Comfort and Joy

Every year we put our Christmas tree up on Friday evening after Thanksgiving.   This is a family tradition, including me having some degree of a nervous breakdown during the process. I cannot imagine what it is that sets me on edge.  The combination of electric lights, glass ornaments, pets, and sibling rivalry could be contributing factors.

Or I might just be a total wacko.

Fortunately we always work through the process and the tree goes up.  This year we bought a new tree, having decided that the Charlie Brown Artificial Tree could be retired.  This tree is taller, allowing for more sibling rivalry over who would place the angel at the top.  Somehow both kids have come to believe that it is their traditional job.  Oy ve!

In this photo you can barely see the new carpet and next time there is a living room photo we hope to have taken delivery of a new sofa and loveseat (Thank you Santa!)

After the tree was decorated I am pretty sure Sisi set off a tinsel garland bomb in the living room.  It's everywhere!

Today the weather brought great joy!!!  The last day of November in Central Illinois and this is what we got:

Trust me, 57 degrees this time of year isn't really Normal.

To celebrate Ironing Man and I went for a walk on Constitution Trail.  

More joy, in the comfort of warmer than normal temperatures.

And when we came home I finished a new mosaic project.  I'm learning to use smalti, which is conducive to smaller projects and doesn't require grouting, making it perfect for winter indoor projects in the little room where I work.

Here's the project, it's about 5 x 6 inches.  A simple design while I learn how to manage the smalti and the thinset which is the adhesive AND looks like grout.  I didn't color the thinset this time, so it's kind of a boring gray.

Joyful joyful I adore smalti!

Maytag Repairman Meets Batman

On Monday of last week I had a visit from someone who is supposedly very lonely.  I came home from work at lunchtime, and $179 later he left.  I don't think I've ever had such an expensive lunch!  Thanks a LOT, Maytag Repair-Guy.

He did find $4.63 in change inside the dryer, which he returned to me.  And broken "gas coils" which Ironing Man said sound like something a gastro-enterologist should be fixing.  Especially at those rates.

In other weekly news...Sisi started swimming at the "silver" level on the Funky Fish Swim Club.  Promoted from Bronze.  Now she has longer practices and harder practices.  She was very nervous the first night.  I told the head coach, who apparently told her coach, who went up to her before practice and said, "Don't worry.  You're not going to die tonight."

J-dude will probably be moving up next month to that level, too.  He's working hard and improving all his times in his meets.  Except for the 100-yard backstroke today where he (1) smashed his left hand into the wall at the end of his first lap, which (2) hurt like the dickens, and then he (3) disqualified in the event.  Miscounting your backstrokes can be both painful and frustrating, but not fatal either.

This girl dropped 2 seconds off her best time on 50 yard fly.  And she wants to be called Batman from now on.  In this blog, and on her swim team.  Yes, her best buddy in swimming is Robin.

J-dude dropped 7 seconds in his 100 yard freestyle and 13 seconds in his 200 yard freestyle this weekend.  And Sisi, er...Batman-girl...thinks he should be called "The Flash."

It's Amazing What You Can Find at the Hardware Store

I myself went to Ace is the Place Hardware today for some Power Grab, which sounds like something a superhero might need to fight crime, but really is just the glue I use for my mosaics.

While there a woman came in claiming that there was a red van in the parking lot that (a) had a dog inside, and (b) had smoke pouring out of the engine. The clerk asked everyone in line if it was their red van, no one stepped forward.  Then he went to the door, looked out, and came back to wait on the rest of us and ignored the (possibly insane) woman.

When I went outside there was indeed (1) a red van, with (2) a dog inside.  However the window to the van was so far open that if the dog needed to get out of the van there would have been no problem.

And there was NOT any (i) smoke pouring out of anything, nor (ii) any evidence of smoke ever pouring out of the van.

Like I said, possibly insane.

The good thing is that while I was in line waiting for the clerk to verify that an exploding van was not in the parking lot, I noticed something that is FOR SURE going to save me a LOT of time and money when I get ready to sell my house someday.  I expected I'd need a major house overhaul to get that done when the day arrived.

Handiest item in the hardware!