An Unexpectedly Lovely Evening

We thought we were going out to run a few errands in Springfield. We had the general outlines of a plan, but not the precise specifics. Such a trip is not a very Margaret-like thing to do. Margaret likes plans. She likes to have foreknowledge of the logistics.

But Dale was in the driver's seat this afternoon. 

We started just as we knew we would, driving to the far east side of Springfield to pick up a medicine sample at our doctor's office. That went without a hitch. Then we had to improvise. 

We'd brought along a couple wall heaters to drop off to a gal I connected with on Facebook. She just moved into a small house after hip surgery. The house is heated by a wood stove and the wood she had was green, so it wasn't burning properly and she was cold. I offered to drop off the space heaters we no longer need. Unfortunately, she wasn't home when we were done with our first errand. 

So ... what next? How about a chai latte. Yum. Then, a coffee for Dale? Ooops, we missed that turn. We mosied around town a bit, then decided to look at Christmas lights in some residential neighborhoods. I hadn't been out looking at lights yet this year because I hurt my back again, and riding in a bouncing car hurt too much last week.

By luck, we found some really nicely lit neighborhoods ... some older established middle class neighborhoods ... some quite upscale. All so pretty and sparkly. After 45 minutes of light peeping, I got a message that my little lady was home. Google Maps led us to her door ... but there were no lights on to greet us. Had I been alone, I would have turned around at that point. As luck would have it, the gal's brother came riding up on his bicycle, chatted with us a bit, then let his sister know to open the door.

We were able to gift the heaters to the gal, who obviously really needed the help. She was so grateful that she had the chance to be warm tonight. The encounter with her left me with a glow in my chest. I had a flood of memories and feelings. It reminded me of the year I was on the receiving end of such valuable gifts.  The year I had to grab the kids and leave my first husband, strangers helped my little family through the holidays with food, furniture and gifts.

Had I not been with Dale on this outing, I'd have left when there was no light on the porch. Instead, Dale's fearlessness and kindness allowed us to follow through with the gift. I didn't know that it was to be a gift exchange! I got to have that warm feeling inside knowing we were helping someone.

When we got back to our side of town, we were chatting with so much animation that we missed the turn into our neighborhood. We turned onto a cul-de-sac that we've often driven by, but never into. We got this happy surprise. It's what my daughters call a Dancing House. It's where the Christmas lights blink and dance to the sound of music. In this case, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

click for larger image

After that happy surprise, we drove up and down more of the streets in our own neighborhood. We lucked out in buying a house in a very family-oriented part of town where nearly every house decorates for the holidays. It was a magical end to this unexpected and unplanned evening.

Maybe in 2021 I can learn to be spontaneous slightly more often.

(I hear my daughters cackling from miles away as they read that sentence).

Daily Walk

 I'm planning to form a new habit in 2021: to take a walk every weekday after lunch, rain or shine. Today was a "shine" day, though those puddles indicate that rain fell earlier.

This was a welcome visit to the outdoors today, considering that where I used to live, they're digging out from a snowstorm. Hooray for Oregon!

Tonight's Sunset

 We had a very pretty day today. Dale and I even managed to get in a short walk. 

Then this ...

On the Second Puzzle of Christmas

Dale and I enjoyed the first 500 piece puzzle so much, that we decided to put a second puzzle together on Christmas night. 

We chose this 1000 piece Charles Wysocki puzzle ... and it took us until 2am to finish it. What can I say? We were having fun with this great illustration and listening to The Oath podcast. 

Buffalo puzzles are well made, which makes them feel good in my hands as I'm working on them. Plus, I simply love Wysocki's artwork! Each feels homey and old-timey and filled with details of Americana. 

Old friends catching up while shopping.

Young women out for a Sunday ride, wearing their twin-y best.

The happy hens in their fancy condo.

And a very content pup.

Putting a puzzle of Americana together while listening to great long-form interviews about people in modern-day public service is a great way to spend an evening. It helps me believe that we Americans are of good heart and will make it through this trying time. We'll get there by solving one piece of the pandemic puzzle at a time.

Christmas for Two

Dale and I are half way through our Christmas for Two, and it's quite nice. We made an egg scramble for breakfast, then opened gifts. I received ten new jigsaw puzzles!! 

We've also connected with all three of our daughters and Dale's brother. The grandkids are full of energy and very excited by their Christmas presents. Annie can't stop dancing.

We put the Painted Desert puzzle together while listening to some favorite Christmas music. Next we're making another batch of oatmeal cookies, then have some supper.

Afterward? Maybe another puzzle while listening to David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries. That's a family favorite that never fails to make us giggle.

We hope your Covid Christmas is as enjoyable as ours in its own small way.

'Tis the Season

 My favorite season? Triple Toll House cookie season!

I finally had an excuse to get out the big mixer to make one of my favorite cookies. I measured and stirred and made a glorious cookie mess while listening to Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey and Amy Grant belt out Christmas tunes.

It felt like my mom was in the room with me, cheering me on.

All 8 dozen came out perfectly. Well ... 7-1/2 dozen. I easily ate a half dozen cookies in dough form.

Tonight Dale and I put the glitter critters, some hot chocolate mix, the cookies, and a card together in this festive package. Then we stopped by our neighbor's house to share the season's greetings.

We're so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors!

Merry Christmas to All. 

And to All, a Good Night!

Glitter Critters

I made a little somethin'-somethin' for the neighbor kids who live next door: glitter ornaments for their Christmas tree!

For Aaron, I chose three dinosaurs. For Karina, two Pegasus and a teddy bear.

The first step was to make a way to hang the critters. For most, I used an eye hook, screwed into their backs. For the dimetrodon, I punched a horizontal hole.

I used a partially open paperclip as a temporary hanger. Then using a paint brush, I covered each critter with a layer of Mod Podge.

Then I poured some ultra-fine glitter all over the animals until they were completely covered. I wasn't shy about how much glitter I used. I wanted the critters completely covered.

I attached the wet glittered ornaments to a vertical grid so they could hang to dry. I left them alone for about a half hour. Then I took them outside to give them a liberal covering of hairspray, and let them dry again. Hairspray helps to keep glitter fallout to a minimum.

The last step was to remove the paperclip and thread in some clear fishing line.

The dinosaurs don't look nearly as terrifying when they're all dressed up for Christmas.

The unicorns and the bear look all that more cuddly. 

Now ... to clean up the glitter that's sprayed all over my worktable!

Sweet Treat

 Now here's something I haven't done much since Dale and I adopted a new meal plan last March.

Homemade cookies!

Oatmeal ... with a touch of nutmeg. So good!

We made just enough for us to have a holiday treat, and some to share.

It finally smells a little like Christmas in our home.

Silver Doily Wreaths

I made a couple silver wreaths for the cost of one dollar. This is one of those ideas that sort of worked, but not exactly.

The silver ring was left over from one of my Grandbaby Craft Kits. I'd used the solid center of the big doilies to make the stars for the tops of the Dotted Trees. I was going to throw the rest of the paper doily away, when I got the bright idea to turn them into wreaths that could hang on either side of the garage door, surrounding the lights.

I bought a piece of foam core from Dollar Tree. That was my one expense. I cut the foam core into rings and glued the silver doily on top. I found the pretty glittery blue striped ribbon in my stash and made the bows. Each bow is two yards of ribbon. 

Then I tried a number of ideas for simple decoration. I attempted buttons, glitter pipe cleaners formed into interesting shapes, and pompoms (which nearly worked). I landed on large sequins in two shades of blue. I thought the silver doily, glittery ribbon, and sequins would reflect a soft glow from the garage lights and be a simple addition to the house when viewed from the street.

Alas, the wreaths are too small to fit around the lights, and too lightweight to stay put at our second option. The wind would have carried them away, for sure. 

So they're in the house, framing the window by the Christmas tree. They'll be a one-Christmas decoration. 

Some crafts are more successful than others. But it's nearly always fun to try out a new idea.

All is Calm, All is Bright

 We added some lights to our back yard

and some snowflakes to the dining room window. Our granddaughter Melody made the big snowflakes with her mommy last year and gave them to us.

We're officially ready for Chistmas now. This early! Anything more we do is icing on the cake ... or perhaps on the sugar cookies.

Christmas Roses

 We found this surprise waiting for us on our front porch!

Dale's boss sent us roses. What a sweet gesture.

[And this, my friends, is when I realized I could no longer put off cutting my hair.]

Christmas Living Room

 We finished decorating the tree using blue and silver traditional ornaments along with all the many many beaded ornaments I've made over the years.

We topped the tree with a big silver and white bow, adding a glittering snowflake at the tip. My friend Susan said, "Tree looks like she is wearing an evening dress." What a wonderful notion!

We swagged the mantle with colorful lights, intersperced with silver and blue glittered snowflakes.

What a calm place to rest at the end of the day beside the glowing fire.

Another Step

The living room looks slightly less bleak tonight. I was able to set up the tree, then install lights and ribbon. Ornaments will be added after dinner or tomorrow.

I hung snowflake clings to the entryway sidelight and to the dining room windows. I put a few decorations on the mantle and along the stairway. But I ran out of steam. The rest will have to wait.

I'm super tired this evening. I feel sad for no apparent reason. It's why having a Good Day like I did yesterday is so noteworthy. Time to switch gears for now, and to put on my best Scarlett O'Hara impression, "Tomorrow is another day."

This Goes in the "Win" File

I had a good day today. Nothing extraordinary. A walk in a light rain. A good podcast to listen to. A positive counseling session. Forward movement on a medical problem that's been stuck for nearly a month. A super funny laugh-out-loud-until-I-bother-my-husband-working-down-the-hall Facebook post.  Watching a bunch of Christmas videos. Cutting my fingernails. A warm shower on sore muscles. An excellent conversation with Dale. 

Nothing big.

But in a "season of sacrifice," (Covid isolation), having a good day needs to be noted and celebrated.

It's So Pretty Here

 The view I had while waiting for a windshield to be repaired. Winter beauty, Oregon style.

Even annoying things stop being annoying when you get to rest your eyes on such beauty.

Silver and Blue

Dale and I are starting to pull together the Christmas decorations. Nothing is in place inside the house yet. We're working with a silver and blue theme.

First, I got some pillow covers for the cushions in living room. Both are silver designs on a navy blue background. Chic!

I found the Christmas tabletop tree at a local drug store on sale for half price. It's about one foot tall. The huge container of plastic ornaments was free! I take part in a local "Buy Nothing" Facebook group where people offer items for free, or you can ask for items you need. It's a way to live more sustainably and to help others in your community. 

These silver "wreaths" are paper doilies. I used the centers as stars on my Grandbaby Craft Kit Dotted Tree. My current thinking is to mount the doilies on cardboard or foam core, then decorate them simply -- perhaps with some of the blue ornaments (above). Add a bow. Hang them near the lamps on either side of the garage door. I haven't worked out any of the details yet.

I hope inspiration arrives soon because the living room is looking a bit bleak. 

Dale's had several nice "wins" today. He sold two suitcases through Facebook Marketplace. He has a nibble on selling one of our old side tables. He dropped the last two gift packages off at the UPS Store. He even figured out the gift for his mom (that's always tricky). All-in-all, a positive weekend for us.

Posted!

 Dale and I simplified our Christmas card process, and were able to mail all 30 by mid-day. Hooray!

This

 I haven't felt well today.

Then I found this:

Satisfying.

Christmas Prep Continues

We mailed off a big box of gifts today.

Next up? Cards.

There are traditions I like to keep, even in a disruptive year like 2020.

Good Morning

 Yesterday's sunrise.