It’s “Hey Rene J” Today!

Hm. I blame it on the sale happening at the shoe store. “Buy one get one half off.”

My daughter tried on boot after boot, finally finding one that supplied the proper comfort and fit. I sat and watched, not needing a shoe or boot and glad to be an observer. It was time to leave – our spa appointments were waiting for us. As I turned to depart, there they were. Pepto Bismol-hued pink boots.

Some things are just meant to be. I am now properly prepared for Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. (Although “rose” is the proper liturgical color, not pepto-pink.) Lord knows I tried?

Reminiscing and weeding out brought me to the report cards issued during my grade school years. I noted that there was one area I seemed to struggle with more than others. Not English, Math, or even Science. Conduct.

I don’t remember which grade this was, but I know there was another report with that “C” marking. It’s possible that this third quarter grade is when my youngest sister was born? We can blame her for this one.

Along with the poor scores in behavior, I did manage to snag an Art award in the ever-popular medium of crayon, garnering a mention in the local newspaper.

Oh, there’s more to sift through. I haven’t even tackled the yearbooks!

My first airline boarding pass, complete with the service menu. It’s heading to the burn pile, but I thought I’d share the interest. See how fun history can be?

By the way, I had another bin with high school and college memories. Apparently I micro-managed the different clubs and activities with their individual scrapbooks. It definitely was time to sift through the years. Perhaps a spot of Bouillon to help me ease the pain?

Three bins of high school and college memories were opened, reminiscent of the scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The flurry of papers and long-forgotten mementos littered the family room floor, swirling everywhere, threatening to devour my entire day.

Thankfully, I had my sentimentality button on mute. Apparently I have always been an historian, always felt it necessary to preserve the past. My earliest attempts led me to keep every birthday card, letter, corsage, honor, program, ticket stub, entry fee, brochure, and a host of other odds and ends. After the first scrapbook, I returned to it and emptied it of anything truly meaningful, condensing my high school memories into two large envelopes. Then I got serious and quit reading everything I ever wrote or had written to me.

Here is the first attempt, which was fodder for the fire last evening. As much as I curse having a wood-burning fireplace, it does come in handy for sending up memories and thoughts and prayers. On to the college bin!

This was in my Pinterest feed.

I did not click on the article, deciding that the number one sign of intelligence was the ability to ignore articles like this in order to avoid receiving more articles like this. Yes, I am still “cleaning” the inbox and ignoring the extended Black Friday-and-Cyber-Monday-all-week-long ads. I was considering tidying my Pinterest page, too, but I got stuck looking for new recipes when this gem appeared.

The good news? This electronic cleaning has spilled over to the storage room yet again, and I now have two unused bins! I’m going for five, and it’s not even a New Year’s resolution. Simple goals.

I suddenly realized there are two main issues with the Broncos. 1) We probably have too many Vegans, and 2) Do they check Russell Wilson’s eyesight weekly?

Okay. I’m sort of kidding about the Vegan thing, but really, we need more meat in this game! It’s ridiculous. I hesitate to read the sports section with the weekly scathing comments regarding our home team. Which, of course, led me to wonder if any players have their eyesight checked regularly? How can you know you’re throwing a pass accurately if your sight changes for some reason in that particular week?

Oh, the Broncos will bear the disheartening reports and don’t need my help in that regard. However, I have lots of ideas for them.

Study war strategy, get your eyes checked, and eat more meat.

Black Friday is a day devoted to trashing all of the ads that come via the inbox. It’s a therapeutic venture, and it ties in nicely with cleaning the house and preparing for the Christmas season.

I have no idea how many ads I had to delete, but enough to keep me occupied while I surveyed the land. Cleaning out the inbox led me to clean out the Christmas ornaments, also. Thanks to my daughter, I am one bin shy of ornaments this year, a laudable achievement.

Next on the list is cleaning the cobwebs out of my brain, and the weather is perfect for a walk to do just that. Off we go!

Yum! It’s in the stores and it is being consumed by moi this evening. I even went outside and turned on the Christmas lights which I installed during the warmer days of November. Checking off a few holiday moments a bit early, but that’s because I’m avoiding the one I should be doing – aka – preparing and sending holiday packages early.

One has to be ready for the Post Office. It requires a mental mindset of patience, joy in waiting for others or for more than one postal employee to step up to assist, and a tolerance for a parking lot full of people in a hurry who do not want to be there but have to be. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.

Enjoying peppermint ice cream is the perfect way to procrastinate. I bought two pints.

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? On my floor, glitter’s glistening. A beautiful sight, I was cursing last night, the mess I made with only my own hands.

Wrapping paper adorned with glitter – rookie mistake. I was wrapping empty boxes to use for decor when I totally be-sparkled my kitchen floor and table. I’ll be enjoying the glistening for years to come, just as I did after letting kids throw confetti from the top railing one New Year’s Eve. (It took re-carpeting to get rid of that little reminder.)

All in the name of holiday fun!

This reminded me of all the decorator fabric I have used in my personal wardrobe and style. I have made pajamas and a maternity dress out of old curtains, a coat out of sofa material, curtains from vintage bedding, and really a lot of other articles where I’ve repurposed the fabric. However, none can compare to the great Carol Burnett!

This cracked me up. I remember the episode for sure and also the brilliant talent on that show. Saturday joy to all!