What's Up Wednesday, January 2026 Edition

 

Another year, another What's Up Wednesday! This one will be short and sweet because my life is both boring and chaotic. Perhaps you can relate.

What I've Been Eating

Nothing of note on this front; the Let's Lower Chelle's Cholesterol Before She's Shackled To Medication Diet is in full swing. I'm not a huge fan. On the bright side, I cheated on said diet with a chicken parm recently, so I'm not suffering completely.

What I'm Loving

Shanti and the Man-Cub bought a house this month, and I am loving how excited they are to feather their little nest. I especially enjoyed listening to Hugh talk the Man-Cub through the wiring on his new (to him) water heater over FaceTime; trying to explain the difference between the red and green wires to a colorblind kid is always so entertaining.

What I'm Reminiscing About

Nothing at the moment.

What I've Been Up To

Guinness has been under the weather, so I have spent some time at the vet clinic, as well as trying to get medication down his throat without traumatizing him or making him hate me. Always a good time, over here.

What I'm Working On 

Half of my staff at Not So New Job are currently hospitalized. One, because she just delivered a precious baby girl (yay!), and one because her colon tried to kill her (boo!). So, I am working on staying sane. If this job doesn't eventually kill me, it will most definitely be a surprise. Three cheers for financial solvency!

What I'm Excited About 

I'm getting a walking pad for my bedroom. I don't know why this excites me, but there you have it.

What I'm Dreading

Nope. Nope. Ain't no way I am manifesting additional stress with that nonsense.

What I'm Reading

I read all four books in the Pacific Shores Series and loved them all.

Then I read the first three books in the Ravenhood Series, because why not add emotional damage caused by fictional characters to my already emotionally fragile psyche?

What I'm Watching

Still not tuning into the television, like, at all. Still don't miss it.

Did take Mom to see the local community theater's production of Clue on Stage. Loved it!

What I'm Listening To

Smutty books on Audible. That is all.

What I'm Wearing

Half the time, I'm wearing a blush on my cheeks, thanks to all the smutty books on Audible.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Hopefully, walking on my new walking pad, while either reading a good book or listening to, you guessed it, a smutty book on Audible.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

Ooh! One I can actually drum up some excitement for! I'm joining Queen B and a group of her friends in Las Vegas to celebrate her Dirty 30! Will I be the oldest person in attendance? Yes. Do I care? Nope! It may be her 30th birthday, but it is also the 30th anniversary of the day I started the job I was meant for. Celebration all the way around!

Favorite Purchase This Month

I honestly hope it's going to be that damn walking pad. Fingers crossed!

Friday Favorites

I'm not here to apologize for the lack of posts on the blog so far this year; I'm hanging on by a thread over here and doing the best I can do. This week, my office manager at Not-So-New-Job landed in the ICU after surviving not one, but two surgeries that she was not expected to live through. Her recovery is going to be long and stressful, and I am so sad for her. I'm also super stressed at the pressure her absence is putting on me at work, although that's the lesser of my worries; I just want her to get well.

So, the first thing I'll mention in this Favorites post is the overwhelming support and all the prayers that our community has thrown up for her. It's heartwarming to see how many people care for her, and I can't wait for her to be on the mend so she can see it for herself.

My Forensic Interviewer Coordinator at Not-So-New-Job is my second favorite this week; she has gone above and beyond to keep me sane and grounded as we work through the duties my office manager has had to step away from. We are in the audit process, which my office manager has always handled like the professional she is, so our lack of skill in this department shows. Thank goodness we're in it together and seem to be mucking our way through. She's also really fun to be around, and I consider her both a friend and a coworker.

Do you see the face on this gal? How could that smile not light up your day?!

On a non-work topic, Guinness seems to be feeling much better this week. The meds he is on appear to be keeping him calm enough not to over-groom, which was the goal. Getting him to take the meds was a learning curve, but I discovered a product that has worked wonders; I just crush his tablet into a fine powder, mix it into one of these spoons, and he licks it up like the most delicious treat he's ever had.

It's been a relief not to have to fight to get a pill down his sweet little throat. I rather like this little furball.

He kind of likes me, too

Finally, I went to our local community theater's production of Clue with my favorite lady on Saturday, and we had a great time. The play was hilarious and, as always, so well produced. I say it every time we go, but I'll say it again: there is so much talent in our small community.

That's it for today! I am off for a well-deserved massage (also a favorite, actually) and a mini shopping spree at my favorite thrift stores.

Have a great weekend!

 

Life Lately

It's been a busy start to this new year. Not So New Job is kicking my ass, as predicted. I have completed numerous grant reports, attended a zillion community meetings, and handled the regular business-as-usual. I'm honestly exhausted.

Speaking of being exhausted, Shanti and the Man-Cub have been hard at the business of moving into their new house. They painted, steamed carpets, made minor repairs, and packed and moved the entire apartment, all within a week. I can't imagine they aren't tired. Happy, but tired.

Sticking with the topic: Guinness, my favorite reading buddy, has been feeling under the weather.

We took him to the vet because we were concerned about him over-grooming himself to the point of creating nearly bald spots. She put him on medication for pain, because she assumes he has some arthritis (he is fourteen, after all), as well as an anti-anxiety medication. I hate giving him meds, and he's not exactly a fan, either, but if it will help, it will be worth the trouble. The meds do make him a little loopy and more than a bit drowsy, though.

  And, that about sums up what's been going on around here, lately. And you wonder why I never write 😅

Hopefully, things will pick up around here as I dig out from under my workload. A girl can hope.

Baby Got a Brand New House

Shanti and the Man-Cub kicked off the new year in a big way; they bought a house!

The house is a three-bedroom, two-bath home on a quiet cul-de-sac, with a large back yard and a two-car garage, which was a significant selling point for the Man-Cub.

Currently, there is a lovely chicken coop in the side yard, which was not a huge selling point for Shanti, who is terrified of birds and has no intention of ever raising the tiny dinosaurs, so the kids will be having it removed to make room for a fire pit.

The Man-Cub is super stoked about having a yard to improve upon, and Shanti is in love with the sunroom off the master bedroom, as well she should be, as it is the perfect room for her numerous plants.

The kids closed on the loan on Monday and have already started deep cleaning, painting, and making minor repairs and alterations as they deem necessary.

They will move in officially this weekend, and I am planning to take lunch over to the moving crew, AKA all of their friends.

I am so excited for this new adventure for them and am really looking forward to watching them create a home from a simple house.

2026 is off to a great start!

Christmas Photo Dump

Holiday movie watching:

The inspiration for my annual cocktail contest entry (which won, by the way):

Guinness in his element:

Christmas morning Lego construction:

Christmas morning charcuterie and mimosas:

New Griswold jerseys:

Matching sweaters:

Time with family:

The end.

Holiday Home Tour 2025

 As it is every year, this post will be heavy on the pictures and light on commentary, which, honestly, is the story of my life when it comes to this blog this year. I am nothing if not consistent; let's just hope that next year I suck less consistently.

Anyhoodle, on to the tour!

I leaned heavily on vintage and vintage-inspired decor this year, starting in the dining room, where I displayed some of my reproduction Gurley choir candles and reproduction Shiny Brite ornaments.

The buffet display includes my vintage tinsel tree, adorned with a combination of vintage and reproduction  Shiny Brites.

My record player rests next to the tree, along with a small display of vintage Napco music boxes and figurines, and one of my small vintage blow molds. The Napco items are new to my collection this year, and I adore them; the music boxes play various Christmas tunes and still work perfectly, even after all these years (they are from the mid-50s).

In the kitchen, I displayed the rest of my reproduction Gurley candles in my reproduction Jadeite cake stands. I love the color combination of the red and the jade.

I also hung up the curtain Mom made for me from a vintage tablecloth last year and then displayed some of my vintage Santa mugs on the windowsill, just as I did last year.

In the living room, I decorated the tree with my reproduction Shiny Brite mercury-bead garlands, ornaments, and my collection of family ornaments. Our tree can be lit with colored or white lights or a combination of both; this year, I went with white lights.

The mantle is decorated with a colored light garland and our stockings, as usual.

I opted to skip my Dept. 56 Dickens Village this year, opting to display my vintage Rankin-Bass figurine collection, which actually grew a little thanks to some inspiration from a TikTok video and an aggressive treasure hunt on eBay and Mercari.

I expanded my collection of vintage Rushkin Santas by one this year. Hugh continues to describe these guys as "creepy", which is simply ridiculous. They are adorable.

I also purchased a new wreath this year, as my previous one met an unfortunate end when its hanger failed, and it crashed to the floor. The wreaths are made by a friend of mine from vintage ornaments and Christmas decorations that she thrifts throughout the year. Each wreath is a work of art, and I was sick when mine shattered. Thankfully, she had made a couple more for this season, and I was lucky to be at her store just as she set them out.

Finally, in the foyer, I displayed my wise men, because it wouldn't be Christmas without them.

And that pretty much wraps up the tour. I didn't do nearly as much as I usually do, and there is no outside tour this year, but that's the way it goes, some years.

Now, to put it all away and get my house back to normal. New Year's goals :)