Friday, December 4, 2020

Really Random Thursday (ish), 12/4/20

 Yes, I realize today does not qualify as Thursday, but in these strange times let's just go with it. 

At the beginning of every month I feel like the year has gone by so slowly, yet here we are in a new month and it feels like the year has kind of sped by. This picture was taken in December 2019 in Savannah, Georgia, when my friend, Trudy, and I went on a fabulous trip to Charleston and Savannah. This cute shop was across the street from our hotel. We are planning another trip to Charleston next fall, when hopefully things will seem closer to the normal we were all used to.

Backtracking a couple of weeks.

Central Valley Justice Coalition, where Christa is communications director, is celebrating their ten-year milestone this year. They had a little drive-by celebration.


I celebrated a little milestone of my own--my Quilts and Classics calendar was delivered from the printer. It was so exciting to unbox them.


Gabe is the person who really runs the show when it comes to decorating our house for Christmas. He loves decorating. We got things out way earlier than most years, but again, it's not a "normal" year, and cheery lights seems like just the thing we needed.

One of everyone's favorite--the magnetic snowman. 

Although when our backs are turned, sometimes this happens.

Mission accomplished.
Even my precious Bird Girl statuette from Savannah is feeling festive.
The one decoration we briefly wondered about was our musical Santa, who travels up and down the ladder. Had the kids outgrown it this year? We received an answer from each one, starting with Gabe and Levi.
Ella said it was her FAVORITE decoration, and Charlotte said we would RUIN HER CHRISTMAS if we didn't put Santa up. So there you have it. Next year we won't even ask...

My birthday this year was the day before Thanksgiving. This was my delicious breakfast.
Even the car remembers...
It's fabulous having a grandson who can help Gramps with hanging the lights around the house.
Ella helped get out all the Jim Shore Christmas Santas, one of my favorite decorations in my sewing room.
I combined two beautiful  birthday bouquets, one from Mark and another from Aaron and Christa--they looked so pretty together.

Thanksgiving was certainly different this year. Mark and I celebrated alone. He smoked a turkey breast on the Traeger, which was delicious. He also made stuffing for me, even though it is not something he likes on Thanksgiving. We purchased mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes from Costco and they were really good. 
Mid-afternoon, we went to Aaron and Christa's for some pie. Even though masks were on the entire time except when eating, it was fun to gather together to spend at least part of the day together.

But I did kind of wonder about this:

And I'm sure the turkeys had this thought:

Black Friday sales started way before the day after Thanksgiving. Seems like sales were going on the entire month of November. Have you done a lot of shopping yet?

We are entering into the potentially strictest shutdown here in California since March, depending on how many beds remain available in hospital ICUs around the state. I am definitely not making fun of the graveness of the situation. Cases have skyrocketed and the world awaits the vaccine, which is at least on the horizon now. 

Yet sometimes you just need a little levity in dark times.
If you have a Spotify subscription, did you get your top songs? It was fun to see my Top 5 songs.

Christa's brother, Aaron Bryan, works for the Fresno County Office of Education. This year he was named Administrator of the Year, an incredible honor. His dedication to his job, the kids, and his colleagues made him an ideal recipient of this well-deserved award.

I'll end with these.


Stay safe.


5 comments:

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Rene' said... #

What a wonderful post, Cindy! Congratulations on your calendars! I know you've been dreaming about these for a long time. Cool that your car recognizes your birthday, and love all the funny cartoons. Stay well, my friend!

Charlotte M. said... #

Happy belated birthday Cindy! Now you know you just keep putting Santa up until the kids tell you otherwise. They really like tradition, even after it gets corny. Happy holidays to you and your family.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said... #

Thank you for a wonderful post. I love the traditions of the holidays (except the overload of food on Thanksgiving). But Christmas decorations that bring back all the Christmases past are really the best. Hoping you and your family stay safe and well.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Wishing you a belated Birthday Cindy. And congrats on the calendar as I know how long you've been planning and working on it. Enjoy the Christmas season in whatever way you are able. We plan to be together only with our kids.

Robby said... #

Thursday? I can barely remember if it is today, yesterday or tomorrow around here, never mind the day of the week. Congrats again on your calendars! So glad there was agreement on the continued employment of Santa. And those bees just cracked me up. Stay well!