Domestic Geek

We weren't going to cook a Thanksgiving dinner this year since we weren't going up to Homestead North. First we were going to go out to eat, but we forgot to make reservations. Next, we were going to get a pre-cooked dinner from Whole Foods, but I couldn't get Marcus to make a decision about which one to get until the day after they stopped taking orders. I ended up cooking a dinner, anyway, which was a bit of a pain as all of my stuff is up in South Dakota and the kitchen in the condo is tiny. I think I managed pretty well. The only things I couldn't make were the cheesecake and my shrimp stuffing. I broke down and bought a pre-made pumpkin pie, too.


BONUS: Since I love this picture so, here's last year's Thanksgiving picture taken at Homestead North:

Every year I try to add one thing to my Christmas decor and bonus if it can also double as a craft room decoration. A few weeks back (it makes me ill that I saw Christmas stuff that long ago), I was at Michaels and saw the neatest little needlework shop in the Lemax Christmas village series. I nearly had a stroke when I saw the $54.99 price tag, though. I was really disappointed until I reminded myself that there would be many sales/coupons between then and Christmas. I was getting a little irked, though, when I kept coming across 50% off one item coupons, but couldn't use them on this because the Lemax stuff was already on sale.

Imagine my hopefulness when I saw the email subject line from Michaels in my inbox this morning that said "This is One Coupon You Don't Want to Miss." SCORE! The one I was hoping would show up - 25% off total purchase, including SALE ITEMS (because Yay!, the Lemax stuff is 40% off this week, too).



So, 40% off of $54.99 brought that down to $32.99. The additional 25% off brought it down to $24.75. With tax, $26.63. I probably can't beat that and still be able to find one in stock.

It's going to stay in the box until I get up to South Dakota again the week of Thanksgiving. Hoping its all in one piece and the light works.

I was doing my usual surfing today and since I've purchased shirts from The Mountain, I get targeted ads for them on a lot of pages that I visit. I keep seeing ones about their new holiday shirts, but I've been ignoring them (since I'm kind of anti-Early Christmas). When one shirt caught my eye in my Facebook feed, though, I decided to click over and I saw a shirt I just have to get! Of course, they are currently out of my size, so I left on note on their wall asking if they would be getting it back in stock any time soon.

BEHOLD - Grumpenezer Scrooge!



ETA 11/11/13 11:37pm: The Mountain page admin left a comment on my post this morning that shirts were back in stock - one is on its way!

I'm going to get a little Grinchy here.

Marcus called and asked me to stop by the store on my way home from work tonight to get him some Honest Teas as he had no beverage with which to partake during his Teamhousewares Golf tournament. As I got out of my car and headed towards the entrance, this is what I saw:


WTF, man? Throughout the whole store, it was already a Christmas wonderland. You retailers want to know why you're having a harder time each year with holiday sales? You're making people weary of it. Instead of the wonder of the season you could experience because it should be short-lived, you're hammered with Christmas almost half the year now. By the time December 25th finally rolls around, people are so sick of Christmas that it becomes an ordeal to get through. I can almost understand Hobby Lobby putting stuff out for people who do craft fairs, but all the home decorating stuff can stay in the warehouse until Thanksgiving.

I even saw something in my Facebook feed from 9News that said Santa was already visiting Cherry Creek mall. Too freaking soon, people! Santa makes his entrance on Thanksgiving morning at the Macy's parade.

Let's get back to making the season special by only having it in your face for a single month of the year.

Can't remember where I originally found this, but I had to share:



'Twas the night before Christmas, and oh, I was weary.
My stitching unfinished, my eyes getting bleary.
The stockings weren't finished, the chimney was bare
And I knew that morning soon would be here.

My children and husband were tucked in their beds,
But visions of backstitches ran through my head.
I'd stitched ornaments and presents and gifts by the ton,
And now, I was finally, almost, almost done.

As I poised my needle for one more stitch,
I heard something outside that made my hand twitch.
I jumped up from my stitching and flew to the door
Pressed my eye to the peephole, tiptoe off the floor.

My stitching forgotten, I peered into the night
When suddenly I got a terrible fright.
On my porch appeared Santa, holding his sack
He knocked softly, and I took a giant step back.

I unlocked the deadbolt, and let Santa in
He entered and gave a mischievous grin.
"Hope you don't mind if I come in the door?
Coming down the chimney can be quite a chore."

He said, "You're up late. Still working, I see.
Do you know how tired you're going to be?"
I know, Santa, I said with a sigh
But I'm still backstitching the stars in the sky

And the fields on that stocking look blobby you know,
I need to backstitch the drifts in the snow.
I've been stitching and stitching and stitching, no rest.
I just tried to finish stitching too much, I guess.

"I know what you mean," he said with a smile.
"This is my busiest time of the year, by a mile."
He stooped down by the tree and he opened his sack
And began to pull presents out of his pack.

"I've got some things here I think you might like.
An oak stitching frame and a brand new Ott-Light.
A bundle of floss and a great big mat cutter."
I smiled and felt my heart go a- flutter.

He put down gifts for us all, then waved his right hand
"Go to bed," he said, glancing at my floor stand.
He gave me a wink and stepped out the door.
I just stood there a moment, glued to the floor.

After he'd left, I turned back to my chair
Picked up the stockings and started to stare.
The backstitching was done! The stars lit the sky!
And on my son's stocking, angels sung on high!

I ran to thank Santa for this final gift,
And watched as his sleigh started to lift.
I heard him exclaim as he pulled out of sight,
"Merry Stitching to All, and to all a good night!"

~Author Unknown