Thursday, December 23, 2021

Really Random Thursday, 12/23/21

 Two days until Christmas. Are you ready? I still have a little bit of last-minute sewing to do. But I have more time than anticipated. Christa tested positive for COVID last week, despite being vaccinated and boostered. She has been isolating, so we will postpone getting together until after the 28th. Thankfully, because she has been vaccinated, her symptoms have been mild. I think the hardest part must be to isolate when you actually feel fine, especially this time of year. 

At the beginning of the week, I pulled out some fabric I have had for the longest time, a cool "wine stain" fabric." I used Jeni Baker's drawstring bag pattern (which I have probably made 50 times since it was released...), and made the wine bottle version (this size would also be great for gifting bottles of herbed vinegar or olive oil, etc.).

I added a few little extra touches--the "peace love joy" ribbon for the drawstrings and the sparkly "fabulous" label.


We also packed a cute little Santa bucket with cheese curds, crackers and fair trade chocolate, delivered it to the house, and then came home, and she and I FaceTimed for a lovely cocktail hour.

I just have four more drawstring bags to make and then I'm done with Christmas sewing.


It has been cold and rainy here. The other morning, Mark had to scrape ice off the windshield. I know that seems absolutely ludicrous to people living in places where they get buried in snow...

We had rosebuds that froze before opening.

But our snapdragons brave the freezing weather and will bloom all winter.


A couple of weeks ago, our pastor, Dustin, mentioned his deep and abiding love for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, and Klay Thompson in particular. I knew I had Warriors scraps, and I had just enough to make a new mask for him.


I'm more than happy to wear a mask any time I'm out in public. And I sincerely hope this does not become reality.


I've done a lot more reading this past year. I hope to finish a couple more books before New Year's Day, and then read even more in 2022. The Libby app, which connects my library card to digital books from the public library, has been largely responsible for my increase in reading.


Speaking of reading, our granddaughter, Charlotte, needs this t-shirt. She reads at an incredible pace.

We had lunch with our friend, Javier, and I sat in a Tesla for the first time.

Ella turned 8 on Tuesday! She is a bright and feisty little girl, we love her enormously and she brings so much joy to our lives.

Charlotte was able to come over for a couple of hours yesterday and we made pfeffernusse (peppernuts). My father always made several batches of these each Christmas. We used his recipe and I'm hoping to drop some off at his care facility next week (I'm not sure I'll be able to see him due to the uptick in the virus). I wonder if they will seem familiar to him...



In what may be the oddest Christmas tradition that Mark and I have--we try to go to Sequoia Brewing each Christmas. Why? Because I'm incredibly amused by how they "decorate" the ram. You don't need to tell me--I fully realize it's a weird tradition.

Do you burn candles more often during the holiday season? You know that weird ring of wax build-up you can get around the edges? Here's a hack.


 I tried it and the wax is once more nice and smooth around the edges. I should have burned it a little longer and it would have been smooth all the way to the edge.

This is just around the corner...

But before we put this year to rest, I wish you a blessed Christmas weekend.


7 comments:

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Susan said... #

From someone else who never experiences a snow day, I loved the photo of Mark scrapping ice off the windscreen. That is more common in late Autumn here, when we have clear cold nights and sunny mornings! I also use the Libby app for accessing books but mainly use it for audiobooks. I have managed to get through listening AND reading 56 books to date this year, with one more at least to add thanks to listening to books being read while I sew. The BorrowBox app is also great for its variety of audiobooks too! It is Christmas Eve here, a beautiful sunny day, 28Cel, and we are off to celebrate with our two sons, two daughter-in-laws and 3 grandsons! Oh, and my sister as well. Christmas Day will be quiet but we are all good with that too! Merry Christmas to you and yours Cindy! Susan

Charlotte M. said... #

Thanks for the fun update. We here it's raining quite a bit in San Diego today. This is our first Christmas back home in NC with the kids and the 5 year old is beyond excited. I hope we all get some sleep Christmas eve. Merry Christmas to you and yours Cindy. Enjoy every moment.

Deb Cox said... #

how lovely cindy. happy holidays and sweetness for the upcoming year.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Merry Merry Christmas my dear friend. Hope you can enjoy the holidays as soon as possible with Christa and the family. Love the virtual happy hour idea. I'm sure it made her isolation much more fun. God Bless!!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said... #

So sorry to hear that Christa came down with COVID and wish her a speedy recovery. The Delayed Celebration will be that much sweeter for the waiting! I grew up in the valley and did have to scrape windows some, but here in No. Nevada, it's a daily occurrence...when we are not having a heat wave. Now that I have a remote starter for my car, I mostly just let it warm up and squeege it off! Audio books are the best and I use several libraries to feed my insatiable appetite for company while I sew. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Michele said... #

So sorry about the celebration delay but I'm sure it will be lovely when you can get together. As someone who lives in the north, I wish all I every had to do was to scrape the ice off the windshield.

OPQuilt said... #

It's me! Coming very late to tell you a Merry Christmas!!
I loved this post--like a long lovely conversation with you. The other day I was thinking about your blog and how it reads and I was wondering if you'd ever thought about putting a little "badge" or post on IG, telling people your blog post is up? I know many would love to read it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Valentine's Day (early).