Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

Agreed!

My son and DIL enlarged a photo of my husband and me which was taken when the 4 of us were out to dinner earlier this year. It's not framed, but rather the photo is on the canvas itself. Only problem is that I hate it. I loathe seeing myself in photos. And it's not a particularly good photo of me. So, I thanked them ( it was mailed), and hid it away. Unfortunately, my son saw it in its hiding spot and wondered why I never hung it. I told him the truth. It was a 40th wedding anniversary gift, and I did feel bad that good money was spent , but not enough to display it.

 

I get you.  I hate myself in pictures also.  Especially as the years go by.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm done with wrapping so I just roll stuff in tissue and cram it into gift bags.

When I was a kid and teen, I loved wrapping presents.  My parents both hated it, so they were thrilled to have me wrap all the gifts other than my own.  And I was somewhat elaborate about it, too, maintaining a collection (re-used each year for family gifts) of cute things to use to supplement/in place of the standard paper, ribbon, bow combo.  But as an adult, I fucking hate wrapping, more and more with each passing year.  Yet my parents have fond memories of the thoughtful wrapping.  So I mostly do gift bags, but still nicely wrap about 20% of their presents.  A few more years, and they're going to get one nicely wrapped gift each and the rest in bags.

While I am generally not much of a Christmas person (I'm an atheist, so only celebrate the secular, Santa version, and get easily sick of all the music and movies I mostly dislike to begin with especially after being inundated with them for well over a month), I am oddly pleased by decorating several rooms of my house for a few weeks each December with a carefully curated collection of non-traditional festive pieces (with some utterly cheesy, Santa threw up in here, pieces mixed in).  Last year, though, I simply could not motivate to do a lick of it.  This year, I got back into the routine and it indeed makes me happy to see.  I only hung up one thing outside and probably won't get around to the rest of the lights, but I'll take a break Monday afternoon (I don't do weekend shopping, and didn't get to it Friday) to go select a tree and make the indoors complete.  I'm glad I powered through and got it done. 

[BlueSkies]

My therapist is going on sabbatical, so I'll have to find a new one.

 

Sometimes though fresh perspectives can be helpful?

[kristen111]

Lol .. I have colored lights around my fireplace and a few nice pieces that blow snow around enclosed in glass on top.  I light everything up every night while watching tv.  Even in summer.  The atmosphere makes me happy and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

[stewedsquash]

@kristen111 for me it is snowmen and Christmas trees. I have a medium-ish collection of different sizes of snow globes and ceramics of both that I keep out all year. It fits into the rest of my slightly “curated whimsy” look of my home. I love when it’s tome to put the metal snowman picture up on the side porch that stays there all winter.
Back in the day some people who knew I liked both of those, snowmen and small ceramic Christmas trees, would just buy sNoWmEn and tReEs . I hated that. I hate when someone finds out you like something and start buying it. Even if it was one I might have liked.  From a young age it has been part of my life to serendipitously come across snowmen and trees that gave me the little feeling of happiness when discovered while out and about in different places. Like I said, it’s a medium-ish collection so I don’t want to include others in it. Selfishly, it’s just me, not you. 

I have managed to get people to not buy stuff for me though when I don’t put it out so yay me! Ha!

Edited December 10, 2023 by stewedsquash

[JustHereForFood]

All the talk about gifts made me think about this video. I'm pretty sure I know it from this site, but a little repetition can't hurt, right?

 

[oliviabenson]

Day 1: I made a big thermos of hot tea and took a big water bottle. Maybe I’ll save $5 today. 
 

And packed snacks.

I am so obsessed with eggplants. I can eat them daily.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

Lol .. I have colored lights around my fireplace and a few nice pieces that blow snow around enclosed in glass on top.  I light everything up every night while watching tv.  Even in summer.  The atmosphere makes me happy and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

This is why I select the colored lights when turning on the tree lights.  It's cheery and festive.  What I need is a small string of colored lights, maybe on a battery that I could put on a faux plant year round. Colored lights say, "Party!!"

We're going to a Xmas open house later on today and taking a hostess gift--a bottle of Santa Margherite Pinot Grigio (yum!)--and a toy bone gift for their hilarious Bassett Hound (he has the loudest, biggest bark in the neighborhood).

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

My therapist is going on sabbatical, so I'll have to find a new one.
Sometimes though fresh perspectives can be helpful?

Definitely!

 

[Mindthinkr]

20 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Santa Margherite Pinot Grigio

That’s an excellent wine choice. I love the idea that you are also taking something for their Basset Hound 🦴

[theredhead77]

On 12/6/2023 at 10:41 PM, Bastet said:

People actually give a shit about socks, and something as specific as Christmas-themed socks?  One really does learn something new almost every day; What an odd idea was my reaction, but apparently I just hadn't previously come across this tradition.

Fun / crazy socks have been a trend for awhile. You can get custom printed socks and there are companies that specialize in printing pet photos on socks..

[Acmeproducts]

On 12/10/2023 at 12:44 PM, oliviabenson said:

Day 1: I made a big thermos of hot tea and took a big water bottle. Maybe I’ll save $5 today. 
 

And packed snacks.

I am so obsessed with eggplants. I can eat them daily.

Good job on saving money. 

[emma675]

I'm finally ahead of a trend, lol! I've loved silly, funny, crazy socks my whole life. No one sees them under my boots or shoes but it makes me smile knowing I'm wearing them. I just got back from Egypt and managed to find a pair in Cairo.

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Fun / crazy socks have been a trend for awhile.

That's another one that doesn't do anything for me (I only wear socks with my walking sneakers, so I just get a package of low-cut athletic socks from Costco and call it a day), but, as I said, always good to learn something.

[peacheslatour]

39 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's another one that doesn't do anything for me (I only wear socks with my walking sneakers, so I just get a package of low-cut athletic socks from Costco and call it a day), but, as I said, always good to learn something.

Considering I only wear robes any more, I have several pairs of thigh high socks in matching or complimentary colors. They keep my feet and legs warm.

[kristen111]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:05 AM, kristen111 said:

Lol .. I have colored lights around my fireplace and a few nice pieces that blow snow around enclosed in glass on top.  I light everything up every night while watching tv.  Even in summer.  The atmosphere makes me happy and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

 

As you all can see, I can’t take a picture correctly.

[BlueSkies]

When I was younger I loved the Chipmunks.  I'm in a real nostalgic mood of late so I changed my avatar to Theodore 

[Moose135]

On 12/7/2023 at 5:48 PM, isalicat said:

I hope "throwing out" is actually: "donating"....lots of people would love to have your unwanted stuff.

We moved about two months ago. Same city, just a bigger, better place. We had so much stuff!  I had a ton of stuff, including a bunch I had moved when I came down from Long Island, and GF had a lot of her own things - she moved in 'for a few weeks' when we went into COVID lockdown 3 1/2 year ago, and never left. 😉

I stopped counting at 9 SUV-loads to Good Will.  We still have too much stuff and will probably donate more stuff as we empty the boxes in the garage.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Moose135

[peacheslatour]

19 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

We moved about two months ago. Same city, just a bigger, better place. We had so much stuff!  I had a ton of stuff, including a bunch I had moved when I came down from Long Island, and GF had a lot of her own things - she moved in 'for a few weeks' when we went into COVID lockdown 3 1/2 year ago, and never left. 😉

I stopped counting at 9 SUV-loads to Good Will.  We still have too much stuff and will probably donate more stuff as we empty the boxes in the garage.

I'm just praying that I go first. My DH is a hoarder. So far he has filled out attic, our crawlspace, our backyard shed and THREE storage units. I do not want to deal with any of it.

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

We moved about two months ago. Same city, just a bigger, better place. We had so much stuff!  I had a ton of stuff, including a bunch I had moved when I came down from Long Island, and GF had a lot of her own things - she moved in 'for a few weeks' when we went into COVID lockdown 3 1/2 year ago, and never left. 😉

I stopped counting at 9 SUV-loads to Good Will.  We still have too much stuff and will probably donate more stuff as we empty the boxes in the garage.

Electronics are hard to recycle here. It's taken me 3 years in Western NY to learn there's a place that will take them for free, but it's half an hour away in the opposite direction of my grand-toddler, and sitting in a car for more than 10 minutes is painful for me.

[kristen111]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm just praying that I go first. My DH is a hoarder. So far he has filled out attic, our crawlspace, our backyard shed and THREE storage units. I do not want to deal with any of it.

I go in my closet, put certain things in the Hefty bag, then the shoe rack, then the coat closet,then little by little start taking things out of the Hefty bag.  I just CANT part with GOOD STUFF.  My daughter says, if you didn’t wear it for two years, Chuck it.  Mentally, I need help.

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I go in my closet, put certain things in the Hefty bag, then the shoe rack, then the coat closet,then little by little start taking things out of the Hefty bag.  I just CANT part with GOOD STUFF.  My daughter says, if you didn’t wear it for two years, Chuck it.  Mentally, I need help.

He can't get rid of clothes either. I swear he has stuff from when our 37 year old son was a baby. I will admit he is "neat" about his hoarding. He collects model railroads, cameras and all the accoutrements that goes with them and musical instruments plus tons of camping gear. They are in labelled Rubbermaid containers but the sheer volume of it is beyond what I can handle.

[Anela]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:05 AM, kristen111 said:

Lol .. I have colored lights around my fireplace and a few nice pieces that blow snow around enclosed in glass on top.  I light everything up every night while watching tv.  Even in summer.  The atmosphere makes me happy and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

We've had little white lights around the ceiling of our living room and dining room, but they burnt out, and the ones dad started to replace them with, weren't as bright. We're having trouble finding lights as bright as the old ones. 

On 12/9/2023 at 5:45 PM, peacheslatour said:

That's about how our tree is going to look. I'm done with wrapping so I just roll stuff in tissue and cram it into gift bags. It's just me and my husband. We ship a package to our son and DIL.

I used to love wrapping presents. My parents would go out shopping, and I'd take one night - late - shower, make tea, put on A Christmas Carol (Patrick Stewart's), and then wrap by the light  of the trees. We have a fake tree, which has been good when we couldn't afford a real one, but finding a real tree was one thing that was a Christmas must for me, so we try to do that, when we can. I miss that. 

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

…I will admit he is "neat" about his hoarding. He collects model railroads, cameras and all the accoutrements that goes with them and musical instruments plus tons of camping gear. They are in labelled Rubbermaid containers but the sheer volume of it is beyond what I can handle.

Musical instruments can be donated to schools that still have bands in lower income neighborhoods. It's better than having them sit around. 

Confession: I still have a few, but I did donate my daughter's clarinet before I last moved across country.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Musical instruments can be donated to schools that still have bands in lower income neighborhoods. It's better than having them sit around. 

Confession: I still have a few, but I did donate my daughter's clarinet before I last moved across country.

He's a drummer. They're welcome to them but I have no way to get them anywhere. If a school wants so pick them up, they are more than welcome to dig them out of the storage unit.

[kristen111]

55 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

He can't get rid of clothes either. I swear he has stuff from when our 37 year old son was a baby. I will admit he is "neat" about his hoarding. He collects model railroads, cameras and all the accoutrements that goes with them and musical instruments plus tons of camping gear. They are in labelled Rubbermaid containers but the sheer volume of it is beyond what I can handle.

Mine too.  Suits hanging, dress shoes, two hundred golf shirts, sneakers galore.  We don’t have many weddings anymore to get dressed up.  Coach bags.  My girls have their own.  My uniform everyday is tights, a top, and sneakers.  Too many jackets too.  Big waste.  I wear caftans in the house.  Nice n comfy.  All weights.  Summer and winter.  Boring, I know.

[Caoimhe]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm just praying that I go first. My DH is a hoarder. So far he has filled out attic, our crawlspace, our backyard shed and THREE storage units. I do not want to deal with any of it.

I have a lot of “stuff” for sewing and crafts.  I’ve made it clear to my husband that if I die first he has my blessing to chuck it all in a skip and have it hauled away.  There is enough to deal with losing a spouse without suffering guilt over finding people / places willing to take all the crap and dealing with all the hassle of distributing it.  I’m very lucky that he doesn’t collect things the way I do! 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

Mine too.  Suits hanging, dress shoes, two hundred golf shirts, sneakers galore.  We don’t have many weddings anymore to get dressed up.  Coach bags.  My girls have their own.  My uniform everyday is tights, a top, and sneakers.  Too many jackets too.  Big waste.  I wear caftans in the house.  Nice n comfy.  All weights.  Summer and winter.  Boring, I know.

I have no problem whittling my wardrobe down to the essentials because, I like you, live in robes when I'm home. I have summer and winter weights, colors and styles. I love it. I don't think it's boring at all.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m so embarrassed that I cannot have a tough conversation and it seems to affect every area of my life. Like I have been trying to tell my choir director for two days that I cannot come to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It’s not a chat I want to have and it was a hard decision for me to even make (I live 25 minutes from church and my family goes to a church five minutes away from me and I have sang in the choir there too plus their Mass is earlier, so um yeah, I don’t want to drive a half hour home when Mass is over at close to 1 am and I finish my pleasantries), but I knew I have to tell him because it’s the right thing to do. And when it comes time, I see other people also going to talk to him and chatting for several minutes but instead of waiting my turn, I just think “well I don’t want to stand around and wait and he could be a while with this person and that person so I’ll just go home.” I did that yesterday, and then tonight after practice,  people clamored to talk to him again, so I ducked out with the same excuse I made to myself. Now I’m wishing I had just waited patiently instead of using the excuse of “well these people aren’t going to make their chat a short one and I don’t have time for this.”

My fear of conflict has caused me problems in the past with other things too. It happens with the holidays. I can’t refuse to attend a family gathering because of my dad’s parents being in their 90s and relatives clinging to old traditions. So instead of actually deciding to make my own traditions, I keep attending the same old gatherings that have always been done this way since 1993 or whatever. Or “well everyone else is going to this thing so I guess I will too.” Then later I feel miserable when I see others getting to enjoy relaxing, quiet Christmases and having fun with their families while mine stresses me out and makes me resentful.

And this is why I do not like customer service for work. No matter how many times I hear “don’t take it so personally; people aren’t mad at you, they’re mad at the situation” or “Who cares; you won’t talk to them again!” it doesn’t help. It’s hard for me to take calls for eight hours with a smile and an upbeat personality. But I can’t get a more suitable behind the scenes job so I am stuck. My grandmother says oh you have such a nice phone voice! But that’s not what I want to be good at. I don’t want to get hired for only call centers for the rest of my career. I hate having to say no and deal with the customers’ complaining that comes next because sorry but, most people do not want to hear no. Only a few people take that well. Most will escalate, demand a manager, or keep thinking the issue is up for debate. Then I need a break after the call because I am near tears and/or stressed out from the customer’s demands. 

I need to develop this skill because it is killing me that I can’t handle one conversation that I could have had already and been done with it. I’m also worried I’ll never truly have the life I want to have because I have to go along with what everyone else wants all the time. 

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I’m so embarrassed that I cannot have a tough conversation and it seems to affect every area of my life. Like I have been trying to tell my choir director for two days that I cannot come to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It’s not a chat I want to have and it was a hard decision for me to even make (I live 25 minutes from church and my family goes to a church five minutes away from me and I have sang in the choir there too plus their Mass is earlier, so um yeah, I don’t want to drive a half hour home when Mass is over at close to 1 am and I finish my pleasantries), but I knew I have to tell him because it’s the right thing to do. And when it comes time, I see other people also going to talk to him and chatting for several minutes but instead of waiting my turn, I just think “well I don’t want to stand around and wait and he could be a while with this person and that person so I’ll just go home.” I did that yesterday, and then tonight after practice,  people clamored to talk to him again, so I ducked out with the same excuse I made to myself. Now I’m wishing I had just waited patiently instead of using the excuse of “well these people aren’t going to make their chat a short one and I don’t have time for this.”

My fear of conflict has caused me problems in the past with other things too. It happens with the holidays. I can’t refuse to attend a family gathering because of my dad’s parents being in their 90s and relatives clinging to old traditions. So instead of actually deciding to make my own traditions, I keep attending the same old gatherings that have always been done this way since 1993 or whatever. Or “well everyone else is going to this thing so I guess I will too.” Then later I feel miserable when I see others getting to enjoy relaxing, quiet Christmases and having fun with their families while mine stresses me out and makes me resentful.

And this is why I do not like customer service for work. No matter how many times I hear “don’t take it so personally; people aren’t mad at you, they’re mad at the situation” or “Who cares; you won’t talk to them again!” it doesn’t help. It’s hard for me to take calls for eight hours with a smile and an upbeat personality. But I can’t get a more suitable behind the scenes job so I am stuck. My grandmother says oh you have such a nice phone voice! But that’s not what I want to be good at. I don’t want to get hired for only call centers for the rest of my career. I hate having to say no and deal with the customers’ complaining that comes next because sorry but, most people do not want to hear no. Only a few people take that well. Most will escalate, demand a manager, or keep thinking the issue is up for debate. Then I need a break after the call because I am near tears and/or stressed out from the customer’s demands. 

I need to develop this skill because it is killing me that I can’t handle one conversation that I could have had already and been done with it. I’m also worried I’ll never truly have the life I want to have because I have to go along with what everyone else wants all the time. 

You decide what you want to do, what you need to do and what other people want you to do. If you were your best friend what you tell your friend to do? 

[Cloud9Shopper]

23 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

You decide what you want to do, what you need to do and what other people want you to do. If you were your best friend what you tell your friend to do? 

With the choir thing, I would say it’s OK to feel bad about not going, but that Mass will still go on and no one person is that valuable to the group that the whole musical program would fall apart. (Well unless the director/organist didn’t show I guess LOL.) Even for as irrationally as I’m thinking at the moment, I know that midnight Mass was a ritual before I joined the choir and will still be if I move on. And I bet at the church I am going to they’ll sing a lot of the same songs anyway. 

Family thing: I don’t really know what I’d tell a friend to do. Families can be tricky.  In my case, I know I need to hold firm on the line that I will spend a couple hours on Christmas Day with one side of the family and a couple hours with the other, and I will tell my aunt what time I am leaving her house so she can plan now.

Work: I would tell a friend to not give up and keep looking for jobs that are a better fit for them. And don’t let yourself get so complacent that you wake up one day still in a job you hate and don’t know where five years went. 

[peacheslatour]

35 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

With the choir thing, I would say it’s OK to feel bad about not going, but that Mass will still go on and no one person is that valuable to the group that the whole musical program would fall apart. (Well unless the director/organist didn’t show I guess LOL.) Even for as irrationally as I’m thinking at the moment, I know that midnight Mass was a ritual before I joined the choir and will still be if I move on. And I bet at the church I am going to they’ll sing a lot of the same songs anyway. 

Family thing: I don’t really know what I’d tell a friend to do. Families can be tricky.  In my case, I know I need to hold firm on the line that I will spend a couple hours on Christmas Day with one side of the family and a couple hours with the other, and I will tell my aunt what time I am leaving her house so she can plan now.

Work: I would tell a friend to not give up and keep looking for jobs that are a better fit for them. And don’t let yourself get so complacent that you wake up one day still in a job you hate and don’t know where five years went. 

Perfect!

[Acmeproducts]

Need to do more Christmas shopping plus shopping for a dress tomorrow. 

[kristen111]

12 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

I have a lot of “stuff” for sewing and crafts.  I’ve made it clear to my husband that if I die first he has my blessing to chuck it all in a skip and have it hauled away.  There is enough to deal with losing a spouse without suffering guilt over finding people / places willing to take all the crap and dealing with all the hassle of distributing it.  I’m very lucky that he doesn’t collect things the way I do! 

YES, and this is why I left almost everything in myFathers house when he died.  I was overwhelmed and couldn’t be bothered getting rid of stuff.  At the closing of the house, mySister and I had to pay the Buyer $400 to leave the stuff there.  It was worth it.  He got furniture, my record player, albums, etc.  My husband cleaned the whole house for me, scrubbed floors, etc.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Acmeproducts said:

Need to do more Christmas shopping plus shopping for a dress tomorrow. 

Shopping for a dress sounds fun,
but I would manage to make it exhausting as I scoured sale racks because I couldn't justify spending a lot of $$ on something I'd wear once,
and also because I'd likely see a color or fabric I liked in the wrong size and then become obsessed with finding something like it in the right size,
and then the style would be all wrong on me,
etc. etc. 
LOL
I used to sew clothes in part for these reasons, but the sewing was exhausting because my mind would wander and I'd wind up sewing wrong sides together and have to rip it out, etc.

But I hope you enjoy shopping for the dress!

Edited December 12, 2023 by shapeshifter

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

YES, and this is why I left almost everything in myFathers house when he died.  I was overwhelmed and couldn’t be bothered getting rid of stuff.  At the closing of  the house, mySister and I had to pay the Buyer $400 to leave the stuff there.  It was worth it.  He got furniture, my record player, albums, etc.  My husband cleaned the whole house for me, scrubbed floors, etc.

My husband did that when I was getting ready to sell my dad's house. It was during the beginning of the pandemic and he got four months, paid, off of work. I also had an estate sale which cleared about 3K. I had the floors replaced throughout and had the interior walls painted. The house is  PNW Contemporary so there are tons of components that are stained wood rather than painted, those were left alone. The first realtor I talked to wanted me to paint the whole thing white! I ran this idea past the neighbors and they were appalled. I went with a different realtor. But like you, I was totally overwhelmed and I'm sure I let a lot of stuff go that I probably should have kept. Of course, knowing my husband, there are probably lots of things in our storage units that he's going to whip out when we move, hoping I'll swoon with joy. 🤣

[annzeepark914]

21 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Considering I only wear robes any more, I have several pairs of thigh high socks in matching or complimentary colors. They keep my feet and legs warm.

My winter "wardrobe" consists mostly of black turtlenecks and black leggings (especially the soft ones like Cuddleduds). And at home, wool socks. It's always a stresser when something comes up that I need to dress up for (that's when I drag out  my black turtleneck dress, fingers crossed that I can still get into it 😉).

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

My winter "wardrobe" consists mostly of black turtlenecks and black leggings (especially the soft ones like Cuddleduds). And at home, wool socks. It's always a stresser when something comes up that I need to dress up for (that's when I drag out  my black turtleneck dress, fingers crossed that I can still get into it 😉).

That's one of the best things about knits!

[kristen111]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

My husband did that when I was getting ready to sell my dad's house. It was during the beginning of the pandemic and he got four months, paid, off of work. I also had an estate sale which cleared about 3K. I had the floors replaced throughout and had the interior walls painted. The house is  PNW Contemporary so there are tons of components that are stained wood rather than painted, those were left alone. The first realtor I talked to wanted me to paint the whole thing white! I ran this idea past the neighbors and they were appalled. I went with a different realtor. But like you, I was totally overwhelmed and I'm sure I let a lot of stuff go that I probably should have kept. Of course, knowing my husband, there are probably lots of things in our storage units that he's going to whip out when we move, hoping I'll swoon with joy. 🤣

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.  Too late.

[Acmeproducts]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Shopping for a dress sounds fun,
but I would manage to make it exhausting as I scoured sale racks because I couldn't justify spending a lot of $$ on something I'd wear once,
and also because I'd likely see a color or fabric I liked in the wrong size and then become obsessed with finding something like it in the right size,
and then the style would be all wrong on me,
etc. etc. 
LOL
I used to sew clothes in part for these reasons, but the sewing was exhausting because my mind would wander and I'd wind up sewing wrong sides together and have to rip it out, etc.

But I hope you enjoy shopping for the dress!

I got some of the Christmas shopping done. Did not get the dress. That will be later. I find clothes shopping sometimes exhausting too. 

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

My winter "wardrobe" consists mostly of black turtlenecks and black leggings (especially the soft ones like Cuddleduds). And at home, wool socks. It's always a stresser when something comes up that I need to dress up for (that's when I drag out  my black turtleneck dress, fingers crossed that I can still get into it 😉).

I LOVE anything Cuddleduds.  Nitegowns so soft and blankets and throws.  Also sets of pants and tops.  I was going thru picture albums the other day.  Boy, did we entertain lots in the day.  I still have lots of nice clothes for going out and entertaining.  I just can’t throw those kind of parties anymore.  No stamina.

[Bastet]

22 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm just praying that I go first. My DH is a hoarder. So far he has filled out attic, our crawlspace, our backyard shed and THREE storage units. I do not want to deal with any of it.

My grandpa was a hoarder, and for a series of reasons I wound up being the one to clean out his house and garage after he died.  Oh.My.Gods.  That was awful.  You are 100% correct in preferring croaking to dealing with that shit.

[kristen111]

Let’s get real here.  Never mind the stuff.  I want to go first because I can’t imagine life without him.  I ask .. he always delivers.  He has my back all the time and does my dirty work.  Dependable, that’s what he is, and a homebody.  I always spoiled and catered to him tho, and didn’t mind.  My Mother was the same way with my Father.

Anything good coming up on Peacock?  I might join again.  There was some series coming up, but I forgot what and where.  It looked good.

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Anything good coming up on Peacock?  I might join again.

There was a Monk movie released last Friday: 
Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie
I thought it was excellent.

See also:
digitaltrends.com/movies/best-shows-on-peacock/

[kristen111]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

There was a Monk movie released last Friday: 
Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie
I thought it was excellent.

See also:
digitaltrends.com/movies/best-shows-on-peacock/

Thanks.  Do you remember if something good was coming on HBO MAX?  Some kind of good series I saw coming up soon.  Forgot which one.  I love a series.

[oliviabenson]

So looks like due to budget cuts library will have 5 day weeks, reduced hours… not sure when that kicks in. 
 

 

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

Anything good coming up on Peacock?

Just watched a movie, Genie, with Melissa McCarthy. A cute little Christmas movie.

[kristen111]

14 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

So looks like due to budget cuts library will have 5 day weeks, reduced hours… not sure when that kicks in. 
 

 

What a shame.  Since I was a kid, the Library to me was like going into a candy store.  At five years old, my Cousin used to take me to the library for hours at a time and then after.  Seniors read the papers there everyday.  Bad decision.

 

 

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

While I love the classics, I absolutely love Bob Rivers's Twisted Christmas songs!

My top two faves:

• "The 12 Pains of Christmas" ("12 Days of Christmas")
• "The Restroom Door Said Gentleman" ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman")

And now I'm listening to and getting chills and counting how many lines Simon, Sting, George Michael, and Bono have:

"Do They Know it's Christmas Time?" (Band-Aid*)

Next: 

• "Last Christmas" (There is ONLY ONE VERSION: Wham's!)
• "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Bing)
• "The Chipmunk Christmas Song" (DON'T JUDGE ME!)
• All of the songs by Josh Groban!
• Trans Siberian Orchestra (Sarajevo-Carol of the Bells)

*Kool and The Gang were the only American artists who participated.

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

"The Chipmunk Christmas Song" (DON'T JUDGE ME!)

I practically wore out that 45 as a kid.  My poor parents.

4 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

"Do They Know it's Christmas Time?" (Band-Aid*)

The list of Christmas songs I like is fairly short and mostly non-traditional, but I love that song (along with "Last Christmas", the other one from your list I like).

(I love "We Are the World" too -- the mid-80s was a good time for charity singles.)