It's baaaaaack

The rain has returned to us. 

We've been spoiled this month with beautiful cold sunshiny days and clear skies at night, but of course it couldn't last forever. According to the weather folks, our area will be getting a month's worth of rain over the next seven days. Time to buy those hip waders I've been looking at! 

Dealing with some aftermath from last night's chats with my family of origin (aka FOO). I'm so tired and I feel beat up inside. I need to think of something constructive and maybe fun to do tomorrow for my dad's death anniversary. He passed away nine years ago. Thinking of driving to the cemetery with some flowers and a doughnut - Dad never could resist a doughnut. Maybe I'll get something to eat from a gas station grill, too. 

Today's duds:

Isn't it grate?

This is a red-letter day: we've lived here for five years, but not until today were we able to have a fire in the fireplace. Hooray! Let the pyromania commence! Thanks for not murdering us, guy on Craigslist! 

Now to become fireplace people: we'll move the nice set of tools into the living room (and fight the grandladies for control of them), and set up places in the garage for firewood and kindling and tinder.

Then: I needed the bin they were in, so I ironed the Thanksgiving tablecloth and napkins.

YIKES. 100% cotton = major wrinkles

Speaking of being a pyro

The empty tool stand was included with the grate, so now my sewing room fireplace is a bit more legit. For now we'll just burn candles here. We can't have too many candles. Speaking of which...

Now we're ready to party

After all the ironing fun I could handle, I decided to tackle this area. Hubby wants to use this desk for framing projects, but first some clearing needs to happen. 

Progress happening....

Hey, it's the water heater closet! Long time no see, old friend! Plus Little C making a face

It still needs a lot of work but we were able to get the desk against the wall (the goal for today) and get rid of a lot of garbage, recycling, and just old crap that we don't need anymore. There will definitely be more purging but this was some good progress.

It'll get there! This is exciting! 

K's Birthday 2023

One of today's work topics: Halloween costumes. I've been dying to dress up as SNL's TT and Mario with Hubby for a few years. Looks like I'm sewing a couple of outfits and buying some wigs. 

After work, I picked up Hubby early from work, then we shopped for K's birthday! There were gifts, Shmapa Murphy's pizza, Shmostco cake, and Twilight on TV. It was a fun and happy evening.

Not a great day.

Good things: Work was fun, there was free pizza, the sun was shining. I washed the car and attended my appointment with the shrink and played the piano for a while. Hubby and I picked up our new-to-us fireplace grate on the way home from work, and were not stabbed by the guy we bought it from (found it on Craigslist). I talked to Brother E, always a good time.

Candace the Plant has some kind of issue (see the yellow leaves) that I suspect has to do with her being rootbound, so I brought her home to repot her. 

Tomorrow will be better, OR ELSE.

Good morning.

It was a fun, productive day. After a beautiful morning drive with Hubby, B and R, we came home and got busy. R had friends coming over, so we spent the morning cleaning our mostly-still-clean-from-Thanksgiving house. Later I cleaned out and organized the dining room closet, and in the process found some new Christmas decorations we'd bought this year and stowed and forgotten. Isn't that the way?

Christmas seems like a happy prospect this year. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed Christmas, and it seems like things are lining up for a good one. What happened? What's different now? They've all been good ones (minus the two years when Dad and Gran died).

Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I think my shrink would say that I'm healing. 

Hubby noticed on Friday that I seem to be more active and motivated and productive lately and asked me what I thought was happening. I've noticed the same thing. Still trying to discover the secret, but I think it helps that I've limited exposure to negative folks and situations. I had a hard time last week with an old problem, spent some significant time moping, then journaled about it, set some tighter boundaries, and popped up ready to kick butt. And butt has been kicked lately. Hubby said he feels almost lazy, watching me go.

Trying to just enjoy and not overthink it, or look a "focus" horse in the mouth, but it's definitely noticeable and a happy surprise. I'm just grateful.

We put the bell cupboard back up tonight - it was part of the Great Thanksgiving Rearranging of 2023. It migrated from the dining room to the living room. It's getting pretty crowded in there - "wouldn't you say my collection's complete?" - but I love them and would find room for more if I absolutely had to. K's mom Rita sent one over on Thursday night, in fact (middle shelf, fourth from left). 

Part of my feeling so great lately has to do with C and K moving back in. I'm so grateful for them, and that our relationship with C wasn't gone forever like I feared for a long time. That's been huge. 

Anyway, again, I don't want to spend a lot of time analyzing my new happiness to death. I just want to enjoy it. 

Third Generation Sesame Street Fans

(Not pictured: Little C, lolling on the rug)

Friday after Thanksgiving is always a fun, happy, chill day where we gleefully dig into the Thanksgiving dinner leftovers and eat pie till we can't see straight. Today was no exception. 

Hubby and R enjoyed some Black Friday shopping together (puke) while I stayed home and played with yesterday's dirty dishes. The china and serving pieces were finished and put away in the hutch by noon, which I think is a new record for us. B baked the marionberry pie he bought for us (I didn't know it needed to be baked). We enjoyed it with lunch. R also rearranged and cleaned her room, and she and Hubby went to play soccer with some old friends of ours. 

The evening concluded with me finally breathing outside air for the first time in three days, as we took a mini shopping trip to get flea collars for the kitties, groceries, and a side trip to See's for some goodies. Cuz we don't already have enough at home.

A very happy day. 

Thanksgiving 2023

The star of the show 

My dear family's help, the Lists, and the Goddess have all worked so well, that I have time for a bath before dinner. This is unheard of. I'm documenting the event in case it never happens again. 

R making her cheese ball

The Group

Food up the wazoo, friends, the whole family together, Thanksgiving Reports (we each chose a native tribe and shared some facts), party games planned and presented by Hubby, all contributed to a hugely wonderful holiday. It was a sweet day.

The Thanksgiving Goddess

She knows all, rules all, tells me what to do next. 

BY BEDTIME, everything but the whipped cream was either in progress or finished. Wheeee!

Red Skies At Morning

And at night: more peachy

We're so happy that we live here.

Painty

Behold, here is decor previously painted, sanded, and stored for months around the house, with (on top) the little shelf from the antique shop in Sumner for inspiration.

And here is what we're doing with the paint we bought yesterday:

This is my first time painting anything and I was nervous. Next time I'll do some things differently, but I'm excited to see them all finished and hanging up, full of cute little crip-crap. Life is nothing without cute little crip-crap (thanks, Mary Ann A., for always using this term).

GOOD GRAVY MARIE

But first: M and I took the little girls up to spend the night with L at her new digs. Here's hoping they have a wonderful time. Hubby mowed the front lawn (yes, we're still mowing this late in the year).

The gravy: I think it was last Thanksgiving or the year before that I watched a video about making the turkey gravy ahead of time and freezing it for the big dinner. I'm not a fan of making gravy, especially right before Thanksgiving dinner, so this year I decided to make it happen. I gave M the recipe and she knocked it out of the park.

Since Shminco only had 3+ pound packages of turkey parts, we had to double the recipe. We were quite nervous about having it all fit in the same pot. Here the turkey and veggies are in one pot, and the chicken broth is in the other.

Stirring. Stirring. Stirring for hours.

Ready for the freezer. We'll have - I can't stress this enough - plenty of gravy on Thursday, and in the days to come. It's good, too. We couldn't stop sampling it! 

Hooray for gravy!

Other Thanksgiving prep completed includes frozen cranberry juice cubes for the GITTY (Gee I'm Thankful This Year) punch, and placing Mr. 20 Pounder into the fridge to thaw. 

This, along with a trip to Shmome Depot for green paint (more on that later) and Mr. Shmaple Doughnuts, was our Saturday. While paint shopping, we were blessed by the Green Paint Gods and found a gallon of nice "mistake" paint for only $9!  Color us thrilled! 

Vulgar, yet stupid.

Starting with the wholesome stuff. 

Looks like we're sending Christmas cards this year. I better come up with a good recipe.

Months ago, R found this Schoolhouse Rock CD insert and saved it to give to me. It finally claimed its place of honor on the office wall.

So, pep band rehearsal was funny. The saxophone players had to Google this title. Kids these days.... they just keep getting younger. It's weird - I stay the same age.

This moment of Reddit happiness 

It was a good day. I worked, printed and page-protected my awesome new Thanksgiving lists, and did stuff at home.

page-protected goodness

Your clever title here

I had today off. Along with the usual dishes and laundry, I did more Thanksgiving prep: finding gear and serving pieces, washing them, gathering everything in R's room. Oh yeah, she's gonna LOVE that. I also (grouchily) cleaned up the backyard. 

The new napkins arrived. I'm excited!

GIMME A HEAD WITH HAIR

It was a very chill, good day. Thanksgiving prep continues: I now have four lists going, including one for cooking/prep gear and serving pieces ("I have just created something totally illogical"). I ordered the cute napkins. 

Also, I worked. Took a ginormous nap. Played with the folks. Played with my hair.

B is home and we're so glad. 

What a giant cup of Satan's bean juice will do for ya

"Blow the doors off your house and give your family a permanent orange Afro"? No. 

I'm definitely feeling better. I was feeling well enough to get up early, have a huge cuppa joe, and tackle a few leftover dishes before Hubby and I made a huge breakfast for the family. Then there was laundry to do and some cleaning out of clutter in the garage. Later we took R & H up to Kate's and got hot chocolate on the way home. So cozy.

Ready to go back to work tomorrow! Hooray!

Turning the Corner

Feeling well enough to hang with the folks without coughing all over the place. Yay. 

Sims, genealogy, and Thanksgiving prep kept me happy and busy today - I made a butt-ton of lists and found some pretty napkins on Shmamazon for the big day. Exciting! 

In bed all day

That's it. That's the story.

In between popping pills and sleeping, I worked on a Washington state pioneer project paper for most of the day. 

Hubby took R & H and met up with B in Astoria. 

They brought me home some treats. 

"I'be Sitt"

(Little C Speak for "I'm sick" - the grandbabies aren't able to say their C/K/CK sound yet. Little R had a "Daisy Dutt" stuffed toy that she loved when she was younger, and both girls requested a strawberry birthday "tate" for their special days. So cute!)

This kid is off on his adventure! We're excited for him! Be so safe, B, and enjoy! 

Feeling massively gross, I called in sick on the way to taking Hubby to the train station. Sbux became necessary.

B asked us to meet him at the station - he wanted emotional support and it was much easier for us to bring his suitcase in the car. 

I love all the little intercity bus routes. There are so many places we could go, car-free, using the Point, the Wave, the Breeze, Flixbus.... the world is your oyster over at Union Station.

Preparing the bike for the bus ride

After hugging B goodbye and dropping Hubby at work, I grocery shopped and gassed up the car. A trip North to grab a couple of cute ladies is planned for later today. Gotta have food in the house. I also had a nice chat with Brother E.

While resting, I'm geeking out over Thanksgiving, which is two weeks from today. When can I start cooking?? I tried getting a free turkey at Shminco today, but apparently their special doesn't start till the 15th. Booo. 

Later: I'm here, waiting for some cute ladies.

Now we're home, and it's back to thinking about Thanksgiving.