2025 Project 365 – Week Fifty-one

Perhaps I shouldn’t have waited until after a full day of church and caroling to start writing this…
Sunday, December 14^th            
Choir photo after the cantata. We wore pink because it was the Joy Sunday of advent.

Monday, December 15^th       
Happy anniversary to ussss!!!
 

Tuesday, December 16^th      
I made an omelet with Justice. I might have added a smidge more cheese than was strictly necessary.
 

Wednesday, December 17^th        
People. It happened AGAIN. Ms. Aunt was trying to send flowers to her niece and put the wrong city on the address, so they got left by our door even though the street address didn’t exactly match ours. This time, Dr. M just decided to pay it forward, sleuthed the correct address & had flowers sent to the niece.
 

Thursday, December 18^th    
I’m wearing some compression gloves due to having a little thumb pain & now I know how dogs feel when they try to walk in those little booties. My right hand is ok, but my left hand can’t feel the yarn. VERY WEIRD.
 

Friday, December 19^th              
Felt rather festive today!
 

I think we’re finished decorating our tree (for now). 
 

Saturday, December 20^th   
I was rootling around in our box of spices from the Penzeys Spices Advent Calendar & came across this one that looks delicious AND made me smile. And THEN I got a flyer from the Open and Affirming Coalition in the mail & I decided that God must be telling me to spread the love. But then I also took a picture of the spoon that my coworker Kim gave me so you could see my true nature (witchy with a chance of sarcasm).  
 

It's entirely possible that I will always share this meal when Dr. M makes it because it’s so pretty! Italian style bone in chicken thighs with peppers and onions. Delicious!

Christmas is in just a few days, although we’ll continue to have gatherings for a week or so. Thank you so much for the book suggestions! I think I got all but one of them. Now I need to spend some time reading them before I pass them along to the boys. Right now, I’m wearing my new Christmas jammies (thanks Dr. M!) and doing laundry. How about you? Ready for the week ahead - or just ready for the week ahead to be over?

2025 Project 365 – Week Fifty

People, I have been busy! Yesterday was cantata day (& we did really well, to my utter surprise), and today is our 35^th anniversary so we’ve been spending some quality time together mailing our Christmas cards and getting lunch from the hot bar at Honey’s IGA. Big time celebrating going on here!

Sunday, December 7^th            
So Mary apparently had about an 11 pound baby? My gauge might have been a smidge off (in my defense, I didn’t know the size of the manger, but in my non-defense, I didn’t try to figure it out ahead of time).

Monday, December 8^th       
You’re getting three BeReals this week because we were slack on taking pictures. This is me, home from mall walking and taking a photo of the full glory that is Ms. Pinky. We know she should be trimmed, but that’s where her most gorgeous blooms are.
 

Tuesday, December 9^th      
And here is a closeup of the blooms…
 

Wednesday, December 10^th        
Another BeReal – doing some training on year end procedures (proof of health insurance tax documents that have to go out to employees per the Affordable Care Act).
 

Thursday, December 11^th    
I was SO SLEEPY after dinner!
 

Friday, December 12^th              
My dad putting together his Christmas present (a cabinet for his shoes). He’s still pretty darned handy!
 

Saturday, December 13^th   
While I was at choir practice, Dr. M was on Pop duty. Here are three of his cats. He loves these cats and feeding them helps structure his days.
 

Christmas poem is written (thanks Dr. M!), cards are in the mail, cantata is history, most of our gifts are purchased (I think – perhaps I should inventory them). We might be ready for Christmas. Oh! I just remembered I need to get books for the great-nephews! Any favorites for toddlers & 4-6 year olds? (Grayson is VERY SMART and into weather and dinosaurs). Elliott seems pretty bright too, but since he’s still a toddler he’s just getting regular toddler books.

2023 Project 365 – Week Forty-eight

We had a ceasefire, and then resumption of firing, and it feels like the whole world is on one side or the other. I myself am on the side of children. And not just in Israel and Gaza! Now, with that out of the way, let’s check out the week.
Sunday, November 26^th       
I skipped church, but did go to my dad’s to have lunch with him (and work a puzzle). He had the genius idea to put honey mustard pretzels on our ham sandwiches. Delicious!
 

We’ve been talking about getting a larger TV because we were having trouble reading the scores for our baseball & hockey games. Dr. M finally took the plunge & used some of his birthday money to get this one. It’s huge! (To us anyway.) And SUCH an improvement in technology. We can use his Amazon Prime account to watch movies, air drop from our phones if we want to, and of course actually see the hockey score. Amazing! I also like how it looks like our fireplace mantel is a fancy frame for the TV.
 

Monday, November 27^th
Dr. M’s brunch was a holey affair.
 

Tuesday, November 28^th                       
Matchy matchy!
 

Wednesday, November 29^th                               
Getting ready to leave the office (this was at 5:30).
 

Thursday, November 30^th                             
I was making a sort of tostada with refried beans & cheese & I tried to put an egg on top, but it slid to the side & then the tortilla was getting overdone, but the egg wasn’t nearly done, so I shifted the pan to the side of the burner & that’s how you know that I’m a great cook. The end.
 

Friday, December 1^st                         
I put my wooden calendar together & then took a terrible photo of it, so I’m just sharing this small detail. It’s the square for our anniversary, with our wedding cake painted on it. We’ll have been married 33 years on the 15^th!
 

Saturday, December 2^nd                      
It was foggy all day, but did I get a nice atmospheric photo with maybe a ghostly squirrel out in the yard? No I did not. Instead, you get this shot from my Be Real moment of the day – Laundry O’Clock!
 

Today was the first Sunday in Advent & we had a lovely service at church. It’s the beginning of the church year & I’ve made a few resolutions for myself. We’ll see how that goes. How about you – I think a lot of my readers aren’t religious, but do you think of certain times of the year as “clean the slate” opportunities?

2022 Project 365 – Week Fifty

Christmas is heading toward us like a steam roller. It will be in the rearview mirror before we know it, and I will be ready to settle into the quiet part of the year.
Sunday, December 11^th             
Spent some quality time wrapping presents.
 

Monday, December 12^th     
I went to brush my hair and thought “why mess with perfection?” Reader, I messed with perfection.
 

Tuesday, December 13^th           
I wore these sheep jammies all week*, and I put them in the wash just in time for us to go into the deep freeze next week. There’s even been talk of the “s” word. I’ll believe that when I see it. *I did not wear them to work.
 

Wednesday, December 14^th                     
I came home from work to pre-anniversary flowers!
 

Thursday, December 15^th             
Anniversary cake. It was so good! We’ve been married 32 years now!
 

Friday, December 16^th            
Dr. M says: Defiant bloomers, sheep butts, and a drowsy Pyr kind of afternoon.
 

Meanwhile, I had a fit check for a new project. You say I said something about not starting anything new? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
 

Saturday, December 17^th     
My great-nephew’s Christmas presents arrived!
 

Dr. M snapped a photo of me working on this very post. For heaven’s sake.
 

We had our first Christmas gathering today, with Dr. M’s aunt and cousin. Did we take a photo? No we did not. But we did have a nice time. And really I’m looking forward to spending time with all of our people, and then I’m looking forward to heading to our respective corners for a while. How about you – do you get energized by people-gatherings, or do you need to recharge?  

2021 Project 365 – Week Fifty-one

Apparently we were too busy to take pictures this week, so this should go pretty quickly. Good news for you!
Sunday, December 12^th    
This was a first for me – an accordion at church. It was actually really good!
 

Monday, December 13^th     
No photo.
 
Tuesday, December 14^th
Twilight at the old home place…
 

Dr. M found our Santa hat – I needed it for later in the week.
 

Wednesday, December 15^th    
Our 31^st anniversary!
 

Dr. M wrapped some presents & we decided that the penguins are psychotic (Madagascar reference – ha!).
 

Thursday, December 16^th
No photo.
 
Friday, December 17^th     
How the Bug Stole Christmas, featuring Olive the Other Reindeer as Max the dog. I didn’t win the ugly sweater contest, but I had fun.
 

Saturday, December 18^th    
While Dr. M took his dad to get his vaccine booster I had brunch – oatmeal, fried eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, parm, and some cheddar & pepperjack cheese (leftovers from an office Christmas party). It was REALLY good ya’ll. I think I'm going to eat the exact same thing tomorrow. 
 

I finished a crochet project today, so we might be ready for Christmas? I do have one more gift to try to find, but the world won’t end if I don’t. How are things looking on your end?

2020 Project 365 – Week Fifty-one

Christmas is less than a week away and I am not ready. However, we’ve canceled our family gathering, so I think I might have some leeway here. In fact, I hereby grant myself leeway. Whew! (Um, fam, your gifts might be a tad delayed.) I was going to go shopping today (to one store), but I’m not feeling fabulous & my temp is up a smidge (99), so I bailed on that plan. 99 degree temps didn’t used to be a cause for alarm, but these days we are not taking chances!

Sunday, December 13^th

I tried to get a good picture of our tree without much success. So here is an over-processed one for your enjoyment. 

Monday, December 14^th

Our anniversary is on the 15^th, and I came home to goodies from Dr. M. He’s the best! 

Tuesday, December 15^th

Anniversary day! Thirty years! That just seems crazypants. I posted this photo on FB and had a couple of folks who were happy to see the return of the hat (apparently I post this same picture every year? Ha!). 

The 30^th is the pearl anniversary, so Dr. M got me a couple of pearl items. The green and freshwater pearl set is from my favorite, Feryl Designs. 

Back in February I had commissioned these portraits from someone I know just on FB. I kind of liked his quirky style. They don’t really look much like us – I think I like them better if I imagine that they’re other people. 

Wednesday, December 16^th

Apparently Wednesday is the day that Dr. M cooks. Here is his description on FB: Nothing for it but to make chicken soup tonight! Started with a base of onions, white carrots, and a blend of bell and poblano peppers, added garlic, spices, and cubed yellow squash and zucchini for a summer vibe. Chicken, broth, corn, black beans, and, once all that came to a boil, a cup of orzo. Once that cooked, I finished with chopped cilantro and the juice from a fresh lemon.

Thursday, December 17^th

For old times’ sake I put on my favorite lipstick – Burt’s Bees Rhubarb & then took a selfie showcasing my ancient Santa earrings. I wiped off the lipstick the next time I put my mask back on. 

Friday, December 18^th

Our department won the decorating contest & got donuts as a prize. This is not a bear claw – it’s a bigfoot claw! It had apple filling – very yummy. I also took a picture of my coworker’s ostrich Christmas sweater. She got shamed into taking it off because of the unfortunate placement of the ostrich body. There was much hooting and hilarity. Ha! 

Dr. M caught the cotton candy twilight – and the moon!

Saturday, December 18^th

I have had some sort of malaise all during this pandemic. I don’t read, I don’t crochet – I spend all my time scrolling Instagram and playing a game on my iPad. As a result, I haven’t made Christmas presents like I had planned to. Here is a sneak peek at a couple that did get completed – you’ll get to see them in all their glory next week. 

Are you ready for Christmas? What is it going to look like for you this year? Mine will be an introvert’s dream – but even introverts need people sometimes. Looking forward to the day when we can gather in peace again!