble with one of the cuts to the street (4 lane road so we get 2 driving lanes plus a parking lane’s worth of snow plowed over on same) and had me cutting it down with the shovel (breaking the snow loose so it would spread over more area and easier for him to throw) while he worked on the other cut. The neighbor on that side who has a larger snow blower, came and cleared it for us. (Thank you again Sal!!!). I cleared half the stair case to our front door so the mailman could get to the box (I have no idea if we got mail today - I was not going to look - we did get a newspaper, but I forgot to take it in and was not going back out for it) and also cleared the snow all the way across the top step so that the door would open in an emergency.
Finally exhausted we came back into the house. I could not feel my toes. Husband looked as if he would pass out. We lost a small piece off the snow blower - a knob - which we have lost before, found it, but are still missing the nut to it and hope to find it tomorrow when it is light out. (By 4 pm when we started it was dark out - and our garage light is on a motion detector, so when it went out one of us had to run to where it would go back on.) When he was coming to the end of the snow clearing he heard a noise in the blower which upset him - we later found out, he ran over the Christmas lights on one of the low bushes - good thing I told him to shut off the electricity to the lights last night. Schools are already closed for tomorrow. The weather is suppose to remain 15 degrees F or less until at least Monday, so there will be a lot of ice on the driveway.
I had told him to do a bit of the snow clearing, then in the house and rest a bit. But, being a man, it all had to be done at once, of course.
After dinner I went upstairs and did the paperwork I planned to do today and never got to. Moving some money around to pay bills, paying the bills, and a birthday card for my brother in law and one for the daughter of the neighbor who helped us out. Both birthdays are Monday and one bill is due out by then - not sure if we will get to the post office (and bank) in time for them to go out before Monday, but if they can, we are ready.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
We had a quiet New Year’s Eve.
The way I look at it, every day is the start of a New Year. I don’t make resolutions - the last one I made I have kept ever since, it was not to make any more resolutions. I look for what I can do (or not do) and then do my best to follow up. Resolutions are usually to broad to be followed and then one feels bad for not doing so.
And if you make resolutions and don’t keep them - remember every day is the start of a new year and one can start fresh.
Happy New Year.
Well, storms do not always do what they are predicted to do, and we got 10 inches! We had spent
Friday, January 5, 2018
Thursday, December 28, 2017
LOST A CHRISTMAS GIFT
I finished decorating our main Christmas tree and our studio tree on Christmas Eve Day. I went to wrap the gifts - such as they are. I pulled out the shopping bag that I had stored them in from the back of the dining room table. I brought down the Christmas/Chanukah wrapping holder. (This is a hanging item which holds the wrapping paper, decorative bags, tissue paper, etc. as well as an envelope with printed labels which we use instead of buying gift tags - they are done in a Christmas font and have the name of the person who is getting the gift and our names. Right now we are only using the ones with his nieces’ names on them.
I wrapped the two gifts for one of his nieces and put on tags - I put them in a smaller shopping bag to give to her. I then went to wrap the gift card we had bought for her sister. I could not find it. I looked in the shopping bag of gifts. I looked everywhere in the house - including every pocket of every jacket in the closet. Even though there was a big rainstorm I went out and checked both our car and our van. Husband looked everywhere. For some reason he did not give me the “you have to be more careful with things like this” lecture. (I think he finally is understanding that my sudden disorganization with things like this is the fault of not having a chance to put things where they belong due to excessive running of errands.) Husband said that we would give his niece cash and when we find the card - which we assume we will some day - we will find some use for it. (This being rather limited as we don’t really shop at the store in question.) I found a small gift box and husband made a cute note on the computer as to what the money was for and I wrapped it.
Now, this is basically the wrapping that needed to be done - but husband had bought some items for himself so I stuck what I could in recycled decorative holiday bags and wrapped the two items which would not fit into same. I stuck a small book I had bought and a stuffed teddy bear I had bought into additional recycled gift bags and stuck it all under the tree. I try not to waste wrapping paper on our stuff as we each buy our own “gifts” if we happen upon something.
Husband started feeling a cold coming in and the weather was to become bad during the evening, so we went to 4 pm mass instead of waiting for midnight mass. We came home and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner - and of course we ate it - with lots of leftovers.
What I had not had a chance to do was put up my teddy bear village. I started it on Christmas Day - but everything was going wrong with the tree for the village - I am guessing it has reached the end of its life and I will need a new one next year - the branches keep sagging and the lights seem to all be turning white from their various colors. We left for Christmas Day dinner and I have not gotten back to work on the village since. I am changing the name of it to “Teddy Bear Winter Festival Village” so that it can stay up longer.
Starting the day after Christmas we have been doing a Candlelight Nights Event at the local restoration village with our reenactment unit - we are in the only house which is set up as a 1700s house. It is a favorite event. The weather has taken a turn for COLD and about to get COLDER with possible snow or freezing rain either or both of the last two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event. We had 1100 people come through the village the night after Christmas - the “warmest” night of the week and tonight there were 700 - not bad based on how cold it was.
Unfortunately doing this evening event actually takes up almost all of our time as husband is in charge of it for our unit. Remember we don’t get up early - to be polite. So we wake, have lunch run an errand - maybe - come home and dress in period clothes, drive to the “village”, set up the house, do the event, close down the house, drive home, change clothes back, cook dinner (at 11 pm) eat, try to get some chores done and maybe check some email, have snack and go to bed to start over. The event runs 5 pm to 9:30 but involves us starting to get ready at 3 pm and by the time we are changed back to modern clothes it is 11 pm. We have 3 more nights - unless the weather is too bad on Friday and/or Saturday and the “village” closes. The unit takes over the house as if there is an 18th century holiday party in the house and we and the public coming through are the guests. A few members play period music - especially Christmas, others sing, some of us do first person interpretation - we are someone from the period and know nothing past the same date in 1775, and others talk about the house as modern people. The public seems to enjoy it - some people tell my husband that they come to the village for the event every year just to see our unit, and we have had current descendants of the family who lived in the house visit and say how wonderful it is. It is exhausting, but fun.
I have not entered the chores, repeating appointments, etc for next year into either my cell phone or the setup I have on the computer - I did not even have a chance to make up a list. The newspapers piling up are approaching a week’s worth unread. I have mail stacking up on my desk, and the teddy village awaits yet. This is about the worst December for getting things done in some time.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
If you lose something, after searching “everywhere” for it and not finding it - give up and find an alternative.
I hope all have a wonderful New Year - as I have mentioned before I do not make any resolutions as they are, well, never kept and one feels guilty about it. I do reflect on the year past and try to do better in the year to come.
I wrapped the two gifts for one of his nieces and put on tags - I put them in a smaller shopping bag to give to her. I then went to wrap the gift card we had bought for her sister. I could not find it. I looked in the shopping bag of gifts. I looked everywhere in the house - including every pocket of every jacket in the closet. Even though there was a big rainstorm I went out and checked both our car and our van. Husband looked everywhere. For some reason he did not give me the “you have to be more careful with things like this” lecture. (I think he finally is understanding that my sudden disorganization with things like this is the fault of not having a chance to put things where they belong due to excessive running of errands.) Husband said that we would give his niece cash and when we find the card - which we assume we will some day - we will find some use for it. (This being rather limited as we don’t really shop at the store in question.) I found a small gift box and husband made a cute note on the computer as to what the money was for and I wrapped it.
Now, this is basically the wrapping that needed to be done - but husband had bought some items for himself so I stuck what I could in recycled decorative holiday bags and wrapped the two items which would not fit into same. I stuck a small book I had bought and a stuffed teddy bear I had bought into additional recycled gift bags and stuck it all under the tree. I try not to waste wrapping paper on our stuff as we each buy our own “gifts” if we happen upon something.
Husband started feeling a cold coming in and the weather was to become bad during the evening, so we went to 4 pm mass instead of waiting for midnight mass. We came home and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner - and of course we ate it - with lots of leftovers.
What I had not had a chance to do was put up my teddy bear village. I started it on Christmas Day - but everything was going wrong with the tree for the village - I am guessing it has reached the end of its life and I will need a new one next year - the branches keep sagging and the lights seem to all be turning white from their various colors. We left for Christmas Day dinner and I have not gotten back to work on the village since. I am changing the name of it to “Teddy Bear Winter Festival Village” so that it can stay up longer.
Starting the day after Christmas we have been doing a Candlelight Nights Event at the local restoration village with our reenactment unit - we are in the only house which is set up as a 1700s house. It is a favorite event. The weather has taken a turn for COLD and about to get COLDER with possible snow or freezing rain either or both of the last two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event. We had 1100 people come through the village the night after Christmas - the “warmest” night of the week and tonight there were 700 - not bad based on how cold it was.
Unfortunately doing this evening event actually takes up almost all of our time as husband is in charge of it for our unit. Remember we don’t get up early - to be polite. So we wake, have lunch run an errand - maybe - come home and dress in period clothes, drive to the “village”, set up the house, do the event, close down the house, drive home, change clothes back, cook dinner (at 11 pm) eat, try to get some chores done and maybe check some email, have snack and go to bed to start over. The event runs 5 pm to 9:30 but involves us starting to get ready at 3 pm and by the time we are changed back to modern clothes it is 11 pm. We have 3 more nights - unless the weather is too bad on Friday and/or Saturday and the “village” closes. The unit takes over the house as if there is an 18th century holiday party in the house and we and the public coming through are the guests. A few members play period music - especially Christmas, others sing, some of us do first person interpretation - we are someone from the period and know nothing past the same date in 1775, and others talk about the house as modern people. The public seems to enjoy it - some people tell my husband that they come to the village for the event every year just to see our unit, and we have had current descendants of the family who lived in the house visit and say how wonderful it is. It is exhausting, but fun.
I have not entered the chores, repeating appointments, etc for next year into either my cell phone or the setup I have on the computer - I did not even have a chance to make up a list. The newspapers piling up are approaching a week’s worth unread. I have mail stacking up on my desk, and the teddy village awaits yet. This is about the worst December for getting things done in some time.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
If you lose something, after searching “everywhere” for it and not finding it - give up and find an alternative.
I hope all have a wonderful New Year - as I have mentioned before I do not make any resolutions as they are, well, never kept and one feels guilty about it. I do reflect on the year past and try to do better in the year to come.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
IT WOULD BE ENOUGH
I managed to get the dining room decorations finished over the weekend. I also decluttered it a bit - and hid what has to stay a bit better. The small Christmas tree I put up in there is up and decorated with the brass ornaments we get with our membership in Colonial Williamsburg. A silverplated tea caddy ornament (we bought the full size caddy on sale one year and the ornament came with it) hangs at the top of the tree instead of an angel or star.
Sounds simple right? To get ready to set up the tree I had to store away husband’s DVDs which have accumulated since last Christmas. The new ones sat on the chest he made to store his DVDs because - yes - it filled a few years ago. We have a secretary (piece of furniture- drawers with fold down front for desk and shelves above it - green curtain inside hides the shelves and what is on them). It was bought to be used as a bar and to hold table linens in the drawer. The shelves held assorted bar and my good glasses. I have been clearing it out as I can to make room for - yes - more DVDs. Most of the bottom of the 3 shelves is DVD storage - I donated unneeded, unused glassware in the kitchen last year and moved most of my good glasses to where they had been to make the room for these DVDs. I just donated a set of small wine glasses we never used earlier this month. I want to get rid of most if not all of the bar ware as it was rarely used when we had people in and that will give him more room. But, back to the chest now. I ended up with DVDs that there was no room for and set them aside. The chest when it was built by my husband was put on wheels just for this - I pushed it from the living room to the dining room. Other than having to jump a molding between the living room and front hall, it is easy to push. It goes against the far wall in the dining room. The table is moved to the center of the room for this - it is normally pushed against the same far wall. This gives room in the living room for the big tree (where the chest was) and a place to put the dining room tree. I put the leftover, homeless DVDs behind the tree and then found a nice throw we received from CW some years ago, folded it in half lengthwise and wrapped the bottom of the tree - and the DVDs behind it - it looks like a nice tree skirt and the DVDs are hidden.
Sunday I also started bringing up the parts of the big tree and stuck them together - and the small tree that goes in our studio. The studio tree gets ornaments we have made - but some also go on the big tree and all are stored together, so they get decorated together. I figured - okay, we are close on time, but not too bad to get done before Christmas. I had planned on Monday night to spread out the branches and make the big tree look nice and add the lights - along with our traditional first 3 items - the angel topper and two angels all stitched by me or my husband.
Then we got an order on our Etsy account. We don’t get a lot of orders and they are mostly of the smallest of the items we sell. This was for a medium priced item and I had to do the paperwork before I started working on the tree - okay, I figured, half an hour. Yeah, right. Paypal changed their website and we got so confused trying to buy postage and print the label that we ended up doing it twice and had to cancel one of them. So the entire evening was gone and no work on the tree.
Tuesday we went to the eye doctor. He is in the next county so we go to together. We can’t come home right away as neither of can see enough to drive that much so we go to stores near him. (Good eye report, thank goodness.) We ended up having dinner out at Ikea on the way home. I did get the tree arranged and the lights and first three items on it at night.
Tonight I took the exam I had to take and now the exams are done with until the middle of next year. But by the time I was done, and taking into consideration doing the laundry and writing to all of you - no time for the tree tonight. Oh, well, at least gift shopping is over - we are done with his nieces and I will mail checks to my niece and nephew.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
One can only do what one can do. For the Passover holiday in the spring there is a song which translates to “it would have been enough” - it talks about things that God did to help the Jews leave Egypt and after each item is mentioned the refrain is “it would have been enough”.
If the tree is finished at the last minute it will done then. If it is not finished then however it is, it is finished (and I can always add on after the holiday). My teddy village will be done when it is done. It is often not worked on until Christmas Eve or Day or later (I guess that is why it stays up so long).
My point being that whatever is done when the holiday come is enough. If stuff is shoved into a bag and stuffed behind a bench - that is good enough if that is all there is time for. A few years ago for two years we had one little tree with only a limited decorations - and that was enough.
I take the time now to wish all who celebrate, a Pleasant Christmas (merry sounds too demanding).
Sounds simple right? To get ready to set up the tree I had to store away husband’s DVDs which have accumulated since last Christmas. The new ones sat on the chest he made to store his DVDs because - yes - it filled a few years ago. We have a secretary (piece of furniture- drawers with fold down front for desk and shelves above it - green curtain inside hides the shelves and what is on them). It was bought to be used as a bar and to hold table linens in the drawer. The shelves held assorted bar and my good glasses. I have been clearing it out as I can to make room for - yes - more DVDs. Most of the bottom of the 3 shelves is DVD storage - I donated unneeded, unused glassware in the kitchen last year and moved most of my good glasses to where they had been to make the room for these DVDs. I just donated a set of small wine glasses we never used earlier this month. I want to get rid of most if not all of the bar ware as it was rarely used when we had people in and that will give him more room. But, back to the chest now. I ended up with DVDs that there was no room for and set them aside. The chest when it was built by my husband was put on wheels just for this - I pushed it from the living room to the dining room. Other than having to jump a molding between the living room and front hall, it is easy to push. It goes against the far wall in the dining room. The table is moved to the center of the room for this - it is normally pushed against the same far wall. This gives room in the living room for the big tree (where the chest was) and a place to put the dining room tree. I put the leftover, homeless DVDs behind the tree and then found a nice throw we received from CW some years ago, folded it in half lengthwise and wrapped the bottom of the tree - and the DVDs behind it - it looks like a nice tree skirt and the DVDs are hidden.
Sunday I also started bringing up the parts of the big tree and stuck them together - and the small tree that goes in our studio. The studio tree gets ornaments we have made - but some also go on the big tree and all are stored together, so they get decorated together. I figured - okay, we are close on time, but not too bad to get done before Christmas. I had planned on Monday night to spread out the branches and make the big tree look nice and add the lights - along with our traditional first 3 items - the angel topper and two angels all stitched by me or my husband.
Then we got an order on our Etsy account. We don’t get a lot of orders and they are mostly of the smallest of the items we sell. This was for a medium priced item and I had to do the paperwork before I started working on the tree - okay, I figured, half an hour. Yeah, right. Paypal changed their website and we got so confused trying to buy postage and print the label that we ended up doing it twice and had to cancel one of them. So the entire evening was gone and no work on the tree.
Tuesday we went to the eye doctor. He is in the next county so we go to together. We can’t come home right away as neither of can see enough to drive that much so we go to stores near him. (Good eye report, thank goodness.) We ended up having dinner out at Ikea on the way home. I did get the tree arranged and the lights and first three items on it at night.
Tonight I took the exam I had to take and now the exams are done with until the middle of next year. But by the time I was done, and taking into consideration doing the laundry and writing to all of you - no time for the tree tonight. Oh, well, at least gift shopping is over - we are done with his nieces and I will mail checks to my niece and nephew.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
One can only do what one can do. For the Passover holiday in the spring there is a song which translates to “it would have been enough” - it talks about things that God did to help the Jews leave Egypt and after each item is mentioned the refrain is “it would have been enough”.
If the tree is finished at the last minute it will done then. If it is not finished then however it is, it is finished (and I can always add on after the holiday). My teddy village will be done when it is done. It is often not worked on until Christmas Eve or Day or later (I guess that is why it stays up so long).
My point being that whatever is done when the holiday come is enough. If stuff is shoved into a bag and stuffed behind a bench - that is good enough if that is all there is time for. A few years ago for two years we had one little tree with only a limited decorations - and that was enough.
I take the time now to wish all who celebrate, a Pleasant Christmas (merry sounds too demanding).
Thursday, December 14, 2017
TOO MUCH TO DO AT ONCE
Well Christmas is closer than I thought - and so is Chanukah (which is already here). But only a small part of my efforts have gone towards the indoor decorating.
Last Friday we took a day trip to, yes, Lancaster, PA. For once the trip went well. Even though it was a day trip we went in our tiny RV. Why? Well, after my problems with our car last month (stalling when I stopped and having to be restarted and our service guys found nothing), the RV not getting enough driving due to our few trips this year, and the fact we wanted to buy some local foods from there for the winter - we decided to take the RV. We left early (for us) and we were there by noon.
Husband had wanted some additional attachments for his loom and the wool store he buys loom things at is there - he called ahead and the stuff was waiting. The ladies there are very nice and chatty - as are we normally - but we made our apologies and explained that we were on a very tight schedule and paid for the items and left.
We actually went backwards a bit and went to one of the large farmer’s markets there that we like to go to. It was rather cold and we would have had a problem eating the submarine sandwiches we buy from a local place as the seating is outside - but we had the RV! We went back, turned one front seat around, pulled the table out - took out the cold can of soda we had brought in the fridge and had lunch. When finished, we turned the seat back to the front, put away the tables and took the garbage to toss in a bin. Most of the day vendors - the ones who come and set up tents and tables by their vehicles - were not there due to the weather, but there are still buildings and buildings - and outdoor stands - of vendors. We always enjoy just walking around and we have been going there together for over 40 years together so it feels like home - some vendors even know us by sight and they feel like friends - of course in all that time a lot of them have retired or passed away and we miss them when we pass by their spaces - of occupied by new vendors. One vendor (not sure if I have mentioned this) is consolidating her stores from the 3 large markets in the area and the one she has at home - two of the stores are now closed. She had been selling out her very discounted items at 50% and this year went down to 60% off. I always think that I have bought everything she might have had that we would want - and find something different (I won’t say new as nothing is new - not used, just there a long time.) I have added greatly to my Christmas bear village and my bear collection in general since she started consolidating.
When we went to leave the market it was 4:30. We had hope to get to the local butcher whose ham and (lunch/dinner) sausages we love - and husband loves their chicken salad - but we thought it too late to get there while they were open. I pulled out my cellphone and found out they were open until 7 pm - and we knew they were on the way to where we planned to eat dinner. We bought a ham section, sausages, and chicken salad for him to have for dinner one night. We would have bought another ham section - but a tiny RV has a tiny fridge and it would not fit with the rest.
On to dinner at a local supermarket which has a buffet in an restaurant in the building (and nice looking other dishes on their menu also) and had dinner. We even got a seat in our favorite area of the restaurant. (Although to be fair, it was the waitress who was in this section that made it our favorite and she had a baby last year and is mostly not there when we go.) After dinner we started home.
Now, on and off the report was that it was suppose to snow or rain when we would be coming home. It then changed to snow the next day. Just in case the first report was right, we brought a day’s worth of medications and a change of clothes - we could have stayed if needed, but the weather held. As we left the restaurant husband turned to me with a smile and said “We got it all done. How great!”
Tuesday I went to my accounting client to do her books. Wednesday (today) is the 13th and she has a major fear of 13 and will not let me come on the 13th (I don’t even call on the 13th for an appointment) and Thursday we are suppose to have snow. A bit of confusion while I was there - but in the end everything worked out - finally - thank goodness. All the past problems are resolved. Coming home - the darn car had the same problem as last month. This time they were able to find some “codes” which were not right and they replacing solenoids which hopefully will fix it. Having dealt with this last month, I did my best not to stop - just roll slowly when a stop was coming if I had room - and tried to pick roads that I would have the least problem with constant stops (during rush hour) for one of the last parts I took a local street as I knew that it was not heavily traveled - drivers were much nastier this time than last - much horn beeping at me - last month none.
I think I have mentioned that I have to take 20 hours of classes to keep being able to prepare tax returns and represent clients at IRS each year. I signed up (again) with an online company one course at a time (varying from 1 to 4 hours) I have completed all but the big 6 hour course which has a 3 hour, timed, exam. Tonight was when I finished the last of the smaller courses. I have next Wednesday night marked on my calendar to take the big exam. I have until the end of the month to take it - and I get 3 chances, I am hoping to only need 1 chance to pass it.
I was so busy with everything that I almost forgot Chanukah (remember, despite the Christmas decorating I am Jewish). Good thing I had a reminder in my cell phone and Tuesday night I pulled out my menorah (traditional candelabra) and stuck in a candle for the first night and a candle for the “worker candle” (one is suppose to light this candle and use it to light the other candles) for the first night. Tonight I lit 2 candles plus the worker candle.
I did more work on the few decorations in the dining room. Tonight before sitting down to write (while taking the laundry downstairs to start the first load) I pulled out assorted soft items - mostly bears - that sit around in the living room - and “Rodney Reindeer” who sits in the hall on the top of our clock/door bell mechanism. When I go down to switch loads, more will be done in to finish the dining room decorations. Lots more decorating to do and I have to figure out when and how to get it done - somehow I always do, even if some go up on Christmas Day!
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Take time to breathe and rest as you are getting ready for the holidays. Don’t go over budget on shopping. Stop and enjoy what you are doing. (I actually talk to the decorations and ornaments when I put them out welcoming them back as old friends - ok, I know that I am a bit looney.” Maybe send a card with a quick note in it to an old friend you keep meaning to contact.
Look at the decorations of others and take time to enjoy them. (Thank goodness, when they finished putting out their Christmas decorations, my neighbors actually finished taking down their holiday decorations - no more witch looking at me - I really enjoy that.) If there is a drive or walk through light event - especially if you have children - maybe go and see it (and around here I know, help out a good cause).
Remember those less fortunate then you at this time of year.
Last Friday we took a day trip to, yes, Lancaster, PA. For once the trip went well. Even though it was a day trip we went in our tiny RV. Why? Well, after my problems with our car last month (stalling when I stopped and having to be restarted and our service guys found nothing), the RV not getting enough driving due to our few trips this year, and the fact we wanted to buy some local foods from there for the winter - we decided to take the RV. We left early (for us) and we were there by noon.
Husband had wanted some additional attachments for his loom and the wool store he buys loom things at is there - he called ahead and the stuff was waiting. The ladies there are very nice and chatty - as are we normally - but we made our apologies and explained that we were on a very tight schedule and paid for the items and left.
We actually went backwards a bit and went to one of the large farmer’s markets there that we like to go to. It was rather cold and we would have had a problem eating the submarine sandwiches we buy from a local place as the seating is outside - but we had the RV! We went back, turned one front seat around, pulled the table out - took out the cold can of soda we had brought in the fridge and had lunch. When finished, we turned the seat back to the front, put away the tables and took the garbage to toss in a bin. Most of the day vendors - the ones who come and set up tents and tables by their vehicles - were not there due to the weather, but there are still buildings and buildings - and outdoor stands - of vendors. We always enjoy just walking around and we have been going there together for over 40 years together so it feels like home - some vendors even know us by sight and they feel like friends - of course in all that time a lot of them have retired or passed away and we miss them when we pass by their spaces - of occupied by new vendors. One vendor (not sure if I have mentioned this) is consolidating her stores from the 3 large markets in the area and the one she has at home - two of the stores are now closed. She had been selling out her very discounted items at 50% and this year went down to 60% off. I always think that I have bought everything she might have had that we would want - and find something different (I won’t say new as nothing is new - not used, just there a long time.) I have added greatly to my Christmas bear village and my bear collection in general since she started consolidating.
When we went to leave the market it was 4:30. We had hope to get to the local butcher whose ham and (lunch/dinner) sausages we love - and husband loves their chicken salad - but we thought it too late to get there while they were open. I pulled out my cellphone and found out they were open until 7 pm - and we knew they were on the way to where we planned to eat dinner. We bought a ham section, sausages, and chicken salad for him to have for dinner one night. We would have bought another ham section - but a tiny RV has a tiny fridge and it would not fit with the rest.
On to dinner at a local supermarket which has a buffet in an restaurant in the building (and nice looking other dishes on their menu also) and had dinner. We even got a seat in our favorite area of the restaurant. (Although to be fair, it was the waitress who was in this section that made it our favorite and she had a baby last year and is mostly not there when we go.) After dinner we started home.
Now, on and off the report was that it was suppose to snow or rain when we would be coming home. It then changed to snow the next day. Just in case the first report was right, we brought a day’s worth of medications and a change of clothes - we could have stayed if needed, but the weather held. As we left the restaurant husband turned to me with a smile and said “We got it all done. How great!”
Tuesday I went to my accounting client to do her books. Wednesday (today) is the 13th and she has a major fear of 13 and will not let me come on the 13th (I don’t even call on the 13th for an appointment) and Thursday we are suppose to have snow. A bit of confusion while I was there - but in the end everything worked out - finally - thank goodness. All the past problems are resolved. Coming home - the darn car had the same problem as last month. This time they were able to find some “codes” which were not right and they replacing solenoids which hopefully will fix it. Having dealt with this last month, I did my best not to stop - just roll slowly when a stop was coming if I had room - and tried to pick roads that I would have the least problem with constant stops (during rush hour) for one of the last parts I took a local street as I knew that it was not heavily traveled - drivers were much nastier this time than last - much horn beeping at me - last month none.
I think I have mentioned that I have to take 20 hours of classes to keep being able to prepare tax returns and represent clients at IRS each year. I signed up (again) with an online company one course at a time (varying from 1 to 4 hours) I have completed all but the big 6 hour course which has a 3 hour, timed, exam. Tonight was when I finished the last of the smaller courses. I have next Wednesday night marked on my calendar to take the big exam. I have until the end of the month to take it - and I get 3 chances, I am hoping to only need 1 chance to pass it.
I was so busy with everything that I almost forgot Chanukah (remember, despite the Christmas decorating I am Jewish). Good thing I had a reminder in my cell phone and Tuesday night I pulled out my menorah (traditional candelabra) and stuck in a candle for the first night and a candle for the “worker candle” (one is suppose to light this candle and use it to light the other candles) for the first night. Tonight I lit 2 candles plus the worker candle.
I did more work on the few decorations in the dining room. Tonight before sitting down to write (while taking the laundry downstairs to start the first load) I pulled out assorted soft items - mostly bears - that sit around in the living room - and “Rodney Reindeer” who sits in the hall on the top of our clock/door bell mechanism. When I go down to switch loads, more will be done in to finish the dining room decorations. Lots more decorating to do and I have to figure out when and how to get it done - somehow I always do, even if some go up on Christmas Day!
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Take time to breathe and rest as you are getting ready for the holidays. Don’t go over budget on shopping. Stop and enjoy what you are doing. (I actually talk to the decorations and ornaments when I put them out welcoming them back as old friends - ok, I know that I am a bit looney.” Maybe send a card with a quick note in it to an old friend you keep meaning to contact.
Look at the decorations of others and take time to enjoy them. (Thank goodness, when they finished putting out their Christmas decorations, my neighbors actually finished taking down their holiday decorations - no more witch looking at me - I really enjoy that.) If there is a drive or walk through light event - especially if you have children - maybe go and see it (and around here I know, help out a good cause).
Remember those less fortunate then you at this time of year.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Missing items and items forgotten about appear when decorating and decluttering
Last week I talked about putting out our outdoor Christmas decorations. I also had the boldness to say that because I know where the Christmas items are stored it is easy to find them. I apparently lied without knowing it.
We had not put our battery candles in the front windows when we put up the lights outside. While technically inside the house as they are placed inside the windows, their purpose is to be seen from outside, so I consider them to be outside decorations. When we remembered that we had forgotten to put them in place I immediately went to my candle drawer (holds all manner of candles) where I know I keep them. They were not there - I took everything out of the drawer to check. I looked in the drawer next to the candle drawer to see if I stuck them there - perhaps the candle drawer was too full? These drawers are under our living room TV which is (old and analog and) in a cabinet we bought for it and the drawers are in the cabinet. I then looked in all the “logical” places - the drawers in the end tables next to the sofa, the secretary - shelves and drawers - no candles.
Where could they be - maybe in with the inside the house decorations in 2 boxes in the basement? I got the two boxes and opened and went through them - no candles. I figured that sooner or later they would show up in my Christmas decorating and I was not going to go crazy over them.
I decided that since the boxes had been brought up and were sitting there and I had a hour or two until we went out for dinner, I would start putting out the decorations. The decorations are artificial greens and swags and other small items to put out. I started on the dining room decorations as husband still has his loom set up in the living room. I put items here and there in the dining room and front hall (the items in the same box). I came across two candle rings (small fake flowers in a ring intended to sit around the base of stubby candles) and I had an “aha” moment and knew where the window candles were.
In addition to the plastic boxes in the basement I have 3 decorative boxes with Christmas items upstairs in a trunk at the top of the stairs, with some other Christmas decorations - two large angels and such. The candles for the rings are in one of the decorative boxes - and I knew that the window candles must be in one also. I went upstairs, moved the 3 families of bears who “live” on the trunk and opened it - there were the boxes and yes, the window candles were in there. I took them out and put the boxes and bears back for now. I put the candles on my desk as they have timers and have to be lit at the time I want them to go on. A couple of days later I remembered at the right time and set them up with batteries and put them in the window - at last the outside lights are finished for this year!
I have been somewhat busy since then as I had my embroidery chapter meeting today and had to get paperwork together for it. Also, I was not doing the project the group was doing at the meeting as I thought I would be away, so I had to pick something to bring to work on at the meeting.
I also did a bit of decluttering. We have 2 corner cabinets in our living room - they each have display shelves in the main part of them and then 2 shelves in a closed door cabinet at the bottom for storage. One of them has items I somewhat often use for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. The other has items we either have never used or have not used in decades. In addition to wanting to get rid of them in general, I figure with the tax law changes under discussion, this might be my last chance to donate them and get a tax advantage from same. My husband is big on keeping things - “we might need it one day” or “maybe we could sell this, keep it”. I would never get rid of anything of his, but I have to argue to get rid things that are mine also. So while he was busy upstairs, I went through what was in the bottom of the cabinet. I pulled out to donate glass serving bowls, glass platters, glass cake server which also can be a punch server, several candy dishes (in unopened boxes). I brought them all to the kitchen, listed them on a piece of paper, and stored them in large shopping bags in our studio on my side of the room - he would just figure it was bags of my stuff (or his) if he saw them. I also had some things to go on computers (not electronic stuff - paper holder that attaches to a monitor and the like) which had been waiting to go to storage or donation for at least 15 years. Also a decorative jar that the lid just sits on -does not screw on for storage. 6 small wine glasses with a silver dipped edge - his mom’s, we got them after she died and we had previously discussed that they could be gotten rid of. Lastly - when we replaced our mailbox earlier this year, we put the old one aside in the garage “in case the new one did not work out”. This past weekend he had tripped on it in the garage while putting up the Christmas lights and swore at it - it was definitely time for it to go.
Normally I would have put all this (5 bags worth plus the mailbox) in the car Tuesday nights - along with the soda bottles to be returned for deposit - but it was raining. The soda bottles went out earlier in the evening, but not the donations. So this morning I loaded them into the car. After my meeting and various errands I drove to Goodwill and donated the stuff and then went to Walmart and returned the soda bottles. Well, a small bit more room in the house. I am trying to figure out what should now go in the bottom of that cabinet - there are some items I kept - mostly a hand crafted coffee set someone gave us as a wedding gift - I kept it as it is from someone he knew and won’t get rid of it without permission. There are also display items in the cabinet for the items (a set of bear figurines which I rotate by month and need to raise some up so all can be seen) in the cabinet, which I left - I did find a box of the figurines I bought in the last couple of years as they have made a reappearance at flea markets and back stored stock of a store; I knew that there were more of them than I had found! I have to organize all the new ones so they join the right month’s group of the ones I have. (You know - lovers in February, flowers in May, graduates in June and so on.)
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes even when one thinks all is organized one is not - and items may happily appear as one unpacks items to be put out or when one goes through items to get rid of.
I hope that none of you are in the area of the terrible fires in southern California.
We had not put our battery candles in the front windows when we put up the lights outside. While technically inside the house as they are placed inside the windows, their purpose is to be seen from outside, so I consider them to be outside decorations. When we remembered that we had forgotten to put them in place I immediately went to my candle drawer (holds all manner of candles) where I know I keep them. They were not there - I took everything out of the drawer to check. I looked in the drawer next to the candle drawer to see if I stuck them there - perhaps the candle drawer was too full? These drawers are under our living room TV which is (old and analog and) in a cabinet we bought for it and the drawers are in the cabinet. I then looked in all the “logical” places - the drawers in the end tables next to the sofa, the secretary - shelves and drawers - no candles.
Where could they be - maybe in with the inside the house decorations in 2 boxes in the basement? I got the two boxes and opened and went through them - no candles. I figured that sooner or later they would show up in my Christmas decorating and I was not going to go crazy over them.
I decided that since the boxes had been brought up and were sitting there and I had a hour or two until we went out for dinner, I would start putting out the decorations. The decorations are artificial greens and swags and other small items to put out. I started on the dining room decorations as husband still has his loom set up in the living room. I put items here and there in the dining room and front hall (the items in the same box). I came across two candle rings (small fake flowers in a ring intended to sit around the base of stubby candles) and I had an “aha” moment and knew where the window candles were.
In addition to the plastic boxes in the basement I have 3 decorative boxes with Christmas items upstairs in a trunk at the top of the stairs, with some other Christmas decorations - two large angels and such. The candles for the rings are in one of the decorative boxes - and I knew that the window candles must be in one also. I went upstairs, moved the 3 families of bears who “live” on the trunk and opened it - there were the boxes and yes, the window candles were in there. I took them out and put the boxes and bears back for now. I put the candles on my desk as they have timers and have to be lit at the time I want them to go on. A couple of days later I remembered at the right time and set them up with batteries and put them in the window - at last the outside lights are finished for this year!
I have been somewhat busy since then as I had my embroidery chapter meeting today and had to get paperwork together for it. Also, I was not doing the project the group was doing at the meeting as I thought I would be away, so I had to pick something to bring to work on at the meeting.
I also did a bit of decluttering. We have 2 corner cabinets in our living room - they each have display shelves in the main part of them and then 2 shelves in a closed door cabinet at the bottom for storage. One of them has items I somewhat often use for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. The other has items we either have never used or have not used in decades. In addition to wanting to get rid of them in general, I figure with the tax law changes under discussion, this might be my last chance to donate them and get a tax advantage from same. My husband is big on keeping things - “we might need it one day” or “maybe we could sell this, keep it”. I would never get rid of anything of his, but I have to argue to get rid things that are mine also. So while he was busy upstairs, I went through what was in the bottom of the cabinet. I pulled out to donate glass serving bowls, glass platters, glass cake server which also can be a punch server, several candy dishes (in unopened boxes). I brought them all to the kitchen, listed them on a piece of paper, and stored them in large shopping bags in our studio on my side of the room - he would just figure it was bags of my stuff (or his) if he saw them. I also had some things to go on computers (not electronic stuff - paper holder that attaches to a monitor and the like) which had been waiting to go to storage or donation for at least 15 years. Also a decorative jar that the lid just sits on -does not screw on for storage. 6 small wine glasses with a silver dipped edge - his mom’s, we got them after she died and we had previously discussed that they could be gotten rid of. Lastly - when we replaced our mailbox earlier this year, we put the old one aside in the garage “in case the new one did not work out”. This past weekend he had tripped on it in the garage while putting up the Christmas lights and swore at it - it was definitely time for it to go.
Normally I would have put all this (5 bags worth plus the mailbox) in the car Tuesday nights - along with the soda bottles to be returned for deposit - but it was raining. The soda bottles went out earlier in the evening, but not the donations. So this morning I loaded them into the car. After my meeting and various errands I drove to Goodwill and donated the stuff and then went to Walmart and returned the soda bottles. Well, a small bit more room in the house. I am trying to figure out what should now go in the bottom of that cabinet - there are some items I kept - mostly a hand crafted coffee set someone gave us as a wedding gift - I kept it as it is from someone he knew and won’t get rid of it without permission. There are also display items in the cabinet for the items (a set of bear figurines which I rotate by month and need to raise some up so all can be seen) in the cabinet, which I left - I did find a box of the figurines I bought in the last couple of years as they have made a reappearance at flea markets and back stored stock of a store; I knew that there were more of them than I had found! I have to organize all the new ones so they join the right month’s group of the ones I have. (You know - lovers in February, flowers in May, graduates in June and so on.)
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes even when one thinks all is organized one is not - and items may happily appear as one unpacks items to be put out or when one goes through items to get rid of.
I hope that none of you are in the area of the terrible fires in southern California.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
THANKSGIVING TURNING INTO CHRISTMAS
I hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving (if you are here in the U.S.) last week. Did you run out to shop during the day or the night - or did you at least wait until “Black Friday” to shop? Or are you waiting still to start shopping?
We had our Thanksgiving dinner, the two of us. I managed to bang my head - not once but twice - on the corner of the dining room table while putting away a table cover which should have been put away months and months ago - I bent over to put it in a bag and hit my head. I really screamed. Husband came in, “are you okay, and there, there’d” me and then gave me a lecture on making sure it was clear in front of me before bending over. He went back to cooking in the kitchen and I took 2 steps back and bent over again to put away the cover. I hit my head again on the same corner and same spot on my head - just less of the corner and got to listen to the lecture again. Worst of all it was the same spot on my head that I hit last month in our RV.
It was relatively easy to take out the china and items we needed. I had gone through the cabinet where it is all stored last year and donated a lot of items we did not need. Instead of needing to take out stacks and stacks of items, only one or two had to removed. How pleasant. I plan to work on the serving pieces stored in the living room next - I have better uses for the storage space there than bowls and platters we bought or received as gifts and have never used. Hmm, maybe I can finally get husband to hang two handled cups from when we were each a kid that match which are stored in the living room. He had the juice cup, I had the orange juice cup - but they match. They must have been popular cups for children back then.
The turkey had directions on it - basically we were to cook it at 325F, when the little popper popped we should test the breast with a thermometer and make sure it was at least 180F. There were also instructions to tent the turkey with foil and then remove same, and brush will oil a few times. Also on the turkey wrapping was a list of times to cook the turkey - only this said for a turkey cooked at 350F - 25 degrees higher than the instructions said to cook at. We discussed this - for a quite awhile. In the back of my head it seemed to me that I remember the same problem with the turkey from the same place last year, but could not remember what I did. We cooked it at the 325F with the logic that it could always be cooked more, but cooked not be cooked less if it was overcooked. About a half hour longer than the chart said (for cooking at 350F) the popper popped and I checked the turkey breast with a thermometer and it was 180F and rising. We took the turkey out and set it aside on the kitchen table to “set”.
In the interim we finished cooking other food items and had our soup. Husband then went to carve the turkey. The turkey breast looked wonderful as he carved into it - but as he went beyond the breast - the turkey was terribly undercooked. He finished carving the breast - moving it to another platter to do so. He then cut up the rest of the turkey - wings, legs, dark meat - and we placed it all on two oven trays to heat it further. I ended up with the 2 extra trays and 2 extra platters as a result of all this. We are not sure what went wrong - should we have cooked it at 350F instead? But the popper popped and it was the correct temperature on the thermometer. Husband has written a letter to the supermarket’s owner (this is one of those of stores where the owner’s photo is all off and he does the ads himself and is actually involved in his company day to day) asking what happened.
The dishes and all were washed Thanksgiving night. I have put all away. When I put my large platter back in the basement, I took out my “everyday” Christmas dishes and glasses. I washed them and we are using them. I move some of my normal everyday dishes higher in the cabinet - where I can’t normally reach stuff - to make room for these to fit in.
We had the leftover turkey etc for the second set of leftovers tonight. There is at least one dinner’s worth of turkey left - but that is all. It will either be eaten early next week or will be frozen.
We do not go shopping on Thanksgiving. We don’t go out for Black Friday sales either. Okay, one time husband wanted a small laptop that was going on Black Friday sale at a chain electronics store and we went and waited in line for it. He did get the laptop, but then again, it was still on sale at the same price - and in stock - the following week. It was not worth standing in line in the freezing cold. This store was rather well organized. There was a line. Items which were limited had coupons for them handed out to people by employees walking along the line, so the coupons were handed out to people based on where they were in line.
We have many times, including this year, while out on Friday to have lunch (at Wendys of course) and run errands gone past empty looking stores and malls by the time we went out. I had needed to renew a medication at the Walmart pharmacy and figured it would be ready over the weekend, but we were called Friday afternoon that it was ready decided to see how bad the crowds were. It was empty! Items which had been put out late Wednesday sealed up until the sales started, were still plentiful for the most part - husband started rooting through the DVDs. We have been in Walmarts again since then and still sale items are still in their displays - either less people came in than they thought would do so, or they intended for the sale items to be available long beyond last Friday.
When we woke up today I noticed the temperature was 61F - 61! I pointed this out to husband and suggested that today was the day to put up our outdoor Christmas decorations. He agreed. We checked our box at the post office, had lunch at Wendys and came home. We keep our outdoor decorations on a platform in the top of the garage. We used to have everything there for Christmas, but as we have aged and it is not that easy for husband to climb on a ladder and get everything - much is heavy - down, I moved the rest into our basement. He can now stand on his worktable (after clearing it off enough) and get the, only, two boxes of lights and wires, three potted artificial poinsettia, and 3 light up candy canes down. No more balancing on a ladder to hand me things. Much safer. We have some wreaths, swags, and such in our shed, but are not putting them up any longer - maybe again in the future.
We put the poinsettia in the same stands that hold our flowers the rest of the year. Husband made these poinsettia in pots. We bought artificial poinsettia which could go outside in the weather and 3 pots to fit the holders. He then bought a couple of cans of spray insulation - the kind that is a foam and expands to fit what it is in. He filled the pots and we added a poinsettia to each. The foam was topped with fake greens and they look great. 5 minutes and they are out in place.
We put lights on our bushes and a dwarf spruce tree. (The dwarf tree is now over 6 ft tall, I am so glad that I talked him out of a full size one.) Of course two set of lights did not work when tested - one of the ones which goes on the bushes and one that is red and white and goes around the white plastic pillar of our mailbox a bit of a candy cane look. We have in the boxes with the lights two electric boxes which stick into the ground. One is placed on one side of the front of our house and the other is placed on the other side of the front of our house. A long flat outdoor extension cord is plugged into the outdoor outlet and run across the front of the house, over the top of the stairs (under the door mat so no one trips) and the electric box on the side away from the outlet is plugged into it - and then the lights are plugged into the electric box. The electric box on the side of the house near the outlet is plugged into the other outlet in the wall box and the lights on that side of the front of the house plug into it.
After we put out and plugged in the lights that worked, we drove to Walmart to buy replacement. No white and red lights - no red lights on their own. We came back, put up the new light set on the bush that was short a set. Husband then took the red and white set into the garage, plugged it in and started shaking it. One half started working. So we wrapped the lit half of the strand around the mail box pillar and dropped the rest on the ground.
The wreath we bought last year for the front door was in the basement with the rest of the “in the house” decorations. The former one was decorated by husband as a copy of one we saw and liked at Colonial Williamsburg - only we used plastic fruit instead of real fruit so we could keep reusing it. The problem is that it had to hung on the outside of the storm door as it did not fit between the door and storm door - this involved annually rigging strands of fishing line around screws in the storm door and trying to adjust it so we could still see through the peep hole of the door - and remember we both on the short side. The new wreath has lights on it - lit by batteries with a timer so it is on for 6 hours every night at the same on and off time. Went up in less than 20 minutes with a magnetic hook on the door - and it is out of the weather, unlike the old wreath which if got covered snow might break free and fall.
So our house now looks presentable to the world. Husband is still trying to figure out where we could put one of those projector decorations - but the front of our house is just not set up for it.
Notice that because fixed place for the Christmas decorations in the garage and plastic boxes to hold the lights, wires, and plug in boxes for them, as well as an assigned spot in the basement to hold the Christmas decorations, it was easy and quick to find everything and put it out. The empty boxes in the garage were stacked on each other with the bags that the lights were kept in stored inside, relatively out of the way so that when we go to take down the lights - they will be easy to find again and then they will be put back up in garage along with poinsettia and the candy canes so that next week we will find them again.
Sometime next week I will put away my few Thanksgiving decorations in the house and then I will start putting out the Christmas ones. This year the holidays seem to be going okay.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
As you take out your holiday decorations and other items try to leave the packing in a way that it will be easy to find and put everything away after the holiday. If it is all a mess - try to figure out while you unpack items how you can better store them away at the end of the season to make them either to access next year, while not being in your way all year.
We had our Thanksgiving dinner, the two of us. I managed to bang my head - not once but twice - on the corner of the dining room table while putting away a table cover which should have been put away months and months ago - I bent over to put it in a bag and hit my head. I really screamed. Husband came in, “are you okay, and there, there’d” me and then gave me a lecture on making sure it was clear in front of me before bending over. He went back to cooking in the kitchen and I took 2 steps back and bent over again to put away the cover. I hit my head again on the same corner and same spot on my head - just less of the corner and got to listen to the lecture again. Worst of all it was the same spot on my head that I hit last month in our RV.
It was relatively easy to take out the china and items we needed. I had gone through the cabinet where it is all stored last year and donated a lot of items we did not need. Instead of needing to take out stacks and stacks of items, only one or two had to removed. How pleasant. I plan to work on the serving pieces stored in the living room next - I have better uses for the storage space there than bowls and platters we bought or received as gifts and have never used. Hmm, maybe I can finally get husband to hang two handled cups from when we were each a kid that match which are stored in the living room. He had the juice cup, I had the orange juice cup - but they match. They must have been popular cups for children back then.
The turkey had directions on it - basically we were to cook it at 325F, when the little popper popped we should test the breast with a thermometer and make sure it was at least 180F. There were also instructions to tent the turkey with foil and then remove same, and brush will oil a few times. Also on the turkey wrapping was a list of times to cook the turkey - only this said for a turkey cooked at 350F - 25 degrees higher than the instructions said to cook at. We discussed this - for a quite awhile. In the back of my head it seemed to me that I remember the same problem with the turkey from the same place last year, but could not remember what I did. We cooked it at the 325F with the logic that it could always be cooked more, but cooked not be cooked less if it was overcooked. About a half hour longer than the chart said (for cooking at 350F) the popper popped and I checked the turkey breast with a thermometer and it was 180F and rising. We took the turkey out and set it aside on the kitchen table to “set”.
In the interim we finished cooking other food items and had our soup. Husband then went to carve the turkey. The turkey breast looked wonderful as he carved into it - but as he went beyond the breast - the turkey was terribly undercooked. He finished carving the breast - moving it to another platter to do so. He then cut up the rest of the turkey - wings, legs, dark meat - and we placed it all on two oven trays to heat it further. I ended up with the 2 extra trays and 2 extra platters as a result of all this. We are not sure what went wrong - should we have cooked it at 350F instead? But the popper popped and it was the correct temperature on the thermometer. Husband has written a letter to the supermarket’s owner (this is one of those of stores where the owner’s photo is all off and he does the ads himself and is actually involved in his company day to day) asking what happened.
The dishes and all were washed Thanksgiving night. I have put all away. When I put my large platter back in the basement, I took out my “everyday” Christmas dishes and glasses. I washed them and we are using them. I move some of my normal everyday dishes higher in the cabinet - where I can’t normally reach stuff - to make room for these to fit in.
We had the leftover turkey etc for the second set of leftovers tonight. There is at least one dinner’s worth of turkey left - but that is all. It will either be eaten early next week or will be frozen.
We do not go shopping on Thanksgiving. We don’t go out for Black Friday sales either. Okay, one time husband wanted a small laptop that was going on Black Friday sale at a chain electronics store and we went and waited in line for it. He did get the laptop, but then again, it was still on sale at the same price - and in stock - the following week. It was not worth standing in line in the freezing cold. This store was rather well organized. There was a line. Items which were limited had coupons for them handed out to people by employees walking along the line, so the coupons were handed out to people based on where they were in line.
We have many times, including this year, while out on Friday to have lunch (at Wendys of course) and run errands gone past empty looking stores and malls by the time we went out. I had needed to renew a medication at the Walmart pharmacy and figured it would be ready over the weekend, but we were called Friday afternoon that it was ready decided to see how bad the crowds were. It was empty! Items which had been put out late Wednesday sealed up until the sales started, were still plentiful for the most part - husband started rooting through the DVDs. We have been in Walmarts again since then and still sale items are still in their displays - either less people came in than they thought would do so, or they intended for the sale items to be available long beyond last Friday.
When we woke up today I noticed the temperature was 61F - 61! I pointed this out to husband and suggested that today was the day to put up our outdoor Christmas decorations. He agreed. We checked our box at the post office, had lunch at Wendys and came home. We keep our outdoor decorations on a platform in the top of the garage. We used to have everything there for Christmas, but as we have aged and it is not that easy for husband to climb on a ladder and get everything - much is heavy - down, I moved the rest into our basement. He can now stand on his worktable (after clearing it off enough) and get the, only, two boxes of lights and wires, three potted artificial poinsettia, and 3 light up candy canes down. No more balancing on a ladder to hand me things. Much safer. We have some wreaths, swags, and such in our shed, but are not putting them up any longer - maybe again in the future.
We put the poinsettia in the same stands that hold our flowers the rest of the year. Husband made these poinsettia in pots. We bought artificial poinsettia which could go outside in the weather and 3 pots to fit the holders. He then bought a couple of cans of spray insulation - the kind that is a foam and expands to fit what it is in. He filled the pots and we added a poinsettia to each. The foam was topped with fake greens and they look great. 5 minutes and they are out in place.
We put lights on our bushes and a dwarf spruce tree. (The dwarf tree is now over 6 ft tall, I am so glad that I talked him out of a full size one.) Of course two set of lights did not work when tested - one of the ones which goes on the bushes and one that is red and white and goes around the white plastic pillar of our mailbox a bit of a candy cane look. We have in the boxes with the lights two electric boxes which stick into the ground. One is placed on one side of the front of our house and the other is placed on the other side of the front of our house. A long flat outdoor extension cord is plugged into the outdoor outlet and run across the front of the house, over the top of the stairs (under the door mat so no one trips) and the electric box on the side away from the outlet is plugged into it - and then the lights are plugged into the electric box. The electric box on the side of the house near the outlet is plugged into the other outlet in the wall box and the lights on that side of the front of the house plug into it.
After we put out and plugged in the lights that worked, we drove to Walmart to buy replacement. No white and red lights - no red lights on their own. We came back, put up the new light set on the bush that was short a set. Husband then took the red and white set into the garage, plugged it in and started shaking it. One half started working. So we wrapped the lit half of the strand around the mail box pillar and dropped the rest on the ground.
The wreath we bought last year for the front door was in the basement with the rest of the “in the house” decorations. The former one was decorated by husband as a copy of one we saw and liked at Colonial Williamsburg - only we used plastic fruit instead of real fruit so we could keep reusing it. The problem is that it had to hung on the outside of the storm door as it did not fit between the door and storm door - this involved annually rigging strands of fishing line around screws in the storm door and trying to adjust it so we could still see through the peep hole of the door - and remember we both on the short side. The new wreath has lights on it - lit by batteries with a timer so it is on for 6 hours every night at the same on and off time. Went up in less than 20 minutes with a magnetic hook on the door - and it is out of the weather, unlike the old wreath which if got covered snow might break free and fall.
So our house now looks presentable to the world. Husband is still trying to figure out where we could put one of those projector decorations - but the front of our house is just not set up for it.
Notice that because fixed place for the Christmas decorations in the garage and plastic boxes to hold the lights, wires, and plug in boxes for them, as well as an assigned spot in the basement to hold the Christmas decorations, it was easy and quick to find everything and put it out. The empty boxes in the garage were stacked on each other with the bags that the lights were kept in stored inside, relatively out of the way so that when we go to take down the lights - they will be easy to find again and then they will be put back up in garage along with poinsettia and the candy canes so that next week we will find them again.
Sometime next week I will put away my few Thanksgiving decorations in the house and then I will start putting out the Christmas ones. This year the holidays seem to be going okay.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
As you take out your holiday decorations and other items try to leave the packing in a way that it will be easy to find and put everything away after the holiday. If it is all a mess - try to figure out while you unpack items how you can better store them away at the end of the season to make them either to access next year, while not being in your way all year.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
SEMI UNORGANIZED THANKSGIVING
Ah, the holidays are coming! Is panic setting in?
Last week I put out my few Thanksgiving decorations. A small setting of Pilgrim bear figurines going to Thanksgiving at a house in a tree. (I painted the tree and most of the bears from kits - in one case while I was supposed to making and getting the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner.) Other “human” Thanksgiving figurines and salt and pepper shakers and a pair of candleholders given me by a friend decades ago. Husband took me to “Thanksgiving world” - aka Plymouth, MA decades ago and I bought most of the assorted non-bear items there in gift shops.
I am sure I have mentioned before, but just in case I did not, my husband and I are of different faiths. I am Jewish and he is Roman Catholic. As a result we did not have that “whose family are we going to” problem for most family holidays. We went to my family for Jewish holidays and his family for Christian holidays. But then there was Thanksgiving.
Growing up, as well as an adult, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday - and not just because I am an eater. It was the only uniquely American family holiday which was not religious based - it was/is a holiday for all Americans. Also there were no gifts - gifts I received tended to have nothing to do with me or anything I was interested in - especially beyond my immediate family - and I had to smile and say thank you - and then figure out what to do with the item - this was not a problem with Thanksgiving.
Now, it has been found that when the answer to what do you have for thanksgiving dinner - answer “turkey and all the trimmings” was further looked into, it was found that same varied greatly. For a while growing up our Thanksgivings were celebrated with my mom’s family and her sister-in-law (my aunt) had become kosher, so we would go to a kosher delicatessen restaurant for dinner. Mom would cook turkey during the year, so it was not what we wanted there. My sisters and I wanted corned beef sandwiches! The waiter would keep asking if we were sure and we were. They had handed us the complete regular menu after all, and that was our dinner. My husband’s family is from Italy. They would have a first course of some kind of macaroni (what we Americans call pasta). So while being the uniquely encompassing holiday, Thanksgiving is large enough to encompass all of various backgrounds.
While dating and the first few years we were married we would juggle which family we went to - generally we ended up with his family. One year I had the idea to have both families come to our tiny apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. He was shocked at the idea. Oh, one difference between our families is that my family tends (short of accommodating the kosher aunt) tends to eat at home for holidays, while his family eats out. We figured out a menu, found a place that has hot turkey pick up on Thanksgiving, and went ahead. It went fairly well - the entire living room filled with two long folding tables put end to end. For 25 years we made Thanksgiving dinner. Nieces and nephew came along. My dad died. A few times a friend or an in law of a family member was included. We moved one year at the end of October from our apartment to this house - and we made Thanksgiving dinner - and used the good china. It was the bedbugs which brought this to an end as we cannot bring ourselves to have anyone in the house.
Organizing? I see now how organized I was for those dinners. Now the two of us have our Thanksgiving dinner alone. At first we went to an inexpensive general food buffet restaurant and it was very nice as the manager made it feel party like. Then he left and it was not as nice and then finally the place closed. So on and off over the past several years I have made Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. What a mess!
First of all, I never know if I am making dinner or if we are going out to an Asian buffet until the last minute. Last year we waited so long, we almost could not get a turkey which was not frozen - and that would not have defrosted in time. This year we bought a turkey this past Saturday.
In the old days I had a menu from the past to work with. We might change a dish or two, but basically it was the same menu. I have a spiral notebook with almost every dinner we made for Thanksgiving and the other holidays we took a turn out with, mostly, my family over the years. (I reached the end of the notebook using the right hand pages and now I am going backwards, using the left hand pages.) The first week in November I would start checking ads and buying things for the dinner, so at the last minute items like milk which had to be bought fresh were all that was left to buy.
Well, we went this past Sunday to the supermarket to start buying what we needed - without making a list of what we would make or what we needed. It was as if there was a combination hurricane and major snow storm announced at the same time! The parking lot was jammed. The store was jammed. We gave up and left. We then actually made up a list of what we would have and needed so when we went back Monday it was not as jammed - we actually went to another supermarket chain as they had items we were looking for on sale - and were able to buy almost all the items needed at the one supermarket, with a quick stop at the one from Sunday for 2 items we had not been able to get. Husband complained about the crowds - I told him flat out - “This is why I used to shop the first week of the month!”
We have baked a pie tonight. Everything else can be done tomorrow, Thanksgiving. I will set up the turkey tonight so when I get up really early tomorrow to put the turkey in the oven, I can go back to sleep a lot quicker.
While downstairs doing my regular Wednesday night laundry (I will not fall behind just because it is a holiday) I took out “the turkey platter”. This is a larger platter than our others and has a chip in it. We use it to put the turkey on to carve it and then use smaller ones for serving the turkey (whether for the family or just us). I washed it as it is kept in the basement. In the afternoon I brought a bunch of RV stuff (clean sheets, towels...) out to the RV so it is all out of the dinning room. I moved some stuff into place in the dinning room.
Tomorrow I will add one board to our dinning room table, instead of the four boards that I used to add for the family. I will cover it with a plastic/foam cover (I have them in sizes to fit all lengths of the table) and then my Thanksgiving tablecloth (much too large as it fits the table with four boards - so the ends of the table have long overhangs. One board is needed so that the serving plates and bowls fit on the table. I will take out 2 settings of my good china, one fabric napkin & one paper napkin, one of my good glasses & husband’s every day glass, and use my silver plate tableware. I will cook the dinner. I used to know - start the potatoes first as they will be mashed, and heated in the oven at the end, so get them out of the way as if they cool off it is okay. No idea what to start with these years - we are making boiled potatoes instead of mashed. No sweet potatoes this year - he likes them I don’t. And we will have our Thanksgiving dinner.
After dinner the extra food will be put away, and when you are two people with a 14 lb turkey, there is a lot to store away. The table will be cleared and I will wash (by hand) the dishes, pots, pans, etc. The napkin and tablecloth will be washed and dried (by machine) and I will probably also wash the last load of regular laundry which is normally washed on Thursdays nights. The garbage will go out to the can - no pickup until Monday.
I really miss the juggling of which dish to cook when. The baking Venetians (rainbow cookies) starting on Tuesday so they would be ready in time (jelly between layers has to sit weighted overnight). I miss spending all day Wednesday cooking beef vegetable soup from scratch. It used to be all so organized! Now with less to do it is all so disorganized. Well, at least I don’t have to clean well enough to have my (late) mother in law here. (One year my sister actually wrote the year in the dust!)
I do not go shopping on Thanksgiving - or on “Black Friday”! There is nothing I have ever seen offered on sale that was worth the crowds. Think about this - the more you buy, the more you have to deal with and organize. Do you really need this or that?
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
I wish all a happy Thanksgiving!
Remember it is just one day - there will be joys and problems (one early year we cooked, shelled and peeled chestnuts for hours, then while they were cooling on the counter, I dropped a glass I had washed and was putting away - next to them and they had to be tossed as we were not sure if we could get all the glass shards out. The time with family - whether a large group or just two or even time alone - is what matters.
Take time to be thankful for what you have - don’t look for what you are lacking, even if there is much you are lacking. Stop and breathe and think about what you do have.
Last week I put out my few Thanksgiving decorations. A small setting of Pilgrim bear figurines going to Thanksgiving at a house in a tree. (I painted the tree and most of the bears from kits - in one case while I was supposed to making and getting the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner.) Other “human” Thanksgiving figurines and salt and pepper shakers and a pair of candleholders given me by a friend decades ago. Husband took me to “Thanksgiving world” - aka Plymouth, MA decades ago and I bought most of the assorted non-bear items there in gift shops.
I am sure I have mentioned before, but just in case I did not, my husband and I are of different faiths. I am Jewish and he is Roman Catholic. As a result we did not have that “whose family are we going to” problem for most family holidays. We went to my family for Jewish holidays and his family for Christian holidays. But then there was Thanksgiving.
Growing up, as well as an adult, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday - and not just because I am an eater. It was the only uniquely American family holiday which was not religious based - it was/is a holiday for all Americans. Also there were no gifts - gifts I received tended to have nothing to do with me or anything I was interested in - especially beyond my immediate family - and I had to smile and say thank you - and then figure out what to do with the item - this was not a problem with Thanksgiving.
Now, it has been found that when the answer to what do you have for thanksgiving dinner - answer “turkey and all the trimmings” was further looked into, it was found that same varied greatly. For a while growing up our Thanksgivings were celebrated with my mom’s family and her sister-in-law (my aunt) had become kosher, so we would go to a kosher delicatessen restaurant for dinner. Mom would cook turkey during the year, so it was not what we wanted there. My sisters and I wanted corned beef sandwiches! The waiter would keep asking if we were sure and we were. They had handed us the complete regular menu after all, and that was our dinner. My husband’s family is from Italy. They would have a first course of some kind of macaroni (what we Americans call pasta). So while being the uniquely encompassing holiday, Thanksgiving is large enough to encompass all of various backgrounds.
While dating and the first few years we were married we would juggle which family we went to - generally we ended up with his family. One year I had the idea to have both families come to our tiny apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. He was shocked at the idea. Oh, one difference between our families is that my family tends (short of accommodating the kosher aunt) tends to eat at home for holidays, while his family eats out. We figured out a menu, found a place that has hot turkey pick up on Thanksgiving, and went ahead. It went fairly well - the entire living room filled with two long folding tables put end to end. For 25 years we made Thanksgiving dinner. Nieces and nephew came along. My dad died. A few times a friend or an in law of a family member was included. We moved one year at the end of October from our apartment to this house - and we made Thanksgiving dinner - and used the good china. It was the bedbugs which brought this to an end as we cannot bring ourselves to have anyone in the house.
Organizing? I see now how organized I was for those dinners. Now the two of us have our Thanksgiving dinner alone. At first we went to an inexpensive general food buffet restaurant and it was very nice as the manager made it feel party like. Then he left and it was not as nice and then finally the place closed. So on and off over the past several years I have made Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. What a mess!
First of all, I never know if I am making dinner or if we are going out to an Asian buffet until the last minute. Last year we waited so long, we almost could not get a turkey which was not frozen - and that would not have defrosted in time. This year we bought a turkey this past Saturday.
In the old days I had a menu from the past to work with. We might change a dish or two, but basically it was the same menu. I have a spiral notebook with almost every dinner we made for Thanksgiving and the other holidays we took a turn out with, mostly, my family over the years. (I reached the end of the notebook using the right hand pages and now I am going backwards, using the left hand pages.) The first week in November I would start checking ads and buying things for the dinner, so at the last minute items like milk which had to be bought fresh were all that was left to buy.
Well, we went this past Sunday to the supermarket to start buying what we needed - without making a list of what we would make or what we needed. It was as if there was a combination hurricane and major snow storm announced at the same time! The parking lot was jammed. The store was jammed. We gave up and left. We then actually made up a list of what we would have and needed so when we went back Monday it was not as jammed - we actually went to another supermarket chain as they had items we were looking for on sale - and were able to buy almost all the items needed at the one supermarket, with a quick stop at the one from Sunday for 2 items we had not been able to get. Husband complained about the crowds - I told him flat out - “This is why I used to shop the first week of the month!”
We have baked a pie tonight. Everything else can be done tomorrow, Thanksgiving. I will set up the turkey tonight so when I get up really early tomorrow to put the turkey in the oven, I can go back to sleep a lot quicker.
While downstairs doing my regular Wednesday night laundry (I will not fall behind just because it is a holiday) I took out “the turkey platter”. This is a larger platter than our others and has a chip in it. We use it to put the turkey on to carve it and then use smaller ones for serving the turkey (whether for the family or just us). I washed it as it is kept in the basement. In the afternoon I brought a bunch of RV stuff (clean sheets, towels...) out to the RV so it is all out of the dinning room. I moved some stuff into place in the dinning room.
Tomorrow I will add one board to our dinning room table, instead of the four boards that I used to add for the family. I will cover it with a plastic/foam cover (I have them in sizes to fit all lengths of the table) and then my Thanksgiving tablecloth (much too large as it fits the table with four boards - so the ends of the table have long overhangs. One board is needed so that the serving plates and bowls fit on the table. I will take out 2 settings of my good china, one fabric napkin & one paper napkin, one of my good glasses & husband’s every day glass, and use my silver plate tableware. I will cook the dinner. I used to know - start the potatoes first as they will be mashed, and heated in the oven at the end, so get them out of the way as if they cool off it is okay. No idea what to start with these years - we are making boiled potatoes instead of mashed. No sweet potatoes this year - he likes them I don’t. And we will have our Thanksgiving dinner.
After dinner the extra food will be put away, and when you are two people with a 14 lb turkey, there is a lot to store away. The table will be cleared and I will wash (by hand) the dishes, pots, pans, etc. The napkin and tablecloth will be washed and dried (by machine) and I will probably also wash the last load of regular laundry which is normally washed on Thursdays nights. The garbage will go out to the can - no pickup until Monday.
I really miss the juggling of which dish to cook when. The baking Venetians (rainbow cookies) starting on Tuesday so they would be ready in time (jelly between layers has to sit weighted overnight). I miss spending all day Wednesday cooking beef vegetable soup from scratch. It used to be all so organized! Now with less to do it is all so disorganized. Well, at least I don’t have to clean well enough to have my (late) mother in law here. (One year my sister actually wrote the year in the dust!)
I do not go shopping on Thanksgiving - or on “Black Friday”! There is nothing I have ever seen offered on sale that was worth the crowds. Think about this - the more you buy, the more you have to deal with and organize. Do you really need this or that?
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
I wish all a happy Thanksgiving!
Remember it is just one day - there will be joys and problems (one early year we cooked, shelled and peeled chestnuts for hours, then while they were cooling on the counter, I dropped a glass I had washed and was putting away - next to them and they had to be tossed as we were not sure if we could get all the glass shards out. The time with family - whether a large group or just two or even time alone - is what matters.
Take time to be thankful for what you have - don’t look for what you are lacking, even if there is much you are lacking. Stop and breathe and think about what you do have.
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