Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Not playing around

Hey there! Just a quick check in as we enter the holiday home stretch. I have made an effort this year to make time for things I want to do, instead of the often employed strategy of just saying  there isn't enough time. Does this mean there are some things that should be done that are falling through the cracks every now and then? Maybe we should direct that question to my nearly empty refrigerator or the growing laundry piles.

Of course I have been out shopping, which has proved somewhat alarming on various occasions. I know there are people out there wandering this earth who like to pop pimples, but do we need to start the fascination so young?
Do five year olds need to be whispering that the cashier looks like that guy in their Pimple Pete game? No, no they do not. 

Next up, evidence that I am nowhere near familiar enough with the internet...
...as I know nothing about this "sensation". I did not pay attention to the price tag on this item, but seeing what the contents of the box are, anything over five dollars is ridiculous. I suppose I am going to have to ask the google to explain this one to me, despite knowing I will be sorry. Perhaps not as sorry as I was to visit that toy department another day when this was in the middle of the main aisle...
...WHY?!?! I might not even have any words for this one. That shit is terrifying!

Is there some sort of metaphor here regarding a desperate need to use bright colors and fancy packaging to make crappy stuff seem like fun? Is this the epitome of "you can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter"? 

Friday, December 14, 2018

Top O' the Mornin' to Ya!

The other day somebody asked me what my grandmother's ancestry results said. The notion that one person out there reading was curious, of course led me to believe that the other ten of you are probably on pins and needles as well! Spoiler alert: I did promptly put this ornament of hers on our tree...
During the several weeks of processing time, I did occasionally wonder what the results would say. My biggest fear was that the report was going to come back "inconclusive due to mishandled and/or less than adequate saliva." Instead, we found out at least one thing we suspected was true...
...she is, indeed, 100% Blanche. The only thing alarming about this number is that I quickly deduced that I am 25% Blanche, and that just seems high. Let's get down to some more specifics...


Pour me a blonde Guinness and get that corned beef cooking! In the meantime, how about a crepe? While France was not mentioned in those recent video clips, it was always in the reports she gave me when we were both much younger.

I admit that this is one of the first things I did... 
 ...so that confirmed Iberia was a thing, but did not offer me much of a sense of where to find it.
Ah! (Admit it, you weren't sure either. You're welcome!)

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Random goes random

Well, since my husband got to the elliptical first, I guess it is chocolate and typing on the couch for me! 

Did absence make the heart grow fonder? Or did you forget about me completely? Don't don't don't don't you..."cue the distractions" she said as she thrust her fist in the air like Judd Nelson. Let's go now, before even more photos accumulate on my phone. What have I been up to, you may ask...go ahead, ask. Well, I guess November happened with its glorious stuffing and pie that apparently fueled some sort of holiday Tazmanian devil in me. There was much high speed swirling around gathering fall decor up and leaving a trail of red and green in  my wake. I eventually had to seek other means of maintaining my energy levels (aside from the ongoing instagram half moon cookie quest). 

My research showed that if you ask enough questions about the candy on display, you might get some free samples (the husband knowing the owner probably didn't hurt).

It is also a good idea to stop by a friend's house when you know she's been baking. Those Russian tea balls leave a lot of evidence...
 ...apparently there is also a lot of evidence there that points to my car needing some serious vacuuming. I have also decided to rely on Dove for advice. 
This means I will need to eat more chocolate. 

Let's move on to other things I love...
...yes, THIS! I can't wait to try to make my own. (Yes, I will be sure to capture the attempt.)

I can't think of a decent segue for the rest of these, and so the random has officially become...THE RANDOM!!

The price still seemed a little high for me, but I later realized it might have been the best deal ever...
...and absolutely regretted not making the purchase! Fruit cocktail? Soup? Beans? Solid pack pumpkin? We'll never know...unless of course nobody has bought it by the next time I go back.

Another shopping find that I was able to pass up...

 "Magically poops slime"?!?!?! There is nothing magical about that. Over $60 for Poopsie? Madness.

It took a village to put up my village this year (which I believe was to be a post all on its own), and then my mother and I invaded my aunt's town! There is some back story for this particular vignette...
That poor guy lost his ladder, dropped his lantern and now wonders just how long he spent in the Brew House as he stumbled over what seems like a freakishly small evergreen.

It's always tricky for me to break back onto the scene here after an absence, and quality control typically goes right out the window in the interest of being able to just hit "post"...