Friday Melange

Ugh...waking up hot and sneezy.  Husbando is going duck hunting, so he is out the door.  I did plan the Christmas brunch last evening.  I hope my daughter gets the house clean by then! My MIL used to cook Christmas dinner, but she is in her late 70's and frail.  It will be a small gathering as my B/SIL are heading to her mother's.  I prefer the brunch option as it is a time to commune with loved ones and then relax after all of the busy season's preparations.  Well, I didn't have season's preparations...just that @%#!#^ house. 

I felt the pull of the salvage store yesterday.  My intent was to pick up 'stuff' to put in Christmas gift bags for neighbors. Useful things, but not ordinary things.  They had some terrific food stuff (diced tomatoes, black eyed peas, fruit sectionals) all at great prices and unexpired dates--those for my pantry.  You have to watch expiration dates!  I scored some gourmet peppercorns, sea salt, barbeque spices, chicken and beef base--all things to make a nice bag of gourmet gifts for friends and neighbors.  I also acquired several small bamboo cutting boards.  They are functional and pretty.  Of course I bought the bags there too--lovely, colorful but-not- quite-Christmas bags.  I still may make some Almond Toffee or perhaps Molasses Cookies...so long as the house gets cleaned for guests.

I also scored a recessed light hole saw--husbando will need a new one of those for the next project.  I plan to put recessed lighting extensively in the great room/kitchen and downstairs too if access permits.  I bought a leather punch too...Actually, several.  A punch is a useful thing...I'll put it in selected bags.  Wandering down the kitchen aisle (this is where I scored the $189 ScanPan for $19.99 last year--still rated as the #1 pan to own and love by all of last year's gift recipients (and me)), I found . . . .

some free range (unboxed) wine glasses.  They were Stolzle and just $1.99 a piece.  A bargain!  On my last gathering, I was running a little short on wine glasses.  My delicate crystal ones have been broken one by one over the years.  I don't worry about them as I scored them from Tuesday Morning...beautiful and cheap!  I only bought 4 as my cart was full, but I'll go back and pick up the remainders.

With husbando and I in the rehab mode, our eye is now turning toward our own home.  I have cheap light fixtures and cheap knobs on my sold wood doors.  It is not something I noticed so much until the completion of the last project.  So, I'm on a bent to systematically upgrade some of the original fixtures.  I'm cruising the LampsPlus Open Box site.  

I found this light to put in my office. (Merry Christmas to me!). I don't have that many overhead fixtures....just my bedroom, office, son's bedroom, and antechamber room, oh...and 3 bathrooms.  Hmmm...well anyway,  there is one light down! 

We have to be careful what we turn our attention to! I say that partially in jest, but the power of our focused attention is just that...powerful.  And, our attention can be misplaced (hence, 'unwanted attention' or OCD), unfocused (vacuous), laser-beamed (preoccupied--which I think also has OCD tendencies), critical or objective.  Now I am focused on the maintenance needs of my own home.  Baby steps.  Baby steps.