Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 414

   

It's Wednesday so it's time for the Hodgepodge.  Click here to join in.

1. The Hodgepodge lands on the last day of March...in ten words or lest bid the month adieu.

Vaccinations are in full swing, let's kick COVID to the curb!

2. March 31st is National Tater Day...your favorite way to have a potato? Given a choice would you opt for sweet, white, or red? How often are potatoes on your menu in one form or another? Ever been to Idaho? If not, is that a state you'd like to visit someday?

I LOVE white and red potatoes but I'm not so crazy about sweet potatoes.  We eat a lot of potatoes because they are allowed on the Whole 30 - it's great to have a protein, vegetables, and a side of roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary.  I've been through Idaho and I'd love to go back to Coeur D'Alene because it looks so beautiful.

3. Last time someone or something 'rained on your parade'? Explain.

That would have to be the COVID travel restrictions that prevented Vic from coming home for Christmas. 

4. Put all your eggs in one basket, get cracking, nest egg, bad egg, good egg, egg on, have egg on your face, or walk on eggshells...choose a phrase from the list that applies to something in your life currently and tell us how or why.

Get cracking with a list of plans for July - Vic will be home and we're going to attack a to-do list around the house and have a couple of fun weekends away.  I can't wait.

5. If I visited your home would I find a lot of baskets there? Something you like to keep in a basket?

I have a LOT Of baskets - Longaberger was a minor addiction while I was in Virginia.  Two of my good friends introduced me to their great baskets and I use them in every room in the house.  I store my hair dryer in one in the bathroom, bits and pieces by the side of the bed in another, we keep our keys in one inside the door, there are several in the office for stationary supplies, pens, and pencils, and I have collection in the living room for magazines.  Among my favorites are the baskets that are part of the hanging racks with rods where I display my holiday flags.

These long baskets above the mug rack are called cracker baskets.

A button basket with the Navy emblem - a gift for Vic for his commissioning and a place for his sunglasses and other bits and pieces

The hanging rack with rod for holiday flags and the bread basket - it needs some sort of greenery or floral embellishment in the basket

 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Today would have been Mum and Dad's 65th wedding anniversary.  I know they are holding hands in heaven.

Paris, France, 1956

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #135

I love hats...on other people.  I've been known, in my younger years to sport the odd pillbox, but that seems like a lifetime ago.

San Francisco, 1989

My love of hats now rests firmly with the fashion of the British Royal Family.  Oh my goodness, can they wear some of the most amazing hats!  Their milliners do wonders to complement their outfits and it's a joy to behold.

Most of the large events - Royal Ascot, the Garter Service, Trooping the Color, royal weddings, christenings, and other gatherings - bring forth some beautiful creations and everyday visits bring us even more.  Her Majesty The Queen always wears bright colors (so she can be seen) with beautiful hats and the trio of The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge, and The Countess of Wessex bring another dimension to millinery.

Today, however, it's a younger member of the family and the popular Cheltenham Festival, a meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar, held at the Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.  Unlike Royal Ascot, there is no official dress code and as it's in March, warmer attire is the norm so it's a great time to see a variety of very stylish outerwear.  Along with that are the warmer weather hats, chic nonetheless, but not the summery styles of Royal Ascot.

This year, there was no Cheltenham Festival due to COVID-19 but Zara Tindall, The Queen's granddaughter and frequent Cheltenham attendee, got together with stylist Annie Miall to bring us a salute to British millinery, Cheltenham at home, showcasing four hats that she might have been wearing at the racecourse.  If you'd like to read more about them, the posts from Royal Hats are linked below each photo.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

I love the cutout leaves on Day 2 and 4's hats, just stunning.  

Thank you, Zara, for sharing these beautiful hats and by the way, congratulations on the birth of your baby boy, Lucas Philip, born on Sunday, March 21.  No photo yet but I hope we'll see him soon.

Hello Monday

     

The weather:::

Windy and rainy yesterday and partly cloudy days ahead for the week.  Temperatures back in the mid-50s all week with more rain coming for the weekend.

On my reading pile:::

Taking a little break from the Sisterchicks series to pick up where I left off with Cathy Woodman's tales from Talyton St. George.  Book three is The Sweetest Thing, the story of newly-divorced, former suburban-dweller Jennie Copeland who moves to a ramshackle house in the country to start a new cake-baking business and an idyllic life with her three children, a dog, a horse, and chickens.  But life in the country is not quite as idyllic as she'd hoped. 

On my TV:::

I'm amazed at what you can find on You Tube.  Last week I worked my way through the Kent Family Chronicles, a three-part mini series from the 1970s, based on John Jakes' books.

Checked off the list:::

Daisy, my iRobot Roomba, is up and running.  Oh my goodness, so easy to set up and I'm loving her!  She's busy learning the layout of the house.  I watched the video of my Mum's cousin's wife's funeral service (see what COVID has brought us to) which was lovely and the family put together an amazing tribute to her life from which I learned a lot of things I didn't know about her.  I worked four hours of overtime getting 300 people scheduled for their 1st dose of COVID shots last week, what an adventure that was, and knocked out a few getting ready for the house sale tasks - all paperwork is submitted to the property manager/realtor, and pest control notified that we're going on a month to month basis with the same for the home warranty.  I'm sad and excited at the same time.  I think Vic and I thought that we might eventually return to our little cottage for retirement but we're established here and there's no chance Sophia would want to move from the West Coast to the East and I can't imagine being that far away from her.  I am looking forward to not being a landlord any longer.

I loved the way the the house looked at Christmas - I'll even miss the snow!

Crafts Roundup:::

Packed up all of the December Daily supplies and moved my current project, the 2009 Family Album, onto the project table in the office.

And in other news:::

Time is just flying, I can't believe that it is April this week.  Vic is in ROM (restriction of movement - the Navy's term for quarantine) for ten days after one of his co-workers tested positive for COVID.  Sophia gets her 2nd dose on Wednesday, I hope it is uneventful for her.

Hello Monday

     

The weather:::

Another partly cloudy week with rain early on but the temperatures are rising, low 60s predicted for the weekend.

On my reading pile:::

Finished up Sisterchicks Say Oh La La and moved on to the adventure in Venice.  Also read The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff, another book that needs a sequel. 

On my TV:::

Men in Kilts on STARZ, very entertaining and what a way to see Scotland.

Checked off the list:::

Disappointed to report that my Easter tree is a total fail.  I didn't even get a third of my ornaments on it and the whole thing toppled over.  The trunk is too long - I hope that Vic will be able to saw some of it off so we can pot it another container, one that's heavier.

Crafts Roundup:::

Another nothing new week, still looking for that motivation to do something.

And in other news:::

Decided to splurge on an iRobot Roomba - I bought the i8+ model which is only available at Costco.  I'm a little bit apprehensive about the whole set-up - I'm not the most technically-savvy person - but I'll let you know how it goes!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 412

  

It's Wednesday so it's time for the Hodgepodge.  Click here to join in.

1.  Will you wear green?  Eat corned beef and cabbage?  Drink green beer?  Have you ever been to Ireland?  Is it on your travel bucket list?

I have a green scarf with a shamrock design, thank you for the reminder, I will add that to my outfit today.  Yes, I will be eating corned beef and cabbage, but no on the green beer.  I have, however, been admiring friends’ photos of the green river in downtown Chicago.  I have flown through Shannon Airport in Ireland, does that count?  Yes, Ireland most definitely is on my travel bucket list.  I have been saving a ten day driving tour of Ireland itinerary for years.

2.  Something you think is “worth its weight in gold”? 

I suppose I should say something really profound or spiritual but when I looked up the definition of the term, one of its meanings is something like is so useful, helpful, or valuable that you feel you could not manage without it.  It also applies to someone who falls into the same category.  This time last year, I would have said toilet paper!  Now, how about allergy medicine, I would certainly not be able to manage without it in the  spring with everything in bloom! 

3.  Something that makes you “green around the gills”?

Vic has eaten a Philippine condiment called Bagoóng which is partially or completely made of either fermented fish or krill or shrimp paste with salt.  I call it cat food because it smells THAT BAD.  I’m all about experimenting with regional dishes but this is one I cannot stand.  Note I say “Vic has eaten” because bless him, he doesn’t eat it whenever I am around!

4.  What puts a “spring in your step” these days? 

Our governor’s plan to move us to Phase 3 on March 22.  The light at the end of the tunnel is getting much brighter.

5.  Write a limerick using one of the following as your theme – March, St. Patrick’s Day, COVID, 2020 and/or 2021, the color green or life lately.  Yes, you can do it.

We’re all looking back on last year,
Just how we survived is unclear,
Better times are ahead,
No shortages to dread,
And soon we will be of good cheer! 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Missing my favorite leprechaun - Newport, Rhode Island 2010

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #134

I loved this graphic I found on a post on Facebook.  I think it may have been linked to a post from Rowing Blazers, the source for the re-release of the famous sheep sweater.

Vogue

I remember when Princess Diana, or Lady Diana Spencer as she was at that time, was first photographed wearing the sweater in 1980 and how it sold out shortly thereafter.  It didn't stay in stock for very long and it hasn't been available since 1994.  According to Rowing Blazers website:

 A limited number of the beloved Warm & Wonderful sheep sweaters are now back in stock and ready to ship right away (not pre-order) for the first time since October!

Warm & Wonderful was founded by Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir, who created the original sheep sweater in 1979. They shot to fame when a young Princess Diana began wearing their iconic design. It’s been copied many times, but this is the original, iconic sheep sweater — made in partnership with Joanna and Sally to the same specifications as those famously worn by the Princess of Wales.

Please Note: Each sweater is handmade, therefore the exact placement of these sheep and other details may vary slightly from sweater to sweater! Additionally, this sweater runs small, we recommend sizing up.

Yours for $295.

Hello Monday

 

Hello Monday is brought to you today by Shelly at the Queen in Between who snagged this idea from the Laura Tremaine podcast - Ten Questions to Mark One Year of the Pandemic - and all that is via Tanya at The Other Side of the Road's Friday Favorites post.  Whew, I think I've given the proper credit to everyone involved!

1.  What was life like in early 2020?

Pretty standard.  Work, eat, sleep, repeat.  There was a change at work when my boss and our Chief Engineer retired at the end of January and their replacements joined our office suite.  Vic returned to Okinawa after Christmas, Sophia returned to her studies and assorted part-time jobs after being home at Christmas and she came for a long weekend for my birthday in mid-February.

The last time we would have a family photo for quite some time - December 2019

2.  What was the biggest change?

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, the HP (Health Protection) Level at our command (we fall under the Department of the Navy) was raised from Alpha (the lowest) to Bravo.  On Friday, March 13, 2020 (can you see the irony in that?), all schools in our county closed, initially until April 24.  On St. Patrick's Day 2020 all employees aged 60+ were sent home on administrative leave (for two weeks), the following day, all with documented high risk health conditions went home on administrative leave.  We would not see most of them for three months.  Being in the first category (just!), I should have gone home but I had to much work to do to get everyone prepped for teleworking - agreements to process, property passes to issues (you need a property pass to take laptops from the workplace), my laptop to set up, and other miscellaneous things that need to be done.  My last day in the office was Friday, March 20.

3.  What were your coping mechanisms?

I'd pretty much been on my own before the pandemic in the evenings and weekends.  I enjoy my own company, keep busy around the house and with various crafts.  We hadn't found a church home yet since Vic was gone and I was at work full-time so it's not like I had an active social life.  Things weren't going to be very different, I was going to manage.

4.  What did connection in your relationships look like?

The biggest change was going from being alone in the evenings and on the weekends to being alone all the time.  I really missed my co-workers and looked forward to the twice a week conference call.  It was nice to hear that they all seemed happy to hear my voice, as I certainly was happy to hear theirs.  Communication with Vic and Sophia was via FaceTime and I still looked forward to the summer when Vic would be home and Sophia would come down to visit.

5.  What will you remember most?

That I bought a car via e-mail!  We had given our SUV to Sophia for Christmas - she did her student teaching in December, half an hour away from her house, and we wanted her to have a reliable car for the distance she would be driving back and forth and in case of any winter weather.  So she took my car home at Thanksgiving.  On Christmas Day, we put the keys and a photo with a note in a little bag under the tree "Betty Blue (the SUV) is looking forward to her new home with Sophia" and I inherited her old car, the Hyundai Accent we'd had for umpteen years.  After three months of driving it, I knew I would be heading for back surgery if I had to climb in and out of that Flintstone car for much longer, it was SO low to the ground.  Car dealerships were closed but I received an e-mail saying that our local Subaru dealership was offering appointments to mission essential personnel and not only that, but 0% financing.  I called, picked out my new SUV from their inventory, went in briefly to sign the papers, and drove home in my new car.

Milady, the Grey Lady (yes, we name our cars!)

6.  What was the biggest challenge?

It was tough to find out that Vic would not be able to come home in July as we planned.  When he took this overseas assignment, it didn't sound that bad because he'd be home every six months.  For a family that started out in the surface Navy, that's just a regular deployment.  So, four deployments back to back with a break in between each one.  He left in July 2019, came home for Christmas, and we'd planned for him to repeat that in 2020.  A visit in July was off the table and Christmas 2020 ended up cancelled as well.  Here we are in March and he only has a few months left overseas.  When he comes home, we will not have seen him for eighteen months.

7.  What was a beautiful memory?

Sophia completed her Masters Degree, got a full-time teaching job offer for the fall, and bought a horse! 

\\

Sophia and Ginger, first day of school (her small private school resumed in-class instruction in the fall while many of the public schools were still virtual)

8.    What do you believe now that we didn't one year ago?

That we would ever consider going into a bank to make a withdrawal wearing a mask!  That's a meme but it's true, who ever would have thought such a thing would be acceptable?  It also boggles my mind that people were hoarding toilet paper to such an extent that stores put limits on the amount you could buy.  I can understand paper towels, hand sanitizing wipes, and cleaning products, since we all wanted to keep everything sanitized, but toilet paper?  It's COVID, not cholera.

For those who really stocked up, you had 2020's Christmas presents in the bag!

9.  What would you do differently?

Nothing.  I did what we were asked to do - wear a mask, social distance, avoid gatherings (no problem there, I went from none to....none), clean frequently touched surfaces often.  I ordered groceries online and had them put into my car, limiting interactions at the grocery store and ordered takeout to support local businesses.  I can't really think of anything I could have done or should do differently.

10.  What will you carry forward?

Gratitude.  I'm grateful for the technology that allowed people to stay connected - teleworking, Zoom calls, online grocery ordering, and of course, Amazon.com.  I'm grateful for medical personnel who went over and above anything they could have imagined.  Heading to a third world country to help with an epidemic is one thing, but to have a pandemic in your own backyard, unprecedented.  They are truly heroes.

Friday Favorites

 

Today's Friday Favorites is in celebration of St. Patrick's Day as I share my favorite décor pieces that I use for this holiday and others.

1.  Two Tier Tray

I searched high and low for a two tier tray.  I saw one on Etsy and even contacted the shop to ask where they bought it - sadly, it was no longer available.  I managed to locate one on Wayfair and after after two attempts (the first one was damaged), I've found one that works although it looks like it's no longer available.

It holds a variety of bits and pieces for St. Patrick's Day - (**) is for craft store find, Michaels or Joann probably - (top tier) a Rae Dunn mug from Home Goods on what is listed as a cupcake stand (makes a great riser), a wooden Mason jar wooden piece (**), a Beleek vase with paper straws, and behind that, a plaque with an Irish blessing (**) and (bottom tier) another Beleek vase with some tinted daisies, a Lucky rolling pin, beaded garland, and stack of books from LacyBelles on Etsy, a leprechaun (**), a Happy St. Patrick's Day plaque (**), and the cream piece on the right is a hollow Beleek cottage designed to hold a tealight.  Right now it's full of shamrock plastic pieces and a battery-operated tealight.  It looks pretty when I turn it on in the evening.

2.  Nora Fleming Napkin Holder

This month's mini is a St. Patrick's Day top hat and I love the napkins, scored at 70% off at Joann!

3. Hallmark Happiness Is Ornament Holder

Peppermint Patty wishes you the top o' the mornin'.

4.  Felt Ball Garland

The Fickle Felt Tree on Etsy does beautiful work - here are the St. Patrick's Day colors.

5.  Signs

I love Michaels and Joann for cute signs.  LacyBelles has a great selection too but they are a little pricey.

6.  Tulips

I bought several bunches of these tulips when I volunteered at The Tidewater Collection gift shop in Virginia.  They survived the move and look pretty close to the real thing.  The little glass milk bottles are from Michaels and the cross is one I've had for ages.

7.  Flags

I have a large selection of 12 x 18 flags that I display on the rod below my Longaberger baskets.  Some are from Michaels and others I've picked up at Just for Fun Flags.

All I need is corned beef and cabbage cooking away in the CrockPot and a tall Irish coffee to finish off a festive day.

10 on the 10th March 2021

 

It's also the 10th and time for 10 on the 10th, this month 10 Things You Love About Spring.  There aren't any questions but Leslie did suggest that we could look back to last year's questions if we wanted some prompts.  I didn't participate last year so they are all new to me.

1.  How did you celebrate spring break/Easter as a child?

We always had a Cadbury's Easter egg, for years it was on top of a mug with an animal on the front so after a few years, my sister and I had quite a collection.  When we lived in Belgium, spring heralded the time to bring out our caravan from winter storage and move it up to the beach.  We have wonderful memories of the weekends we spent there.

2.  Do you spring clean?

Honestly, no.  I work full-time so I pick up and clean as I go.  One room a day when I'm really organized, more on the weekends if I get behind.  We don't have pets or children at home so mess is minimal.

3.  What's spring weather like where you live?

In the Pacific Northwest, it's a combination of sunny days and rainy days.  It's my kind of weather, tea-drinking weather, and the rain makes everything so green.  After all, we're the Evergreen State!

4.  How green is your thumb?

What's the farthest color away from green...that's me.  No gardening skill at all, don't really enjoy it although I love to admire the work of other gardeners.

5.  AC on or windows open?

AC on mostly but it's not really needed here apart from a few weeks in August.  The windows in the main part of the house are either large picture windows or French doors, not really conducive to leaving open.

6.  How do you decorate for spring/Easter/Passover?

I decorate for Easter and that post will be coming up soon.

7.  How do you get bathing suit/shorts/warm weather ready?

I try to lose a few pounds but I haven't been very successful lately.  It's been many years since I've worn a bathing suit - I'm not really a tropical or warm weather person so my warm weather garb usually consists of capris and a nice T-shirt.

8.  Is your closet arranged with just the current season's clothes?

No, although I tend to cycle things around on the rack, moving warm weather clothes to the end when spring comes.

9.  What's your go-to spring uniform?

Work wear is pretty standard - dress pants, top, cardigan although I lighten up the top and cardigan as the weather warms up.  At home, I swap my fleece robe for a cotton dress.

10.  What outdoor activities do you enjoy in the summer?

We're not hikers or campers or really outdoorsy people but we do enjoy going on a field trip to somewhere local.  We have several National Parks close to us as well as a lot of quaint little towns.  We love any kind of historic site.  Spring is also the start of tulip season here so a trip to the Tulip Festival with a stop for lunch is always fun.

Tulip Festival 2019 (sadly cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID but hopefully back on track in 2022)

We also enjoyed a weekend in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth for the annual Maifest.

How the dancers criss-crossed between each other to make this ribbon design on the maypole was just amazing!

 Folk dancing, banner waving, and a wonderful parade, a celebration of all things German.

Here's to the next COVID-free spring!

Let's Look

It's the second Wednesday of the month and that's time for Let's Look.  This month's topic is Perfect Night In.

Ours is pretty simple - I asked Vic and laughed hysterically at his response.

Chinese food

A Hallmark movie (yes, he actually said that, I love him!)

My sausage dip (he said the one with cheesecake, I said you mean the one with cream cheese, oh my goodness, I miss him so much)

Here's the recipe in case you're interested in adding it to your Perfect Night In.  It's a Sausage Cream Cheese Dip aka Brad's Dip (no idea who Brad may be) - it has a great Tex Mex flavor and I love that it is easy to halve the recipe.  We serve it with the thin tortilla chips (Juanita's) or with Tostitos Scoops.

16 ounces cream cheese

2 (12 ounce) cans of Rotel tomatoes with chilies

16 ounces Jimmy Dean sausage (I use the fully-cooked crumbles)

Brown sausage and drain.  Cut cream cheese into small cubes, add to sausage and cook over low heat until creamy (the recipe calls for melting the cream cheese in a separate pan but I just add it to the sausage once it's drained).  Add Rotel, stir to combine and serve. 

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #133

 

I watched the interview last night, thought about it overnight and today, but I don't really feel any differently than I did after listening to Prince Harry and Meghan vilify his family with vague accusations, and with misty eyes, frequent references to Diana, and the revelation that Meghan had been almost suicidal, it was the most attention-seeking performance I've seen in a long time.  I'm disappointed and pretty angry.  I'm an old school monarchist, I believe in the tradition of the Royal Family, in their sense of duty, in what they stand for in the history of England, and how something as simple as a visit from one of them can do wonderful things for an organization or charity.  They may not be as modern as some would like, and at times some members have been less than tactful in their comments but to say that the family changed after Harry and Meghan's trip to Australia, that there is jealousy at play here, seems rather over-dramatized to me.  A little of the chip on the shoulder going on definitely. 

One of the first things Meghan said astounded me, that she didn't understand what the job was going to be like.  Seriously?  In this day and age?  Where has she been the last ten or fifteen years?  The goldfish bowl that is the life of the Royal Family has been written about in newspapers, magazines, and dramatized on television.  Did she really think she was going to marry her handsome prince and live happily ever after without anyone paying any attention to what she did, or said, or wore?  That she could do what she wanted when she wanted?  I don't call that naïve, I call it a convenient excuse to justify walking away.

There were a lot of things said last night that will take years to heal, if healing is even possible.  Prince Charles and Prince William are trapped?  The monarchy is controlled by the fear of the press?  Kate made her cry (where are we, in the nursery now?).  It was interesting to see that Prince Harry rushed to make sure that the allegations of racism against his son, the comment about his skin color, was not attributed to The Queen or The Duke of Edinburgh.  He is not quite ready to burn that bridge.

What we've ended up with is a circus.  The media will be all over this for days, even weeks to come.  It's appalling.

A little fact that seems to have escaped both Harry and Meghan - Rules established by King George V in 1917 limited the number of royal highnesses in the British monarchy, and they still determine who gets the title of prince or princess.  Their son, Archie, is not a prince for that simple reason.  He could become a prince when his grandfather, Prince Charles, becomes King but we'll see what happens then.

In the meantime, Harry and Meghan, you wanted out and now you're out so move on, make a life for yourselves, and show some dignity.  Tell-all (or almost all) interviews benefit no-one and hurt many.  Did you really feel better in the morning after having this little chat with Oprah?

Hello Monday

    

The weather:::

Another partly cloudy week but when the sun comes out, it is glorious.  It's rainy today but that's not putting a damper (excuse the pun) on the hundreds of people who are waiting in the parking lots* for the USS NIMITZ as it returns to its homeport after almost a year at sea.  Welcome home and thank you for your service!

*Families are assigned a parking lot and their sailor will find them - it's a COVID homecoming but never mind, their sailors were back in their arms without too much of a delay. 

On my reading pile:::

Finished up Sisterchicks Down Under by Robin Jones Gunn and The Kommandant's Girl which was excellent but really left you hanging at the end.  Hoping that another book will continue the story.  

On my TV:::

Winds of War on YouTube, another season of the Bake Off, not much else although I am really excited about this, coming April 4.

.

Checked off the list:::

Finally found an Easter tree - I was looking for a white, bare branches tree so I could hang all the Easter ornaments I collected when Hallmark was issuing them in the late 1990s-early 2000s.  Could I find one anywhere?  No.  I finally ordered one from Amazon.  It had lights but that was ok but when it came, the lights didn't work so back it went.  Continued my search yesterday and the cashier at Joann's said they had them but were all out, why didn't I check online?  I did and they had two at my local store!  I ran right over there and grabbed one but when I got to the checkout, it was $50 because the $25 price was only online!  So, I put it back, went out to my car, placed an online order, waited a few minutes, went back into the store, and bought it for the cheaper price!

One of the places I checked was Hallmark - they didn't have one but I did score these two gems, retail price $38.12 but since both were 90% off and I had a $3.00 reward certificate, my total cost was 82 cents.

My local Hallmark also restocked their Nora minis selection.  I love Santa and Mrs. Claus on the bottom tier.

Crafts Roundup:::

Another nothing new week, need to find some motivation to do something.

And in other news:::

My Pottery Barn rabbits arrived - I have tulips to go in the medium-sized one, that's the one on the right but I need to think about what to put in the large one (the one shown with the pink flowers).

Also in the mail, heart-shaped plates and bowls from Sur La Table (looks like they are all sold out now).

After last week's lack of photos, I certainly made up for it this week!

Against my better judgement, because that's two hours of my life I'll never get back, I watched Oprah's interview with Meghan and Harry.  I need to think a little more about it, more to come tomorrow.