Caoimhe

If you line them up just right between two pieces of fabric you can run it all the way down the seam and it’s done! If you line it up wrong you just ruin stuff and I’ve done that too. I have one Havel, one Tula Pink, and one Kai like that plus two Gingher equivalents (that are just NOT sharp enough to skim down a seam). I also have a pair of Superior Snippers that are helpful when I can’t use the scalpel ones. I somehow managed to lose TWO pairs of those (I no longer allow the trash bin to be within reach of my machine) so I’m on my third pair of those. Then I have the old-style “normal” seam rippers but I don’t even know where they are. Obviously my sewing is very far from perfect! 🤣

I have at least five I can think of right now, my favourites are the scalpel-type ones since I can just replace the blades. I recall reading somewhere that some tailors will use a razor blade to cut stitches, I don’t trust myself that far!

I did know that. One recent year my Christmas cards were square BUT I went out and bought rectangular envelopes to post them in. I made them myself so at least I didn’t have envelopes I couldn’t use and they went through with normal postage. The odd thing is that square cards are everywhere in Ireland and they’re about all we get from the family, An Post doesn’t care but for whatever reason USPS does. My toothpaste just went from “3 stops away” to “delivered”. The little sleigh is so cute! Yes, my toothpaste has to come from Amazon because I didn’t buy enough when I was last in Ireland and the stuff I want isn’t in shops here. Amazon and eBay are my saviours when I run out of things the US decides we can’t be trusted to use properly.

I used to belong to one in Dublin and most people DID read the book. The choices were varied, from classics and Booker Prize nominees (Life of Pi, which I read and did NOT get at all!!) to chick lit, mysteries, and thrillers. While I enjoyed reading most of the chosen books I never had much to say about most of them, so as much as I miss the social outlet I wouldn’t join one now. My sister in law belongs to one of the nighttime wine drinking and gossip groups with the occasional book mention. She likes it for what it is but reads a lot outside of it too.

I got a Christmas tree photo from my cousin. Last year I gave them (she lives with my aunt) a 7.5’ artificial tree I was getting too old to deal with (my husband doesn’t help) and a big bag of handmade ornaments I hadn’t used since I last put that tree up five years ago. Looking at her photo brought back so many memories of when I made those ornaments! There were some my mother had made in there too. It made me feel a bit unsettled, but I’m happy they are being used and enjoyed. For my small 4’ tree I have lovely ornaments that my husband’s family gave us over the years and I hadn’t used the ones I gave away in quite a while so it’s not like I actually wanted them back!! I’m laughing about it today but the power of nostalgia can be surprisingly strong!

(Swear word that begins with an F)-ing B(with the last four letters of witch). I use it all the time in real life (well, when I feel it’s required!) but learned ages ago it was likely to result in a ban on many message boards even though it was never directed at another member of said boards.

In real life I use “f b” words rather than “that name”, but message boards often get upset at describing someone that way! I can understand why so many perfectly nice people named Karen (and their friends) are annoyed at what the name has become associated with.

My phone is my Emotional Support Device and if I’m in a group of strangers I *WILL* take it out whenever I like (unless there’s a good reason, not a nasty interfering stranger at the table trying to police my behaviour). I’d have been kicking myself for hours afterward thinking of all the comebacks that horrid woman deserved that I couldn’t think of on the spot. Like you I don’t use my phone during meals with family or friends, at events, or when directed not to for a specific reason. Many years ago we went on a trip like that and everyone was shocked to find we were all supposed to eat dinner together! One person (a woman on her own) got up and walked out, found a local restaurant to have a peaceful dinner at, and by the next night it was sorted and she got her own table. I admired her for that!

Growing up the tree went up mid-December and came down on January 2nd. When we were small gifts were on Christmas morning (before breakfast!) but as we got older we started opening everything on Christmas Eve. My mother even put up a cardboard fireplace for a few years, I love those old photographs. I have always put up decorations Thanksgiving weekend (only because my husband loves them, I wouldn’t bother for myself) and they come down January 1 so it gives him over a month. I hated doing the tree this year (and it’s only a 4’ one), I’m hoping to leave all the stuff on it so next year I can pull it out of the bag, plug it in, and be done. I don’t mind all the smaller decorations around the house, they are quick and easy, and I don’t do anything outdoors. Husband’s typical plan is to leave the house for a round of golf and expect everything done on his return. The memories are the best thing about the holidays for me, I enjoy reading about everyone’s customs and routines!

Nespresso if I want a normal coffee or an espresso, Keurig when I want flavours. We also have a little Oxo pour over cup my husband has me make for him (stronger than the machines’ capsules), a French Press, and an Aeropress. The last two are miserable to clean so they never get used and with the pour over you have to wait for the water to boil which doesn’t appeal to me (and is why he tells me when to have the kettle boiled for his). We drink a LOT of coffee between us!

Happy Thanksgiving (or Happy Thursday)! Thinking of @oliviabenson today and hope you enjoy your day however you choose to spend it! I’ve got my first load of laundry in - how exciting - but am incredibly thankful to see rain and not Frozen White Miserableness coming down outside my windows.

Reddit is too addictive, I can waste hours there. My main interests are the quilting and sewing subs which are drama free for the most part, but I have to admit there are a few other places that drag me in. AITH is mainly fake, usually one of the first replies talks about how the poster was recently a different age / gender/ etc from what they are claiming to be. I just find it kind of funny! Resigning from the second job makes perfect sense, from all your posts they have NEVER treated you well there.

I am SO sorry, I can’t even imagine the pain of being left behind for any holiday at such a young age. While my parents and siblings were alive holidays were good, maybe this is the a consequence of being “last one standing”. My brother who died most recently hosted us for all the holidays and his wife is continuing to include us, only she and her new partner have been “adopted” into the cousins’ family so they get invited to everything and I need to stop letting that hurt me. I really hate that for so many people the holidays are painful and difficult whether it’s being left out or being pulled in too many directions. If only I could hibernate and avoid Thanksgiving / Christmas *AND* Winter!

I really want to think the missing dinner invite was after they knew we were invited elsewhere and had already accepted. What bothers me most is no text saying “they’re coming over later Thursday for dessert why don’t you come along too” or even my sister in law saying “we’re going over later after dinner you’re welcome to join us”. I’m socially inept so I should look at this in a positive way, there will be many strangers as I’ve only ever met two of my cousins’ (host family and siblings) children and there are a dozen between them all. The virtual hugs help.

There is an extended family Thanksgiving dinner being planned. Cousins mentioned they were invited and looking forward to going which is good. We are invited to my late brother’s wife for dinner (she declined an invite to the big dinner for herself and partner) which is very kind and I look forward to. I (wrongly?) assumed if she had accepted then we might also have been invited to the big dinner. But then cousins said “yes and late brother’s wife and partner are joining us later for dessert”. Okay, I know they are close to the host and invited to a LOT of events at their home so this doesn’t surprise me. What really hurts is why did we not get an invitation to come later for dessert too? I don’t mind if we eat early so they can be on time for their later invitation but I’m the ONLY other cousin with no family left yet I feel like I’m not welcome there. No one has given any indication why they hate me or don’t want to include me (and politically the cousins who are invited are on the opposite side of the hosts and ourselves so it’s not that). It’s not a numbers issue because they have huge gatherings all the time. Which leads me to believe it’s a “me” issue after all and I must learn to be content with our solitary existence. My very lovely in-laws are in another country that doesn’t have Thanksgiving. (Sorry for the saga but as I have no friends I had to get it out somewhere!)