Friday Files 1.13.2023

Second-hand decor updates. I like to move things around after Christmas is gone and add something new when needed. These second hand finds fit the bill and I'm thrilled that they're second hand. Mosaic glass forever. The mosaic glass lamp was my mother-in-law's, she loved it too.

Happy happy birthday to my sister-in-law Aubrey. I'm lucky to have one that I love as a person and love spending time with. We have fun!

How it started

How it ended. Always go.

Some small treasures from a walk this week.

Ben is Rose from Titanic: draw me like one of your French girls. Bruce is a trance chewer/kneader. The electric blanket brings all the animals to the yard

I had a cold this week, the first time I've been sick since 2019. I sneezed a lot, which I have never done with a cold in my life. I keep thinking of the Vicks Nyquil commercial the nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine and how I always thought who sneezes when sick and MFD and I talked about how we never did and now we know and we do. MFD had the sneezes too. This is not the same immune system as pre-covid era. It isn't any fun. I've also spent the week looking - I can say this objectively - absolutely terrible. 10/10 do not recommend this cold season

I'm cooking straight out of the freezer and pantry right now, and the meals start out so nicely then deteriorate into like a freezer burned roll smeared with Worcestershire sauce or something. Not quite so bad but I do hate food waste so I need to burn through some stuff. 

Sometimes you make good nail combos and take clear pictures and sometimes you don't. 

Keenan Anderson. I'm not repeating shit said ad infinitum but that is not public safety and we are not killing people in the streets and calling it public safety. Black Lives Matter.

Just started. I know people are out there defending the Windsors like they are blood relations and raging against Harry and Meghan. I've got no skin in this game or big opinions, I just wanted to read it. 

I started painting our shore apartment this week - the space is so small with limited places to move things that I'm doing it piecemeal. Tuesday I did the shortest wall and trim around the window. If you know me you know I am not a neutrals person so the blah beige was really on my nerves over the past year. This is SW6736 jocular green. 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend, especially those of you with a three dayer for MLK on Monday. That is not me and has never been me.

Also say a prayer or light a flare that MFD finds a replacement for his totaled car in the next two days before I riot in the streets. We've been sharing a car since 12/16. You know I'm not a good sharer.

Thursday Thoughts - In the warrior's code there's no surrender

Except for today. I give myself permission to surrender to feeling squeezed and put Thursday Thoughts up for the sacrifice. Shots from the week and that is all. 

Nice bay sunsets this week.

Trying to get ready for the season. Full bedding changes. New dove tenant. Towel rack system. Bondo. Vacuuming. Baseboards. Unresponsive contractors. Making messes. Cleaning up messes. DIY gone good. DIY gone bad. Can this marriage be saved? Many episodes of that show. Many laughs too.

Cool clouds on the way out of town. Philly yesterday. Lunch with coworkers at Mission Taqueria, which is open for lunch again! 

Fuck Martins potato rolls, the Philadelphia Democratic Party, people who want civility outside of SCOTUS homes but don't give a good fuck about it outside of anyone else's or clinics, and contractors who do not reply to emails.

Girls weekend this weekend with my friends of 30 years. Out of office for sure. Looking forward to peacing the fuck out of all responsibilities and typical life things and being with my friends. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is In the Burning Heart by Survivor, which was my jam on the drive in yesterday as I once again wished for a tape recorder I could speak into that is not my phone. I do my best thinking in the car. 

Friday Five: things from this week that are not related to Fascism

Happy Friday! Dismal as the weather is here in the Philadelphia area. 

I typically drop this stuff in Thursday Thoughts, but yesterday was for fascism.

Fascism. Fascist. The words never look like they're spelled correctly. Probably because the words, what they mean, and the people urging us quickly into them are abhorrent and the mind does not want to retain it. 

ANYWAY this is for not fascist shit. This is for the life things.

Like Billycat's first birthday, and pets in birthday hats. 

And amazing art Carol & Dad tracked down and bought for me from a local DE artist. This speaks to me and I love it so much. Cannot wait for girls weekend next week. 

And skies.

And shore chores like stripping every blessed piece of bedding and having it laundered, getting rid of a box spring, cleaning under beds, swapping mirrors, getting paint for the powder room and touch ups, fixing the freaking towel rack, swapping the living room rug, and hunting for new hardware.

Schnoozy days. Evening trips to dog beach. Eating jelly beans like an orderly psycho. Tiny treasures. Cat guards. Running all necessary errands and encountering gross shit. Do not litter outside or inside!

Good thoughts and love to Aunt Maureen and her kids and grands. MFD's uncle died of pancreatic cancer this week, very unexpectedly, very quickly, and very young. That's one to pancreatic cancer on my side with my Grandmom and one on his with Uncle Matt. Painful, silent, deadly. Just a terrible disease. 

Live fully now, hug people, love people, and have a good weekend. Stay dry out there fellow Mid-Atlantic folks. 

Happy Mother's Day to all moms and extra love to anyone who struggles with Mother's Day. 

TWTW - Cold April

Friday I worked from Philly in the morning and headed to the shore in the afternoon. I was supposed to arrive Thursday night but the weather was armpits for driving. Dead stop traffic twice on the way down had me questioning my decision to drink a bunch of water - which I typically do after a certain point in the trip. I painted my nails in the afternoon - cannot recommend the Mooncat holographic polishes enough. They are insanely cool. 

I quick ran to hang the shower curtain and make sure the house was fam/friends acceptable before finishing work and took Bruce and Ben for a beach walk as Melissa and her crew were arriving and unloading. I ate with them and hung out until 11, finally falling out at 12:30. Lots of laughs with one of your oldest friends and her people to end the week, you can't beat it. They brought gifts too, and Billy enjoyed that bag. 

Saturday Up at 6:30 to get the dogs walked and fed and get my ass out of the house. I went to see Dad & Carol's new home and town in Lewes, DE, via the ferry. I loved the views at Cape Henlopen State Park. Their house is great too, all set up already and really open. I love it. 

They took me around town, which was so cute and very picturesque. I wanted to buy all the antiques. We went out to lunch and for ice cream, to a few local shops and the library, and the tulip celebration was on. I liked it there, can't wait to go back! And I found new beach witch art and got a print. They are picking up another for me this week!

So great to be able to pop over on the ferry for a few hours. The ferry ride back sunset was the stuff of dreams. Melissa's kid crew took care of the dogs while I was gone which was a huge help. When I got back I was dead tired and did my night face routine and got right into bed. 

Sunday was windy and cold and gray. WHYYYYYYYYYYY I ended up working most of the day as I am planning to flex that time later this week. I also finished a book, then headed upstairs to eat and hang out until almost 11. On a school night! Who am I.

Happy Monday! Show Us Your Books is tomorrow. Can it also stop being so cold and windy. I'm over it.

TWTW - the one with the wedding

Friday It was just me and Mae at the shore, and good thing as she is an in and out bathroom dog and it was frigid Friday. I returned books to the library and hit the beach during lunch to find a sea of dead horseshoe crabs up at the tideline. Insides frozen as you can see. I painted my nails all one color for once - OPI Turn Bright After Sunset - made dinner (salmon, baby potatoes, and brussels), purged and organized my bathroom lotions and potions, and finished a book.

Saturday Up, showered, and masking face and eyes by 9. I was back in Philly by 1 and putting makeup on by 3...I actually had to buy a palette to use since the only thing I have left is mascara and lipstick. I threw everything else out throughout the pandemic. I don't even have an eyeshadow brush left I had to wing it LOL

We picked up Stephen & Aubrey then headed to the Ballroom at Ellis Preserve to celebrate Dana and Alex's wedding. What a lovely place, I had no idea it was even there. There was a gorgeous sunset as we were walking in, and it's always nice to have a banger sunset on your wedding day, right? A good omen for sure. The food was delicious and on the dessert side, lord the funnel cake fries...and I am not even a funnel cake person. Everything was beautiful, especially the bride, and we had a lot of fun with the fam. We got facetime with some people in the fall at the shower, but it was especially nice to see Carol's parents and those we didn't see at the shower because we haven't seen them in a pandemic while. MFD was burning up his dancing shoes at the after party. We got home around 12. 

Sunday I hit Aldi around noon and we had pizza and salad for lunch. After doing some laundry I was back to the shore and arrived in time to meet up with a handyman to get a quote on some  nuisance items I want done hopefully before June. I took all the dogs to the beach after, had Wawa for dinner, and watched The Great British Baking Show at night. I also finished the day reading a different book than the one I started with, which was a do not finish for me. 

Out two weekends in a row in January feels like flying close to the sun.

Have a good week!

TWTW - got my money's worth

Friday I painted my nails, had a delicious dinner a la Carol, ran errands to strangely empty Target and Aldi, and watched the end of Christmas Vacation when I got home. 

Saturday I finished loading up the car, changed sheets, and headed to the shore. I unboxed the replacement ottoman and some Christmas gifts that had arrived while I was gone last week. The weather was shit so I read most of the day and night with some time off of that to hit the beach, put stuff I brought back with me away, and pick up dinner from Boyar's. 

Sunday I took Bruce and Ben down to the South end for an hour walk in some glorious light provided by an already risen sun behind a cloud wall on the horizon. Mildly good treasure haul.

I did some cardio dance shit, organized my tupperware cabinet, showered, dropped donations off to the thrift store, and headed over to the community center. The library was having a holiday event with singers, refreshments, and Santa by the tree outside. I dropped off books and picked up a hold, then popped into the Ocean City Historical Museum and the Art Center to buy a piece of pottery. I ordered a new pantry and rolling spice rack for Philly to arrive this week and got some Billy shots from Carol. He's very into the Christmas spirit.

Very early we headed to the beach for sunset and frolicked for a half hour. Back at home I finished the newest Josie Quinn that I started Saturday and had taco salad for dinner. I was asleep by 11.

Another good weekend where I sent it off feeling like I got my time off work money's worth from it. You know?

Happy birthday to Mimi Saturday! Yesterday was Gamma's birthday and I wrote about that a little on the shore instagram here. 

Show Us Your Books tomorrow! See you here for that. Rest in peace Anne Rice - I loved Interview with the Vampire and the rest of the Vampire Chronicles, but my true love is the Mayfair Witches trilogy. If you read IWTV but not the rest of the vampire books, try them. If you like that kind of writing and story, try the Mayfair Witches trilogy too.

Devastating news out of four states hit with December tornadoes Friday, particularly Kentucky. If you have anything to spare please check out this mutual aid doc via Appalachians for Appalachia and do what you can, donate to the governor's Team Western Kentucky Tornado Fund (per Bright on a Budget he did similar to get money directly to people during the pandemic and it worked), or Convoy of Hope (multi-state, April's suggestion). Please avoid the Red Cross and remember that unless you are super local and can drop off goods, cash is king and it is needed if you have any of it to spare.

TWTW - well, the week that was

Mon - Wed I was off, but not much in the way of rest. Monday I headed back to Philly and got some Christmas stuff happening and errands run and chinese food for dinner. Tuesday the funeral services for my oldest friend's dad, a great man who used to lift me over the fence at three, four, five years old to play as our yards butted up against each other. Jen's family has always been so great to me, and I am sending all the love to them as they are hurting over this huge loss. I hightailed it back to the shore Tuesday to prep for Thanksgiving, running my final errands Wednesday morning to the grocery store and two corner stores to pick up. MFD arrived with Gus and Billy in the afternoon, and my brother and Aub and the kids shortly after. I prepped compound butter, had salad for dinner, and caught the sunset. 

Thursday Banger sunrise to start the day before prep work started. MFD was on stuffing and gravy, I was on turkey and sweet potatoes, Aubrey was on mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, Stephen was on kid games, entertainment, and sommelier. We took a beach walk while the turkey was in the oven and had snacks. Sam the bird (named by Lola) was out by 2:30 and we ate and lolled around for the rest of the day. 

Friday Dad & Carol arrived by about 8, and we set right to the turkey cookie decorating event...after Aubrey figured out how to make them stand up LOL. MFD was a late entry but he did his also during a break in his program. We took a family beach walk but didn't last long due to the wind. I dropped my brother off at Xfinity for the Flyers game and came back to do the art kits Cici got from my friend's studio Shades of Orange - they come pre-drawn with paint, buttons, and instructions you can follow or go on your own. You just need some glue. Christmas-themed and not. They make great gifts and support a small business! Mine is the pug, and Lola added a sweater to it. We bundled up to kick off the holiday season with my favorite tradition - Santa on the top of City Hall. We came back and ate Aubrey's delicious lasagna for dinner with salad and watched Big. 

Saturday Meat-heavy breakfast is how we rolled. Stephen, Aubrey, Dad, & Carol went to the Cape May Zoo with the kids. I cleaned up and read. Carol, Aubrey, Lola and I did some small business Saturday shopping on Asbury Ave. with traditional chocolate covered marshmallows on the way home. I was glad for the mask outside at that point as it was freezing and it's a great face warmer. App and leftover general chaos and Clifford the Big Red Dog movie to close out the day.

Sunday We painted some shells, Aubrey ordered us breakfast from Deadend Bakehouse, and we visited the North Street Tree to leave out shells and admire others. It was beautiful so we lingered a little on the jetty. MFD headed back to Philly with Gus and Billy. After a playground interlude, Aubrey made nachos, I used leftovers for brie bites, and we put out leftover snacks for the Eagles game. Aubrey and my brother left with the kids in late afternoon, I took the dogs to the beach for sunset, and I watched Hallmark movies with Carol and Dad until I threw in the towel a little after 8.

Thankful for another great holiday weekend with the fam at the shore. I hope your weekend was great, however you spent it. 

Happy Hanukkah wishes to my Jewish friends!

Staring down the last two days of November, I'm trying to think about what I want the last month of my year to look like. 

Have a good one!