A Couple Of Coincidences

I was chatting with the woman next to me before my Pilates class started this morning. I mentioned walking at the mall, which segued into a discussion of where we each lived. Her house was in the city we used to live in, and I knew exactly where the subdivision was.

We talked about the schools her kids had gone to, which morphed into a discussion of where we had grown up. When she said her childhood home was close to the major intersection that mine was I asked her what school she had gone to.

(The question "Where did you go to high school?" is a St. Louis tradition which is used to understand someone's background, neighborhood, and their social circles.)

It turned out that we also had that in common, and when I asked her what year she had graduated I found out that we both had been classmates in an 800-student class!

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After the class was over I learned I would be receiving a Facebook friend request from her.

AND THEN.....

Another woman in the class heard us talking about our high school and asked which one we were talking about. I learned that she was several years older than Hubby Tony but went to the same school as he did and grew up very close to him. Tony was waiting for me in the lobby, so I walked that way with the woman and introduced the two of them. They spent several minutes trying to figure out if they had any other commonalities (they did not).

Five years ago: Parking Lot Performance

Bin Plus More

Years ago I purchased two huge (70 quart) Sterlite storage bins. Back then I had artwork that I rotated seasonally, and one of the containers stored the extras. The other held non-Christmas wrapping supplies.

When Hubby Tony and I downsized to our condo it only had a fraction of the wall space, so I culled the much of the artwork, but there was still to justify bringing both containers. They were stacked in the storage room downstairs between the tubs of Christmas decorations and the box with the Christmas tree. It was always a chore to get to the wrapping supplies, so several months ago I brought it upstairs. I had to wrestle the container onto a shelf in the office closet. It was so difficult I decided I would look for something smaller. That idea never made it to a list and I quickly forgot about it.

When we pulled out the Christmas things last week I looked into the large container and figured out most of the things in there were no longer needed; I emptied it out and staged it to donate to the thrift shop.

This afternoon I happened to be driving by the thrift shop (of course without the container 😠) but popped in to see if I could find something to wear to a holiday party a couple of days from now. I nabbed a lovely red sweater, then decided to look around the rest of the store.

In one of the aisles an associate was struggling to find a spot on the shelf for a long, thin storage container. It looked to be the size I was looking for and I hustled over to take a look. I found out it wasn't just a container; it was a container filled with supplies!

My find back at home

The bin contained six partial rolls of paper, a large stack of gift bags, and an even larger stack of tissue paper, along with some random ribbon. Now I have a perfectly-sized bin to hold my non-holiday wrapping supplies, and I'm set for Christmas wrapping materials this year and probably a couple after that!

Five years ago: Sock Seam Solution

Attagirl!

For the past few days I've been on the hunt for clothes to send to some of the California grands for Christmas. Their mom had sent me a text with sizes and requests. One of the requests was for lightweight cotton girl's sweat pants. Those have been difficult to find, because the weather has turned frigid in my area and all that the stores are carrying are heavy duty fleece.

Yesterday I checked several stores with no luck.This morning was Target's turn. What I was looking for would have been current merchandise a couple of months ago, so I figured that my best bet would be to start with the discount racks. Nothing.

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There was a 30-something associate (with a name tag that read 'Ivory') straightening a shelf nearby, and I asked her if there was anywhere else that might have what I was looking for. She thought for a moment, then walked me to a couple places in the department to show me things. They weren't what I was looking for, so I thanked her and started browsing myself. Thirty seconds later 'Ivory' came over excitedly, holding a hanger holding a cute pair of pants for me to check out. Unfortunately they weren't the right size. Once again I thanked the associate.

As I was leaving the department I saw a second associate who looked like she might be in charge, and told her about the great assistance I'd had. The second associate agreed that 'Ivory' was a great employee. 

I asked if something good would happen if I stopped by the Guest Service desk and repeated my compliment. The second associate said she could do something better. She pulled out a walkie-talkie and told the entire store that she wanted to give a shout out to 'Ivory', who had totally exceeded a customer's expectations. As I walked away I heard a chorus of associates congratulating her via their walkie-talkies.

Five years ago today: Adventures In Christmas Decorating

I Wonder If I'd Get The Same Answers Today?

One of the Internet things I do after breakfast is check out my Facebook memories. This one from 2017 made me smile. It seems I had forgotten that my recent quandry about women's underwear styles wasn't the first time I had addressed the situation. (Note- names and profile photos removed to protect the innocent ☺)

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Strangest Facebook post you'll probably see today...I'm buying Christmas Outreach gifts for a 19-year old woman. One of the things she wants is underwear (which I'm assuming means panties). But what TYPE of panties does a 19 year old wear?

• ML-That's a tough one! Thongs is what I say. But not sure. Good luck with that! Lol

• KG-In my experience people either love or hate thongs. I'd hate to gift them and have the person be in the latter category.

• RHM-I started to answer and then remembered I am not 19 anymore. 😂😂

• MEG-Boy shorts or bikini cut was the go to at that age

• KG-Thanks. Since you're the youngest person to answer I'm going to go with your suggestion 🙂
• MEG-It's comfortable and something to appreciate, no one appreciates putting on a thong lol

• KD-I think my daughter wears bikini cut...she is 28 though...but wore the same thing at 19. 🙂

• WSM-Thong if they wear yoga pants. Have fun with that one!

• NHM-Hmm what size did she list? Maybe use that to decide thong vs bikini vs boy short.

• KG-Good suggestions. The tag says size 7, so I'd guess medium build.

• JTW-Boy shorts

• AK-I say if she's wanting underwear for Christmas she probably isn't fussy!

• KG-That was my first thought, too. But if you're getting underwear for Christmas shouldn't it be something you like?
• AK-Yes but she wasn't specific so maybe it doesn't matter.

• LHB-My daughter says boyfriend panties are popular, and she said that Victoria’s Secret usually has a “bargain” bin.

• KG-Thanks for the information!

• STCC-hope you got some bikinis... thongs are not the norm...

All It Needs Is A Hanger

Hubby Tony and I have some friends coming for dinner later this week, and we decided it would be nice if he condo was decorated for Christmas. We put up the tree in the morning, putting the ornament from our our Greece and Turkey pilgrimage front and center. Then, as part of a house straightening, I found a tag from a souvenir tote bag which I thought could also make a nice ornament:

The tag was printed on heavy paper, but to make the finished product more sturdy I also glued it to a piece of card stock. Then I decided the tag would last longer if encased in some type of plastic. I asked on the Buy Nothing group if anyone had a small piece of clear Contact paper or a corner of a laminating sheet they would be willing to add my tag to. I didn't know there was a thing called a self-adhering laminating sheet (that allows you to laminate without a machine) until someone offered it to me.

This afternoon I swung by the woman's house and picked up the sheet, which was large enough to cover one side of a standard sheet of paper. Because my item was small I measured a piece large enough for both sides, then sandwiched the tag inside. Next I folded the laminate in half, and pressed down until all of the air bubbles were gone. The last step was to cut off the excess plastic and punch a hole. Just like that I had another ornament for the tree.

Five years ago today: A Social Bubble Adventure

Independent All The Way

Even through Black Friday shopping is often at the large chain stores, everything Hubby Tony and I did today was at small independent businesses.

This morning we got an early start. After dropping Foster Cat Smokey Joe off at the clinic at 7:45 am for a checkup (the vets work the shelter cat in during down times) we headed toward a local cafe for breakfast. My intention was to eat light, but by the time I sat down it was a couple of hours since I rolled out of bed and I was starving. I managed to pass on the larger items, but my two eggs came with a choice of meat (in my case a huge ham slice), hash browns, and toast. It was so good I couldn't stop until everything was gone. 

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Even after lingering over our coffee, when Tony and I left it was still too early for most small stores to be open. To kill time we walked through an Ace Hardware (a chain, but independently owned) where we had a nice chat with the manager, then continued our walk in the neighborhood around the store.

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We headed to downtown Maplewood, which has many small independent stores. At a fair trade store we chose a black cat felt ornament I wanted for the Christmas tree to honor Smokey Joe (handmade in Nepal from natural New Zealand wool). We also splurged on a felted wreath, and found some Christmas gifts that will be easy to mail to the out of town adult kids.

On the way out of the store Tony and I started talking about making the fair trade items the inspiration item for gift baskets and what else we could include. Stopping in several additional stores didn't lead to any additional purchases, so we decided to head home.

After a couple of hours of housework and paperwork I hadn't heard from the vet office yet. Tony and I decided we were on a Christmas present buying roll and left to shop in the Webster Groves Old Orchard shopping area. At one shop we bought something for the baskets. At a book store we got a book that was on one of the grand's lists.

When we heard that Smokey Joe was finished we were only ten minutes from the office. We figured the cat was more than ready to be out of his carrier, so there was no stopping on the way home.

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt / A Slice Of My Life

It's easy to think of big things to be thankful for, but today I challenged myself to come up with smaller everyday things.

• Something in the morning that brings me happiness -My first sip of hot, freshly brewed coffee

• A sound that brings me peace -The sound of running water

• Something in my home I'm thankful for -The wide selection of clothes in my closet

 

• A scent I enjoy -Sauteed onion and garlic, ingredients in a dinner Hubby Tony was cooking

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• Something that makes my life easier - The high speed router in my condo, which lets me access the internet and any information I want at any time.

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• Something in nature that makes me smile - The crunch of leaves beneath my feet (and the light brown leaf that is smiling at me :-)

• A moment that brought joy today -Foster Cat Smokey Joe cuddled up on my lap

Poinsettias Everywhere

One of our friends is a member of a family who (up until they sold it earlier this year) owned a wholesale greenhouse. The greenhouse always has an open house the weekend before Thanksgiving. Hubby Tony and I usually have plans, but this year were able to attend.

When we arrived we texted our friend, and she was waiting for us when we entered the building. I had no idea what to expect, but our personal tour started with a short row craft booths and saying hello to Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their two young helpers. We moved over to the rows of for sale plants, some of which were still under trial to find out how well they would perform. There were so many shades of red! Also multiple pinks, whites, corals, and a few orange and yellow. Then there were bi-colored, marbled, and speckled patterns, and one with a flower that looked like a rose.

After winding our way up and down the rows we walked through a large room with a stage at one end where a dance studio was performing. We stopped at the refreshment station, then visited several of the industrial-sized greenhouses where plants were waiting to be delivered to stores. We also saw the spray painting line, where cream colored poinsettias are sprayed with unnatural colors (like blue) and glitter.

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Eventually we made our way back to the first room where we thanked our friend for the tour. Poinsettias are mildly toxic to cats, so not knowing if Foster Cat Smokey Joe is a chewer I decided not to bring something home that might be an attractive nuisance.

Five years ago: Helping Yourself Out

Connecting With The Cat

I can't believe it's only been a little over a week since Foster Cat Smokey Joe came home with Hubby Tony and me. It didn't take him long to settle in and be a part of the family.

Smokey Joe is the most affectionate cat I've ever had. Whenever Tony and I are moving around the condo the cat is following, and rubbing against us when we stop. As soon as someone sits down on the couch Smokey Joe is on our lap, and hunkers down for the long haul. If we get up he's ready to start the cycle all over again.

As much as I like his lap-sitting, purring, and 'biscuit making' (pushing and pulling his front claws, alternating between his right and left paw) all the attention presenting a bit of a problem. I don't mind passing on the household chores I should be doing but I usually do my blog posts with a laptop on my lap. The cat doesn't like sharing.

I am sure we'll eventually come to some type of agreement.

 Next to me, but laying on my arm😊

Giving Gifting

Our church has a Christmas Outreach tradition called the Giving Tree. Each year Hubby Tony and I choose tags for a male and a female, buy and wrap the requested items, then return the back to the church so they can be delivered to a city in southeast Missouri

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Earlier this week Tony was meeting some friends at church. While he was there he picked out tags for a 47 year old man and a 21 year old woman. 

I put the envelopes containing the instructions on my dresser so I could remember to buy the presents. The gift drop off isn't for several weeks, but today I found a coupon from Kohl's for 30 percent off a purchase. The coupon expired in a couple of days, so I asked Tony to to go shopping with me.

Each year the requests are pretty basic. The man asked for jeans or pants (size 34-32) and underwear (32-34). The woman wanted the same two items (bottoms size 12-14, and underclothes size 7).

Tony was in charge of making purchasing decisions for the man. After a little browsing he decided on standard blue jeans and boxer briefs. When we moved over to the women's department it was on me to figure things out.

There were a couple of issues. The first one was a size issue. The tag suggested a size range, which makes sense if the person was there in person and could take one of each into the dressing room, but no help for a third-party gift buyer. Even if my crystal ball could figure out which size was more accurate, there was still the length issue to contend with. Google AI told me

"The average women's pant inseam for an average-height woman (around 5'4" to 5'7") is typically 29 to 31 inches, while a standard "Regular" inseam length is often cited as 31 to 32 inches."

I fall into the average height range, but most pants are too long for me. Rather than guess wrong, I chose a pair of elastic waist joggers (size Medium) with an ankle cuff to eliminate the length problem. In the lingerie department I had to guess again, but figured high cut cotton panties would be a safe option.

We always include something extra with the requests. I had a pair of lounge socks in my gift stash that will be great for the woman. For the man I will be going back to Kohls tomorrow to use the "Kohl's cash" reward today's purchase earned us.