We’re just about halfway through December – no, my tree is still not decorated. But, on the plus side, I’m still certifiably sane, so it all works out. It’s not as if we’re having a houseful of friends over anyway and – as I’ve mentioned before – we leave the house decorated until Epiphany (“Old Christmas,’ which has quite a history in my state) so we’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the shiny, shiny lights, never fear.
It was a low-key day here – baking and wrapping are about to commence – so it was nice to have a very laid-back day. I added instant potatoes to the Reverse Advent Calendar box. (Yes, yesterday was stuffing, now it’s potatoes! The holidays mean carbs, baby!)
I took a long, rambling walk in my neighborhood while I was chatting with a good friend who’s known me since before I had wisdom teeth. It’s not the same as going for a walk WITH her, of course, but it’ll do in this strange year of 2020. The exercise was good and tomorrow is forecast to be just-this-side-of-freezing and rainy all day. (Good day to bake!) My friends from Virginia and up will be getting snow and ice in absurd amounts, which inspired me to work on a snow globe painting today – I’m happy with how it turned out. I’m glad I walked today, because if the forecast holds, I’m not going out much tomorrow – I don’t like cold, sleety rain. At all!
For today’s Diva drill, I did advanced napping – the “pack nap!” Now, this doesn’t always work – there’s one cat in particular who prefers to eat my hair instead of curling up prettily – but when it DOES work, it’s fantastic. Gather as many family members as you’re comfortable with who live under your roof and add the Furs as you please. Today, that meant the two of us who are “on staff” for the cats curled up with the large-convinced-she’s-tiny dog beside the bed and two of the three cats nestled up next to/on top of us. It was bliss.
Speaking of bliss, I chose Bonjour, Happiness! by Jamie Cat Callan from the bookshelf. This is another of my “go to” French lifestyle books. This one is a celebration of the everyday, with “lessons” in the importance of being comfortable being alone, how to make a good crepe, why you don’t need three closets of “fast fashion” clothes, and how to live passionately without having to win the lottery first.
I’m especially pleased with my “holiday prep” today. This little project has taken a couple of days and I’m happy that I didn’t rush it. You see, after my dad retired from Piedmont Airlines, he ran a company devoted to making custom cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Despising waste, he was always on the lookout for things to do with the odds and ends of wood and I’ve had a miniature Santa sleigh and three reindeer for years. I could never quite figure out what to do with these unfinished wood pieces – should I paint them Christmas red? Winter white? Maybe pick a pretty stain for the wood? This year, I finally decided – I painted them in chalkboard paint and I’m using the sleigh to hold the Christmas cards we receive that don’t fit on the ribbon banner leading into the front room. I added my Santa jug and a picture of my dad flying a 737 in his Santa suit. The whole collection is arranged on top of a jelly cupboard Dad made for me years ago.
It may have taken me years, but I just love it!
Ho, ho, ho!
See you tomorrow!
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