31 days of posts the week ahead, the year ahead and advice from a poodle

Hey, a squirrel's gotta eat!

It's Monday, so it must be Happy Homemaker day. It may be Christmas Eve but there is still lots to do this week! DH is home too, so it's Happy Homemaker plus one today!

a scene from the Kindlemart Denver

The weather in Aurora CO
Starting the day
I can see all the pretty decorations from my computer perch, and also the back yard with it's dry brown grass and artistically arranged dog toys. A squirrel is enjoying what's left of the pumpkin for his breakfast, but we grab whatever we can for breakfasts around here. Both of us are dressed comfortably and warmly as more snow is on it's way. The weather is variable here in the high desert, yesterday it was chilly but clear skies, and we met friends for a walk around Castle Rock for coffee and chat. 

To-Do
we could have 3-6" of snow around here starting Christmas night, so we better scurry out to collect food. We are keeping our inside to do stuff like cleaning floors, or sorting office stuff, to do if there is lots of snow to keep us in.

One of the things I want to do is shave Milo's feet, as I never did that when we last groomed him, and all that hair will collect ice.
 I want to finalize a word or phrase of the year for 2019. That has been much more productive in past years than a list of goals. I find the word teaches me all year, not just the good things about a word like release or peace, but all the facets of the word.
So choose wisely. "change" from 2018 nearly done me in!

I would like to really clean the dust from furniture this week, while dh can help as my back is so bad. I also want to go through my patterns and re-evaluate what to keep. Set up some more in studio. Walk a lot this week, and please let me drink enough water too.

It would be great to see some friends too... I want to have a couple's night with a new friend and her husband, as it's really hard to find couple friends where all 4 like each other, know what I mean? I envy people who have long time couple friends that regularly have game nights, or go on vacay together.

On the to do list is clean the bathroom mirrors (they are so tall) and the sliding glass patio door, coffee tables, shower... all glass that has become spotted (covered in dog snot) over the last few months. Funny how I don't notice til it reaches critical mass.

I won't be getting this sweater with real gold tinsel

I'd like to go into the masses of people after Christmas shopping for deals. I am one who not only doesn't mind crowds, I enjoy it. I am the only one on earth.

 Eating
I'd like to make a big pot of soup sometime this week, with lots of vege and ginger for health.It's a major undertaking as all the fresh vege take peeling, and chopping. We love it warmed up for lunches. One of my comforts is to have lunch with dh while watching a show on netflix or Acorn.
Currently we are both enjoying Time Team and Lords and Ladle's (chefs reproducing dinners from Medieval times.

reading
I want to read the art quilt book for my group, and look through the two books on writing before they must be returned. I really want to focus on writing more this coming year.
Can you imagine reading all the books you've not read in years, sitting on your book shelf? heehee

I'd like to at least look through half my quilting books this year, and enjoy them. If not now, when?

I am also reading blogs from people I'm becoming friends with through their writing. The 31 days of posts challenge started me reading blogs of friends I'd lost track of, and it's nice to know them better.

watching
sadly we are seeing the last episodes of George Gently (BBC on Acorn) which was a wonderful series with terrific acting and plots. We just finished the last episode of this season of Brokenwood too, out of NZ. We are ready to start the most recent series of Shetland, then will have to find a new series to watch.
I was thrilled the latest series of Mrs Maisel was now available... so I will portion that out.

I also found, on youtube, the BBC series Time Team. I watched them on youtube "the naughty nuns of Northampton" episode and love the mix of anthropology and humor. Now we're both watching on ACORN.

I enjoyed Survivor so much this year, and look forward to the Amazing Race starting soon. Otherwise, regular TV is pretty sparse for me right now.

crafting
I'm finishing up the bargello experiment quilt and I think I might join my friend Mary in doing journal quilts again this year. My goal will be one a month, to try techniques, use my supplies, be creative. I've done this before, and exhibited them at the Houston Quilt Festival. I plan to do them in the 8.5" X 11" format again.

I also bought a felt ornament kit, that I want to stitch, to hang on the mantle for January.
Time to knit some more socks too... ours are wearing out in the soles. Do you repair for a while, then toss them? Don't you hate the idea of throwing away perfectly good cuffs?

Milo shopping for a new hat in Denver

Lessons learned this week
Just because an event is called seasonal, or is once a year, it might not be worth the time. I've been trying to find things around here to do for the holidays, specific to this area. We dragged our three selves to downtown Denver on Friday to go to the Christkindl market and oy vey! First of all, expensive parking ($20 for three hours) horrible traffic, nothing to see there. So many vagrants basically demanding money from people, sidewalks so dirty I worried for my dog's feet. The homeless were not demanding, just so sad.

I'm just saying... I may be too old to deal with that again. We wanted to see the Botanic Gardens light show this week, but sold out. Maybe the art gallery since we used to love going to the Smithsonian each Christmas but parking... traffic... risk... I'm reluctant to go downtown again for a while.

I got some cool pictures of our trip however and will do a post showing those in the next few days. 

Next lesson. Craftsy. When they started they promised the world of crafts to us! We'll hold your patterns forever! Now they sold out to NBC and some people are saying their videos are unavailable already. Gone. I have never been happy with people saying store all your images on the computer! That way they are there forever. Well, who knows? On the other hand, there are photos still around from the beginning of photography, hard copy photos. Note to self, continue to doubt, and question wild promises by companies. Some of my favorite designers have been cut from Craftsy, and alerted us to go download anything of theirs we really wanted before Dec 28th.
Greed is a strong force, NBC.  They don't know the strength of crafters though!

in the lobby of the Brown Palace... dog friendly!

Milo wants to relax this week, be with his peeps, enjoy chewing on his favorite toys, talk us into taking him everywhere we go. That's on his list! Oh and avoid getting his feet shaved.
His advice?
Take it easy, eat what you can get your paws on and enjoy, sleep when you're tired, play when you get a chance, stay warm, enjoy being with the ones you love.