Happy Friday bloggy friends!
It has been…a week. Thankfully, there are still happy things on offer if we look for them.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
AN EXTRA DAY
I was scheduled to come home from my parents’ house on Saturday, but John suggested I stay an extra day – switching to a Sunday morning departure. He didn’t have to offer twice.
It was delightful. To have an unexpected extra day off parenting and household responsibilities. To enjoy one more day of Mom’s home cooking. To squeeze in another hike with Dad (complete with discovering/exploring an abandoned cabin in the woods and stopping by a little lighthouse).
We were also productive and cut down three trees on their property, piled all the resulting brush, and dug up/levelled a huge stump that has been a nuisance for years.
I also got an extra day of the magic that is wood-stove heat.
AN EXTRA HOUR
I get pretty grumpy about time changes in general, but I’m coming to realize the issue is the fact that at one point in the year we “lose” an hour. Gaining an hour – at least now that the kids are old enough to self-manage wakeup times – is great. I dislike having breakfast in the dark; it strikes me as universally depressing to eat food before the sun has risen for the day. On the flip side, I love having cozy supper meals after dark.
Years ago, at Christmas, my brother and his wife (who conveniently live in Denmark) gifted our family a set of gorgeous Georg Jensen candlesticks. They are probably the fanciest thing I own, but we do not coddle or store them away. When the time changes, the candles come out and live on our table for months. Most days the kids fight over whose turn it is to light the candles and then they fight over whose turn it is to blow out the candles even though we follow a predictable schedule. They just like excuses to argue, but I digress.
The candles are lovely.
BONUS
- Every participant is automatically a winner in the Cool Bloggers Walking Club. We get outside. We move our bodies. We heighten our sense of online community. But I would be remiss not to mention two unofficial “winners”. I’m awarding Sophie top prize for the most beloved animal sighting (kangaroos) and she wins for the creepiest animal sighting (Hunstman spiders). Melissa is the “winner” of the most steps walked (maybe some of our runners beat her in total distance and steps?): 650,073. I didn’t count my steps, but I know I clocked in a lot fewer than 650,073. You can read all about Sophie and Melissa’s walks on their blogs.
- I have a new favourite purchase that I cannot wait to tell you about; I will leave you in suspense because it is NaBloPoMo and I can’t be frivolously using up precious blog fodder. Stay tuned. It may just be life-changing for me this winter.
- Receiving postcards from Birche (with a lighthouse on the front – she knows me too well) and Lisa from her trip to DC with Paul.
- Crisp walks to/from school with no wind.
- Christmas decor. I came home to a partially decorated house. One of the many perks of having a teen daughter is her penchant for decorating and enthusiasm for all things Christmas.
- In yet more bittersweet news, Belle can now braid her own hair more competently than I can braid her hair. It feels like a passing of the torch since I don’t foresee me ever being called upon to braid Indy’s hair. To be fair, this is 99% sweet since I’m not a fan of doing my own hair, let alone someone else’s.
- Carpooling for extracurriculars.
- Watching Hallmark Christmas movies with the kids. They love the movies but make a big fuss about covering their eyes and making retching noises when the main characters eventually kiss. It only adds to the fun.
- An impromptu supper with friends. They had come to watch Belle play volleyball – about 40 minutes away from our town, but close to where they live – and asked if we wanted to go back to their place for supper after volleyball was over. Why not? They cut up veggies and fruit, we ordered pizza and it was great.
- A hole in the wall isn’t a big deal. A few weeks ago a child was sitting in the hallway bracing their feet against a wall and – POP! – the drywall broke leaving us with a large hole. We are not DIYers, so this will take some time before it’s repaired. Unlike the hole in our ensuite bathroom, we can’t just put a picture up over it to hide all evidence (that picture is still there, covering the hole, and it works wonderfully). But, it hasn’t fussed me too much. Our friends won’t judge us. The kids don’t care. And if the biggest issue with our home is a hole in a heavily scuffed hasn’t-been-painted-in-a-decade wall, we are so, so fortunate. Perspective, right?
- Fall. I am still loving fall. The leaves. The temperatures. Without a doubt this is the first time in the last fifteen years I have truly appreciated this season. This time last year was a veritable dumpster fire. So I think I’m appreciating the beauty even more this year. And that is a very Happy Thing!!!
- A bonus picture. I don’t think I posted this yet? Indy loves jumping (remember Peggy’s Cove with Kyria!), and this sums up his personality in a single shot. Note the filthy knees of his pants. This kid has not met a pair of pants (or sneakers) he can’t wear out in a week with hard play.
Your turn. Do you have the skills necessary to repair a hole in your drywall? What’s something bittersweet in your life right now? Do you watch Christmas movies? When do you start decorating for Christmas? Tell me your thoughts about time changes!
See you tomorrow for my first NaBloPoMo Saturday Giveaway. *Jazz hands*
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Coree
Oh my goodness, T is the destroyer of shoes and trousers. I had a great source for extra reinforced knees but he’s sized out of them (tall and skinny) and apparently big boys don’t get reinforced knees. I’ve just started patching holes. Decathlon sneakers seem to hold up for us as well. but I’ve just accepted he’s scruffy, often needs a haircut, but I’m hoping his impeccable manners mitigate any judgement.
It’s been a week… heartbreaking election, coupled with general life chaos (we’ve not all been home for dinner since Sunday), and some social dynamics at school, but some highlights – a friend launched his book yesterday and we had a great dinner, I’m seeing a friend tonight. It’s my husbands birthday tomorrow, we’ve got a full on weekend but I’ve booked a nice brunch and he gets to go pick out a new bike (not his birthday present, but his bike is 25 years old and his work does a cycle to work discount scheme). Teddy’s got a session with British Cycling, furthering his dream of being an Olympic cyclist/marine biologist. He’s also carrying the flag for his troop in the Remembrance Day parade.
Elisabeth
Life sounds busy – and there are lots of difficult things going on – but I love that you have fun and exciting things lined up and can recognize them as Happy Things. A book launch! Birthdays!
That is so exciting that T has a session with British Cycling. Maybe this will be the turning point in a life-long dream that he’ll pursue! Take lots of pictures for a future documentary about how this rising star first started in the sport.
mbmom11
I’m married to someone who can patch drywall and plaster. Thank goodness. Left up to me, I’d be strategically placing a chair or chest in the hallway to block the hole .
My bittersweet- my youngest is in 5th grade and playing basketball and doing all the middle school things. Not longer my little boy!
The time change was welcome as we traveled Sunday morning after a late night. That extra hour meant people got good sleep before packing up and heading home. Also, taking my daughter to the bus has light now, which makes it easier to move her along.
Boys pants- an endless struggle to keep clean and hole-free.
Elisabeth
If our hallway wasn’t so narrow, I’d likely put something in front of it (we have a hole in Belle’s wall that I’ve covered with a plastic butterfly)…but alas, this hole is too big and the hallway is too small. Getting it fixed is very low on my priority list, but it would be handy if John or I could do fixes like this around the house.
The transition from elementary to middle school is definitely bittersweet!
“Boys pants- an endless struggle to keep clean and hole-free.” This is the story of my life right now.
Jenny
Well you know my thoughts about the time change! I LOVE getting an extra hour. And I’m vehemently opposed to dark mornings. Evenings can be dark- mornings are supposed to be LIGHT.
Glad you got an extra day with your parents. John wins best husband award. And, I’m laughing at the hole in the wall. If it were us, it could be years until it got fixed. We still have cracked tiles in our kitchen floor, they’ve been that way for well over a year, and we just cover it up with a rug.
Elisabeth
Well the two holes we had in drywall already have both been there for years and we’ve creatively just covered them up. This one won’t be so easy to hide, but I’m feeling rather nonchalant about fixing it right now. Eventually the hallway really needs to get painted, so I suppose we’ll do both at the same time (hiring out the painting work, because we can not be trusted with a paintbrush or really anything beyond push pins).
I agree about light in the morning. The only time I mind the early darkness is kid activities. It feels a bit alarming to leave a sporting event at 5:30 and it’s pitch dark. But I would take that over dark mornings any day!
Birchie
I’m not sure how we made it to the boys’ late teens with no one putting any holes through the wall – YET. It’s not for lack of trying.
Now that the time change is here, I’m a fan of having daylight in the mornings again. It’s so nice that I can ignore the dark in the evenings.
We have a strict rule in our house that there are no Christmas decorations until after my husband’s birthday, which is late Nov. However there’s no rule that I can’t enjoy other people’s decorations! They started going up last weekend and it’s so fun to see – especially when walking the dog in the dark after dinner.
Elisabeth
It’s a bit ironic this time the child wasn’t trying to do damage! These things happen. I’d be a bit more fussed if it had been in the living room but our hallway is already COVERED in mini stick markings on the walls. One of these days we’ll get around to having it painted and that will be the time to fix the hole.
When I was growing up we couldn’t listen to Christmas music until the middle of the month and the tree would only go up a week or so before Christmas. While I wanted things to start earlier SO desperately as a kid, now I feel like it feels a bit more magical to put it off for a while. That said, now I have a daughter who is obsessed with all things Christmas and since she’s willing to do most of the work…I let her put up the decorations any time she wants to and that timeline just keeps getting pushed earlier and earlier as the years go by!
Julia
I love that you put a painting over a hole in your bathroom wall. That is definitely something I would do. If I can’t see it, it doesn’t bother me! My husband is capable of patching holes like that, but actually getting to them is another thing. We have a lot of house projects going at any given time, and infinitely more on the to-do list.
My youngest turns 4 this weekend which is bittersweet. I am not the mom who wishes they were all babies again, though. Trying to appreciate each age and season of life without looking forward or back to what I think will be, or was, better.
Elisabeth
Exactly – I can’t see it and it doesn’t both me! Also, the hole was put there to fix an issue with a shower in the adjoining room…so I figured if the hole is hidden and we might need to access that shower again at some point, why not just leave the hole there!?
I think I am exactly the same as you with regard to kids growing up. I miss little parts about the individual stages of motherhood (like I miss being able to rock babies to sleep), but no part of me wants to go back and stay in/live through those stages again. And I am adoring the growing independence. It feels a bit startling I have a daughter who is only a few years away from being able to drive. The days are long, but goodness the years are short in retrospect…
Maureen
I found you from Monday’s post where you interviewed The Frugal Girl. I like your up-beat posts! And a Happy Things Friday after following a Thankful Thursday on The Frugal Girl’s blog, will make a great start to my weekends!
I only had a daughter and she really didn’t ruin the knees in her pants. My husband on the other hand …..
I can try to patch a wall, but that’s a big chunk so I might have to call someone in to do it. And where it is so close to the floor, might take too much work for me. I’ll stick to other crafts!
And I haven’t had anything bittersweet for this week. Altho I know the feeling after 2 big moves in 10 years. Moving away from folks that you have become so friendly with and enjoy their company is very bittersweet.
Elisabeth
Thanks for joining me here in this blog space, Maureen. I publish Happy Things Friday posts…every Friday!
My daughter is much easier on clothes and she can wear the same pair of shoes for YEARS.
Colleen Martin
The fall time change is just perfection, the spring is utter hell. We’ve had a crack in our living room wall for about ten years and I just hung a bunch of pictures around/over it so I feel your pain! I’m glad this fall is much happier for you than last fall 🙂
Elisabeth
I agree. I really, really mind the spring change. Though I’ve been so tired the last few days and my body does feel a bit “off” despite gaining the hour. That said, it’s worth a big of hassle for having light in the mornings.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I can patch a wall and I bet you can too. You just have to cut a square out and put a new one in, put a little plaster/mud around the edges to hold it in, and then sand and paint. I bet you $5 that Gary has all the tools, including probably even a small piece of drywall that you can use so that you don’t have to buy a whole sheet. The trick is when you cut the square of drywall, you keep the paper that is on top bigger than the hole and then you can make a seamless hole. Seriously, I know that all sounds confusing, but this is a great first DIY sheetrocking project! 🙂 You can do it! You could also get the kid that made the hole involved so they will also learn how to fix their own mistakes!
I am happy today because it is not raining! It is supposed to rain for the next three days, but today it is about 36F/2C degrees out and it is shaping up to be clear! Yay. Also, I love changing the clocks back as it means more light in the morning!
Elisabeth
Sigh. I’m sure I can (and last week I actually looked up a DIY on this and they highlighted the importance of leaving the paper on top bigger. We even have some extra drywall in our basement. But still…it feels like too much. Gah. We will see. You’d better believe if I do go ahead and do this, it will feature HEAVILY in a Gold Stars post.
You came to visit a few weeks too early. Just think – if you were here now, I’d allow you the joy of fixing my wall 😉
Rain can really bring down my mood and it makes any outdoor activities so much harder. So yay for clear (or at least not rainy) skies!
Lindsay
We are of the school of thought where we’d hang a frame over the hole in the wall until something major is done to the house and we could slide that fix in. We’ve accepted this is who we are.
We are going to start decorating for Christmas next Friday and that’s also when I’m lifting my embargo on seasonal music (my family would listen to it year-round).
The time change this year didn’t hit me as hard, but I think it was because I was flipped and thought we were losing sleep when we didn’t. The light, though, is oof and I’ve been trying to get as much daylight when I can and find some cozy moments in the so much dark.
Elisabeth
This is who we are as well! When we moved in nothing had been done to fill nail holes or update paint (and a lot of the house is still in this state). We would just hang our pictures over those existing holes. Not always the placement I’d chose, but it was a lot less work than filling holes 🙂
My kids would also listen to Christmas music year-round. I wish we started a bit later, but it is fun. I have no problem watching lots of Hallmark Christmas movies at this point though.
Ally Bean
I adore those candleholders. They are perfection. Do you know I’ve never seen a Hallmark holiday movie? We don’t have cable and I don’t have the inclination, I guess. Yet every year about this time everyone starts talking about them and I’m a bit intrigued.
Elisabeth
The Hallmark craze is relatively new. You’re not missing much, but they are fun and it’s nice to sometimes turn the brain off and just consume the media equivalent of cotton candy. Not very nutritious, but a pleasant treat every once in a while.
Michelle G.
How nice that you got to stay an extra day! That’s the best kind of surprise. I would have no clue how to fix a big hole in the wall in a way that looked good. Call in the pros! The candlestick holders are beautiful. I enjoy watching one Christmas movie and reading one Christmas book per season. That’s enough to give me some Christmas spirit without being over the top. I decorate the day after Thanksgiving, so that’ll be Nov. 29th this year.
Elisabeth
An important distinction! I might be able to fix the hole but it would NOT look good.
I’m impressed with your one book, one movie routine. That is very deliberate and definitely not over the top. I would likely only watch one or two Hallmark movies but I have kids that love them and it’s a mindless and fun way to spend an evening curled up on the couch together. In fact, that’s my plan for tonight after Indy gets home from basketball practice. It has been a busy week and I’m going to get in PJs, get a bowl of ice cream and watch Hallmark cliches 🙂
I think a lot of Americans decorate right after Thanksgiving! That’s a helpful benchmark for you every year.
Alexandra
I feel like reading your post was in and of itself, a Hallmark movie trailer. All those wonderful autumnal photos and reminiscing about Christmas. As for dry walling? Nope. I can sew a button on, that’s about it.
Elisabeth
Awww. Well, colour me tickled that you equate my post with a Hallmark movie! I’ll take that exclusively as a compliment <3
I can barely - BARELY - manage a button, so it should be no surprise drywalling is way beyond the realm of my domestic capabilities.
Alexandra
It was meant as a compliment. I love autumn, it’s my favourite time of year. All the colours and that feeling we’re getting closer to Christmas, though up here, I wish it didn’t get as cold as it does. Oh, and I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t have the sewing gene! 😉
NGS
I do NOT have the skills to fix a hole in drywall, but I would 100% obtain them because that is the kind of thing that would drive me CRAZY if I had to see it every day. I wish I could be all easy breezy about it, but I am not that kind of lady.
We will decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving. I do not care for mixing holidays. Although, to be honest, we did buy three bags of Christmas seasonal Hershey Kisses last week. I guess I’m not above mixing holiday foods.
Elisabeth
What ever happened with your baseboard, I wonder. I feel like you’ve mentioned how it all got resolved.
At this point I think I’ve decided if this is the biggest blemish in the house, I can live with it. I also know I’m a) too cheap to want to fix it right away and b) know if I attempted to fix it I would almost certainly make it look worse.
I’m intrigued by the holiday Kisses. Do they have different flavours for Christmas or just different patterned wrapping?
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I most definitely will watch Christmas movies bit for me that is not before December… Maybe if I have a rough day end of November.
The fall pictures are so gorgeous. I was driving today for a while ad sa so many fun foliage too and just loved it. Yours are better though.
I would probably give that drywall a try after watching one or two YouTube videos or I would call my dad and make it an event. He was trained as a bricklayer ? /mason?
Elisabeth
I suppose YouTube would be my best bet with trying it myself. We’ll see…maybe I could do a quick attempt. I have the drywall, but none of the mudding compound.
I’m watching a new Christmas movie tonight 😉 The kids started a month ago, and I’m ready to join in 🙂 PJs, ice cream, and Hallmark = a pretty swell Friday evening for an introvert who loves the holidays.
Maria
That jumping shot is fantastic!
Holes in walls… funny you should mention it. We have one in our hallway thanks to an unfortunate experience with an inexperienced electrician. Thankfully my parents are visiting and my dad is helping my husband patch it. Thanks to pipes leaking in my childhood home, my dad has an unfortunate amount of experience with repairing walls.
My big happy thing is a week long visit with my parents! Always a blessing and always too short.
Elisabeth
That’s great your dad can help (though too bad he had to gain those skills the hard way).
I’m so glad you got to see your parents; I wish you could spend more time with them, but I suppose that wistfulness when the visit is over is a good sign that you have a lovely relationship which is such a gift!
Nicole MacPherson
Yay for Happy Things!!!!
It’s Tiny Secret Festive Season! When Jake picked us up at the airport he told me that he wanted to surprise me for TSFS and to put out the Christmas tea towels, but he couldn’t find them! (they are in the cupboard with all the other kitchen linens, JAKE). But anyway, sweet. I put them out immediately plus two light-up gnomes (damn it’s so dark early!!!) and another festive gnome, and my holiday-scented soaps. Soon it will be time to explode, but for now, that’s it until the 23rd or so when Mark can come help with the tree.
I was surprised that the time change happened in Italy, but it didn’t really affect me because I was in Italy. I think I have one more day before I’m totally over the jet lag though. But as I said, hoo boy it is DARK here, sunset is 4:22.
Elisabeth
IT’S TINY SECRET FESTIVE SEASON!!!!!!
I can’t wait to see the festive explosion and the sweaters and the mugs and all the Christmas delights you set out and about. But I love that you’ve started and it is definitely the season for light-up everything. Golly it’s so dark so early. Though 4:22 – wowzers. That is so early. It’s like you’re in Northern Norway or something!
Sophie
Aww so exciting to say I “won” CBWC – happy to share photos of adorable and terrifying native animals any time. Thank you for organising! We put up our Christmas decorations and tree on December 1st, and yes to Christmas movies but I want to increase our repertoire- we only have a handful we watch usually. Maybe I’ll track down some Hallmark Movies for the season 🙂
Elisabeth
As I said regularly, kangaroos were hard to beat!!!
December 1st seems like an excellent benchmark. Before Belle had a say, that was around the time we started as well. But I’m glad she’s excited and, quite honestly, glad for someone else to do a lot of the work!!
Gigi
I’ve patched tiny holes – it’s surprisingly easy. But with a hole that size, I’d have to enlist my husband and badger the hell out of him to get it done because that would drive me bonkers in no time flat. You know, you look at your walls and think they are sturdy but in reality, sheetrock is so thin it’s a miracle we don’t have more holes in our walls.
Those candlesticks are gorgeous!
Elisabeth
I admit I was rather shocked that it happened; we’ve never had a hole this size in drywall, but I suppose the child was pushing on a weak spot?
Aren’t the candlesticks lovely? And I’m so glad I got into the habit of using them regularly in the winter. They’re special but also so easy to care for/clean at the end of the year. And the IKEA tapers fit in them perfectly, so it’s easy to access inexpensive candles!
J
I fell down a couple of years ago and put a hole in our bathroom door with my head. It’s still there. Can that be patched like a wall? I have no idea. Maybe we will have to buy a new door. There is a hole in the flooring in our kitchen where plumbers had to drill in 2018, and we just cover it with a rug. We are toying with the idea of new flooring downstairs, but we haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Perhaps in the new year.
Having lost both of my parents at relatively young ages, it makes me SO HAPPY to see people who have good strong relationships with their parents and really appreciate them. I love that you spent more time with your parents (Jon is a good guy for sure!), and the pictures are beautiful.
I just ordered our Christmas wreath from a local Boy Scout troop. It will come the weekend before Thanksgiving, which doesn’t thrill me, but it will be outside so that’s OK. Because our Thanksgiving is in late November, we don’t decorate until after that. When I was growing up we couldn’t decorate until after my brother’s birthday, which is Dec 6th. He didn’t want the two combined. My birthday is Dec 31st, and I liked having decorations up for my birthday. Different strokes I guess. 🙂
Elisabeth
OH MY GOODNESS. A hole from your head. Yikes. IN A DOOR. Ouch. That sounds so awful.
I realize that what I have with my parents – a good relationship, them living relatively close, their continued health – is so, so special. I try to celebrate that and this visit was just…wonderful.
You squeezed in (or, I guess, out!!) before a new year! December 31st. What an epic birth date.
Lisa’s Yarns
I love the mantel! Can Belle come to our house? On the drive home from picking up Taco Paul told him that we only decorate for Christmas because it’s a lot of work for dad. I was like – whoa whoa what? Phil does not any decorating. Paul said he assumed dad put the tree up. I had to set him straight. Phil does a ton around the house but it does not include any sort of decorating. Oh the assumptions kids make….
I am glad you had an extra day and that you enjoyed the extra hour! Until the kids are more independent and sleep later I will prefer losing an hour but the day will come when I will go back to liking gaining an hour.
Elisabeth
It is so wonderful having someone else in the house who can/wants to decorate. Tonight I had a little dessert thing I wanted to prepare and had zero desire to do it. Then I remembered. I have a teen daughter who LIKES to do this stuff. I enlisted her, she was enthusiastic. Win, win.
John always does the lights on the tree, but other than that the decorating falls to me (and, now, to Belle!).
Allison McCaskill
I do NOT have the skills to patch drywall or plaster. My husband does, but he would have to be in the same country as the wall in order to do it. He hasn’t even been here long enough to buy the car he needs, although the fact that he’s never here I guess means he doesn’t need the car yet. I have been alone a lot and am getting loony.
The time change always knocks me for a loop. I would rather have dark mornings than dark earlier evenings, which make me sad even when I am not sad about other things, which I am right now. But I do love November afternoon light. I have all the twinkly little lights going in my house that I can find right now.
Elisabeth
Twinkle lights make everything – EVERYTHING – at least a little better.
I like the extra hour, but I still feel off my game and exhausted this week. But I’m loving the extra light, so I guess I have to take the bad with the good?
I’m sorry Matt is away so much lately. Sigh. I know the feeling and it can get very wearisome.
Central Calif Artist Jana
Returning to standard time is such a relief. Light belongs in the morning. People who want daylight saving time year around might not be thinking about how very late it will get light in the mornings in the winter and spring. Those of us who walk in the early mornings are very aware of this. I think it is dangerous to deprive people of sleep when the clocks spring ahead.
Your candlesticks are so elegant.
Bittersweet? Just dark chocolate.
Elisabeth
The candlesticks make me so happy. Nothing about our home is elegant, but I still feel like they fit right in 🙂
Agreed about the sleep deprivation. I know when my mom was a nurse they put extra nurses on shift AND saw an uptick in accidents and heart attacks 🙁
Meike
I think I could probably repair a drywall hole but this is one of the few things I let my husband do (not because I can’t do it but because I don’t want to do everything).
My daughter is learning to drive a car right now and that definitely feels bittersweet. They are growing up so fast…
Yes to Christmas movies! There is a Cinderella version from my youth I watch every year.
I love the extra hour but I dread the missing hour in spring. I think they should do away with it honestly.
Elisabeth
My husband and I are quite equally matched at being terrible at home repairs.
Getting a license is SUCH a big milestone and one of the biggest markers of adult independence. I am terrified of that stage, but it’s only a little over two years away for us which literally feels impossible.
Cattis
I could totally patch that hole, but I would never get to it because my husband would take over 😆 I’m more of a ”it’s good enough kindof person and my husband used to be like me too but now he’s a ”let’s do it once and really good” kind of person. He also builds and repair cars and motorcycle in his free time so he’s really handy. And I appriciate that! It has saved us A LOT of money over the years.
I have started decorating for christmas but I’m sick right not which makes it impossible to continue, I guess that’ll be my bittersweet one. I sit in my armchair and look at my see through bin of all my santas but can’t unpack them and put them up. But one day soon… 🎅🎅🎄
Elisabeth
Oh no! I hope you’re feeling better soon. Just think of how extra satisfying it will be to have all your favourite decorations out and about.
Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery…
Stephany
Gahhh, I hate the time change. It just makes me grumpy that it gets dark SO EARLY and I don’t like driving or doing things in the dark. And it is so discombobulating when it’s pitch black outside at 6pm. It makes it feel so much later!
No Christmas decorations yet! I may bring out a bin next week to start slowly incorporating Christmas decorations into my fall decorations.
Elisabeth
I think I’d be different about my decoration schedule if I had American Thanksgiving. Also, if I didn’t have a teen daughter obsessed with Christmas and decorating…
Melissa
I do not have the skills to repair the drywall. Is that what we call plaster? We had to get someone in to do the girl’s wall after the leak from the apartment above was fixed and before the painter came in. One bittersweet thing was putting together the slideshow for my son’s 21st birthday. It’s so good to see him grown up … but my baby is grown up!
Elisabeth
It is like plaster but a sheet of board with paper over top.
I can 100% see why that slideshow is very bittersweet. It’s exciting to watch our kids grow up and spread their wings, but it’s also sad to lose our “baby” which is how, in a way, we’ll always view our own children.
Daria
Happy things, happy things! Love these posts.
My kids are growing up and that feels me with sentiments. Sad, happy, sad, happy. With every Christmas they are more independent, more clear of what they want, ugh just give me a tissue.
We will put up our fake Christmas tree on December 1st. Before that it’s still fall in our house.
Elisabeth
I think I’d take a lot longer to get up Christmas things if I had Thanksgiving first. I wouldn’t want the two holidays to overlap too much.
San
Love the fall vibes in this post, but I am definitely NOT ready for Christmas/holidays over here. Maybe towards the end of November.
Elisabeth
This is early even for me – I swear it gets earlier and earlier every year…but I mostly blame Belle for this (though I’m not complaining too loudly).
Suz
That extra day==WOOT WOOT! The abandoned cabin; how fun to investigate. Of course, time with your parents is the absolute gift here.
I LOVE the candlesticks. How do you stop the wax from dripping all over them? Or do you have special candles? ( I ask because I just unearthed some dear candlesticks and I want to use them, but am afraid to ruin them with wax)
I’m sorry, but I had a little giggle at the (looks pretty big) hole in the wall. It’s fixable, for sure, but in my house, I’d also have to hire someone. Surely my husband CAN do it, but the man is too busy for many household fixes these days.
Elisabeth
It was such a lovely, enchanted visit. Now I’m back to the real world…haha.
I don’t stop the wax from dripping. At the end of the winter (I leave them on the table for months and we light them most days), I just scrape off the wax with a non-scraping hard silicone scraper and then wash them in warm water. They’re not silver, so they don’t tarnish. I’ve been following this routine for years and haven’t noticed the wax causing any damage. I buy my candles at IKEA. They happen to perfectly fit these candlesticks (my brother from Denmark let me in on this little trick).
It is pretty big. I actually stuck an art project over it today.